Chapter 223: Tears

[Third Person's PoV] 

"I– Uh… I'm–" Lucian stammered, a bit freaked out that he had actually made Thalia cry. "I didn't mean to…"

Thalia's face turned bright red as she quickly spun around, furiously wiping at her eyes. "SHUT UP! You didn't see anything!" she snapped.

Lucian stared at her, incredulous. "You can't seriously expect me to ignore that!?"

"That's exactly what I expect you to do!!" she shouted back.

Lucian groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I'm your boyfriend! What kind of shitty boyfriend would I be if I just made my girl cry and pretended it didn't happen? I can't just ignore it!" He dismounted Sebastián, stepping closer.

"I SAID I WASN'T CRYING!" she barked, glaring at him with watery eyes.

Lucian softened his tone. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm not going to judge you or think less of you just because you shed a few tears." He tried to sound reassuring, but inside, he was still freaking out.

Thalia, however, turned into a streak of lightning, leaping into the air. She spun midair and dropped down with a vicious axe kick.

Lucian's instincts kicked in. He threw up his arms, blocking the blow as his spear drill clattered to the ground. "What the hell is the matter with you all of a sudden?!"

"I WASN'T! SHEDDING! ANY! TEARS!!" Thalia roared, pressing down harder with her leg.

The ground beneath them cracked, sending rubble flying into the air.

Lucian gritted his teeth and shifted into a horse stance before thrusting her leg upward, sending her flipping through the air. The moment she landed, she snapped into a roundhouse kick.

Lucian barely ducked in time. "Woman! What is your problem?! Are you on your period or something!?"

Thalia's eyes darkened. "Lucian. I'm going to fucking kill you."

She planted her hands on the ground and spun, her legs lashing out in rapid, vicious arcs, sending slashes of air toward him.

Lucian twisted and dodged, his body bending at impossible angles to evade her attacks. "Seriously, all I said was that I was proud—"

Thalia lunged, but Lucian tackled her mid-charge, and they tumbled to the ground, rolling and grappling for dominance. They twisted, trying to pin each other down, but Lucian finally overpowered her, locking her hands to the ground. Their fingers interlocked as they struggled against each other.

Lucian tightened his grip, forcing her hands down to her sides. "You crazy bitch! Was this because I told you I was proud of you?! Is that the first time anyone's ever said they were proud of you?!"

Thalia's struggles faltered for a fraction of a second before she thrashed against him again. "YES! ALRIGHT!?" she screeched, her voice cracking. "You said you were proud of me, and I— I started crying like a little baby! There! Are you happy now?!"

Lucian's eyes widened in realization before his expression shifted completely. "My god."

Thalia turned her head away, embarrassed. "Don't—"

"Can you be any cuter?!"

Thalia froze. "…What?"

Lucian scoffed in amusement. "You seriously have no idea how adorable you're being right now."

Her head snapped back toward him, her face heating up. "Are you seriously mocking me right now?" she growled, thrashing again.

Lucian only grinned. "No, I'm dead serious."

Then, before she could protest, he leaned down and kissed her—catching her completely off guard.

Thalia blinked for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes. "Lucian… I swear to all the gods, if you mention this to anyone, I will personally kill you."

Lucian smirked. "Sure, sure, it'll just be our little—PTZZZZZ!"

Before he could finish, Thalia sent a sharp jolt of electricity through him. His muscles tensed, his body twitching from the shock, but he stubbornly held on, managing a strained grin.

"Even when throwing a tantrum, you're adorable," he said through gritted teeth.

Thalia tried to headbutt him, but Lucian jumped back just in time. Faint static crackled over his skin, and he winced, keeping one eye closed.

"Alright, alright, I get it—I'm doing too much."

Then, with a more sincere smile, he looked at her. "Just so we're clear, I'll keep saying I'm proud of you until you're sick of hearing it. Everyone deserves someone who's proud of them. And since you don't have that someone, I'll be that someone for you."

Thalia scoffed, crossing her arms. "I'm already sick of hearing it."

But then, in a flash of lightning, she appeared beside him, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "But… thanks. I appreciate it."

She didn't give him a chance to reply. Instead, she clenched her fist, and wind began to swirl around it. In seconds, a spiraling vortex encased her hand—[Tornado Fist].

Lucian barely had time to react before Thalia lunged. With a quick motion, he outstretched his arm, and his spear shot from the ground into his grip. He spun it in front of him, blocking her punch just as she struck. The impact rang through the air like a bell.

But despite the sheer force behind her attack, Lucian didn't budge an inch.

Thalia didn't let up. She launched a flurry of rapid punches, each one infused with wind, but Lucian skillfully twisted and twirled his spear, intercepting every blow. Sparks of wind and metal clashed between them.

Then, in a calculated move, Lucian dissolved the drill from his spear. Scraps of metal clattered to the ground as he lunged, thrusting the weapon straight toward Thalia's face.

Thalia barely leaned back in time, the tip of the spear passing just centimeters from her eyes.

Lucian twisted the weapon in one hand, angling the spearhead upward and the shaft downward. With both hands, he brought it down hard—slamming the blunt end into Thalia's stomach and sending her crashing onto her back.

He stepped forward, pressing the spear against her as she gritted her teeth. "Sorry, even though I feel bad for earlier, I still can't let you win. I have a reputation to uphold. I'm sure you understand."

Thalia smirked, gripping the pole of his spear. "I'd be pissed if you went easy on me. So I'm glad you didn't."

A sudden gust of wind kicked up, and in mere seconds, dust, debris, and rocks lifted off the ground, swirling violently around them. The cyclone intensified, trapping them both in the storm.

Thalia's grin widened as she locked eyes with Lucian. "But don't think that just because I'm down, it's over! I learned that best from you!" she shouted over the howling winds.

…

Meanwhile, far from the chaos of Lucian and Thalia's battle, Bianca and Nico rendezvoused with Lucian's forces and Thalia's forces in a separate area. Over time, it had become an unspoken rule: never stay too close when those two fought unless you wanted to get caught in the crossfire.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Nico and Bianca slipped into the shadows.

They emerged in different spots—Bianca appeared just beneath a tree branch, while Nico rolled out of the darkness beside a rock.

Bianca immediately grabbed the branch, exhaling in relief before pulling herself up. "We still need practice…"

Meanwhile, Nico groaned as he slammed into a tree. He rubbed the back of his head, then glanced up at Bianca. "You remember the plan, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. You charge ahead toward the ones guarding the flag while I provide hidden support. When the moment is right, one of us shadow-travels straight to the flag."

Nico grinned. "Good. Then let's go take that flag."

As he marched forward, Bianca moved swiftly through the trees, leaping from branch to branch.

Suddenly, she whispered urgently, "Nico! Up ahead!"

Nico ducked behind a tree and peered out. A group of campers—mostly from the Ares Cabin—stood guard around the flag.

Bianca's voice was quiet but sharp. "Looks like they've taken a defensive approach."

Nico narrowed his eyes, spotting Clarisse among the defenders. "Which means… they left capturing the flag entirely up to Percy."

His smirk grew. "Perfect."

********************************************

+10 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3