DOOMSDAY

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CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE demigods at camp have begun to escalate since Percy, Annabeth, and Grover left for their quest. News of Zeus and Poseidon being on the verge of war with one another has spread, leading all of the gods and their children to begin choosing sides.

A day after the trio's departure from camp, several boys from both the Ares and Hermes Cabins started a fight in the middle of the courtyard. Through the commotion, Valeria was able to overhear the Ares kids spitting insults directed towards Zeus, while Luke's younger brothers retorted with negative statements about the sea god. This means that Hermes has sided with Zeus and Ares with Poseidon.

As for the other demigods: the stances of Demeter and Hephaestus's children remain unclear until their parents announce their decisions. Apollo has chosen to support Poseidon, and Athena will presumably side with Zeus because of her own rivalry with Percy's father. Valeria and the rest of her siblings know that Aphrodite will follow her lover, Ares, and join Poseidon's favor.

Valeria has assisted Luke and the other head counselors in preventing fights between the cabins for at least two days straight now. Some are predictable and easy to handle, while most take more effort and patience than she's willing to give as she forces one flailing body apart from another. Each one that occurs has her feeling more and more drained.

"How many have you broken up today?" Luke asks as he lowers himself down beside the girl at the highest point in the forest.

Valeria should've figured that Luke would find her here, as she usually comes up here whenever she needs to find peace or clear her thoughts.

"Surprisingly, not a lot — only three. What about you?"

"Seven."

"Gods," Valeria's brows knit together at the number, followed by the shake of her head. An agitated feeling writhes in her gut. "This isn't fair. Why are we being forced to choose sides just because our parents might be going to war with each other?"

"Good question," Luke says grimly yet humorously. Then he lets out a deep breath, changing his tone to one void of any sarcasm. "Val, the gods don't care about how we feel. They just want whatever'll give them more power. That's how it's always been."

She shrugs. "Doesn't make it any less unfair."

Usually, Luke is the one to blame the gods while Valeria tries to soothe his hatred. The girl has hardly ever spoken indecently about their parents; it's unsettling for Valeria to be voicing her anger towards them out loud.

Luke stares at her for a long moment before nudging her lightly. "Don't think too hard about all of this, alright? Everything will be fine."

"You don't know that—"

A chorus of yells and cheers suddenly erupts from the direction of the amphitheater. Valeria jumps to her feet within seconds, Luke following her movements when she begins racing down the hill and towards the noise. She comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of an audience forming a circle around the ongoing brawl. For some reason, it has drawn more attention than any of the other fights.

Valeria surges forward and pushes her way through the crowd of demigods, unable to hear Luke's calls for her to wait as the cheers from those around her fill her ears. She's nearing the center of the mass when her shoulder crashes hard into somebody's chest, causing her to look up and meet a son of Hephaestus's eyes.

"Sorry," Valeria blurts.

He can barely give a response before she moves past him to reach the two demigods. One boy throws a punch at the other, who manages to duck and tackle him in retaliation. They topple to the ground as the crowd moves back to avoid trampling them. Valeria attempts to intervene when she is abruptly pulled backwards.

Luke appears at Valeria's side within seconds, stepping past her and into the circle, firmly yanking the boys off each other and up to their feet. He separates them by positioning himself between them in place of a barrier. "Hey! Stop it."

"He started it!"

"You said that Zeus—"

"Enough—!"

Luke's words evaporate into thin air when one of the boys' fists accidentally slams into his jaw instead of the intended target, sending Luke stumbling away as he cradles his face. A collective gasp is heard, while Valeria shoots forward out of instinct.

Her hands reach up to move his own out of the way so she can see the damage of the blow, concern displayed across her features as her brows scrunch together. However, Luke quickly brushes her off and proceeds to try tearing the boys apart when they resume their fight once more.

Some more head counselors have made their way over to assist in resolving the conflict, including Camryn and Amara, who seem to be just as confused as everyone else. Then a thunderous voice booms across the amphitheater, and everyone turns to their right as Chiron approaches the scene with a perplexed yet furious expression.

"What is the meaning of this?" he questions loudly, his gaze expectant as he stares at the campers. When he receives no answer, Chiron sighs and says, "All of you will return to your scheduled activities"—nobody moves—"Now."

The demigods vacate the area within seconds, scattering down the paths leading to the various activities around camp. Valeria, Luke, Camryn, and Amara are the only ones who remain in the amphitheater, with the exception of the two boys, who Chiron has ordered to follow him to the Big House to discuss their punishments.

