25 Advance chapters on [email protected]/Saintbarbido.
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(Loth's P.O.V.)
Camp Half-Blood welcomed us back with a party, and not the kind you could sneak away from.
The amphitheater was packed, the bonfire blazing high, campers gathered around, talking, laughing, celebrating. Someone even strung up a crude banner that read: WELCOME BACK, HEROES. A nice touch, even if the paint was dripping.
Percy and Annabeth got most of the attention. Rightfully so. Annabeth led the strategy, Percy held the Trident of Poseidon, and me? I'd spent half the quest lying to gods and pissing off Immortals.
Not to say I did nothing though and if I was the bragging type, I would no doubt be sharing the spotlight. That kind of attention was anathema to me, even if it would have made me popular.
The respect was welcome, though. Campers didn't look at me like a ticking time bomb anymore. No, their glances were different now. Curious. Open. Maybe even inviting.
Except Clarisse, who looked like she wanted to launch me into Long Island Sound.
Chiron raised his goblet. "To our returning heroes!"
The crowd cheered, drinks were raised, and just for a second, things felt... normal.
I was halfway through my meal when Dionysus appeared.
"You, Lucas. I finally found you." he said, plopping down next to me.
I stared. "Me?"
"Congratulations," he drawled, taking a swig out of the wine bottle that never seemed to run out. "You've been promoted."
I blinked. "To what? Olympian Scapegoat?"
Dionysus sighed, like he was already tired of me. "You're the new Camp Coordinator."
I choked. "What?"
"Castellan's gone. Someone needs to take over his duties. And since you're still breathing—" He waved a hand. "—that someone is you."
I stared at him. "Hell no."
"Yes."
"Nope. Get someone else to do it, you lazy drunk."
Dionysus yawned. "Not an insult also, not a request. Chiron agrees. Besides, it'll be fun watching you suffer under the weight of responsibility."
Before I could argue, he vanished.
I slumped against the table. Great. Just great.
Back at the Hermes Cabin, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover ambushed me.
"You're the new Camp Coordinator?!" Percy grinned.
Seems like word of my promotion had travelled fast.
Annabeth crossed her arms. "That was Luke's job."
Grover whistled. "Sounds like a nightmare."
I groaned, rubbing my face and sinking onto my bed. "I hate everything."
Percy clapped my shoulder, still laughing. "Relax. Summer's almost over. Most campers will be leaving soon. You won't be that busy."
I glanced around the cabin. It felt emptier now after a few demigods left with Luke. Besides Luna and I, there were only 9 kids left of the original 34.
That wasn't comforting.
I sighed. This job was going to suck.
The next morning, I called a meeting with all the Heads of the Cabins.
I wasn't in the mood for formalities, so I picked the arena as the location. If I had to deal with all the cabin leaders, I might as well do it somewhere I had an advantage.
By the time I arrived, they were already gathered.
Percy was practicing swinging his sword, Annabeth at his side, watching the others like she was already evaluating battle formations.
Clarisse, head of Ares Cabin, looked bored, shifting her spear between her hands. At my arrival she transitioned to a mix of glowering and seething that made me think she had a bad case of diarrhea.
Malcolm from Athena Cabin nodded in greeting. He and Annabeth were co-leaders. Silena from Aphrodite Cabin sent me a too-sweet smile, and Beckendorf from Hephaestus Cabin gave a lazy wave.
I clapped my hands together. "Alright. I'm Loth, the new Camp Coordinator. You already know that. Let's get the awkward questions out of the way."
A brief silence. Then—
"Did you really wield Zeus' Lightning Bolt?" Malcolm asked.
I smirked. "Sure did. Wasn't easy, could have died but I'm no pussy." (Alright maybe I do brag a little)
A few murmurs. Some disbelief. I didn't blame them. By all accounts I should have died. If not from the bolt then it's very angry owner.
Silena tilted her head. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
I blinked. "What?"
She smiled. "Are you looking for one?"
I sighed. "Moving on."
Beckendorf chuckled. "Come by the forges when you get a chance. Got a few ideas to run by you."
"Noted."
Then, Michael Yew from Apollo Cabin spoke up. "Are you also taking over Luke's role as head trainer?"
Before I could answer, Clarisse cut in.
"He's not," she scoffed. "Luke was a warrior. This guy? He's a magician playing soldier."
Annabeth bristled. "He beat you."
Clarisse scowled. "He cheated."
I rolled my eyes. "Then you do it."
Clarisse hesitated. "What?"
"If you're so confident, take over as Head Trainer," I said with a shrug. "You're the third-best warrior in camp, after all."
Her grip tightened on her spear. "Third?"
I raised a hand and fired off arrows.
The energy bolts stopped an inch before everyone's eyes. Everyone except Percy and Clarisse flinched. The latter even caught her's midair.
I flexed my fingers, using the control strings coming off the tips to pull the arrows back to me, to be reabsorbed. Then I turned back to the group. "Any objections to making the third-best warrior in camp the new trainer?"
