Luke's heart ached. It had been one week since he tried to kill Percy with the scorpion, one week since he revealed he was against the gods, with Kronos. He doubted himself - maybe he made the wrong choice. He remembered Thalia, the day she turned into a tree. That had been the breaking point. He wanted to make sure no one else suffered like him. Maybe if he pretended to talk to Thalia, he'd feel better. He got up, and wrote on a piece of paper. Dear Thalia,

Emil Rivers trusts too easily. His friends always told him that. It was easier that way. Easier to smile, to forgive, to ignore the feeling that people only stayed soft until they had the chance to hurt you. So when Ashton Bennet transfers in-soft-spoken, polite, and effortlessly likable, Emil gets involved. Ash fits in too quickly. Says the right things. Smiles at the right moments. And somehow, every time something goes wrong, he ends up looking like the victim. Emil tells himself nothing is wrong a out that. Just bad timing. Misunderstandings. Coincidences. Bad luck. Still... something feels off. Until Emil was framed as Offender. That's when he knew something was definitely wrong. The only person who doesn't seem fooled is Daemon Harrington-arrogant, sharp-tongued, way too smooth with words, and the last person Emil wants on his side. Daemon sees things other people don't. Unfortunately, he also sees straight through Emil. What begins as reluctant alliances and dangerous curiosity slowly turns into something far worse: late-night tension, quiet obsession, secrets sharp enough to bleed over, and feelings neither of them know how to survive. Unfortunately, he might be the only one who sees things clearly. What starts as reluctant tolerance turns into something far more complicated, as Emil finds himself caught between a growing sense of unease and a boy he swore he'd never get close to. It becomes harder to tell what's real. And by the time the truth shows itself, it might already be too late. Daemon is trying not to become the kind of person who ruins him. And somewhere between manipulation, grief, revenge, and heartbreak, they forget one important thing: The closer you get to the truth, the harder it becomes to escape it. TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ There's gonna be blood. Trauma. Toxicity. Cursing. Smut. Don't Like Don't Read