#nct demigod au

[neonacity]

Elysium Ch.1: The Beginning of the End

Summary: What do you get when demigods are sent to the human realm as punishment for wreaking havoc on Olympus? Chaos. And a whole lot of trouble the mundane world is probably not ready to face, ever.

PROLOGUE: The Beginning

DRABBLES: Son of Shadows (JENO) | Of Love & Lust (JAEMIN)

NOTE: I know Percy Jackson has picked up again with its new series, but despite some similarities, this fic is not inspired by the lore. I have never read any of the books. All real people mentioned in the story are only my uses. I do not imply any likeness between them and my characters. A lot of the concepts from the original mythology might also be changed to fit the plot. I do not allow any of my works to be shared anywhere else. I only have Tumblr.

© neonacity 2023 - 2024

*******

“Say you’re given a chance to sit down with any deity and just talk to them for five minutes, who would you choose?”

You crinkled your nose and peered at your best friend from the comfort of the faded bean bag you are slumped on. The room was warm and the weather was making your eyelids droop, but you managed to shift a little on your seat to look at the boy who was currently playing self-catch by throwing a baseball against the wall. Yangyang looked equally bored as he flicked his wrist lazily with ease.

“Should it be a deity?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not like you see them every day.”

“You don’t get to see Princess Diana every day. Or Beyonce.”

Yangyang gave a snort. 

“Beyonce’s still alive, Nugget.” 

You reached out for the closest cushion pillow and threw it at the boy who effortlessly ducked to avoid it. You glared, but he simply laughed to brush you off.

“My point is that, why ask for a deity if there are aspiring people who I can get a chance to talk to?”

“Do you really hate the gods that much,” Yangyang asked with a slight frown creasing the top of his nose. 

“Do you really love them that much, Beep?” 

Now, it was his turn to scoff at the mention of his childhood nickname. Yangyang rolled his eyes before fully turning on his seat to face you. 

“For someone who studies at Rosewood, you treat the celestial world with so much irony.”

That made you pause. Rosewood Institute… An academy that had centuries of history riding on its back. In the eyes of the world, it is a regular boarding school, albeit a shadowy one. For the chosen—or as what they call it—it is a fort that means so much more than any earthly concept. 

Rosewood Institute is the frontier in the mortal world that serves as the learning nest of demigods and half-bloods.

Half-deities and children of anyone connected to the world beyond all pass through the halls of the school. While humanity has since moved on and cut ties with their connection to the gods, their legacy remains and walks among them secretly under shadows. The only exception from the half-bloods housed within the academy were the 'darlings of Olympus,' namely the children of the big honchos residing in Elysium itself. 

For many, being a part of the community of demigods is a badge they wear with pride.

Well, except for you. 

You don’t want to call it hatred, but as the daughter of a humble forest nymph, you stand in a place that still puts you in the viewpoint of someone destined to look up to those with ‘bigger lineages.’ Alas, big names can come with big egos, and so it has tarnished the way you live your life at the Institute every single day.

You slumped back in your seat now and stared at the dusty, aged ceiling of the room you and Yangyang call the Journalism Club. You wished his question was rhetoric, but the hanging silence told you that he is actually expecting an answer. 

“I am just not all hot and excited about it. You already know why.”

Your best friend sighed. The sound of a ball bouncing against the wall started again from his side.

“Not all of them are bad, you know.”

“I’m not saying anyone is ba���”

The crashing sound of something heavy, followed by the shattering boom of breaking glass made you stop. Pulling yourself up from your seat in panic, you stared in shock at Yangyang who also looked frozen from surprise. It didn’t take long for the both of you to get what was happening, and soon enough, you were both scrambling out of the room without another word.

Scratch that. Every single one of these demigods ARE trouble.

*******

“What on earth is going on here?!” The billowing smoke from the room made you cough out your words as you barged through the door. You couldn’t see way past a few feet from the dust that was still settling, but you could make out moving shapes from behind the smoke screen. You squinted hard to make out what was happening when you saw an arm shoot out of nowhere to grab at something.

“What the hell, Haechan. You said you knew what you were doing!” 

A few coughs came a little ways from your right.

“I was, I swear! I followed everything that was written in the book.”

“If you did, then how come you blew up half of the room?!”

“I might have read one of the words wrong—”

“You what?!”

“I'm dyslexic, okay!” 

You blinked away the sting that was already making you start to tear up to properly make out what was in front of you. Now with more of the dust settled, you could finally put a face on the voices. 

Huang Renjun, son of Ares, the God of War. 

And Lee Haechan, child of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare. 

Both locked up in what seemed to be a deathly grip—well, with more of the latter being strangled by the former.

“I am going to kick your a—”

“Hey. Stop. Is everyone okay?” 

You jumped a little as a sudden creak came off from the corner followed by the sudden burst of light into the room. Somebody had enough sense to open a window, which made the rest of the smoke finally escape outside. Standing beside it was a boy with blonde hair that almost glowed like the sunlight. 

Mark Lee. The heir of Zeus, ruler of the sky… and the God of all Gods.

“We’re good. But I don’t think the room is,” a dark-haired boy answered on behalf of the group as he toed a fallen chunk of plank from the ceiling. He turned it over with his booted foot, which only made the wood break into pieces again.

“You think? Everything is scorched off. I liked this room. Now we have to—oh… hello there, Princess.” 

“Uh-oh…” Haechan whispered under his breath as he pushed back his skewed glasses up his nose bridge. Renjun, despite himself, finally let go of the other’s collar as his eyes shifted towards the other three. Mark cleared his throat and reached out to scratch the back of his neck, so instead you turned to the only two boys who are yet to avoid your withering look. 

You froze in your place and glared at the other boy with silver platinum hair who smiled sweetly at you from where he stood. Upon his greeting, everyone in the group turned to look at you, as if it was their first time to notice you there.

Lee Jeno, son of Hades, God of the Underworld; and Na Jaemin, beloved child of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty; looked like the poster children of light and shadows. Their current expressions drove the imagery well, too. 

“Can somebody tell me why half the room melted off?” You asked through gritted teeth, your eyes boring holes at Jaemin who was still smiling so pleasantly at you—a fact that, to be honest, only made your blood boil more. 

“Haechan tried to make a spell that he got from one of the books in the library. He… wanted to make the room cooler,” Jeno answered. 

“What do you mean ‘he’? You were all in on the act too! Didn’t you say the heat here was much worse than Uncle Hades’ second circle of the Underworld?!” The brown-haired boy in question bristled. 

“Book? What book?” Yangyang, who had run after you, but was too shocked to speak before, echoed from behind. Renjun shifted a little guiltily on his feet. 

“Well about that…”

“He got it from the Restricted Section,” Jaemin said, still looking unbothered about everything. 

You felt seconds away from an aneurysm. 

“You mean he stole it?” You emphasized the word as you shifted your gaze to the thief in question. Haechan slightly frowned and looked away.

“I just borrowed it.. “

“You are not allowed to borrow it, let alone touch it. That’s why it is in the Restricted Section!” 

“We weren’t even supposed to use it, but Renjun and the rest—”

“Me?!” 

“Is it really not possible to have any of you stay out of trouble for at least one day?!”

You wish you were overreacting, but you couldn't really be as close to the truth as you are. In fact, you are almost ready to sacrifice Yangyang's blood just to go back to the time before the 'golden heirs' of Olympus stepped foot into your life.

It had almost been a month since the boys arrived in Rosewood. As the chosen heirs of their godly parents, they stayed in their respective domains to be trained and raised differently from the rest. When news broke that they were banished temporarily to the mortal realm as punishment for a gaffe, the Academy was thrown into excitement and chaos—well, mostly chaos from your perspective. 

You’ve been wanting to know what it is exactly that these men did to be exiled from Olympus, but to be honest, they have also been keeping you up almost every single day with their antics. It’s almost like trouble is always hovering around them, and since then, you have never known peace.

“We apologize. We really didn’t mean it this time. We were just trying to learn new things,” Mark, the eldest of the group, told you placatingly. You turned to look at him with your lips in a tight line. 

“This is a school for the demigods, Mr. Lee. Not Hogwarts. You can’t try spells here.”

Jaemin frowned, his curiosity genuine. 

“What’s Hogwarts?”

“You can try spells there?” Haechan seconded. 

“To the office, all of you,” you said as you pinched the bridge of your nose. You have just turned on your heel when someone else stepped into the room, his eyes silently roaming the mess stretched out in front of him. 

Mark straightened at the sight of the man. You did the same, slight surprise marking your features.

“Headmaster.”

“Papa?”

Your father, looking the least bit troubled by the mess, turned to give all of you a smile. 

“Hello kids, it seems like you are having quite an interesting afternoon.”

“Sir, we can explain—”

“They used a spell to—!”

Both you and Mark stopped mid-sentence as he raised a hand.

“I’d love to know the full story, but for now I need to talk to all of you. Can you all please come to my office?”

*******

The boys looked around silently as they settled on their seats at the Headmaster’s office. You, not being a stranger to the place anymore, sat on the closest one to your father’s table, your fingers fidgeting slightly on your side. The man in front was peacefully making coffee as if he has not a care in the world, but you could sense in the air in the room that something was up. That was the thing about your father. Nothing ever seems to ruffle him up.

You know, having been raised by him in the walls of the Institute himself since you were a kid. Even before you officially became a student here, you have seen the way he had handled all kinds of matters in Rosewood. After all, being the Headmaster of one of the select places in the mortal world where the offspring of gods and otherworldly creatures reside does come with its fair share of trouble. 

“Is something the matter?” You braved to ask the question that everyone in the room was itching to voice out. He turned to all of you with a smile and lifted the coffee pot he just finished brewing. 

“Coffee, anyone?” 

You and Mark caught each other’s gazes before slightly shaking your heads. The rest did the same.

“Mm. More for me then,” your father murmured more to himself with a chuckle as he settled behind the ancient-looking oak table. You all watched nervously as he took his time to sip on his drink. The whole room seemed to be holding its breath. Off on your other side, Haechan seems on the verge of chewing his fingers off.

“Papa—”

“We might have to temporarily close off Rosewood,” the Headmaster said to gently cut you off. You froze, processing what he just said for a few seconds. You expected everything, except for this. 

“What??”

“There has been a little bit of trouble brewing in the borders of our world and Elysium. Today, I am going to make an announcement that students and their families have the choice to go home or stay here if they want.”

None of what he is saying makes sense. Beside you, the boys looked paler under the light.

“What do you mean we are closing down Rosewood? We never close the Institute ever!” You blurted out, unable to keep yourself quiet anymore. 

“We have never done it, yes, darling. But this time, the case is a little bit different,” the man replied to you kindly and under control still. He then turned to his other visitors with the same even temperament.

“I have been in touch with all of your parents to tell them about the changes in the Academy. They are yet to give me their answer as to when you will go back to Olympus.” 

Mark fidgeted a little on his seat and gave the boys beside him a quick look. 

“Uhm… About that…”

“Can you at least tell us what’s happening?” You said through gritted teeth as you turned to your father again. The man in question paused a little as if to study you… weighing whether to answer your question or not. Finally, he leaned back against his seat and removed his wire-framed glasses.

“Several places in the mortal world had been under attack. Monsters and beasts have been roaming the place. The celestial army has been keeping the cases down, but we expect the events to… grow.” 

That is the second time you were speechless today. You felt your palms turn cold as you stared at him, mouth open. The headmaster met all of your gazes evenly, his usually warm facade finally showing a glimpse of the seriousness of the situation. 

“What…”

“Tartarus is collapsing on itself and the world, I’m afraid, is not ready for it.” 

Your heart dropped to your stomach. 

Tartarus, the deepest place of the Underworld. 

Tartarus…

The prison of the gods’ greatest enemies. 

You stared breathlessly at your father until something clicked. Slowly, you turned to the boys sitting beside you who seemed to have turned to stone. One look and you knew. One look and the question was drawn automatically from your lips. 

A/N: Look who's back... I know I haven't been active in this account for months, but 2024 is literally just a few hours away and I wanted to close the year (and hopefully start the new one) by picking up writing again. I have no promises, but I hope this little chapter can do its magic. Happy New Year, everyone!

“You… What have you all done?” 

