Chapter Text
Yujin found herself staring towards the ocean. It had been a long journey and whether subconsciously or not, the sea seemed to call to her. She laced her fingers through the pearl necklace her father had given to her near this very spot just last week. Just when they got through one quest, it appeared another one was on the horizon.
She’d already heard the whispers. In the time they were gone, several campers had deserted camp. Kronos’ forces would only grow stronger as he began to sneak his way into demigod dreams. How many familiar faces would his army have? Yujin shuddered at the thought.
The child of Poseidon decided to instead look back at the prophecy that started this whole mess. It felt like all the pieces had finally come together.
The forbidden ones travel east to clear their parents’ names. Check. They had gone southeast and proved that it was Kronos who had arranged the assassination of the Korean god, Dangun.
The Owl, Raven, and Swan aid in the trickster’s game. Check. Yuri, Minju, and Wonyoung all played a part in making it through Seokga’s puzzles and taking back Hermes’ staff.
The fallen god’s child can be friend or foe. Unfortunately, check. Yuri’s father, Apollo, was the god that had fallen to earth. She had been both a friend and a foe during this journey. They had to find a way to win her back.
And beware the curse that festers from below. Now this felt like a line that was still a bit ambiguous. It could be referring to Kronos’ growing presence and how he could soon rise from the underworld. Yujin couldn’t think of any other explanation. Maybe she should’ve paid more attention in literary classes during high school and college.
“Or maybe you should’ve just become a national swimmer like your mom. It’s what I wanted you to be at least,” a deep voice suddenly said.
Yujin turned to see a man wearing a Bahamas shirt, khaki shorts and Birkenstocks sitting on a foldable chair next to her. In his hands was a large metal fishing rod and behind him, a golden trident was buried in the sand.
Yujin recognized him instantly. “Dad??? What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? I’m fishing,” he chuckled back.
“I can see that, but you wouldn’t be here without another reason, right? Maybe apologize for being wrong about Chaewon? Maybe give a hint to what we’re supposed to do next?”
Poseidon sat up and continued staring at his fishing line. Yujin wondered what the point of fishing as the literal sea god was, but hey, even gods needed their hobbies, she guessed.
“Well, I was technically right about her leading you girls into a trap, even if it wasn’t on purpose.”
Yujin was about to give a snarky rebuttal, but Poseidon continued.
“Still, I want to congratulate you and your friends on surviving your first quest,” he said without looking at her. Somehow though, Yujin could feel the sincerity in his words.
“I know you didn’t ask for any of this, but no one can truly predict what future the Fates weave together. All we can do is ride that wave into whatever’s next,”
That got a bit of a laugh from Yujin. “Surfing jokes? Really?”
“There is an ocean of jokes you can make about the sea, child,” Poseidon smiled as something finally bit into his line.
The sea god tugged and reeled lightly, causing a large sea serpent, maybe 20-feet long, to launch up from the sea. Yujin was shocked. She’d seen nature documentaries where Great White sharks would jump out of the water, but this was on another level. Poseidon, though, did not seem as impressed.
“Too small,” he said with a frown as he cut the line and cast his hook back into the water.
“Too small?” Yujin repeated.
Poseidon nodded. “You said you wanted a hint, right? That is just a small fry in the world you will be visiting soon.”
“Our next quest… is in the ocean?”
“Maybe, maybe not. That is just the feeling I’m getting. As you know, gods aren’t as all-knowing as you think.”
Yujin took a moment to process it all in. She hadn’t really considered that if there were Greek monsters on land, there must be some in the water too besides Nereids. Yujin turned back to her father to ask something else, but by the time she did, all that was left was a message in the sand:
Good luck, my daughter.
“Maybe he’s not that bad after all,” Yujin muttered to herself as a high-pitched voice called from a distance.
“Yah, kelp brain! What’re you doing over here?”
It was Wonyoung, staring at her from the forest’s edge with crossed arms. She still wouldn’t say it out loud, but the child of Aphrodite always seemed to look so stunning. The way her flowing black hair cascaded past her shoulders and framed her face just perfectly while the sunset gave her a bright orange glow made Yujin believe that some people were really born pretty.
“Well?” Wonyoung continued. “Are you gonna answer or keep staring?”
Yujin smirked. “Why don’t you come over here and find out?”
“Aish, I am not getting these shoes wet,” she complained. Without a second thought, Yujin flicked her hand, sending a small spray of water right to her.
“YAH! What was that for?”
