Selenomancy, Percy Jackson

Queen of the chessboard

I headed back to the Apollo cabin, the golden rays of the setting sun casting long shadows across the camp, I couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
Everyone thought I was reluctantly dragged into this quest, another pawn in the gods' endless game.
But the truth? I was the one who had orchestrated this entire scenario.

Sure, Apollo's sun emblem had flashed above my head, and everyone assumed he was my divine parent.
My mother wasn't some god of light and poetry.
No, she was something far older, darker, and infinitely more powerful.
Apollo's claim was just a cover, a necessary deception to keep the truth hidden until the time was right.
Why he played along, I didn't entirely know, but I this wasn't the time to question it.
Not when everything was falling into place so perfectly.

As I entered the Apollo cabin for the first time, its warm golden hues feeling almost mocking, I stood next to an empty bed, the one I supposed I would have occupied had I continued to stay in camp.
The truth about my heritage was a secret I had kept close, even as I manipulated events to bring me closer to this moment.
This quest was a crucial step in my plan—a plan I had been crafting ever since before I ever arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

Will bit his lip, clearly struggling with something he wanted to say. He came closer, clutching a little medical kit. "I, um, made this for you. Just in case you get hurt or something." He thrust the kit into my hands, his cheeks turning pink. "You know, cause quests are dangerous, and you might need it."

I took the kit, feeling a pang of guilt.
Will was too innocent for all of this—too young to understand the full extent of what was really happening. But I couldn't let him see through my facade. "Thanks, Will," I said, smiling softly. "I'll definitely keep this with me."

He nodded, but his frown deepened, his small hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Luna... are you scared?"

His question caught me off guard.
For a moment, I wasn't sure how to respond.
I wasn't scared of the quest itself—I had planned for it, orchestrated it.
But there was fear, deep down, of the unknown, of things spiralling out of my control. But how could I explain that to a ten-year-old?

"A little." I admitted, kneeling down so I was at his eye level.

Will nodded, his expression serious, as if he were processing some big truth.
Then he suddenly brightened, like a switch had flipped. "Dad told me he lost you once and he assured me it wouldn't happen again. You don't have to be scared, nothing is going to happen to you." He continued.
"I can teach you all the best ways to bandage cuts and stuff. You're going to be fine, Luna, I just know it."

"Of course I will." I said with complete confidence.
Apollo was probably lying when he said that to Will.
A white lie to probably console a little brother who was worried for his supposed older sister.
Still a part of me – the part that my mother had tried so hard to remove – hoped that maybe he meant it, that the guy who took care of me for five years of my life was real, and not just another lie.
I shook those thought off before they could take hold.

"Just promise me something before you leave, okay?"

"That depends, what do you want me to promise?" I asked. "Words have powers, you know that."

"Promise me that you won't forget about the days you spent here." He whispered.
He knew, I realised.
He knew I was planning on going back to the titans, that I wouldn't be back after this quest.

"I promise."
Just as he was about to leave, I spoke again. "Will?"

"Yes." He responded.

"Say goodbye to Nico for me, and make sure he eats his vegetables. If it were up to him that kid would survive on McDonald's." I asked.