A Hero's Tears

Christmas Comes Late

Luke marveled at the stores before him. He and Percy were in the center of the Omega of shops, each looking as enticing as the last.

On the left side, there was a gag shop run by some of Luke's very own siblings called "Half-Blood High Jinks". Next to that, there was an armoury and 'other' shop called, well, "Arms, Armour, and Other". Then, there's a huge store called "Mythical Menagerie". Above that, there's a clothing shop called "Aphrodite Apparel and Appearance", and above that one is the general Camp Store.

On the right side, there was a grand Greek building simply labeled 'Bank', with a stable house to it's right that read "Pegasus Express". Above the bank was a simple-looking building with a sign that read "Biblio-Paradise". Another building up is a sweet shop called "Demigod Delights", which is under the coffee shop, which is next to the Camp Store.

The pair first enter "Arms, Armour, and Other" in search for a suitable weapon for Luke. They're greeted by a twenty year old Latino boy with wild hair, slightly Elvish features, and a shirt that was seemingly dumped in grease or oil.

"Hola and welcome to Arms Armour and Other," the boy said. "We've got your every need from laser pointers for your pet, to actual deadly Light Sabers. How can I help you, today?"

"Concealable weapons and armour?" Luke asks.

"Do you mean 'palm-of-your-hand-sized pistol', concealable, or 'pen-that's-actually-a-sword', concealable?"

"Sword."

"Follow me," he says, before walking away.

"So who makes all this stuff?" Luke asks, noting a miniature helicopter that doesn't seem to have any controller whatsoever.

"I do," the greeter says. "Well, some of it, anyway. My siblings at the Haephestus cabin help out, and they get a portion of what I make. Leo Valdez, by the way."

"So you're the kid who got himself dead and back again?"

"You're one to talk, if what I've heard is true," Leo replies with a smirk. "To your left is all of my concealed weapons."

On Luke's left, there's a huge shelf with meticulously organized boxes. There are general labels, such as "Swords" or "Axes" over large sections. These sections are organized by type of metal, such as Celestial Bronze or Orthyric Silver. These are then separated by classification of sword, such as katana or xiphos. These are then organized into different concealed forms, which are then organized into uniform sizes, like three foot full extension or five foot full form.

"Browse to your heart's content, and feel free to pull them out and test them. I'll be up front if you need anything," Leo says, before walking away.

Luke was looking and saw tons of different forms. It looked like there was everything from pens to hairpins.

He saw a pure black pen under the "Katana" section, and decided to give it a go. When the sword popped out, Luke noted several things. First, the sword was far too light; he preferred a little weight to his blades. Secondly, the blade was only one-sided, which, while being a defining feature of a katana, was not Luke's favourite. He re-concealed the sword, and put it back.

He also saw a golden pocket knife under the "Xiphos" section. Since the xiphos was the only real blade he's used, he decided to give it a go. When he unfolded it, the Imperial Gold Xiphos smoothly formed into his hand. It was as if the blade was specifically crafted for him. The length was just right, the weight was perfect, and the balance was amazing. He easily re-folded it back into a pocket knife. He was about to go back to Leo to find armour, when a flash caught his eye.

There was a silver ring, alone in it's box. Luke grabbed it curiously. Suddenly, etched into the band of the ring, were words. 'The Silver Crusader'. Luke assumed that was the name of whatever weapon was concealed.