The LAST chapter!  Oh my gods!  And uh, you’re going to hate me next story.  Not the novella I’m writing for this UnKnown but the next story, UnStoppable if that made any sense.  Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter!  Any who, please read and review! Especially with this being the last chapter :)

Chapter Quote:

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.”

~Douglas Adams

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Chapter 20: Big Brother Protectiveness

Luke 

Luke had been up on the Promenade deck where the buffet was with his parents, Silena, and Derek when the first wave hit.  Luke and Derek, who’d been sitting in chairs, were thrown onto the floor.

“What in Poseidon’s name is going on?!” Percy demanded no one in particular, hurrying over to help up his son and Derek.  But right as the two young boys stood up, another wave hit.

“Silena, Derek, I think Amphitrite and Triton have found us,” Luke said, paling.

“What do they have to do with this?” Annabeth asked.  Hurriedly, Luke explained how Poseidon had offered them safe passage over the seas for six to seven days but how after that, if Amphitrite and Triton found out Bryn was on board, they’d sink the ship.

“We need to get off the ship!” Percy said. “We need to get down to deck nine, now!”

Luke and Silena scooped up the two puppies before running down the deck below.  Percy was hurriedly getting a lifeboat accessible to the group.  Annabeth went in first.  Silena handed the puppy she was holding to her mother before getting on the lifeboat.  Derek followed.  Luke handed the puppy he was holding to Derek and just as he was about to get in realized something.

“Dad!  I have to go get Bryn!” Luke said frantically, getting back onto the sinking ship. “Get the lifeboat away.  I’ll get in another one!”

Percy shouted something after his son but Luke didn’t hear it.  His mind was too focused on getting to Bryn.  She would’ve headed straight up to them.  Her room wasn’t that far from deck ten.  Something had happened to her, he was sure of it.  He just had to find out what.  He leapt from the top of the stairs of deck nine down to deck eight when he heard the screaming.  He couldn’t understand what was being said but he recognized the voice: Bryn.

“Bryn!” He shouted. “I’m coming!”

She must’ve heard him because she started screaming his name.  When he reached her room, Luke could hear the panic in the voice.

“Bryn!”

“Luke!  Thank the gods!  My door’s stuck!  It won’t budge!” Bryn shouted, her voice muffled by the door.

“Stand back!  I’m going to try and knock it down,” he commanded.

“Hurry!  Water’s starting to come in my room!”

Luke backed up as far as he could go, which wasn’t much, and charged the door, throwing his shoulder at it.  The door groaned but didn’t break.  Bryn yelled out his name hysterically, this time informing him the water was rising fast and was up to her knees.  Luke kicked the door repeatedly.  He had to get her out of there.  Water started to leak from underneath the crack of her doorway as the door started to give in.

“Just a few more kicks!” Luke informed, kicking the door some more.

“It’s up to my neck Luke!” Bryn answered.  Her words struck fear into him.  If she lost her life because he couldn’t break down a stupid door, he’d never forgive himself.  She’d saved his life three times: the scorpion, the tree, and the volcano.  Luke would not let her die without repaying her.  With a new found determination, Luke slammed his foot into the door.  It snapped, allowing for all the water trapped inside Bryn’s room to come gushing out.  He heard a short yelp come from Bryn before she smashed right into him.  The water separated them, sweeping her down the hallway and away from him.  He heard himself shout her name.  She was struggling to stay above the current but even though Bryn was obviously a good swimmer, she was in danger of going under and staying under, especially because the hallway was almost completely filled with water to the ceiling.  Luke propelled himself down the corridor, using his demigod powers to have the water push him faster.  Within seconds he reached Bryn who had nearly lost consciousness.

He grabbed a hold of her and went under the water, struggling to get to the area where the elevators were.  Bryn managed to hit him hard enough to get his attention.  She pointed to her mouth, instantly telling him she couldn’t hold her breath much longer.  He didn’t know what to do but he had to figure something out quickly or else she would die.  What Luke needed was an underwater bubble to surround them.  That’s what he needed.  He closed his eyes, hoping a miracle would happen.

