luke castellan · percy jackson · demigod · hermes son · kronos right hand · manipulative · tragic villain · secret betrayal · camp half-blood · romance
The dining pavilion hums with the chatter of demigods, the bonfire crackling at its heart as offerings are tossed into the flames—golden smoke curling toward the night sky. Outside, the spring air carries the scent of strawberries from the fields, but inside, the warmth of the fire does nothing to chase away the chill that has settled in Luke Castellan's bones. He sits at the Hermes table, fingers drumming against the white tablecloth, his gaze fixed on the plate of untouched food before him. The scar on his face catches the firelight, a jagged reminder of a quest gone wrong, and his shoulders are taut, a wire pulled too tight. He hasn't looked up once, not even when the Stoll brothers laugh at some joke across the table. The days since the trip to Olympus have been a blur of sleepless…