*******

[dalivanmagritte]

NCT FIC REC : JEONG JAEHYUN

back to the nct fic rec

favs

just us. (fav, smut, fluff, royal!au)

promise of duke (fav, smut, nobless!au)

oops, baby (i love you) (fav, smut, fluff, angstish, modern royal!au)

a summer love (fav, fluff, suggestive, 60's!au, smalltowngirl!au)

seeds of pomegranate (fav, angst, smut, fluff, greek mythology!au)

no smut

just friends (fluff, college!au)

i've got my eye on you (fluff, deaf!jaehyun)

je ne sais quoi (fluff, suggestive)

stars, moons & other celestial bodies (angstish, fluff, retro!au)

boyfriend material (fluff, fake dating!au, angstish, college!au)

7:37 (fluff, college!au)

pastas? (fluff)

classics (smut)

team captain (smut, fluff, college!au)

the charming (smut, housemate!au, college!au)

romanée-conti (smut, fluff, sugardaddy!au)

the v week spy (smut, fluff, college!au, stvalentine!au)

king of the streets (smut, fluff, angst, streetracer!au, journalist!au)

begin again (smut, angst)

die in your arms (smut, angst, spooky!au)

rose bud (smut, fluff, angstish, college!au)

pregnant partner (fluff, smut)

boy toy (smut)

body party (smut, boxer!au)

milf (smut, fluff, milf!au)

no distraction (smut)

one of the girls (smut, neighbor!au)

sleep well, princess (fluff, smut, brotherbff!au)

horizon (smut, office!au, ceo!au)

chained (smut, arranged marriage!au)

Fucking up the sheets (smut)

back for more (smut)

our little secret (smut, ceo!au)

teacher's pet (smut, teacher!au)

deadly kiss (smut, office!au)

jaehyun's new secretary (smut, office!au, ceo!au)

stress no more (smut, ceo!au)

make a mess for me (smut)

racer (smut, angst, streetracer!au)

trick or treat (smut, halloween!au, dad!jaehyun, neighbour!reader, ceo!au)

trick or treat (smut, halloween!au, neighbour!au, voyeur!au)

a nonsense christmas (smut, camgirl!au)

christmas puppy (smut, fluff)

cockwarming (smut)

runway (angst, fluff, smutish, e2l!au, fashion!au)

you have one missed call (smut)

tits obsessed (smut)

19:30 (smut)

heart aches (smut)

honeymoon avenue (smut, angstish)

around the corner (fluff, angst, rich!au)

deadly kiss (smut, fluff, office!au, architect!au, engineer!au)

baby making (smut, new parents!au)

daddy in the streets, husband in the sheets (smut)

bf! jaehyun (smut, fluff)

hearts won at practice (fluff, smut, junior footballplayer!au)

that's it (smut)

popsicle (smut)

perv! jaehyun (smut)

handle with care (smut, office!au)

alternate universe (magics, gods, royalty, etc...)

just us. (smut, fluff, royal!au)

sleep well? (smut, incubus!au)

of sunrise and roses (fluff, suggestive, demigod!au, mythology!au)

on the shore of the styx (angst, mythology!au)

son of zeus (fluff, demigod!au, mythology!au)

son of lachesis (fluff, angstish, demigod!au, mythology!au)

son of dionysus (angst, demigod!au, mythology!au)

two worlds appart part.2 (angst, smut, royal!au)

midday reverie (smut, angst, fluff, abo!au)

not so charming (fluff, hogwarts!au)

twilight (smut, vampire!au)

shapeshifter wolf (fluff, angst, witch!au, shapeshifter!au)

head over broomsticks (fluff, suggestive, hogwarts!au)

wrong hands (smut, bodyguard!au, mafia!au)

motives (1) (smut, demon!au)

perfume (smut, werewolf!au, witch!au)

can't get you out of my mind (smut, fluff, angst, abo!au)

with another member

danger x johnny (smut, abo!au)

can you handle it? x johnny, jeno, jaemin (smut)

i wanna make you scream (smut, ghostface!au)

send in the clowns x mark x haechan (smut, halloween!au)

[mint-yooxgi]

Kinktober 2024 Request Rules

Considering the way the poll is going, and my own excitement and wants, I'm preemptively posting this to give you all ample time to send me some kinktober prompts! Yay! Feel free to send as many as you'd like, but I'd kindly ask you all to be reasonable and follow the rules as listed below. If anyone remembers previous kinktober request rules, they'll be practically the same as before.

I will be accepting prompts until September 17.

Please request one (1) member per ask from the following groups:

SHINee (Excluding Jjong, of course)

EXO (Excluding Jongdae)

ATEEZ

Stray Kids

VIXX

NCT (Excluding Wish and Taeil, for obvious reasons)

TXT

Seventeen

Note: You may request multiple of the same member, but I will probably limit the amount of prompts I do for any one idol to 3.

Please only use a maximum of two (2) kinks per prompt. Kinks that I will accept are listed below.

Daddy/Mommy Kink

Sir/Mistress

Bondage

Asphyxiation

Body Worship

Praise

Possession

Oral Fixation

Face Sitting

Thigh Riding

Sensory Depravation

Blood

Biting/Marking

Overstimulation

Edging/Orgasm Denial

Voyerism/Exhibitionism

King/Queen

Breeding/Creampie

Consensual Predator/Prey

Consensual Somnophilia

Size Kink & Reverse Size Kink

JOI

Cockwarming

Knife Play

Masturbation/Mutual Masturbation

Please feel free to choose from a variety of AUs found below. You may combine multiple AUs together, but I ask for them to be kept reasonable and for people to limit themselves to two (2) AUs per request. Yandere may be combined with any and all AUs, and is the only exception to this rule. If there is an AU not listed below, but you'd like to see, feel free to message me, or shoot me an ask about it and I'll respond as soon as I can!

List of AUs:

Any form of monster you can think of up to and including: Tentacle, Siren, Vampire, Wolf, etc! The more monstrous the better!

Yandere

Royal

Hybrids

Angel/Fallen Angel

Demon

Trickster

Gods/Demigods

I'd love to keep this Kinktober as monstrous as possible, but please feel free to send in prompts for whatever you'd like! Please also remember that there's no guarantee I will do specific prompts that I get, and I reserve the right to pick and choose to write the ones I receive that I have the most inspiration for, and/or are the most intriguing to me. I also reserve the right to make them as long or as short as possible. I'm doing this for fun, so I hope this can be something we all can enjoy to help me get back into the swing of things.

Until then, happy requesting!

[neochan]

before i leave this site completely, i want us to have one more year of nct fics & filth. if my happiness for writing returns while doing this, i may keep my presence on here longer.

regardless, below are the fics that i have planned / half written / outlined / thought up. over the course of the next year, i will be posting the ones you vote on.

once you read over the fics, please use the link at the bottom of this post to vote for your favorites.

THE PICK ME CHRONICLES WILL BE FINISHED IN FULL REGARDLESS!

(STANDALONE FICS)

no synopsis, but i can offer: toxic exes au, street racing, using his rival as a means to make him jealous, he is insanely possessive.

okay, so maybe hooking up with a masked stranger wasn't the brightest idea. but you didn't expect him to actually blow your mind. unfortunately, the only clue as to who he is lies in the jacket he left behind. now, with the worn leather that still faintly smelled liked him in tow, you're on the hunt to find your prince charming...but you know what they say: if the jacket fits.

no synopsis, but i can offer: christmas au! flirty hyuck, friends to lovers, comedy(?)

after seven years, haechan still has a crush on you, but you seem to only have eyes for jeno, and haechan isn’t good at controlling his jealousy. (harry potter au)

no synopsis, but i can offer: incubus!jaemin

(SERIES)

according to your parents, it's all for the business. get married to the competitions son so the companies can merge, and business will be fruitful, and you'll be rich. easy, right? wrong. it'd be easier if the person you were marrying was someone you didn't know, but you knew jung jaehyun, in fact, you knew him a little too well, and you didn't particularly like him. though his bestfriend peaked your interest the first time you met... and the second time... and the third. (can change the pairing to dream members)

spend a summer at camp with nct dream as demigods, captured within five different stories

son of hermes!hyuck x daughter of athena!reader

son of ares!jeno x daughter of eros!reader

son of posiedon!renjun x daughter of aphrodite!reader

son of aphrodite!jaemin x daughter of hermes!reader

son of apollo!mark x daughter of hades!reader

THIS IS MY FAVORITE WIP!! after the tragic death of punk rock band PARASOCIALs leader, lee minhyung, the label is desperate to piece the teenage dream back together again. in an attempt to revive their chart breaking success, they've reached out to you - a rising star already signed to their sister label. but what happens when you realize they're nothing like the press paints them to be? has the band slipped too far out of the limelight for you to save them? GENRE ▸ angst, smut, rockstar!nct dream, band au, vocalist!renjun, guitarist!jeno, drummer!jaemin, vocalist & bassist!haechan

my one shot 'rule breaker' is a prequel to this series.

no synopsis, but i can offer: dysfunctional family vibes.

illegal street fighter jeno

graffiti artist renjun

street racer & addict haechan

thief mark

drug dealer jaemin

!!!!! VOTE HERE !!!!!

[galaxystardragoness]

I loved helping out and you created such beautiful characters in turn!

𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 ◈ 𝐎𝐂𝐬

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:  just character intros for the written demigod!dreamies au 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: none 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: demigod!au 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: umm… fluff? 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:  G 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: none 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: n/a 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: check out the dreamies for some more context! the wip will be started shortly for the actual fic 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝟐: the idols depicted in the moodboards are not used as bases for personalities. They are simply used as a touchstone visually for my own sake 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝟑: thank you to @umbralhelwolf​ for helping me create these characters!!

Keep reading

[beautifulchris]

of darkness and rainbows

pairing: demigod!lee felix x fem demigod!reader

featuring: han jisung, hwang hyunjin, sf9's dawon, golden child's bomin, nct's doyoung

summary: a demigod au in which you enter the camp after losing your mom, and you swear to yourself you'll avenge her no matter what

genres: demigod!au, s2f2l!au, mutual pining, slowburn, action, fantasy, adventure, greek mythology, romance, mild fluff, angst

tw: monsters, parental abandonment, death of a mother and a brother, murder, blood, physical injuries, use of weapons (swords, knives, bow and arrow), VIOLENCE, nightmares, grief and loss depiction, battle scenes, monster and creature slaying, mild language, fainting, magic, ghost

rating: +16

wc: 12,7k

notes: wow. this is my longest work yet and i'm proud of it, please let me know what you think!!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send an ask/dm/comment to be added!

one.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the trip you’d imagined.

After getting to Montauk, and spending a few hours on the beach, she drove north. You then walked up what you thought was a random hill. When you were almost on top, you turned towards your mom to tell her you wanted to go back, that you’d rather go home and watch a movie. She was sobbing. It took you aback and broke your heart to see her that way. You wanted to hug her so badly.

She grabbed the backpack she had over her shoulders and put the handle in your hands.

“You must go further north, alright? You’ll find someone who can help you,” she instructed as she kneeled in front of you, stroking your face affectionately.

“What are you talking about, mom? I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You have to trust me. You’re so special, you don’t realize how much. You must go on your own path now. It’s time.” Her voice cracked a little. “Go, you’ll be safe there.”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” you mumbled and stood your ground.

“Maybe because your mommy failed to mention why you’re here,” an icy voice said, making you flinch. Your mom quickly got up and put a protective hand on your shoulder, “and why you’re both going to die today.”

“You’re too late. My daughter will live.”

A light yet threatening laugh left the woman’s throat. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something wrong with her. Not physically, it was more of a feeling.

“We’ll see about that.”

As the woman charged, your mom pushed you out of the way.

“Run!” she yelled as she shielded you with her whole body, turning her back on the woman. You didn’t want to leave her but what could you do? You ran as fast as you could to the top of the hill, still being able to hear what was happening behind you.

“I’m Keahi,” the woman said as she grasped your mom’s arm and forced her to spin so that they faced each other. “Might as well know my name, since I’m the last person you’ll ever see, mortal. You’re going to die knowing it was for nothing.”

You only turned around when you heard a sharp gasp.

You watched helplessly as your mom’s limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The woman had blood dripping from her hand— no, her claws. It dawned on you that she had murdered your mom and you were next. You turned around and resumed your sprint. Due to your fear and teary eyes, you realized too late that now that you were at the top, you’ll be going down.

You braced yourself as you could for the fall. Your body got scratches from a few low branches and brambles. When you arrived at the bottom of the hill, you looked up to see if the woman had followed.

It wasn’t the beautiful woman you saw earlier anymore, she had flaming hair, white skin and glowing red eyes. You could only see her head, but it was enough to get nightmares. She bared her fangs and turned around, like she couldn’t get to you anymore.

You tried to breathe but it came out ragged, hands shaking and lips trembling. The sun was heating up your skin. The birds were chirping happily while the despair you were feeling was starting to become unbearable as you clutched at your sides. Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. Not that you had much to look at, anyway, except trees.

You closed your eyes and before you could register what was going on, a paradise appeared before them. There was grass, trees, farm animals, a waterfall and sky in different rainbow colors, plus a rainbow in the background. It obviously wasn’t real, but for some reason the colors perfectly matched. It made you feel at ease. A drastic change from the state you were in mere seconds ago. It momentarily made you forget about it, the sight filling you up with warmth and peace. It only lasted a couple minutes, although by now you breathed normally again, tears dried up.

When you opened your eyes and turned around, you could see a huge amphitheater in the distance, a volleyball court and… were these strawberry fields? Off the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a boy smiling sheepishly, seated a few meters away from you. Blinking a few times, you let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked in a raspy voice.

It doesn’t match his angelic face, you thought.

He had freckles, a fair and soft skin, short blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

You nodded, getting up painfully. Your limbs felt sore, the cuts on your face and arms started to ache.

“I can bring you to the infirmary if you want.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have trusted him right away. Maybe he was with the monster. But he didn’t look evil. He didn’t feel evil, either. So, you followed.

“I hope my illusion helped you feel a tad better.”

“What I saw when I closed my eyes, you did this?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

He had a peaceful aura that calmed you down instantly. He was so sweet with you, but all you could think of was: what did you do to deserve this kindness? You had just abandoned your mom to her death.

“Why?” You were trembling, and your voice was just above a whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you create this illusion?”

“Oh. You looked like you needed a cheer up.”

A surge of gratefulness engulfed you and you smiled.

