Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝕎ANTED!

Nicki stared pleadingly at Luke.

The Dining Hall was bigger than Nicki had first anticipated. It was a long, cold room. Sculptures of titans lined the walls. The dark oak wood that had filled Nicki's room was present there too.

In a reception-style layout, the room had 9 round tables that were large enough to fit 10 demigods at each.

Each table represented a battalion, with one table left over for new recruits. Nicki knew she'd never remembered all of the battalion names, never mind every demigod's name.

Luke sat, alone, at a long table at the top of the room, facing the demigods as he ate. Nicki now filled the spot on his left. The room was mostly quiet. Scattered hushed conversations took place but the volume was like a library in comparison to Camp Half-Blood.

The older boy shook his head, looking down at his mashed potatoes. "Please, Luke. I'll be really careful."

"No"

"Please!"

"I can't let you into San Fransisco by yourself and I'm not going with you."

"Then I'll bring someone else." Nicki stabbed her fork into her final asparagus. Luke laughed at her. "I will!"

"Who?"

"Ethan." Nicki blurted out. She sipped her water awkwardly. "Yeah, Ethan." She realised she had no idea what Ethan's surname was.

Luke scrunched his face up. "Who?"

Nicki shrugged, gesturing around uncomfortably. "Y'know... Ethan. Sorta tall, slim, black hair?" Nicki sipped her water again. She wasn't happy to have to define the boy by what made him stick out awkwardly from the rest of the recruits. "He wears an eyepatch."

"Ethan Nakamura?" Luke questioned, biting into his potatoes.

"That's the one." Nicki nodded enthusiastically.

"How on earth do you know him?"

Nicki laughed, finishing her plate of food. "We bumped into each other earlier. He's nice. Well, from the fleeting conversation we had, I think he is."

"He's not officially a member yet. He's just a recruit." Luke waved his fork in the dejected table of new demigods.

Nicki stuck her fork onto Luke's plate, stealing one of his asparaguses. "That's what makes it a good idea. He has the motivation to not mess up."

"Stop that." Luke slapped away Nicki's fork as she reached for another piece of his dinner. He stuck it in his mouth to spite her, making her grin. "If I agree, will you shut up?" Nicki nodded and scrunched her nose. "Fine. You can go."

"Yes! You're the best! By far my favourite uncle."

"Do you really have any other uncles?"

Nicki shook her head adamantly. "Nope."

Luke rolled his eyes. His lips twitched into the ghost of a smile. He had a little more colour on his face in comparison to when Nicki ambushed him that afternoon. He had eaten a quarter of his plate with Nicki sitting next to him as if he didn't want her to see him not eating.

Nicki had noticed almost immediately that Luke swished his food around his plate to make it look like he had eaten more than he had.

She had taken it open herself to try to pick at his plate as well as hers. Every time she tried to steal something from him, Luke would eat it so she couldn't have it.

Nicki didn't push him to eat the whole plate but she couldn't knock the grin that glued itself to her face.

Luke straightened his back and faced the hall. "Nakamura." His voice was barely above normal speaking volume, but he might as well have screamed Ethan's name.