And it did.

When he opened his eyes, the two demigods were encased in an air bubble.  Bryn was gasping for air.

“Bryn, hold onto me, okay?  I’m going to get us out of here,” Luke promised.  She nodded weakly and wrapped her arms around his neck, not what he expected but he didn’t dwell on the fact that she was really close to him at the moment and her father would probably kill Luke even if he was trying to save Zeus’s daughter’s life.  That would be just his luck.  Luke made slow progress to the elevator area but progress nonetheless.  He swam up the flight of stairs to the tenth deck where it opened up to the open ocean.  Luke, using his powers again, used the water to propel himself out of the water.  He used a little too much force however, and he and Bryn shot up out of the ocean into the air.  Luke turned their bodies so that his back landed on the top of the lifeboat.  It knocked the wind out of him for a few moments.

“We’re safe, Bryn,” he whispered, feeling exhausted.  She slowly lifted her head to look at him.  Her eyes showed how petrified she’d been. “Now I owe you two.”

Bryn smiled. “Thank you.”

“Thank the gods you’re okay!” Annabeth exclaimed.  Luke and Bryn turned their heads to face Mrs. Jackson.  Both of them sheepishly separated themselves from each other.  Annabeth noticed, however, and smirked.  She was still pale, bruises prominent on her face, but she looked happy and on the way to a good recovery.  Luke made Bryn get in the lifeboat first.  He got in after.  Bryn was tackled into a hug by Derek while Silena attacked Luke with a hug.

“Gods I was worried about you two!” Silena exclaimed.

“We’re fine.  Just tired,” Luke told his sister nonchalantly.

“You four get some rest.  Your mom and I will get us back to camp, okay?” Percy offered.  None of the teenagers argued as they plopped down on the floor, with Silena and Bryn in the middle and Luke and Derek on the outside of them.  The two husky puppies curled up next to Luke and Bryn.  Within minutes, all of them were sawing logs.

When Luke woke up, his father was just pulling up to the shore of Camp Half-Blood.  Looking out the small window, he saw all the campers waiting for them, cheering and smiling.  He turned to his friends who were still asleep.  Luke woke Silena up by poking her.  She gave him the death glare and warned him she’d send a wave after him if he ever did that again.  He snorted and told her to wake up Derek.  Luke then woke up Bryn, who seemed extremely relieved to be back at camp.

“Remind me to never get on a ship again,” she mumbled.

“I’ll remember to not convince you so well,” Luke joked.

“Shut up Sharkboy.”

“Never Cat Woman.” He grinned.  They disembarked the boat onto the clean sands of Camp Half-Blood.  The cheers were deafening as the kids surrounded them, hugging them.  Luke laughed at their exuberance and also at how uncomfortable Bryn looked with all the attention she was getting.  He maneuvered his way through the crowd next to her side.  She looked up at him bashfully but stuck close.  Luke caught a glimpse of his parents hugging Chiron; Chiron looked completely relieved that the Jacksons were alive and okay.

“Heroes!” Chiron shouted.  It took a few minutes for people to calm down but it did happen. “I know we’re all excited and thankful to have Luke, Silena, Derek, and Bryn back, along with Percy and Annabeth.  Therefore, as a celebration, all activities are cancelled for the remainder of the day and we shall have a celebration tonight.  And- hang on, where’s Hannah?”

The crowd fell into an uncomfortable silence.  The campers looked around.  It was Bryn who spoke. “Chiron, why don’t you allow for me, Luke, Silena, Derek, and Mr. and Mrs. Jackson to go clean up and get something to eat and then we’ll tell the whole story.”

The centaur looked at her curiously but agreed.  The six demigods dashed off (with Luke and Bryn each taking a husky puppy with them), ready to get into clean clothes and eat something besides buffet food (not that the food hadn’t been good).  Luke took a quick shower but it was good enough to get all the dirt, grime, and sea water smell out of his hair.  He changed into jeans and an orange camp T-shirt before heading outside to the camp fire area with is puppy that he still hadn’t named.  Derek and Percy were already there, conversing about something.  Annabeth, Bryn, and Silena were still gone.

