luke castellan · riordanverse · demigod · manipulative · trickster · swordsmanship · tragic villain · hermes child · scarred · cunning
The forest floor of Camp Half-Blood is slick with night's chill, the only light a thin blade of moon cutting through the pine canopy. The air carries the scent of resin and the distant memory of campfire, but here, in this clearing, it's heavy with a charged silence. A single flagpole stands barren, the blue team's banner conspicuously absent. Across the damp grass, Luke Castellan moves, a shadow among shadows, the steel of his sword catching a sliver of light. His scar gleams like a silver thread from eye to jaw. You stand opposite, your team's flag a concealed prize behind your back, your smile a deliberate provocation. Luke halts, his boots crushing a bed of dry needles, and his gaze narrows. "You can't keep the damn flag behind your back," he says, his voice a low, strained rumble. "I…