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Luke didn’t know how he got to be off the coast of Florida with Silena, Chris, Ethan, and Alabaster or with the golden sarcophagus that held Kronos. Well, he did know how it happened, but he was still in shock as to how exactly it happened. Luke was in his room, the Princess Andromeda in the Indian Ocean to stay hidden, when all of a sudden, Silena burst into his room, rambling about how she had gotten Disney tickets. By tickets, she meant both Disneyland and Disney World. It was a unanimous agreement to go to the Florida park first.
Luke groaned as Silena burst into his room for the second time that week. “Wake up!” she yelled, pushing Luke off of his bed. He landed in a heap on the floor, completely covered by his sheets and comforter. “We have to check in and get started! We are finally at Disney World!” she cheered.
“I know,” Luke grumbled. “You haven’t stopped talking about it since Kronos okayed this…side mission.” In all reality, Luke didn’t know what to call this. It wasn’t a mission, but he had never really been on a vacation before, so he didn’t know what one felt like. Sad, but that was life for a half-blood. All work, no play…for Luke anyway. He always made sure the younger demigods at Camp Half-Blood had fun.
“Side mission?” Silena scoffed, pulling the blankets off of Luke. “This is supposed to be a vacation, Luke!” She pulled him to his feet. “Come, relax and enjoy yourself!” She sent him a big, heartwarming grin.
Luke laughed and brushed his hair from his eyes. “I can have fun, Silena. I can enjoy myself. I’m just wondering why Kronos even agreed to this? We should be preparing for war. Not going to amusement parks.”
Silena gasped and put a hand over her heart. “Disney is NOT just an amusement park. DISNEY IS DISNEY! Where kids can be kids…or where adults can be kids. Disney is far superior to any amusement park.” She smiled. “Please be ready in fifteen minutes. All of us are waiting. I made sure they let you sleep in,” her smile faltered. “I know how bad they get.”
Luke flinched. The nightmares seemed to get worse as the journey toward the war progressed. Each failure made the nightmares worse. Luke was almost afraid to sleep anymore. Yet, he didn’t remember having a nightmare the previous night. “Leave it,” he snapped coldly. “I can handle it. I’ll be ready.” He waited for Silena to leave. She looked hurt, but left him alone, feeling even more guilty.
Fifteen minutes later, Luke had packed a small bag that contained what clothes he had, toiletries, and a leather pouch that was enchanted to hold an infinite number of items. All Hermes kids got one. The pouch was one of the few things Luke happily accepted from Hermes. His eyes widened as he looked at the others. Silena alone had two suitcases. “It’s that a bit–”
“THAT’S ALL YOU’RE BRINGING?” Silena shrieked, making his presence known to everyone. Luke narrowed his eyes. He had to admit, he didn’t have as much stuff as the others. It’s not his fault.
“Yes?” He responded, though it sounded more like a question.
“Dude, that’s pathetic,” Chris sighed, shaking his head. “Even I have more stuff than that.”
“You know what this means!” Ethan smirked at Luke, looking from Silena to Luke and back to Silena.
Luke paled. “Oh no. No, please no.”
Silena’s eyes lit up. “Shopping spree!” She cheered, raising her arms into the air. “Luke, you have made my day!”
Luke resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Can we get a move on…or, we can all just stay here.” That seemed to sober them up. “Alright,” he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Let’s get to Disney World.”
The small group made their way to the coast and borrowed someone’s car. Luke was the driver. Silena was riding shotgun with everyone else squished in the back seat. The drive was bearable until everyone started arguing over the music choices.
“Beyonce is where it’s at!”
“Umm, no. Taylor Swift.”
“Both wrong. Adele is the Queen here!”
“Aren’t you forgetting Arianna?”
“Just like the good ol’ days, eh Luke?”
Suddenly Luke was back in the Hermes cabin trying to calm down the cabin after they broke out fighting over which movie to watch for movie night or which songs to play at karaoke night. He couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Those memories almost made him feel guilty about everything. Almost. The lost ones made his resolve to the cause even greater. He shook his head. “Yeah, Chris, it does,” he smiled at the rearview mirror, looking at Chris.
“Called it,” Chris rolled his eyes. “Kinda miss the others.” He trailed off and looked out the window, eyes widening as they approached Disney World. “Wow…”
The next part was a blur for Luke. Who knew it was so hectic to check into a hotel? Or even find your hotel? After checking in and actually finding the hotel rooms, Luke bit back a sigh. Of course they had only booked two rooms. “Who booked the rooms?” he asked in a tired voice.
