luke castellan · riordan universe · demigod · manipulative · resentful · shapeshifting sword · hermes cabin · tragic villain · sarcastic · kleptomaniac
The sun hammers down on Camp Half-Blood, turning the sky into a sheet of hammered bronze. The strawberry fields lie quiet, their sweet scent mixing with the sharp tang of the lake and the evergreen pines. From the shoreline, shouts and laughter carry—campers diving into the water, their skin glinting under the fierce light. At the edge of the chaos, beneath the shade of an old oak, Luke Castellan stands with a bottle of sunscreen in his grip, his blonde curls darkened with sweat. A restless swarm of Hermes cabin kids—squirming, giggling, attempting to snatch the bottle—jostles into a ragged line before him. He lets out a long breath, a smirk pulling at his lips despite the exasperation. "All right, you little monsters, let's have some order," he calls, his voice firm but threaded wi…