As if reading his son’s mind, Percy said amusedly, “They’re still taking showers and putting on makeup.  You know how your mother and sister are.  I can only imagine Bryn is the same way.”

Campers started to come over, talking among themselves but not to the three boys.  Ten minutes later, Bryn, Silena, and Annabeth made their appearance.  Silena was in skinny jeans and a tank top that hugged her curves.  Luke eyed Derek, making sure Derek didn’t stare too much at Luke’s little sister.  Bryn opted for white shorts with a dark blue shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows.  Annabeth was in jeans and a white tunic-style shirt.

“The divas are ready,” Luke joked.  It deserved him a slap on each arm from both Silena and Bryn.  They sat down, facing all the campers who were waiting expectantly to hear the story and why Hannah wasn’t with them.  Luke started, starting with the cruise ship and how they had to call Poseidon so Bryn could get safe passage across the ocean, purposefully leaving out the part where Bryn was sick to her stomach just thinking about stepping foot on the ship.  He explained how Poseidon could give them safe passage for six to seven days, but after that, Amphitrite and Triton could do whatever they wanted if they found the ship.  Silena spoke up next, explaining how when they docked in Heraklion, they shopped for necessary items they might need on their trip to Milos.  She continued to explain how when she, Bryn, and Hannah entered a convenience store, she was kidnapped right before there was an explosion in the building.  Silena informed them she’d been knocked out and had woken up in a cave, completely unsure of where she was but that she had an idea.  Here, Bryn took up the story, making the chase through the streets on motorcycles while being chased by four hydras seem like it happened every day.  Of course, everyone was in awe anyways and laughed at the part where Luke threw pillow pets.  She didn’t elaborate much on her injury by the hydra acid and quickly moved on to the part where they were climbing at the volcano’s side.  When Bryn reached the part of the tunnel separating her and Luke from Derek and Hannah, she quickly explained that she and Luke found the rest of the Jacksons before allowing for Derek to finish the story.  After Derek told the story about Bryn fighting Hannah and flying them out of the tunnel, Luke proceeded to tell them about the sinking cruise ship.  There were looks of horror on all the camper’s faces.

“So Hannah’s turned evil,” Chiron stated.

“Yes, sir.  I don’t know who she’s serving or if she’s acting on her own accord but she is a threat that needs to be regarded closely,” Bryn said.

“We will deal with her later.  I say for now we go enjoy the party the wood nymphs have set up,” Chiron decided.  The campers charged over to the pavilion where music started playing.  Bryn disappeared to somewhere, but Luke figured she went to talk to someone, Chiron probably.  Silena and Derek immediately became partners and started dancing with each other.  No matter how rude Luke had been to Derek, Derek still hung around Silena.  If he did that, Luke felt better about him dating his little sister because it proved to Luke (somewhat) that Derek didn’t want to date Silena for just one reason.

He was currently watching one of the Ares kids start break dancing when he caught a glimpse of Bryn’s blonde hair at the refreshments table.  He finagled his way over there, sneaking up behind her and asking, “What are you doing?”

She whirled around, her hand in the air attempting to slap him

“Luke!  Gods don’t scare me like that!” She exclaimed.

“I feel like we’ve had this conversation before and on the bright side, at least you didn’t try to zap me into dolphin safe tuna,” Luke laughed.

“Do it again and you might not be so lucky,” she retorted, but her smile took the venom out of her statement.

“So why aren’t you dancing?”

“Didn’t want to.”

“Well now you’re going to.” He grabbed her hands, dragging her onto the dance floor.  The song was different for everyone who listened to it.  Some people were slow dancing; others were jumping all around and going crazy.  Luke led Bryn to the middle of the dance floor and put his hands on her waist.  Her arms wrapped around his neck and they slowly danced.  The song, although slow, had a more upbeat tone to it.  He recognized it as ‘The Day Before You’ by Rascal Flatts.  He loved the band.

