𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, l. castellan

𝟎𝟎𝟓. the art of seduction

DOOMSDAY

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SEDUCTION WILL GET you anything and anyone you want. That's what Valeria learned from a young age— long before she'd even been claimed. Before she'd become a demigod.

Yet here she is, standing in front of Mr. D and Chiron in the Big House, drenched in salt water with a towel wrapped around her shoulders, knowing that neither her beauty nor seduction can get her out of this mess. Camryn and Amara stand beside her, the Demeter girl having slumped shoulders and an ashamed expression, while Camryn shows a bored look on her face.

Chiron clears his throat. "You girls know that you are not meant to be out of your cabins at this time of night. Correct?"

"Yes, sir," they answer in unison.

"You're lucky the harpies hadn't heard you tonight, otherwise this would be a much different conversation."

Mr. D makes a humming noise as he sits in the chair behind his desk. "Well, there wouldn't be anything left of them to talk—"

"Dionysus."

The god mumbles something under his breath before shutting his mouth, waving a careless hand for Chiron to continue with his lecture. The three half-bloods share odd looks between themselves, despite being accustomed to Mr. D's negligent behavior towards his campers.

For the first year she'd been at camp, Mr. D supposedly couldn't manage to remember Valeria's name, as he kept calling her Violet or Victoria. Apparently, this happened with many others when they'd arrived, which has led people wonder if he's somehow found a way to drink alcohol regardless of his curse from Zeus (though Valeria doubts it).

Chiron stares blankly at the man before averting his eyes back to the girls. "You all will face light punishments for sneaking out of your cabins come the morning. Understood?"

They nod.

"Good. Starting at eleven o'clock, Amara will give lessons on winged horseback riding with the rest of her siblings; Camryn shall teach archery to the newcomers and young campers; and Valeria, you'll be assisting the Hermes Cabin in demonstrating battle techniques in the afternoon. Your punishments will last one week only."

While Amara acknowledges her assignment with an apologetic look, Camryn smacks her palms over her face to stifle the groans of exasperation that erupt from her mouth. Valeria has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing, knowing that Camryn has received the longest and most draining task out of the three of them.

Then Valeria begins to think over her own punishment. Luke, along with other members from Cabin Ten, has told her numerous times about how frustrating the younger demigods can be during these lessons. She's always said that he must be exaggerating the hours where he's forced to instruct them, but she's never actually witnessed the events herself.

Every time Luke has tried to bring her with him to the lessons, Valeria has conveniently found something more interesting to occupy her until he's done teaching. She finds it hard to believe that his trainees could truly be so difficult.

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"You have the patience of a saint," Valeria says to Luke. He leans down to level his ear to her lips, the shouts and whines from the demigods around them echoing through the air. "How do you do this every day?"