[Third Person POV]
Lucian, Annabeth, and Thalia drifted silently beneath the waves, moving like shadows through the deep. The water pressed heavily around them, but Lucian's enchanted armor repelled most of the pressure and allowed him to swim with ease. Thalia and Annabeth, on the other hand, held their breaths with practiced discipline, their lungs burning faintly but their movements sharp and steady. They clung tightly to Aerarius, who had shifted into the form of a sleek bronze motor, humming softly as it propelled them through the water with quiet but remarkable speed. Tiny trails of bubbles streamed past them, dissolving into the currents behind.
The shadow of the ship loomed overhead, as they drew closer, its sheer size became daunting, the hull stretching upward like the wall of some colossal fortress. What first caught their eyes, however, was the bow.
Attached to the very front of the ship was a masthead unlike any they had ever seen. Towering three stories tall, it depicted the figure of a young woman carved with uncanny detail, her white Greek chiton flowing as though caught in an invisible breeze. Her chains were etched into the wood with terrifying realism, binding her hands and ankles to the vessel's prow. Her long black hair streamed backward, as though forever caught in a storm, and though her beauty was undeniable, her face was twisted in eternal terror.
Thalia narrowed her eyes at the sight. "That," she muttered with a mixture of awe and distaste, "is just lovely to look at. Nothing like a giant terrified lady chained to a boat to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside."
Annabeth's expression hardened, her mind already swimming with the tale of Princess Andromeda. "Let's keep moving. There has to be a ladder or some kind of service entry near the hull. We'll circle around."
They drifted quietly along the side until, just as Annabeth predicted, a narrow iron ladder came into view, bolted into the side of the ship and trailing up toward a smaller maintenance deck.
Without hesitation, Thalia and Annabeth each grabbed one of Lucian's arms and hurled him upward with surprising force. He broke through the surface with a splash, water dripping from his armor as he latched onto a middle rung of the ladder. His grip tightened and began to climb.
Below, Aerarius shimmered once more, collapsing into a gleaming owl-shaped pendant that nestled back against Annabeth's chest. She quickly adjusted it against her collar before she and Thalia launched themselves from the water, gripping the rungs and following Lucian upward with practiced ease. Droplets cascaded down their faces and hair, sliding over their already soaked clothing.
The ladder ended at a secondary deck, stacked with bright yellow lifeboats secured neatly in rows. The air smelled of salt and rust, the faint groan of the ship's metal echoing around them. Lucian pulled himself onto the deck first, water dripping from his armor in heavy streams. When he turned, however, his gaze instinctively caught on Thalia.
Her clothes, plastered tightly to her skin from their swim, outlined her figure far more than either girl would have liked. For a brief second, his stare lingered a little too long.
Annabeth and Thalia both noticed. Annabeth's face twitched in irritation, her brows furrowing dangerously, while Thalia smirked in mild amusement.
"Lucian…" Annabeth began, her voice dripping with accusation, "don't tell me the reason you insisted we swim all the way here wasn't because you wanted to feel like a real adventure, but because you wanted to see Thalia in wet clothes."
Lucian blinked once, then looked away as though entirely unbothered. "…Alright. I won't tell you."
Annabeth's jaw nearly dropped. She slapped her palm against her forehead, groaning in disbelief. She wasn't just irritated at the shamelessness of his answer—what stung more was that he hadn't spared her even half the attention he'd given Thalia.
"And what about me?" Annabeth shot back indignantly, waving down at her own drenched outfit. "My clothes are wet as well."
Lucian didn't even hesitate. "Grow up some more."
Annabeth's hands clenched into fists, her temper spiking. "What is wrong with you lately? You've been deliberately getting on my nerves. Admit it—you're doing this on purpose!"
Thalia, instead of joining in, simply grabbed the hem of her shirt and wrung out a stream of water onto the deck, the corners of her lips twitching upward. She cast Annabeth a teasing look and shrugged. "Come on, we can't fault him if he likes what he sees."
Annabeth groaned loudly, dragging her hands down her face. "Unbelievable. First Lucian, now you? His shamefulness is starting to rub off on you too."
Thalia scoffed, rolling her eyes with a sly grin. "Oh, please. If anyone's been influenced the most by Lucian, it's you. And besides…" she lifted her chin a little, "it's nice to feel desired every once in a while."
Annabeth gave her a flat look, unamused. "Half the boys at Camp already desire you. The only reason they don't act on it is because they're terrified of Lucian and because of who your father is. You're basically the definition of an unattainable flower."
Rather than being offended, Thalia puffed out her chest proudly, flashing a triumphant smile as though Annabeth had just paid her the highest possible compliment.
Lucian sighed heavily, shaking the water from his armor. "Can we please get a move on?"
"Sure, sure," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes as she waved both hands. A soft silver glow surrounded them, her voice slipping into a quick Latin incantation. In an instant, their damp clothes hissed faintly with steam before drying completely, their hair returning to its normal volume.