“Thank you.”

“I heard voices over the hill and when I came, I saw you falling down. There was a monster at the top.”

Your smile disappeared. “I— she killed my mom.”

Eyes widening, the blond boy internally slapped himself for making you sad all over again after all his efforts to make you feel better. “I’m sorry.”

You arrived at the infirmary after a few minutes of awkward silence, and quiet amazement on your part at the amphitheater you could see more clearly, the pavilion full of white tables, more than twenty houses differently decorated and a hearth in the center, even an arena, with kids and teens from different ages all around.

A brown haired guy was tending to a sleeping kid around your age, bruises, cuts and burns all around their face and arms. They were wearing jean overalls with an orange t-shirt, all covered in soot from head to toe.

“Jisung!” the boy next to you called as soon as he spotted him.

“One sec,” he replied without looking up. He brought the teen’s head up with one hand and poured some amber liquid down their throat with the other. He rested their head back delicately on the mattress, got up and turned around to greet the newcomers.

“Hi F— Wow, hey there! Sit here,” he motioned toward an empty bed, “I’ll be right back.” He left through a door made of white sheets.

“Do I really look that bad?”

The blond boy chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “By the way, I didn’t give you my name. I’m Felix.”

You looked up at him, managing a side smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You didn’t have time to answer that Jisung was back with medicine. He cautiously cleaned your wounds with the same yellowish liquid he used to treat the other kid. It felt like he was treating you like porcelain.

Then, he brought a golden cube up to your mouth.

“What is this?”

“A bit of ambrosia. It heals demigods, but too much can have bad side effects.”

Demigods??

“Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

Whatever.

With newfound trust in strangers, you chewed on the sweet food. It tasted like the mac’n’cheese your mom would make on rainy days. The memory comforted you, but also induced some pain within. Your wounds started to fade until they were completely healed.

“Thank you,” you murmured, in awe at the product. You definitely needed this stuff.

“Of course, it’s my job,” he beamed. “So, Felix,” he turned to his friend, “where did you find this stray kid? Tell me you didn’t go on a little quest on your own—”

“I found Y/N near the border, she’s new,” he interrupted him.

You were thankful he let out the details of your encounter.

“Oh, my bad! I guess you have to take her to the Big House, then.”

He nodded, extending his hand your way. You stared at it, then at the freckled boy, then back at it. Taking it slowly, he walked you to the Big House, which lived up to its name. You choked when you saw a centaur —an actual centaur?!— walking out of the front door.

“Greetings, Chiron!”

Chiron? From the legends??

“Felix. Welcome to the camp half-blood, young lady. I’m Chiron, activities director. Have you been claimed already?”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t see anything,” Felix answered. “I see. Perhaps we’ll know tonight at the campfire. Can you show our new recruit around? I’m off to archery class.”

“Sure.”

He thanked Felix, sent a smile your way and galloped away to the west. The realization you were still holding the boy’s hand made you blush, but before you could retract it, he pulled you with him to different places.

He explained the purpose of the strawberry fields and the society name —Delphi Strawberry Service— covering the camp. He showed you the climbing wall with lava, the dining pavilion, the forge full of Hephaestus kids, the armory —he tried to make you choose a weapon but you refused—, the Pegasus stables —with actual pegasi!—, the arena where demigods trained, the archery field where Chiron was teaching, the camp store —you could buy an orange t-shirt there later—, the arts & crafts center —you saw a beautiful black-haired boy painting there among other kids—, the canoe lake, the forest— you weren’t keen on entering after Felix told you what was in it. You finished the tour next to the hearth in the center of the houses you saw earlier. You could swear you saw a woman in the fire, but when you looked more closely, she was gone.

He explained everything except the reason why you were here in the first place. “This is all charming and interesting, but why am I here?”

“I was getting to that. These are the cabins of the major Greek gods and some of the minor ones. Here,” he gestured to the most colorful cabin out of the bunch, “is my mom’s, Iris, goddess of rainbows.”

It explained the illusion. The cabin looked like a huge trailer with a platform on the front and a little rainbow as antenna. It looked chill and welcoming.

Felix gave you the names of all the gods and goddesses’ cabins present on this camp, making hypotheses on who your dad might be.

“Do you like mechanics? Are you good at poetry or archery? Or swords? Do you enjoy grape juice? Maybe you’re a trickster? Do you enjoy sleeping? I mean, do you spend most of your time sleeping? Can you control light? If none of those… Maybe you’re a child of one of the Big Three.”

“Who are the Big Three?”

“Zeus —god of the sky—, Poseidon —god of the sea— and Hades —god of the dead and king of the Underworld.”

You pondered. “This is a dream. I’m gonna wake up.”

He chuckled —an endearing sound— and shook his head. “I think I’d know if it was one. No, you’re a demigod, Y/N. For real.”

When you didn’t respond, he glanced at you. You were lost in thought, wondering who your father could be, why you’ve never seen him before and why he never came to see you.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I’d like you to see.” He tugged at your hand and dragged you towards the beach.

The sun was setting. You sat on the sand, looking at the horizon. It was really pretty. But you couldn’t avoid reality for too long. A tear fell down your face thinking about how your mom would’ve loved coming here, looking at this scenery with an arm around your frame.

She was gone.

From this moment, you swore to yourself that, when you were ready, you would find the monster and avenge your mom, no matter what. Felix saw your determined eyes staring in the distance. It gave him an idea on who your father might be.

At the campfire, you realized a lot more campers than you initially thought were here. You’ve seen a bunch during the tour, but right now, when the whole camp was gathered around the fire, it felt like you were a couple hundred.

Some had musical instruments and were preparing for what you guessed was a concert. A dozen, more or less, were looking all dressed up and pretty, a few were playing with balls of energy —magic?—, others were dozing off wherever, from another kid’s shoulder to the floor. The rest looked somewhat normal, apart from the kids with hands partially tainted with soot. Might be tough to get rid of it when they spend so much time in the forges.

Some kids greeted Felix and welcomed you into the camp, which felt nice. Although you couldn’t remember every name, you were grateful for their kind words.

It seemed that the Apollo cabin was actually preparing for a singalong. Everyone sang, cheered and overall had a good time. Felix nudged you from time to time to check up on you and offer you bright smiles. So bright, in fact, that they were almost blinding. But you didn’t mind. His sole presence was enough to give you peace of mind. Maybe because looking at him reminded you of the illusion he created for you.

The campers were asking for an encore, when silence abruptly fell and every pair of eyes were on you. Or above you, to be precise, but it felt the same to you.

Exposed, vulnerable and embarrassed.

You glanced at Felix, who was looking up too. He lowered his gaze, locked eyes with you and motioned for you to look up as well. It was a glowing golden helm hologram suspended above your head.

“The bloodline is determined. Hades, king of the Underworld. Hail Y/N L/N, daughter of the dead and riches.”

Every camper kneeled, including Chiron and Felix, and you wanted to disappear from the Earth. Was it just because you ended up being a child of the Big Three? Or did every camper have the privilege of experiencing such a stressful moment?

At last, they all got up and resumed the singalong for a well-deserved encore.

An older guy walked to you from a corner. He was tall, had dark eyes and a harsh resting face. You recoiled in your seat, scared of what he might do. But then he showed a toothy smile with dimples and extended his hand for you to shake.

When you did, he said: “Welcome home, sis.”

Once alone in your bunk —you had slipped away before the end of the campfire— you sobbed, hugging the backpack your mom put in your hands earlier that day.

It smelled like her.

Calming down a bit, curiosity took over and you opened it. There was a pocket knife, pepper spray, a pack of matches, a flashlight, tissues, a sleeping bag, a water bottle and food.

It struck you. She knew what you were long before you did.

two.

Felix shouldn’t have laughed.

The whole scene was just so ridiculously funny, he had to.

You were training at the climbing wall like every other day, except today, someone had the good idea to change the mode from normal to full lava-and-earthquake while you were on it. Needless to say it took you by surprise. You fell to the bottom, earning smoking holes in your t-shirt and singed arms' hair.

Felix helped you get out of the lava floor, miserably trying to suppress his giggles. “Are you okay?”

“Who turned the climbing wall into a frenzy? I just wanna talk!”

Your eyes showed you were being serious, although a little smile appeared after looking at your best friend’s face.

Turns out it was a Hermes kid, obviously.

To get back at him, you created a hole under his feet. He screamed as he sank up to his ankles. He lost balance and fell on his butt. A few kids that fell off the climbing wall with you clapped their hands and laughed.

Oh yeah, my bad. I forgot to tell you you could do that, among other things.

Being at Camp Half-Blood year round was actually a great thing. Undeniably, between that and being with your mom, the choice was clear, but since she was gone… All you could do was train to be able to protect mortals like you should’ve protected your mom and avenge her as well.

I know what some may think. It wasn’t your fault (and it wasn’t. really.) but you couldn’t make peace with it just yet. Guilt still ate you up at night.

After understanding what it meant to be a kid of Hades, you tried to find and talk to your mom. A ghost appeared instead of her. It looked like a staff member, with greek armor and a formal look. He told you your mom was in Elysium, that ‘she wanted you to follow your own path’ and that ‘she didn’t want to see you until you were old and had a full life’. It felt so unfair. You tried to argue but the ghost didn’t stay to hear your complaints, leaving you in your grief.

You ended up entering the armory. Even if you were against violence, you came to terms with the fact that you couldn’t protect others by solely making holes on the ground. Felix showed you all the best pieces of celestial bronze weapons. He made you try on several, making you swing swords, throw knives, shoot arrows… It was unsure what would suit you best.

At last, your eyes caught sight of a dusty black metal in a corner, behind javelins. Dusting off the sword a bit, you felt like it belonged in your hand. It wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It just felt right.

“It’s stygian iron,” Felix explained, “Hades’ own sword is made of it.”

Did you resent him? Probably… yeah. If he had been there, two years ago, he could’ve saved your mom. But you never saw him, ever. You often wondered if you were even worthy of his presence.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “yeah?”

“You looked out of it. Are you okay? We can stop looking for weapons if you want.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll take this one.” It hasn’t left your side ever since.

Felix proposed to train together. It was fun, both of you ending up at the infirmary more often than not. Jisung was always there to treat your wounds while cracking jokes.

Dawon, the Hades’ cabin’s head counselor that scared you on your first night, was actually really cool. He showed you around the cabin, welcomed you like a true sibling. You enjoyed eating with your siblings at the dining pavilion, talking strategies and kicking ass during capture-the-flag and chariot races, chatting before bed and getting ready together in the mornings.

Other than that, you didn’t spend a lot of time with them. No, Felix was practically attached to your hip at this point. He has been a huge pillar to your recovery. If it wasn’t for him and his bright aura, you would’ve been morose and sad. He probably knew that too.

When you passed by the arts & crafts building, you often saw the pretty boy. The sun would often reflect on his face, making his skin glow. His stance was elegant, his features soft and flawless. He had sunlight in his shoulder-length black hair and his long fingers seemed to be working effortlessly against the canvas. In a way, watching him paint for a while was relaxing. Curiosity always got the best of you as you wanted to see his next art piece.

All you knew about him was that he was a child of Aphrodite and an amazing painter.

three. 

“I did not sign up for this!” you grunted, slashing your sword across monsters left and right.

“You didn’t sign anything,” Jisung recalled, twirling to avoid a clawed hand and slaying the monster with an arrow in its chest.

“It feels like, no matter how much we kill, there’s always more,” Felix puffed.

Hopefully he was pretty good with a sword, because he couldn’t rely on his mom’s powers in the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, the last monster was slayed by your sword.

“Alright, enough practice. Let’s head back before more monsters arrive,” you offered. They didn’t protest.

You were all worn out, sweating and breathing hard. The trip in the forest left very few monsters left to slay. Whoever took care of that would have some work to do. 

“We managed pretty well, didn’t we?” Jisung grinned, eyes half closed. You nodded while Felix agreed.

It was practically nightfall. At seventeen, you were more trained than ever and felt ready to face the world.

The next day, there was an emergency meeting with Chiron and the head counselors. Everyone saw them hastily leave the dining pavilion during breakfast after Argus came running to them.

A few dozen minutes later, you were summoned to the Big House. You entered the meeting room and sat next to Dawon around the ping-pong table. Chiron didn’t waste any time and recited the unprompted prophecy they had heard by the current Oracle.

Child of Underworld must retrieve their father’s accessory

Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath

The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy

The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death

Vampire. It was about an empousa. It was enough for you to want to come, even if the last sentence worried you a bit. You were about to speak up when Chiron raised his hand.

“The sole reason you’re here is because we think it’s about you.”

“Indeed, you’re the only one I know that has an empousa as an enemy,” added Dawon as he nudged you with a smile.

Yeah, the details of your arrival ended up being known around camp. It was apparently common to arrive while chased by a monster, but not every parent died at the same time.

“Oh.”

“If you need anything for the quest, we’re here to help,” proposed Bomin, head counselor of Poseidon’s cabin.

“To make sense of the prophecy, for example,” said Doyoung, the Athena cabin’s head.

“Do you know who you’re going to ask to join you?” Chiron asked.

The only thing you knew for sure was that you were going to get your revenge. And you only needed two friends for this.

“Yeah. All I need to know now is where to begin.”

