Chapter 172: Freeing the Animals

[Third Person's PoV] 

"God damn it, does it stink in here!" Lucian exclaimed, covering his nose as they all climbed into the truck. The air was thick with an awful stench, making them all wince in disgust.

Apart from the foul smell, the truck's interior was pitch black—at least for everyone but Lucian. Being the son of the God of the Underworld, seeing in the dark was a passive ability, and he didn't need any light to perceive his surroundings. The others, however, were left fumbling in the dark.

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out his trusty pen. Uncapping it, the pen transformed into Riptide, his celestial bronze sword, casting a faint glow like a nightlight. In the blade's soft illumination, the scene that unfolded in front of them was far worse than they could've imagined.

Three filthy cages sat in the middle of the truck, each one housing an animal in abysmal conditions. A zebra, its once proud mane now matted with gum, stood weakly in one cage. In another, an albino lion lay, so emaciated its ribs protruded sharply through its pale fur. The last cage contained an antelope with balloons tied cruelly to its horns. All three animals were starving, their food nothing but an insult—turnips for the carnivorous lion, while the zebra and antelope had been given trays of rotting hamburger meat. The scene was heartbreaking.

"THIS is kindness!? This is humane zoo transport!?" Grover bellowed in rage, referring to the label printed on the side of the truck. His fists clenched tightly, his goat legs trembling in fury.

Lucian turned toward Grover, eyebrows raised. The others did the same, shocked by his uncharacteristic outburst. None of them had ever seen Grover so enraged.

Suddenly, the truck lurched forward as the engine roared to life. The abrupt movement sent them all stumbling to the floor.

"Ugh!" they grunted, struggling to stay upright as the truck swerved onto the road.

Grover, still seething with anger, sat down by the cages, making small bleating noises to soothe the animals. But the looks of sadness in their eyes told him that no amount of comfort could make up for the abuse they had suffered.

"We could just set them free," Annabeth suggested softly, her expression one of deep pity.

"We can't," Percy said, his voice low. "The truck's moving. If we let them out now, they could get seriously hurt."

Lucian, standing at the back of the truck, surveyed the cages and then let out a long sigh. "You know what? Screw it." He straightened up. "Annabeth, use your cards to clean them up. Thalia, switch their food."

"Smart idea," Annabeth said, pulling a set of magical cards from her purple pouch.

"I'm on it," Thalia nodded, already moving toward the animals.

Clarisse eyed Lucian suspiciously. "And what exactly are you going to do?"

Lucian cracked his knuckles, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "Delivering some karmic justice."

Before anyone could react, Lucian marched toward the front of the truck, cocking his fist back.

"WAIT—" the others shouted, realizing too late what he was about to do.

With a single powerful punch, Lucian's fist slammed into the wall of the truck's cab, metal screeching as it tore open a gaping hole. The two truck drivers gasped in shock, swerving violently as the wall behind them buckled.

"Ahhhh!!" The group yelled, struggling to stay upright as the truck jerked left and right, swaying uncontrollably across the road.

The drivers, eyes wide with terror, looked back through the hole. A glowing red eye stared back at them through the darkness, and a cold voice followed.

"I see you~" Lucian said, his voice dripping with menace.

"AHHHHHHH!!!" the drivers screamed, panic overtaking them.

Lucian's shadow surged through the hole, tendrils of darkness snatching the steering wheel and pedals from their grasp. With supernatural control, the truck veered off the road, rolling to a stop at the side of the road.

Lucian shadow blinked, and in an instant, his form appeared perched on the dashboard. His eyes glowed a deep crimson, and his canines gleamed as he licked one of his fangs, smirking. "The Devil has come to make you pay for your sins" he said darkly.

The drivers, locked in place by fear, stared into his eyes, their bodies trembling. Suddenly, they were assaulted by visions—nightmarish, piercing through their minds like hot blades.

