[Third Person’s PoV]

As Lucian and the others stood atop the hill, he turned to them with a smirk and asked, “You guys want to do a slow-mo walk down the hill?”

“Hell yeah!” Percy agreed with a grin.

“Absolutely!” Grover added excitedly.

Clarisse scoffed, looking at them like they were idiots. “There’s no way I’m embarrassing myself like that.”

“I’m with Clarisse on this. I’m too old to be seen doing something like that,” Thalia said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, sure, too old. Whatever you say, eternal fifteen,” Lucian replied sarcastically.

“I hate you,” Thalia said, giving him a deadpan look.

Ignoring her, Lucian began marching forward dramatically, pointing ahead. “Onward, comrades! To the place where it all began!” he declared.

Everyone exchanged faint smiles before following him down the hill. They instinctively formed a V-formation as they descended into the property line of Camp Half-Blood.

Near the camp’s entrance, someone walking by stopped, did a double take, and then ran back, shouting, “THEY’RE BACK! LUCIAN AND THE OTHERS ARE BACK!”

Hearing the commotion, the other campers stopped what they were doing and rushed to the entrance. They gathered in anticipation, watching as Lucian and his group approached with proud, confident grins.

Lucian’s hood was halfway up his head, and his sleeveless sweater hung open, exposing his toned frame without much care. He walked in with a casual rock-and-roll hand sign, sticking his tongue out. The campers erupted into cheers.

“OH MY GOD, THEY REALLY ALL RETURNED! AND NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS MISSING!”

“Did Lucian really fight Heracles?”

“Not only did he make Heracles bleed, but they say he received his blessing too! You can tell!”

“That’s so awesome!”

“And two quests completed without a single casualty? Unreal!”

“The Ares cabin must be salty—Percy just got here and already defeated their father. If it had been Lucian, they’d have had more dignity.”

Hearing all the chatter, Percy flushed slightly. “How the hell do they know these things? They literally just happened.”

“The communication hub,” Annabeth explained, pointing to the Hermes cabin. “News travels fast around here.”

Before long, Chiron’s authoritative voice rang out. “Alright, everyone, step back! Give our heroes some space. I’m sure they must be exhausted from their journey and the dangers they’ve faced.”

The crowd parted into two lines, creating a path for Chiron to approach. His hooves trudded on the ground as he smiled warmly at the group. “It’s good to see you all back safe and sound, and in one piece.”

“It’s good to be back,” Lucian replied casually, his hands behind his head.

Chiron’s gaze shifted between Lucian and Percy. “Congratulations, you two. Not only did you complete your quests, but you’ve also cemented yourselves in history.”

He turned to Percy first. “You managed to defeat Ares, the God of War and Bloodlust, one of the Twelve Olympian Gods, in a duel—and won.”

Then he looked at Lucian. “And you? You defeated Heracles—the strongest demigod, now the God of Strength—and earned his blessing.”

Lucian grinned as shadows curled into his hand, expelling a tooth. He held it out towards Charon and motioned. “Look, I also took one of his teeth.”

Everyone froze, staring in disbelief. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing evidence was another.

The silence was broken by a faint whisper from an Athena cabin member: “If Lucian defeated the strongest demigod, doesn’t that mean that the Title of the Strongest Demigod belongs to him?”

Eyes widened as the realization sank in. All around, campers looked at Lucian with a mix of awe and apprehension.

Lucian smirked. “If you all keep staring, I might blush.”

“Great,” Clarisse scoffed, breaking the tension. “Just what we need—to stroke Lucian’s already massive ego.”

Chiron stepped forward, raising his voice. “Now then, everyone! Let’s throw our heroes a Greek-style party to celebrate their return. I’m giving everyone the day off from camp activities!”

“HELL YEAH!” the crowd roared, dispersing excitedly to prepare for the festivities.

As the crowd thinned, Chiron turned back to the group. “Why don’t you come to my office and share the details of your journey while everyone sets up?”

“Actually, could I be excused for a moment?” Lucian asked, raising a finger.

Chiron tilted his head. “Why?”

“There are new campers I promised to bring here,” Lucian explained with a smile.

