[Third Person’s PoV]

Lucian turned to Thalia with wide, puppy dog eyes, pressing his index fingers together. “Do you mean it?”

“Ugh,” Thalia grunted, averting her gaze. She couldn’t look him straight in the eyes.

When she risked a peek back, those same pitiful eyes were still fixed on her. In her mind, she could almost see Lucian with drooping black dog ears and a fluffy tail swaying weakly behind him.

“Ughhhh!” she groaned louder, looking away again. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed so deeply it was like her very soul had escaped through her mouth.

“No, I don’t mean it…” she grumbled, finally giving in.

Lucian’s imaginary dog ears perked up instantly, his tail wagging excitedly as he pressed a hand to his chest and let out a dramatic sigh of relief.

‘Goddamn it, you cute bastard. Why am I so weak?’ Thalia cursed inwardly.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t still want to beat the crap out of you for that stunt you pulled,” Thalia growled, her tone dripping with irritation. “I will get my payback, don’t you worry.”

“And I’ll be patiently waiting~,” Lucian teased, flashing a sly wink.

His smirk only grew wider when he saw Thalia’s eye start to twitch in frustration. With a flourish, Lucian brought two fingers to his lips, blew her a kiss, and conjured a pink sparkling illusion around himself. A tiny, glittering heart floated from his winking eye.

“As they say, love conquers all~,” he crooned.

Lightning crackled at Thalia’s fingertips. She raised her hands, fingers curling into an ominous choking motion, her eyes darkening like storm clouds.

BTOOOOOOM!!!

The blaring sound of a horn interrupted her next move. She froze, then sighed in exasperation, letting the electricity dissipate.

Grumbling under her breath, Thalia bent down to pick up her spear and retracted her shield back into its compact form. “I take it back. We’re definitely on a break.”

“No take-backs!” Lucian shouted, grinning.

“What the hell do you mean no take-backs?!” Thalia snapped.

“You love me too much to mean it anyway,” Lucian replied smoothly, resting a hand under his chin and flashing his most charming smile.

Thalia glared daggers at him, ready to fire back—but before she could, Lucian’s eyes glowed briefly, and his smirk deepened.

“Anyway, let’s talk about this later. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Thalia’s irritation faded into confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Lucian’s expression softened slightly. “Both Nico and Bianca have just been claimed by our father. As their older brother, how could I not go congratulate them?”

“Oh.” Thalia nodded, hoisting her spear over her shoulder. “I guess that means Chiron’s on his way to congratulate them, too. We shouldn’t be late.”

Lucian held up a finger, closing his eyes as if calculating something. “Wait. We’re missing someone. Don’t worry—they should be here in 3… 2… 1.”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! PUT ME DOWN!!!”

“IF YOU SAY SO!!”

Thalia’s head snapped up to see Percy and Annabeth in mid-air. Annabeth was effortlessly carrying Percy by the collar before letting go with a wicked grin.

Percy flailed his arms wildly, panic all over his face, before finally gripping his trident tightly. With a desperate thrust, he unleashed a geyser of water that slowed his descent just enough to prevent a complete disaster.

Even so, he landed hard, gritting his teeth and using his trident like a crutch. His legs shook beneath him, and his face was so bruised it looked like he’d been attacked by a swarm of wasps.

“What the hell happened to you?” Thalia asked, eyes wide.

Annabeth dropped down gracefully from the sky, landing with a fist to the ground before standing tall. Percy flinched, trembling slightly as he glanced at her like she was his worst nightmare.

Annabeth scoffed, glaring at him with disdain. “Coward.”

Lucian blinked in surprise. “What the hell did you do to him?” he asked Annabeth.

She sneered. “The bastard called me a gorilla.”

Lucian and Thalia slowly turned to Percy, their heads tilting in unison, pure disbelief on their faces.

“Are you stupid?” they both asked simultaneously.

Percy opened his mouth to defend himself but thought better of it, shaking his head with a defeated sigh.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Lucian interrupted, waving Percy off with a sigh “Just go and fix yourself. We’re about to make an entrance.”

