Chapter 28 - A Peak Behind the Curtain

Lucas didn't care much for the crowd, he had someplace else to be instead of joining the festivities.

The warmth hit him before he even saw her.

The hearth sat in its usual place, a small, flickering fire that never died. Smoke curled lazily into the morning light, and beside it, as always, she waited.

Hestia sat on the smooth logs beside it, like she had never moved, her gaze on the flame.

She didn't turn when he approached.

"You came back," she said simply.

Lucas nodded and took a seat across from her.

"I said I would."

She didn't smile, but something softened in her shoulders. They sat in silence for a moment. Not uncomfortable, just still.

"It was a good strategy," Hestia said at last, breaking the silence.

Lucas smiled faintly. "It wasn't a strategy. Not really."

"Oh?" Her head tilted.

"It was just how I see the world."

Now she turned to him, curious.

Lucas looked into the fire. "One side had the strong, the cabins that always get picked first. The ones the camp counts on. The other side? The misfits. The ones no one expects anything from. The ones whose only desire is to not be taken for granted."

"And you gave them a victory."

"No, I gave them an identity. They just wanted them to be taken seriously. For recognition."

Hestia's brow tightened. She caught on to what he was saying, or more exactly what he wasn't saying. Her tone shifted, becoming more defensive, proud.

"Olympus brought peace, Lucas. Order. You weren't there when the Titans ruled. You never saw what came before. Olympus saved the world from chaos."

"I don't disagree," Lucas said. "But what the gods replaced the Titans with… wasn't justice. It was just a new version of power."

Her frown deepened.

Lucas didn't push. He let the Mist rise instead.

A flick of his fingers and smoke from the hearth thickened.

First illusion: Lamia, cradling her dead children in a crumbled palace, eyes hollow. The sound of her scream filled the space between them as she gradually turned into a monster.

Second illusion: Medusa, trembling in Athena's temple, Poseidon's form vanishing into the shadows. Then her curse, the transformation into the Gorgon.

Each vanished as quickly as they appeared

Hestia didn't flinch. Not outwardly. But Lucas saw the flicker, the slight draw of her breath, the tightening in her jaw. She felt it. He knew.

"You're very good at illusions," she said quietly. "Must be easy for you. Deceiving others."

Lucas' smile faded.

"I've never forced my thoughts onto anyone. I've avoided it as best I can. Because sometimes…" His eyes met hers. "...ignorance really is bliss."

He paused.

"But you… you've mastered the greatest illusion of all. You deceived even yourself."

Hestia blinked, expression unreadable.

"You believe Olympus is better than the Titans but let me ask you this. Why take a vow of maidenhood? Why did you step down from your own throne? Why did you leave Olympus and come here?"

Hestia's gaze narrowed.

"I vowed maidenhood because I saw what Kronos did to my mother and my siblings, I desired no part in experiencing such things again. I saw how power twisted the Titans, so when I saw signs of that with the appointment of Zeus' child, I sacrificed my seat to give Olympus and the world stability."

"You stepped down," Lucas said softly, "because you knew the truth."

"Which is?"

"That Olympus is no different than what it replaced."

A long silence.

Lucas continued, voice low, steady.

"You call yourself the goddess of the hearth. Of family. But who visits you? Who fought for you to stay when you gave up your throne? Who mourned when you vanished?"

He let the words hang.

"No one did. Why do you stay at Camp and not at Olympus? You understand that place isn't a home, it's a monument of corruption and pride."

Her fingers trembled slightly, the only sign she was listening.

"You made your vow because you feared what the gods like Poseidon would do if you didn't, when Zeus' gaze finally fell upon you. Because they are worse than the monsters you claim to protect us from."

Still, she said nothing.

Lucas stood.

"You deceive yourself because you believe it is your duty as the goddess of family to be loyal to them, but from what I have experienced sometimes family isn't bound by blood. Luke. Thalia. Annabeth. Me. We didn't need blood to be family. We had fire. Pain. Bonds… Maybe it's time you stopped pretending Olympus is yours."

He turned to leave.

Then paused.

"You were the one who helped give man fire. The one who protected them from the wrath of the divine. You've always been against Olympus. You just haven't admitted it to yourself yet."

He walked away, leaving her in silence.

...

The trail was quiet.

Lucas walked without looking back.

Mr. D stepped from the trees ahead, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with restrained power. The very air shifted around him, sharp, ancient, heavy.

They stood in silence.

Lucas said nothing.

Dionysus' gaze flicked toward the hearth in the distance. His aura dimmed, just slightly. Guilt crossed his face.

Then he looked at Lucas again and the softness vanished.

"I came to thank you," he said, voice flat. "For helping my sons win something for once. But then I heard your little monologue."

Lucas stayed still.

Dionysus sighed, pulled a can from his coat, and cracked it open. "So much drama. You think you're the only one who's seen the cracks?"

"I..."

"No." He raised a hand. "You don't get to speak yet. Because while your illusions were impressive, and your insight painfully on the mark, you were wrong about one thing."

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"Hestia didn't step down to avoid Olympus. She stepped down to give someone else a chance."

He took a drink.

"She stepped down so I could fulfill her hopes of bringing Olympus together, that through my creation of wine the bonds between them will strengthen and they will not become like the Titans."

That stunned Lucas.

Mr. D laughed, low and bitter.

"She thought I could change Olympus. Thought I could bring hope to a place that never knew it. That's why I got the seat, not Heracles for all his strength and his deeds."

Silence lingered.

Lucas was absorbing this information, while Dionysus took a sip from his can.

When Lucas turned his gaze back up to Dionysus they were distant, far-off.

"I once wandered the seas as a young demigod. I heard the cries of a girl abandoned. I found her. Ariadne."

His voice changed, growing distant, reverent.

"I loved her. Heard her story. Understood what the 'hero' Theseus did to her. And I hated them for it. Hated all heroes."

He looked back, eyes sharp again.

"When she died, I went to Hades. Dragged her soul back myself. Made her immortal. Because no one else would."

He drank again.

"Hestia thought that kind of love could fix Olympus. That I could fix it."

Lucas said nothing.

"I failed," Mr. D said simply. "And I drank away the centuries since."

He stepped forward, gaze hardening.

"But when Hestia chose this camp, I couldn't let her be alone. So I pulled strings. Got myself reassigned. Found a reason to stay. Found a reason to watch. To keep the campers from becoming like the monsters we used to call heroes."

He was close now. The air around him crackled.

"And now you."

He pointed at Lucas.

"I'm letting you live. Not because I like you. But because I owe Hecate a favor."

Though inside he knew why he truly spared Lucas: He was like himself.

I remember what it felt like... seeing a broken world and thinking I could fix it. I see that same fire in you. That same pain. That same arrogance.

"But know this." Dionysus leaned down, face inches from his.

"If you ever try to manipulate my sons… or hurt any camper under my care… I will show you what real gods can do."

Then he turned away, paused.

"Fools," he muttered. "Always gather the stupidest friends."

He disappeared in a blink leaving a lingering scent of grapes in his wake.

Lucas blinked.

Then turned his head.

Behind the tree line, half-shadowed, stood Luke.

Quiet. Still.

Watching.