𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

Luke turned out to be a dinosaur fanatic.

As they neared the vicinity of Chicago, his eyes sparkled with excitement, a rare enthusiasm breaking through his typically stoic demeanor. Memories of a happier time flooded his mind, recalling a joyful moment from his childhood: a visit to the Field Museum of Natural History with his mother, back when their bond was strong and her mind was still her own.

Luke brought up a memory from their previous quest in December, reminding Keira of how she had coerced him—though she insisted it was entirely his choice—to ride a roller coaster in Santa Monica. With a grin, he suggested that it was payback time and that she owed him a favor. Therefore, he proposed a detour to the museum, reasoning that since this wasn't a quest with rigid schedules or looming deadlines, they had the freedom to explore.

Despite her eagerness to find Nik quickly, Keira agreed to the detour for two fundamental reasons: firstly, as a daughter of Athena, she had a fondness for museums; and secondly, she anticipated that Luke's reaction to seeing the dinosaur exhibits could be so pathetic that it would give her ample material to tease him about later on.

As indicated before they embarked on their journey, on the outskirts of Chicago, Luke had resorted to robbing an ATM to obtain some cash. Secretly, he hoped that his mechanical skills in manipulating the machine had impressed Keira, perhaps even serving as the turn-on she was anticipating.

While still slightly annoyed by the teasing and rejection from the previous night, Luke begrudgingly accepted that it was par for the course with Keira. Whenever she was involved, straightforwardness was a rare commodity, and things tended to lean more towards torture than ease. Yet, he couldn't deny that this particular brand of torment was preferable to many others he had endured with her.

The museum was enormous, and they spent several hours there exploring the exhibits. Luke was enthralled by every dinosaur skeleton, his mouth hanging open in awe as he occasionally shared dinosaur facts with Keira, who rolled her eyes each time he spoke. It marked perhaps the first time he knew more than her about a topic.

"Which one do you like better? The stegosaurus footprint or the one with the ankylosaurus?" Luke asked, gesturing towards two keychains shaped like dinosaur footprints displayed in the museum gift shop.

The signs above the keychains clarified the name of each dino species, but Luke's dyslexia meant there was no way he had read them. Still, the son of Hermes seemed to know exactly what the footprints of each dinosaur species looked like.

If Keira had been capable of feeling tenderness for anything, perhaps it would have been the moment. Since she wasn't, it just seemed creepy and funny to her at the same time.

To the girl, the two footprints looked quite similar, but she decided not to say so out loud. From what had transpired throughout the day, she knew that such a remark would lead to hours of Luke ranting about the differences in dinosaur foot anatomy.

She chuckled. "Kiddo, you live in Cabin Eleven. You don't have keys, so why would you need a keychain?"

Luke shot her a disdainful look, his annoyance evident as he begrudgingly admitted her logic. He turned away from the keychains before he could succumb to the temptation and waste money on something unnecessary. Keira sauntered up behind him, a smirk on her face as she savored her lemon ice cream from a plastic cup adorned with the words "DINO LOVE" and a heart-shaped enclosure featuring a dinosaur head.

They hadn't even reached the fourth aisle of souvenirs when Luke halted abruptly, his attention caught by yet another item. Keira, rolling her eyes at his perpetual distractions, silently questioned how many rounds they'd need to make through the store before he exhausted his desire to spend— or more accurately, splurge with his ill-gotten gains.