Chapter Text
There was a strange hush over the dining pavilion as Chiron stood before them with a tense look on his face. The once laid back mood at camp became tense as word spread quickly that Percy was attacked. Some campers had heard a commotion and saw Percy dragged out of the woods half conscious. The counselors swiftly disappeared into the infirmary for a meeting. Shortly thereafter, Chiron had emerged and sternly ordered everyone to make their way to the dining pavilion for an announcement.
Most of the camp counselors had returned to their siblings with grim looks on their faces, but Connor hadn’t seen Luke anywhere.
“Hey” Connor whispered, nudging Travis with his elbow “Do you know where Luke is?”
“He’s probably staying with Percy.” Travis replied “Annabeth hasn’t emerged with the infirmary either, he’s probably just watching over the two of them.”
“Yeah you're probably right.” Agreed Connor. After all, Luke was the biggest worry wart when any of them were injured, and Percy was not in good shape at all. Luke probably just couldn’t bring himself to leave Percy and Annabeth’s side. Connor was snapped out of his thoughts when Chiron began speaking.
“I’m sure you’re all very curious about why I’ve called this meeting as well as the commotion that happened earlier today.” Chiron announced, murmurs began to fill the pavilion, “I fear that it is not good news.”
For a moment Connor feared that Percy had actually died. It seemed cruel, after everything he had been through. To survive a minotaur, furies and gods, only to die in a place that was supposed to be safe. Though it wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened at Camp Half-blood.
Thankful Chiron’s next words eased his worries before they could spiral any further. “Percy will thankfully be okay, however it was a close call, he was attacked by a very dangerous monster. A pit scorpion from the depths of Tartarus.”
There were a few barely contained gasps around the dining pavilion. Connor couldn’t believe it. It was the second time this year that something like this had happened. First the hellhound, now the scorpion. Connor felt a shiver go up his spine as he imagined being trapped alone with a creature from Tratarus.
“What’s a pit scorpion?” Cecil asked in a hushed whisper.
“You don’t wanna know.” Travis replied, “Trust me, you don’t wanna know the details or you’ll have nightmares for weeks.” he told their little brother, “Just know it’s super bad.”
Cecil looked annoyed at being brushed off by the older kids, but Connor couldn’t help but agree with Travis on this one. The monster had appeared within camp and attacked one of their own. There was no reason to worry their eight year old brother about it, especially when camp was somewhere he was supposed to feel safe and protected. However the monster couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere. Either there was some secret entrance or hole within the camp's borders, or someone had summoned the monster from within the camp. Connor could already tell he would be stuck looking over his shoulder wherever he went for the next few weeks.
However Connor figured that if Chiron was speaking quietly, then they had probably already solved all of the issues.
“The scorpion didn’t get into camp by itself.” Chiron continued. “Just as the hellhound was summoned at the beginning of the summer, someone inside the camp was responsible for the scorpion.”
Connor whipped his head towards Travis when he felt his brother nudge him with his elbow
Who do you think summoned it? mouthed Travis
I don’t know. replied Connor. He couldn’t picture anyone willing to do something like this. Despite their rivalries and arguments with other cabins, Camp-half blood was their home. Many kids didn’t have mortal parents to go home to and gods weren’t exactly made for parenthood. Camp was their home, their family, they all stuck together, or at least that's what Connor thought.
“Though I was reluctant to believe it myself, Percy and two witnesses all confirmed that the culprit was Luke-” instantly the entire pavilion was drowned out in sound, however Connor couldn’t understand what anyone was saying. He felt as if his head was underwater. He must have misheard, his ears were playing cruel tricks on him.
The sound deafened with a shout. “What!?” Connor looked around for the source of the noise only to realize that it came from him. His mind was moving a million miles a minute. Luke was a traitor? He had tried to kill Percy? The image of a murderer didn’t fit with the brother he knew. The one who scolded him for causing trouble was a fond smile, who ruffled their hair whenever they walked by, who tucked Travis and him in their first night at camp. Luke had basically raised him and Travis. Sure some thing could set him off, like their dad and the gods. But he would never turn that anger towards anyone at camp.