"NO! NO! MAKE IT STOP!" one of them shrieked.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! PLEASE, LEAVE ME ALONE! I PROMISE TO BE GOOD" the other cried, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lucian's fingers darkened, his hands went and grasped the drivers' necks. "Your words aren't enough," he hissed. "Here, a little curse to remind you…"

Darkness crawled over the drivers, their pupils turning black as they gagged and choked. Lucian released them, stepping back with a satisfied grin. "Now, get out of my sight."

Without hesitation, the drivers bolted from the truck, throwing themselves out of the cab and running into the distance as if hell itself were on their heels.

Lucian casually teleported back to the others, flashing them a thumbs-up. "All taken care of. This truck is ours now. Let's set these animals free."

The others exchanged uneasy glances, having witnessed the terrifying spectacle through the hole. Even Grover, though thankful, couldn't shake the horror of what Lucian had just done. Still, he knew Lucian had acted out thanks to their friendship.

"Thanks, Lucian," Grover said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Lucian slung an arm over Grover's shoulders with a grin. "Don't worry about it, G-man. Now let's free these animals and let you work your druid magic~"

…

After feeding the animals and cleaning up, Percy used his sword to cut open the cage. As he did, the zebra bowed toward him.

*"Thank you, my lord. I am in your debt,"* the zebra said, leaving Percy stunned.

"Uh... you're welcome?" Percy replied, glancing at the others. "Did the zebra just talk?"

"No?" Clarisse said, giving him a confused look.

"Your father created horses. A zebra is like a cousin to them, so you're able to understand them," Annabeth explained.

"Oh, I see..." Percy said awkwardly. "The zebra just thanked you for cleaning her mane."

Annabeth chuckled and smiled. "You're very welcome," she said, addressing the zebra.

Grover pulled out his reed pipes and played a soft melody. "There, I cast a Satyr sanctuary. Now they'll reach the wild safely."

As they were leaving, Lucian quickly conjured a small fire with his powers and threw in an offering, clasping his hands in prayer.

"What did you just do?" Percy asked, still confused.

"I prayed to Artemis. She's one of the goddesses of the wilderness, so she should be able to help them out," Lucian explained.

"Oh, great idea!" Grover nodded approvingly, watching as the animals left the truck and wandered off toward the wilderness.

"So... now what?" Clarisse asked, looking around at the group.

Lucian smirked. "Hold on tight…"

Suddenly, a thick fog poured out from Lucian's body, quickly filling the truck and obscuring everyone's vision. They felt the space around them shift, as if everything, including themselves, was being moved.

When the fog cleared, everything had changed. They were no longer in the truck, but in a convertible. Lucian sat in the driver's seat with Annabeth on his lap, while Thalia sat in the passenger seat. Percy, Grover, and Clarisse were all in the back, wearing expressions of surprise.

"Are you serious right now?" Annabeth asked with a deadpan expression.

Lucian grinned. "Oh, I'm very serious."

"How...?" Percy began, looking around in disbelief.

"The Fog," Lucian said simply. "You know how it tricks people's perceptions? Well, I'm using it to trick the perception of the universe itself."

"That... doesn't really make sense," Percy said with a weary smile.

"That's because you don't know magic. If you did, this would make perfect sense. Magic is all about working with the universe to manifest your imagination. I just combined my knowledge of magic with the fog. Voilà! Transmutation magic... sort of."

Annabeth tilted her head slightly. "I think I get it... So, someone who can use the fog but doesn't know magic couldn't do what you do, because they don't know how to communicate with the universe. And vice versa, someone who knows magic but can't use the fog wouldn't be able to deceive the universe."

"Bingo! But it's not as easy as it looks. Deceiving the universe takes a lot of energy. The trick has to be convincing enough. If it's too ludicrous, the universe won't believe you. The best way I can explain is lie and expect to be convincing enough that the universe believes you" Lucian explained as his shadow lifted from his feet and handed him a pair of sunglasses.

"Buckle up, everyone. We're going to Las Vegas!" Lucian declared, slipping on the sunglasses. He grinned as he heard the sound of seat belts clicking into place.

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