“Thank you for skipping over the part about my seasickness,” Bryn said, looking up at him.

“Yeah of course, don’t mention it.  Thanks for skipping over the part where I kind of had a meltdown while you were unconscious.”

“Anytime,” she said with a grin. 

“Hey, what should we name the puppies?  I’m taking one home; I think Derek decided to take home the other.”

“Neville and Luna.  I think Luna is the one that likes you.”

“I’m not going to argue.  I like those names.  Neville and Luna.  Agreed,” Luke declared.  Right then, they heard Silena chattering excitedly.  Looking over, they saw her hugging Derek who was gladly returning it.

“What’s going on over there?” Luke queried.

“I think your sister just found out that they’ll be going to the same school,” Bryn mused.

“What?!”

“Your dad just hired Mr. Michaels as the vice president of his company.  And Derek might’ve gotten expelled from his old school.”

“What did he do?”

“Accidentally blew up his school’s band room defending himself from an empousa.”

“Dear gods!”

Silena came charging over to them with Derek behind her and before she could say anything, Luke said, “I know.”

“That Derek’s coming to our school?” Silena asked, scrunching her eyebrows.

“Yep.  Hey, Derek, you play football?”

“Yeah, quarterback.  Why?” Derek replied.

“I’m halfback.  We’re gonna make an awesome team,” Luke said with a grin.

“Damn straight we are!” Derek exclaimed. “Hey Bryn, think you could convince your dad to let you spend one school year at the high school?”

“That would be awesome!  We’d be the four musketeers and there would finally be a girl at school I genuinely like to hang out with,” Silena added, making Bryn smile.

“Come on, you should do it!  It’d be awesome!” Luke urged.

“Guys, first off, my father isn’t the only issue.  I’d have to convince Chiron as well and he’d be almost as bad as my dad.  Second, where would I stay?” Bryn pointed out.

“You could stay with me.  My parents love you; you’re like the daughter they never had,” Derek replied. “Come on.  It’s the last year of high school and you’ve been stuck at this camp for ages.  Why don’t you try it?”

“I- I don’t know.  I’ll think about it okay?  That’s all I can do for now.”

“School doesn’t start for two weeks so you have time.” Turning to Derek, Luke added, “Oh, and, uh, I guess I’d be okay if you dated my sister.”

Silena and Derek both blushed profusely but Derek said, “Thanks Luke.  I’ve kind of been planning on it.”

“I know you have.”

“Big brother protectiveness… Well this conversation turned awkward and before it can get any more awkward, I’m going to go get a drink.  Excuse me,” Silena told them, slinking away.  Derek naturally followed her like a lost puppy dog.  It was amusing and cute all at the same time.  He turned his head back to face Bryn, who was staring at his Camp Half-Blood necklace with a thoughtful expression. “Hey,” he said softly, “What’s on your mind?”

She looked up at him innocently. “Oh, just all that’s happened.  It’s nothing.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s going to happen to us?” Luke said.  He didn’t mean his relationship with her and Bryn understood that.  He meant the world in general.

“To be honest, I don’t know.  There are so many things that could alter the future.  But I do know one thing for certain.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Bryn smiled. “I know that no matter what happens, I will always fight with you.”

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Endings are always so hard but this is only the beginning of something bigger andyouguysaregoingtohatemeatsomepointinthistrilogy but moving on to something else.  I’m going to write a novella for UnKnown and it’ll be short, just a few chapters, but it’s short stories about Luke and Bryn’s relationship because it really develops over the year and y’all need to know that SO technically, there’s going to be five books for the UnKnown series but two aren’t main books.  Anyways, moving on from that rant, PLEASE REVIEW!  Especially since it’s the last chapter! I can’t believe this book is already finished!  Well, again, REVIEW :)

Love,

Wisegirl502 <3