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Main AU/OC Masterlists

Humanityforged Masterlist

Lego Monkie Kid x PJO Masterlist

Riddle gets released from the infirmary a full two days after Trey and Cater do, because Will Solace does not negotiate on bed rest and Riddle, weirdly, doesn't fight him on it. First time in his life someone's told him to stop and he just... listens. Nobody knows what to do with that.

He insists on walking back to Heartslabyul himself instead of being carried/escorted like an invalid. Trey and Carter lets him, but shadows him the entire way like a very anxious duckling.

Riddle is terrified. He remembers the fear in his residents' eyes. He remembers the ink, the anger, and the destruction. He expects the dorm to flinch when he walks through the gates.

Instead, he finds Clarisse La Rue and the Stoll brothers waiting for him right at the entrance of the Rose Maze.

The Meeting in the Rose Maze

Trey immediately tenses, stepping slightly in front of Riddle. Cater reaches for his magic pen. They just had a highly threatening conversation with those a few days ago, and they aren't taking chances.

Clarisse leans against a freshly-painted red rosebush, casually cleaning the electric tip of her spear, Maimer. Travis and Connor are sitting on the stone edge of a fountain, playing uno.

Clarisse: "Relax, Clover. We aren't here to jump him. If we were, you'd and photo-boy already be on the ground." 

Connor: "We're here for official diplomatic relations!" 

Travis: "Or as diplomatic as we get, anyway."

Riddle, to his credit, doesn't hide behind Trey. He steps out from behind him after a second, chin up, in full "I will not be intimidated in my own dorm" mode — which honestly impresses Connor a little.

Riddle: "If you intend to threaten me, Miss La Rue, I would prefer you did so directly rather than looming."

Clarisse: (raising an eyebrow) "Huh. Didn't think Strawberry had a spine left after the whole 'crying in a ruined garden' thing."

Riddle: (going faintly red) "That is — that was — an isolated incident."

Travis, not looking up from his Uno hand: "Bro, we watched you confess your feelings about honey tea in front of forty witnesses."

Connor: "It was very moving. Ten out of ten. Would cry again."

Riddle looks like he wants to disappear into the hedges.

Clarisse actually drops the act for a second and gets real with him

Clarisse: "Look. I'm not here to relitigate the duel. You lost. I don't gloat about fights I win- You and I aren't gonna have the same conversation I had with your Vice-Housewarden and Phone-Boy."

Riddle: (bracing) "...I see."

Clarisse: "They get a lecture because they knew and said nothing. You get one sentence, because I don't think you need the whole speech twice — you already gave it to yourself, out loud, in front of everyone, while crying in the dirt."

Riddle: "..."

Clarisse: "Here's the sentence: if you ever put that collar on Deuce again with valid good reason, we're not doing a duel. We're doing a funeral. Yours."

Riddle has no comeback for that. He just nods, once, like he's filing it away as homework.

Then Connor and Travis are up

Travis: "As for Ace, is he a little shit? Yes. Does he absolutely deserve to get put in his place when he's being a menace sometimes? Also yes."

Connor: "But he's our little menace now. So if he acts up, you can collar him but you tell us, and we prank him into the ground.”

Travis: “or make him clean the Pegasus stables with a toothbrush. Honestly, taking away someone's magic is boring. Making them scrub Harpy guano for three hours builds character."

Connor: "Exactly. You're thinking too small with the collars. You gotta hit them where it hurts: their free time."

Clarisse rolls her eyes: "Don't give him ideas, idiots. The point is, Strawberry, you're the boss of your dorm. You discipline your guys how you see fit. Just keep the magical-blocking chokers to a minimum and we won’t have problems.”

 After surviving the Stoll/Clarisse gauntlet in the Rose Maze, Riddle finally steps into the Heartslabyul lounge. The entire room goes dead silent. Several freshmen physically flinch. Riddle looks at the floor, takes a deep breath, and delivers a stiff, highly formal, but painfully genuine apology.

The silence stretches on uncomfortably until Ace, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, just sighs loudly. "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure the tart’s taste good, Housewarden."

Post Prologue/Book 1, pre-Book 2, pre-Heartslabyul/NRC fully settling with CHB

Before the Overblot, Clarisse and the Stolls were wary of Heartslabyul but generally treated Trey and Cater as Ace and Deuce's older friends.

After Riddle nearly killed everyone in the courtyard, that becomes:

“These are the upperclassmen responsible for looking after them.”

“And we're not entirely convinced they can.”

Clarisse isn't stupid enough to blame Trey and Cater for Riddle's Overblot.

She understands that Riddle's actions were ultimately his responsibility.

She also understands that Trey and Cater didn't cause the situation.

But she absolutely blames them for not recognizing how bad things had become sooner.

The Stolls are a little less confrontational than Clarisse, but arguably more unsettling.

Clarisse will tell you exactly what she thinks.

Connor and Travis will smile pleasantly while quietly deciding whether you're trustworthy.

Long story short, Neither Clarisse nor the Stolls think Trey and Cater are evil—they know the real fault lies with Riddle's upbringing and Crowley's sheer incompetence. But they do think Trey and Cater were spineless enablers.

And the biggest problem? Ace and Deuce don't seem to realize how serious the situation was. .

Ace’s "Everything is Fine" Comedy Routine

Ace’s immediate coping mechanism is to turn the entire Overblot into a stand-up routine. He jokes about the collar, he jokes about the ink monster, he jokes about almost dying.

The younger Hermes campers think he’s the bravest, coolest guy ever. Travis and Connor, however, have been doing this a long time. They recognize the "talk fast so you don't have to think" strategy perfectly.

