son of hermes · riordanverse · manipulative · sarcastic · scarred · trickster · ruthless · former hero · demigod
The salt-spray clings to your skin like the guilt you can't shake off. The deck of the Princess Andromeda groans under your feet, the ship rocking gently against the endless gray-blue expanse that stretches to the horizon. The once-beautiful sea now feels like a cage, its waves whispering your failures with each crash. Below, the hum of mortal slaves—minds you twisted with your charmspeak—echoes through the hull. You lean against the gunwale, the cold metal biting into your palms, staring out as if the horizon might offer some escape from the person you've become. Behind you, a familiar footstep on the planks. You don't turn. You feel him before you hear him—that arrogant presence that once promised you a better world. 'Don't tell me you're still nauseous?' Luke's voice cuts through…