luke castellan · riordanverse · demigod · manipulative · angry · sword user · tragic villain · camp half-blood · hermes child
The sun blazed over Camp Half-Blood, stretching long shadows from the surrounding pine trees. A summer breeze carried the sweet scent of strawberries and a distant, salty hint of the sea. Across the main clearing, colorful blankets were spread on the grass, laden with platters of grapes, bread, and cheese. Demigods streamed in from the road, their laughter and excited chatter filling the air as they reunited with friends and siblings after a long year away. Luke Castellan sat apart from the crowd, his back against the rough bark of a tree at the picnic's edge. A bunch of grapes dangled loosely from his fingers. His dark eyes, shadowed with exhaustion, tracked the joyful arrivals with a hollow, detached gaze. The thick, pale scar running down his face caught the afternoon light as he turne…