Percy Jackson: Son of Hades - Prince of the Underworld

[Third Person's PoV] 

"Ow!" Lucian exclaimed, holding the top of his head and wincing as he rubbed the sore spot. "You actually hit me!"

"And I'd do it again if you don't go sit down," Hades scoffed.

Lucian pouted as he walked over and sat next to his mother. "Mother… Father is abusive," he whined, pretending to sniffle.

Medea only smiled and kissed the top of his head. "There, will that make it feel better?"

Bianca observed the scene with a weirded-out expression before glancing at Hades, who looked mentally exhausted.

Meanwhile, Nico simply held a spoon and asked, "Are we going to eat cake now?"

"Yes," Hades replied, encouraging Nico, "the sooner we eat, the sooner Lucian leaves. So don't hesitate—dig in and eat quickly."

Lucian gave him a deadpan look, which made Persephone chuckle as she began cutting the cake. She smiled warmly, appreciating how full of life the table had become, a stark contrast to when it was just her and Hades.

Meanwhile, Medea was instructing Lucian on the crystal ball in front of him. "Right now, it's unresponsive and doesn't have an owner. You need to fill it with your magic until you become its master."

Lucian nodded, placed his hands around the crystal ball, and began feeding it his magic. The ball, initially pitch black, started glowing a dark, ominous red.

"To complete the binding ritual and make it yours, you'll need to add a drop of your blood," Medea said before leaning closer to whisper, "It will adapt to accept your unique abilities."

Lucian nodded, bit his lip until it bled slightly, then wiped the blood with his thumb and smeared it on the crystal ball. The ball absorbed the blood, rippling and morphing in response.

"This is your magical focus," Medea explained. "Some witches use grimoires or wands, but your magic is better suited for a crystal ball."

"Huh?" Lucian asked, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"That grimoire you made—how often do you really use it?" Medea asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lucian scratched his cheek, thinking, 'It's mostly because I didn't want to disrupt my immersion as a knight during my fight with Heracles... But even then, she's right. I barely use it.'

"Different witches need different focuses," Medea continued. "Your magical insight, abnormal intuition, your future vision, and your solar affinity which is closely tied to prophecies—all point to your potential as a Seer Witch. A crystal ball will help you unlock that potential."

"Excuse me," Nico interrupted, raising his hand. "Don't you mean wizard? You keep calling Lucian a witch, but he's a guy."

Medea smiled warmly at Nico, reminded of Lucian's curious younger self. "No, dear," she chuckled. "That's a common misconception. Being a witch isn't a title—it's a race.

"When a girl is born with magical aptitude, she's a witch. When a boy is born with magical aptitude, he's a wizard. However, if a boy is born from a witch, he's also considered a witch. Likewise, a girl born from a wizard is considered a wizard, though often mistaken for a witch and vice versa. Offspring of both a witch and a wizard are called sorcerers. Since Lucian is my child with Hades, he's part witch and part god—"

"WHAT?!" Lucian, Nico, and Bianca exclaimed as Persephone passed them slices of cake, giving Lucian the largest piece.

Medea blinked at Lucian. "Why are you surprised?"

"Because this is the first time I'm hearing about this! Are you saying I'm not human?!" Lucian shouted, holding his head in disbelief.

"Have you seriously never known?" Medea asked, tilting her head.

"My entire worldview is shattered! You never told me that being a witch was a race! I thought it was just a title because I'm your son!?! I mean I understand I'm technically still a demigod since witches are mortal… But T

this wasn't in your book! How was I supposed to know that?!"

"It wasn't?" Medea muttered, looking amused. "Well, to us witches, that's common knowledge. I guess I didn't think to mention it. But wait—did you really believe you were human this whole time? That's hilarious!"

"Uh, if I may ask," Bianca interjected while eating her cake, "what's the difference between a witch and a wizard? Is it just gender?"

Medea shook her head. "No, it's the nature of our magic. Witches excel in enchantments, hexes, potions, and divination. Wizards are better suited for elemental magic, charms, artificing, and are closely tied to nature."

Lucian frowned. "Am I part wizard and part witch, then? Because I can do all of that."

Medea blinked, thought about all of his abilities, then frowned in confusion. "Lucian, what kind of freak are you?"

