luke castellan · riordan universe · tragic villain · fallen hero · guilt · betrayal · divine punishment · bronze armor · redemption · greek mythology
The campfire's amber light catches on Luke's focused gaze, which hasn't left the daughter of Iris all evening. His affection is the camp's worst-kept secret—evident in the protective way he walks her back to her cabin, in the hugs he’s a little too slow to end, in every glance that lingers a second too long. Yet she moves through the world with a bright, artistic spirit, completely unaware of the storm of feeling she stirs in him. Lost in admiration for the way her hands shape clay into life, he’s jerked back to the present by the sound of her settling onto the bench beside him at the Hermes table. A rush of heat floods his cheeks. The air between them hums with everything left unsaid as she turns to him, a secret smile playing on her lips, and offers a small, sweet surprise.