Chapter 69: Settling In

3rd Person POV

The boat gently nudged against the dock, its arrival marking the end of a journey fraught with peril. As the engine quieted to a hush, the group, weary yet alive with a mingling of relief and apprehension, began to disembark.

Their steps onto solid ground were tentative, as if testing the reality of their safety.

Luke, standing at the forefront, surveyed the group with a discerning eye, noting the traces of exhaustion and trauma etched into their faces.

Clearing his throat, he garnered their attention, his voice steady and imbued with a calm authority.

"Everyone, I know that was a journey none of us will forget," he began, his gaze meeting each of theirs in turn.

"But you made it. You're safe now."

Athena, standing slightly apart from the others, wrapped her arms around herself, the ordeal they'd just survived still a fresh wound on her psyche.