Yujin couldn’t stop herself from laughing as she walked over and apologized to her friend.
“Well, where we’re going next, you’re going to have to get your feet wet.” she said.
“‘Where we’re going’? No way I am going on another quest after almost dying a hundred times during this last one!”
“And here I thought you’d lost all your snobbiness on the road,” Yujin replied in a teasing tone.
“It’s called survival instinct. I don’t think you would’ve heard of it,” Wonyoung barked back.
Yujin shrugged. “The decision won’t be ours anyway. An old man told me that you can never really predict the future, only ride the wave into the next moment. If you asked me though, I’d be more comfortable with you there.”
At this, Wonyoung blushed slightly. “W-well, someone’s gotta keep you alive, right? Not that I’d mind if you weren’t around to annoy me anymore. It’d be a lot quieter!”
“Suuure, Wonnie. I totally believe you,” Yujin laughed again before beginning to walk back to camp.
“Yah, I meant it!” Wonyoung yelled while chasing after her. “I hope you get eaten by the harpies!”
~~~~
Chaewon was exhausted. After the meeting earlier, she’d crashed into bed immediately. It was a lot more comfortable now as Eunbi had continued to spruce things up while they were gone. There were now amethyst encrusted windows to let some light in and the coffin bed had been replaced with a proper queen-sized bed.
The memories from the quest hadn’t left her memory. As she slept, the events would flash in her mind, good and bad. She saw their fight with Echidna and the Chimera on the train, the trap at Aunty Em’s, the trip to Seokga’s palace, meeting the Hunters and everything from the Underworld.
So much had happened in less than a week, and the image that had seared itself into her mind the most was the golden sarcophagus.
You’re fighting a losing battle… Kronos’ voice would say.
You can still beg for mercy and join my side. Your friend made the wise choice.
Hyewon had warned them during the meeting that Kronos would continue to speak in their dreams to try and convert them by planting suggestions.
“You can’t change my mind,” Chaewon spoke back. “I’m never joining you!”
Need I remind you what happens if you try to resist? Kronos whispered back.
Chaewon’s surroundings started to melt away until they were back in the vision she’d seen back in the underworld. They were in the middle of Seoul with rubble and debris everywhere. Now that Chaewon looked closer though, she could see stray weapons lying on the ground and blood splattered every few feet. Chaewon waded through until she saw Minju leaning on a broken pillar. Her arms had several slash cuts, and her face was grimy and bruised.
“NO!” she yelled before rushing over and checking for the child of Athena’s pulse.
Is this the future you want to be responsible for? Kronos said in her mind.
“We can stop you… we won’t let you destroy this world,”
Kronos laughed. “Big words child of Hades. This should be fun.”
Chaewon then heard the sound of someone’s footsteps crunching on the asphalt road. When she turned, she saw Yuri aiming an arrow right at her. In the blink of an eye, the projectile was launched, but just before it pierced her forehead, Chaewon’s world went black.
The child of Hades woke up in a cold sweat. No one was around, the only noise coming from a grandfather clock ticking away from behind.
Chaewon got up and washed her face. Those images were just things Kronos wanted her to see to let her guard down. That couldn’t be their future.
Feeling the need for fresh air, Chaewon walked to her front door, but when she swung it open, she heard a yelp followed by a thud.
“Minju???” Chaewon said as she immediately went to check on her.
“S-sorry, unnie,” Minju chuckled while grabbing at her forehead. “I wanted to pass by and ask how your renovated cabin was.”
“Don’t worry about it, Minju. Let’s just get you to the infirmary.”
~~~~
“So… why were you in such a rush to get out?” Minju asked while Chaewon was pressing an ice pack to her forehead. She initially said she was fine, but Chaewon insisted on getting her treated. The image of her friend bloodied and non-responsive in her dream had made her worry.
“I had a dream…” Chaewon muttered back quietly. This seemed to get the child of Athena’s attention.
“What was it? Kronos?”
Chaewon nodded and began to go over her dream minus the details of Minju being hurt.
“You have to stay strong, unnie. Kronos must believe that he can turn you to his side. I believe that you won’t.”
“But what if I do… I already unknowingly led you guys into a trap yesterday. What if he’s already subconsciously controlling me?”
Minju pulled away the ice pack from Chaewon’s hand and set it on the table. “I know you’re a good person, unnie. We wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
“But what exactly did we accomplish? Sure, we cleared the gods’ names, but Yuri joined Seoyoung, and Kronos is just getting started,” Chaewon replied in a frustrated tone.
