[Third Person's PoV]
The days of the week passed as Lucian woke up every morning, transformed by the sun, and battled himself over and over again. His mastery over light manipulation steadily grew, refining with each passing day.
At first, he was limited to light weapon constructs. But as his training progressed, he expanded on the idea, pushing the limits of his imagination. When battling himself, he shaped the light into anything he could think of—chains, sharp feathers, hand-like constructs, even multiple copies of himself to fight against the army of BlackHearts that Hecate had summoned.
By the end of the week, Lucian had made significant progress. On the seventh day, it was time for him to leave.
Standing before Hecate, he extended his hand, revealing a pale, ghostly shadow—an impossibility. Shadows weren't meant to be white, yet his was, faint and pulsing with a strange aura.
"Although I couldn't fully convert it into light, this is the best I could manage," Lucian admitted. "I'm at a threshold. Once I break past it, I should be able to fully transform my darkness into light."
Hecate studied the pale shadow and nodded, impressed. "I have to say, you never cease to amaze me. You've accomplished a lot in just a week."
She reached out and patted Lucian on the head.
Lucian stiffened, feeling his face grow warm. Embarrassed, he thought, 'Ugh, this is why I'm so weak to falling in love.'
"Yeah, yeah, anyway, thanks for all your help," he muttered, swatting her hand away.
Hecate smirked. "Of course. I did agree to be your teacher, after all. Feel free to come back if there's anything else you want to learn. You're quite a fun student." Her smirk widened. "Plus, I get to hit you whenever I please—what greater joy is there?"
Lucian's expression flattened. "I'm leaving."
Hecate chuckled. "I'm joking."
"Whatever." Shaking his head, Lucian turned toward the door. "I might drop by later this summer for help with curses."
"Be sure to let me know when," she replied as Lucian placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
His shadow expanded beneath him, and moments later, the sound of powerful hooves echoed through the air. A dark stallion galloped forward, its shadowy mane flowing like liquid night.
The creature snorted and pranced around Lucian. He grabbed the reins and soothed the beast with a gentle pat. "Whoa, boy… Sorry I haven't taken you out much. I just didn't get the chance before."
The stallion—Sébastian—nudged Lucian's hand in response.
Lucian grinned before pulling himself up onto the horse's back. As he did, darkness coiled around his hand, solidifying into a cowboy hat. He placed it on his head with a playful tilt.
"I'll be seeing you, missy~" he drawled in a southern accent, winking at Hecate before making a few kissing noises and lightly tapping Sébastian's side.
Hecate sighed, exasperated, as she watched him ride away.
Lucian smirked, tipping his hat lower. "Just you and me, buddy. Us against the world, ridin' through the green meadows."
Sébastian galloped faster, his dark mane billowing behind him like a shadow against the wind. Lucian ran a hand down the stallion's neck.
"We better hurry, bud. Annabeth'll kill us if we're late for her birthday."
As if understanding, the stallion neighed and picked up speed. Lucian grinned, letting the wind rush past him, feeling the freedom of the open ride. He closed his eyes and savored the moment.
…
Lucian arrived at the top of the hill overlooking Camp Half-Blood. Sébastian slowed his pace, trotting carefully down toward the entrance.
Sliding off his horse, Lucian patted his companion's side. "Thanks, bud. I'll get you some food later." With a final stroke of Sébastian's mane, he dismissed him back into his shadow.
His cowboy hat dissolved into wisps of darkness as he walked into camp, hands stuffed in his pockets.
He raised an eyebrow as he sensed three distinct energy signatures approaching at high speed.
A streak of lightning skidded to a stop in front of him, wind kicking up dust as Thalia landed.
A shifting shadow raced across the ground before rising to reveal Nox, with Annabeth clinging to his back. She quickly jumped down.
At the same time, Percy came sprinting toward them.
Lucian barely spared Thalia and Percy a glance before stretching his arms wide and scooping Annabeth into the air, spinning her around.
"Happy birthday!!"
Annabeth let out a short laugh. "Haha, thanks…"
But something was off. There was no joy in her expression—only wariness.
Lucian's smile faded as he looked between her, Thalia, and Percy. Their grim faces sent a chill down his spine.
He gently set Annabeth down and met her eyes, his voice turning cold.
"What's wrong? Who died?"
"What?" Percy exclaimed in surprise. "No one died! Why would you think that?"
"Then why's the atmosphere so damn heavy?" Lucian asked, raising an eyebrow.
Thalia hesitated before answering. "It's… it's Nico and Bianca."
Lucian's faint smile disappeared entirely, his eyes turning cold. "What about them?"
Closing his eyes, he spread his senses throughout the entire camp. When he found nothing, his voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "Tell me they're in the basement, which is why I can't detect them." His eyes began to glow ominously.
No one met his gaze. Thalia and Percy looked away, their hands clenching at their sides. Annabeth swallowed hard before speaking.
"It was Lord Hermes… He came on Zeus' orders and took them."
Thalia added grimly, "They're being put on trial for being Forbidden Children."
Lucian's breath hitched, his entire body tensing. "What?" he snarled, his canines bared. His teeth ground together audibly, and a suffocating aura of black and red energy seeped from his skin, saturating the air.
The atmosphere darkened. A massive, stretched-out skull of black mist materialized behind him, its hollow eye sockets glowing red.
The pressure slammed into them like a tidal wave.
Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy gripped their chests, their breath coming in short gasps. Sweat dripped down their temples. The weight of Lucian's fury bore down on the entire camp.
Campers collapsed to their knees in terror. Animals screeched and wailed, their cries echoing through the forest. Dryads huddled together, trembling as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Lucian took a slow step forward, towering over Thalia.
"What the hell do you mean, 'they're being put on trial'?"
Thalia's head lowered instinctively, her body shaking. 'Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy fucking shit! I've never seen him this angry before!'
Lucian's voice dropped to an icy whisper. "Why? They were born before the pact was made. They don't fall under the category of Forbidden Children."
Thalia clenched her fists, forcing herself to answer. "T-Try telling that to my father. He doesn't care."
She hesitantly lifted her head, only to regret it instantly. She dropped her gaze again. 'Nope!'
Gritting her teeth, she continued, "Percy tried to stop Lord Hermes, but it was no use. I had to hold him back before things escalated. They left not too long ago."
"LUCIAN, THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Chiron approached, his hooves unsteady. His instincts—honed over millennia of survival—screamed at him to flee. He carried his bow, though his trembling hands betrayed his fear.
Lucian turned to him slowly, his glowing red eyes locking onto the centaur.
Chiron's instincts forced him to avert his gaze immediately. "I… I can guess why you're angry—"
"You can guess?" Lucian's voice dripped with venom. He opened his mouth to say more but stopped himself, exhaling sharply.
"I won't waste my breath on you. I have more important things to deal with."
Raising his hand, his [Dread Presence] still active, Lucian summoned his crystal ball from his ring.
"Call my mother."
The call connected instantly. Medea's image flickered into view, one eyebrow raised. She didn't need to ask what was wrong—she could feel the raw fury radiating from him.
"Don't worry," she said calmly. "Your father is already handling it."
Lucian nodded. "Good. Tell him I'm coming."
He cut the call and turned to leave. Stopping briefly, he spoke without looking back.
"Sorry your birthday turned out like this."
The shadows surged around him, swallowing him whole.
As soon as he vanished, Percy collapsed backward onto the ground, still trembling.
"Why the hell was that scarier than facing Ares?!"
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