Lucas stayed up all night writing his plans in his journal, so when he emerged in the morning, the sun was blinding, causing him to stagger and raise a hand to cover his eyes. It seemed the tiredness wasn't only showing in his mind, for when he approached the campfire set up for breakfast, Luke immediately knew something was wrong.
"Lucas, you look awful, you okay?"
Biting back a yawn, Lucas waved his hand in nonchalance, looking forward to a meal, hoping it would help keep him awake. But with Luke's comment. The others picked up on Lucas' tiredness.
They found this strange, for even if Lucas had trouble sleeping, they knew he could simply use a sleeping spell to help fall asleep, so the reason for his lack of sleep must be something else.
It was Annabeth who started questioning. "Lucas, what's wrong? You know we're here to help with anything."
Lucas felt warmed by their worry and slightly amused at how the routine had changed, for it was usually he who worried about them. He waved them off, explaining that he had just stayed up all night planning for his latest journey.
The thought of an adventure caused the others to ignore the breakfast preparations, gathering around Lucas and asking questions. After some back and forth, they finally managed to get Lucas to open up about the journey, handing the book to Annabeth.
They read through his list, looking over his notes and plan. Seeing how Lucas stayed up all night to plan this out, it must be important for him, and so after a quiet conversation between them, they didn't hand Lucas his journal back. Instead, they proposed an idea.
"You want to help?" Lucas asked, seeing them nod as one. After voicing their case, he reluctantly accepted, but there was a pressing concern: going on this adventure, leaving the city, meant Thalia would be in constant danger, especially from Olympus.
It was Elizabeth who figured out a potential solution to the problem.
"We can ask Lady Hecate to help shield her." Seeing them turn to her for an explanation, she continued. "As the Titan of the Mist, she can shield Thalia from the sight of the gods. But it's best to ask her for a more detailed explanation to see if it could truly work."
Thalia, hearing that there was a potential avenue for her to go on an adventure without worry, quickly started bugging Lucas to contact his mother immediately. It wasn't long before he received an answer. She could, in fact, shield her for a time, and as long as she didn't contact any medium related to Olympus, whether it be a person or place, the gods wouldn't see through the magic. Although she had warned that it would be temporary and there would be a deadline, if she remained outside the camp when this deadline was reached, she would likely resurface on the Olympians' radar.
Still, this warning did little to stifle Thalia's excitement, so they immediately started splitting the tasks between them.
Annabeth voiced her opinion first. "I can handle Argus. During my time at Camp, I have helped him with a few things and befriended him. I could ask for a few tears, no trouble at all. And since I don't need to enter the cabins to look for Selena, the chances of being found out are lowered. I just need Ariadne's string to navigate the Labyrinth and hope I can find Argus when he is alone."
Lucas pulled from his coat a small wooden spool wrapped in thread that shimmered faintly under the rising light. She took it carefully, looking over it before putting it away in her pockets.
Elizabeth stepped forward next. "I'll go get Charybdis fang."
That caused Lucas to immediately frown in worry, but she waved him off. Explaining before he could voice his concerns.
"Yes, it is probably the most difficult and dangerous, but no one here is suited to get the fang with danger. In that case, why don't you let me go? As a monster, I am safest from any rogue monsters. I have already experienced entering the Sea of Monsters, so long as I take a boat like our old boat, I can safely enter. As for getting the fang, well, I didn't just relax all the time in the Spa while you trained with Circe, I did make a few friends. I can call some favors, and together we should be able to get the fang you need."
Thalia moved next, her boots scuffing lightly against the stone as she stood. "We're taking the Echo-Drakon."
"We?" Luke asked, wondering why he was being roped into joining without any consideration.
"Yes, we."
Luke didn't argue with Thalia; in fact, he wouldn't hesitate to follow along. He just wanted to complain.
Lucas gave a slow nod. "Then go. The drakon lairs in the northern highlands of Pindus. Ancient Mycenaean ruins, if the myths are right."
And him?
He would take the longest path.
To the Underworld. To find Persephone. To barter with the dead.