20+ Advance chapters on [email protected]/Saintbarbido.
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(Loth's P.O.V.)
The last night of Summer Camp felt different.
Maybe it was the way the bonfire crackled, burning brighter than usual, or the way laughter and music carried through the air, tinged with something almost… melancholic.
Tomorrow morning, most of the campers would leave for home.
For the first time since arriving at Camp Half-Blood, I wasn't worried about fitting in or surviving my next fight to the death. Instead, I was watching my friends, knowing that after tonight, they'd be gone.
And I wasn't leaving with them.
I sat on the grass near the fire, my legs stretched out, arms behind my head.
Percy and Annabeth sat nearby, bickering over whether Athena or Poseidon had contributed more to Western civilization. Grover chewed on an aluminum can, occasionally throwing in his thoughts between bites.
Luna sat beside me, barefoot, idly tracing patterns into the dirt with a stick. She wasn't really paying attention to the conversation—her eyes were trained on the sky, as if watching something the rest of us couldn't see.
"You're really staying?" Percy asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on this place."
Annabeth snorted. "That's Chiron's job."
I shrugged. "Alright, fine. Someone's gotta keep Luna company." Apparently she had no home to go to. One more thing we had in common.
Luna didn't react immediately, but after a moment, she gave me a small smile. "That's sweet, Loth."
Grover perked up. "Oh! That means I can finally drag you along on my search for Pan's shrines!"
I groaned. "I just got back from a life-threatening quest."
"Loth, that was 2 months ago." Annabeth pointed out.
"Well it still feels like yesterday."
"Think of it as another adventure!" Luna pitched in, her voice light and teasing.
I sighed, but there was a smile tugging at my lips. "I'll think about it."
Later That Night, I sat alone near the shoreline, staring out at the lake, my thoughts heavy.
Most of the campers had either gone to bed or were off saying their final goodbyes.
The past couple months had been peaceful. I didn't have a looming disaster to deal with. No gods trying to kill me, no quests, no deadly monsters.
So why did I feel so… uneasy?
"You're thinking too much again, big bro." Luna said, plopping down beside me.
I turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
She tapped her temple. "The night spirits say your brain is practically buzzing."
I huffed a quiet laugh. "Guess I'm still getting used to the calm."
Luna tilted her head, watching me with that eerily perceptive look she always had. "You could leave too, you know. Go home. See what's left of your old life."
I exhaled, shaking my head. "There's nothing for me out there."
She was silent for a moment, then leaned against my shoulder. "Then I'm glad you're staying big bro."
I didn't respond, but I didn't need to.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
But for tonight?
I let myself enjoy the moment.
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It started like most of my dreams did—with me falling.
Except this time, I didn't wake up before I hit the ground.
I landed on a vast, empty crossroads, the kind you'd find in the middle of nowhere, where the air was too still and the shadows stretched too far.
Three paths stretched in different directions, each vanishing into mist-shrouded darkness. The sky above was a swirling, starless void.
And standing before me, her three forms overlapping like flickering candlelight, was Hecate.
Except… she wasn't smiling this time.
Gone was the amused, cryptic demeanor I had come to expect. Instead, her gaze was sharp, cold, and exhausted.
"You've been busy," she said, her voice carrying an edge I wasn't used to.
I crossed my arms. "So have you. Haven't heard from you in a while, Mom. Almost thought you forgot about me."
Her jaw tightened. "Not by choice."
I frowned, watching the way her form flickered. She looked… weaker.
Then it hit me.
"…It was Nyx, wasn't it?"
The moment I said her name, the air shifted. The crossroads darkened, and Hecate's eyes flashed dangerously.
"That primordia b- ahem, threw me into the Chaos Storm," Hecate spat. "Ripped me apart at the seams and let me reform in the void."
I stiffened. No wonder she was gone for so long. The fact she caught herself before insulting Nyx despite her fury, told me how terrifying the Primordial was.
Hecate took a step forward, her three forms momentarily solidifying into one as she leveled me with a look. "Tell me, my son… what exactly is your relationship with that goddess?"
I blinked. "There is no relationship. She invited me for tea."
Hecate scoffed. "Do you have any idea how dangerous Nyx is? She isn't some minor deity you can ignore. She is older than the Titans, older than Olympus itself. And she has taken… an interest in you."
I held my ground. "I didn't ask for her attention."
"That doesn't matter." Hecate replied cuttingly. "What matters is that you don't encourage it."