Doyoung coughed and rearranged the glasses on his nose. “Well, my friend Johnny is from Chicago and last time we spoke about his hometown, he mentioned the Magnificent Mile. He said it was the most famous avenue. Now, I don’t know if the prophecy refers to the city globally or this place precisely… But, either way, I think you need to go there.”

“Thank you for your insight. Do I have a deadline?” you inquired, turning to Chiron.

“You have until the end of the month.”

It sounded like a lot of time, then you remembered the date. “We’re the 29th.”

“Indeed. You have three days, starting now.”

four.

And so began your journey. You had a backpack each, filled with medicine, spare clothes, food, water and money —drachmas and dollars.

Argus was driving you to New York on board the Delphi Strawberry Service van. Jisung kept fidgeting with the beads on his necklace.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” He squirmed uneasily. “You’ll get back alive, I promise you.”

A promise he knew you couldn’t keep, but it did reassure him a bit. He knew you were going to do everything you could so that you’ll all get back to camp alive.

Felix took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. The sudden contact brought warmth to both yours and Felix’s face and ears. Jisung chuckled at the exchange until he realized he was going to third wheel the whole trip. Then, his face dropped, a groan leaving his lips.

Before Felix could ask what was wrong, Argus pulled up in the train station’s parking. You thanked the camp’s chauffeur and entered the Pennsylvania station.

“I found a direct train,” you told them after talking with an employee, “it’ll take around nineteen hours and thirty minutes. Shall we?”

When you talked to them about the prophecy, they didn’t waste any time and said they’ll come with you. Trying to talk them out of it was useless.

As comfortably installed as possible, Felix and you in the direction of travel, Jisung in the opposite direction, the brown haired boy thought the prophecy over, again.

“Child of Underworld —that’s you, Y/N— must retrieve their father’s —Hades, obviously— accessory. What can it be? What are the known accessories he owns?”

You shrugged while the freckled boy answered his friend’s question.

“There is his bident, or staff, his sword, his helm of darkness, Cerberus, which we cannot call an accessory per say and his golden keys.”

“Is there anything more?”

“Yes, but those are the main attributes he possesses.”

“It can’t be Cerberus or the golden keys, because it’s specifically an accessory, singular,” you commented.

Felix nodded. Jisung continued, “so it’s either the staff, the sword or the helm. OK. Next line is ‘Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath’. The only thing we know is that Magnificent Mile is an avenue in Chicago. I don’t like the sound of anyone’s last breath, honestly.”

“It’s probably a beast,” you proposed. “It says ‘its’.”

“That’s the most logical option we got,” Felix agreed.

“It better be. ‘The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy’.”

“‘Vampire’ means empousa. I guess we need whatever the King’s circle is for the rest of the quest,” you noted, “do you guys have any idea?”

They shook their heads in unison. “No, but we’ll get back to it. ‘The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death’. Not gonna lie, I hate this one the most.”

“Yellowstone… If it’s a place, I don’t know it,” Felix said, thinking about it.

“There’s a Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s gonna be there,” you shared.

“It might be,” Jisung voiced and bit his lips, “but it’ll also be the last challenge, and, in case any of you forgot, it’ll end in death. Possibly one of ours.”

He was right. However, dwelling on it so soon would not help anyone.

“Let’s think about that part later, OK? Let’s focus on getting to Chicago safely.”

After four stops, the train passed over the Broadway bridge in Albany. The train weirdly shook.

“Of course,” you muttered, “this couldn’t be a nice, eventless trip.”

People started walking in our direction from the end of the train. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, like it was natural to change wagons while the train was in motion.

Felix looked up through the window and frowned. “I don’t see any—”

The train’s wheels shrieked against the rails, abruptly stopping it. Felix and you fell forward on Jisung, who grunted, obviously not enjoying the voyage so far. Then the sound of metal being crushed like a soda can filled the air. The brown haired boy looked at his friends and gulped loudly.

“Remind me why I was so eager to come?”

You tried to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge. You got closer to a window and unsheathed your sword.

“Get back.” The boys did as told, stepping back to the empty opposite seats.

You hit the glass with the pommel of your sword. It shattered, but before you could step over the wall, a glowing orange eye appeared, surrounded by glistening dark green flesh and a gigantic triangular red maw.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung gagged, closely followed by Felix.

You held your breath and stabbed the monster in the eye. It screeched in pain as it released the hold it had on the train, although not completely. Despite that, you all knew you had a few seconds before the beast would attack.

“I think I know what it is,” Felix said, “help me get on the train.”

“You already are,” Jisung retorted.

“I meant on the roof.”

“It’s too dangerous,” you cut in.

“Y/N, you were about to do it.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, b—”

“We don’t have time.”

True enough, the serpent’s mouth flew inside the wagon, missing Felix’s head by a centimeter. You used this opportunity to pierce its other eye. It flew out of the train’s window in a cry. If it wasn’t trying to kill everyone, you would’ve felt bad for it. Although now it was blind and very, very angry.

Felix finally got to the roof with Jisung’s help while you covered them. The snake was so long —around thirty six meters— it wrapped itself around the train at least four times. It had flatten it with its strong hold. Felix wondered how the bridge hadn’t fallen into the river by now.

He silently prayed to his mom and concentrated on creating a rainbow. The sunny afternoon and the river’s reverberation helped greatly. When the serpent’s head was in front of him, he generated multicolored flames from the rainbow to destroy the monster. He felt dumb when he realized it didn’t do anything, its skin extinguishing the flames on contact.

How could he expect to kill a sea snake with fire?

Scolding himself could wait. He rolled over when the monster tried to swallow him up. He unleashed blasts of multicolored energy, penetrating and burning the monster’s skin in the process. Jisung was shooting arrows from the open window, while you were slashing at the monster’s body everywhere you had access to it through the broken windows.

Finally, with one last blast of energy on the serpent’s head, it disintegrated, leaving a damaged train and exhausted demigods. Felix was wondering if the train could get powered up again and carry them all the way to Chicago, but before he could finish his thought, he collapsed on the roof.

five.

Obviously it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep.

Felix was at a train station. A sign read “Chicago”. He felt relieved. It probably meant they’d make it there.

His consolation was short-lived, however, as he saw a huge lion a few meters away. It seemed to be patiently waiting for them, laying down on the nearest park. The worst part was the 2,50 meters tall giants behind him. They were playing rock paper scissors and one of them didn’t like to lose. He stamped his foot on the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake.

The dream changed. He was outside in the dark, perhaps on a mountain. He could tell by the chilling breeze and the glowing stars. Felix saw a woman not too far, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with in front of a large cauldron. He found her beautiful and delicate until he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body. From her waist down was a serpentine body, which oddly resembled the Carthaginian serpent he killed earlier.

He shuddered. When she finished chanting, she turned to Felix, boring her glowing green eyes into his.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this,” she said in a seductive way.

She snapped her fingers and the snake part of her body disappeared, replaced by a regular woman's body, wearing a thin black dress.

“There. Better, isn’t it?”

Mist, he thought.

“If you survive your little journey, I’ll be glad to feed on your flesh, even if you’re not quite a child anymore.”

If Felix wasn’t terrified before, he surely was now. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

She walked over to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ll drink the Apollo’s kid’s blood and eat his flesh. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you. I’ll take my sweet time. And then, precious Y/N will finally feel my wrath, and eventually die.”

His blood boiled, anger and fear filling his body to the brim. He couldn’t let that happen. Before the woman could sink her crocodile teeth into his neck, Felix woke up in a cold sweat, a few minutes before the Cleveland stop.

It was night, Jisung and you were munching on homemade sandwiches. You had retrieved Felix from the roof together and laid him on two seats in an empty wagon with windows intact. Jisung had fed Felix some nectar and let him sleep for about eight hours.

No matter what the mortals saw, they succeeded in making the train move again and the passengers were seated at the front of the convoy. There was a constant shrill metallic sound coming from the bottom of the train. It was low, but definitely annoying.

“Felix,” you called, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve drained myself to the point of collapsing,” he groaned, sitting up.

“Do you need more nectar?” Jisung asked.

“No, thanks. Besides, we should keep our supplies for as long as possible.”

“Take that sandwich, then.” The brown haired boy tossed him a sandwich and they ate in silence, until Felix told both of you about his dream.

“So, the good news is we’re gonna make it to Chicago,” you said.

Jisung continued, “the bad news is, we’re gonna die in Chicago.”

“I have a few hours to think about a plan while you two sleep.”

You tried to protest but Jisung’s loud yawn put an end to the debate before it even started.

Your dreams were filled with nightmares, like every demigod ever.

It started like every other night. Your mom smiling down at you, her hand stroking your hair, then her being stabbed to death by Keahi. This time the woman smirked and whispered, “I’ll enjoy killing you more than I did your mother.” You were about to curse her when the dream changed.

It was night and in the open space, although a bonfire brightened Felix’s liveless body lying on the ground and Jisung’s limp corpse against a rock a few meters away. You wanted to scream, tears running down your cheeks. A triumphant laugh came from everywhere around you, cutting through the dead of night.

The next dream was so different, it shocked you. You were back on Half Blood Hill, except there was no sign of your mom or the empousa. Instead, there was a tall, shoulder length black haired man with fairly white skin and intense black eyes standing around ten meters away from you. What surprised you the most was the black flowing robes he was wearing, filled with evil souls threaded into it.

Despite his morbid appearance, he was looking at you with unexpected tenderness. You were wondering who this man might be when he spoke up.

“Y/N,” he called, “I’m sorry it took me so long to appear.”

Then it clicked. Of course. This intimidating man was Hades, your dad. A surge of hatred ran through your body beyond your control.

“Where were you? All this time, when I got kicked out of school every other year, when I was made fun of, when mom died? Where were you? Did you even love her?”

His eyes flared with purple fire for a second, his face hardening, but you were too furious to be afraid of the consequences. Just as fast, he calmed himself.

“I did love her, yes. But I couldn’t do anything, to protect you and because I can’t meddle with my children’s lives. You had to forge your own path for it to mean anything. You still do.”

You scoffed. “Bet you say that to all your kids.” The uneasy look he gave you proved you were right. “Gods, you do have a healthy way with kids, huh?”

“I understand your rage. But right now, you must focus on your quest.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered.

“You must not fall into a blind rage when you see her. You must control your thirst for revenge.”

“You sure love to tell me what to do for someone I just met.”

“Y/N… If you don’t control your powers, bad things could happen. Your friends might pay the price.”

“Oh so now you’re threatening my friends!”

He sighed, visibly tired. His form began to fade. “I have to go. Remember my words when you face the empousa.”

Before you could make a snarky remark, he vanished. You woke up feeling so angry your friends could practically see it.

“Usually we wake up confused, terrified, or determined, but as angry as you are, I’m afraid to ask about what you saw,” Jisung started joking, but then recoiled in his seat in front of you.

Felix gave you a worried look.

“I’m okay.” You were still fuming but they knew better than to push it.

When you sat up, the blond boy sat next to you and took your hand in his. It calmed you down more efficiently than you’d care to admit.

“We’re almost there. And I have a plan.”

six.

The Great Hall was majestic, with columns all around and a barrel-vaulted skylight bathing the room in soft light. It was giving Greek revival vibes, which comforted you if only for a moment.

You were firmly holding the grip of your sword, mentally preparing for the fight ahead. The lion was waiting for you three outside the station, but there was no giant in sight.

The fact that Felix had a plan didn’t ease your nerves that much, because plans rarely unfolded as expected. But he knew stuff about monsters and Greek mythology as a whole, so it was helping.

“He’s not that big,” Jisung shrugged, “just the size of a pick-up truck. We can totally get him.”

He nocked his arrow as the Iris kid and you unsheathed your swords.

Not two minutes into the fight, you realized that Felix was right. The lion’s pelt was deflecting all your weapons. It was pointless to attack from behind and by surprise. You tried to keep him occupied until Felix could find an opening.

“Guys, I’m no Hercules, so don’t expect me to asphyxiate him with my bare hands!” Jisung shouted. He tried to shoot an arrow into the lion’s eye, but he somehow saw it coming and protected himself.

“It would’ve been easier with a cornucopia but…” Felix threw his backpack into the lion’s maw. As he bellowed in disgust, your friend shouted, “now!”

Jisung fired arrows into his open mouth. He dissolved except for his pelt. “Great. I’ve always wanted to resemble a caveman.” The Apollo kid’s wry comment made you smile.

He somehow succeeded in putting it away in his bag, at the same moment the three giants decided to show up. They were coming from the park, their iron clubs laying low.

“Where is the lion? There was a lion, right?” one of them asked.

“Already defeated, useless scamp! And guess what? You’re next!” Jisung raised his arms wide, like he was waiting for a group hug. Then, he gestured to the giants with one hand. “What kind of ogres are you, anyway?”

Felix nudged him. “They’re Laistrygonian giants, dude. Muscular tattooed man eaters.”

“You look awfully smug for our next lunch, half-blood,” the tallest of the giants said.

“In your dreams, you witless gollumpus!” He didn’t waste any more time and shot arrows at them. They deflected the projectiles with ease except for the smallest giant, who apparently wasn’t paying much attention. He crumbled into dust. 

The other two roared in outrage and sprinted your way, brandishing their clubs high above their heads. Felix sidestepped when the giant swung his arm, rolled between his legs and stabbed him in the back.

Two down, one to go.

