Luke Castellan

This day started with a routine. Helios generously flooded everything with its scorching light, which made running with the nymphs exhausting. Luke stood in the shade of a cypress tree, watching as the half-breeds, panting and stumbling, tried to keep up with the girls, whose backs were already flashing in the distance. His attention was captured by one of the nymph-dryads, who was tinkering with the youngest demigods.

Their eyes met for a second. She lifted her chin and snorted contemptuously, immediately turning away. Luke's heart was especially thrilled by this. She despised him, and he knew why.

Luke remembered that day as yesterday. A year ago, he accidentally caught her by the river. Every detail thrilled him: how the light shone through the leaves on her wet back and graceful waist, how the water splashed with ripples when the nymph put down her sandals to the shore, how blissfully she closed her eyes, sailing on. Without hesitation, he grabbed the shoes by the thin straps and, like a true son of Hermes, disappeared without being noticed. She realized who the thief was after she constantly caught his hot glances and smirks. He went unpunished, but he earned her squeamish dislike.

Since then, he had indulged in heated fantasies almost every night about how she would step on him, looking at him as if he were just a pathetic insect. The nymphs took pity on Mr. D.'s charges and sent them to their houses to escape the heat. They themselves disappeared into the forest. Luke followed them stealthily. Today, he was going to act and finally make his ardent fantasies come true. The dryad successfully broke away from her sisters, examining a tree covered with a strange mold. Luke abruptly grabbed her by the neck, and before she could even get scared, she lost consciousness. She woke up in an old camp warehouse that smelled of old paint. The nymph was lying on her back on a dusty mattress. There was a bronze dagger next to her, which made the urge to resist disappear instantly. Luke was sitting at her feet, unbuttoning his pants.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt..."