“That would be my bad,” Alabaster winced. “Sorry, Luke.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Time to decide who will sleep where.” He looked at the group. In the end, it was agreed that Ethan, Chris, and Alabaster would share a room while Luke and Silena shared one. Luke definitely punched Chris in the arm when he made a dirty comment.
"Go to your room," Silena used her charmspeak on Chris. His eyes glazed over and he went into the room he shared with Ethan and Alabaster. Silena smirked and opened the door to her room. "I'm not nervous. I know you, and you won't try anything because if you do," her eyes narrowed, "you will regret it."
Luke chuckled, holding the door open and dragging in her luggage. "I wouldn't dream of it, Silena." He put her suitcases at the foot of the bed she chose and threw his bag on his bed.
By the time everyone was settled, the sun was beginning to set. Luke loved how beautiful sunsets were. He remembered sneaking out at camp to the coast and watching the sunset and the moon rise. Get it together, Castellan. He chided himself.
That night, Luke didn't wake up screaming. Instead, he woke up peacefully. No nightmares plagued him that night. Hell, he didn't even sense Kronos. It was still dark when he woke up, dawn just around the corner.
Once Luke had woken everybody up, they had a nice breakfast. Chris and Luke started to argue over which Stoll was the bigger menace, while the other three watched with interest. Silena had declared that Magic Kingdom would be the first park. Ethan chimed in with going to Hollywood Studios next.
So here they were, all five of them in line for It's A Small World. One thing Luke hated about Disney were the long, long, long lines. Soon enough, however, they were allowed on the ride.
Chris sat in the back with Luke, Ethan and Alabaster were in front of them, and Silena sat in the front, eyes wide and enjoying the slow moving ride.
"Yo, Luke? You think anyone has ever died on this ride?" Chris, being Chris, asked, making Luke choke on his spit.
"What the fu--no, but soon someone will if you don't shut up," Luke growled, glaring daggers at his brother. Luke knew Chris was a Hermes kid, even if he hadn't been claimed.
"Can we please just enjoy the ride?" Silena snapped, glaring back at them. She smiled at Ethan and Alabaster, both enjoying the ride. Ethan hummed along to the tune, while Alabaster tried to sing along with the different languages, narrowing his eyes and muttering "show-offs" when Luke and Chris flawlessly sang the entire song in each language.
Silena laughed, wishing she could have recorded everything. "That's what you get with Hermes kids, Alabaster. They love to show off."
"Hey!" Chris indignantly squawked and Luke shook his head disapprovingly. "That was mean!"
Silena stuck her tongue out at Chris. Ethan rolled his eye. "Are they always like this?" he asked Alabaster.
"Sadly," Alabaster confirmed.
"Rude," Chris mumbled under his breath in Ancient Greece. He and Luke shared a look and smirked. Both took deep breaths and just screamed the words to the song, in the worst musically way possible. Apollo himself cringed and covered his ears.
"SHUT UP!" all three of the others screamed in unison. Luke and Chris maniacally laughed and high-fived.
After that, they rode on another couple rides before stopping to grab a bite to eat. Luke had found a newfound love for collecting Disney pins and vowed he would collect every single one of them, illegally if he had to. Silena also started collecting pins, but not the way Luke was. It was clear Luke was obsessed.
Jungle Cruise was next on the list. Now that ride was fun for the group. They barely paid attention to the skit, but they loved scoping out the animals.
"Look at all the aminals!" Chris grinned, taking pictures of a lot of the animals he saw.
"You--you mean animals?" Alabaster looked confused.
Chris looked at Alabaster with a dead eye stare. "Did I stutter?"
Ethan cackled and Luke patted Chris on the back. Silena giggled and Alabaster sighed. "You are on something. I don't know what, but it's something."
Chris gave Alabaster a knowing look and took more pictures of the ride. Overall, the ride was fun. What shocked the mortals made the demigods laugh and shake their heads. Mortals had no idea what was scary and what wasn't.
That evening they stayed at their hotel and played volleyball in the pool. They managed to rope some others into playing with them. It was Luke, Chris, and Jackie verus Silena, Ethan, and Alabaster. Silena's team won. Chris claimed they cheated.
When the moon rose, Silena and Luke sat on their beds, looking at each other with serious expressions. In front of them laid their pin collections.