The others nodded in realization, as they realized who Lucian was referring to.

“New campers?” Chiron asked, puzzled. “I haven’t heard about any new arrivals.”

“That’s because they’ve been in hiding,” Lucian said. “They’re my little brother and sister.”

Chiron’s eyes widened. “What?”

“The others can fill you in. Can I be excused now?” Lucian asked again.

“Sure,” Chiron replied. “I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Lucian shrugged. “I was just being polite.” Without another word, he fell backward, vanishing into his shadow with his hands in his pockets.

He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless pool, watching as the shadows around him swirled and shifted. His shadow soldiers moved gracefully, and the various items stored in his shadow storage floated by like drifting relics.

Lucian kept sinking into the darkness until a sudden burst of light appeared below him. The perspective flipped, and he found himself being propelled upward.

He was practically shot out of the darkness, landing on his feet with his hands casually in his pockets. He stood before the grand entrance to the Underworld’s castle. Without hesitation, he began walking in, whistling a carefree tune.

As he approached the dining hall, where he sensed everyone’s presence, he pushed the door open and froze in his tracks.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCIAN!”

“Eh?” Lucian blinked, completely taken aback. His mother’s ghost, Hades, Persephone, and even Bianca and Nico were all gathered around a rectangular table.

In the center was a chocolate cake adorned with thirteen candles.

Medea chuckled at Lucian’s surprised expression. “We know you wouldn’t want to stay long while picking up your siblings, so we decided to throw you something small.”

She snapped her fingers, lighting the candles. “Come on, Lucy, it’s time to blow them out!”

“Pftt, Lucy~” Bianca and Nico snickered, trying to suppress their laughter.

Lucian’s cheeks turned red as he walked toward the table, visibly embarrassed yet unable to hide his growing smile.

Medea began singing:

“Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy birthday, dear Lucy!

Happy Birthday to you~”

Lucian groaned but played along, suppressing the urge to laugh at how absurdly cheerful Medea sounded.

“Make a wish!” Persephone encouraged with a wink. “That’s the human tradition, right?” she asked, looking to Medea for confirmation.

Medea nodded. “That’s right!”

Lucian pretended to think deeply, tapping a finger to his lips before smirking mischievously. His gaze drifted toward Hades, who was leaning back at the head of the table, sipping a glass of wine.

Lucian blew out the candles, and Nico immediately asked, “What did you wish for?!”

Lucian glanced between Persephone and Hades, a sly grin spreading across his face. “For more siblings~”

Hades spat out his wine in shock, spraying it everywhere. Persephone turned beet red, glaring at Lucian.

She walked over, pinching his cheeks affectionately. “You’re getting more mischievous by the day!”

Then she nudged Hades, motioning toward Lucian with her head. “Go on,” she muttered.

Hades grumbled, setting his napkin aside before conjuring a black-and-purple gift box in his hand. He tossed it to Lucian. “Here, you brat. It’s from all of us.”

Persephone leaned closer, adding, “He’s the one who thought of it. Your mom and I worked on crafting it. I hope you like it!”

Lucian opened the box, finding a black crystal ball inside.

Bianca peered over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “A crystal ball? That’s kind of underwhelming, isn’t it?”

“It’s more than just a crystal ball,” Hades explained. “It amplifies your magic and acts as a communication device.” He looked pointedly at Lucian. “That way, you don’t have to come here every day to bother me. Just use that to talk to your mother.”

Lucian’s eyes widened, and a touched expression spread across his face. “You thought of this… for me?”

“Yeah, so you’d stop coming here so much and annoying me,” Hades replied gruffly.

Lucian spread his arms wide and grinned. “You big tsundere! Come here and give your son a hug!”

“You better stay ten feet away from me,” Hades snapped, glaring.

“This is me choosing to ignore you~” Lucian sang playfully as he wrapped Hades in a hug.

“In five seconds, you’re going to see me choosing to hit you, despite it being your birthday,” Hades said flatly, his face pressed against Lucian’s in discomfort.

Lucian ignored him, gleefully rubbing his face against Hades, while Medea stealthily took a picture of the scene.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep