The road stretched empty before them, cracked and shimmering under the summer sun.
Lucas stood beside the asphalt, holding a single golden drachma between his fingers. He had won a pouch of drachmas months ago during a game of cards Luke hosted in the Hermes Cabin.
He tossed the coin onto the road, calling out:
"Stêthi, Ô hárma diabolês!"
The drachma shimmered. Then it melted, seeping into the pavement like gold ink spilling into stone.
Moments later, a battered taxi, looking like it was made of smoke, rose from where the drachma disappeared.
Inside, three ancient women squabbled over a single, cloudy eye, snatching it back and forth with bony hands.
"Well?" rasped one, her mouth missing most of its teeth."Get in, get in! We don't wait forever!" barked the second."You called, you pay!" cackled the third, reaching blindly into the air.
Lucas smirked and helped Elizabeth into the cab first, then slid in beside her.
"Keeseville, New York," he said clearly. "Northbound. Fast as you can without killing us."
One of the sisters jammed the eye into her socket and squinted at him. "Keeseville, eh? Fancy spot."
The taxi roared off with a lurch, sending Lucas slamming into the torn vinyl seat.
Elizabeth clutched the door handle, already secured by a belt, or more accurately, a rusted chain, muttering, "I swear if this cab flips, I'm blaming you."
Lucas just laughed.
As the city blurred past, he leaned forward, curiosity getting the better of him.
"So, may I ask your names?"
The sisters exchanged glances, or would have, if two of them had eyes.
"I am Tempest" The first one said, biting upon the golden drachma used to summon them.
"Wasp - LEFT!" Introduced the only sister with an eye, guiding the driver.
"Anger" The final sister spoke, swerving the taxi around a pothole.
Anger turned to her side shouting "Give me the tooth, it's my turn"
Lucas laughed, he had heard experiences with the gray sisters during his stay at camp but meeting them was truly worth it.
"You three have been around a long time, right?" he asked.
"Longer than memory," Tempest said, puffing her chest proudly.
"Longer than stone," said Wasp.
"Longer than the gods" finished Anger with a wheezing laugh.
"RIGHT! RIGHT! Keep an eye on the road you bat!" Wasp cried out as the taxi nearly hit a pedestrian.
"Give me the eye then!" Anger retorted, swerving.
Lucas leaned back in his seat, watching the road stretch out before them.
...
Lucas stood in the center of Keeseville, a few drachmas lighter.
Elizabeth shoved her hands in her pockets, eyeing the rows of houses stretching away from the main street.
"So," she said, tilting her head, "how do you plan to find a single kid in all this?"
Lucas only smiled.
From inside his jacket, he pulled out a small, hand-held mirror. Its surface was a little scratched.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "A mirror?"
He nodded and knelt on the ground, holding the mirror carefully in both hands, breathing on it. Closing his eyes, Lucas let the words rise to his lips the same ones he had spoken years ago in New Orleans.
"Ostendere Linea."
Seven times over.
The Mist stirred faintly. The mirror's surface rippled once, twice, then cleared.
An image flickered into view: a modest white house on a side street, porch light flickering against the gathering dusk. Inside, a small boy sat curled up on a couch, beneath a threadbare blanket. The mirror shifted showing the name of the street.
Lucas smiled to himself, a quiet satisfaction filling his chest.
"Got him," he said, standing up.
Elizabeth peered into the mirror and nodded.
"So what now?" She gave a pointed nod towards the night sky "Not exactly visiting hours"
Lucas considered it. Night was comfortable for him, a child of Hecate, but mortals might not be so welcoming to strangers after dark.
"Fine. I recall seeing a hostel a few blocks back the way we came, we'll stay there for the night and visit in the morning."
Lucas tucked the mirror away. The streetlamps buzzing to life around them.
A few blocks away, they found a run-down hostel with a neon sign barely hanging on by its last bulb. The clerk barely glanced up as Lucas paid for a room with double beds.
When the moon finally slipped behind the clouds, Lucas allowed himself to close his eyes and drift into sleep.
The next morning brought gray clouds hanging low over Keeseville.
