[Third Person's PoV]
–One month later–
It was August 16, which meant the end of summer camp for the demigods who had mortal families waiting for them.
Percy was inside his cabin, packing all his belongings into a duffle bag. As he neatly folded and placed his clothes inside, he turned to look at Lucian, who was casually lounging on Percy's bed like he owned the place.
With a twitch of his eyebrow, Percy asked, "Just what are you doing, Lucian?"
"Can't you see? I'm closing my eyes for a moment," Lucian replied, wearing a peaceful expression.
"Then go do it on your own bed. Why the hell are you doing it on mine?" Percy snapped, glaring at him. "You know if I did this in your bed, you'd 100% attack me."
"Perhaps," Lucian grinned with a chuckle.
Percy exhaled sharply and zipped up his bag. "Is there, perhaps, something you wanted to tell me?"
"How'd you know?" Lucian asked, cracking open one eye and looking at Percy with amusement.
"You wouldn't be this annoying otherwise," Percy scoffed. "And I doubt you're here just to say farewell."
"I could be," Lucian shrugged.
Percy gave him a flat, skeptical stare.
That only made Lucian laugh. "Alright, alright, you got me. I'm here to warn you."
Percy's brows furrowed in concern. "Warn me? About what, exactly?"
"Percy, you've been stuck on the first stage since June—since you got to camp, really. And now you're about to leave without finishing it. You've been the slowest one so far. You need to pick up your game, man," Lucian said, keeping his tone serious and cryptic.
Percy stiffened, irritation flashing in his eyes. "It's not like it's easy. And Nico and Bianca didn't start much later than I did. They haven't completed theirs either."
"First off, Nico's eight. Of course he's going to take some time, but he's making decent progress. And at the rate Bianca's going, she should be done by next month." Lucian gave him an unimpressed look. "You? I honestly don't know where you're at. You've been pretty quiet about it."
Percy sighed, his shoulders slumping. "It's not like I haven't made progress. I'm like 90% done. I just feel like I'm missing one piece. So I'm not as hopeless as you think."
"For the record, I'm pretty sure I completed mine on the first day," Lucian said smugly. "So yeah, your progress is hella slow."
Percy scoffed. "Lucian, you're not normal to begin with. That comparison is invalid."
Lucian laughed and stood up from the bed. "Fair enough. I am pretty awesome, huh?"
"Annoying is more like it," Percy grumbled, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"Come on, aren't you glad you've got a cousin as cool and handsome as me looking out for your well-being?" Lucian teased. As Percy rolled his eyes, Lucian added more seriously, "Anyway, just wanted to warn you—not to slow down, and to take care of yourself."
Lucian gave Percy a light slap on the back with the back of his hand. "Stay safe, Pers," he said as he headed toward the exit.
Percy shook his head. "You too, Lu. Try not to do anything too psychotic."
Lucian froze at the doorway, raising an eyebrow. "Lu?"
"Yeah? You called me Pers, so I shortened your name too," Percy said. When he noticed Lucian's expression, he tilted his head. "What? Has no one seriously called you that before?"
"No," Lucian said mid-chuckle. "Everyone just decides to call me Lucy for some reason. But I'll take Lu. Beats being called something that girly all the time."
He shook his head and left with a wave.
"Show-off," Percy muttered as Lucian vanished into his shadows.
Once Percy gathered everything he needed, he stepped out of his cabin to find Grover and Clarisse waiting for him, a sight that brought a smile to his face.
. . .
Lucian stood on top of his cabin, watching Percy as he left the camp boundaries and joined his mother, who was waiting for him.
"Lucian…" a voice called awkwardly.
He turned to see Annabeth standing beside him, a bag slung over her shoulder. She looked hesitant.
He raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could speak, tears welled up in her eyes and she suddenly burst out, "I'm going to miss you!"
She dropped her bag and threw herself into his arms.
"Promise me," she said, her voice muffled against his chest. "Promise that you'll visit me every day."
"Why exactly are we leaving Father behind?" Lucerna asked sadly, floating nearby.
Aerarius gently patted her with a breeze. "From what I've learned, the Great Mother wants to accompany Father when he goes to school. But to do that, she needs her own Father to enroll her first. She also sees this as another attempt to reconcile with her father."
However, before Lucerna could respond, she froze in place. She wasn't the only one—they all did. Lucerna, Aerarius, Nebula, Lucian, and Annabeth.
All eyes turned to Nox, who suddenly began sobbing uncontrollably. He hovered in place, head tilted upward, crying quietly at first—until the soft tears turned into full-blown, ugly crying.
They all watched, mouths slightly agape, unsure of what to do.
Annabeth subtly scooted back and motioned for Lucian to step in.
Lucian opened his arms slightly, and Nox immediately darted into them, tiny arms wrapping tightly around Lucian's chest as he continued to cry.
Supporting Nox with one hand beneath him, Lucian gently patted his back. "There, there…" he whispered softly.
When Lucian looked up, he saw the others staring at him, their expressions expectant. He gave a small smile and motioned them over with a nod.
Without hesitation, they flew into Lucian's embrace, snuggling close. He held them all securely, arms beneath for support, looking down with a rare, genuine tenderness. His smile was soft, his gaze filled with warmth as the four curled against him.
Annabeth, teary-eyed, quickly raised her phone, fingers flying across the screen as she snapped countless photos. 'UGH!!! Can he seriously get any hotter!?!'
Biting her lip, she kept snapping pictures. 'Papa Lucian is a whole different breed…'
…
Meanwhile, Percy sat in a car, elbow resting by the window, chin in hand as he stared out in thought.
"Where did you even get this car?" he asked, side-eyeing his mother from the passenger seat.
Sally Jackson grinned at her son. "You wouldn't believe how much you can get for a nice, realistic-looking stone statue."
Percy blinked, then slowly turned his head in disbelief. "No way…"
Sally gave no reply—just turned up the radio, tapping the steering wheel to the beat and humming along, a smug smile on her face.
Percy laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
Not long after, they arrived home. Percy stepped out and glanced up at the familiar building. Just as he turned to grab his bags, Sally was already holding them.
"I could have carried those, you know," Percy said with a sigh.
Sally ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "Don't be silly. Let me take care of it," she said, already heading up the front steps.
As she unlocked the door and pushed it open, she looked back at Percy and smiled. "You must be exhausted after all those adventures. Just relax—you're home now."
Percy's heart softened. The tension in his shoulders faded, replaced by a deep, warm sense of peace.
'That's right… I'm home. Nothing beats coming back after a wild adventure—'
His eyes widened.
The missing piece clicked into place. He felt the final bit of the Adventurer Potion settle in completely—full digestion achieved.
'Of course! That was it! The last piece I was missing… I hadn't come home yet. The most vital part of any adventure… is having a place to return to.'
"Percy? What's wrong?" Sally asked, noticing his stunned expression.
Percy blinked, then smiled brightly. "Nothing… I think it just hit me that I'm finally back. That's all."
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3