The Stolls notice that Ace has been sleeping in Cabin 11 every single night since the Overblot. He claims the Heartslabyul beds are "too stiff," but they know he just doesn’t want to be in the dorm where Trey, Riddle and Carter are at the current moment

Deuce’s Dangerous Overcorrection

Deuce goes in the exact opposite direction of Ace. He enters hyper-defense mode, insisting that everything is fine, Riddle was just under a lot of pressure, and they should all just move on.

He tries to slip right back into the "honor student" persona, but he’s wound so tight he looks like he’s going to snap.

Clarisse hates this. Ares kids are intimately familiar with the "rub dirt in the wound and keep marching" mentality, and she hates seeing her sixteen-year-old brother trying to rationalize his own trauma just to keep the peace.

During weapons training, Deuce is significantly more aggressive. He’s hitting the dummies with enough force to shatter the wood. Clarisse doesn't stop him. She just quietly replaces the broken dummies and hands him a towel when he finally burns himself out, breathing hard and looking like he’s holding back tears.

Both of them are teenagers who have spent a few weeks now normalizing dangerous situations.

Clarisse and the Stolls know that particular coping mechanism very well.

—

Before the Redo Unbirthday party. Ace and Deuce are both at Camp — courtesy of Chiron deciding the two of them needed time away from the dorm after what happened, Riddle’s in the infirmary recovering. Trey and Cater don't think anything of it. They should have.

Clarisse and the Stolls don't send word ahead. They just show up — Travis and Connor trying to look casual about it, Clarisse not bothering to try at all — and corner Trey and Cater mid-dough-prep, blocking the only easy way out of the kitchen.

Trey: (Wringing his flour-dusted hands) “Clarisse, I just wanted to say how—”

Clarisse: (Sharpening her spear edge with a chillingly calm rhythm) "I'm gonna stop you right there, Clover boy, because I’m making one thing very clear to both of you: that shit is not going to happen again.”

Clarisse: “I understand them going into the mine was the Birdbrain's doing. That Shortcake’s actions are his own, and I'm gonna have words with him later. But everything after that is on you. You just smiled and baked tarts like it was completely normal that your Housewarden was putting a literal chokehold on a bunch of freshmen. You let a sixteen-year-old run a dictatorship and your solution was to just make sure his tea was the right temperature.”

Trey: (Looking down, voice straining) “I was trying to keep things from getting worse.”

Clarisse: “And how'd that work out?”

Cater: (Stepping in with an intensely strained, bright smile) “Woah, intense! Besties, let's take a collective breath. It's all good now, right? The freshmen are fine—”

Clarisse delivers a dead-eyed, absolute death glare that physically freezes Cater mid-pose.

Cater: (Slowly lowering his phone) “...I’m gonna shut up now.”

Travis Stroll: (Leaning against the doorframe, grinning like a shark) “Good choice.”

For the first time since the Overblot, Trey drops the polite, polished "everything is fine" Vice-Housewarden mask. He looks at Clarisse, then at the Strolls, and gives a slow, solemn nod.

Trey: “You’re right. I was a coward. I thought if I just followed the rules and softened the blows, Riddle would eventually calm down. I was wrong, and Ace and Deuce paid the price for it.”

Clarisse: (Snorting, though her grip on her spear loosens by a fraction of an inch) “Admitting you're an idiot is the first step, Clover. The second step is not being an idiot again.”

—

That conversation was basically the Strolls and Clarisse being like “We don't think you're bad people .But  You screwed up big time so you’re prodation.” which Trey and Carter get, the other half is just the Strolls Subtly threatening if Ace so much as stubbed his toe because of dorm politics, they would steal every magic pen in Heartslabyul and turn the dorm into a waking nightmare of exploding prank items until the end of time.

Clarisse was not so subtlety threatening them on the her ‘consequence’

(Carter showing up Pop Music Club after that Clarisse’s particular part of conversation)

Kalim: “Hey Carter (just turned around to see Carter)…..are you okay”

Carter: “Yeah… just had a lovely, highly educational chat with Cabin Five.”

Kalim: “Oh! That’s great! Wait, what happened?”

Carter:  “Oh, you know. Clarisse explained to me in exquisite, anatomical detail how she’ll feed me my own phone if I ever let a first-year get traumatized into a shadow-monster again. Hashtag blessed, bestie."

Lilia: “Oh, do go on, Did she specify which anatomical parts, or was it a general buffet?”

Back at home, Ace only had to deal with an older brother; now, he finds himself dropped squarely into the middle of the massive, chaotic hierarchy of Cabin 11. He sits right between the legendary, seasoned pranksters like Connor and Travis Stoll and a sea of completely unclaimed, wide-eyed new recruits. 

The first time one of the younger Hermes campers asks, completely seriously, “Can you really do magic at wizard school?” Ace immediately goes into his usual too-cool-to-care routine.

 Ace: “Yeah. Obviously.” Younger Hermes kid: “THAT'S SO COOL.” Ace: “…well, I mean, it's not that big a deal.” Travis, from across the cabin: “He's been bragging about it for three days.” Ace: “SHUT UP.”

The younger Hermes and unclaimed kids start treating Ace like a minor celebrity because he attends an actual magical academy. To them, Night Raven College is basically Hogwarts, Camp Half-Blood, and a secret government training facility rolled into one. One twelve-year-old asks if he's met Harry Potter, which Ace has no idea who that is.

Travis and Connor kept their promise from the Dwarfs' Mine incident—they immediately started teaching Ace how to pick locks without magic. Ace initially complained it was tedious until he realized that manual lockpicking bypasses anti-magic wards on the Heartslabyul pantry. Trey now has to barricade the fridge with physical padlocks, which Ace considers "training."

