[Third Person’s PoV]

Lucian ruffled Nico’s hair affectionately. “Alright, you win. I’ll make one for both of you… but that’s going to be after Thalia finishes drinking hers.”

“Now wait just a moment,” Bianca interjected. “I never agreed—”

“Perfect, we’re all on the same page then,” Lucian said, clapping his hands and stepping back with Nico.

Bianca glared at Lucian, catching the smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

“You may proceed, Thalia,” Lucian nodded toward her in reassurance.

Thalia took a deep breath. “Just great. Here I was hoping you’d keep talking so I could delay this longer,” she grumbled mostly to herself.

“So, what do I have to think of again?” Thalia asked with a raised eyebrow. “I just want to make sure I have all the facts before I begin.”

“You have to think of something that makes you human—or rather, something that makes you who you are. For me, it was Lucian,” Annabeth said proudly, glancing hopefully at Lucian.

“For me, it was my mother. It’s not just about being human; it’s about something you have a strong attachment to, something that keeps you grounded and distracts you from the whispers,” Lucian further explained.

Annabeth pouted slightly, disappointed. ‘And here I was hoping he’d be thinking about me…’

Lucian noticed her disappointment, rolled his eyes, and kissed her cheek. “Just because I was thinking about my mother doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

Annabeth’s hands flew to her cheeks as she stared at Lucian in astonishment.

“What?” Lucian asked, puzzled by her expression.

“It’s just rare for you to say that you love me, so I was a little surprised…” she muttered, blushing faintly.

“I’ve definitely told you I love you before. What are you talking about?” Lucian said, looking at her curiously.

“I know, but it’s rare. Sometimes it sounds like you’re talking as a friend, like, ‘Annabeth, I love you, but you’re being a bit much,’ or something along those lines” she said bashfully.

“Ah, then I guess I should say it more often, shouldn’t I?” Lucian said, scratching his cheek, feeling a bit ashamed.

“No, I understand how hard it is for you to say it, so when you say it like this—rarely—it feels special, and I know you mean it,” Annabeth said softly.

“Ahem!” Thalia said loudly, reminding them they weren’t alone.

Lucian and Annabeth blushed, a bit embarrassed. Annabeth discreetly moved closer to Lucian, hooking her pinky with his. Lucian rolled his eyes again but intertwined his hand with hers, making her beam slightly.

“You guys are so annoying,” Thalia said, shaking her head and focusing on the potion in front of her.

Thalia raised the potion and toasted, “Wish me luck, everyone. Down the hatch it goes,” she said, downing the potion thoroughly.

Thalia smacked her lips. “It… tasted like cotton candy, or at least the fluffy texture—Eh?” She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze shifting to the side in confusion. Narrowing her eyes, she strained to hear a distant sound.

“YOU IDIOT! DON’T LISTEN TO THE WHISPERS!” both Lucian and Annabeth shouted simultaneously.

“Quick! Think of—” Annabeth began urgently, but it was too late.

It felt as though a megaphone had been pressed to Thalia’s ear, amplifying a scream. “AAAH!!” she cried, clutching her ear in pain.

The murmuring began, faint at first, but steadily growing louder until it was like a cacophony of screams assaulting her from both sides. Her head throbbed as if it would split open. “HOW… AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK… LIKE THIS?!” she shouted, her voice straining to rise above the chaotic whispers. Thousands of voices seemed to invade her mind at once.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up so I can think!” Thalia yelled, pounding her fists against her head.

The whispers intensified, threatening to overwhelm her sanity, making her feel as though her mind no longer belonged to her. Nico and Bianca watched in horror as Thalia beat herself mercilessly. Blood trickled from her temple as she continued the assault on her own body.

Weakened, Thalia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony. Her blood-curdling scream echoed as she clawed at her neck, desperate for the torment to stop.

‘Think… Think…’ she faintly discerned her own thoughts amidst the relentless whispers.

‘Annabeth thought of Lucian… Maybe I should…’ she managed to consider before her voice was drowned out again.

She bit down on her lips so hard they bled profusely. Desperately, she tried to picture Lucian as Annabeth had, but it was futile; the whispers held her captive.

Suddenly, she rolled onto her stomach, her jacket ripping open as a blood-red hand burst from her back, slick with her own blood.

“WHAT THE—” Bianca and Nico gasped in unison, recoiling in horror. Bianca shielded Nico behind her, eyes wide with terror.

Even Annabeth stood frozen, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing.

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO HER?!” Bianca cried, her voice trembling as another grotesque hand emerged from Thalia’s back.

“She’s turning into a monster,” Lucian said coldly, unmoving. “The whispers are driving her mad, transforming her body into something monstrous.”

