Chapter 86

[Third Person's PoV]

The face in the sand chuckled upon hearing that. "Who would have thought I would ever hear the day someone would call me their grandfather? You can call me whatever pleases you."

Lucian looked at the face for a moment. "So, what do you want, Kronos?"

The face chuckled again, finding Lucian amusing. "You and I are the same, you know. I can sense it. There's a strong dislike towards the gods deep within you."

Lucian continued to look down.

"How long do you think you'll last?" Kronos asked, smiling.

"What?"

"How long do you think the gods will keep you alive? They aren't fools, you know. They recognize your potential. How long until they grow fearful of that potential and send for your execution?"

Seeing that Lucian wasn't answering, Kronos continued, "So, why don't we work together? Let us strike first. By combining our power, we could become unstoppable."

Lucian looked around. "Does this place have a mirror?" he asked Kronos.

Kronos looked at Lucian in confusion. "What?"

"I'm trying to see how foolish I look to you, that you think I can be so easily manipulated. Is it my age that's doing it?"

Kronos' expression contorted into anger, but he held himself back. "Do you think I'm lying to you, boy? The gods won't just sit still and watch you grow stronger."

"You don't think I don't know that? I'm already aware," Lucian said, looking at Kronos with a raised eyebrow.

The sand face scoffed. "And do you truly believe you'll have a chance to survive? How arrogant do you have to be? That hubris of yours will be the death of you. You are underestimating the gods."

Lucian raised a finger. "First, it's not arrogance; it's confidence. I believe in my abilities to survive, now more than ever. Second, you're absolutely right; I've been underestimating them, but I've had my reality check, so I now know I have to be more careful."

"You are a foolish child. By working together, you have a better chance of survival. You're just a demigod, too weak. But I am not. With me by your side, we can eliminate them."

'I'll give it to him, he sure knows how to take opportunities when he sees them. If I were someone else and just saw the Fates and learned what I just learned, he would have definitely been able to convince me,' Lucian thought.

Lucian smirked and taunted, "If I'm so weak and you're so powerful, how come we need to work together? That great, all-powerful Kronos, the Titan of Time, Evil, and Harvest, couldn't possibly need the help of someone as weak as I, could he?"

The entire area started to shake, and Kronos' sandy face continued to turn angrier, nearing rage.

"I'm only weak now because I'm separated into multiple pieces, but once I'm whole again, I'll be strong enough to deal with all the gods, reclaim my throne, and usher in a Golden Age once more. You can even become my right hand. I could offer you strength, immortality, riches, or women if that's what you prefer."

"I'll give you this; you sure are persistent. But let me ask you this: why should I believe the words of a loser? You were once defeated by the very gods you claim are weaker than you. If you were beaten to this miserable state, needing a mortal's help, what makes you think I would want to team up with you? You're right about one thing; I might be a fool, but an idiot I am not."

"MARK MY WORDS, BOY! WHEN I'M WHOLE AGAIN YOU WILL BE THE FIRST ONE I KILL. I KNOW NOW IT WAS FOOLISH OF ME TO TRY AND HELP YOU."

Kronos was seething with anger; he wanted to yell more obscenities, but he held himself back. He knew he had to think about the future more than his feelings or angry emotions.

"I will forgive your impudent words just this once, boy!" Kronos said. "You are still a child, it seems. I will return when you're older and more mature."

'Yeah, you just said you were going to kill me. Is he stupid or something?' Lucian thought, watching Kronos's face sink into the sand, disappearing.

---

Lucian woke up and looked around, letting out a sigh of relief when he realized it was still nighttime and he could get some more rest.

With that, Lucian closed his eyes and fell asleep.

---

Lucian wasn't the only one receiving visits during his sleep...

Luke looked around in confusion when he found himself in a golden desert.

The sand beneath him started to shift, forming the shape of a face. "It looks like it worked," the face said. "Boy, how would you feel about you and I working together?"

Luke looked at the face in confusion.

The face in the sand smirked. "You and I are one and the same in our dislikes towards the gods…"

---

The next day...

Lucian and Annabeth discussed their plans. Afterward, Annabeth rushed towards Chiron, while Lucian made his way towards Hestia.

"Hey, Auntie," Lucian said, sitting next to the little girl.

Hestia chuckled. "It never fails to amuse me how easily you call me Auntie. So, 'nephew,' hehehe, what do you need?"

"What makes you think I need something? What if I just want to spend my day with my favorite aunt in the whole wide world?" Lucian teased.

Hestia gave him a 'really' look, not losing her amusement.

Lucian scratched his cheeks and looked to the side. "Okay, maybe I do need something," he muttered awkwardly.

Hestia shook her head at Lucian's antics. "Tell me what you need; this Auntie of yours will try to see if I can be of any help," she said teasingly.

"I need your blessing."

Hestia's expression turned serious. "Receiving the blessing of a god is a serious matter. For what reason could you possibly need one?"

Lucian nodded, understanding the gravity of his request. "It's not for me."

"Then who is it for?"

"For everyone here."

Hestia looked at Lucian in confusion. "Please elaborate."

Lucian gestured toward the Hermes cabin. "Tell me, when you look at them, what do you see?"

"Where are you going with this?" Hestia asked, studying Lucian's expression.

"I'll tell you what I see. I see a bunch of kids who feel out of place or like they don't belong. When I look at them, I want to help them. I am destined to remain an outcast, but not them; they don't deserve that.

So, I'm thinking about building them a grand place—a place where they don't feel thrown to the side or discarded. A place where children of gods without cabins and unclaimed children who don't know their parents can feel at home."

As Lucian mentioned the word 'home,' he looked toward Hestia. "And to build a place like that, I need someone's blessing. I need someone to bless the place to give it a feeling of home. Though it might not fix or completely heal the loneliness they feel, it would at least lessen it to a degree."

Hestia smiled softly and reached out to gently caress Lucian's cheek. "You are a very kind child, Lucian. Even if you like to portray yourself as someone psychotic and demented, there's deep kindness hidden within you."

Lucian blushed at being touched and caressed so gently. As Hestia continued, he looked at her with a hurt expression at being called demented.

"That is a very noble thing you're trying to do, Lucian. I would be honored to help you in your endeavors, but would that even be allowed?"

"Annabeth is currently getting permission as we speak," Lucian explained.

Hestia nodded. "I see. If she gets permission, you have my support."

"Thank you, Auntie," Lucian replied with a grateful look and a teasing smirk.

Hestia chuckled and pinched Lucian's cheek. "Anything for this adorable nephew of mine," she teased, causing Lucian to blush again.

After a few minutes of bantering between them, Annabeth appeared with a smile and two thumbs up in the air.