[Third Person Pov]
Lucian came down the stairs the next morning without even bothering to put on a shirt, bare feet padding softly against the wooden floor as he made his way toward the kitchen. His hair was still a little messy, faint scratches and markings trailed across his shoulders and collarbone. He moved with the easy confidence of someone completely at home in the cabin, already pulling pans from their hooks and setting them on the stove as he started preparing breakfast.
He was halfway through cracking eggs and flipping bacon when the front door creaked open and Annabeth stepped inside. The warm, savory smell of cooking hit her immediately, and she didn't need to look far to know exactly where he was. Following the scent, she headed straight for the kitchen.
The moment she entered, one of her brows shot upward. She paused just long enough to take in the scene—Lucian shirtless at the stove, humming to himself like nothing in the world could possibly bother him. Walking closer, she cleared her throat pointedly and said with heavy sarcasm, "Well. Looks like someone had a very eventful night."
"Hm?" Lucian glanced over his shoulder, then looked down at himself as if only just noticing the state he was in. "Oh, this?" he replied casually. "Yeah, it was wild. I got attacked by a raccoon that snuck in through my window in the middle of the night." He kept a perfectly serious expression as he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
Annabeth snorted, rolling her eyes as she reached over and stole a strip of bacon straight from the pan. She bit into it with satisfaction before replying, "That raccoon must have been seriously devoted if it managed to leave you with that many marks."
Lucian laughed, shaking his head as he watched her. "Honestly, I half-expected you to show up later on," he said. "But you didn't."
Annabeth climbed up onto the counter with a shrug. "I was on my way," she admitted. "But then I saw Thalia climbing up your window, so I figured I'd be generous and let her have the night."
"That was surprisingly kind of you," Lucian said, giving her a sideways look.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Annabeth shot back, narrowing her eyes as she reached for another piece of bacon.
Lucian smacked her hand away with the spatula. "I made enough for everyone. Don't eat it all before they get here."
She pouted dramatically, rubbing the back of her hand before resting both palms on the edge of the counter. As she watched him move around the kitchen, efficient and focused, she started swinging her feet idly. "You know," she said after a moment, "maybe Percy was right."
Lucian glanced at her. "About…?"
"You really would make a good wife someday," Annabeth teased, chuckling when he stared at her with a blank expression, clearly unimpressed.
Not long after, footsteps echoed from the hallway as Nico and Bianca came downstairs. Bianca took one look at the kitchen and groaned. "Do you honestly have to be cooking while half-naked?"
Lucian didn't even turn around. "Do you want to be the one behind the stove?"
"I'll be quiet now," Bianca muttered, grabbing herself something to drink.
"That's what I thought," Lucian scoffed.
Nico, meanwhile, was just staring. "Have some shame, bro," he said, shaking his head.
Lucian turned and stared right back at him in silence.
Annabeth chuckled behind her hand. Lucian handed her a stack of plates and utensils. "Since you're enjoying the show so much, why don't you help and set the table?"
With an exaggerated huff, Annabeth hopped down from the counter and snatched the items from him. As she passed behind him, she leaned in and gave his shoulder a quick, sharp bite.
"Ah—what was that for?" Lucian yelped, staring at the fresh red mark.
"I got jealous having to look at someone else's handiwork," Annabeth said smugly, chin held high.
Lucian could only shake his head as he went back to cooking.
…
After breakfast, once everyone had eaten their fill and the lingering haze of sleep had finally worn off, Lucian waited until they were fully alert before guiding them down into the basement. The air grew cooler as they descended, the familiar scent of herbs and metal filling the space.
"Ready?" Lucian asked Nico as he set the cauldron in place and began preparing the ingredients for the advancement potion.
"Oiu," Nico replied in French, giving a sharp salute before rubbing his hands together eagerly.
As Lucian handed over each component, Nico carefully placed them into the cauldron and began to stir. The liquid inside turned a murky green, bubbling violently as haunting, echoing screams filled the room. Wispy illusions of ghostly figures briefly surfaced from the brew before dissolving back into the potion as it continued to churn.
"Here," Lucian said calmly, holding out a small crystal vial filled with a faintly shimmering liquid. "The last ingredient—tears of a wailing spirit."
