[Third Person's PoV]
It was July 4th, and Lucian and Thalia were casually walking around camp by themselves.
"Is Annabeth ever planning to come out?" Thalia asked, stretching her arms behind her head as they strolled.
Lucian scoffed. "Are you kidding? She's way too obsessed with her current project. I wouldn't be surprised if she spends the entire day inside and misses the fireworks."
"Right, I forgot how obsessive Annabeth can get when she's motivated. It's already been a week since she started— is she close to finishing?" Thalia asked, gazing up at the clouds.
"She's almost done with the first of her artificial spirits. She's just working on the final part—the heart, or rather, its core," Lucian explained.
Before Thalia could comment, Lucian suddenly turned into a black wisp and reappeared in front of her, hands behind his back, leaning forward with a smirk. "But you know what this means, don't you?"
"That Annabeth is going to get stronger?" Thalia guessed, raising an eyebrow as she walked past him, arms still resting behind her head.
Lucian wisped in front of her again. "No, it means we finally have the chance to go on that date I promised you."
Thalia glanced at him briefly before responding, "It's honestly too hot to be thinking about a date right now."
"Well, that's because someone likes wearing black leather jackets in the middle of summer. So don't blame me for that," Lucian shot back. "Besides, this is an opportunity! Since it's hot, we can go take a dip in the lake. We haven't had a casual swim before."
"A swim, huh…" Thalia considered the idea, then scoffed at Lucian's eager expression. "You just want to see me in a bikini, you perv."
Lucian put a hand on his chin, pretending to ponder. "You know, I wasn't thinking that… but now that you mention it, that does sound pretty enticing."
Thalia was about to refuse, but Lucian cut in quickly, "I'll beg~" he teased in a sing-song tone.
"Yeah, I don't doubt it. You're shameless enough to do that," Thalia said with a sigh. "Fine. But only because getting in the water actually sounds nice in this blistering heat."
"Meet me by the docks in five minutes," Thalia added before disappearing in a streak of lightning.
Lucian's shadow spread across his body as he activated his magic, [Shadow Equip], instantly changing into black and red swimming trunks with no shirt. A pair of black sunglasses rested on his face, and a towel appeared in his hands, which he draped over his shoulders.
Placing his hands on his hips, he turned toward the docks and grinned. "Now the real fun begins."
---
Five minutes later…
Lucian sat at the edge of the docks, hands gripping the ledge as he kicked his feet back and forth, gazing out over the water.
The sound of crackling lightning filled the air, followed by the whoosh of someone skidding to a stop behind him. Turning around, he saw Thalia slowing from her speed.
When she met Lucian's gaze, she found him staring—intently—without blinking. Almost instantly, she felt self-conscious, which only irritated her. "What are you staring at so hard?" she snapped, her cheeks turning red.
Thalia wore a black two-piece swimsuit. The top fit like a tight crop top, emphasizing her toned figure, while her bikini-style shorts had strings tied at the sides.
Lucian, without hesitation, summoned his phone from his shadow and snapped a picture.
"DELETE THAT, YOU BASTARD! WHY THE HELL DID YOU TAKE A PICTURE!?" Thalia shouted, charging at him with her towel raised.
Lucian blocked her slaps with his forearms, laughing. "Because my girlfriend looks good as hell!" He gave her a serious thumbs-up.
"Lucian, I swear to the gods, if you don't delete that, I'll strangle you," Thalia growled, gritting her teeth.
"Why? You actually look amazing," Lucian said with a smirk. "You should show off more often… but not too often. Otherwise, I will get jealous."
His expression suddenly turned dead serious. "In fact… don't show off to anyone else but me. I'm already getting jealous just thinking about someone else seeing you like this."
Thalia's face reddened even more. "I-It… it really doesn't look too bad on me?"
Lucian's teasing smirk softened into a genuine smile. "Trust me, if it did, I'd be the first to laugh in your face and help you pick out a better outfit." Then his eyes glowed with sincerity. "But unfortunately for me… you look too stunning for me to even think about laughing."
Thalia quickly looked away, her blush deepening.
Lucian chuckled to himself. 'Cute.'
Lucian tapped the spot beside him, offering his hand to her. Thalia took a deep breath, calming herself before taking his hand and sitting down next to him.
