[Third Person’s PoV]

“Your mother…?” Aphrodite questioned, narrowing her eyes as she tried to recall anyone from the last 13–14 years who might match Lucian’s appearance. But no matter how hard she searched her memory, nothing came to mind.

“And who exactly is your mother? I assume when you mentioned my ‘bastard son’, you were referring to my son, Eros. However, it’s been a couple of decades since we last truly interacted—or meddled with mortals together, for that matter.”

Lucian scoffed. “Well, I doubt you remember the names or faces of every mortal woman whose life you’ve ruined.”

Aphrodite placed a hand over her mouth in thought, staring intently at Lucian, trying to discern his features.

‘Eros and I have had our fair share of fun messing with mortal love… Wait… Now that I think about it, earlier, he showed some hostility toward Hera, though it was well hidden. If I weren’t the Goddess of Love, I wouldn’t have detected it. So Hera must be involved as well.

A woman whom Eros, Hera, and I have dealt with… And he’s a powerful magic user—enough to be acknowledged by Hecate. Children of Hades aren’t usually known for their magic, so it must come from his mother’s side. His mother must have been a witch. That shortens the list by a lot.

A mortal witch… Hera, Eros, and I…’

Aphrodite’s mind worked at the speed of a supercomputer, making connections that would have been impossible for an ordinary being.

And then, suddenly, a face emerged in her thoughts—long black hair, piercing red eyes—superimposed over Lucian’s features. Aphrodite’s eyes widened in shock.

She stood abruptly, staring at Lucian in disbelief.

“You’re… the son of Medea,” she whispered in astonishment.

Lucian began clapping slowly, an exaggerated look of mock surprise on his face. “Wow! Would you look at that! She got it in one! Let’s all give her a round of applause!”

He looked down at his shadow and said, “Come on, everyone, join in. She deserves all the hands we can give.”

His shadow expanded, and multiple hands of varying shapes and sizes rose from the darkness, clapping in eerie unison.

Aphrodite gave him a flat look. “Alright, that’s just unnecessary.”

Lucian scoffed and waved a hand, making the clapping cease. His expression turned void of humor, his eyes half-lidded and glowing red as the shadowy hands slithered back into the floor.

“Well, congratulations, you’re right. The Princess of Colchis, Priestess of Hecate, and the infamous Witch of Betrayal—Medea—is my mother. And I… am her son.”

His voice turned cold. “I am the son of the woman whose emotions you and your diaper-wearing bastard of a son so meticulously played with. The woman whose love you twisted, manipulated—until she was driven to madness. And in her insanity, she killed her two sons. My brothers.”

Lucian’s eyes burned brighter. “You are the cause of my mother’s suffering. And that is something I will never forgive. So I hope that answers your question as to why I don’t have a very high opinion of you.”

Aphrodite sat back down, still reeling from the revelation. “But… how? How could you possibly be her son? Unless… unless Hades and Medea met in the Underworld and had you… that would explain a few things…”

Lucian let her speculate, making no effort to correct her assumptions.

After a moment of silence, Aphrodite sighed heavily, leaning back against the bench. “What a mess… But you seriously can’t be blaming all of that on me, can you? I mean, all I did was follow Hera’s orders. I wouldn’t have even bothered with Medea if it weren’t for her. And I’m sure you can understand why she’s a difficult person to say no to.”

Lucian tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing in visible confusion.

“What?” Aphrodite asked, noticing his expression.

“How is that any of my concern?” Lucian replied, his voice sharp. “What makes you think I would care whether you were ordered to or not? The fact remains that you are responsible for my mother’s suffering. Whether you were commanded or not doesn’t change that.

Your hands are stained with blood. Just because someone placed the dagger in your hand doesn’t absolve you of the crime. It doesn’t make your hands any less red.”

“I’m not denying that I played a part in what your mother went through. I’m just saying—”

“Don’t worry, I understand exactly what you’re trying to say,” Lucian interrupted. “That bitch queen is at the very top of my list, followed by anyone named Jason, then you and your son, and finally, her husband.”

Aphrodite sighed, covering her face. “Is there anything I can do to earn your forgiveness? As much as I hate to admit it, having you as an enemy isn’t in my best interest at the moment. I’d much rather have you as an ally.”

When she looked back at Lucian, she found him staring at her with pure disgust.

“I’d rather slit my own wrists and bleed out. How does that sound?” Lucian scoffed.

“Is the matter really that unsalvageable?”

“No. If you manage to earn my mother’s forgiveness, then we can talk,” Lucian replied with a grin.

“Oh, come on, that’s impossible. I’m not sure if you know this, but my role in making her fall for Jason wasn’t what drove her crazy—she was already unstable. She was a cunning witch; that’s what drew Hera to her in the first place. She knew Jason and the Argonauts wouldn’t have made it far without magic, and Medea was the perfect candidate. She was ruthless, powerful, and useful. So Hera used me to make her fall in love with Jason.”

“And again, so what?” Lucian shot back. “Tell me honestly—would she have fallen for Jason if you hadn’t intervened?”

Aphrodite hesitated.

“Yeah, I won’t deny my mother had a few screws loose. I even inherited some of them. But your interference made her love Jason—no, not love, obsession. And that obsession drove her insane. Of course, she was already a bit mad. Everything about her was. So when you added love into the mix, it was bound to be just as twisted and dangerous as the rest of her. And you didn’t just make her love him; you made her infatuated.”

Lucian scoffed in disgust. “Honestly, just talking to you for this long is driving me insane—and that’s saying something.”

He glanced at his imaginary watch and said in a deadpan tone, “Would you look at that? I’ve officially run out of fucks to give. I no longer give a single fuck about continuing this conversation.”

“What—” Aphrodite started, but he cut her off.

“I’m leaving. Listen, I’ve stayed longer than I needed to. If I had to choose between continuing this meaningless, aimless conversation or going to my beautiful and amazing girlfriend on her birthday, I’m sure you know which one I’d choose.”

Lucian closed his eyes and muttered, “Well, my mother taught me not to be rude and to always say my farewells before leaving…”

Then, with a smirk, he held up both middle fingers. “Here, enjoy these farewells.”

Without hesitation, his shadows consumed him, and he vanished, leaving behind a devilish grin.

Aphrodite clenched her jaw, the muscles tightening as she watched him disappear. “That rude brat… Hades should teach him some manners before someone else does,” she grumbled.

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+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3

A/N: I’ve asked this in patreon but I feel like you guys also deserve a say, I’m trying to figure out what to change Capture the Flag into. I’ll take any idea you can give me.

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