“You’ll pay for that, demigods!” the tallest giant bellowed before laying his arm down on Jisung.

You cut off his arm with a swirl of your sword. He yelled, turned and tried to crush your throat with his remaining hand. He was circling your neck with his huge fingers, but Felix thrusted his celestial bronze sword into his side. He disintegrated.

“Thank you,” you breathed with difficulty, locking eyes with Felix.

He dropped his blade and enveloped you in a comforting hug that lasted more than the average.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, cupping your face with his hands. He searched your face for any sign of hurt, sadness, fear… But there was only relief and tiredness. You nodded.

“You fought bravely.”

You turned, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a beautiful woman with black eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a black gown and carrying two old-fashioned reed torches. She was surrounded by green light and Mist was everywhere around her.

Felix let go of your face and unconsciously grabbed your hand instead. He studied the goddess, picking up on the details that showed who she might be. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure you could trust her.

“Why, thank you mysterious woman! So, which one are you?” Jisung questioned, a bit wary.

“Hecate,” Felix murmured.

“Well done, Iris kid. Before you ask, I’m here to offer guidance. You’re about to—”

“Sorry, but, um… You’re the goddess of magic, you created empousai. Why would you help us?” you asked. It didn’t make sense to you, knowing the prophecy, which you were sure she knew about too.

“As I was saying, daughter of Hades,” she continued with a neutral voice, “you’re about to face great danger.”

“What, more than the usual death threats? What a bummer,” Jisung snorted, crossing his arms.

“Your insolence isn’t helping your case, Apollo kid. My children —or creations, whatever— don’t always follow my orders. We’re not obliged to share the same faith. They’re free. Like my children back at camp half-blood.” You waited for her to continue.

“Jisung, joking around helps you hide your scars, but you need to embrace them to properly move forward. Sharing your burden might do the trick. You’re also worth more than you think.”

She then turned to your freckled friend. “Felix, you need to stop putting everyone before yourself. You cannot control everyone’s happiness. You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.”

Finally, she set her eyes on you. “Y/N, I know you think you’re not worth being here, going on this journey. You feel helpless, because you haven’t slayed any monster yet. But do not worry, your time will come soon enough, and with that, your greatest challenge. You have so much more power within than you might believe. This power needs to be used wisely.”

A wave of uneasiness washed over the three of you, Hecate’s words touching some nerves. Her words echoed your father’s. You regretted your outburst in your latest dream because you could have used this opportunity to ask which one of his attributes was missing. That would have made one less question unanswered.

“Well.” She clapped her hands. “I should probably tell you, now that there’s no more ground means of transport to Wyoming —I mean, you’re not going to steal a car, are you?— you’ll need to use aerial transportation.”

“But how—” Felix started, but got cut off.

“Off I go. Remember, you have two days left to get back to camp safely. Good luck on your quest, demigods. I hope Tyche can lend you some.”

She disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

“If I didn’t feel good then, I definitely do now!” Jisung sarcastically smiled.

For the first time since you’ve known him, you realized Hecate was right about the guy. Behind all the jokes and smiles, he had a sadness in him that was hard to decipher. But you were aware now. Felix was visibly concentrating, eyes closed and face facing the sky.

“Do you want to talk about what Hecate said?” you suggested. “About sharing your—”

“Well, I’d love to, trust me, but I’m fine. But hey, it seems you were right. Yellowstone is a national park.”

Deciding prying wasn’t gonna help, you nodded and turned your head towards the sky. You noticed a faint dark form in the horizon. Squinting your eyes in an attempt to identify what was coming for you this time, Felix left out a relieved sigh, then a chuckle. You spotted the sweat on his forehead. A few seconds later, you recognized winged horses.

Three of them.

“Did you summon them?” you questioned Felix, who was grinning.

“One of my mom’s powers. I’m glad it worked.”

Two of them were white and one was brown. They came to a stop in front of you, the brown pegasus neighing, gently nuzzling Felix.

“Thank you for coming, guys,” he said as he scratched the horse’s head. He turned to Jisung and you. “Are you ready for a ride?”

After a few hours flying high in the sky, you could finally make out the mountain you had to go to. You were about fifty kilometers away from the destination when you heard screeching from behind.

Jisung whined. “Come on!”

“Dozens of Gryphons! We’ll have to fight!” Felix yelled.

He brandished his sword, turned around and lashed out at them. You followed, while Jisung kept his distance, shooting arrows at the dozens of enemies. Dusk was only a few minutes away. The sky’s colors —blue, purple, red, orange, yellow— looked peaceful and pretty compared to the fight that was breaking out under it.

Four monsters succumbed to your blade before another one planted its talons in your pegasus’ thigh as you slashed its right wing. You cursed under your breath when the winged horse squealed, pitching up while flapping his wings frantically. He was bleeding.

You almost fell, but managed to hang on his mane and kill the gryphon. Unfortunately, another one immediately took its place and pecked your mounting’s neck with its sharp beak. He was losing too much blood, the liquid staining his beautiful white coat.

As he was dropping altitude, you were slowly and painfully losing your grip on his mane. You were falling to your death together. But not without taking the monster with you.

You squeezed the pegasus’ flanks to keep balance and brought down your sword on the gryphon’s neck. It disintegrated. You thanked and apologized to your companion for a few hours, hugging his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and preparing yourself for the impact. However, he crumbled into dust a few hundred meters above the ground, leaving you free falling on your own.

Felix swooped your way on his brown pegasus and caught your waist. Your arms immediately wrapped around his torso. Jisung took down the last gryphon in your peripheral view. You started to smile, but the brown haired boy’s eyes widened. He shouted: “Look out!”

The actual last monster seized the pegasus’ gaskins with its claws and pulled them, making him go upside down. Felix and you fell face first off the winged horse, holding each other tightly. You couldn’t even see the gryphon butchering its prey. Jisung slayed the monster with a well-aimed arrow and sped up to catch you both.

He wasn’t quick enough. You were swallowed by the shadows, leaving the Apollo kid behind with a pegasus as confused and worried as he was.

seven.

Felix woke up in a cave with low light coming from torches dispersed on the walls. You were passed out on the floor but didn’t look injured, which was good.

He scanned his surroundings. It was a rectangular room with a door on the far left. It seemed like there was no one else with you. He sat on his legs, put down his sword and brought your head on his lap. He poured a little amount of nectar into your parted lips.

He felt a presence behind him, but was too late to act. The invisible form dragged him away from you, your head hitting the ground with a soft thud. He tried to fight back but got tossed head first in the dirt. With a grunt, he got on his knees and looked around, but there was no one. As he got up, he felt claws scratch his chest, ripping his orange shirt in the process. He yelped, took a knife out of his belt and aimlessly sliced through the air all around him.

He saw your body move. Thinking you were waking up, he let down his guard and ran to you. He tripped on something metallic and fell down. Looking behind him, there was just the muddy floor.

“Get on your knees,” a feminine voice ordered, her words resonating dangerously across the room. “Don’t move.”

He was now on his knees, facing you with a blank expression as if he wasn’t in control of his body anymore.

The first punch he received in the gut hurt like hell, but his face and body remained motionless like a doll. Then, he received blows on his ribs, his cheeks, his jawline. It was enough for him to faint. The pain was blinding him but he kept his eyes open. He watched, helpless, as you slowly stood up, glaring his way. No, you were looking somewhere above him.

“Show yourself, blood sucker, so I can make you pay,” your voice was calm yet threatening.

Keahi laughed, moving Felix’s face so you could see all the bruises she gave him. It was a bad idea on her part because you were now fully pissed. Seeing him like this… After what she did to your mom, you wanted to end her life so badly.

The ground blackened around you and the air dropped to freezing. A black flood of anger, pain, guilt and grief poured out of you in waves, hitting the monster and Felix. The latter experienced your worst memories. The pain, guilt and grief from the death of your mom, your hardships, the anger —no, hatred— you felt towards the empousa that made your life miserable.

“Stop this!” she taunted.

It seemed to get Felix out of his trance.

“Y/N…” he murmured and hit the floor.

All the pain he received in the last minutes knocked him out. This scene made you more furious, if that was even possible at this point. The waves became thicker and stronger, making Keahi loudly hit the nearest wall.

“You’re just a kid! You might be powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy me and my sister.” Desperation was evident in her voice. “If you keep going, you’ll kill the boy too.”

You went at it for several more seconds. It was hard to stop, you wanted her dead and your emotions took over your judgment. Although, one look at Felix’s limp body was enough for you to snap out of it.

You reached for your sword and threw it in her direction like a javelin. It planted itself in the wall. The empousa disintegrated and a golden ring fell on the floor. The waves stopped and the flood slowly dissipated. Before you could take a step towards Felix, you passed out again.

Jisung was patrolling from the air, alert for any movement on the mountain, without being certain you were even there. Several minutes later, he saw black smoke coming from a strange rectangle on the ground. Getting closer, he realized it was a hatch.

The pegasus landed on the floor next to it. Jisung dismounted and opened the hatch to a dark corridor. He waited for the dark Underworld stuff —meaning you were probably there— to disappear completely before venturing inside, his bow ready.

At the end of the damp corridor was a single door. He entered and found his friends’ bodies on the floor, a hand extended to each other’s direction. He flew to Felix’s side, poured nectar into his mouth, winced when he caught sight of his bruises and chest, then gave you the same treatment, relieved to see there weren't many physical injuries.

He didn’t want to leave any of you alone and he couldn’t move both of you at the same time. He was about to sit down when he spotted your sword in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out with much effort. Something golden was on the floor so he picked it up. It was a golden ring.

Spoil of War? It didn’t seem like it, but how could he know? He wasn’t there. He put it in his pocket anyway. Felix opened his eyes and immediately went to your side. He reached for his backpack.

“I already gave her nectar.”

Felix’s head turned so fast his neck cracked. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Jisung walked over. “Let’s go, this place is creepy.”

The Iris kid was sending worried looks your way the whole time they spent carrying you outside. He related his version of the facts. How he was manipulated and hit by an invisible woman, experienced your pain, and passed out once the charmspeak wore off.

“It’s been a hell of a couple days, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Fresh air and sunlight did Felix some good.

“Let’s sleep a bit before facing death again, shall we?” Jisung offered.

They took sleeping bags out of their backpack, Jisung with a bit more difficulty due to the lion’s pelt taking up most space. Both enveloped you in yours, then they argued on who should take first watch.

The brown haired boy won. He wasn’t injured and Felix visibly needed rest. He changed into a new t-shirt and insisted on being woken up a few hours later, though.

He dreamed he was in the same dark place again. The fire was cackling, lightening up the monster’s face and body. He was definitely terrified of her.

It felt like she was waiting for him. “Tomorrow we meet, demigod. Tomorrow, you die.”

He wanted to yell: “We’ll defeat you, like we did all our enemies until now.” but no sound could leave his lips.

“Oh, but they’re nothing compared to me,” she exclaimed like she heard his thoughts somehow. “Fighting me will make everything you endured so far feel like a walk in the park.”

That didn’t make him feel any better about the whole quest and their chance of survival. He was scared for his friends, for himself.

Hecate’s words replayed in his mind. “You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.” Even if he thought his encounter with the empousa was a proof in itself, he felt dread. Something even worse was about to happen, he could feel it.

Felix woke up alert, but it was night.

“Jisung!” he complained, but he found him fast asleep next to him.

You, on the other hand, were awake, preparing a snack and humming an old song. You were so pretty with the sun lighting your hair and skin.

“Hello, Rainbow Boy. Here, eat this.”

You handed him toasts of cheese and an apple cut into quarters, but he just stared at you instead of taking them.

“Y/N,” he murmured like a whisper, a relieved sigh.

He engulfed you in a bone crushing hug, his nose buried in your neck. You hugged him back like you could, the food still in your hands.

“Are you okay? I was so scared.”

“I would be better if I could breathe,” you joked.

He apologized and let you go but stayed close, thanking you for the food.

“What happened back there? Do you know what monster it was?”

Your smile turned into a hard look. “None other than my mom’s murderer, Keahi.”

He reached for your hand, drawing smoothing circles on the knuckles with his thumb.

“I wonder how she made herself invisible. It’s not an empousa power,” he wondered.

“There was a ring.”

“A ring that makes its wearer invisible… Sounds familiar.”

“I have no clue where it is, though. Perhaps still in that cave.”

“Wait. King’s circle? Gyges was a king who found a golden ring in a cave. ‘Circle’ could mean the ring. Was it golden?” You nodded. “Then we need to get it back. It could help us on our next step.”

“No need,” Jisung yawned as he stretched, “I have it right here. Call me Bilbo Baggins.” He took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, I hope you know that,” you thanked him.

He smirked, “I do know, but being acknowledged is always appreciated.”

“So… If, hypothetically, I put this on…” you said, doing so. “I’ll become invisible.”

“You literally are, right now.” Felix tried to touch your shoulder but you weren’t there anymore.

You sneaked behind them and pressed a finger on their sides, watching them squirm and whine.

“OK, OK, sorry.” You took out the ring and threw it in Felix’s direction. “You should keep it.”

He had great reflexes, so he caught it easily. “Why me?”

“I already got the lion’s pelt and it’s taking way too much space, so a ring would be too much,” Jisung answered, shrugging innocently.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. “You’re the best choice. You’re the most selfless out of us. I trust you.”

He wanted to argue but decided against it.