Lucas and Elizabeth made their way through the quiet streets until they stood before the modest white house he had seen in the mirror. A bike leaned against the porch, and the scent of cut grass lingered in the air.
Lucas raised his hand and knocked.
A few moments later, the door opened.
The man who stood there was taller than Lucas expected, with short brown hair just beginning to silver at the temples. His sharp green eyes studied them both, assessing rather than welcoming.
"Morning," he said carefully. "Can I help you?"
Lucas smiled, easy but not too familiar. "Good morning, sir. My name is Lucas. This is Elizabeth. We were hoping to speak with you, Mr. Torrington, right?"
"How do you know my name?"
Lucas hesitated only briefly.
"It's best we discuss inside, it's related to your son's mother..."
Mr. Torrington's gaze sharpened, suspicion flickering for just a heartbeat. But he did not slam the door. He stepped back, opening the door wider.
"Come in," he said. "But be clear. I don't tolerate nonsense."
Elizabeth shot Lucas a look as they entered; something between this was a bad idea and I hope you have a plan.
Lucas just smiled, stepping into the Torrington home.
They entered the living room Lucas had glimpsed through his mirror. It was small but clean, the furniture worn but cared for. Sitting curled on a battered couch, a young boy, Alabaster looked up from his homework, peering at the strangers who had interrupted his morning.
Lucas met the boy's eyes and gave a small, respectful nod before settling into a chair opposite him.
Elizabeth moved instinctively, taking a seat near Lucas, while Mr. Torrington remained by the boy's side, settling beside his son with a protective stiffness.
For a moment, no one spoke. Only the soft ticking of a clock on the wall broke the silence.
Lucas folded his hands loosely in his lap.
"I know this is sudden," he said calmly, "but we're here because someone very important to Alabaster's life sent us. Someone who... could not be here herself."
Mr. Torrington's brow furrowed.
"First, let me do this" With those words Lucas controlled the mist to clear, allowing Mr Torrington and Alabaster to see Elizabeth's true form.
Mr. Torrington stiffened.
And Alabaster, just stared, wonder flickering across his face.
"Whaa...aat is that?" Mr. Torrington stammered, forcing the words out.
"This is Elizabeth," he said softly. "An Empousa"
The word seemed to hang heavy in the room.
Mr. Torrington swallowed, gathering himself. His mind worked quickly, visibly assembling the facts in front of him.
"Magic?" he asked at last, the word tasting foreign and strange on his tongue.
Lucas nodded. "Something like that. Not tricks. Not illusions. Something real."
His mind, sharp and logical, could not deny what he saw.
If there was one thing Mr. Torrington had learned from life, it was how to adapt.
He exhaled slowly. "From what you said when you came here, was she also an Empousa?"
"No, No" Lucas stifled a short laugh. "The mother of Alabaster is Hecate, goddess of magic; creator of the empousa"
Lucas watched them carefully.
It seems allowing him to adapt to Elizabeth meant that he was more open to other information.
With both father and son looking at him for an explanation, Lucas gave them the same speech his father gave him when he was young.
"There are things in this world most people never see," Lucas began. "Most mortals go their whole lives without noticing because the world is wrapped in Mist, a magic that hides the truth."
"You are different, Alabaster.
He glanced at Mr. Torrington, making sure the man understood too.
"Your mother was a goddess, Hecate thus making you a demigod."
This gives you great potential," Lucas said, "but it also makes you a target. Monsters exist, drawn to the blood of gods. You will be hunted. Not now, not yet. Before thirteen, most demigods go unnoticed. But after... you will need to be prepared."
He let the words linger, offering space for them to breathe.
"At that time," Lucas continued, "you will have a choice. If you wish, you can go to a place called Camp Half-Blood. A sanctuary. A training ground. A home, for those like you."
He smiled faintly, a warmth glinting behind the seriousness.
"But we are not here to take you away. Not yet at least."
"I was only asked to find you. To explain. When the time comes I shall return on your thirteenth birthday and safely guide you to camp"
"Why you?" Alabaster seemed to focus on why this stranger was the one to ensure his introduction and even his future safety.
"I too am a child of Hecate," Lucas smiled "Making us half-siblings"