[Third Person Pov]
Above the flattened stretch of earth where Camp Half-Blood's hill had once proudly stood, eleven distinct bodies suddenly materialized in a violent swirl of darkness and writhing shadow. The magic released them without warning—no gentle descent, no easing of gravity—just an abrupt drop.
"AHHHH!!"
They all screamed in perfect, panicked unison as the absence of solid ground registered far too late. A second later, they crashed down in a chaotic heap, limbs tangling with limbs, elbows jabbing ribs, wings folding awkwardly, and bodies piling one on top of another in a very undignified sprawl.
"LUCIAN!!" they roared together, voices thick with pain and outrage.
Groans echoed across the clearing as everyone tried—and failed—to immediately disentangle themselves.
"Couldn't you have, I don't know, set us down properly?!" Bianca screeched as she twisted sideways, trying to free her arm from beneath someone's knee.
"You absolutely did that on purpose," Nico groaned, his voice muffled as he struggled to push himself up, only to collapse again.
"My tailbone—my poor, innocent tailbone!" Grover whimpered dramatically, clutching his lower back.
"Hey—watch it!" Markus grimaced sharply. "Stop pressing down on my wings! Do you have any idea how sensitive those are?"
"Hey, don't look at me!" Percy shot back defensively. "I didn't suddenly drop us here—blame Lucian!"
"Whose foot is in my fucking face?!" Clarisse hissed venomously, sounding dangerously close to violence.
What followed was a cacophony of frustrated voices as they all pulled, shoved, and awkwardly twisted in different directions, each person convinced everyone else was doing it wrong.
"No, lift your foot that way—" "Hands through here—no, not there!" "I'm losing feeling in my hand—" "Curses! Lucian, when I get my hands on you—!"
At last, with one collective grunt and a unified huff of effort, the tangled pile finally broke apart. Everyone scrambled away from each other, collapsing onto the ground or kneeling where they stood, catching their breath and rubbing sore limbs.
All eyes immediately turned toward Lucian.
He was sitting a short distance away, cross-legged on the ground, rubbing the back of his head with an unmistakably sheepish grin stretched across his face. "…Sorry," he said lightly. "I kinda forgot the hill wasn't there anymore."
A chorus of groans answered him.
They pushed themselves to their feet one by one, brushing dirt from their clothes and shooting Lucian flat, unimpressed looks while muttering various complaints under their breath.
Lucian, completely unfazed, stood and motioned everyone back with an excited wave of his hand. "Alright, everyone stand clear. I miss that hill. I've got a lot of great memories tied to it," he said warmly. "So… I think I'll just return it to how it was."
Before anyone could object, he planted his feet firmly into the ground and rolled his shoulders back. He curled his fingers inward as a soft green aura began to bloom around his hands, pulsing with life and power. With a decisive stomp of his foot, the earth beneath them shuddered.
The ground trembled, cracks spreading as soil shifted and stone groaned beneath the surface.
Slowly, the once-flattened land began to rise.
At first, it was nothing more than a crude mound of dirt and broken rock pushing its way upward, uneven and rough. Then Lucian extended his influence further—his command over Flora taking hold. Grass sprouted rapidly, spilling across the surface in waves of green, smoothing the hill's shape as roots dug deep and flowers bloomed in bursts of color.
In moments, the hill stood restored, whole and familiar, as if it had never been gone.
Lucian exhaled contentedly. "Ahhh. There. All in a day's work," he said, dusting his hands clean before turning back to the others.
He immediately took the lead, strolling forward with exaggerated confidence. The group watched in silence as he slowed his pace dramatically, swinging his arms and rolling his shoulders as though every step deserved applause.
"What… are you doing?" Markus asked flatly.
Lucian lifted his chin, nose tilted toward the sky. "Isn't it obvious? We're about to enter camp. You have to walk in slow motion to make it cinematic," he said proudly. "After all, we did complete the quest."
Nico simply shrugged, stepped up beside him, and immediately began swaying his shoulders in even more exaggerated motions, head tilted back like a dramatic hero basking in victory.
Bianca facepalmed hard. Her lips trembled as she muttered under her breath, hiding her face in her hand. "I'm related to those two idiots."
Laughter rippled through the group as they finally followed after Lucian and Nico, trailing behind them toward the entrance of Camp Half-Blood—now changed by time, but still standing, waiting to welcome them home.
Towering marble columns stood opposite one another at the camp's entrance, their pristine white surfaces catching the light as if polished by the gods themselves. Above them stretched a graceful archway, its curve adorned with intricate golden carvings that shimmered softly. Etched into the stone in elegant, curling letters were the words:
Welcome to Camp Half-Blood
As Lucian and the others drew closer, a deep horn suddenly bellowed through the camp. The sound rolled outward in a thunderous wave, so loud and powerful that flocks of birds burst from the forest in startled chaos, wings beating frantically as they scattered into the sky.