Lucian strode toward the looming double doors at the end of the deck. He gave the handles a firm tug—only to find them locked tight. Clicking his tongue, he raised one gauntleted hand. A crimson wisp of energy slid off his palm like liquid smoke, snaking its way toward the keyhole. A satisfying click echoed in the silence, and with a gentle push, the doors creaked open.
Inside, the corridors stretched narrow and dimly lit, the ship's metallic groans echoing like whispers through the walls.
"So," Thalia asked casually as she brushed a strands of hair behind her ear, "how should we play this? Sneak around, keep it subtle… or just storm straight in, knock down anyone in the way, and march up to Luke?"
Lucian shook his head, his tone measured. "Unfortunately, we can't do anything too loud. From what I've sensed, there are regular civilians onboard. Innocents. If we go in swinging, they'll become collateral."
Thalia frowned. "Ugh. Figures."
Annabeth, however, pressed a thoughtful finger to her chin. "That was done intentionally," she mused aloud, eyes narrowing. "Surrounding himself with non-combatants… it limits what we're capable of. Clever. It's a strategy that effectively handicaps us."
Thalia gawked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Are you seriously complimenting that kind of cowardice?"
Annabeth only shrugged. "I'm just stating facts. In warfare, there's no such thing as cowardice—only moves that prolong survival and secure victory. Whether it's moral or not is an entirely different debate."
Lucian smirked faintly and didn't say anything.
They pressed forward, steps muffled against the floor, the air inside smelling faintly of brine and polished wood. The further they went, the quieter their voices became. Eventually, Lucian pressed himself to a corner, signaling for the girls to stop.
Annabeth and Thalia leaned carefully, peeking around the edge. A small family of three ambled down the corridor: a father, mother, and toddler. Their movements seemed perfectly ordinary… except for one detail. Their eyes shimmered with a faint, glassy glaze.
"They're in a trance," Thalia and Annabeth whispered in unison.
"Yup," Lucian confirmed easily as he stepped out into full view.
The family looked up at him, smiling with unshakable warmth, as though seeing a knight dressed head-to-toe in black armor in the middle of the hall was the most natural thing in the world.
"What a wonderful cruise we're having," the father greeted with cheer.
"Certainly," Lucian replied smoothly, inclining his head. "Enjoy yourselves."
"Oh, we will," the mother answered, gripping her child's tiny hand. "Hope you have a grand time."
The family passed by, their footsteps fading into the distance. Lucian's expression softened into a smile that lingered… and then sharpened into something darker. "Oh, trust me. I will~"
Annabeth raised a brow but said nothing. Thalia only muttered, "That was way too ominous."
"Give me your hands, you two," Lucian ordered, extending his armored palms.
The girls exchanged a look of suspicion but complied. As soon as their hands touched his, crimson magic flared once more.
Both Annabeth and Thalia winced as a strange pressure wrapped around them, compressing their forms. Their skin prickled, shifting unnaturally, their bodies contorting as if reshaped by unseen claws. Scales rippled across their arms and shoulders, glinting green under the dim lights. Their legs melted together and elongated, twisting until they had transformed into long, muscular serpent tails that coiled against the floor.
The two of them stumbled back, hissing involuntarily as they caught sight of each other. Their new forms were unmistakable—monstrous, reptilian women with gleaming eyes and predatory fangs. Scythian Dracaenae.
Thalia blinked, her forked tongue slipping past her lips. Her eyes widened. "…Lucian… what the hell did you do to us?" she hissed, her voice carrying a serpentine rasp.
Lucian clapped his hands together excitedly. "I used my shapeshifting magic to turn us into Scythian Dracaenae, of course! Perfect camouflage. We'll blend in, sneak up behind Luke, and stab him in the back before he even realizes! It's genius!"
Annabeth gave him the flattest stare imaginable. "…Did you also transform yourself? Because last time I checked, Scythian Dracaenae are exclusively female monsters."
Lucian grinned like a maniac and began peeling away sections of his armor. Underneath, his new form was revealed—green scales, two massive snake's tails for legs, and…
He slapped his clawed hands against his new chest and exclaimed gleefully, "I have boobies! Hehehe!" He cackled wildly, bouncing them with both palms like a child with a new toy.
Thalia froze, then exploded into raucous laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach. She slid down the wall, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Oh gods—I can't—You're insane!"
Annabeth covered her face with one hand, groaning into her palm. Yet despite herself, a small chuckle escaped her lips. "Unbelievable. Honestly, Lucian, your sheer dedication to tormenting Luke is… astonishing. At this point, I almost feel sorry for him—almost. Who knows what else you've got planned for him in the future."
Lucian gave a toothy grin, his slit-pupil eyes glowing with anticipation. "Oh, Annabeth. You have no idea."
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