Lucian stared at her with a blank expression as Medea burst into laughter. "I'm only teasing, honey. Your godly nature explains it. What I was describing applies to pure witches and wizards."

Lucian sighed, grabbed his cake, and began eating. "My mind is scrambled right now… I need a distraction," he muttered, shoving another bite into his mouth.

"Well, humans and witches aren't that different," Medea said gently. "The main difference is our magical aptitude. I'm sorry, honey—if I'd known you didn't realize, I would've told you sooner. How about I explain what your crystal ball can do to take your mind off it?"

Lucian nodded, spoon in mouth, as Medea stroked his hair and began listing its capabilities.: 

Mana Storage: Acts as he reserves and stores mana for emergency usages, while it needs to be recharged after it's all been used up. 

Mana Amplification: Enhances the user's magical energy, allowing for stronger and more complex spells than they could cast unaided.

Spell Reservoir: Stores pre-cast spells, allowing the user to release them instantly without preparation.

Focused Casting: Sharply increases precision and focus, gives the user a mental boost. 

Telepathic Network: Serves as a hub for long-distance communication, linking minds or other magical devices to enable seamless conversation across great distances.

Enhanced Scrying: Allows the user to view distant locations, people, or events in real-time with exceptional clarity, bypassing most wards and illusions.

Memory Keeper: Stores visions, allowing the user to replay or analyze them later.

Protective Veil: While scrying or performing rituals, it surrounds the user in a protective barrier, preventing physical or magical disruptions.

Magical Archivist: Records every spell cast through it, serving as a magical grimoire for future reference.

…

"Look, take out your grimoire and tap it together with the crystal ball," Medea instructed.

Lucian hesitated but did as he was told. He grabbed his grimoire, looking down at it reluctantly. Medea chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry. You'll still be able to call it back if you really need it. Though it will merge with the crystal ball, it won't be lost forever."

Reassured, Lucian nodded and tapped the grimoire against the crystal ball. The book dissolved into dark red mana particles and was absorbed into the crystal ball.

"Whoa…" Lucian muttered, taken aback—not because of the crystal ball itself, but because he could still see the grimoire in his mind.

"Cool, right?" Medea smirked, clearly enjoying his amazement.

Lucian nodded enthusiastically, then followed her next instructions. He willed the crystal ball to shrink, as she had told him. Once it was small enough, he carefully inserted it into one of the eyes of his skull-shaped ring.

Meanwhile, Bianca and Nico were saying their farewells to Hades. They carried small bags of clothing, gifts that Hades had personally picked out for them.

"If you need anything else, go to Lucian," Hades said, his tone unusually warm. "He might seem and act like an idiot sometimes, but he's dependable."

Nico and Bianca nodded nervously, glancing at each other. Hades gave them a faint smile before calling out, "Lucian, come here for a second."

Lucian approached, standing between Bianca and Nico. "What's up?"

Hades reached into his black blazer and pulled out two black ingots that seemed to absorb all the surrounding light. A faint purple outline shimmered around their edges. "When they decide what weapons they want to wield, I'll leave the crafting to you," he said, tossing the Stygian iron ingots toward him.

Lucian used minor telekinesis through his ring to catch them, his expression skeptical. "Are you serious? I don't have much experience working with this kind of steel."

"You'll figure it out," Hades replied with confidence. "Hephaestus speaks highly of your skills."

Lucian sighed but smirked. "I suppose I don't have a choice, then," he said, storing the ingots.

After saying goodbye to his mother and Persephone, Lucian turned to Nico and Bianca. "Are you two ready?"

They nodded, but before leaving, Lucian glanced back at Hades. "Before I go—what did you do to Ares?"

Hades gave a sly smile. "Three words: Cerberus' chew toy."

Lucian burst into laughter, clapping a hand on Nico's and Bianca's shoulders. "Ha! That's priceless!"

As they prepared to leave, Nico waved enthusiastically at Hades. "Bye, Dad! It was good to see and meet you!" he called, grinning.

Bianca, more reserved, gave a polite but awkward wave before Lucian touched their shadows.

Moments later, the three sank into the dark abyss of Lucian's shadow, leaving Hades behind with a faint smile on his face.

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