The "ghosting a girlfriend because dating is a pain" story gets out. The Aphrodite cabin is scandalized. The Hermes cabin thinks it's hilarious and mildly iconic. Drew Tanaka has Opinions and corners him about it once; Ace does not survive that conversation with his dignity intact and the Stoll definitely laughed at him when he came back to the cabin with pink hair afterwards.

 During weapons training, Ace complains endlessly about how heavy swords are and how much he hates sweating. The Stolls finally hand him a set of throwing knives. 

Ace picks up it from a camper who picked it up from a Hunter of Artemis who picked it up from nobody-remembers-who, and he's now insufferable about it — practicing card-throwing tricks and challenging people to "magic vs. no magic" contests during free period.

Ace: "Bet you can't hit that target without a spell."

Deuce: "Bet you can't hit it with a spell, since your aim is terrible."

Ace: "...shut up."

Ace quickly realized he can use a tiny, localized burst of wind magic to alter the dagger’s trajectory mid-air, allowing him to hit bullseyes around corners.

The Apollo Cabin officially files a complaint to Chiron, claiming Ace is using "magical aimbot."

Ace is incredibly smug about it until Clarisse deflects one of his trick-knives with the flat of her spear and nearly takes his ear off.

The Hermes cabin adopts "no magic" as a dare currency for him  "I'll trade you my dessert if you hit that target no-magic." Ace, being Ace, cannot resist a bet, and has therefore been conned out of an alarming amount of food

Since the campers don't have wands, they treat Ace’s wind magic like a tactical nuke for their pranks. Why throw a water balloon when Ace can use a localized mini-tornado to drop fifty of them perfectly onto the Apollo cabin? The Stolls treat him like their favorite shiny new toy.

He steals almost all of his siblings/cabinmates clothing. If they just leave it lying around cabin 11 then poof it’s his now. But hey it’s not like they all don’t do it as well.

Travis: “hey Ace have you seen my hoodie…”

Ace: (clearly in the ‘missing hoodie)

Ace: “No.”

Travis: “You're literally wearing it.”

Ace: “This one?”

Travis: “Yes.”

Ace: “don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Travis: “it has my name on the tag.”

Ace: “coincidence.”

Heartslabyul is all about rules and chores (painting the roses, feeding the flamingos). Ace starts bringing his younger Hermes siblings to Heartslabyul under the guise of "showing them around." He then uses classic Tom Sawyer psychology to convince the 10-year-olds that painting white roses red is actually a super fun, exclusive magical game.

Riddle catches on after three days when he sees a bunch of nine-year-olds happily painting the roses while Ace takes a nap in the hedges.

Riddle: (Eye twitching) “Trappola. Are you outsourcing your punishments to children?”

Normally new campers get their heads dunked in a toilet as a welcome. The Ares cabin skips it entirely for Deuce — as far as they're concerned, he already passed initiation the day Clarisse went to war over his honor before he'd even claimed his own bunk.

Clarisse has fully appointed herself Deuce's older sister whether he asked for one or not. 

Now that he's actually living in Cabin Five? It's over.

Deuce cannot escape her. Clarisse checks his weapons. Clarisse checks his grades. Clarisse checks whether he's eating enough. Clarisse checks whether Heartslabyul has been treating him properly.

Deuce: "I'm sixteen, Clarisse."

Clarisse: "And?"

Deuce: "I'm not a little kid."

Clarisse: "Didn't say you were."

Clarisse: "You're my little brother."

Deuce: "THAT'S WORSE."

She absolutely threatens Riddle, Trey or Carter’s  life at least once a week for a bit after Riddle’s overblot. Not because she still hates them. Mostly because she thinks it's funny watching Deuce panic.

Clarisse: "So, how's Strawberry?"

Deuce: "He's doing better."

Clarisse: "Good."

Clarisse: "If he makes you cry again, I'll throw him into the canoe lake."

Deuce: "PLEASE DON'T."

 After Riddle's overblot, Heartslabyul's tea parties are much more relaxed, but the Ares cabin still doesn't trust Riddle not to snap at Deuce.

During the first few post-overblot Un-Birthday party, half of the Ares cabin shows up, standing at the edge of the Rose Maze with their arms crossed, just side eying  at Riddle, Trey or Clover.

Random Heartslabyal first year: "Uh... Deuce? Are your siblings going to eat anything?"

Deuce: (visibly sweating) "They're just... making sure I chew my food properly. Please ignore them."

 Trey and Riddle are bot incredibly unnerved but politely offers them tea anyway. Clarisse takes a delicate sip from a floral teacup without ever breaking eye contact with Riddle.

 Deuce tries so hard to hide his middle school delinquent past from the campers, wanting to maintain his "honor student" image. It lasts exactly one week.

One of the Ares kids catches him absentmindedly slipping into his old delinquent slouch and threatening tone when an NRC upperclassman bumps into him.

Instead of judging him, the Ares cabin throws an impromptu party.

Clarisse: "I knew you weren't actually a softie. Thank the gods."

Deuce is mortified, but secretly relieved he doesn't have to police his tone 24/7 when he's hanging out in Cabin 5.

Deuce has spent a year building himself into "reformed delinquent, model Heartslabyul underclassman." Cabin 5 is the one place on either side of the mirror where nobody asks him to be that.

He has a genuine, quiet moment of guilt about how much he likes that. Like maybe wanting to throw hands recreationally means he hasn't actually changed.

Clarisse, when he actually says this out loud one night: "Kid. There's a difference between picking fights and knowing how to finish one. You're not your old crew. You're just allowed to hit back now."

He does not cry. He is very close to crying.

