Lucas awoke before sunrise, just as the first lines of orange touched the clouds above the southern city skyline.
He didn't rush. There was no alarm, no patrol, no looming threat. Just morning light, birdsong, and the occasional hum of tires passing below. It had become a rhythm now, waking in a place that didn't demand survival.
He stretched slowly, joints popping, and sat up on his sleeping mat. The rooftop was quiet. A light breeze brushed over the edge of the laundromat roof where he'd made camp. He breathed it in and let it out through his nose.
He rolled his mat, stowed it in his pack, and checked through his pouches. His hands moved with ease now, the motion of inventorying charms, dried herbs, chalk, and coins.
The pouch of tourmaline was nearly empty. He'd need more eventually. He took out his journal and flipped to the page with his supply list.
Lucas smiled faintly.
After a light breakfast, just bread, jam, and weak tea from a thermos, he made his way back into town.
He stopped at the candle vendor again. She smiled when she saw him.
"Still wandering?"
"Still learning," he replied.
She handed him a small wrapped stick of cedarwood. "Burn it next time you're somewhere new. Clears stagnant air."
Lucas nodded his thanks.
By late afternoon, Lucas returned to his rooftop. He spread out his journal, a new sheet of parchment, and began sketching rune designs for calming wards. Not powerful, but elegant, symbols that could help steady emotional volatility if placed under a bed, in a coat lining, or beneath a pillow.
It was calming.
Until the air shifted.
It happened so subtly he didn't notice at first. One moment, the rooftop was golden with late-daylight. The next, a hush settled over everything. No wind. No birds. Even the warmth seemed to flatten.
Lucas looked up.
She was already there.
Nemesis stood across the rooftop, half in shadow, half in light. Her gold eyes were cold, but not cruel. She wore a simple red leather jacket, dark trousers and combat boots. Looking like an adult version of Thalia.
"Comfort suits you," she said.
Lucas straightened, setting down his chalk. "For now."
"Then answer me something." She stopped a few paces from him. "Why do you want to build this sanctuary?"
Lucas met her eyes.
"Because there's no place like it," Lucas said slowly. "Demigods are only trained to fight. What about the ones who don't want to fight? What about the ones who aren't claimed at all? They're told they don't matter, until they die proving otherwise. Some just want a home, a place they can learn without hopping schools or colleges every year. Where minor gods are given the respect they deserve, allowed to contact their families should they want. A place where the kind monsters no longer need to be hunted but can be embraced and accepted."
Nemesis studied him for a moment. "Would you tear down Olympus to build it?"
"No, they bring stability to this world," he said. "But I won't let Olympus tear it down either."
The corner of her mouth twitched. It might've been a smile. Might've been a threat.
"Hecate was right about you, you are indeed interesting. Who do you see when you look at me?"
"...A stranger? Am I meant to see someone else?"
Nemesis burst out into laughter. "Oh, interesting indeed. All those who look at me see someone they want revenge on, yet you see no one."
Silence settled before Lucas looked at her, serious now. "Why are you helping me?"
Nemesis raised a brow.
"You could've sided with Olympus. Why didn't you?"
"I helped because your mother is a close friend. Revenge and choice are closely connected, so when she told me of what she was going to do, I helped," she said. "Understand this Lucas. I am balance. I care little for much else, Olympus has tipped the scales in their corruption so they shall reap what they have sown."
A silence stretched between them.
"Has Kronos reached out to you?" Lucas asked, quieter now.
Nemesis blinked, a little surprised before answering.
"He did. I was going to agree..." Her tone didn't waver, but her pause was telling. "But then Hecate contacted me. I made a choice, while Kronos and the Titans would bring balance by giving Olympus their punishment, it would only be temporary, so I am willing to give you a chance."
Nemesis looked deeply at Lucas.
"Did he contact you too?"
Lucas nodded.
"And you rejected"
It wasn't a question, but more like an observation.
"You don't believe I accepted it?"
"I believe Hecate chose well, mere temptation wouldn't move you, otherwise you wouldn't walk this path."
She reached into her jacket and pulled out a golden drachma, she tossed it to him. Lucas caught it without flinching.
"There's an address on this," she said, producing a folded slip of paper and giving it to him too.
"To gain my support I want you to visit here, pass my test and I will fully support you. Fail, and I will choose Kronos and his lot."
She turned to leave, then paused.
"As long as your path aligns with balance, I will walk it with you. But if you tip too far, if you become like them, I will cut you down. I will not hesitate."
He didn't flinch. He didn't fear her. He respected her. A god with principles.
"I'd expect nothing less."
Lucas stood in silence as she vanished, it wasn't in smoke or lightning. The rooftop simply felt less weighted, birds began to sing again, the breeze returned. As if a judgment had passed, and the scales were tilting.