[Third Person's PoV]
"Wait... is it really your birthday?" Bianca asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "How old are you turning?"
"Not turning. I am thirteen now," Lucian replied proudly, his chest puffing out a bit.
"Damn it!" Bianca clicked her tongue, then turned, kicking at the sand with a huff.
Everyone gave her puzzled looks, causing her to blush and clear her throat. She quickly explained, "When he called himself our 'older brother,' I thought he was joking. He doesn't look any older than I did... I didn't think he was actually older than me."
Lucian leaned in closer, cupping his ear with a smug grin. Bianca sighed, knowing exactly what he wanted. Her shoulders slumped, but a tiny smile crept onto her face as she shook her head in resignation. With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, "I'm only saying this once because it's your birthday—otherwise, don't even think about it. Happy Birthday... big brother."
Lucian's grin grew wider, and he broke away from the group, throwing his arms into a little celebratory dance, even punching the air in triumph. Bianca looked back at Thalia and Annabeth, her expression tinged with confusion.
Thalia chuckled and explained, "Lucian's a big family guy. He's always wanted a large family. You might not realize it, but you just made him really happy by acknowledging him as your older brother."
"Really? I couldn't tell…" Bianca replied dryly, though she couldn't help but feel a bit warmed by Lucian's obvious joy.
When he returned, the others chimed in, offering their own congratulations and birthday wishes. Even Cerberus, towering above them, gave Lucian a slobbering lick. Laughing, Lucian climbed onto Cerberus' massive back and, glancing around at his friends, said with a mischievous glint, "What're you all standing around for? We've got a war to stop and a world to save!"
They rolled their eyes in unison. Without missing a beat, Lucian used his shadow manipulation powers to lift everyone and gently set them atop Cerberus beside him. Gripping onto the massive creature's fur, Lucian mimicked pulling an imaginary train whistle. "All aboard the Cerberus Express! Next stop—Underworld Grand Tour!"
With a powerful bound, Cerberus charged forward, his thunderous steps echoing through the vast, dimly lit caverns of the Underworld. Lucian pointed out sights along the way, giving an impromptu tour.
They soon stopped in front of a towering, jagged mountain. "And now, my favorite attraction," Lucian announced with a gleeful grin. He gestured at a lone figure, Sisyphus, who was struggling to push a massive boulder up the steep slope. "Just wait… wait for it…"
The man pushed with all his might, nearing the top, only to stumble over a tiny pebble at the last second. The boulder rolled free, crashing back down the mountain as Sisyphus chased after it with frantic arms outstretched.
"Ahahaha! Every time!" Lucian roared with laughter, clutching his stomach. His laughter echoed, filling the cavernous space as the others looked on, slightly disturbed.
Annabeth gave him a sidelong glance. "You know, it's a little… unsettling how much you enjoy that."
Lucian wiped tears from his eyes, sighing contentedly. "What can I say? It cracks me up every time. I could watch this all day."
Percy cleared his throat, glancing at the others. "So… can we maybe, I don't know, keep moving?"
Lucian sighed, disappointed. "I suppose you're right. All right then—let's go! Yip, yip, Cerberus!"
As they made their way past the Fields of Punishment, Asphodel Meadows, and finally the Elysium Fields, the mood began to change. The air grew heavier, and the shadows darker. Suddenly, something broke free from Lucian's shadow—a pair of winged basketball shoes, zooming up before them and darting off toward a vast, foreboding pit in the distance.
"Yo, bro, your shoes are flying away..." Nico pointed out, looking slightly amused.
"Lucian... please tell me that's you controlling them," Thalia said, her voice edged with worry.
Lucian looked down, his mouth pressing into a tight line. He shook his head, his expression grim.
"Oh, Luke… what have you done?" Annabeth whispered, her face clouded with sadness.
Seeing the weight of the moment, Percy's eyes widened as he pieced it together. Clarisse and Grover exchanged alarmed looks, both realizing the implications.
