[Third Person POV]
"Are we going to set up camp here and wait until morning before moving again?" Thalia asked, folding her arms across her chest as she scanned the quiet clearing around them. The moonlight filtered weakly through the dense canopy, painting silver streaks across the forest floor.
"No," Lucian replied without a shred of hesitation. A slow, expectant grin spread across his face, his eyes glinting mischievously. "I'm quite hungry, so we're going to find something to eat."
"What?" Annabeth gave him a look that hovered somewhere between disbelief and mild irritation. "Excuse me? We were literally on a cruise filled with food. Buffets, endless desserts—and you didn't eat then? Now you're suddenly hungry?"
Lucian shrugged, his expression maddeningly casual. "Because I wasn't hungry then. I'm hungry now."
Both girls exhaled in perfect unison,
"Seriously, you're such a toddler," Annabeth teased, rubbing her brow as if just being near him gave her a headache.
"Did you at least bring food, or are we about to go hunting for squirrels or something?" Thalia asked with a low chuckle, clearly finding Annabeth's description of Lucian all too accurate.
"Actually…" Lucian's grin widened, a mischievous gleam flashing in his eyes. "I'm kinda in the mood for some donuts."
Both girls stopped mid-step, blinking at him "…What?" they said at the same time, their voices echoing slightly through the trees.
Annabeth stared at him, her expression dead serious. "Lucian, be honest with me. Who's the father, and when's it due? Because what is that random pregnancy craving in the middle of the night? Donuts? Really? I don't think I've even seen you eat a donut before."
Thalia snorted, biting her lip to hold back a laugh as she deliberately let her gaze drop to Lucian's stomach.
Lucian rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand. "Ha-ha. Very funny. Just follow me and don't ask too many questions."
Without waiting for a reply, he started walking deeper into the woods, humming under his breath.
After a few minutes they were able to hear Lucian singing to himself, "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg… the Batmobile lost its wheel and the Joker got away, hey!"
The ridiculousness of the tune made both girls exchange a look. Thalia twirled a finger around her ear, a silent signal of Lucian's questionable sanity, earning a quiet giggle from Annabeth as they trailed behind him.
The laughter died in their throats when they broke through a patch of trees and froze. Ahead of them, glowing like a beacon in the dark, stood a store that looked absurdly out of place in the middle of the wilderness. Neon lights flickered in cheerful pinks and yellows, forming the unmistakable words: Monster Donut Shop. Oversized donut designs—sprinkled, frosted, and practically sparkling—decorated the storefront.
Annabeth's eyes went wide as recognition struck. "No way… Did you lead us here on purpose? Oh, who am I kidding—of course you did."
Thalia let out a flat, weary sigh. "We're going to have to fight a monster, aren't we?" She was tired of fighting for one day after her battle with Luke and wasn't in the mood for another one.
"You're not," Lucian corrected with a devilish grin. "But I might." He snapped his fingers. "But first things first… Murder, come out."
From the darkness, a woman with crimson wings and curling demonic horns emerged like a living shadow. She knelt before Lucian, her head bowed in silent obedience, her presence radiating an eerie mix of elegance and menace.
Lucian casually reached into the swirling darkness at his feet, pulling out a single gleaming gold coin from his personal pocket dimension. He flicked it toward her with an easy motion. "Here. Buy me as many donuts as you can with this."
The winged woman—Murder—caught the coin effortlessly and gave a small, almost reverent nod before gliding toward the glowing shop, her movements silent and predatory.
Both Annabeth and Thalia turned to stare at Lucian without saying another word letting their gazes do all the talking.
"What?" Lucian scoffed, noticing their looks. "I was really craving donuts, okay? And I can't exactly stroll in there and order them myself. Only monsters are allowed. Bite me. A guy wants a donut—don't fault me for wanting a little dessert."
The two girls slowly raised their hands in mock surrender, backing off while still fighting back laughter.