He trusted you too.

eight.

Jisung took a few minutes to say goodbye to his pegasus. He thanked him, stroked his mane and gave him a treat. Felix apologized for his companions, for which the winged horse nudged him and bowed before flying away.

“Before we go, I think I need to tell you guys something,” the brown haired boy mumbled.

Felix and you exchanged glances and offered him sympathetic smiles.

“Let’s sit,” he continued. Once you were, he took a deep breath and got into it right away.

He talked about his past. How, when he was seven, he lost his half brother in a car accident. How he ran away to the park near his house after an argument with his step dad, how his little brother went to look for him then. How he was busy pitying himself when he heard the crash. How he blamed himself for the whole thing. How he swore to never run off again because he didn’t want his mom to end up this way too. How he decided to bury his feelings and never speak of this, ever.

“Jisung… None of it was your fault,” you assured. “You were so young… I’m so sorry.”

“Ji, thank you for sharing this with us. We’re here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks guys… I had to tell someone before we went to our ultimate death.”

“No way you’re dying today, I won’t allow it. You’ll get back to your crush.”

“OK, chill Y/N, I don’t have a crush.”

“The redness on your face says otherwise, buddy,” Felix laughed softly.

Jisung had lessened his burden like Hecate had suggested, and it worked. He felt better, ready to move forward.

The sun was rising. You had to get to the mountain next to the one you were currently on. The only way now was by foot. And you had to be back by the end of the day.

Easy enough. No, it was definitely not easy.

But you had to try.

On your way to the monster, you explained the plan you fashioned to the boys while they were asleep. After a lot of complaining and no’s, they finally accepted it (mostly because they didn’t have better ideas). Although Felix refused to use the ring.

Three hours later, the boys and you finally set foot in the clearing. All around were old trees and, in the center, was a large cauldron on top of a bonfire. Next to it was a block of stone with a bronze helmet on top of it. So it was the helm. The monster was there, chanting in a language that resembled latin.

“Lamia,” Felix whispered, swallowing loudly.

“Ah! Children, at last,” Lamia exclaimed with a charming yet dark smile.

“We came for my father’s helm.”

“The same dad that abandoned you?”

It was true, you still resented him, but bringing everyone back safely was a priority.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s that one I presume?” you asked as you pointed to it.

“Busted,” Lamia laughed falsely before putting it on her head.

She became invisible and the fear emanating from the helm paralyzed the three of you.

It was unsure what exactly happened. Was it your survival instinct or were you more powerful than the helm itself? Whatever it was, you were able to parry the attack with your sword. There was no time wondering how you could manage that.

Without being able to see or hear where she was, you warded off every attack she threw. You were about to get the upper hand when she grabbed Felix’s mortified body. You could see it in his eyes.

“Your sister tried that and regretted it,” you spat.

Lamia reappeared when she took off the helmet, keeping it under her unused arm.

“She’s weak. I’ll make sure to let her know when she’s back.”

Of course monsters will always be back, no matter how much we slay them.

“You know,” she resumed, “your dad thinks he’s all mighty and powerful because he rules the Underworld. Yet his precious helm was too easy to steal. And he sends his beloved daughter to death for this?”

Her claws enveloping Felix’s neck and Jisung’s shattered breath gave you a hard time thinking about your next move. You couldn’t be reckless again.

You had to save them.

“Leave them alone. Let’s do this one on one.”

“Why would I accept your proposition when I have the upperhand, sweetie?”

You scoffed. “Come on now. Are you scared to face a kid? You’re acting all-powerful and invincible, but fighting me is too much?”

Her expression hardened. Pride touched.

Bingo.

Lamia shoved Felix on the floor, a vicious glare throwing daggers at you. You had to restrain yourself from jumping her right this instant.

Distancing her from your friends was vital. She put the helmet back on as you were moving around to cause her back to face them. Not wasting any time attacking, you slashed your sword here and there, not letting her ripost. However, you were getting tired. She took advantage and ripped your arm with her claws. You stumbled and closed your eyes, groaning.

“Already down? You’re making this too easy,” she mused after taking the helm off again.

Felix and Jisung regained their senses away from her. They were ready to fight. Jisung was bow ready and Felix was summoning light.

When you opened your eyes and got to your feet, you realized they were waiting for a sign. From you.

The pressure of leading was growing but you tried to bury it inside. You couldn’t deal with more anxiety at the moment. You focused on Lamia, who was grinning from a false feeling of victory, and shouted, “NOW!”

The three of you gave your all and hit her at the same time. As Felix struck her with blinding light, Jisung shot her in the back and you pierced her heart. You enjoyed her look of surprise when she disintegrated in a shrill scream. All that was left was the helm of darkness falling to the ground with a clang.

Clenching your arm, you fell on your knees. Felix engulfed you into a tight hug.

“This is gonna sound controversial, but I think that went well,” Jisung said as he picked up the helm.

“You must all be fools if you think you can take me down that easily,” a feminine voice taunted.

She was at the other side of the open space, Mist slowly dispersing around her. How did she do that? The marks on your arm were real, so when did she create the Mist? How could you not have seen it coming?

Realizing he actually didn’t have anything in his hands, Jisung quickly shot arrows her way but she managed to dodge them and put on the helmet. Felix couldn’t get up, fear keeping him grounded.

You witnessed, helpless, Jisung’s body being thrown across the clearing. Anger building up inside you, you got to your feet and charged.

Certainly you couldn’t hear or see her, but you could feel her. Probably due to your connection to the underground. But despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to have enough to wound her. It was almost as if she didn’t need the helm at all, like she could end you all with or without it. Like she only used it for extra fun.

Your limbs started to ache. Panting, you planted your sword on the ground. You could feel Lamia laugh triumphally.

Concentrating, you opened a crevasse that allowed skeletons to rise and surround the monster. They closed in on her, and eventually started attacking all at once. She effortlessly took them down one by one in an elegant dance.

There was only one thing left to do but your friends were here and the least thing you wanted was to hurt them.

“I have a question. Does your mom know what you’re doing? Aren’t you scared of retaliation?”

It was interesting enough for her to take the helmet off. “What are you talking about, mortal? Hecate does not care about whether you live or die today.”

Felix joined Jisung at the far end of the open space. It was now or never.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She came to see us yesterday, you know. She might punish you later when I’m done with you.”

“I do not care about Hecate!” Her voice was trembling, though. “You’re irritating. I’ll deal with you first.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you whispered to yourself.

As she put the helmet back on for the nth time, the floor blackened. You let the flood of black smoke leave your body while the temperature dropped. It wasn’t as strong as when you faced Keahi, but anger and pain were still present. It affected her, but not enough to end her.

Felix analyzed the situation and summoned light, except he didn’t know where to hit. You tried your best to show him by sinking Lamia into the floor to her calves. The movement caught his eye. Rainbow sparks shot from the sky into her skin. You felt her scream in pain.

It still wasn’t sufficient. She was getting restless and you were getting desperate. What more could you do? It seemed to have worked the first time but it wasn’t real, how could you be sure it would work this time?

The flood was getting thicker, your hand tightening around the tilt of your sword. Of course, you could just try it again and if it didn’t work… then you would have tried until the end.

Breathing heavily, you walked up to her. Raising your sword, you whispered a “good bye” before slowly but surely pressing the blade into her heart.

Lamia didn’t just sit back. She yelled, sinking her claws into your chest and arms at the same time. You endured the pain but gasped when an arrow pierced through her neck and passed you by a few centimeters to finish its course in the nearest tree. Multicolored flames burned her too, until the helm of darkness fell to the ground in front of you.

“Y/N!” Felix ran to you. “No, no, no…”

Blood was dripping from the multiple claw marks. He caught you when your knees gave out, helping you down and maintaining your head on his hand.

“Jisung,” he desperately called, “you need to do something.”

“Already on it…”

Felix pressured on your shoulder wound with his free hand while the brown haired boy roamed through his backpack. Blood ran through his fingers.

“Stay with me, Y/N, please.”

You smiled faintly. “We won this time, right? That’s— that’s good.”

He brought you closer to him. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Move, loverboy,” Jisung ordered.

The Iris kid did as told but kept pressuring your wound. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

These were the last words you heard before fainting.

nine.

You woke up to a moving vehicle, your chest and arms tingling with every bump it rolled over. Jisung was talking to someone you couldn’t see, and Felix’s hand was intertwined with yours. More than that, you were seated next to each other, your head comfortably laid on his shoulder.

Jisung looked behind him and gave you a gummy smile. “Sleeping beauty’s awake at last!”

“Are you okay?” the boy next to you asked as you sat up straight.

You nodded and realized you were in a minibus. Unless you were mistaken, there was no vehicle whatsoever on the mountain last time you checked.

“Indeed! You needed a drive home. That’s where I came in,” a man said joyfully.

You blinked when you saw Apollo driving and waving you hello through the rear-view mirror.

“I had the brilliant idea to offer the lion’s pelt and the ring of Gyges to my dad and hoped he would grant us a little help to get back to Olympus safely and quickly,” he explained with a satisfied face.

It was exceptionally brilliant that he accepted.

During the rest of the road trip, Apollo was relating some of his adventures to whoever listened. The return was smoother than the outward, allowing you to rest a bit. The blonde boy had a worried face whenever he laid his eyes on you.

On Mount Olympus, Hades was here with the Olympian Gods, on his seldom used throne. His proud stare was weird to witness, especially when it was directed towards you. You gave him back his helm under Apollo’s loud praise for his ‘son and his companions’ bravery on this perilous odyssey’. The Gods thanked the three of you and got on with their immortal lives.

Iris winked at her kid, mouthing “I’m proud of you.” and they all left the palace.

You did the same, the boys walking to the elevator while Hades, who was following you, asked for a chat. You agreed, staying back to hear what he had to say.

“I know that blessing you with this much power made you a target. Honestly, I can’t take them back. But I know you’ll use them well. You proved during your journey that you were mature and strong enough. You’ve made me proud.”

Hearing these words filled you with a warm feeling, which you despised. It was too soon for you to warm up to him.

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for mom.”

He nodded in understanding. “She’s in Elysium you know? She wants you to live a long, fulfilled life before seeing her again.'' 

You were about to tell him you’ve known for years, but he turned around and left.

You thought about your mom, and how at peace she was right now. At that moment, you decided to let go of the negative thoughts obscuring your judgment and decisions. Your mom was waiting for you, and you intended to make her proud of you.

Jogging to your friends, you smiled, happy that was finally over. Obviously you knew more danger was coming, but you’d be okay as long as your friends were there with you.

ten.

Back at camp, the three of you were acclaimed, the respective head counselors of your cabins personally greeting each of you. They looked particularly proud. The fervor of the return having dissipated, you sat in the Big House with Chiron before dinner time, to relate your journey.

“So yeah, it turned out we had to get the helm of darkness back from Lamia,” you said.

“The piece of the way back was the lion’s pelt and the last challenge was in the Yellowstone national park in Wyoming,” added Jisung.

“The King’s circle was Gyges’ invisible ring,” Felix divulged.

“I’m glad you’re all back safely,” Chiron smiled.

“I have a question, though,” Jisung raised his hand. “Half-blood death. Did it not come through?”

“It did. Lamia was a demigod, daughter of Hecate and Queen of Libya,” Chiron explained, “she was turned into a monster by Hera.”

“Explains a lot,” you muttered.

Jisung returned to his crush friend from the Hephaestus cabin while Felix and you walked together to your cabins. During your little walk, the Aphrodite kid, AKA the pretty painter, came to see you. It shocked you to see him in front of you, and it shocked you even further to see the two greet each other like old friends.

“I’m glad you’re back, Felix,” he said, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m happy to be back.”

“Hello Y/N.”

He knows my name!! How does he know my name??

“Huh, hi…”

“Felix talks about you a—”

“That’s great,” the blond boy cut him off, ears reddening, “but we have stuff to do before dinner. Bye Hyunjin, see you around!”

“Lix,” you called as he rushed you to the cabins, “how do you know him?”

“We came to camp together. Why?”

Realizing he was ‘just’ a pretty painter for you and that you were more interested in Felix than him, you smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, I never asked how or when you came to camp.”

“Oh, well, we were seven kids on the run after monsters attacked our school, and satyrs finally found us and brought us here. We were between six and ten.”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized you weren’t following anymore. When he turned around to face you, you hugged him, burying your face in his neck. He stroked your back affectionately.

“It must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we made it without too many problems.”

After a good dinner and a wholehearted singalong, you ended up on the beach, eyes fixed on the stars. Hearing footsteps approaching, you only looked over when he sat next to you.

“Pretty cloudless sky, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “but the stars are prettier on your face.”

It was unknown which one of you was blushing more.

“Sorry—”

“Y/N—”

“You first,” you offered, hiding your face into your cold hands. Or was it your face that was hot?

“I came to a conclusion while on that awful quest,” Felix announced, folding his arms on top of his knees. He looked at the horizon. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Seeing you hurting tears me apart, and I think what Hecate meant by ‘my own sake’ wasn’t my safety, but rather my heart after seeing you suffer.” He sighed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Y/N,” he finished, daring to turn your way.

He was met with you facing him and staring at him intently, tears forming in your eyes. “Felix… There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me. I literally cannot live without you. I love you so much.”

The embrace you two shared was worth a thousand words.