During weapon training, Deuce struggles with standard swords and spears because he's used to fistfights. In a moment of panic during a spar with Sherman Yang, Deuce accidentally summons a massive cast-iron cauldron right over Sherman's head.

Total silence falls over the arena. Deuce thinks he's about to be killed for using magic in a melee spar.

Instead, the Ares cabin erupts into cheers.

"WHY STAB A GUY WHEN YOU CAN DROP 500 POUNDS OF IRON ON HIM?!"

It becomes Deuce's signature move in Camp games. Clarisse proudly calls it "blunt force trauma by kitchenware."

 The Ares kids have a very complicated relationship with Ace Trappola. On one hand, he's a son of Hermes, and the Ares/Hermes cabin prank-war rivalry is legendary. On the other hand, he's Deuce's best friend/partner-in-crime.

They settle on a compromise: Ace is officially under Cabin 5's protection, but they will still aggressively bully him.

If anyone else picks on Ace, Clarisse steps in. ("Only we get to beat up the Hermes kid.")

Clarissa trying to teach Deuce Ares Cabin 101… Deuce still stuck on the tutorial screen.

HC: that Clarissa helped Silena with her make up a lot so she knows how do it. Now she helps Deuce with doing his spade sign on the mornings when he spends the night at the Ares Cabin.

Here's a little Doodle of it with their canon Heights

Clarisse La Rue - Hammerhead - Direct, aggressive, and charges straight at whatever is annoying her without a second thought, which makes Floyd respect her deeply as someone who is difficult to squeeze.

Tyson - Whale Shark - Enormous, surprisingly gentle

Grover Underwood - "Sea Goat" — Floyd thought about it for exactly two seconds before deciding this was non-negotiable.

Nico di Angelo - "Anglerfish" — "lives where it's dark, only shows up when he wants something, kinda spooky. I like him."

Will Solace — Jellyfish — Looks soft and glowing until you mess with someone he's healing, at which point he becomes a nightmare to deal with.

Thalia Grace - Electric Eel — after she zapped him for getting too handsy trying to "test" if she was squishy.

Annabeth Chase — Barracuda — Sharp, fast, calculates every single move before she strikes, and completely immune to his and Jade’s mind games because she sees right through them.

Percy Jackson — Great White — Shows up out of nowhere, creates massive waves wherever he goes, and is wildly dangerous if cornered, yet treats life-or-death situations with total casualness.

Katie Gardner —  Sea Anemone — Looks like a pretty, innocent underwater flower sitting in a garden, but if you mess with her dirt or step on her patch, she will sting you into next week.

Drew Tanaka - Lionfish - All showy fins, bright colors, and dramatic flair, but if you touch her wrong, she'll sting you right in the ego. Too much high-maintenance drama to bother squeezing.

Connor Stoll — Mantis Shrimp – Small, looks unassuming, but packs a blindingly fast, chaotic punch that can snap your concentration right in half before you even notice you've been pickpocketed.

Aftermath, Terrible Cooking, and the Introduction of Wizard Sports

The courtyard is still a disaster zone.

Roses destroyed.

Stone cracked.

Ink stains everywhere.

Several first-years emotionally traumatized.

Crowley having what appears to be a silent spiritual crisis in the background.

Trey finally exhales and offers to help clean up.

Before he can move, Will points at him with the authority of someone who has medically bullied gods before.

Will: “Absolutely not. You’re taking Red back to the infirmary.”

Riddle blinks.

Riddle: “…Red?”

Will: “You lost naming privileges when you turned into a haunted ink cryptid.”

Clarisse snorts loudly.

Trey helps Riddle stand carefully.

For the first time in probably years, Heartslabyul students don’t recoil when Riddle looks at them.

And Riddle notices.

That might honestly hit harder than the Overblot.

The Tiny Black Rock Problem Returns

The second the medical group leaves—

Grim’s stomach growls loud enough to echo.

Grim: “All that fighting made me STARVING!”

Percy immediately points at him.

Percy: “Do not eat anything weird.”

Annabeth points too.

Annabeth: “Especially mysterious magical substances.”

Ace folds his arms.

Ace: “Actually, yeah, stop eating cursed objects.”

Deuce nods seriously.

Deuce: “That should be common sense.”

Grim sniffs the air dramatically.

Then freezes.

Slowly, everyone watches him turn toward a pile of rubble.

Annabeth narrows her eyes immediately.

Annabeth: “…Why are you making that face?”

Grim digs through broken stone and shattered hedges until he pulls out—

another black crystal.

The exact same kind from the Dwarfs’ Mine.

Percy’s expression drops instantly.

Percy: “Oh no.”

Ace: “WHY IS THERE ANOTHER ONE?!”

Deuce: “WHY ARE THERE MULTIPLE?!”

Annabeth points aggressively.

Annabeth: “Grim. Don’t. Eat. That.”

Grim already swallowed it.

Dead silence.

Percy slowly puts a hand over his face.

Percy: “I need everyone to understand how horrifying that was to watch.”

Grim’s eyes sparkle.

Grim: “Ooooh… this one tastes different.”

Everyone stares at him in disbelief.

Grim: “Really rich flavor. Sweet at first, then kinda bitter.”

Nico, still sitting on the statue:

Nico: “Why is he describing magical corruption like wine tasting.”

Mr. D finally looks interested for the first time all afternoon.

Mr. D: “…What were the flavor notes?”

Will: “DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM.”

Cater’s Almost Thank You

As everyone starts yelling at Grim:

Percy threatens to confiscate his snacks permanently

Ace calls him an idiot

Deuce is genuinely concerned

Annabeth starts theorizing about blot concentration

Clarisse suggests “throwing the cat”

Cater watches the chaos quietly.