Luke barely glances at Valeria before storming off, his shoulders tense and fists tightened together, leaving her standing beside Amara and Camryn with a saddened expression. She watches his figure grow smaller and smaller as he walks away from the scene.

"What happened?" Amara asks.

Valeria raises her shoulders lazily. "One of the boys punched Luke when he was trying to get them to stop fighting."

"Is he okay?"

Valeria shrugs again.

"You should go check on him," Camryn advises with a sigh. When she receives questioning glances, the Apollo girl scoffs. "Who else would he rather see than you right now?"

Amara makes an ah sound, which is then accompanied by a nod of agreement. Valeria merely purses her lips, reluctant to follow their suggestion while starting to fidget with the rings along her fingers out of habit. She clears her throat and forces herself to nod.

Eventually, Valeria finds herself standing in the doorway to the practically empty Hermes Cabin as Luke rummages through his bedside drawer in a frustrated manner. His posture is stiff, though she's still able to recognize the vexation steaming from him despite his back facing her.

Luke yanks a first aid kit out of the drawer and slams it shut with his forearm, scoffing when he peers over his shoulder and sees the Aphrodite girl. She takes notice of the small cut along his jaw, the skin surrounding it becoming more and more red from irritation. Valeria realizes that the boy's rings must have grazed it during the impact.

"Go away, Valeria."

Her lips part in surprise, blinking as Luke drops the red kit onto his mattress. Confusion overwhelms Valeria's thoughts as she watches his every movement. He's never tried to send her away or dismiss her before — not once in the four years they've known each other.

Has she done something wrong?

"I just wanted to check on you."

"I don't need you to check on me, alright?" Luke snaps, causing her to wince at the harshness in his words. "I'm fine."

He returns his attention to the kit, seemingly unaware of the hurt look on Valeria's face as he sits on the edge of his bed. Luke unlatches the top of the pack and begins taking out some of the materials, his hands fumbling with them slightly. Valeria stares at him for a long moment, contemplating whether or not she should leave, and then fully enters the cabin, only coming to a stop once she's standing in front of Luke.

Valeria takes the cleaning supplies and small bandage out from his grasp, temporarily placing the bandage off to the side and peeling open one of the gauzes. She pours a bit of hydrogen peroxide on it and begins to wipe away the hardly noticeable smears of blood. Luke doesn't protest — he merely stares up at her as she keeps her own eyes focused on his jaw.

A deafening silence falls over them as she continues these gentle motions while standing an awkward foot away from him. If it hadn't been for his attitude towards her, Valeria would have no problem being near him right now.

Valeria's breath hitches when his hands are suddenly on her waist, pulling her forward until her hips are locked between his knees.

"You can come closer."

"You just told me to go away."

Regret weaves its way onto Luke's features, and his thumb starts to rub circles around her midsection. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Valeria lifts her other hand to use her fingers to hold his face still. She doesn't give a verbal response. Somewhat out of pettiness — and somewhat out of hurt. "Mhm."

Her heart hammers against her ribs. She tosses the gauze aside and peels open the tiny, circular bandage and places it over the spot on Luke's jaw. Then she looks up from his jaw to find her face closer to his than she had thought, causing her to freeze instantly.

"I'm sorry," Luke repeats quietly.

Valeria bites the inside of her lower lip. It starts to dawn on her that Luke had likely just been overwhelmed by all of the disorder around camp when he stormed away— the responsibilities of being a head counselor weigh heavy on him, as they do for her. All he needed was a moment of peace to collect himself.

"You should get some ambrosia from the infirmary. It'll make the cut go away faster."

He nods.

Her hands gently rest on his forearms, fingers absentmindedly brushing across his skin as he begins to slowly move his palms up her hips and down her waist. Valeria swallows the lump that forms in her throat when Luke's nose brushes against hers, causing the girl to realize just how close their faces are to each other's. Then his lips are suddenly hovering over her own.

"What are you doing?" she whispers timidly.

"I don't know."

When Luke doesn't move away, Valeria feels trapped. Everything in her body is screaming at her to run away. To leave. Escape. Her lungs become tight and restricted, which is then followed by the feeling of the walls closing in around her. They've been in close proximity many times before... but this time feels different. Almost suffocating.

So, Valeria rips herself away from Luke's grasp within seconds. She's backpedaling. "No, no—"

"Val," Luke shoots up from his bed instantly, worry etched across his features. "What—?"

The Aphrodite girl shakes her head weakly yet frustratedly, turning away from him and rushing through the doorway to the Hermes Cabin. Luke stares after Valeria as she hurries down the path outside, his jaw hanging low in astonishment from what just happened.

"What the hell?"