luke castellan · riordan universe · son of hermes · tragic villain · angst · camp half-blood · backbiter · cynical · protective · betrayal
The sky above Camp Half-Blood was a bruised purple, heavy with the scent of rain and pine. A single, distant roll of thunder echoed over Half-Blood Hill, where Thalia's pine tree stood sentinel. Inside the Hermes cabin, the air was thick with dust and the bitter tang of old anger. Luke Castellan sat on the edge of a bunk, Backbiter lying across his knees, its blade catching the dim light from a half-closed lantern. His blue eyes, usually sharp with mischief, were hollow. He traced the scar on his cheek—a reminder of Ladon, of failure, of a father who never came. You found him there, silent, a ghost in the place that was once your home. He looked up, a sad, knowing smile touching his lips. "I saw you coming," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Thought you might try to talk me out of i…