[Third Person POV]
Clarisse, Percy, and Tyson all suddenly froze as the shadows beneath their feet began to stretch and writhe, dark tendrils unfurling outward in every direction. The black shapes slithered across the ground, twisting and coiling with purpose as they darted toward the colossal corpse of Charybdis. A booming, desperate shout echoed across the battlefield before anyone could react.
"STOP IT!!"
Lucian's voice tore through the air. From the thick mass of shadows beneath the others, he erupted upward in a blur, his form bursting forth. His eyes were wide, wild with panic as he dove headfirst toward the massive sea monster's body that was already beginning to break apart, its scales and flesh shimmering, disintegrating into streams of golden particles.
"WE NEED TO COLLECT THE SPOILS OF WAR!!" he shouted, his words half-drowned by the hiss of evaporating light.
The three demigods stood there, frozen in disbelief as Lucian dove straight into the cascading dust of the monster's remains. He vanished through the fading golden mist and plunged right into the enormous hole in the frozen ground, the water below exploding upward as he hit it.
"LUCIAN!?" everyone shouted at once — Percy, Clarisse, Tyson, Annabeth, Thalia, and even Scylla, who was carried over by Thalia.
Without hesitation, Percy dove into the bloody, turbulent water. The crimson surface split apart as he swam downward. He caught sight of Lucian drifting lifelessly, his body limp, the faint light from above refracting across his crimson cape as he slowly sank deeper toward the ocean floor.
Percy kicked hard, his muscles burning as he pushed through the frigid depths. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of Lucian's cape, pulling him upward with all his strength. The two shot through the surface like cannonballs — Percy hurling Lucian's body first, sending him flying out of the water where he landed on the frozen ground with a limp thud, sliding a few feet before coming to a stop.
Percy followed moments later, breaking the water's surface with a surge of energy. He landed on the ice in a crouch, his chest heaving.
Lucian was trembling uncontrollably as he withdrew his helm. His expression was twisted in pure devastation — His lips quivered, his hands shook violently, and though the cold bit harshly into his skin, it was clear that wasn't the only reason he was shivering.
"The… the spoils of war…" he whispered hoarsely, his voice breaking. Then, in a small, pitiful squeak, he added, "It's all gone."
The others could only stare at him, stunned by the sight.
"Are… are you actually crying?" Clarisse asked, her brows furrowing as her lips twitched between surprise and discomfort. She didn't know whether to laugh, pity him, or be disturbed by what she was seeing.
"...No," Lucian squeaked again, his voice cracking as he sniffled loudly. He let out a long, shuddering breath that hitched in his throat before it dissolved into quiet sobs. "...Maybe."
Scylla, watching from where Thalia held her, placed a hand dramatically over her heart, her lower lip jutting out in sympathy. "What a sensitive soul…" she murmured. "He seems so in tune with his emotions — a man unafraid to weep for what he's lost. How beautiful…"
Annabeth's jaw tightened. Her eye twitched as she turned toward Scylla with an expression filled with pure disgust — her brows narrowing into a glare of pure contempt.
Without a word, she summoned her daggers into her palms. She activated her alchemical ability, melting the twin blades into molten golden that reshaped itself in her grasp. In seconds, a massive battle axe shimmered to life. She raised it high above her head, eyes blazing with wrath, ready to strike —
— and was promptly tackled by Thalia.
"Annabeth, no!" Thalia shouted as she wrestled her down, dragging her across the ice. Annabeth, still clutching the axe, swung it wildly back and forth in blind fury, each strike narrowly missing.
Percy blinked, watching the chaos with a weary expression before turning back to Lucian.
"Dude… it's not that deep," he said cautiously, giving him a weird look. "It's just spoils of war. There's blood in the water and in the ice — you can extract plenty from that. Plus, I'm pretty sure Clarisse managed to knock out a few of Charybdis' teeth."
Lucian turned his tear-streaked face toward Percy, staring at him with a mixture of heartbreak and disbelief.
"'It's just spoils of war,' you say…" he echoed, his voice trembling. "Like our entire system doesn't depend on it." His voice cracked as his grief began to twist into frustration. "You saw how big that behemoth was, Percy!"
He slammed his fist against the ice. "That was a goldmine of resources! Do you have any idea how many water-breathing potions I could've made with all of that? How precious the blood of a daughter of Poseidon is?! The artifacts, the reagents, the materials — everything I could have crafted, all gone!"
Lucian covered his mouth, trying to stifle another sob. His shoulders shook as he muttered miserably, "Now I'm left with scraps… scraps, when I could've had a full-course meal."
"And not to mention!!" he added suddenly, pointing a trembling finger at Percy. "You need them more than I do! Do I have to remind you what comes next after you're done riding your little pony!?"
