𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

Keira sat at the Athena table, pretending to have dinner.

Her mind was consumed by the envelope she had received just two hours ago. Despite the short time that had passed, her thoughts raced with possibilities.

The note was unsigned, but it was unmistakably from Ligia, her main informant. Found on the beach, it was clear that the siren had left it there for someone to find and deliver to the daughter of Athena.

From what Keira could decipher from the small print in the body of the article, it was a report on Beryl Grace, Jason's mother. It discussed how her son had been kidnapped by a strange cult several years ago, and how many people, including her own daughter, unjustly blamed her for his disappearance. The article detailed the family's life in Los Angeles before the incident, even mentioning the address where they had resided at the time—now, only Beryl lived there.

Keira honestly cared little about Jason Grace's whereabouts or whether he was alive or not, but knowing that Nik was after him was reason enough to launch her own search as well. After all, if Ligia had sent her that envelope, it was very likely that the same information had fallen into Nik's hands, and therefore, the son of Hephaestus would also embark on the search for Thalia's brother with the intention of eliminating him.

Keira knew it was a unique opportunity to avenge Jon's death, but the thought of leaving camp to go after Nik caused her some concern. Perhaps it was a selfish feeling that shouldn't matter as much as the idea of avenging her best friend, but she couldn't deny the unease she felt about departing in the middle of summer. Luke's influence in the camp had grown so much lately that Keira had the unsettling feeling that if she left for a few days, when she returned, he would surely be even more powerful than he already was.

And Keira couldn't bear to lose that influence to him.

While the rest of her siblings discussed their next strategy for Capture the Flag on Friday, the counselor of Cabin Six directed her gaze toward the Hermes table. Her eyes fell on Luke, and as he stretched to grab the salt, his shirt shifted slightly to the side at the collarbone, revealing a dark mark on his skin that would normally be covered.

A hickey.

Keira smirked upon noticing the mark. It had been a few days since that kiss after the fireworks, and she was certain that Luke had intensified his efforts to push her out of his mind by getting involved sexually with every girl who crossed his path.

An idea crossed her mind. It was madness, and she would probably regret and hate herself for proposing it at some point, but at the moment, it seemed like the only viable alternative. After all, it was the only way to continue with all her plans simultaneously without them interfering with each other.

When she rose from the table to make her offering to Athena before dinner, she didn't request her usual blessings. She didn't pray for wisdom to win the next Capture the Flag game, or strength to endure the summer without Jon, or any clue about Nik's whereabouts.

Instead, she simply sought forgiveness for what she was about to do.

＊＊＊

Luke found himself in the sword fighting arena past midnight. It was late, he knew, but ever since he became a counselor, his days were so busy that he found little time for solitude. Over time, he had developed the habit of practicing his techniques against the dummies in the arena during the solitary night hours.

As he struck the dummy repeatedly with his sword, he unleashed all the pent-up fury that he couldn't express otherwise. All the anxiety stemming from his inability to manage his emotions and thoughts properly flowed through his calculated and precise sword movements.