Son of Hades (Percy Jackson) Chapter 208: We're Doomed

[Third Person's PoV] 


“However, that should be a lesson for another day. I’m aware of how late it is for you currently,” Medea said with a smile.


“You can’t just dangle the power of a god in front of me and then tell me to forget about it,” Lucian protested, looking taken aback by her sudden backpedal.


Medea rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to be so impatient. We’ll have all the time in the world thanks to the crystal ball. Besides, it seems sleep deprivation is messing with your cognitive abilities. Anything I teach you now would be pointless. So stop being stupid, uncurse yourself, and go to sleep.”


“I’m not being stupid—I’m experimenting,” Lucian said with an air of false wisdom.


Medea looked at him flatly. “No, you’re being stupid. I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to understand the power of curses, but there are better ways to do that than experimenting on yourself. Go grab someone else and try it on them. There’s no need to play guinea pig.”


“The way you casually suggest grabbing someone for experiments really reminds me why people call you a Dark Witch,” Lucian scoffed.


Medea flipped her hair dramatically, her head held high. “Hmph, morality is just an excuse to explain weakness. Couldn’t be me.”


Lucian chuckled and shook his head. He knew very well that his mother meant every word she said.


Medea pointed a finger at him. “Now do as I say. I’m ordering you as your mother. You’re doing more harm than good. What’s the point of studying if you’re too stupid to understand what you learn? That’s just… well, stupid.”


“Alright, alright, I’ll uncurse myself,” Lucian muttered, rolling his eyes.


Medea nodded approvingly. “Good. Now I’m leaving you to rest.” She puckered her lips, making exaggerated kissing noises. “Goodnight, Lucy. Love you~”


Lucian turned bright red. Even though no one was around to see it, he still felt deeply embarrassed. He muttered something under his breath.


Medea leaned in, tapping her earlobe theatrically. “What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you. The link must be acting up. Speak louder.”


“I said I love you too,” Lucian mumbled, turning away as heat rose to his cheeks.


Medea smiled warmly. “So cute~” she muttered adoringly before ending the call.


Lucian let out a heavy sigh to calm himself. “She always knows how to embarrass me,” he muttered.


He then pinched his forefinger and thumb to his temple, carefully dragging out a thin black thread. His eyes twitched slightly, but when he finally extracted the cursed string, he sighed in relief, his mind instantly clearer. The black thread dissolved into wisps as he released it, and he shook his head, adjusting to the newfound clarity.


Just as he was about to settle in, his crystal ball began to hum again.


“Did she forget something?” Lucian muttered, swiping his hand to answer the call.


To his surprise, it wasn’t Medea. Instead, the heads of three figures appeared in the crystal ball. He blinked rapidly, making sure he wasn’t hallucinating—it was the Fates. Clotho beamed at him with her usual cheerfulness, Lachesis offered a normal graceful smile, and even the cold Atropos seemed to wear a subtle smile on her otherwise expressionless face.


“Huh? Why are you guys calling me?” Lucian asked, raising an eyebrow. “I won’t even bother asking how you managed to get in contact with me in the first place.”


“Well, duh! We wanted to talk to you, silly~” Clotho chirped, her grin wide and mischievous.


Lucian sighed, rubbing his temples. “I was literally on my way to see you. You know, go to sleep and meet you three in my dreams and all.”


Clotho pouted at Lucian. “Well, for one, you missed a couple of meetings due to your curse, so we couldn’t meet over the weekends. And not to mention, there are still a few minutes left until your birthday officially ends. We at least wanted to be the last ones to wish you a happy birthday.”


“Well, I appreciate the gesture,” Lucian replied politely, thanking them for their well wishes.


“Congratulations on surviving for 13 years…” Atropos said ominously.


Both of her sisters turned to stare at her, their expressions caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief.


“Yeah, well, thanks for not cutting my string,” Lucian quipped sarcastically, his amusement evident.


“There have been a few close calls,” Atropos retorted with a straight face.


“She’s right, you know,” Lachesis added, her silver hair tied in a long braid. “You’ve had a few near misses. Try and live a long life, hmm?” She gave him a playful wink.


Lucian glanced at the time, noting it was now 12:01 AM. His birthday had officially passed. He let out a yawn before leveling a glare at them.


“By the way, whose idea was it? Who thought it would be funny to send me to school?”

Both Clotho and Atropos immediately turned their gazes toward Lachesis, who glared back at them for selling her out so quickly.


“I merely plan the birth of a new life. I am the Fate of new beginnings,” Clotho said, her tone overly mystical.


“It is not in my jurisdiction to decide how someone’s life unfolds. I only determine when to end it,” Atropos added with a shrug.


“That’s your job, thus your fault,” both Clotho and Atropos said in unison, pointing accusatory fingers at Lachesis, who was now feeling the full weight of Lucian’s glare.


“Traitorous bitches,” Lachesis muttered under her breath before clearing her throat. “Fine. I’ll explain myself. I wanted a jock.”


“What?!” Lucian exclaimed, utterly floored by her confession.


Lachesis shrugged, sticking her tongue out playfully as if to say, Don’t blame me.


“DON’T TRY TO ACT CUTE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU WANTED A JOCK?!” Lucian shouted, his disbelief turning into pure frustration.


Lachesis twirled the tip of her braid with a finger. “Well… you know those clichés in books or dramas? The super popular school jock notices the awkward, nerdy girl with glasses who’s completely invisible to everyone else…”


Lucian looked as though he was on the verge of a breakdown. He slumped forward on his desk, burying his head in his hands.


“Oh my gods… I’m being sent to school because a goddess is horny for a high school romance trope. Just kill me now. What has my life come to?”


Atropos raised her hand slightly, her expression deadpan. “I’m more into the nerdy kind, if that makes you feel any better. You know, the shy boy who gets dominated by a strong female lead.”


“HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER?!” Lucian yelled, his voice rising with every word. “IN WHAT WORLD DOES THAT HELP?!”


“Oooh! Oooh!” Clotho waved her hand excitedly like a student eager to answer a question. “I like teacher-student forbidden romance! I just love the power dynamic!”


Lucian slumped lifelessly in his chair, his arms dangling at his sides, his eyes hollow. “We’re doomed… This entire world is doomed. Our fate is controlled by three horny goddesses who can’t keep their fantasies in check.”