"Silena, please, I just need that last one and I have the entire limited collection. I KNOW you have a duplicate of that one I need."
"Luke, you know what I want," Silena narrowed her eyes.
"Absolutely not!" Luke retorted.
"Then no deal."
"...wait," Luke sighed. "I'll do it for the pin. But please, don't go overboard." Luke regretted his decision, but for the pin, it was almost worth it.
Silena clapped her hands. "YES!" she squealed. "Oh, you are going to look amazing!"
Luke groaned.
The next morning rolled by and Luke still didn't have any nightmares. He enjoyed the peaceful sleep. He and Silena sneaked out early and left a note for Ethan, Chris, and Alabaster to meet them at Animal Kingdom.
Luke didn't remember much about Animal Kingdom, but what he did remember he would cherish.
"Why did you two not wait for--" Ethan took one look at Luke and cackled.
"OH MY GODS!" Chris gaped, eyes wide and quickly snapped a photo.
Alabaster snickered while Luke looked annoyed and glared daggers at the others. "I mean, if it fits, it fits," the son of Hecate covered his mouth and laughed.
"I know! Isn't he stunning?" Silena innocently smiled at Luke, fixing his hair to make it more spiky.
Luke stood there in all his glory, cosplaying the Lion King character known as Scar. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you done?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Almost. We need to find Scar and get a picture!" Ethan yelled. Luke was taken aback. Ethan never seemed to be the one to act childish. But then again, they were at Disney. Disney brought out the childishness in everyone.
Together the group of five searched for Scar. It had taken a good couple of hours, but they soon found the character and manhandled Luke into a photoshoot.
"Dam, Luke," Silena whistled. "You could have been a model."
Luke choked on his spit. "What?"
"And that's coming from me," Silena finished, smirking at Luke. "Take it as a compliment."
"I, uh, thanks?" Luke tilted his head to the side. He would take what he could get. A twinge of guilt hit him as he thought about what Silena said. He could have been and done so many things. Lots of demigods could have had long, prosperous lives. He scoffed and shook his head. No, this was Disney, and he would not allow their fun to be ruined by him.
"Next stop, Hollywood studios!" Alabaster whooped. Even he was breaking out of his shell. Being impatient, he used a spell to teleport them to the next park.
Chris, being a Star Wars nerd, practically dragged the others to the Star Wars theme rides and took pictures with EVERY Star Wars character he came across.
Alabaster, being Alabaster, forced everyone to ride the Tower of Terror. Luke normally wouldn't have minded the ride. It was actually really, really fun. The drop was what triggered it. All Luke could remember was falling from the cliff Thalia pushed him off of. 'Little boxes, Luke. Little boxes.'
After the ride, Silena shakily took a few steps before Ethan had to help her stand. She absolutely hated the ride. Luke didn't blame her. Alabaster and Chris had the time of their lives and that made Luke happy.
The next ride, Rock'n Roller Coaster, was an absolute blast. Luke sat next to Silena and tried to keep her calm. The others were laughing and screaming. Silena looked like she was going to be sick. Luke prayed she wouldn't get sick on him.
Aphrodite must have been listening as Silena three up in a trash can after the ride was over. She gasped and glared at Alabaster. "I am not getting on another rollercoaster," she deadpanned.
"IT'S INDIANA JONES! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Ethan jumped up and down. "We have to see it. Come on!" He raced down the cement path.
"Wait up!" Chris called, chasing Ethan down.
"Come on!" Luke laughed and hoisted Silena onto his back, laughing even harder at her surprised yell.
Turns out, Silena loved being on Luke's back. She made him carry her around everywhere after the Indiana Jones show which Chris and Ethan thoroughly enjoyed. Luke's back started to ache, but he refused to make Silena walk on her own.
Night fell and Luke couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He shook his head, rolled over, and tried to sleep. Again, he had no nightmares that night.
He woke up to see the pin he wanted in his collection and Silena gone. He smiled and put the pins away. Chris had a bad habit of stealing Luke's things.
"There he is!" Silena laughed.
"About time," Chris grumbled.
Luke huffed. "Well, we have a few more rides to hit. Where do we start today?"
"PIRATES!" Ethan shouted. "Pirates of the Caribbean!"
"Pirates it is," Luke grinned. "Let's eat and get a move on."