…

Nico shouted the loudest as he yanked the flag from the ground, his face beaming with triumph. Bianca cheered alongside him, but her excitement froze when she noticed something shimmering above Nico’s head.

“Nico!” Bianca gasped, pointing upward. “Look—above your head!”

“Huh?” Nico blinked in confusion, tapping the top of his head as if he could feel it. When he glanced up, his eyes widened. A black mark, the symbol of Hades, hovered over him. He quickly turned to Bianca, noticing the same symbol above her head. “You too! Does this mean… we’ve both been claimed?!”

“I guess so…” Bianca muttered, her voice trailing off as reality sank in.

But before they could process it, they noticed the Children of Ares rising from where they’d fallen during the game. Instead of the usual glares or taunts, they silently dropped to one knee, heads bowed in respect.

Nico stiffened, instinctively stepping closer to Bianca. But as he scanned the field, it became clear: the games were over, and this wasn’t some trick. For a distance more and more campers from various cabins were appearing only to kneel before them, their heads lowered in solemn reverence.

Even Clarisse, groaning as she massaged her bruised jaw, slowly dropped to one knee.

“What… what’s going on?” Bianca whispered, her eyes darting nervously around. “Lucian didn’t say anything about this happening.”

Nico was equally confused, but Bianca’s sharp vision caught movement in the distance. She saw Chiron galloping toward them, his expression serious. As he approached, he lowered himself as much as his equine form allowed, his voice booming across the field:

“ALL HAIL BIANCA DI ANGELO AND NICO DI ANGELO, DAUGHTER AND SON OF LORD HADES, KING OF THE UNDERWORLD, LORD OF THE DEAD, THE UNSEEN ONE!”

Nico and Bianca stood frozen, overwhelmed by the sight of nearly the entire camp kneeling before them.

But before they could react, the ground beneath their feet darkened, turning pitch black. The shadows expanded outward, and from the swirling darkness, four figures rose.

Thalia stood to the far left, her spear resting casually on her shoulder, a hand on her hip, and a small, mischievous grin tugging at her lips.

Next to her was Lucian, his scythe slung lazily across his shoulders as his arms draped over it. His expression was relaxed, but his eyes sparkled with pride.

Beside Lucian stood Percy, gripping his trident firmly at his side. His bruises from earlier were completely healed, and his helmet hung loosely from his waist.

Annabeth, standing next to Percy, broke formation and walked toward the Athena cabin members. Without hesitation, she knelt alongside them, her head bowed in respect. After spending time in the Underworld and getting to know Hades, she’d come to respect him. Besides, in her eyes, he was practically going to be her father-in-law, so she didn’t mind showing deference.

That left Lucian, Thalia, and Percy as the only ones standing before Bianca and Nico.

‘Damn it! I should’ve brought a bident—that would’ve completed the set. But it’s not too late to fix this.’ Lucian thought, realizing his missed opportunity. With a smirk, he transformed his scythe into a ring, and from the shadows at his feet, a two-headed spear—A Bident—began to rise.

‘Much better!’ He thought, puffing his chest out proudly.

Thalia rolled her eyes, immediately seeing through his theatrics.

Percy, glancing around at the kneeling crowd, bent his knees, intending to kneel as well—out of courtesy, the same way others had when he was claimed.

But Lucian quickly placed a firm hand against Percy’s chest, shaking his head. “The three of us stand as equals in authority. Kneeling would dishonor your father—you represent him now.”

Percy hesitated, then nodded in understanding.

Lucian turned back to Nico and Bianca, his face lighting up with a bright smile. “Congratulations, you two! I expected nothing less. It seems Father has finally acknowledged your existence.”

CRACKLE. CRACKLE. CRACKLE.

The sudden, angry snap of lightning echoed through the clear sky, though not a single cloud marred the horizon.

Thalia sighed heavily, lowering her spear. “And it seems mine clearly hasn’t…”

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