[Third Person's PoV]
Lucian arrived back at the top of the hill—the place he teleported to the most. He released a heavy sigh as the tension left his shoulders.
He crouched down, running a hand through his hair, which had grown since his last cut. It now reached the middle of his nape, with his bangs partially covering his eyes.
'By the gods… Who knew talking to her would be so draining? My entire social battery is completely depleted. How annoying.'
Pushing himself up, he started walking back toward camp. When he arrived, he found Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia sitting on the steps of the Big House, appearing much more relaxed than before.
"Lucian!" Annabeth called him over.
Lucian swayed his way toward them, his arms swinging lazily at his sides as if he were about to collapse.
Thalia and Annabeth scooted apart, making room for him, and Lucian plopped down between them. Percy leaned against the porch railing, watching.
"That bad, huh?" Percy asked as Lucian leaned all the way back, staring up at the sky.
"Don't even get me started… You guys seem awfully carefree and unconcerned. Aren't you at least going to ask me how it went?"
"Annabeth already figured it out," Thalia said with an amused scoff. "From the image of Ares you sent, she deduced that your father traded Ares for Nico and Bianca's safety."
"Nice picture, by the way. I only wish I could print it out... though Clarisse wasn't exactly a fan," Percy added with a laugh before awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.
"Speaking of Nico and Bianca, where are they?" Annabeth asked.
Lucian smirked faintly, eyes closed. "Dad gifted them a limo. They're experiencing the luxurious life."
He leaned over, resting his head on Annabeth's shoulder. She smiled and rested her head against his.
"A limo?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it even comes with their own professional butler," Lucian chuckled.
"Okay, now I'm starting to get a little jealous. Am I not my father's only son demigod son? Why am I not getting spoiled too? There's gotta be a ton of treasure at the bottom of the ocean," Percy grumbled.
The moment he looked up, he saw all three of them staring at him with amused expressions. His cheeks reddened as he realized how he sounded.
Lucian glanced up at Annabeth from her shoulder. "You didn't create the Light Core yet, did you?"
Annabeth sighed and shook her head. "I never had the chance to."
"Good. It's about time I give you my birthday present. Hand it over."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow but complied, reaching into her pouch and pulling out an empty core, placing it in his hands.
"Watch and be amazed," Lucian said with a grin, encapsulating the metal sphere between his hands.
To their shock, his skin began to change color. Blood-red markings slithered up his arms, and his hair turned snow-white. When he opened his eyes, they burned with a golden hue, an arrogant glint flashing within them.
They instinctively recoiled as they felt the warmth radiating from Lucian's Brightheart form.
A wave of shimmering light particles flowed from his hands into the core. The sphere illuminated with a blinding white glow, forcing the others to shield their eyes and turn away.
As the light receded, Lucian slowly opened his palms, revealing a white and golden glowing core.
Closing his eyes, he exhaled, and his skin began to return to normal. The deep melanin melted back into his complexion, his hair darkened to pitch black, and his golden eyes faded to red once more.
Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth just stared at him in disbelief.
"What the hell was that?!" Percy blurted. "Since when can you change your appearance and use the power of light?"
"Is that what you were learning while you were away?" Thalia asked, clearly intrigued.
Annabeth, meanwhile, stared at him with an enamored expression. "Please tell me the real gift was that you finally matched my skin tone. Because wow—I never knew I needed a tanned Lucian in my life until this very moment."
Lucian sighed and pointed at Percy. "It's a technique. And since a week ago."
Then he pointed at Thalia. "Yes."
Finally, he turned to Annabeth and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, here. This is the present I wanted to give you."
He placed the glowing Light Core in her hands and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"Happy birthday," he murmured.
Annabeth blushed, a grin spreading across her face. She clenched her fist around the core, feeling the warmth radiating from the energy inside.
She drew the core close to her chest, closing her eyes as she embraced its warmth. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened with realization.
Turning toward Lucian, the corners of her lips twitched as she struggled to suppress a grin. "Lucian, I want you to be completely honest with me when I ask this. Please, do not lie."
Lucian blinked in confusion, wondering what she was about to ask.
Still smiling, Annabeth watched him closely. The moment he gave a small, upward nod, signaling for her to continue, her grin widened.
"Did you disappear for an entire week just to learn Light Magic—just so I wouldn't have to ask someone from the Apollo cabin for help? Because you didn't want them to be known as the 'father' of my next creation?"
Lucian instantly flushed, his ears burning red as he turned his gaze away. "No…"
"Lucian," Annabeth drawled, her voice laced with amusement.
"…Maybe," he mumbled.
That was all it took. Annabeth erupted into laughter, slapping her knee as Lucian buried his face in his hands, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"Lucian, I wasn't even going to ask them for help," she admitted, her tone soft and endearing. "I planned to collect solar energy using a ritual and store it in solar batteries to charge the core."
Lucian groaned loudly, dragging his hands down his face.
"Ugh!!" Annabeth suddenly let out an exaggerated sound, overcome with sheer cuteness aggression.
Before Lucian could react, she tackled him off the stairs, sending them both rolling onto the ground. "God, you're just so adorable!! I love you! I love you! I love you!!" she declared, raining kisses all over his face.
Percy, watching from the porch, wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You guys are so freaking weird, I swear."
Thalia, standing beside him, wore an awkward expression as she observed the scene. "Yeah, this is… something," she muttered.
Lucian, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered—if anything, he seemed smugly pleased with all the affection.
Percy pointed at them. "That's your best friend and your boyfriend, by the way."
Thalia groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me…"
Meanwhile, Annabeth showed no signs of stopping. "Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!" She pressed kisses against his forehead, cheeks, eyelids—even his nose.
Some passing campers paused to watch, some chuckling at the display while others found it endearing.
Finally, Annabeth captured his lips in a lingering kiss before pulling away, smiling down at him. "Thanks for the present~" she murmured sweetly.
Then, just as Lucian was about to relax, she leaned down, her lips brushing his ear, and whispered in a sultry, teasing tone, "Now, come on~ It's time you and I went and made our daughter~"
Lucian's eyes shot open wide, his face turning an even deeper shade of red as Annabeth pulled back and winked before skipping off ahead.
Left lying on the ground, staring at the sky, he groaned, utterly flustered. "Why did she have to word it like that…"
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