Lucian turned his gaze to them, his eyes half-lidded and devoid of emotion. “This is the price and the risk of walking the path to godhood. When mortals tread where they shouldn’t…”

Lucian knew what worked for him and Annabeth wouldn’t help Thalia, but he knew what could focus her mind. He walked up to her and crouched so she could see him clearly. “Think about Jason… Your brother. Remember, he might still be alive.”

Thalia couldn’t hear Lucian’s words, but she could read his lips. The only words she caught were “Jason” and “alive.”

Her eyes widened. ‘Jason… Alive…’ she repeated in her mind, and those words seemed to overpower the whispers.

‘THAT’S RIGHT! JASON MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE! HE WASN’T IN THE UNDERWORLD, SO HE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE! I CAN’T LET THESE… THINGS DRIVE ME MAD WITHOUT FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BROTHER!’

Thalia’s resolve solidified. The possibility of Jason being alive was enough to shield her from the whispers. As the whispers lost their grip on her, they began to withdraw. Her monstrous transformation reversed itself, the grotesque hands retracting into her body, and the blood was reabsorbed.

Even though they were underground, a powerful gust of wind seemed to appear, blowing fiercely around them. Papers in Lucian’s room flapped wildly, caught in the tumultuous air.

Thalia’s body rose from the ground, lifted by the wind. Her hair and clothes billowed as she floated, her eyes closed. The wind around her became tangible, glowing a bright blue instead of the green typically associated with the element.

When Thalia opened her eyes, they were half-lidded, similar to how Lucian’s had been, glowing bright blue. Her necklace, a gift from Lucian, flew out from beneath her shirt, floating alongside her.

Thalia gently lowered her hands, and the wind responded, bringing her softly back to the ground. She tucked the necklace back into her shirt and sighed.

Seeing the traumatized expressions on Nico and Bianca’s faces, Thalia rubbed the back of her head apologetically. Then, with a soft smile, she looked at Lucian and kissed him on the lips, surprising him.

“Thank you… I would have been a goner without you,” she said kindly.

Lucian smirked. “You big flirt, you might just make me blush.”

“Why…” Bianca suddenly asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “Why would you put yourself through that?! Is it even worth it?”

Nico appeared equally disturbed, now second-guessing himself.

Thalia smiled. “Oh yeah, it was definitely worth it. Want to hear what abilities I gained? The abilities you gain afterward make all the pain and danger worthwhile.”

“What powers could you have possibly gained that would make almost turning yourself into a monster worth it?!” Bianca asked in disbelief.

“Well…” Thalia began, preparing to list the abilities she had gained as part of Sequence 6: Cyclone Rider.

…

(Strengthen: Thunderous Roar → Sound Amplification: Using wind to amplify sound waves, either to communicate over long distances or to disorient opponents with sonic booms.

Preternatural Reflexes → Wind Sense: An enhanced sensory ability that allows them to detect movements, changes in pressure, or even unseen threats through air currents.)

Main Abilities:

Aero-Kinesis: Complete mastery over the movement of air, allowing for intricate control of wind currents, from gentle breezes to devastating gales.

Wind Chariot: Summoning a chariot or vehicle made of wind energy, pulled by gusts of air for fast and stylish travel.

Tornado Fists: Channeling the power of a cyclone into their punches, delivering devastating blows that can send enemies flying.

Wind Constructs: Forming solid constructs made of compressed air, such as weapons, shields, or platforms, to aid in combat or traversal.

Wind Healing: Channeling the restorative properties of gentle breezes to heal minor wounds and alleviate fatigue in themselves or others.

…

Thalia didn’t waste a second before testing one of her newfound abilities. She activated [Wind Chariot], and immediately, a motorbike began to materialize in front of her. It seemed to be entirely made of air, with a body of pure blue and wheels resembling spinning white wind blades.

She swung a leg over the bike, testing the throttle lightly. White clouds puffed out from the exhaust pipe, and the wind blades in the wheels spun rapidly as she performed a small burnout. Thalia leaned against the bike, the position accentuating her figure. “This is the best thing I could have ever received. I’d do it all over again if I had to,” she said with a satisfied smile.

Lucian’s gaze drifted down her body as he muttered, “Tell me about it…”

Thalia blushed, standing upright and glaring at Lucian with a bright red face.

Lucian turned to Nico and Bianca, smirking. “You two change your minds about this?”

“I NEVER AGREED TO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Bianca shouted in exasperation.

Nico looked down slightly, then glanced at Thalia before stepping forward. “I was willing to become enemies with the very gods if I had to… The chance of turning into a monster is child’s play. I’m not going to go back on my word,” he said, looking at Lucian with determination.

Lucian noticed Nico’s clenched fists and the slight tremble in his legs, betraying his nervousness. This only made Lucian’s smile widen.

********************************************

+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3

A/N: I’ll update the Axuliry chapter (however you spell that shit) when Nico and Bianca gain their cards and potions

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep