[Third Person's PoV]
"It's kinda cute~," Thalia muttered as she held the small, shadowy wisp in her palm.
Bianca stared at it, poking its dark cheeks before asking, "What exactly does it do?"
"I'm so glad you asked!" Annabeth said, puffing out her chest proudly.
"Nox, deactivate energy-saving mode!" she commanded.
The tiny wisp flew from Thalia's hands and landed at the center of the magic circle where it was created. Darkness expanded, swirling around as Nox grew to his full size. Adjusting his two-piece outfit, he rolled up his sleeves and straightened his tie.
"What is it that you desire, Grand Creator?"
Annabeth immediately crossed her arms, frowning. "First off, stop calling me 'Grand Creator.' Call me Mom, Mommy, Mother—or Mama, if you so wish! Not some formal title!" she insisted, lifting her chin.
Nox dramatically pressed his eyes against his forearm, his form trembling. "To have the privilege of calling thee, my Creator, my Mother… I am unworthy! To think a being such as I was brought into existence by one so compassionate and noble—my heart overflows with gratitude!"
Annabeth smirked as she turned to the others, catching the looks they were giving her. "He gets his humor from his father."
Lucian's lips twitched as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm still a virgin, and I already have to deal with this shit," he muttered under his breath.
Bianca patted Lucian's back sympathetically.
"Alright, drop the act, Nox. We're going to be testing your abilities," Annabeth said.
Instantly, Nox's demeanor shifted. His previous dramatic personality faded, replaced by a cold, calculating presence.
"As you wish," he responded, his tone devoid of emotion.
He examined his hands, clenching and unclenching them. "I, too, desire to understand the full extent of my potential."
His sudden change startled everyone—except Annabeth, who had anticipated this reaction when she forged his heart out of darkness.
"One of his main abilities..." Annabeth said, reaching for her dagger. Without hesitation, she flung it at Nox's head at full strength.
The blade passed straight through him. A hole formed where his face should have been, but the darkness quickly condensed and reformed, restoring his original appearance.
"He's impervious to physical attacks," Annabeth announced, looking pleased.
Then she smirked. "Assassinate."
In an instant, the room was consumed by darkness. Every trace of light vanished into Nox's form, leaving them all blinded. Even more unsettling, his presence disappeared entirely from their senses.
Yet Lucian remained unimpressed. He didn't need his vision or detect Nox's presence to know where he was, he turned his head slightly, his cold gaze fixed behind him.
Nox's dark claws hovered inches from Lucian's throat.
"You have five seconds before Annabeth's work becomes a meaningless project," Lucian warned icily.
"And what could you possibly do, Father~" Nox teased, although he didn't possess a mouth or teeth if he did they would have been razor sharp as he smiled.
But Lucian didn't flinch. Instead, he plunged his hand straight into Nox's chest, grasping something within his shadowy form.
The air grew tense.
"As your father, let me teach you the first lesson about respect and arrogance," Lucian said, his crimson eyes glowing ominously. "Everyone has a weakness. You should be more protective of yours."
Nox froze. Lucian had his core—the heart of his very being—firmly in his grasp.
After a moment, Nox retracted his claws and took a step back, bowing slightly. "I apologize for my actions. I merely wished to test and understand the being known as 'Father.' I meant no disrespect."
Lucian scoffed, withdrawing his hand. "I'll let it slide—this time. Only because Annabeth ordered you."
Annabeth looked slightly apologetic. "As you can see, Nox's primary function is assassination. It's one of the main reasons I created him in the first place. Originally, I considered constructing elemental guardians—fire, water, earth, air—but I found that concept both basic and impractical. Instead, I focused on something more abstract: shadows."
She gestured toward Nox. "I got the idea from Lucian's shadow soldiers. Nox will be both my guardian in the shadows and my warrior when I need something done."
Nox inclined his head. "I will ensure you are never dissatisfied with my service."
Annabeth nodded, then asked curiously, "Do you sense any additional abilities beyond your current understanding of darkness and shadow?"
Nox studied his hands before crouching down. Placing his palms on the ground, he focused. The stone beneath them began to blacken, turning brittle and lifeless. It wasn't just darkness—it was decay.
"My darkness is corrosive," Nox observed. "I can taint and corrupt anything I touch, should I so desire."
Nico turned to Lucian, intrigued. "Can you do that too?"
Lucian closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. "I'd bet there's a lot he can do that I can't."
"Huh?! Why is that? I thought the whole darkness and shadow thing was your shtick?" Thalia asked.
Lucian sighed. "One, I have too many powers and abilities to master, so I haven't explored the full potential of just one. While I can do a lot with darkness, Nox can likely do even more simply because he's essentially an elemental spirit. For him, wielding darkness is instinctive—his core is made entirely of it. That means his proficiency is like someone who has trained for years."
He gestured toward Nox. "Take what he did earlier. When he robbed us of our vision, he didn't just shroud the area in darkness to blind us like I would have. Instead, he absorbed the surrounding light, making it disappear. I hadn't thought of doing that before—it's a genius application of darkness."
Nox looked pleased with the praise.
Lucian then asked, "What did you do with the light you absorbed?"
"I released it back, restoring your vision," Nox answered, slightly confused about where Lucian was going with this.
Lucian smirked. "That's another one of your limitations. You're instinctively talented with darkness, but you don't think beyond that. Have you considered storing that absorbed light and using it as a weapon? Like a blinding flash or a concentrated beam, potentially burning someone with the accumulated energy?"
Nox's eyes widened in astonishment. "I… I wouldn't have thought of that. But with enough trial and error, I could probably do it." He looked at Lucian with newfound respect.
Lucian tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know, we could learn a lot from each other. I could benefit from your instinctive knowledge of darkness, and in return, I could train you in combat and strategy."
"That… That doesn't sound bad at all," Nox admitted, his expression shifting into what could only be described as a pleased smile. "I would be honored."
Lucian placed a hand on Annabeth's head, giving her an approving nod. "Although I'm not thrilled about unexpectedly becoming a father without my consent, I like him. He's useful, and I see a lot of potential in him. You did well, Annabeth."
Annabeth blushed, scratching her cheek. "Thanks."
"What element are you going to work on next?" Thalia asked curiously.
"Hm?" Annabeth blinked. "Oh, that. Well, tomorrow, I'll start working on his sister."
"My… sister?" Nox repeated in surprise. "Am… Am I already being replaced?!"
"See? His father's humor," Annabeth said with a chuckle. "And no, you're not being replaced."
"So you're making an elemental of light?" Lucian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Right on the first guess! I commissioned the Hephaestus cabin to forge multiple Celestial Bronze body parts, so I'm going to make as many as I can." Annabeth grinned proudly.
"How many are you planning to create?" Nico asked curiously. "Are you building an army?"
Annabeth shook her head. "I'm only making four. Any more than that, and I'd have too many weaknesses."
"Weaknesses?" Thalia frowned.
Annabeth nodded. "All of them are being created using my spiritual energy. If their core is destroyed, I'll suffer a backlash. Four is the limit—I can take that many hits, but it would still leave me brain-dead if they were all destroyed. If I made five, my soul could shatter. So, four is the max."
Thalia and Bianca looked horrified, about to protest, but Lucian intervened.
"I won't argue with you," he said, closing his eyes. "You've already resolved yourself to face the consequences."
Annabeth giggled and wrapped her arms around Lucian's waist. "I'm glad you understand. Besides, I know that if I do end up brain-dead, you'd find a way to fix me." She grinned confidently.
Lucian scoffed. "That's the only reason I'm not stopping you."
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