“We got back alive and got the news to the others,” Minju said. “We will save Yuri. I know we can. We just have to stick together. You’re not alone.”
Those words struck Chaewon. All her life, it was just her, her mother, Yujin and Yena. Here at camp, she’d initially felt isolated as well being the only child of Hades, but now, she felt like there were people she could trust. Eunbi, Hyewon, and Minju, just to name a few. Even Wonyoung was starting to grow on her.
Chaewon looked up at Minju and it was just now that she noticed her eyes were a different color. Instead of the deep brown she’d gotten used to, she was now staring into stormy gray ones.
“What’s wrong?” Minju asked.
“Y-your eyes…”
Minju seemed to realize what Chaewon meant and immediately began to rummage through her pockets for something.
“Most children of Athena have gray eyes by default. Some of us here at camp like to use colored contacts to blend in better. It also helps us have a little bit of uniqueness,” she explained as she finally brought a small container out.
Just as Minju was about to put her contacts on though, Chaewon stopped her.
“I think they’re beautiful,” she said so quietly, it might’ve been a whisper.
“Y-you think so?” Minju said nervously.
Chaewon didn’t know what came over her, but she began leaning in closer to Minju, who wasn’t opposing. She didn’t know what would’ve happened next though because that’s when the infirmary door opened.
“Uh… what’s happening here?” a female camper asked.
Minju then backed off, putting separation between her and Chaewon.
“Oh, nothing, Lia! Chaewon-unnie was just helping me with this ice pack!” Minju tried to explain, but her red cheeks must’ve been a dead giveaway.
“I’m so sure,” she replied with a knowing smirk. “I’ll just pick up these medical supplies and leave you two to deal with your ice pack.”
Chaewon tried to jump in to explain as well, but it seemed to only dig their hole even deeper.
By the time Lia left, both girls couldn’t look each other in the eye.
“I-It’s getting late, unnie. I think we should get ready for dinner,” said Minju awkwardly.
“Yeah… let’s do that.”
The duo then got up and went their separate ways. Chaewon couldn’t help but feel her heart beating strangely. Maybe she’d take that up with one of the Apollo kids later.
~~~~
2 weeks later…
Yena had thought of nothing else since they’d come back from the underworld other than Kronos, Seoyoung, and Yuri. She had trained intensely, constantly going up against the Ares kids in sword duels, shooting against the Apollo kids in archery, and setting personal records on the lava pit climbing wall.
While she still tried to maintain her usual positive and bubbly attitude, joking around with Yujin and Chaewon when she could, she couldn’t seem to escape her own thoughts, especially the ones pertaining to Yuri.
Without her realizing, the summer had gone by, and they were now on their last night. From what she’d gathered, some demigods stay all year round while others like Wonyoung go back to their families or attend school. While she’d initially wanted to remain at camp in case any sign of Yuri popped up, her two best friends convinced her to give it another shot. Apparently, Seunggi had managed to talk to the dean of her old college and convinced him that the incidents involving her were just over-exaggerations.
It’ll give you something else to think about… Chaewon had said worriedly a couple nights earlier.
You could finally see your mom again too. I know you miss her! Yujin added.
Truthfully, with everything on her mind, Yena hadn’t thought about how her mother was doing, and that made her feel guilty. That was what ultimately convinced her to go back. She needed to know how she was doing.
The final night of summer was touted as the biggest event every year. There’d be more food than usual, activities organized by the campers, and of course, there was the bead ceremony.
This year’s bead was solid black with a gold sword in the center representing Dangun and the trip to the underworld to find him. At the base of the bead were Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades’ symbols of power- a lightning bolt, a trident, and a dark helmet. Yena rolled the bead in her hand before attaching it to her camp necklace. She had to admit the craftsmanship and detail were amazing.
“Yena-unnie, you good?” the voice of Yujin shook her out of her thoughts.
“Yeah, cool design, huh?” Yena replied, trying to keep things light.
As per usual though, Yujin could see right through her. “We’ll find her, unnie. You’re not doing this alone. You don’t have to overwork yourself,”
Yena smiled and ruffled the younger girl’s hair. “Thanks, Yuj. I hope you’re right.”
Yujin huffed. “I’m always right! Now, come on, we’re going to run out of s’mores!”
Yena glanced into the horizon one more time. Somewhere out there, Kronos was plotting with Seoyoung, Yuri, and who knows how many more demigods.
Yuri… just you wait. We'll save you.