And for the first time in a long time…

Heartslabyul feels normal.

Not tense.

Not terrified.

Just loud.

Messy.

Alive.

He smiles a little.

Cater: “…Thanks, guys.”

Unfortunately:

Percy is arguing with Grim

Ace is screaming

Deuce is panicking

Clarisse is threatening violence

So nobody hears him.

Cater immediately decides he is emotionally never doing that again.

A Few Days Later — The New Unbirthday Party

A few days later, after:

strict medical supervision from Will

approximately twelve lectures from Trey

one terrifying conversation with Chiron

and several forced naps

Riddle finally returns to Heartslabyul.

And honestly?

The dorm feels different now.

The students still respect Riddle.

But they don’t fear him anymore.

That’s the important part.

Even Percy notices it immediately.

Percy: “Wow. Nobody looks like they’re about to get publicly executed today.”

Annabeth: “Progress.”

The Dormouse Situation

The second Unbirthday Party begins almost exactly the same way as before.

Riddle starts reciting the rules.

The dorm braces automatically.

Then—

Riddle pauses.

Looks at the dormouse in the teapot.

And says:

Riddle: “…The dormouse may remain unjammed.”

The entire room freezes.

Somewhere in the background, one Heartslabyul student nearly bursts into tears.

Trey smiles gently.

Trey: “You could always put jam on the scones instead.”

Riddle actually considers this.

Trey: “Maybe aim for ‘this is fine’ instead of ‘this absolutely must happen.’”

Riddle nods slowly.

Riddle: “…I think I understand.”

Annabeth watches this exchange with the intensity of someone witnessing successful emotional growth in real time.

Annabeth: “Therapy breakthrough.”

Percy: “Tiny baby steps.”

The Rose Incident 2.0

Everything is going surprisingly well.

Which means the universe immediately fixes that.

Riddle notices several white roses.

The dorm collectively panics.

Someone drops a tray.

One first-year apologizes automatically.

Cater looks ready to fake his own death.

Trey visibly prepares for impact.

Riddle stares at the roses.

Everyone braces.

Then—

He sighs.

Uses magic.

Paints the roses red himself.

Riddle: “One or two missed roses hardly deserve punishment.”

The relief in the room is immediate and overwhelming.

Ace blinks.

Ace: “…Huh.”

Deuce looks emotional again.

Deuce: “He really changed…”

Clarisse, currently eating enough pastries to concern several people:

Clarisse: “Character development. Weird.”

Riddle’s Tart Catastrophe

Then Riddle proudly presents the tart he made himself.

Ace looks deeply suspicious immediately.

Everyone takes one bite.

Instant regret.

Percy nearly spits his out.

Percy: “WHY IS IT SALTY?!”

Ace: “WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THIS?!”

Riddle looks genuinely confused.

Riddle: “I followed the recipe exactly.”

Beat.

Riddle: “…Though I did add oyster sauce.”

The entire table goes silent.

Deuce slowly remembers.

His eyes widen in horror.

Deuce: “…Trey’s joke.”

Ace whips around dramatically.

Ace: “YOU TOOK THE OYSTER SAUCE JOKE SERIOUSLY?!”

Trey immediately starts laughing so hard he has to sit down.

Even Cater loses it.

Riddle looks embarrassed for exactly five seconds before he also starts laughing.

And honestly?

It’s probably the first completely genuine laugh most of the dorm has ever heard from him.

Photos, Friends, and Recovery

One of the Hermes kids somehow acquires a ghost camera from Sam’s shop.

Nobody asks questions.

The campers start taking photos:

Ace yelling dramatically

Deuce trying to fix the tart

Grim stealing pastries

Cater posing automatically

Trey laughing

Percy getting caught mid eye-roll

Clarisse holding three cakes like trophies

Annabeth trying and failing to stop any of this

Eventually, they take a full group photo together.

Heartslabyul students.

Camp Half-Blood campers.

Grim in the center like he owns the place.

Everyone smiling.

Nobody afraid.

Enter Chenya (Again)

And because peace is illegal in Twisted Wonderland—

Chenya appears out of nowhere and steals sweets immediately.

Riddle: “Chenya?!”

Chenya: “I came to celebrate someone’s unbirthday~”

He steals Riddle’s crown from behind him in one smooth motion.

Ace nearly falls out of his chair laughing.

Grim points dramatically.

Grim: “WHO EVEN ARE YOU?!”

Trey explains:

Chenya attends Royal Sword Academy

NRC has rival schools

They compete in Spelldrive tournaments

Percy blinks.

Percy: “…Wizard sports?”

Ace: “You don’t know Spelldrive?!”

Percy: “Buddy, where I’m from, sports involve significantly more sword injuries.”

Spelldrive Explanation — Campers Compare It to CHB Games

Trey explains Spelldrive.

Percy: “So… magical capture‑the‑flag but with a frisbee?”

Annabeth: “No, it’s more like Quidditch without the brooms.”

Clarisse: “Does someone get to hit people?”

Trey: “…yes?”

Wake-Up Call

Will Solace is already sprinting across the ruined courtyard, two Apollo campers racing after him with medical packs bouncing against their sides.

Travis Stoll points after him.

Travis: “Will, wait—!”

Will does not slow down.

Will: “He’s not a monster anymore. He’s a patient.”

And honestly?

That sentence alone completely changes the atmosphere.

Because one second ago, Riddle Rosehearts was a nightmare made of living ink.

Now he’s just… a kid.

A wrecked, exhausted kid lying unconscious in the middle of a destroyed garden.

Will drops beside him immediately, golden light spilling from his hands.

The Heartslabyul students collectively stare.

