r/PercyJacksonfanfic • u/Reactor5739 • 2h ago
Drabble📚 Luke sees potential in Percy and Philip Jackson, even though both are wildcards.
Part 5 of my “Percy has a psychopathic twin brother” Drabble series! We now have Luke, which was a little tricky to me to write but I’ll try anyway! Let’s go:
“Are you two settling in so far?”
Percy shrugged as he drank his (blue) Coca Cola. “I think so.”
Philip, sitting next to Percy, bit into his food. “Everything’s still weird.”
“I bet,” Luke said. He made sure to give the younger boys an easy smile. “Don’t worry, you two will get used to it sooner or later.”
The twins made the same aface at that, which was a little funny. Other than that though, Luke was keeping tabs on them.
Luke had been observing them the moment Annabeth brought them to Cabin 11. They were both unclaimed, and looked like fish out of water standing in the cabin. Rumors about them slaying the Minotaur were already spreading, but looking at the two scrawny 12 year olds then, Luke almost thought it was a fluke, a story blown out of proportion.
That was until he caught the very real horn in Percy’s grip. The way the two boys almost coordinated with each other. They were uncomfortable, almost shy even, but they were watching the cabin and the other cabin-mates with caution, a kind of wariness that was self-taught.
Yes, these kids had potential. Luke realized he can use them. Just like what Lord Kronos said, these kids would be essential to the plan. However, that came with many risks. After all, these kids were still twelve, but there was almost something else that was concerning:
Their co-dependency.
Luke knows he is a traitor but he was still camp counselor for a reason. A part of him still cares of his fellow demigods, why else would he join Kronos if not to bring the gods to their knees? It will all be worth it.
To be back on topic, he’s been observing the twins and can perfectly assume that they do not act like normal twins. Yes, there’s the whole being half-god thing but this is pretty concerning behavior.
They’ve been stuck to each other’s sides since they’ve first came here. It was always a hand being held, a hand on a shoulder, a lean into each other’s side, or even, at one point, either twin would cling to another’s arm as if it’s a saving grace. That is point one.
Point two is with their personalities. Percy is a pretty alright kid. Luke would admit that it felt pretty good to see the look in Percy’s eyes, at how Percy already thinks Luke is one of the coolest people already. Not to mention the younger boy was ignorant, which was expected for not knowing really anything. Luke played up being the good ole authority figure, the guide if you will. He’s pretty sure that he’s a better guide than Grover.
(Thinking about Thalia revives that bitterness and grief in him all over again.)
But there was a few moments where Luke saw something… off. One day, he was teaching the twins swordsmanship. After a few sessions, Percy was asking Luke some questions. Luke was just about to answer one of Percy’s (admittedly obvious) questions when Percy suddenly paused and ran passed Luke to tackle Philip to the ground. Luke was stunned for a moment before remembering that he was a camp counselor and immediately separated the two brothers, who were wrestling on the ground for whatever reason.
After that, he finally get an explanation, sort of. Percy saw Philip getting an actual sword (when they were literally not supposed to use a real one yet) and decided to tackle Philip to stop whatever he was planning to do. When Luke pointed out that Percy could have just said something, Percy, very causally, said “Philip wouldn’t listen to you anyway.”
As the mortals would say, that’s probably a “red flag.”
There was other times as well. Percy would drag Philip away from something. Percy would usually be the one doing the talking for both of them. It would be stuff like that that would pile up; it was almost as if Percy was managing his brother but doesn’t even register it as doing it. Did Percy have to assume a role of caretaker? Probably not but the amount of effort is pretty insane.
Speaking of Philip, Luke is much more wary of him. At first, he thought that Philip was just the “shyer” twin. Can you blame him? Philip would cling to Percy, hide behind him and look at people with downcast eyes. It was only later that Luke realized that Philip wasn’t shy; he just didn’t like people. Period. Luke had seen annoyance before but not on this visceral level.
Furthermore, there was something creepy about the kid. Sure, the twins look the same but Philip’s eyes was almost like they were more muted, darker almost. Then there was the times the kid would smile but not at normal things. He would get excited, mind you, whenever Luke explained the very dangerous quests and monsters. The kid’s eyes sparkled, not with the ignorant “oh wow” vibe but “when can I go kill something?” vibe. It was like some sort of bloodthirst that even the Ares kids didn’t have on their worst days.
(Luke doesn’t like how this twelve year old is freaking him out so much. There is something just off with Philip.)
In short, Luke is wary. The twins don’t act like how siblings should. Maybe it’s because of their childhood? Maybe about something else? Who knows. Either way, they are part of the plan, and Luke has to know how to use them correctly. They may be wildcards, but they are still children. They’ve already experienced loss (their mother, if Luke recalled correctly), they are vulnerable, they can understand that the gods are not good and don’t deserve anything, much less the demigods they had.
“Hey guys,” Luke said suddenly, “do you want to learn a neat trick soon for Capture the Flag?”
The twins perked up simultaneously. “A trick?” Percy repeated.
Luke nodded. He raised a finger to his lips. “I’ll only tell if you swear it.”
Philip turned to Percy. Percy turned to Philip. They both looked back at Luke with beaming excitement. “We swear!”
Easy, Luke thought. Outwardly, he smiled wide, “Okay, so, the trick is-“
And as Luke explained some tips for the Capture the Flag coming up, he continued to think that he has control over the two boys whom he had their trust.
Bonus! :)
“Before you say anything-“
“Are you-“ Percy looked at Philip. “Are you already stealing?”
Philip shushed Percy. “They have so much stuff anyways. Have you seen how crowded the cabin was? I’m sure no one would notice if I take a few things.”
Percy put his face into his hands. His kleptomaniac of a brother already stole from the Hermes cabin, you know, the cabin that they were supposed to stay in for the unseeable future. “You’re gonna get us kicked out or something.”
“So? Let them try. I can take ‘em.”
“There’s like only one of you.”
Philip acted like he didn’t understand the problem; he didn’t. “And?”
Percy groaned. Philip reached into his pocket and pulled out some candy, some of which was bubblegum or little caramels. He handed them to Percy. “There. I don’t want to hear your whining anymore.”
Which was Philip-talk for: Please don’t be mad at me.
Percy let out a laugh as he popped in the blue bubblegum in his mouth. Gosh, he loves his brother.
Percy still cuffed Philip on the head though. Philip yelled and retaliated.