Percy Jackson: Son of Hades - Prince of the Underworld

[Third Person's PoV] 

The next day…

Both Annabeth and Lucian shot up from the bed like corpses rising from the dead. Their half-closed eyes betrayed their groggy state, still caught between sleep and wakefulness.

Their hair was wild and unkempt, a sight that made them both pause before turning to look at each other. A burst of laughter escaped them, each finding the other's disheveled appearance ridiculous.

Annabeth yawned, stretching lazily before saying, "I should get back to my cabin before anyone notices I didn't sleep there."

Lucian smirked, scratching his messy hair. "Annabeth, my love, I'm 1,000% sure everyone at camp already knows you don't spend much time in your cabin."

"It's one thing for it to be a rumor, and another to be completely shameless about it," Annabeth shot back, grabbing her pouch from the nightstand. She secured it around her waist before pulling out her invisibility cap.

"I still have some decency," she added with mock superiority, slipping the cap on and disappearing from sight.

As the door creaked open and then shut seemingly on its own, her voice echoed teasingly, "Oh, and save me a plate! Mwah!"

Lucian rolled his eyes but smiled faintly. Stretching his arms, he muttered to himself, "Big day ahead, I guess."

…

Lucian stood in the kitchen, his damp hair falling messily over his face. He wore a black apron with the words "Kiss the Chef" printed on it, complete with a lipstick mark design.

Beside him, his crystal ball hovered in the air, casting a soft glow as he worked.

"Good morning, my little munchkin!" Medea's voice chimed from the crystal ball, dripping with affection.

Lucian sighed, cracking an egg against the edge of a bowl. "You know, if you contact me every day, it kind of cheapens the mourning I went through for you."

Medea smiled faintly. "And I'll forever appreciate the grief you felt on my behalf. But considering who your father is, you should have known you'd see me again."

"I want my tears back," Lucian scoffed, cracking another egg.

"Too late! They're mine now, and I'll treasure them forever," Medea replied smugly. "So, what are you making?"

"Pancakes. A whole lot of them," Lucian said, grabbing a massive bowl and stirring the batter with ease, his enhanced strength making an electric mixer unnecessary.

Medea nodded but quickly moved on. "Anyway, I called to discuss your schedule so we can start your lessons—" She paused mid-sentence, noticing Lucian suddenly freeze before awkwardly resuming his task.

"What's wrong? Why did you freeze?" Medea asked, her voice suspicious. "Don't tell me you're too busy or something. That's why I called—to figure out a good time for—"

"It's not that," Lucian said quickly, looking embarrassed. "Uh, so... about Charmspeak... I already know it."

Medea arched an eyebrow, her voice soft but curious. "You what?"

Lucian shifted uncomfortably. "It's not a power I use often—it's, like, at the very bottom of the list of abilities I have. So, I kinda... forgot I even had it."

Medea didn't look upset, much to Lucian's relief. "How did you learn it?"

He grinned cheekily. "I studied her kids. Spent some time sneaking into their cabin."

"Of course you did. Why wouldn't you? I bet you seduced them, didn't you?" Medea scoffed, raising an amused eyebrow.

Lucian smirked arrogantly. "You gave me these good looks for a reason. Why not use them to get what I want?"

"Spoken like a true dark witch," Medea replied, her tone proud.

"You're not mad?" Lucian asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Mad? Why would I be? You did exactly what you should've done—studied the powers of others around you and used magic to replicate them. That's how you grow stronger," she said calmly, a note of approval in her voice. "Although, this does change our plans. For our first lesson, we'll be reviewing your Charmspeak. I want to see how much you truly know and whether you can strengthen it. No power should remain at the bottom of your abilities list."

"You're the boss, ma'am," Lucian replied, lifting the whisk and watching the pancake batter slide smoothly back into the bowl.

The two continued their discussion about Lucian's magical lessons as he worked on breakfast, the kitchen filling with the delicious aroma of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

As Lucian sensed movement upstairs, signaling the Di Angelo siblings were awake and getting ready, he started wrapping things up.

"Well, I'll be going now. Time for breakfast. Bye, love you," Lucian said, stacking fluffy golden pancakes onto a plate alongside scrambled eggs and crispy bacon.

Medea made exaggerated kissing noises through the crystal ball. "Bye, my love! Enjoy yourselves! Don't forget to send me some~!"

With a soft glow, Medea's image disappeared, and the crystal ball shrank back into Lucian's ring. Lucian turned his focus to the table, telekinetically lifting the plates with his ring and carefully setting them down across the table.

"Pfft~"

Lucian turned to see Bianca snickering, her hand covering her mouth. "Nice outfit~" she teased, eyeing his "Kiss the Chef" apron.

"Thank you~" Lucian replied with a grin, clearly unbothered.