As you let go of each other, his eyes trailed on your collarbone, where a mark was visible above your orange t-shirt. You followed his gaze and touched your bruised skin. You locked eyes with him and smiled softly.

“These will make badass scars.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know and here's the masterlist<3

[luumiinaa]

General Tags

⌞GENRES⌝ NAVIGATION ⌞RECS 1⌝ &TEAM ATZ BND BTS ENHA MISC ⌞RECS 2⌝ NCT RZE SVT SKZ TBZ TXT ZB1

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BY WORD-TYPE ⌞DRABBLE⌝ less than 1k ⌞SHORT⌝ 1k to 10k oneshot ⌞LONG⌝ 11k to 20k oneshot ⌞STORY⌝ 21k+ oneshot ⌞SMAU⌝ social media series ⋆ text blurbs ⌞SERIES⌝ long series ⋆ mini series ⋆ spinoffs ⌞MISCELLANEOUS⌝ headcanons ⋆ mtl

˚　 ⋆ . ✦ ˚　 📖 ˚ 　 * . . . 　 *

BY SUBGENRE ⌞☾.ᐟ MOON⌝ lumi’s favourite ⌞☆.ᐟ MERCURY⌝ sfw ⋆ all about that fluff ⌞★.ᐟ MARS⌝ sfw ⋆ suggestively everything ⌞✧.ᐟ JUPITER⌝ nsfw ⋆ pwp ⌞✦.ᐟ VENUS⌝ nsfw ⋆ little to no plot, just 𝐹𝐼𝐿𝒯𝐻

˚　 　 ✦　 　.　 　. 　  ˚　 . 🍳⋆ .   　˚ 　 * . ✦

BY GENRE ⌞GENERAL⌝ fluff ⋆ angst ⋆ hurt/comfort ⋆ crack ⋆ slice of life ⋆ slow burn ⋆ dark fic

⌞LOVERS⌝ friends ⋆ strangers ⋆ frenemies ⋆ enemies ⋆ coworkers ⋆ ex lovers ⋆ secret lovers ⋆ friends to more ⋆ established relationship

⌞TROPES⌝ childhood friends ⋆ best friends ⋆ neighbours ⋆ brother’s best friend ⋆ best friends brother ⋆ roommates ⋆ fake dating

⌞SCENARIOS⌝ workplace romance ⋆ arranged marriage ⋆ love triangle ⋆ unrequited love ⋆ mutual pining ⋆ no strings attached ⋆ family dynamics

⌞THEME⌝ mob ⋆ historical ⋆ royalty ⋆ knightcore ⋆ gamer ⋆ sports ⋆ street racers ⋆ cyberpunk ⋆ dystopian ⋆ apocalypse ⋆ summertime vibes

⌞ACADEMIA⌝ highschool ⋆ college

⌞AUs⌝ spiderverse ⋆ avatar the last airbender ⋆ pokémon ⋆ genshin impact ⋆ star wars ⋆ hogwarts ⋆ winx club

⌞MAGICAL REALISM⌝ superpowers ⋆ soulmates ⋆ reincarnation ⋆ hanahaki ⋆ demigods

⌞SUPERNATURAL⌝ paranormal ⋆ witches and wizards ⋆ urban creatures ⋆ dragons ⋆ aquatic lore ⋆ faeries ⋆ vampires ⋆ omegaverse ⋆ hybrid

[restlessmaknae]

After saving the world together, the son of Aphrodite takes it upon himself to get your attention by visiting your archery classes unannounced - much to your annoyance and much to everyone else's amusement.

➳ Characters: son of Aphrodite!Ten x daughter of Ares!reader/you

➳ Genre: Camp Half-Blood au, greek mythology au, comedy, enemies to lovers

➳ Words: 2.6k

➳ Warning: mentions of blood, innocent lives taken, Ten is called stupid a few times (but reader is in denial, that's why)

➳ A/N: This story is part of my '5 words, 5 stories' series for which I wrote 5 totally different stories with 5 different band members featuring the same 5 words "I'm sorry, I love you". If you're interested in the other stories, check out this link! Otherwise, they can totally be read on their own. Dedicated to @dat-town❤️

➳ Check out: my NCT masterlist

➳ NCT taglist: @dat-town, @sweetjaemss, @winterbeartaehyungbestboy, @effulgentfireflies, @stories-inbetween-the-stars, @squiishymeow, @heyditseeey

“No, widen your stance!”

“I’ve told you, you should stand at a 90 degree angle to the target!”

“What are you doing? You are not Hephaestus at work! Straighten your spine, you fool.”

It was never easy to be at Camp Half-Blood, but when you were the instructor instead of the pupil, it was even more difficult. You knew that not everyone can be a skilled archer like yourself - for instance, the kids of Aphrodite had never been one for archery -, but at least they should seem like they were trying. They should listen to you instead of going after their own heads or daydreaming about their crush in a different cabin. You were their instructor, for gods and goddesses’ sake!

Yangyang, one of the Hermes kids, let out a frustrated huff after another completely missed attempt, and instead of aiming at the target, he put one hand on his hip while holding the bow in the other, ready to throw it to the ground.

“Yangyang, you better not-”

As soon as he heard your authoritative voice and noticed your deadly glare, he pulled his lips into a (faked) innocent, boyish smile. That boy was one for tricks and smooth talking, but you never gave in to such behaviour. You were the daughter of Ares, the god of war after all. You didn’t come here to be messed with - you were determined to teach everyone how to do archery even if they were a seemingly hopeless case. Like Mark Lee who - despite being the son of Apollo, so supposedly excelling at archery - could not aim further from the target each and every time. At least, he was trying though. Even after yet again falling for Yuta’s trick (thinking that he got apple juice from the son of Dionysus, not actual alcohol), being hungover yet again, he was here, making the effort to aim at the target (even though his arrows flew everywhere like a firework).

“I was just imagining myself in a fight. I didn’t actually want to act on my intrusive thoughts,” Yangyang reasoned with a grin, and you just shook your head.

“I must warn you that we will have field archery soon, so if you can’t bring yourself to do target archery now, that will be even harder. As in, the target won’t be in a straight line like now.”

“Yes, I might stand a chance then,” Mark chirped gleefully. “I can’t bring myself to shoot in a straight line, but with field archery, I might have some luck,” he added beamingly, and you respected his optimism even though archery scarcely had anything to do with luck.

Either way, you walked up and down the archery field, correcting postures and suggesting to change bows, taking your job very seriously. After basically saving the world with a few other demigods, you decided to stay at the camp instead of leaving and trying to head for college because you knew that this camp needed some heavy training if there was ever another mission to accomplish.

Even though you were certain you could take on the world yet again, the more trained campers there were, the merrier. Besides, you couldn’t be everywhere all at once - last time you might not have been able to go and come back from the Underworld if Johnny, Kun and the others hadn’t protected the camp from a flock of monsters unleashed from the Underworld. Hades and Zeus had a beef yet again, and of course you had to be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Though it was not only you who decided to stay instead of going to college after finishing school…

“Oh, look who we have here!” The mellifluous voice of Aphrodite’s son reached your ears as you turned around even before he could signal his presence. Your hearing was good, and he didn’t exactly have the lightest steps - unlike yours, you were like a shadow, trained to be invisible and go around silently.

“Ten…” You gritted through your teeth even before you came face-to-face with his grinning face. This boy had too much confidence for someone who walked around half-naked (most of the time) and missed being shot (sadly all the time) when he decided to visit your archery classes. It seemed to be his favourite pastime activity these days.

“Don’t I look dashing today?” He inquired proudly as he swirled around in his robe. Because the damn boy wore a bathrobe, except that he didn’t bother to tie it in the front, so his whole chest was out on full display - much to the entertainment of some girls in your class.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t decide to march into my class aka march straight into the archery field all the time,” you mentioned, completely ignoring his question, as you pointed around. Ten literally walked to the centre of the field where you were supposed to say your instructions about the next exercise. If he had walked out just a few minutes earlier, someone might have shot him. Mark Lee probably would have.

“I’m sooooorry,” he pouted, but anyone could tell that it was fake acting on his part. No one did fake acting better than the Aphrodite kids. “I love you, Miss Instructor, and I just can’t bear not seeing you even for a day,” he winked at you, and you acted as if you gagged at him.

Just because you had saved the world together once, it didn’t mean that you were anything more than comrades at best. Even though you couldn’t deny that he had been there when you almost had a nervous breakdown because you had doubted your skills… Damn it, why did he have to see you at your worst?

“If you don’t want me to shoot you straight through your heart, I advise you to leave,” you warned him through gritted teeth, but as expected, he turned the tables.

“But you’ve already done that. Eros has nothing on you.”

There were a few murmurs hearing that, and a group of girls blinked at the two of you in confusion. Even though there had been rumours about you two having developed romantic feelings towards each other during the mission, they had died down a few days after your return. However, ever since peace settled into the camp again, the rumours had grown stronger again, and Ten was definitely not helping the situation with his ever so frequent (and very much unannounced) visits during your classes.

“Besides, I don’t think everyone despises my presence as much as you do,” he added smugly as he winked in a few, shushing girls’ direction. They shrieked excitedly at the gesture, acting like stupid teenagers in those stupid teen movies you had seen on TV before you realised that they were a load of trash. Well, they were teenagers after all.

“Shut up, Ten!” You rolled your eyes, and you were ready to push him off the field when he looked back at you, his lips slowly curling upwards, curling seductively, and you knew it, you could feel what was about to come. “If you dare to say ‘make me’, I’ll shove you off right now,” you added before he could open his mouth, but that just fuelled his fire even more.

“Looks like someone knows me too well.”

“Looks like someone chatted way too much on our way to literal Hell.”

“Well, I can’t deny that I had a good time.”

“Well, I didn’t,” you bantered with him because you could not let him win this one. You were the daughter of Ares, you didn’t just lose to a guy with the IQ of a fish.

Ten was about to open his mouth, but Johnny showed up in his usual training clothes, and you knew that it signalled the end of your class because the campers were supposed to have his lesson after yours. Yangyang was overjoyed at the arrival of the son of Artemis while Mark Lee whimpered that he wanted to try some more to see if he could have any luck today.

“Bye bye, Miss Instructor!” Ten waved at you as he was scurrying away, and you couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Johnny.

“He leaves only when the class is over, that dumbass.”

“Not gonna lie, he’s trying hard to get your attention,” Johnny pointed out, bemused, and you couldn’t help but realise that there had not been any rumours about Ten being with girls since you had returned to the camp together. Flirting with girls? Yes, he was still doing that, but he was the son of Aphrodite, it came with his blood, but being with girls and seen kissing girls like he had been before your mission… you had not yet heard such rumours. Maybe that’s why everyone believed that you were actually together.

You shrugged though, trying not to think of the way he looked at you, the way he held your hand and squeezed it and the way he had promised you that everything would be alright when your plan had almost fallen through during your mission.

Back then, you had just escaped the Underworld together with Ten only to get to know from Persephone that Hades was currently outside, doing god knows what. Meanwhile, storms were raging, tsunamis flooded cities, drought dried out lands of crops, and ultimately, people were suffering and dying as a consequence. That’s what you had always hated about the gods and goddesses: no matter what, they could never find peace, and whenever they stirred up trouble, it affected humans in the human world. Innocent humans, women, men, children, parents, sisters, brothers… All because these so-called mighty immortals could not control their feelings.

Your best chance afterwards had been to visit Hermes because he always knew where to find someone. At least, he knew where to start finding him. However, instead of a direct answer, Hermes had told you that his roadways had been distributed due to the turbulence in weather, so he couldn’t have helped you. Instead, he had directed you to Anemoi, the wind gods, because they might be able to lend you their compass to tell you the direction of Hades. For that, you had to travel to the Tower of the Winds in Athens, and on your way, you had not only lost precious time but also hope.

With Hades’ rage, many monsters from the Underworld had emerged, and you had to constantly battle through them as they had started popping up out of nowhere. You had been hurt, sleep-deprived and very, very tired of this whole thing by this point, no wonder you had not been in the best mood while you had been walking towards the Tower of the Winds (and to do that, you had to go there after closing hours and turn off the security cameras around, so ultimately breaking the law here and there), and Ten had picked up on it.

“Are you going to stay silent for the rest of the mission?” The boy had asked, breaking the silence that had been stretched between you two ever since the son of Aphrodite had realised that you would not react to his words, let alone snap at him for his stupidest ideas.

You had continued walking forward sulkily, not in the mood for small talk, but he had grabbed your wrist, making you turn towards him. Your immediate reaction had been to fight back, but he had seemed to expect that, hence he had yanked your other hand away before you could peel his fingers off.

“Hey, I know you’re mad, but it’s going to be alright. We’ll put an end to this soon, I can feel it.”

“You and your optimism…” You had tsked snarkily, your mood not at all lifted by his supposedly motivational words.

“I know you feel like the weight of the world is on you, and I know you think that I can’t compare to you which is, in a way, actually true because you can kick ass better than anyone at Camp Half-Blood,” he had started again, and hearing that, your lips had curled upwards just a bit. Only a bit. Ten wasn’t one to flatter anyone but himself, so his compliment had meant a lot to you.”But let me share that burden with you, just for the duration of this mission. You can go back to hating me afterwards, but let me help whenever I can.”