Murder returned not long after. In her hands she carried a precarious tower of donut boxes—ten in total—stacked one atop the other. She appeared before Lucian without a sound, dropping gracefully to one knee, she presented the boxes to him as if offering a sacred tribute.
"Thank you, much obliged," Lucian said, his grin sharp with amusement. "This is exactly why I keep you guys around." His tone carried a teasing lilt, but there was a glimmer of genuine appreciation in his eyes.
With a casual flick of his fingers, the boxes rose into the air, each one levitating lazily around him in a slow orbit. Murder gave a small nod before melting back into his shadow, her crimson form dissolving like smoke into the earth.
Lucian plucked one box from the rotation and cracked it open, the warm, sugary scent of fried dough spilling into the cool night air. He reached inside, retrieving a chocolate-frosted donut with exaggerated care before turning toward the girls. "You know," he began with a mockingly solemn expression, "I shouldn't even be offering you two anything after all those judgmental comments earlier. But I was raised with a heart of gold—black though it may be—so here." He extended the box with a flourish.
Both Annabeth and Thalia scoffed in unison but didn't hesitate to accept. Thalia grabbed a perfectly glazed ring, while Annabeth selected a jelly-filled one that oozed faintly at the edges.
The moment of sugary peace didn't last long. Thalia suddenly froze mid-chew, her eyes narrowing as she pressed a hand lightly against her mouth. "We've got company," she said through a muffled bite, her tone instantly shifting from casual to alert.
She swallowed quickly and closed her eyes, calling on her [Wind Sense]. A faint breeze whispered through the trees, carrying with it the telltale vibrations of something massive moving in the distance. Her senses stretched outward, tracing the disturbance to its source far beyond the first layer of trees.
"Don't worry," Lucian said calmly, his voice smooth and unconcerned. "I'm aware." His pupils glowed faintly as he activated [Clairvoyance], his sight piercing through the dense foliage like a phantom lens. His vision slid past the forest floor, over the gnarled roots and shadowy branches, until it caught the serpentine outline of something slithering along the ground.
A massive creature emerged in his mind's eye—its body long and thick. Nine heads reared above the shifting coils, each one distinctly draconic in nature. The creature's scales shimmered faintly even in the darkness, their natural brilliance dulled by the night but still betraying a mesmerizing array of colors. The moonlight caught at its body just enough to reveal streaks of green, blue, violet, and gold rippling along its hide like a living prism.
Lucian's mouth quirked upward. "Well… that's new."
"What is it?" Annabeth asked, her curiosity flaring as she stepped closer. Without a word, Lucian shared the image through their psychic link, letting the sight of the beast flood her mind.
Annabeth's eyes widened as the picture formed. "Whoa. A Rainbow-Scale Hydra."
Thalia's head snapped toward her. "A what now? Rainbow Hydra? What happened to the normal kind of hydra? You know—big, ugly, lots of heads, acid spit?"
"There's more than one breed of hydra," she explained, her voice slipping into the cadence of a seasoned scholar. "The standard hydra is dangerous enough, usually spitting acid or venom. Then you've got the red-belly hydra, known for breathing fire. But the Rainbow-Scale Hydra…" Her eyes gleamed with a mixture of awe and caution. "This one's special. Each head emits a different form of energy—fire, acid, freezing cold, plasma, lightning, you name it. It's easily one of the most dangerous subspecies out there."
"Fantastic," Thalia muttered, taking another bite of her donut with deliberate defiance. "Because fighting a regular hydra would have been too boring."
Annabeth turned back to Lucian, her gaze sharpening with an eager light. "Actually… do you mind if I take this one? I want to see how I'd fare against something that unpredictable."
Lucian studied her for a long second, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. Without a word, he reached out and brushed his thumb across the corner of her mouth, wiping away the smear of jelly. Then, with deliberate nonchalance, he brought his thumb to his own lips and licked it clean.
Annabeth's entire face lit up crimson, her confident posture faltering as a flustered sound escaped her throat. "That was—" she stammered, "—completely unnecessary!"
Lucian only shrugged, a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Consider it a pre-battle blessing. Go wild."
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