I stared at her in disbelief. "You're really this mad at me over something I can't control?"
Hecate narrowed her eyes. "I'm warning you Lothal."
Something about the way she said it made my skin crawl.
But then I noticed it—the way she was standing, the way her fingers twitched like she was restraining herself.
"…You're scared of her," I realized.
Hecate's expression didn't change, but her silence spoke volumes.
I took a breath, stilling my rising annoyance. "Are you alright?"
Her eyes glinted with something sour before she scoffed. "Concerned for me, are you? That's rich."
I frowned. "I'm serious. You're not acting like yourself."
Trust issues aside, our relationship was always cordial. This version of Hecate was new territory.
She exhaled heavily, her gaze softening—just a fraction.
"If I am… diminished," she admitted, "it is because I wasted my power trying to protect you."
I froze. "From what?"
Hecate didn't answer. Instead, she lifted her chin. "Tell me, Loth… do you think I'm a kind mother?"
I stiffened at the change in her tone. "I don't know. Are you?"
Her lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "No. I'm not. I am a goddess. I do not have the luxury of kindness."
Her gaze darkened. "And yet, I have shielded you. I have protected Luna. I have kept the consequences of your reckless choices from devouring you."
I clenched my fists. "What are you saying?"
Hecate tilted her head. "I'm saying, my dear son, that if you defy me again…"
The air turned frigid. The three paths behind her warped, their edges curling like burnt paper.
"…I will no longer protect her."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Hecate's smile was slow and cruel. "Luna, that little mortal girl you've grown so attached to? Your little sister? You seem to think she is just another demigod. She isn't."
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
"She is not my daughter by blood," Hecate continued, voice like silk. "She was claimed because of her magic—just as you were. But unlike you, she is not safe here."
I held up my hands, mind wrestling with the heavy revelations. "Hold up, I don't understand. Luna's not a Demi-god?"
Hecate sighed dramatically. "Poor boy. You've been so focused on the gods, you haven't even realized that there are others who walk in secret."
She leaned down, whispering the next words like they were a curse.
"Luna is a Witch."
The ground lurched beneath me. There were Witches in the Riordanverse?
"She belongs to a world far older than Olympus, one that hides in the shadows," Hecate said, watching my reaction. "Assuming she had enemies outside the camp, if I were to disown her—if I were to withdraw my protection—what do you think would happen?"
I swallowed, my pulse hammering.
"She'd be hunted," I whispered.
Hecate's smile widened. "Exactly."
I felt my fingers tremble. "You wouldn't."
Her eyes glowed faintly. "Wouldn't I?"
I wanted to yell at her, to demand answers, to beat her up—but I knew better.
I had no power here. And if what she told me was true, then Luna would suffer.
Hecate tilted her head. "You will not defy me again, Loth. I will not lose another son to foolish ambitions."
Another?
Her three forms rippled. "You will be on your best behavior, my child. For Luna's sake."
Then, just before the dream faded, she spoke one last time. " And because Mother knows best."
I woke up gasping.
My body was drenched in sweat, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs like it was trying to escape. My hands clenched the sheets so tightly that my nails had torn through the fabric.
For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling of my bunk in the Hermes Cabin, the last words of my dream still ringing in my ears.
"Because Mother knows best."
I bolted upright.
Luna. Her bed was empty. Through the windows, I could tell the sun had been up for hours. I must have slept in.
I shoved off the covers and practically sprinted out of the cabin, ignoring the grumbles of the remaining Hermes campers who were still asleep.
My feet hit the dirt path as I ran towards Thalia's tree, where Luna and I usually met in the mornings.
But when I got there, the spot was empty.
I frowned, scanning the area with Aura Sight. Luna's presence was faint—like she had been here recently but was already far away.
A cold pit settled in my stomach.
Something was wrong.
I turned and rushed toward the Big House.
The entire camp was buzzing with activity as campers gathered their things, preparing to leave now that summer break was officially over. Satyrs were guiding young demigods to waiting vans, pegasi were flying over the camp, and Chiron was overseeing everything from the porch.
I spotted Annabeth near the Athena Cabin, talking to some of her siblings.
"Annabeth!" I called, running up to her.
She turned, surprised at my urgency. "Loth? What's wrong?"
"Where's Luna?"
Annabeth blinked. "Luna? She left this morning with the other campers."
I froze. "She what?"