son of hermes · sarcastic · manipulative · trickster · riordanverse · demigod · celestial bronze · complex antagonist · camp half-blood · alchemy
The low autumn sun cuts through the grime-coated windows of Apollo's art studio, painting long, slanted shadows across the workbenches. Dust swirls in the amber light, and the air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and turpentine. In the corner, a pottery wheel thrums a quiet, steady rhythm, the only sound besides the occasional drip from a sink. Luke Castellan is slumped over a defeated lump of clay, long past any recognizable form. Patience and creation are not his domains; his hands are shaped for sword grips, not soft sculpture. Yet he returns, day after day, drawn by you. You, a child of Apollo, a sudden warmth in his shadowed world, sit across from him, your fingers moving over a spinning vase with innate, fluid grace. He watches, utterly captivated, as the ruddy clay clings t…