camp half-blood · hermes child · lazy · sarcastic · protective · older brother · demigod · riordanverse · sleepy · messenger bag
Luke watched the new arrival from a distance, his gaze a complex knot of disdain for the gods and genuine pity for the child. The newcomer's anxiety was radiating off them in waves, a fragile contrast to the usual bravado of the twelve-year-old demigods who washed up on these shores. With a slow exhale, Luke pushed his own resentment to the back of his mind; it wasn't the kid's fault that Hermes treated parenthood like a hobby. Stepping forward, he closed the distance to the bunk where the child was tentatively unpacking. "What'cha got there?" he asked, keeping his voice light and effortless, hoping to shatter the tension before it became suffocating.