Healing magic in Twisted Wonderland usually involves:

potions

support magic

alchemy

green or white spellwork

Not sunlight.

Not warmth that feels like standing outside during summer.

Not something that feels so aggressively alive.

Will’s expression sharpens into full medic mode.

Will: “Pulse weak but stable.” “Magical exhaustion bordering on collapse.” “Physical stress overload.” “Spiritual burnout…”

He grimaces.

Will: “Gods, this is worse than Nico after too much shadow travel.”

From somewhere above them:

Nico: “Love that I’m the benchmark.”

Will doesn’t even look up.

Will: “Someone has to be.”

Riddle Wakes Up — To Immediate Concern

Riddle wakes slowly.

The first thing he hears is Trey calling his name.

The second thing he sees is a semicircle of demigods hovering over him like deeply stressed vultures.

Percy has not put his sword away yet.

Annabeth is analyzing him like a battlefield problem.

Deuce looks seconds away from tears.

Ace is trying very hard to look unimpressed.

Clarisse is standing guard like she personally fought the concept of death for him.

Riddle blinks.

Overwhelmed.

Confused.

Then immediately tries to sit up.

Will shoves him back down with one glowing hand.

Will: “Nope. Absolutely not. You are not dying on my watch.”

Riddle: “…Dying?”

Will: “You were possessed by magical emotional sludge for like ten minutes.”

Percy: “Closer to twenty.”

Will: “Percy, this is not helping.”

Crowley suddenly swoops into frame dramatically, cloak flaring behind him.

Crowley: “Ah! My dear Riddle! How relieved I am to see that you have finally come to your senses!”

Annabeth folds her arms.

Annabeth: “He didn’t ‘come to his senses.’ He collapsed from magical burnout.”

Will nods immediately.

Will: “He needs rest, electrolytes, and probably therapy.”

The NRC students stare blankly.

Every single demigod in the courtyard goes silent.

Then:

Clarisse: “Avoidable if you punch your problems early enough.” Will: “That is NOT medically approved advice.”

The Memory Gap

Riddle slowly pushes himself up onto his elbows despite Will’s visible disapproval.

Riddle: “…What happened?”

That question lands heavily.

Because the thing is—

He genuinely does not know.

He remembers:

anger

shouting

feeling trapped

Ace arguing back

the sensation of something inside him breaking

But after that?

Nothing.

Just darkness.

Trey kneels beside him carefully.

Trey: “You overblotted.”

Riddle goes still.

The word clearly means something terrifying to NRC students.

Several Heartslabyul first-years visibly flinch.

Riddle: “…Did I hurt anyone?”

The courtyard falls quiet.

Ace crosses his arms immediately.

Ace: “You almost did.”

Deuce elbows him hard.

Deuce: “Ace!”

Ace: “What?! He asked!”

Honestly, the fact that Ace is still mouthing off to a dorm leader who recently became a magical eldritch horror is the most Hermes kid thing anyone here has ever witnessed.

The Stolls look deeply proud.

Trey’s Guilt Finally Explodes

Trey tries to calm things down immediately.

Trey: “Riddle, don’t worry about that right now. Just focus on recovering—”

Ace snaps.

Ace: “No! Stop doing that!”

Everyone turns.

Ace points directly at Trey.

Ace: “You keep acting like if you just smooth things over hard enough, everything’ll magically fix itself!”

Trey freezes.

Ace keeps going.

Because apparently almost dying has completely removed his self-preservation instinct.

Ace: “You knew he was miserable! You knew this whole dorm was scared of him! And you just—what? Smiled through it?!”

That hits.

Hard.

Trey’s expression crumples slightly.

Even Cater looks uncomfortable now.

Clarisse snorts from nearby.

Clarisse: “Kid’s got a point.”

Cater: “Please stop validating the first-years.”

Riddle Finally Says What He Wanted

Riddle’s hands tighten in the grass.

And then—

Very quietly—

He starts talking.

Riddle: “I wanted to eat the mont blanc tart.”

Dead silence.

Riddle stares downward.

Riddle: “I don’t care if the roses are white.” “Or if the flamingos are pink.” “I prefer honey in my tea…” “I like milk tea more than lemon tea.”

Each confession sounds painfully small.

Like things he was never allowed to say out loud before.

Riddle: “I wanted to stay after parties and talk with everyone.” “I wanted to play with Trey and Chenya more.”

Trey looks devastated.

And then—

Riddle starts crying.

Not angry tears.

Not frustrated tears.

Just years of pressure finally collapsing all at once.

The entire courtyard collectively malfunctions.

Demigod Reactions to Emotional Vulnerability

The campers react in completely different ways.

Percy immediately looks away because feelings are terrifying.

Annabeth softens instantly.

Nico awkwardly pretends he’s not witnessing this.

Deuce looks ready to cry too.

Cater is visibly emotional.

Clarisse looks like she wants to fistfight Riddle’s mother personally.

Will sighs deeply.

Will: “Okay, yep. This is definitely psychological damage.”

The NRC students continue looking baffled by the way demigods talk about trauma like they’re discussing weather patterns.

Which honestly says a lot about Camp Half-Blood.

Ace Refuses To Let Him Off Easy

Ace points accusingly.

Ace: “Crying doesn’t mean I forgive you!”

Deuce: “Ace, tact!”

Ace: “No!”

Grim, somehow eating during this conversation:

Grim: “Wow. You hold grudges worse than me.”

Ace ignores him.

Instead, he points directly at Riddle.

Ace: “You wanna apologize? Fine. We redo the Unbirthday Party.”

Riddle blinks.

Ace: “But THIS time, you make the tart yourself.”

Trey immediately looks alarmed.