Breakfast was quick and soon they were in line for the ride. Ethan was buzzing with energy with Alabaster and Chris looking as excited. Luke and Silena shared a look and laughed. Both realized they were like the parents.
To say Ethan liked the ride would be the understatement of the century. He took pictures of everything. And I mean, EVERYTHING. Chris and Alabaster pointed out the little Easter eggs and explained them to Luke and Silena. Silena was very interested as she had never seen the movies before.
"We have to watch them with you!" Ethan gasped. "It's a crime to not have seen those masterpieces!"
"Alright, tonight we can binge," Silena agreed after Ethan pressured her enough.
"Yes!" Ethan pumped his fist.
They stopped at the gift shop at the end and before Luke could slip away Silena grabbed him and grinned at him.
"No! Please, no! I agreed for Scar and that was it!" Luke argued. "Absolutely not!"
"Come on," Alabaster snickered. "You'd look great!"
"Please?" Silena gave Luke puppy eyes.
Luke looked away and groaned. "Fine," he relented, again, instantly regretting his decision.
All four of the others seemed to silently agree as they all played a part in dressing Luke up as a pirate. Again, they manhandled him into a photoshoot with Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan, and Jack Sparrow. Luke was so going to get even with them after this.
Luke got changed into his bathing trunks and shirt, and waited for Silena to get changed. He had respectfully went into the other room. He drank his respect women juice.
"Alright, Splash Mountain!" Silena cheered, coming out in a pink two piece bikini with a pink swim skirt.
Splash Mountain was a blast. Everyone managed to get soaked and screamed when the drop hit. Luke almost wished Percy was there to make the ride even more enjoyable. Percy… Luke sighed. Percy would have loved it here. He missed the Camp and his old family.
Not again, Castellan. Get it together.
The rest of the day was spent traveling Magic Kingdom again. The last ride they went was Peter Pan's flight. During the suspended rail ride (or rollercoaster), Luke knew he was being watched. He looked around, but it was too dark for him to see if anyone was looking at him.
"It's Peter and Wendy!" Silena grinned. "Ah, such a lovely couple. A match made by mom." She dreamily sighed.
After the ride, Luke walked on his own, wanting to collect his thoughts. Silena and the others had separated and went to do stuff on their own. This time, Luke knew he was being followed. He walked to a more secluded part of the park and spun around, Backbiter in his hand.
"Haha!" Peter Pan laughed as Backbiter was an inch away from his throat. "Put that away, Luke. I'm not here to hurt you." The character levitated about the ground, grinning at Luke.
"How do you know my name?" Luke lowered his sword and put it back on his wrist, the sword returning to its charm size.
"I know all of our siblings," Peter shrugged, playing with a small ball of fairy dust.
"Our siblings? What?" Luke was confused. "What is going on?"
"You haven't noticed the lack of monsters or nightmares?" Peter titled his head, looking confused as well.
"I have…"
"Great! Listen, Luke, I shouldn't tell you this, but honestly, I'm Peter Pan. Breaking rules is my speciality." The Disney character landed on his feet, inches in front of Luke. "All of us are like you. Demigods. We were all once like you, and we were all granted immortality. Hecate and Hebe created this park with Walt as a safe haven for Demigods and mortals."
Luke blinked. "I--that actually makes sense?" He needed time to process all the new information.
Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Now, Luke," he sobered up and looked serious. "I won't lie. Hermes asked me to talk to you and try to convince you to stop all of...this," he gestured to all of Luke.
Luke tensed and scowled. "I--"
"However," Peter cut Luke off. "I won't do that. I know how what you and all the other Demigods are going through. Being abandoned by one parent and being either hated, abused, or neglected by the other. It's not right," he shook his head.
"Then why are you talking to me?" Luke questioned.
"Because, you need to make your own choice. Fates be cursed. You can make your own choice, Luke. Here you can stay off the radar and free from them." He extended his hand to Luke. "You can still fix all of this."
"How?" Luke snapped, tears welling in his eyes as guilt crashed over him. "I have already gotten people killed. Zoe and Bianca are dead because of me! Annabeth and Percy are hurt because of me! I'm hated, and I just want it all to stop! I can't handle this anymore!"
"I know, Luke. Let us help you. We've been helping demigods for years. There are tons of secret camps all over the world we set up for rogue demigods," Peter reassured Luke. "You know what you have to do."
