𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐱

Keira was certain that it hadn't rained like this in Utah for years.

The raindrops, thick and heavy, fell onto her face, and her blonde hair was completely soaked, dripping with water. Her clothes were drenched, and her eyelashes collected thick droplets, yet the only thing seemingly unaffected by the rain was her cigarette. As always, it displayed a mix of dancing colors resembling a rainbow, looking picturesque despite the darkness of the night in Zion National Park.

Keira found the rain relaxing. Being out at night, completely soaked, gave her the sensation that she had nothing left to lose. That she was entirely surrendered and there was nothing to worry about, that fate had already been decided.

Keira knew it was a lie.

Nik was lost. The defenses of Camp Half-Blood weakened. Luke, Jon, and she had been attacked by one of Hades' greatest disciples in monster form, and every second they remained exposed, their security was compromised.

But being there, in the rain, smoking and staring at the horizon, made her believe that nothing was as important, and her problems were temporary. That's why Keira sought the sensation of the autumn rain. It refreshed her, soaked her, and made her uncomfortable to the point that she could think more clearly.

She mentally reviewed the conversation with Alecto, trying to recall the things the monster had said. First, it mentioned that they had angered the divine. By the divine, she assumed the gods, and by the gods, Hades. Why would Hades be angry with them?

Keira couldn't help but think that the answer had something to do with Luke. Hades had pursued Thalia, his close friend, for being Zeus's daughter. It didn't make much sense for Hades to still be angry with Luke after Thalia's death, but perhaps that was the issue. Maybe the problem was that Thalia wasn't precisely dead. She had instead remained in an intermediate state—becoming a pine tree. Probably, Hades would have preferred one of the Furies to kill Thalia to be more certain of her fate.

The second point to analyze was the fact that Alecto had mentioned they wanted to take what Hades was seeking. What was Hades searching for? If the answer was what they were seeking, then it was simple: Nik and the Knee.

The Knee could be useful for breaking down the camp's defenses, whatever Hades wanted made sense. However, the quest's uncertainty lay with Nik. Once again, Keira frowned at the thought. She couldn't stop thinking about why Hades would want something with Nik. What could Nik offer that was important to the Lord of the Underworld? She felt there was something obvious about her friend, something she clearly should have seen or realized that could make the Lord of the Dead search for him.

Keira couldn't help but recall the words of the manticore in Redwood. If Hades had sent the wolf monster to Camp Half-Blood to kidnap Nik, why was he still searching for him? By now, Hades should have had Nik under his grasp if that were the case—unless the wolf monster didn't work for Hades, Keira thought in that moment.

Remembering Manty's words, it never explicitly claimed that the wolf worked for Hades; they had assumed it based on later statements. What if the monster was actually trying to protect Nik from Hades? What if it had captured him to save him? That made much more sense and aligned with the fact that Alecto was still searching for Nik. Keira smirked under the rain, lighting another cigarette, holding onto a glimmer of hope.

The third piece in the conversation with herself was Luke. Why would Hades want to capture him unharmed? What was the point of capturing Luke—aside from being Thalia's friend—and keeping him as a prisoner? It didn't make sense. Perhaps Hades wanted to ensure Thalia had died, and maybe he intended to do something with the pine tree. That would be a good reason for wanting to weaken the camp's defenses: to seal Thalia's fate.