A broken sob to his left had Connor turning to see his little sister Julia had started crying. Connor mindlessly rubbed circles on her back, in an attempt to calm her down.
“Connor,” Travis said with a shaky voice, “Chiron has to be wrong, he must’ve made a mistake right?”
“Luke’s a traitor,” Laila, one of their sisters, confirmed. A shell shocked expression on her face. “No-that doesn’t make sense. We’ve gone to camp with him for six years.” She shook her head, looking at Connor and Travis for support. “He’s not like that! You guys out of everyone know it, you’ve known him the longest besides Annabeth!”
“He probably got tired of raising two dozen kids he never asked to be responsible for.” Alabaster snorted quietly while crossing his arms.
Lou gave her brother a disappointed look, elbowing him in the ribs, “Al don’t say stuff like that!” she reprimanded. “Please this- it isn’t the time for jokes.”
Connor suddenly felt a stab of panic at his word. Was this their fault? Did Luke do all this because he didn’t like them, he was tired of being their brother?
“If that were true he’d try to murder one of us, not Percy,” Travis mumbled darkly.
“Quiet!” Chiron announced, finally managing to draw everyone’s attention back to him. “For now Luke’s whereabouts are unknown, and we don’t know his motivations. It is also clear though that he was the culprit in the theft of Zeus's lightning bolt. Though I hate to think it, you all must be on the lookout while in the mortal world. You all know how skilled and cunning he is.
Connor almost wanted to laugh despite the dire circumstances. Of course Luke had been the one to steal the lightning bolt. Looking back now it seemed almost obvious. No god could steal another’s symbol of power, and who is no better than the son of thieves.
“Luke wouldn’t do that!” A voice proclaimed, Connor glanced over to see Cecil barely holding back tears, his lower lip was wobbling. “He wouldn't!”
“Cecil-” Travis began to say.
“No!” The younger boy exclaimed, “How could any of you believe this, Luke is our brother, he loves us, he would never do this!”
The commotion was catching the attention of the nearby tables, causing them to look over. Well, more than they already were. The moment Chiron uttered Luke’s name a dozen suspicious stares instantly went towards the Hermes table.
Cecil had idolized Luke. After all Luke was the one who had found Cecil and escorted him to camp. To Cecil, Luke was the coolest person in the entire world.
Connor didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend how Luke could do something like this. How was he supposed to comfort Cecil?
Travis abruptly stood up with a brave smile, despite the tear tracks on her own cheeks. “Come on Cecil, let's go back to the cabin to talk.” He threw an arm around his shoulder, guiding him away from prying eyes.
“Well…Yes” Chiron continued hesitantly. “This is most likely the actions of a lone demigod. I don't want any of you stressing too much about this. But you must be prepared for what seems like impossible scenarios. I never thought Luke would commit these acts and yet it happened.”
Connor took in the sight of his cabin. Julia was still crying and Alice looked like she was about to join her. While Nick looked shell shocked as he stared at the table blankly. Around them, other cabins had begun to mingle in the pavilion, but no one was leaving. They all have the Hermes table a wide berth, no one dared come over.
However Connor continued to feel the pricks of stares on his back. Dread filled him as he realized that the others had thought that they might be involved with Luke, colluding with him, just because they were related. The dread turned to irritation as whispers filled Connor's ears. How could they even think that Connor and his siblings would have helped to try and Murder Percy. He has known these people since he was six.
“If Luke is a traitor, how do we know his siblings aren’t in on it too?” A voice from the Aphrodite table rings out. It wasn’t a yell, but it seemed to echo through the pavilion. Or perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Despite it, it was clear that plenty of people heard, and no one was rushing to defend the Hermes kids.
“Come on guys, let's go back to the cabin., I think we could all use a break” Connors suggests while picking up Julia who has been clinging to him since this whole ordeal started.
“Yeah for all we know they helped him.” Another voice scoffed, Connor didn’t even bother to figure out who it was. He knew the name of every person at camp. This was the only place he ever knew as home, and yet everyone's suspicions were thrown on him and his siblings.