"Those shoes… they were meant for you to wear, Percy," Grover said, turning to Percy with shock.
"Yeah… but as we got in the van, Lucian offered to take them off my hands and put them in his shadow," Percy replied, glancing at Lucian with dawning gratitude.
Clarisse turned to him as well. "You knew exactly what those shoes would do. That's why you took them."
Grover nodded solemnly. "The shoes… they were designed to carry him straight into Tartarus."
"Why would Luke…" Percy started, his eyes wide with realization as he looked to Clarisse, who nodded, her face etched with understanding.
"The prophecy…" they both muttered.
"Luke's the traitor destined to betray me," Percy said, his voice barely above a whisper, running a hand through his hair in disbelief.
"The prophecy? What prophecy?" Annabeth asked, looking between them with narrowed eyes.
"Percy was keeping part of the prophecy to himself," Clarisse revealed. "It mentioned he would be betrayed by someone he considered a friend."
"WHAT?!" Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia exclaimed in unison.
"And you didn't think that was worth sharing?" Annabeth shouted, her eyes blazing.
Percy spun toward them, his own anger flaring. "LIKE YOU GUYS ARE ONE TO TALK! YOU DON'T EVEN LOOK SURPRISED! YOU ALL KNEW, DIDN'T YOU? YOU LOOK SAD, NOT SHOCKED! YOU KNEW LUKE WAS A TRAITOR! THE PIT—THAT'S WHERE OUR GRANDFATHER IS, RIGHT? IF LUKE TRIED TO SEND ME THERE, THAT MEANS HE'S WORKING WITH HIM, AND YOU ALL KNEW! BUT YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO TELL ME!"
Clarisse's eyes widened as the realization struck her. "He's the lightning thief… Luke stole the Master Bolt from Olympus."
Percy's face twisted in anger. "But you knew that, didn't you? All of you?"
Thalia's gaze dropped. "It's… it's not that simple, Percy."
"Not that simple?" Percy's voice shook with fury. "You knew who the real traitor was. Because of that, I had to pay the price. You know my mom is being held prisoner, right? They took her because you didn't turn him in!"
Thalia's voice was thick with emotion as she replied, "They would have killed him, Percy! Do you understand? If we'd told the gods about Luke, my father wouldn't have hesitated. They'd have executed him on the spot. After everything we've been through with Luke… We had no choice."
Annabeth nodded, gripping the fur of Cerberus tightly, her voice breaking slightly. "We're sorry, Percy. We had no idea this would affect you so deeply. But Thalia's right. Luke's… he's like family. We'd do anything to protect him."
Percy bit his lip in frustration, the anger giving way to bitter understanding. His fatal flaw was his loyalty, his willingness to sacrifice for his friends. Deep down, he understood their reasons, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
He sighed heavily, crossing his legs as he sat back down on Cerberus. "Fine. Let's just finish this. We'll drop Bianca and Nico off, rescue my mom, retrieve the bolt from Luke, and I'll be done with this stupid quest."
Lucian, who had been silent until now, scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Uh… about that…"
Percy's eyes snapped open, irritation flaring again. "What else are you hiding, Lucian?"
"We, uh… already have the Master Bolt."
"WHAT?!" they all shouted, whipping around to stare at Lucian in shock.
Percy fixed Lucian with a murderous glare. "Where. Is. It?"
Lucian pointed at the bag slung across Percy's shoulders, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "It's in there… gifted to you by Clarisse's father."
Eyes wide, Percy quickly swung the bag around, unzipping it. A radiant golden glow flooded out, illuminating their faces as they stared, stunned, at the Master Bolt nestled inside.
Percy slowly zipped the bag shut, closed his eyes, and took a deep, steadying breath. "Lucian…"
"Yeah?"
Percy's eyes snapped open, blazing with irritation. "I am *literally* going to kill you."
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3