Chapter 78

[Third Person's PoV]

Lucian didn't even hesitate; he raised the potion towards Annabeth with a smirk, "Bottoms up," and immediately downed it.

As it went down his gullet, he only had one thought in mind: 'Even this tastes good. Mom must have sucked at making potions or just had an odd satisfaction at making them nasty.'

As he finished, he accidentally dropped the empty glass flask, causing it to shatter. Lucian's pupils dilated, shrinking in size as he felt like he was in a movie scene, where the camera stayed zoomed on him while the background grew distant.

He then started contorting and twitching while his limbs moved sporadically, getting locked in one place before repositioning and repeating the process. Even while that was happening, Lucian started to become aware of his surroundings. It was almost like he could see all around him.

Meanwhile, Annabeth looked at the scene with worry, but she had faith in Lucian. After a few more seconds, Lucian's upper body dropped as if his strings were cut while still standing up.

After a few more seconds, he stood up and started stretching, "WOAH! I feel amazing!"

"What happened?" Annabeth asked with anticipation, curious about what was occurring with Lucian.

"Well, for one, I seem to have developed a sort of spatial awareness. It's like I gained a third eye or something. I also feel stronger…"

As Lucian was examining his hands while opening and closing them, Annabeth secretly grabbed a book and sneaked behind Lucian before flinging it to his backside.

Lucian's hand extended over his shoulder behind him, grabbing the book before it hit him, causing his eyes to widen, "Danger sense check! The gods, I have become Spider-Man," Lucian excitedly said, flicking his wrist while sticking out his index and pinky finger before looking disappointed that nothing was coming out.

"What? So you weren't only able to see it, but you felt some sort of danger coming as well?" Annabeth asked in amazement.

"By the way, wasn't it necessary to throw a book at me?" Lucian asked with a deadpan expression.

"Sorry," Annabeth said, giving him an apologetic expression. "You said you developed spatial awareness. I wanted to see how it worked, if you could see behind you."

Lucian sighed before lifting up his hand, which gained a dark red glow due to his magic, "Due to your actions, that just means I have to punish you."

Annabeth grew surprised before taking a step back, "You don't mean it, do you?" she asked nervously.

"Unfortunately, I do," Lucian said with a serious expression, making Annabeth's eyes widen as she realized he was serious.

Annabeth kept taking steps back until she hit a wall behind her, and Lucian kept walking closer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, please," she pleaded while Lucian just kept getting closer. She closed her eyes as Lucian tapped his two fingers to her forehead.

"Ah!" she cried out from the pain she was feeling on her forehead.

When Lucian was done, she looked at him with shock and betrayal, "Did that really warrant you to burn my forehead?" she asked, aggrieved.

Lucian rolled his eyes, "No, and it wasn't for that. I was putting a curse on your memories, more specifically anything relating to what I'm doing. Everything else is fair game."

Annabeth was even more shocked, but more than that, she looked hurt, "You don't believe in me? Do you think I'll betray you?"

Lucian sighed and shook his head, "Of course, I believe in you. If I can count on anyone alive to have my back, it would always be you.

But who I don't trust are the gods and whatever other supernatural creatures are in this crazy world.

What if they are able to read your mind, or charmspeak you, or hypnotize you to speak of my secrets… Annabeth, you have to realize, what I'm doing is extremely dangerous.

A single word out and the entire supernatural world would be after me, and you would be considered an accomplice, putting you in danger as well."

Annabeth's eyes widened before nodding in understanding, "I see… I understand now. It looks like I was taking it a bit lightly earlier."

Lucian nodded his head. Annabeth then grew curious and asked, "So what other abilities did you develop?"

Lucian reached into his shadows, pulling out a book. "Let's see," he said as he flipped through the pages.

"What? If you knew what abilities you were going to develop, why did you seem excited like you had no idea?" Annabeth asked.

"I was performing. I wanted to see if it helped me digest the potion faster so I can start on the next one," Lucian explained.