Ace: “And you don’t get help from Trey.”

Trey: “Why am I being punished too?!”

Annabeth leans toward Percy.

Annabeth: “This feels less like conflict resolution and more like public execution.”

Percy: “Same difference at this school.”

Camp Half-Blood’s Big Realization

While everyone argues, Percy quietly looks around the ruined courtyard.

The black blot stains.

The destroyed roses.

The students still shaking in fear.

And suddenly something clicks for all the campers at once.

Overblot isn’t just magical corruption.

It’s pressure.

Isolation.

Fear.

Everything festering until it physically becomes a monster.

Annabeth’s expression darkens.

Annabeth: “This place doesn’t teach emotional regulation at all, does it?”

Crowley laughs nervously.

Nobody laughs with him.

Even Chiron looks concerned now.

And honestly?

THE OVERBLOT: The Tyrant’s Final Stand

The atmosphere in the Heartslabyul courtyard shifts from a duel to a literal war zone. A massive, ink-constructed figure towers behind Riddle, looking like a twisted, faceless Queen of Hearts made of shadow and grief.

Riddle: (Voice distorted, eyes bleeding darkness) “The law of this world is ME!”

Clarisse: (Grips Maimer, teeth bared) "What the Hades is this? I hit him, I didn't summon a Titan!"

Chiron: (Galloping forward, bow drawn) "It is a monster born from his own soul. Everyone, stay back!"

The Technical Breakdown (feat. A Stressed Headmaster)

As the phantom swings a massive ink-scepter, nearly flattening a group of first-years, Crowley begins to panic-explain.

Crowley: "To think I allowed a student to Overblot in my presence… it is a condition mages must avoid at any cost! All magic leaves behind 'Blot'—residual negative energy. If used in excess, the magestone ruptures, and the darkness corrodes the mage!"

Percy: (Cutting through a blast of ink with Riptide) "So, basically, he’s having a magical meltdown because he didn't have a 'venting' session? Great! We’ve got experience with those!"

PHASE TWO: Coordination vs. Chaos

The Heartslabyul students are running away in terror, but the demigods move like a single machine.

The Distraction: The Stroll brothers pull out a stash of Greek Fire "lite" (low-explosive versions). They lob them at the phantom’s head. The green flames don't hurt the ink much, but the bright flashes disorient the monster.

The Lockdown: Nico di Angelo slams his sword into the ground. "Get up!" he commands. Skeletal hands reach out from the shadows of the rosebushes, grabbing the ink-monster’s legs. It’s not much, but it pins the behemoth for a second.

The Breach: Cater Diamond creates a dozen copies of himself to shield the younger campers, while Trey uses Doodle Suit to overwrite the incoming magical blasts, turning them into harmless rose petals. The Finishing Move: Percy draws moisture from the very air and the nearby tea fountains. He swirls a localized hurricane around himself, acting as a living shield against the Blot.

Percy: "Clarisse! Now!"

Clarisse doesn't need to be told twice. She uses Percy’s hurricane as a springboard, vaulting into the air. With a roar that would make her father proud, she drives the electric tip of Maimer straight into the center of the ink-phantom’s chest.

Clarisse: "GO TO TARTARUS!"

The atmosphere is thick enough to choke a satyr. On one side, the Heartslabyul students are sweating under their blazers. On the other, the Ares and Hermes cabins are casually sharpening daggers and placing bets with Drachmas.

Chiron: “Combatants! Riddle Rosehearts vs. Clarisse La Rue. This is a duel of honor. Magic vs. Might. Lethal force is prohibited.”

Clarisse: [Testing the edge of Maimer] “Define lethal.”

Crowley: [Visible Panic] “EXTREMELY PROHIBITED!”

Mr. D: [From a magical lawn chair sipping Diet Coke] “Try not to kill him, girl. The paperwork for a dead Housewarden is longer than the Odyssey.”

---

Riddle: “Rule 703: No weapons are permitted in a duel of magic! I shall have your head for this insolence!” Clarisse: “Rules are for people who can't win a real fight, Strawberry Shortcake.”

The Fight: Riddle opens with a barrage of magic, but he’s never fought a demigod. Clarisse doesn't stand still for a casting animation—she charges.

Riddle screams "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" and the red collar flies.

Clarisse doesn't dodge; she uses the flat of her spear to bat the magical construct aside like a baseball.

The Stroll brothers are a blur in the background. Every time Riddle tries to focus his magic, a firecracker goes off under his feet or his shoelaces are suddenly tied together.

Annabeth (Analyzing): "He's too rigid. He's calculating based on chess moves, but Clarisse is playing a street fight."

ROUND TWO: IMPACT

Clarisse closes the distance before Riddle can fully reset.

This time, she does not miss.

The hit is not lethal.

It is, however, devastating.

Riddle goes flying into the hedges like the concept of caution has personally offended him.

Magic flickers around him in sharp, ugly bursts.

His gemstone pulses once.

Then again.

Percy sees it immediately and goes still.

Percy:“...Annabeth.”

Annabeth: “I see it.”

🌑 THE SHIFT

Riddle rises.

Too slowly.

Like something inside him is fighting to stay contained.

The magic around him starts leaking.

Not elegant.

Not controlled.

Just wrong.

He points at Clarisse, voice shaking with fury

Riddle: “You break rules… you mock order… you—”

His voice fractures.

Then, louder:

Riddle: “YOU’RE WRONG!”

The temperature drops.

The roses begin to wilt.

Black veins creep through the garden like the whole courtyard is being poisoned from the inside out.

Nico: “...that’s not normal.”

The Big House: Diplomacy (and Daggers)

The “Big House” — which is really just an NRC lounge the campers aggressively claimed and magically expanded — is a war room.