"Cold!" she exclaimed, dipping her toes into the water.
Lucian watched her with amusement, which only made her glare at him. "Shut up!" she said, giving him a playful push.
She hesitantly placed her toes back in, flinching slightly each time before finally getting used to the sensation, letting her feet skim across the surface.
A comfortable silence settled between them. Thalia leaned back, closing her eyes and enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature.
After a moment, Lucian spoke, breaking the quiet. "I'm sorry if this ruins the mood, but I have to ask… Why don't you feel confident in your own body?" He turned to her, his brows knitted together in concern.
Thalia sat up, looking at him in confusion. "What?"
Lucian scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward for bringing it up. "It's just… whenever you dress a little more feminine, you look uncomfortable. And you never think you look good. I just wonder why that is. I mean… I really do think you're extremely beautiful, so it doesn't make sense to me." His voice was hesitant but sincere.
Thalia studied Lucian's face, searching for any teasing or hidden intent, but she found none—just genuine curiosity.
"Well… it's like you said. I just feel uncomfortable," she admitted, looking down at her reflection in the water. "All my life, I've been a warrior—surviving and fighting. It's all I know. When people look at me, they don't see a girl first. They see Thalia, the warrior. The daughter of Zeus. A powerful demigod. That's just how it's always been."
She sighed, running her hand over her toned stomach. "I never had the chance to be a normal girl. Instead of picking up dolls, I picked up a spear. So when it comes to things like wearing a dress, I feel out of place… it's not me. I mean, look at my muscles—what part of this screams 'feminine'?"
Lucian tilted his head, considering her words before casually replying, "I might be the weird one here, but muscles on a girl? Hella attractive. So I really can't say I see a problem."
Thalia blinked, then let out a genuine, amused chuckle. "Yes, yes—you're the weird one."
Perhaps it was the atmosphere or just the moment between them, but as she looked at Lucian, a softer expression settled on her face. With a quiet sincerity, she admitted, "You know… maybe it's that weirdness that made me fall in love with you."
Lucian's eyes widened in shock. "Eh?"
Of all people, Thalia was even more reserved about her emotions than he was. So hearing her say that—so openly—completely flustered him.
Seeing his reaction, Thalia chuckled again. "I've always been weak to compliments. And since I'm constantly aware of how people see me, I don't exactly have the highest opinion of myself. But you…" She paused, gathering her thoughts. "You were the first person to look at me as me. Not as a warrior. Not as Zeus's daughter. Just… Thalia."
She glanced away, cheeks reddening. "You're confident. You speak your mind. You don't hesitate to say what you like or don't like. And because of that, I know you mean it when you call me… beautiful. Or cute. Or anything like that."
Her fingers traced the water's surface. "I fell in love with you because… out of everyone, you see me for who I am. And I guess… that's something I always wanted but never realized." She let out a quiet sigh, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips. "I think my feelings for you really started growing when I wore that black toga for the first time a few years back."
Lucian remained silent, processing everything she'd just said.
Then, after a few seconds, Thalia spoke again.
"…That's why I chose you instead of Luke."
Lucian's head snapped toward her in disbelief. "What?"
Thalia smirked at his reaction. "What? You thought I didn't know about Luke's feelings for me back then?" She paused, then her eyes widened slightly. "Ah… wait a minute. So that's what he meant when he called you a hypocrite." She let out a sigh.
"Wait, you knew Luke was in love with you?" Lucian asked, still trying to wrap his head around it. "Did you two… have feelings for each other?"
Thalia hummed, tilting her head in thought. "At the beginning? Maybe. But we were too busy just trying to survive to think about something like that."
"But—"
She shook her head, cutting him off. "After spending time with both of you, I realized something. Luke… he loved the idea of me. He loved the warrior—the strong demigod who fought by his side. But you… you never cared about any of that. My strength, my lineage, my status as Zeus's daughter… none of it mattered to you. You just cared about me."
Leaning over, she pressed a tender kiss to his cheek. "And when I realized that, my feelings started to change."
She pulled back, gazing at the sky as a strong wind swept past them, her hair whipping back, the single braid still holding firm. "It doesn't mean I stopped caring about Luke. I still do. But…" She glanced at Lucian with a soft, genuine smile.
"It's you I love."
Lucian could only stare, his face burning red as the words sank in.
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