Lucas sat alone beneath one of the stone arches lining the hearth plaza, a book of ancient charms balanced across his knee, which Hecate had given to him to further his knowledge.
He had rested in the Hecate cabin and must admit that it was truly comfortable, much better than the camping he was used to. With the morning sun lighting the place, the sounds of construction now came only from the outer reaches, where the cabins were built and the training facilities were underway. The central grounds had quieted, just the occasional flutter of wings overhead breaking the isolation Lucas was in. For once, he had no task, allowed to do his own thing. And that alone felt strange.
"You still have your nose in a book, nerd?"
Lucas turned. A familiar voice, playful and half-sarcastic. Elizabeth.
She stood at the base of the arch, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, Fiery hair gathered loosely at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were sharp, but the smirk on her lips was soft.
Lucas grinned. "You're back."
He stood, meeting her halfway, and embraced her. The hug was brief but solid.
"So," he asked, pulling back and returning to his seat, "what've you been doing all this time? I haven't been able to contact you."
Elizabeth sighed, dramatically, collapsing beside Lucas, head resting on his shoulder. "Babysitting."
Lucas blinked, not knowing what to say.
"The polecat and the hound," she clarified, rolling her eyes. "Hecate's two beloved monstrosities. One's an overly curious furball that keeps vanishing, causing me to hunt her down, and the other..." she lowered her voice, brow furrowed, "the other sulks. Sulks like a depressed emo. Who would have thought a melodramatic hound could be so much effort?"
Lucas tried not to laugh but failed. "And here I thought you'd be off acting as Hecate's enforcer or manipulating cults from the shadows."
"I wish. Honestly, the polecat is more dangerous than most monsters. It chewed through a bag of indestructible-enchanted pearls. I'm still finding bits of residue in my coat where they were."
She finally smiled, though, and her weight shifted more comfortably as they sat on the edge of the hearth together. After a while, she asked, "And you? What have you been doing since I left?"
Lucas hesitated, then shrugged. "Travelled a lot. Survived some monsters and made some friends. Decided I would do something right and build this place."
Elizabeth looked around admiring his efforts before looking at him longer than necessary, her smile fading. "You haven't changed."
He blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You still put everything on your shoulders. Even when you were younger, you never slowed down." Elizabeth looked at him with sadness, "Always working towards an invisible goal, either learning or training. You never truly understood what it was to be a child. I saw you could truly see the world for what it was, but I think you forgot that seeing everything has made you forget how to be in it."
Lucas didn't answer. He thought of it then, how much had passed without him ever truly stopping. After leaving New Orleans, he never returned to school. Not properly. His memory was strong enough, aided by the occasional book and Annabeth's steady guidance, but he never learned how to socialise or just be.
He didn't explore hobbies or indulge in wasteful activities; he remembered watching campers laugh over burnt marshmallows or argue over songs while he sat there, watching and indulging in his thoughts instead of living in the moment.
Lucas had always been moving forward like something invisible was pushing him, never taking the time just to have fun. He didn't resent it. But now, with the world briefly quiet... he didn't know how to begin being anything else.
"You're right," he said softly, "I was so focused on other things, I have ignored myself. I intend for this place to be a home, where all can have the opportunity for safety, hope, and family, where one can train to be better without sacrificing their own joy. But I never included myself in that."
Elizabeth glanced at him. "Then take a week for yourself."
He turned.
"Seriously," she said. "The camp's running. Tekto and the others don't need you for every detail. So go. Figure out what you like, indulge in yourself for a moment, while you have the chance."
Lucas opened his mouth, then closed it again. She wasn't wrong.
"Where would I even start?"
Elizabeth grinned, nudging him with her shoulder. "That's the fun part. Besides, I volunteer as a terrible influence. Let me tag along."
He chuckled, "Alright, you got yourself another babysitting gig," he said. "One week. Just us, no training, no learning, no problems. Just a mortal enjoying his youth."
Elizabeth smiled, jumping up from her seat. "Let's go, I have an idea of what we should do first."