𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, luke castellan

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

The sky over Camp Half-Blood appeared serene and azure, just like every other summer morning. The weather seemed oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded the previous day.

The campers carried out their routine tasks: some engaged in combat training, others attended their Mythology classes, children of Hephaestus worked in the forge, and the sleepier campers enjoyed a calm breakfast in the pavilion.

No one saw the small plane approaching the camp.

If it hadn't been for Keira's innate piloting skills and the fact that she had spent more than a third of her short life - being only 15 years old - learning to fly, she might have been the second demigod to meet her end within a matter of hours.

But she could handle this situation. It wasn't the first time she had dealt with a rickety plane. Or was it?

The brakes were clearly malfunctioning, so she had to ensure a gradual landing to avoid a sudden collision. As she neared the ground, she rapidly pressed buttons, but with the confidence of someone who knew what they were doing. She nervously ran her hands through her blonde hair, a habit she had whenever she felt anxious, and glanced briefly at the sky. "Dad, help me."

Her mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, and it would have been very useful to seek her aid instead of her father's if it weren't for the fact that he had been a highly regarded pilot in the United States Army. There was no doubt why Keira loved airplanes, even though at that moment, she wished she weren't in one.

As she approached the ground, Keira focused on making a controlled landing, her heart pounding in her chest. Her piloting skills were being put to the test like never before, and she knew she had to rely on her wits and determination to bring the plane safely down. With an unwavering determination, she made a daring move to navigate the precarious descent.

The plane touched the ground, and Keira let out a sigh of relief. 

She slowly opened the door, with little effort - the safety latch was broken. Carefully stepping out of the plane, she found herself facing at least two dozen curious campers who had seen an unidentified object approaching from the sky. Some of her friends laughed as they saw her descend - they were used to this kind of triumphant entrance.

"Nice smooth landing you've had," said a tall, brown-haired boy with brown eyes.

"As smooth as it can be flying with a single engine and no brakes all the way from Philadelphia," the blonde replied with an ironic smile, fixing her black and golden uniform. She had rushed out of the Institute for the mission she had been assigned and didn't even have time to change.

"You flew from Philly to Long Island with just one engine?" asked a slightly stockier camper, his eager eyes peering through his curly hair.

"Yeah," Keira answered, matter-of-factly. "I was hoping you could fix it up, Nik."

Nik was a son of Hephaestus and the cabin counselor. If anyone could fix it, it was him. Except that at that very moment, the plane - or what was left of it - started catching fire. "Fuck" Keira hissed and hurriedly grabbed the wooden box containing what she had obtained from the mission and handed it to a camper to keep where Chiron had instructed, in the Big House.

"Well, maybe you can't fix it up," she muttered under her breath as she watched the dismantled plane being consumed by ashes. Stealing a means of transportation from the Military School back in California might not have been the best choice if you didn't know how to return it in good condition, but in the urgency of the situation, there wasn't much time to think twice.

Keira wasn't dumb - in fact, due to her genes, she was way craftier than the average - so she totally noticed the looks of admiration that followed whenever she pulled off stunts like this. It's not like she craved approval all the time, but a part of her liked getting some attention. Without even trying, she was the crush of most guys at camp and the role model for the little girls.

"Looks like you guys planted a little pine tree since the last time I was here" she remarked, eyeing the tree at the camp's borders, as she was heading towards the Dining Pavilion to have something for breakfast. Gods, she was starving.

"Yeah, sorta. We'll fill you in later," said Jon, the brown-eyed, dark-haired boy, with a hint of discomfort.

In response to the last comment, Keira thought she saw a tall, blond boy about her age lowering his head with sadness. Since she didn't recognize him, she didn't say anything, assuming he was new to Camp Half-Blood. The thought quickly left her mind as she entered the dining pavilion: she was dying to taste the grapes again.