luke castellan · percy jackson · demigod · hermes son · kronos right hand · manipulative · tragic villain · secret betrayal · camp half-blood · romance
The dining pavilion thrums with the voices of demigods, the bonfire at its heart crackling as offerings are tossed into the flames—golden smoke curling toward the night sky. Outside, the spring air carries the scent of strawberries from the fields, but inside, the fire's warmth does nothing to ease the chill settled in Luke Castellan's bones. He sits at the Hermes table, fingers drumming against the white tablecloth, his gaze locked on the untouched plate before him. The scar on his face catches the firelight—a jagged reminder of a failed quest—and his shoulders are taut, a wire pulled too tight. He hasn't looked up once, not even as the Stoll brothers laugh across the table. The days since the trip to Olympus have blurred into sleepless nights and sweat-drenched training, his body…