Nico accepted it with visible hesitation. With one hand, he continued stirring the cauldron in slow, careful circles, while the other tilted the vial. Drop by drop, the spectral tears fell into the churning liquid below. As the final drop slid free, Nico switched to stirring with both hands, the motion growing steadier as the potion reacted.
The vivid green, ghostly hue of the brew began to fade. In its place, the liquid shifted into a dense, milky white color, glowing faintly from within. The soft shine reflected off Nico's face, casting pale highlights under his eyes and along his cheekbones as the potion finally settled.
Once the cauldron went still, Lucian carefully poured the potion into a flask and handed it over.
Nico brought it closer to his face, squinting suspiciously before giving it a cautious sniff.
His expression twisted immediately. "Ughhh—why does it smell like spoiled milk? That's disgusting!"
He pulled the flask away like it had personally offended him. "I don't want to drink this anymore…" Nico muttered, staring down at the cloudy liquid in open disgust. He was almost certain he saw a screaming face briefly swim past the glass, which only made his stomach churn even more.
"Stop being such a wuss and drink the potion already," Bianca said dryly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
"You drink it, then," Nico shot back without missing a beat.
"I don't want to die, so no," Bianca replied, rolling her eyes. "Just pinch your nose and tilt your head back."
Nico grumbled under his breath, muttering several complaints that no one bothered to decipher. Still, he followed her advice. Pinching his nose shut, he took a deep breath and tipped the flask back, forcing himself to chug down the thick, creamy liquid in one go.
The moment he swallowed, he doubled over, coughing violently.
"Ugh! It's salty!" Nico gagged, hacking some more. "That's disgusting! It's like I took a bucket of tears and drank it through a straw!"
"What kind of weird-ass analogy is that?" Thalia asked, barely holding back her laughter.
But the humor didn't last long.
Nico suddenly stiffened, his hands flying up to clutch his head as the ravings surged forward. Whispers, screams, and incoherent murmurs flooded his senses all at once. He dropped to one knee, covering his ears as if that would somehow block out the noise.
"They're getting louder!" Nico shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "Why are they getting louder and more insane?!"
"Yes, that's how the sequences work," Lucian tried to explain quickly. "The more you advance, the more vulnerable you become to the ravings. You can hear things you were never meant to—"
But Nico clearly wasn't listening anymore. His focus was locked inward, fighting tooth and nail to keep his mind from fracturing under the pressure. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he struggled to maintain control, his breathing ragged and uneven.
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
Nico gasped sharply, his eyes flying open as he collapsed backward onto the floor. He lay there for a moment, chest heaving as he dragged in deep, shaky breaths.
"I hate this so much," he groaned weakly. "It always gives me a headache…"
Despite his complaints, the advancement was complete. Nico had successfully reached Sequence 7: Paranormal Investigator, doing so even faster than Percy—who had started his path long before him.
"Well?" Bianca pressed, stepping closer. "Don't leave us in suspense. What abilities did you get?"
"Give me a moment, geez," Nico grumbled. He pushed himself up to his feet, brushing dust from his clothes before taking a second to steady himself. "Alright… let's see."
He thought for a moment before speaking again. "My Funeral Rite got upgraded. It used to grant peace to the dead, ward off curses, and stop malevolent spirits from returning. Now it's evolved into low-level mastery over rituals in general." He flexed his arms experimentally. "And my physical abilities got boosted a bit too."
Bianca stared at him flatly. Lucian, meanwhile, wore an amused grin.
Nico coughed into his fist and continued. "I also gained Emergency Banishment. It lets me execute banishment rituals instantly—spirits, projections, all of it—with just a single gesture."
As if to demonstrate, two large, green-tinted ghostly hands manifested from his back, semi-transparent and faintly glowing.
"Spirit Hands," Nico explained. "I can summon them for assistance. Combat, utility, everyday tasks—whatever I need."
He raised three fingers. "Next is Spirit Anchor. It allows me to bind ghosts or spirits to objects or specific locations."
"And," he said, raising his fourth finger, "Spiritual First Aid. It stabilizes spiritual injuries to prevent rapid deterioration."
He paused briefly before finishing and raising his final finger. "Last one is Seal Reinforcement. Pretty self-explanatory—it strengthens weakened seals on artifacts, rooms, or even bodies."
"Not bad," Lucian said approvingly. "Not bad at all."
Nico straightened immediately, puffing out his chest with a proud grin.
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