Clarisse and Tyson exchanged puzzled looks, clearly lost — but Percy's face fell. His stomach sank as he realized exactly what Lucian was talking about.
"…Oh, right," Percy muttered, squinting with reluctant acceptance, his next potion sequence.
"Umm… excuse me…" Scylla interjected softly, raising a hand to get everyone's attention.
The others — Percy, Tyson, and Clarisse — all turned toward her with confused looks, clearly just realizing her presence for the first time amid all the chaos.
It took them a few seconds to piece it together before Percy's eyes went wide in shock. "Wait—hold on! Are you Scylla!?" he exclaimed, his voice pitching in disbelief.
Scylla tilted her head slightly and nodded once. She ignored Percy's gawking and instead fixed her eyes on Lucian, who was glaring at her like she'd interrupted his funeral. He clearly wasn't in the mood for conversation, given that he was still deep in mourning for his precious "spoils of war."
"It seems," she began calmly, her voice flowing like the sea breeze, "that you find Charybdis' remains to be of great value. So, since you helped me… I'll return the favor by helping you."
Lucian blinked, confused, before narrowing his eyes. "Helping me? How, exactly? Unless you've got a rewind button for dead monsters, I don't see how—"
Scylla raised a finger, silencing him. "Although I can't do much about the blood," she said thoughtfully, "you should still be able to find an entire litter of teeth and scales at the bottom of the sea."
Lucian froze, his expression twisting from skepticism to wide-eyed shock. "Seriously?" he asked, half in disbelief, half in desperate hope.
Scylla nodded, her tone matter-of-fact. "I've been with Charybdis for thousands of years. I've seen her molt countless times. She doesn't just shed her scales — she sheds her teeth as well. I believe it's her way of allowing stronger, clearer ones to grow in. Every time she does, the discarded ones sink to the seafloor. So if you search below, the seabed should be covered in her old scales and fangs."
There was a brief pause. Then—
"Yahoo!!" Lucian whooped, leaping into the air like an excited child on festival. His helmet snapped shut before he lunged forward and scooped Scylla into a full-bodied hug.
"You're a lifesaver, girl!" he cheered, spinning her slightly before squeezing her tighter. "I totally forgive you for throwing up on me if what you said is true!"
"W-Waaah!" Scylla yelped, utterly startled as her entire face exploded into a deep crimson blush. Her arms flailed awkwardly for a second — she hadn't the faintest idea what to do with them. It had been millennia since she'd been embraced by anyone. Millennia since she'd even touched another person in kindness.
Though Lucian's armor was cold to the touch and his body still damp with sea water, there was warmth in his gesture that seeped through the metal. Something genuine.
Slowly, hesitantly, Scylla's trembling hands found their place around him. She closed her eyes, her lips quivering as tears welled at the corners. 'This feels so nice… I don't think… I don't think I've ever hugged or been hugged before.'
When Lucian finally pulled away, he gave her a few pats on the shoulder. He noticed her tears and blinked, caught completely off guard by the sudden emotional shift. Unsure what to do, he awkwardly reached out and patted her head instead, before turning sharply toward Percy.
"Alright," he said briskly, trying to shake off the weird emotional energy. "Percy — fetch."
Percy blinked, deadpan. "Fetch? The hell you mean fetch? You fetch."
"I'm fetching the blood," Lucian shot back with a roll of his eyes. "You fetch the bones and scales, you lazy bum."
"Lazy bum?!" Percy's jaw dropped. "I literally just fought and killed Charybdis! You're welcome, by the way!"
Lucian ignored him, already kneeling down to summon a swirl of shadows around his gauntlets. "Speaking of…" he said with a sly grin, "thank you for the new addition to my shadow army~"
Percy groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You are so irritating," he muttered as he turned and started walking away, trident in hand. He stopped a few feet later, glancing over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "Just so you know, if I wasn't afraid of my mom somehow finding out, I'd have shown you the finger by now."
Lucian tilted his head innocently. "Finger? What finger?"
Percy's patience visibly cracked. "The middle finger," he growled, gritting his teeth.
Lucian looked down at his gloved hands, turning them over as if trying to locate the mystery finger in question. "And which one's that supposed to be?" he asked, feigning confusion with just enough sincerity to make it maddening.
Without another word, Percy raised both hands and flipped him off with both middle fingers.
Snap.
Percy froze as he heard the telltale sound of a camera shutter — only to see a shadowy tendril retracting back into the darkness beside Lucian.
Lucian smirked beneath his helm. "I'm showing your mother."
Percy stared at him blankly for two seconds, his entire posture shifting as the color drained from his face. Then, with a forced, overly polite tone, he said, "I would like to sincerely apologize for my earlier inappropriate behavior and would like to politely request that you delete the incriminating evidence of my person."
Lucian burst out laughing letting out a loud, echoing cackle.
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