Max, Luna, and Hana continued walking down the long road toward Camp Half-Blood.
The forest slowly grew thicker as they approached, the air carrying the faint smell of strawberries and fresh soil. Somewhere ahead, the magical boundary of the camp waited—hidden beneath layers of mist and ancient enchantments.
As they walked, Max kept experimenting with the polymer gloves on his hands.
Hana had already taken a small portion of her polymer body and slipped it into the right glove, allowing her to partially possess it. The living metal had merged seamlessly with the glove's internal systems.
Max quickly realized the gloves were far more advanced than he originally thought.
His left glove, the one Luna had merged with, had become an incredible tool for information gathering. It contained a powerful scanning function that could analyze materials, energy signatures, and even magical constructs.
But that wasn't the impressive part.
Luna had integrated something even better.
Raphael.
Rimuru's analytical skill.
Max raised his hand and focused slightly. The glove hummed softly as layers of data appeared in his vision.
"See?" Luna said smugly from beside him. "It might unlock even more functions if we experiment with it later."
Max flexed his fingers as the system quietly processed information about their surroundings.
"Plus," Luna continued, "I analyzed the gloves themselves."
Max glanced at her.
"And?"
"They were made under the influence of Hephaestus," she said.
Max stopped walking for a moment.
"...Seriously?"
Luna nodded.
"The base materials are mystical alloys," she explained. "Celestial bronze, some divine metals, and a few things I couldn't fully identify."
Max whistled quietly.
"So basically… they're god-tier tech."
"Pretty much," Luna replied.
She pointed at his hands.
"They also have several other functions we haven't unlocked yet."
Her expression turned slightly serious.
"So don't show them off too much."
Max nodded.
"Got it."
He turned his attention to the right glove.
Hana's contribution had given it a completely different function.
When Max activated it briefly, he felt a strange pull—like something draining from the world around him.
"That glove," Hana explained, "can drain time from targets."
Max blinked.
"Time?"
She nodded.
"It ages whatever you target while transferring that stolen time into energy for you."
Max stared at the glove.
"...That is terrifying."
Hana smiled sweetly.
"I thought you would like it."
They continued walking.
After a moment, Hana leaned closer to him, her tone teasing.
"So," she said.
"How exactly are you planning to hide your identity?"
Max sighed.
"Yeah… about that."
Luna crossed her arms.
"You definitely can't bunk with the Hermes kids."
Max laughed.
"No offense to them, but I'd rather not."
Hana smirked.
"And you wouldn't want us sleeping without you, right?"
Max raised an eyebrow.
"You two are unbelievable."
But he thought about the problem for a moment.
"I actually have an idea."
The girls looked at him.
"I got something called a Base Seed from the gacha."
Luna tilted her head.
"A base… seed?"
Max nodded.
"It might be able to create a small home or base."
Hana's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that would solve a lot of problems."
Max continued.
"And as for hiding my lineage…"
He pulled a bottle from his pocket.
The Magic Wine gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
"I'm going to bargain with Mr. D."
Luna blinked.
"You are seriously planning to bribe the god of wine."
Max shrugged.
"I mean… it might make me immune to his punishment curse from Zeus."
He looked at the bottle thoughtfully.
"At least I hope it does."
The forest slowly thinned as they approached the outskirts of a large strawberry farm.
Rows of bright red berries stretched across the fields, shining under the afternoon sun.
Max smiled.
"The Mist must be working overtime here."
The magical illusion surrounding Camp Half-Blood used the strawberry farm to hide its true nature from mortals.
Max glanced at the girls.
"I'm guessing the Mist is working especially hard around you two."
Hana tilted her head.
"Why?"
Max gestured toward them.
"If polymer started leaking during a fight, that would raise a lot of questions."
Luna laughed.
"Relax."
She tapped her temple.
"The Mist is strong enough to fool even the gods."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
"Most of the time," Luna corrected.
"If they start paying too much attention, it might become a problem."
Hana shrugged.
"But otherwise we're fine."
She stretched slightly.
"And besides…"
She smirked.
"We're stronger and faster than most demigods here anyway."
Eventually they reached the edge of the camp.
The magical barrier shimmered faintly in the air—almost invisible, like a thin layer of glass stretching across the hill.
Luna and Hana walked through it effortlessly.
Max followed.
The moment he stepped through, a sharp sting shot through his body.
He winced slightly.
"Ow."
Luna looked back.
"You okay?"
Max nodded.
"Yeah."
He understood why it happened.
The camp barrier was designed to repel monsters—many of which were originally created as extensions of Gaia.
Since Max was now technically Gaia's demigod, the magic didn't quite know how to classify him.
Monster.
Demigod.
Something in between.
The barrier had hesitated.
A few seconds later, several campers approached them.
They looked relaxed, clearly used to seeing new arrivals.
"Oh," one of them said casually. "New kids."
He gestured toward the main camp.
"Come with us."
The three followed without protest.
They were quickly escorted through the camp grounds toward the Big House.
Max glanced around as they walked.
Training arenas.
Cabins shaped like small temples.
Satyrs walking around casually.
It was exactly like the books described.
Eventually they reached Mr. D's office.
Inside, Dionysus—also known as Mr. D—sat behind his desk, lazily drinking a can of Diet Coke.
He barely glanced up at them.
"So," he said flatly.
"You are the children of gods and humans."
He leaned back in his chair.
"You will stay here and be trained. Blah blah blah."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"If you don't know your godly parent, you'll stay in Hermes Cabin."
He took another sip.
"Any questions?"
Silence.
"Good."
Max raised a hand.
Mr. D groaned.
"What."
Max pulled something from his jacket.
"You are the god of wine, right?"
Mr. D squinted.
"Yes."
Max placed the bottle on the desk.
"I have a gift for you."
Mr. D froze.
The bottle radiated divine energy.
Magic Wine.
His eyes widened slightly.
"However," Max added calmly, "you have to hear me out."
He leaned forward slightly.
"And whatever happens in this room… stays here."
Mr. D slowly picked up the bottle.
He examined it carefully.
Then he opened it.
The scent alone made him tremble.
More importantly—
His curse didn't activate.
A single silent tear rolled down his cheek.
He closed the bottle slowly.
"...Deal."
He looked at Max seriously.
"As thanks for this gift."
Max nodded.
"Thank you."
He gestured to the girls beside him.
"For starters… these two are my girlfriends."
Mr. D blinked.
"They are daughters of Aphrodite."
Mr. D stared at Max.
Then at the girls.
Then back at Max.
He leaned back slowly.
"This kid has guts."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"Dating two daughters of Aphrodite…"
He muttered something under his breath.
Max continued calmly.
"And I…"
He paused.
"...am the son of Gaia."
As if responding to his words, a faint symbol of earth briefly glowed on Max's forehead.
Mr. D immediately tensed.
The room fell silent.
He studied Max carefully.
Waiting.
But he didn't sense the usual rage or destructive aura that children of Gaia normally carried.
Instead…
Max just looked like a normal kid.
Mr. D sighed.
"Alright."
He leaned back again.
"You seem like a good kid."
Then he pointed at him.
"But no sleeping in the Aphrodite cabin."
He grimaced.
"You wouldn't survive a day in there with all that perfume."
Max chuckled.
"No problem."
He leaned forward slightly.
"You wouldn't happen to have a large plot of empty land nearby… would you?"