The horn's echo lingered unnervingly long, reverberating across the grounds until everyone could feel it in their chests. It made stomachs drop and bones hum, a sound that carried weight and meaning.
It was an announcement.
A declaration of their arrival—and of the quest they had completed.
Camp erupted almost instantly. Campers began flooding toward the gates, voices rising in excited chatter as word spread like wildfire. Somewhere among the growing crowd, Chiron made his way forward as well, his presence calm and dignified as he came to greet them.
Lucian strode through the entrance first, throwing his arms wide as if welcoming applause.
"Did y'all miss us?" he called out loudly.
Laughter, cheers, clapping, and overlapping conversations filled the air. But beneath all the noise, another sound cut through—hurried footsteps slapping against the ground, uneven and frantic, paired with labored breathing.
"Luciannnnn!"
The voice of a small girl echoed over the crowd. Campers instinctively parted, making way as a blur of motion charged forward.
"Hm?" Lucian turned just in time—and barely had a second to react.
"Hestia—wait—!"
Too late.
With the force and determination of a charging bull, Hestia launched herself into the air. Lucian barely got the first syllable of a protest out before she collided with him, wrapping her entire small body around his head. Her arms and legs locked tightly in place, sending him stumbling backward as he struggled to stay upright.
Lucian's protests turned into muffled cries, his face pressed against her stomach as she clung to him with desperate strength.
"You came back!!" Hestia cried, her voice breaking as tears streamed freely. "I thought—I thought—ahhhhh!!"
She tightened her grip as if afraid that even a second of looseness might cause him to vanish again. Lucian flailed awkwardly, arms windmilling as he tried to catch his bearings, turning the moment into something both deeply heartwarming and utterly comical.
The crowd erupted into laughter and chuckles, completely drowning out Lucian's increasingly frantic muffled pleas for help.
He grabbed the back of her clothes and tried to peel her off, but the strength of an emotionally distressed goddess—especially a determined aunt—was far beyond what he had prepared for.
Lucian finally managed to pull her back just enough to tilt his head upward and suck in a sharp gasp of air. He panted dramatically, tongue hanging out like an exhausted dog as he stared up at her.
"What is wrong with you?!" he gasped. "I swear, for a second there I thought I saw my father waving me over!"
Hestia let out a choked sound that hovered somewhere between laughter and sobbing. "Sorry," she said shakily. "It's just… when I couldn't feel you in the Hearth, I thought—you really—"
Lucian's expression softened, guilt flickering across his features before he smiled gently. "Yeah… sorry about that," he said quietly. "But I'm here. See? I didn't disappear."
Hestia sniffled, nodding as tears continued to trail down her cheeks. Lucian carefully pried her loose and gently set her back on the ground.
"I kept my promise to you," Lucian said with a confident, nonchalant grin—one that somehow made him look even more handsome than usual.
"That you did," Hestia chuckled, placing her hands on her hips as she now had to look up at him.
Lucian raised a brow and extended his a hand off to the side. "Well? Don't you have something to say to me?"
Hestia's smile widened as she mirrored the gesture, lifting her palm. "I do…"
"Welcome home, Lucian."
"I'm glad to be back."
They swung their hands together in a sharp, enthusiastic slap. The sound cracked through the air, their palms stung—but neither of them cared.
They just laughed, grinning brightly at one another, surrounded by the warmth of camp and the joy of being home again.
[End of Volume 3]
A/N: Well everyone, that was the end of Volume three, my longest volume of this series which started all the way at chapter 205, meaning this volume contained 176 chapters and a lot has happened in this volume… so you know what that means 😏
IT'S TIME TO SHARE YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT!!
It's tradition at this point, I will now be listening some honorable moments to remember, Lucian finding out the fates sent him to school because of their fetish, the gang talking to future Lucian, Bianca and Nico getting their cards, Lucian and Thalia's date where they professed their loves (my favorite), The Spirit creations, Brightheart form created, Nico and Bianca's trial where Lucian used his body to shield them, Hestia using her big sister status and getting angry, Lucian and Aphrodite's confrontation, Lucian freeing Medusa from her curse, Blackheart construction, First day of school where Lucian put a gun to his mouth, Markus introduction, the school play and Hades appearing to watch, Markus and Thanatos meeting, Thanatos revealing he wished death upon Markus' mother as a courting ritual, the battle at the camp, Lucian being Hestia's black knight, Lucian being the Symbol of Strength and showing his leadership skills (Another personal favorite of mine), meeting Hermes, Thalia Vs. Luke, Annabeth Vs. The Hydra, etc, etc, his revival, I'm sure you remember the rest.
So yeah there's a lot of great moments in this volume, just let me know your favorite 😉
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