"Huh?" Annabeth said in confusion, making Lucian sigh.

"Before I can drink the next potion, I have to digest the one I drank. The way you digest these potions is different compared to just letting your body naturally do it. You have to act accordingly to the name of the potion. During the acting method, which is the name of the acting process, you have to learn and understand the essences of what you drank. For example, since I drank the stuntman potion, I have to act like how a stuntman would and learn what it truly means to become a stuntman," Lucian clarified.

Annabeth had a hand on her chin with a serious expression. "I see. What if you understood what it means before drinking and then drink the potion, do you fully digest it?"

"I think? I mean, I spent the entire year researching the true meaning of a stuntman. I only digested 50 percent of it. I understand that a stuntman is someone who performs for the sake of others and gets back up from dangerous situations to continue performing, so there's more for me to understand it seems," Lucian replied.

Annabeth nodded in understanding. "So what are the abilities you gained?"

"Here," Lucian said, handing the notebook to Annabeth.

Annabeth started muttering along as she read, "1. Enhanced agility: The ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers with grace and precision, surpassing normal human limits.

2. Superhuman strength: Increased physical strength enabling the stuntman to lift heavy objects, smash through obstacles, or deliver powerful blows.

3. Enhanced durability: Greater resistance to physical harm, allowing the stuntman to endure falls, impacts, and other dangers without sustaining serious injuries.

4. Spatial awareness: A keen sense of space and surroundings, allowing actors to navigate sets and interact with props with precision and confidence.

5. Danger sense: The ability to instinctively sense imminent threats or danger, giving the stuntman heightened awareness and reaction time to avoid harm during stunts and performances…. Wow!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Lucian puffed his chest with pride and rubbed his nose with his index finger smugly. "I'm great, aren't I? Tell me I am."

"You're amazing," Annabeth muttered.

Lucian just waved her off still looking proud. "Oh, stop it, you. You're only saying it."

"Don't make me take it back," she said with a deadpan expression.

"Sorry," Lucian said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.

Annabeth then sighed. "I don't want to sound needy or anything, but no matter how I think about it, I can't think about any other way to ask you, so here it goes. When do I get my own stuntman potion?"

"You don't," Lucian said, shaking his head.

Annabeth didn't say anything and waited for Lucian to continue as she knew he liked to leave people in anticipation before proceeding with his sentence.

Seeing that he wasn't getting a reaction from her, he clicked his tongue before sighing and continuing, "You and I are different people. When I look at all of these sequences and what follows, I just know these were made for me specifically, so I doubt you'll really get far with these."

Lucian saw her expression slowly turning downcasted, causing him to softly sigh with a smile and shake his head.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed her head reassuringly. "Relax, will you? I'll do another seer ritual, just for you specifically."

"Really?" Annabeth asked with expectation. Although she knew she had no right and Lucian shouldn't have any reason to do this for her, she really wanted this. Seeing Lucian get stronger and stronger while she stayed the same made her slowly start feeling like maybe she wasn't worthy of Lucian.

So even if it's with Lucian's help, if she's able to catch up or at least not be that far away from him, then it would all be worth it. She wanted to support him; she wanted to help accomplish his dream, and getting stronger was the only way to help.

Before Lucian had a chance to reassure her once more, they heard a commotion outside, on the surface.

"LUCIAN BLACKHEART, I, HERMES, MESSENGER OF THE GODS, HAVE COME TO RETRIEVE YOU. YOU ARE BEING SUMMONED BY LORD ZEUS HIMSELF TO MOUNT OLYMPUS."

Annabeth and Lucian looked at each other with widening eyes, 'THEY CAME TO FIND ME FOR KISSING A MINOR, OFFICER, I'M INNOCENT I SWEAR, SHE LIED ABOUT HER AGE! IT WAS DONE AGAINST MY WILL LORD ZEUS!!'

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A/N: For Annabeth, should I have her go through the White Tower sequence/Pathway, which ultimately ends with her being the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, or create a new one just for her like I did with Lucian?