The trio continued their journey through South Carolina, fighting their way across North Carolina. Thalia had come to understand the duo better, slowly allowing them into her heart. Lucas was perceptive yet respectful of her privacy, and Luke… he reminded her too much of someone. She sighed wistfully, looking away.
Thunder rattled in the distance. Disgust flashed briefly in her eyes, a reaction Lucas quietly observed. Before any suggestion for shelter could be made, the bleating of a goat cut through the air. Stunned, the trio turned to see the goat, glowing faintly with a divine aura, watching them intently.
"Is that… a goat?" Luke asked, his voice flat despite sensing its powerful presence.
"Amaltheia," Thalia replied softly, a note of bitterness slipping through.
Luke glanced in confusion, but Lucas recognized the name. He turned to Thalia silently, communicating it was her choice how to proceed.
"Luke was right. You're too perceptive," she muttered softly. "Let's see where it leads us."
Decision made, they began following the goat.
...
Richmond's air felt thick and oppressive, cloaked in silence. Lucas, Luke, and Thalia stood before a mansion whose grandeur had faded long ago. Ivy climbed the walls once painted pristine white, now shadowed and aged.
Thalia's eyes darted warily. "This place feels wrong."
Luke adjusted the strap of his pack, staring intently ahead. "Every place we've visited has felt wrong. But something is different here."
A voice broke the silence. "Come in, young demigods."
Instantly, all three stepped back cautiously, hands reaching instinctively for weapons. The mansion's front door creaked open, silently inviting them in.
Luke exchanged looks with Lucas and Thalia, and then stepped forward first. The interior was dim, lit only by thin streams of sunlight slipping through gaps in boarded windows. Furniture stood covered in dusty sheets scattered throughout the expansive foyer.
A soft cough echoed from above, causing them to spin around sharply, weapons partially drawn. An elderly man descended the grand staircase slowly, his skin wrinkled and loose, his hair spiky and silver. He wore an aged green suit paired with shimmering snakeskin boots. While Luke and Thalia regarded him warily, Lucas immediately noticed his eyes, filled with regret, guilt, and a faint glimmer of hope.
The old man waved urgently, signaling for them to come upstairs. Thalia opened her mouth to demand answers, but the old man's expression turned panicked. He quickly placed a finger over his lips, urging quiet.
Confusion briefly flashed across their faces before the sound of heavy paws and breathing nearby made them freeze. Suddenly, the door slammed shut.
Trusting instinct, Lucas pushed his friends toward the staircase, dashing behind them as they followed the old man. They entered a bedroom well lived in compared to the rest of the house. Once inside, the old man slammed the door shut, barricading it swiftly.
Luke glared warily. "What was that?"
The elderly figure shook his head and pointed to his mouth, indicating silence. He reached out and handed them a diary. Neither Luke nor Thalia moved to take it, suspicious. Lucas, however, took the diary without hesitation, quickly flipping through the pages.
He began reading aloud quietly, voice steady. "Halcyon Green, a Greek demigod and son of Apollo. After using his prophetic abilities to save a young girl's life, Apollo stripped his voice and imprisoned him in this mansion. Forced to lure demigods to their doom."
Thalia paled, eyes wide. "What the hell?"
Lucas and Luke shared her horrified reaction. Lucas quickly continued searching the diary for answers.
"The beast outside is a Leucrota," Lucas said, a familiar name, recalling lessons from Elizabeth clearly. "It has a lion's body, red fur, horse's hooves, and tail, with a head between a wolf and a horse. Instead of teeth, it has two plates of bone that clack together. It can mimic voices."
At that moment, a desperate child's voice sounded outside the door, begging for help. The voice cried out frantically, pounding on the wood. The trio shivered.
Lucas read aloud once more. "The barricade never lasts. The monster enters at sunset and devours all but Halcyon. No one has ever escaped."
"There's no way to stop it?" Luke demanded, prioritising the danger over his disgust at the gods for creating such a cruel trap as a punishment.
Halcyon hesitated. Finally, with uncertainty, he nodded toward a dusty chest in the room's corner. Thalia felt drawn toward it. She quickly explained the sensation, and the others agreed whatever was inside was likely intended for her. Perhaps this explained why the goat had led them here.
Luke broke the lock with skill, revealing a bracelet and a Celestial bronze shortsword. Thalia took the bracelet first, fastening it on her wrist. Instantly, it expanded into a silver shield embossed with Medusa's face. Aegis
She handed the shortsword to Luke. "This suits you better than your dagger."
"My dagger!" Lucas protested mildly from across the room, searching through Halcyon's shelves.
Luke gave a grateful nod, testing the sword. "Thanks, Thalia."
Halcyon watched in awe. Finally, the treasure had been claimed; perhaps demigods would no longer come here to die.
Lucas held up an old parchment triumphantly. "Looks like I found my gift, too."
"What is it, a magic spell?" Luke teased, still examining his new sword.
"Greek Fire," Lucas replied seriously.
Luke's playful expression vanished. Thalia looked at Lucas in confusion. "What's Greek Fire?"
"One of the most dangerous magical substances," Lucas explained. "It burns underwater and consumes everything it touches."
Slowly, he smiled.
Luke caught the look and grinned. "I know that face."
Lucas nodded, expression brightening. "Think the Leucrota might be feeling a little cold outside?"
Thalia grasped their intent quickly. "But can you make it?"
Lucas hesitated briefly. "I have the skill, but we need ingredients: nectar, alcohol, pitch, quicklime, saltpeter, bitumen, sulfur resin, and a catalyst like electricity."
Halcyon quickly nodded and began retrieving each item from around the room. Lucas turned seriously to Thalia, ready to ask the difficult question. Thalia immediately replied firmly, "I'm willing. Don't worry."
Lucas saw her determination and said no more. Luke helped gather the ingredients, all three demigods quickly working together to prepare the substance.
Halcyon watched quietly, feeling newfound hope. He decided to look once again into their futures.
First, he gazed at Thalia. He saw her destined sacrifice clearly, yet grey mist slowly spread through the vision, changing and distorting the scene. Confusion filled his eyes.
Next, Halcyon turned to Luke. He saw betrayal and death, yet the grey mist invaded again, obscuring the vision entirely.
Finally, he turned to Lucas. His vision showed nothing but grey mist. It pulsed and shifted, and within it, he heard laughter. A figure emerged, dressed in a dark suit with a Harlequin mask, placing a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence, then bursting into laughter. Halcyon stumbled backward, overwhelmed.
He saw the trio arguing over who would distract the beast, knowing the one chosen would surely perish. Deeply moved by their actions and curiosity about their future, Halcyon stepped forward, taking the potion of Greek Fire.
They protested briefly, but seeing the resolve in Halcyon's eyes, fell silent. Respectfully, they stepped aside.
Turning to Lucas, he gave him the same dagger the little girl he saved gave him. With the final gift he walked toward the door.
"Hal!" Lucas called softly. "You did nothing wrong. You're just a hero caught in a greek tragedy."
Tears welled in Halcyon's eyes. He straightened his posture with newfound dignity, opened the door, and stepped into the hall.
The demigods heard the leucrota roar, Halcyon running towards the end of the corridor. Luke led the other two downstairs, rushing in hopes to unlock the mansion's front door. A sudden explosion of green fire shook the building just as the door swung open. They leaped to safety, turning to see the mansion slowly consumed by the fierce, unstoppable flames.
In silence beneath the vast sky, they recognized they had witnessed something extraordinary. Halcyon Green had carried a hero's burden with courage to his final moment.