Nico made no attempt to stifle his laughter. "Looking good, big bro! Hahaha!"

Bianca, still giggling, glanced at the table. "It all smells fantastic, but… why is there so much? And why is one of them blue? Who's joining us?"

Lucian smiled as he began explaining. "Three of the plates are offerings to the gods. You both need to send thanks to our father—he commissioned a special gift for the two of you. As for the rest, we're hosting guests. Our father, the Hospitable One, would expect no less. Everyone who came with us on the quest is joining us for breakfast."

"Wait, Dad got us something?!" Nico asked, his excitement palpable. "What is it?!"

"They're your personal weapons," Lucian said. "Father instructed me to craft them for your protection. But first, grab your plates and follow me."

Nico and Bianca eagerly complied, following Lucian to the fireplace in the living room.

Lucian set one of the plates into the fire and clasped his hands in prayer, closing his eyes. "This is the part where you say your thanks."

The Di Angelo siblings mirrored Lucian's actions, placing their plates in the fire and offering heartfelt thanks to Hades.

As they finished their offering, the front door burst open, and Annabeth stormed in, followed by Thalia, Grover, Percy, and Clarisse.

"Lucian, you have no idea how much I've been waiting for your food!" Grover cheered, tears of joy glistening in his eyes.

…

As the others left after breakfast, Annabeth and Thalia stayed behind, curious about the gifts Lucian had crafted for the Di Angelo siblings. The three of them gathered in Lucian's basement, with Nico practically vibrating with excitement.

"I wonder what Lucian made for them," Thalia said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

Annabeth smirked knowingly. "You're in for a surprise… and you clearly aren't the only one" She motioned toward Nico, who was nearly bouncing.

Lucian turned to Bianca first, presenting her with two light blue bracelets adorned with intricate snowflake designs and a rectangular gift box.

Bianca tilted her head in confusion but put on the bracelets before opening the box to reveal a stunning black and purple bow, its craftsmanship so fine it seemed otherworldly.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered, gingerly picking it up.

As soon as the bow was in her hands, she felt a strange connection. She instinctively clutched the items close to her chest, feeling them touch a part of her being they shouldn't have been able to access. Yet, it felt right.

The bow dissolved into shimmering particles of purple light and flowed into her chest, while the bracelets melted into her wrists. Bianca winced, clutching her shoulder as a tattoo began to form—a bow and arrow, nocked and aimed downward.

Her mind was suddenly flooded with information about the bow's capabilities. "This is insane…" she muttered as black leather gloves formed on her hands. She flexed her fingers, marveling at how natural they felt.

When she clenched her fist, her bow materialized in her grasp, sleek and deadly.

Nico's eyes sparkled with excitement, while Annabeth began explaining the nature of Bianca's weapon to Thalia.

After recalling her bow and gloves, Bianca approached Lucian and hugged him, much to his awkward surprise.

"Thank you… I really like and appreciate it," she said earnestly.

Lucian, clearly not used to affection, mumbled, "Yeah… sure."

"My turn! My turn!" Nico shouted, practically bouncing on his heels.

Lucian chuckled and handed Nico a skull-shaped ring similar to his own, along with a wrapped sword tied with a purple string.

Nico eagerly slipped on the ring and unwrapped the sword, slowly revealing its curved, gleaming blade. He stared at it in awe, holding it close as though it were a treasure.

Without a word, Nico stood tall, clasping the sword with both hands and closing his eyes. The blade dissolved into particles of light and absorbed into him, while the ring melted into his finger.

Like Bianca, Nico winced and clutched his shoulder as a tattoo began forming—a saber surrounded by swirling souls. As knowledge about his weapons merged with his mind, his eyes widened.

"No way… Are you serious?" he asked, turning to Lucian with an ecstatic grin.

Lucian nodded proudly.

"What?" Bianca asked, intrigued.

Nico held out his hand, and his ring materialized before shifting and transforming into a pistol. He gasped in delight.

"I HAVE A GUN! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE! POW! POW! POW!" Nico yelled, gleefully fake-shooting around the room.

Bianca's jaw dropped in horror. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHO THINKS IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD A GUN?!" she screamed, snapping her head toward Lucian.

Before Lucian could respond, a loud BANG echoed through the basement. Everyone flinched and ducked as a shadowy bullet struck the wall.

All eyes turned to Nico, who sheepishly tried to hide the gun behind his back. "It wasn't me…" he muttered, looking away.

Bianca's face twisted in anger and disbelief. She lunged at Lucian, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him violently.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT! DO YOU NOT THINK?!" she yelled, her voice filled with exasperation.

Lucian, ever calm, shrugged. "I do think. And now with this, we'll squash Thalia's team next Friday. Get ready, everyone—hard training starts now."

Thalia and Bianca stared at him in disbelief before Bianca decided to beat him up as best she could for his reckless decision. 

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