Clarisse's eye twitched. "If I'm third, who's first?"
I smirked, pointing at the son of Poseidon who had slashed his arrow apart with a single sword swing. "Percy's obviously second. And number one? Well, you're looking at him baby."
Silence. Then laughter from Percy.
Clarisse grumbled, but didn't argue.
That was as close to a win as I was going to get.
The first few days as Camp Coordinator were… bearable. Not easy. Not fun. But bearable.
I expected it to be a never-ending nightmare of demigod drama, but it turned out that once I got the hang of things, it wasn't that bad. Just time-consuming.
My job was split into three main tasks:
1. Assigning chores to different cabins.
2. Organizing patrols and assigning sentries.
3. Reporting directly to Chiron and Dionysus.
The first task wasn't hard—mostly because Annabeth had already set up a schedule long before I took over. All I had to do was enforce it.
The second was a little trickier. Monsters had been getting bolder lately, creeping closer to camp's borders. I had to make sure there were enough patrols without overworking or endangering anyone.
The last task? Absolutely awful.
I'd rather face down another god than have weekly reports with Dionysus.
"Link," he sighed one morning as I stood in front of the Big House, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence. "Why are you still here?"
I frowned. "...Because this is my job? A job you sandled onto me despite my objections?"
He looked me over, unimpressed. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to be so diligent about it. You're making me look bad."
I wasn't sure if that was a joke or not.
Chiron, who stood beside him, chuckled. "I think what Mr. D means is that you've taken to your duties rather well. We appreciate it."
Dionysus sighed. "Yes, yes. Good job. Now go away."
I left before he could change his mind and give me more work.
The days soon blurred together.
Breakfast. Chores. Training. Patrols.
I walked the borders of camp every day, making sure nothing crept too close.
Sometimes, I did it alone. Other times, I had company.
Percy joined me when he wasn't training or hanging out with Annabeth. Grover tagged along when he wasn't handling satyr business.
Then there was Luna.
She didn't do patrols, but she always found me after.
"You look tired," she said one afternoon, handing me a water bottle.
I took it without complaint. "Thanks."
"You're still training every night, aren't you? My friends tell me everything so no lying."
I smirked. "You sound like my babysitter."
She stopped her usual swaying and narrowed her gaze at me. "I sound like someone who doesn't want my big amazing bro passing out in the middle of camp from overwork."
I didn't argue. Mostly because she wasn't wrong. And the concern was heartwarming.
"Thanks little sis." I told her scruffing her red hair and eliciting giggles from her.
Weeks passed.
Summer break was ending.
More campers left by the day, heading back to their mortal lives. The vast majority would leave on the final day but until then, it was strange how quieter the Camp was getting.
The Hermes Cabin, was even emptier now.
Luke's absence hung over it. I wasn't close to my cabinmates except Luna, but even I could see the shift.
Some campers, mostly the younger ones, still looked up to him. Others, mostly the older ones, looked angry.
Betrayal did that to people.
Annabeth handled it better than I thought she would.
She didn't talk about it, but I could see it in the way she threw herself into training. Into reading. Into anything that kept her mind busy.
I didn't bring it up. I figured she'd talk when she was ready. Or when it was decided that someone had to go after him due to the threat he still posed.
All in all, my responsibilities weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. And with the departure of campers, I had more time to train.
Mist Manipulation. Refining my Anodite magic control.
I was making progress. Not enough. Never enough.
But I was getting better.
And that was enough for now.
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Three weeks. That's how long it had been since I was shoved into my new role as Camp Coordinator. The best part of my days was still when I got to train alone.
Well, mostly alone. Magic study with Luna was something I never missed.
I made my way up the hill toward Thalia's tree, the wind rustling through the grass as I approached my usual training spot. I could already sense Luna's aura—her energy was always… different.
Sometimes fleeting and ethereal, other times light and fluid. Like the ripples on a still pond.
As I reached the top, she was already there, sitting cross-legged in the grass, staring at the sky with that far-off dreamy expression of hers.
"You're late," she said without looking at me.
I grinned. "I don't remember agreeing on a specific time."
She blinked at me, her silvery-blue eyes thoughtful. "Hmm. Maybe that's true. But you're late anyway."
I didn't question the logic. It was Luna logic. Instead, I plopped down beside her, stretching my legs out.
"So," she said, tilting her head. "Are we celebrating?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Celebrating what?"
She turned fully toward me, smiling softly. "You did it, didn't you? Your magic control is back."
I blinked, then let out a short laugh. "Yeah. I guess I did." After weeks of meditation and tireless magic control exercises, my control was not only back to the previous level before the hellhound curse, it had gone past it.
She clapped her hands together, genuinely excited. "I knew you would. You work hard."
It was such a simple statement, but something about the way she said it made my chest warm.
"Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "But I still have a long way to go."