Chiron looks like he’s aged a decade. Mr. D is lounging in a conjured recliner, flipping through Diet Grape Soda Enthusiast Monthly. Clarisse is sharpening her spear with the kind of focus that suggests she’s imagining Riddle’s face on the blade.

Crowley bursts in like a panicked pigeon.

Crowley: “DIRECTOR CHIRON! I have been informed of a— a— scheduled physical altercation? My school only permits Magic duels! Not— not— barbaric weapon combat!”

Clarisse: (not looking up) “It’s not an altercation, Feather-Duster. It’s a proxy duel. Ancient law. Look it up.”

Connor Stoll, leaning against a pillar with Travis, grins like a shark.

Connor: “Ace is a son of Hermes. New Blood. Riddle insulted him. That means we step in. It’s tradition.”

Travis: “Also, we were bored.”

Ace: “You guys didn’t have to—”

Connor: “Shh. Let us have this.”

The Clash of Philosophies

Trey steps forward, wringing his hands.

Trey: “Clarisse, please. Riddle’s magic is absolute. He’ll collar you before you get close. I’m trying to protect you— and Deuce.”

Clarisse finally looks up.

Clarisse: “Protect us? That’s rich coming from you, Clover. I’ve seen how you look at that kid. You’re like a terrified babysitter watching a toddler play with a live grenade. You haven't done a damn thing to protect your juniors from this 'Queen of Hearts' bullshit. Deuce stood his ground. He acted like a son of Ares should. So yeah, I’m defending his honor because you clearly aren't going to grow a pair and deal with the angry strawberry shortcake knockoff."

Deuce looks torn between terror and pride.

Cater tries to intervene with a peace-sign selfie.

Cater: “Besties, the hashtags for this are gonna be tragic. Can’t we just get a latte—”

Travis: “Nice try, Phone-Boy. But we’re the only ones allowed to bully Ace. Riddle doesn’t get that privilege.”

The Divine Verdict

Crowley turns desperately to Mr. D.

Crowley: “Lord Dionysus, surely you see the liability—”

Mr. D: (not looking up) “The red kid annoys me. If the children want to poke him with sticks, let them. Better than me turning him into a shrub.”

Chiron sighs.

Chiron: “Headmaster, in our world, duels of honor are sacred. But perhaps… a compromise. A duel of Mixed Disciplines. Magic versus Might.”

Annabeth leans toward Percy.

Annabeth: “This is going to be a disaster.”

To make a replacement tart, they need chestnuts. They head to the botanical garden, where Katie immediately disappears into the greenery.

Katie: "THIS PLACE IS INCREDIBLE! Percy, don't touch that vine, it's carnivorous—oh, wait, it likes me."

While gathering chestnuts, Percy step on the tail of  napping Leona Kingscholar. When they wake him up, the air gets heavy. Leona looks ready to tear someone apart. Percy subtly shifts his stance, his hand hovering near his pocket. Annabeth is already calculating the fastest way to drop a nearby hanging planter on the lion-man’s head.

Before the "Inter-Dorm War" can start, Ruggie Bucchi appears and drags Leona off to class.

Percy: "I was about ten seconds away from punching a lion prince."

Annabeth: "Please don't start a war before we even get the tart baked."

Percy: "No promises, Wise Girl."

Ace argues.

Deuce backs him up.

Grim insults Riddle.

Percy steps forward slightly.

Annabeth doesn’t stop him.

Because this needs to happen.

and Trey and Cater are forced to physically eject the "troublemakers" to protect them from Riddle’s mounting fury.

They meet Chenya.

Floating head. Cryptic nonsense. Childhood trauma delivery system.

Annabeth immediately clocks him as “important but untrustworthy.”

Percy and Annebeth found Trey in the library. Ace explains that they figured this was something he would do, so they came by and waited for him to show up. Trey tell them his history with Riddle, then Ace yells at Trey for being spineless when suddenly, Crowley appears out of nowhere and tells them to be quiet in a library. He asks them what was going on, and they explain the situation. Afterwards, Crowley asks Ace if he's not going to apologize to get his collar removed or quietly surrender to Riddle. If that were the case, then he suggests that Ace apply for a dorm transfer if Riddle rubs him the wrong way. The dark mirror selects the dorm based on the quality of their soul. Some various procedures and rituals can help with such a task. Ace declines the offer; it's not like him to give up and run away.

—

The Headmaster looked like he was ready to deliver a lecture on the "Generosity of My Heart," but the moment the demigods and the NRC students explained the situation, the conversation took a sharp turn into legalities.

“Dorm selection can occur through several methods of inception—ritual resonance, magical compatibility, or, in the simplest cases… a duel,” Crowley flourished, his cape snapping for emphasis.

A camper nearby—a daughter of Demeter casually munching on a granola bar—didn’t even look up from her book. “Oh, cool. Then we’re already set. There’s a duel tomorrow anyway.”

Crowley’s mask seemed to slip. “Pardon...?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “The Riddle guy totally insulted Deuce and Ace. Since they’re technically representing the Hermes and Ares cabins now, it’s an honor thing. Plus, the rule is you have to be at camp for at least five months of training before you can officially duel for your own honor. Since they aren't past the mark, their cabin counselors are dueling in their place. Clarisse and the Stolls are already with Chiron and Mr. D sorting out the details.”

Crowley’s soul visibly started to leave his body. Annabeth and Percy shared a look of practiced exhaustion.

“Clarisse is going to kill him,” Deuce whispered, looking like he wanted to go back to being a "bad boy" just so he could hide from his new 'sister.' “She’s actually going to kill Riddle.”