Luke did know what he needed to do. "What do I do? He will just find another victim to prey on. He can't be--"
"Killed? I also know that. Which is why you use this," he gave Luke a magical bottle. "This bottle will suck up the essence of Kronos there is and will keep it locked up. We can keep it hidden here at the parks where no one will be able to find it."
"Thank you," Luke sniffled, wiping his eyes. "I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything, little brother," Peter grinned. "I have to go, but if you ever need help, give me a holler."
Luke watched as Peter flew off. He narrowed his eyes with determination. It was time to end this. He ran back to the hotel as fast as he could. He even used Dash which was a power of Hermes' kids that allowed them to move at superhuman speeds.
"Listen up!" he yelled as he dragged everyone into the room he shared with Silena. "I need to know if you are with me or against me."
"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked.
"You heard me. I need to know. Would you follow me even if I were to leave it all?" Luke pressed, staring at each member of the Titan Army's elite.
"I would," Silena stepped forward.
"So would I," Chris agreed.
"But, what about making the gods pay for everything?" Ethan stammered. "What about making them realize what they've done?"
Alabaster nodded. "The minor gods still need to be recognized."
"Which we can still do," Luke promised. "But first, we need to get rid of Kronos."
"How do we do that?" Alabaster asked. "He's a Titan. They can't die."
"With this," he held up the bottle. "We can use this to contain his essence and trap him. Do you trust me?" Luke prayed they would.
"We do," Ethan nodded with Alabaster. "But first, how do you know all of this?"
Luke explained everything Peter had told me. He told them of the creation of the parks, the secret camps, and how each Disney character was one of them.
"Wow," Silena gasped.
"When do we begin?" Ethan grinned, sharpening his sword.
"Tonight," Luke maliciously grinned, darkly chuckling. "Now, we need to formulate a plan."
When night fell, the group teleported to the Princess Andromeda. Luke was with Silena and Ethan while Chris was with Alabaster. Silena charmspoke the monsters on board to sleep while Ethan silently killed them. Alabaster and Chris sneaked their way into Luke's old room.
Luke, Ethan, and Silena followed close behind. Luke signaled for Alabaster to open to sarcophagus. The son of Hecate followed the order and spelled the cover open.
"What's this?" Kronos roared, a gold smoke transformed into a smoke figure. "Traitors!" Kronos tried to attack, but he was still too weak. His powers didn't work and he couldn't touch them.
"We're done doing your dirty work," Luke growled. "We've had enough. Your time is up." He held out the bottle and opened it. A vacuum of magical energy sucked up Kronos.
"You will pay for this, Lukas Castellan! Your mother shall peri--"
"Shut up," Luke snarled and closed the bottle. "You won't touch her." He tossed the bottle to Alabaster who put a protection spell on it.
"Why don't we go out with a bang?" Luke smirked, holding up a detonator. "Chris?"
"With pleasure." Both children of Hermes used their speed powers to get Silena, Ethan, and Alabaster off the ship before Chris pressed the glowing red button.
"Look at the colors!" Silena gaped as the boat blew up in a multicolored cloud. "It's beautiful!"
The five of them sat on the beach, watching the ship burn and sink. They were almost done. "One last thing," Luke promised.
"You did well, Luke," Peter smiled, taking the bottle from Luke. "I'll have Tink stop by and give you the map. Gather the others and wait. Your time will come. Have some faith, trust, and pixie dust."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Corny much?"
"Hey, I work here. It's my job," Peter laughed. "Here, be careful. It won't work if it's wet." He tossed a few bags of pixie dust. "All you need is to sprinkle it on and think a happy thought. Travel well, Luke. We'll be watching."
Luke waved and yelped as the other four pulled him into a group hug. "Let go!" he snapped. He laughed and hugged them back. Now this was his family, and he wasn't going to let them go.
"Come on, Luke. We have a long journey ahead of us," Silena spoke. "If we are to cause a revolution, we need numbers. Tinkerbell dropped off the map with the location of the other settlements."
"Good." Luke nodded and looked back at the other three. "Well? What do you say to a better future?"
"HECK YEAH!" Chris cheered.
"It's time for a new age," Alabaster agreed. "It's time for the Olympian Revolution!"
"YEAH!" All five cried in unison.
"When do we start?" Ethan chuckled.
"Tomorrow," Luke yawned. "I need some sleep."
Everyone laughed. Things were starting to look brighter. Maybe this time, they would succeed and make a better, more peaceful world without causing more bloodshed.
Today was a new day. It's not the end but just the beginning.