She hummed. "That's true. But progress is still progress."
I smiled at that. "Well, if we're celebrating, I should show you something cool."
Her eyes lit up. "Ooh. A magic trick?"
I stood up and brushed the dirt off my jeans. "Something like that."
I walked over to a nearby rock, placing my hand on its rough surface.
Luna watched me closely, her expression curious.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
I didn't answer. Instead, I focused.
Magic control had always been about precision—directing energy in the exact way I wanted. But Mist Manipulation? That was about perception.
It was about making people believe.
I let my awareness flow, tapping into the Mist's presence. It was always there, lurking beneath reality, waiting to be shaped.
Slowly, the rock changed.
Its dark brown surface lightened into a warm golden crust. The rough edges softened, turning rounder, smoother. A rich blueberry scent filled the air.
I stepped back, satisfied.
Luna's eyes widened. "Oh! That's a blueberry pie!"
I crossed my arms. "Is it?"
She bounced to her feet, clapping her hands together. "It looks like one! And it smells like one! Can I eat it?"
I smirked. "Try it."
She reached out, carefully poking the surface. Her finger stopped at the solid rock beneath the illusion.
Her mouth fell open. "You tricked me."
I chuckled. "That's Mist Manipulation for you."
Luna was still staring at the rock, fascinated.
"This is different from how you used the Mist before, isn't it?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Before, I could only alter perception—change how things looked, sounded, smelled. Basic illusion stuff. But after my stunt in the Underworld, something… shifted."
She tilted her head. "Shifted how?"
I crouched down, motioning for her to close her eyes.
"Okay," I said. "Don't focus on what your eyes saw. Just feel the rock."
She furrowed her brows but obeyed, closing her eyes.
I waited a second, then asked, "What does it feel like?"
She hummed. "Rough. Heavy. Definitely a rock."
I grinned. "Now… what about now?"
I pushed deeper into the Mist's influence—not just altering how Luna perceived the rock, but how her very spirit recognized it.
Her brows knitted together.
"It's…" She hesitated, frowning. "It's not a rock anymore."
I smirked. "What is it?"
Her eyes remained closed. "A blueberry pie."
The second the words left her mouth, her eyes snapped open in shock.
She looked down.
The rock was still there.
Her head whipped to me. "But I— But it—"
I chuckled, holding up the Mist manipulation booklet. "That's the next stage of Mist Manipulation. The Intermediate Level. It's not just tricking the senses anymore. It's tricking the spirit."
Luna gasped like I'd just told her the greatest secret in the world.
"Loth," she whispered staring at the booklet, eyes twinkling like literal stars. "That's amazing. Even the spirits were fooled!"
I sighed, sitting back down. "Yeah. But it's got limits. I can trick either the senses or the spirit, but not both at the same time."
She nodded, still bouncing slightly from excitement. "But that's still incredible! No one at camp can do that!"
"I could teach you." I offered.
"Really?!" Luna gasped and grabbing my hands."I would love to!"
I exhaled. "Yeah… but it still doesn't explain what happened in the Underworld."
Luna blinked, hands falling to her sides. "What do you mean?"
I leaned back on my hands, staring up at the sky.
"In the Underworld, I changed my aura so much that reality accepted it. I wasn't just tricking people. I was tricking existence."
Luna tilted her head. "That's… scary."
I huffed a laugh. "Tell me about it."
My fingers twitched. Sometimes, when I focused, I could still feel it—the remnants of the Master Bolt's power thrumming in my veins.
Had the Mist done more to me than just alter my aura?
Luna suddenly perked up. "Wait. You said we're celebrating, right?"
I blinked at the shift in topic. "Uh. Yeah?"
She grinned. "Then I get a present!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You want a gift?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Obviously. I helped you recover your magic control. It's only fair."
I snorted. "Fine, I never got to say thanks for the bracelet anyway. I don't have a gift planned, but I have something even better."
With my increased control, I could create a stable portal from my spiritual world to the outside. She beamed as I summoned Blitz from within my spirit.
The massive pink wolf emerged beside me, its golden eyes gleaming as it shook out its fur.
Luna's jaw dropped.
"Loth," she breathed, looking between me and Blitz. "You got me a puppy?"
Blitz huffed.
"Puppy?" I choked, turning to Blitz, only to find him the size of a Chihuahua where once my magnificent familiar stood.
While I lamented, Luna squealed, immediately dropping to her knees and hugging Blitz around the neck.
Blitz stiffened at first, but then let out a huff, tail twitching slightly.
"I love him," Luna announced, burying her face in his fur.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Luna, Blitz is not a—"
"Shhh." She held up a hand, still hugging Blitz. "Let me have this."
I sighed, watching as Blitz slowly relaxed under Luna's gentle touch, tail wagging excitedly.
Maybe this wasn't a terrible idea. I leaned back, watching the two of them.
For now, everything felt… peaceful.
And a part of me wished it would stay this way forever.