“Come on guys let's go.” Connor implored. His siblings murmured their agreements as they followed him out of the pavilion and back towards Cabin Eleven.
Connor had never heard Cabin Eleven more silent. Everyone was just laying in their bunks, lost in their own thoughts. Travis was still sitting next to Cecil, quietly comforting him. Connor hadn’t talked to his brother since the announcement, but he understood Cecil’s need for comfort. For now Connor was just stuck with himself and his thoughts.
He felt guilty for missing all the possible signs that could have warned him of Luke’s betrayal. His brain listed off everything horrible Luke had done and potentially plans to do in the future to try and convince himself to hate him. But it didn’t work. The stories he told himself didn’t connect with the image he had of his big brother. The big brother who always made sure every person in the Hermes cabin felt welcomed and safe. Who treated the unclaimed kids as his own siblings.
Connor felt a sob build up in his throat as he held back his tears, had that all been a lie? As much as he wanted to wail and sob about how unfair it was, he didn’t dare make a sound. He had to be brave and set a good example for his siblings. They were all taking it hard and Connor was one of the oldest kids in the cabin now, only second to Travis. He had to be the strong one for his siblings, he couldn’t let Travis shoulder the responsibility alone. After all that's what drove Luke away.
Connor was snapped out of his spiral by a tug on his sleeve.
“Connor?” Julia began, voice soft. “When is Luke coming back? He isn’t going to be gone for long right?.” Connor felt himself shatter right then and there. His six year old sister didn’t even get what was going on.
“Come here.” Connor said, patting the mattress next to him, before wrapping Julia in a hug.
“Look Julia, honestly…I don’t know when or if Luke is coming back.” Connor began hesitantly. “Luke made some pretty bad choices, but no matter what I know that he cares about us. Okay?”
“Okay.” Julia whispered back, still wrapped in Connor's arms. “You won’t leave like Luke, promise Connor?”
“Never in a million years.” Promised Connor.
Once he and Travis had put everyone to bed the two brothers silently crept out of their cabin and into the woods. The brothers walked until they reached the zeus’s fist, laying down together at the top of the rocks. Once they were alone, Connor finally felt the tears begin to flow.
“You know..” Travis began breaking the silence, “I kinda wish Luke was dead, so I could actually mourn him. Instead I'm stuck grieving a traitor, a monster. Sympathizing with the enemy.
“Me too.” Connor agreed, reaching out to grab Travis’s hand. Despite the pain Connor felt in his heart, he was reminded about how lucky he was to have Travis. After all there weren’t any other full-siblings at camp who weren’t twins. Connor knew that no matter what Travis would have his back, they were like two halves of the same whole.
“They’re gonna try to make me head counselor” Travis hiccuped miserably, still staring at the stars in the sky. “I heard them talking in the cabin. I have seniority and I’m a year rounder, I’m the most qualified. But I don’t want it.” He whispered to the sky, eyes glassy. “Cecil asked me why Luke would do this, if he hated us. I didn’t even know what to say, I couldn't even answer the questions myself. So I just hugged him till he cried himself to sleep.”
Connor could already imagine the immense pressure that his brother was feeling. Travis left to pick up the pieces of their broken cabin. Forced to hide his own misery behind his normal loud attitude and pranks, left to weather the inevitable mistrust and anger directed towards them from the betrayal. Suddenly panic gripped Connor. What if the responsibility crushed Travis, and pushed him away till he ended up just like Luke.
“Let me be co-counselors with you.” Connor blurted out, looking over at his brother. “We are only a year apart in age and besides we by far have the biggest cabin, we deserve to have two counselors.”
“Thanks Connor.” Travis smiled softly, for the first time that day. The brother continued to hide away from the world silently gazing at the stars.
Quietly Connor found himself praying. He rarely prayed to his dad outside of obligatory meal prayers. But right now, all he wanted was some guidance, or at least a sign that everything would be okay. A deeper selfish part of him longed for his father, a father who would love their children and give them hugs.
Instead all that answered was Travis’s breathing and the chirping of the crickets.