“I don’t hate you,” you had blurted out, your voice coming out raspy after not speaking up for so long. Hearing that, the boy’s eyebrows had elevated, and his lips had started to curl into a smile, but before he could have continued, you had added: “I just find you annoying.”

“I prefer annoyingly handsome, but I’ll let it slide this time,” he had joked, and you couldn’t have found the will in you to go against him, not this time.

When he had let his features become solemn again, he had just stared at you for a few seconds, and you had this jarring feeling stirring up something inside your heart. You weren’t one to let anyone close to you, but spending so much time together while hopefully saving the world had undeniably brought you two closer and he had seen you in so many ugly and vulnerable situations (such as meeting your father on the way to Hermes, and having to hear from him that you had been nothing but a nuisance in his eyes because someone who was focused on battle all the time shouldn’t have made the mistake of having a child like you, a girl on top of that even though he had had many love affairs during his lifetime), seen you sleeping with your hands balled into fists, your knife by your side, seen you cry when some monsters from the Underworld had attacked a child, and you couldn’t have saved her… So yeah, the list was long by that time.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you. It will be alright, I promise,” he had told you, and this time, it had seemed convincing. You had felt yourself soften a bit, and may it have been because of your less alarmed body language or the solemnity of the situation, but the boy had squeezed your hand and you had let it, you had let him do so.

For once, you had wanted someone to hold you like that, so you wouldn’t need to be the one to always keep yourself together, and no matter how much you would have wanted to deny it, it had been him. The one you had supposedly found annoying and bratty and self-centered before this very mission.

“Hey! Are you okay? You had been zoning out a bit,” Johnny’s familiar voice brought you back to reality, and you shook your head in an attempt to shake off the remaining parts of the flashback. You swore you could have felt the ghost of Ten’s touch on your fingers though.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I still find him annoying,” you clarified as a belated point to your previous conversation, and let Johnny smirk to himself all he wanted, you headed to your own cabin.

A voice in your head gawked at you though, repeating the same word over and over again: liar, liar, liar…

Maybe one day, you will be brave enough to confront your feelings instead of denying them, but that day was not today.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the fic! Personally, I really enjoyed writing it as I love the setting and also sassy Ten is just iconic haha

As always, you can let me know what you thought through asks/DMs/reblogs.

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for NCT or for other bands/artists, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️

[lebrookestore]

HI HI IM THE ANON THAT WAS SCREAMING ABOUT PJO IN YOUR ASK BOX👋🏻

I haven’t watched the last two episodes yet😭 im waiting to find a time to watch it with my friends but I’m desperately waiting for the casino scene ahhh I’ll let you know if I hear the di Angelo mention cause I will for sure be analysing that scene HAHAHHA

I literally finished a reread of pjo the other day, it took me a week to finish all the books cause I was speeding through them lmao. I’m rereading heroes of Olympus now and your boy Leo is there👀 but I’m only on the lost hero (is it just me that thinks that book is the worst in the series😭 im sorry but house of hades>>)

YOU SHOULD SO WRITE A DEMIGOD AU omg with an nct member I think I’d combust I’d be so excited!! Idk if you’re seeing my vision but winwin as the son of hades and yangyang as the son of Apollo… maybe I should go write that story, damn HAHAHHAHA

this ask has gotten so long I am SO sorry omg but I needed to rant cause I’m in my pjo feels rn and you’re one of my favourite authors on here so the combination is literally PERFECT

One more thing, can I be a 🍓 anon by any chance? I’d love to be able to rant in your ask box hehe

SENDING LOTS OF LOVE<333

WELCOME BACK KDSGNJFSKG and omg ok i won't spoil anything i binged the entire thing when my exams were over but yes definitely lmk!! i *think* i heard them but i also might just be very hopeful ab my fav italian.

ahh omg yes i've been rereading as well and i'm so intensely back in the pjo phase it's not even funny 🧍🏻‍♀️ but AHHHH all da ladies luv leo and i find no fault in that, that is my MAN 🫶🏼 the actual love of my life ok im done simping for leo now 😭 but no ur so right the lost hero is the most boring but its probably because our fav percy is not there (which threw me for such a loop the first time i read it man i was like POOKIE??? POOKIE'S MISSING) and yes house of hadies is undoubtedly SO good <33

AH IM SO GLAD YOU SAY THAT BC I WAS KIND OF ON THE FENCE BUT NOW I HAVE VALIDATION TO START AN UNHINGED DEMIGOD AU !! i totally see yangyang as a son of apollo!!!

nooo its totally alright i love love talking about anything (and especially pjo) and being in the pjo feels makes the both of us! KDJNK i'm so flattered to be one of your favs thank you anon that means sm 😭<3 of course you can be 🍓 anon! i'd love if you did rant in my inbox its always open<3

have a great day/night!!

[neonacity]

Of Love and Lust | Jaemin x Reader | Demigod!AU [An Elysium Special Preview]

Summary: There are a few notable things that Jaemin learned early on in his short, young life. First, beauty can give you anything and anyone, especially if you know how to play your cards right. Second, being wanted and desired is the one true thing everyone strived for, mortal, god, and anyone in between.

He lived by these rules and won every game he played; until finally, he met an unlikely match—the first soul he has ever encountered who didn't throw herself at his feet. Now, Na Jaemin is adding a third in his short list of life learnings.

Rejection is an ugly thing and he has no plans of tasting it, Olympus be damned.

***

A/N: hi! It's been... uhh... months since I posted anything on here. I don't know what got into me but I decided to quickly write something in advance for Jaemin's birthday. YES, I know the concept is cheesy. Yes, I am aware it is cliche. This is more of a practice piece so I don't want to fuss over it too much. Note: this is not proofread.

The official first chapter of this series can be read here and Jeno's version can be found here.

"Hi. I'm here for the interview."

Jaemin looked up from the book he was holding, finger stopping mid-flip as his gaze settled on the owner of the voice. Standing on the threshold of the door was a girl wearing the same uniform that he—of great unfortunate circumstance—had been forced to wear when he was dumped into this school exactly fourteen days, eight hours, and two minutes ago. The visitor returned the same blank stare he gave her and it took him a few seconds to realize what was off with the current situation.

And then it hit him.

She was returning the same BLANK stare that he has. There was not a trace of mildest interest there, not even an inkling of dreaminess that the rest of Rosewood Academy's student body have bestowed upon him the moment he stepped foot into the school of demigods. If anything, she was starting to look mildly irritated as his silence lengthened.

"Is Jeno here?"

Her choice of change in question finally brought Jaemin back to reality. Gathering his wits, he masterfully pushed back the growing curiosity under his well-practiced perfect mask and closed the book he was holding with a snap. The sound of it rang in the room, pointed and lingering.

"Who are you?"

His voice was casual when he answered her question with another one of his. Despite the lack of inflection, however, he didn't miss the way her brows furrowed, as if he just asked her something offensive.

"I'm the president of the Journalism club. Your friend, Jeno, told me to come here this afternoon. He said I can interview him for a story I am developing for the club."

Jaemin didn't even take more than a cycle of breath to understand what was happening. His good friend Jeno is the least sociable of the pack, but this is the reason why the ass was so adamant in turning down his invitation to hang out today in this very room. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers him mumbling something about this student who was trying to harass him about a story for the school paper. What he didn't expect was said student in the form of this miniscule girl in front of him, giving him the coldest stare he had received... probably ever.

Jeno, you bastard son of Hades.

"Look, if he's not here, can you at least tell me where he is?"

This time, she didn't exactly try to downplay the irritation in her voice. Jaemin internally frowned at the way his heart oddly jumped at the tone of it. At the back of his mind, there was a gnawing taste of a strange emotion he couldn't quite put a finger yet. He felt odd, almost uncomfortable—another first for him—so he decided to distract himself by finally standing from his seat.

"He's busy at the moment. If you have any message, I can pass it on to him," he offered as he put his hands on his pockets. The girl in front of him barely blinked even as he stared her down, his eyes trying to search for something on her face. Infatuation. Wonder. Lust. Nothing. Jaemin did pick up an emotion under her facade though, and it took him everything not to burst in laughter when he realized what it is.

Suspicion. Of all things he could stir upon her, it's suspicion.

"Who are you?"

As if she was trying to outdo him in everything, her question made everything so much better, and so much more confusing for him. He'd be damned if he let her know much she caught his interest though. After all, if there is anything Jaemin will never do in his life, it's to grovel for attention.

Slowly and with practiced grace, he tipped his head to the side as he put the full force of his stare on her. He thought he saw her falter a little, but it was too fast, and soon enough, she was back to giving him her deadpanned stare.

When he finally answered her question, he made sure his words lingered in the air. Jaemin's lips curled into a smile that barely hinted at the thoughts in his head.

"Jaemin Na. Son of Aphrodite."

"At your service, love."

[incorrecttreasurequotes]

nct dream ; demigod au

Renjun - son of Athena📚 - feels more inclined to his mothers ‘warfare’ side than her ‘knowledge side’ - he’s very competitive during team activities like capture the flag - always strategises during ctf but has yet to test out his skills in real battle - only been at camp for a couple of years making him fairly new at camp - actually gets along extremely, extremely, well with the Ares kids - so well that when he first arrived everyone thought he’d be one of them - sings campfire songs with Donghyuck and Chenle grudgingly - actually very straightforward and smart despite his mischievous nature - lots of other campers look to him for advice because he’s smart™️

Haechan - son of Apollo🎶 - long time camper and head camper of the Apollo Cabin - has campfire singing sessions which he forces other apollo kids to join - like Renjun, he’s very competitive during during team activities - loves taking new Apollo kids under his wing and teaching them ‘his ways’ - really enjoys archery but sadly he isn’t particularly good at it - brings a ukulele to the bonfire every night and serenades his friends - extremely dramatic, in true child of Apollo fashion - very recently took over as head camper of the apollo cabin - he hides it, but he actually hasn’t completely gotten the hang of it yet

Jeno - son of Hermes🧳 - long time camp member, been at camp since before he was claimed - nobody expected him to be a Hermes kid but no one was surprised either - people say he’s kinda boring for a Hermes kid but he’s actually just shy - very good at taking in new campers and making them feel welcome - said to be next in line to head camper of the Hermes cabin - a bit of a heartthrob around camp - completely unaware of it too - his fellow Hermes kids love teasing him but he just takes it in stride - doesn’t partake in many pranks but loves watching other people do them - very friendly around camp and loved by basically all the campers

Jaemin🍒 - son of Aphrodite - like most Aphrodite kids he doesn’t like fighting all that much - however unlike most Aphrodite kids he definitely does have a knack for it - extremely persuasive - said to be the best at charmspeak in all of camp - and uses his charm-speak to get people to do every little task for him - often underestimated because he’s a child of Aphrodite - but he love, love, loves showing off and proving people wrong - long time camp member and also a bit of a heartthrob at camp - however unlike Jeno he’s fully aware and uses it to his absolute advantage - first in line to be the next head camper of the Aphrodite Cabin

Chenle - son of Apollo☀️ - newcomer to camp half blood and only very recently claimed by his dad - taken under his fellow apollo child, Donghyuck’s wing from his first day - fawned on by all the apollo kids because he’s small and cute - gets along with other campers easily, regardless of who their parents are - often mistaken for a Hermes kid because he’s loud and loves pranks - makes friends with all the nymphs and dryads, they really like his fluffy hair - much to his own surprise, he’s unexpectedly good at archery  - all of Camp Half Blood’s newly adopted baby brother - constantly gets into trouble for helping Hermes kids in their escapades

Jisung - son of Zeus⚡️ - extremely, extremely, powerful but loses control when he gets emotional -  he’s constantly worried he’s going to electrocute someone - basically raised at camp (also all of camp half blood’s son) - babied by older campers, despite being more powerful than most of them - only zeus kid there, so the other big 3 kids bunk with him in the zeus cabin - very shy around new people and when he’s outside of camp - but very social inside camp - particularly loves making fun of his hyungs - most newer campers are too nervous to approach him because of his dad - one of zeus’ favourite kids and the only one reached out to consistently

[dalivanmagritte]

NCT FIC REC : LEE JENO

back to the nct fic rec

Jeno fic rec part.2

favs

lionheart (fav, smut, fluff, royal!au, knight!au, monarch!au)

premium boy-toy (fav, smut, stripper!au)

step on a crack, dr.lee's gonna break your back (fav, smut)

wanna know what it's like (fav, smut)

yours to tame (fav, fluff, smut, knight!au, princess!au, royal!au)

koi no yokan (fav, smut, abo!au)

slick pup (fav, pervert!au, smut)

prince of wolves (fav, smut, werewolf!au, vampire!au)

i suddenly realize my archnemesis is hot (fav,fluff, angstish, demigod!au, mythology!au)

pride & prejudice (fav, fluff, angst, smut)

no smut

rainfall (fluff)

the deal (fluff, college!au)

cigarettes after sex (fluff, angstish, suggestive, college!au)

do you even know how to have fun? (angst to fluff, badboy!au)

classics (smut)

secret (smut, fluff, sub!jeno (kink discovery))

sweet lies (smut, angstish, ghost!jeno!au)

heatstroke (mechanic!au, smut)

tattooist!jeno (fluff, angst, tattooist!au, florist!au)

himbo (smut, himbo!jeno)

cute little intern (smut, ceo!au, intern!au)

mine only (smut)

possessive dad! (smut, pregnancy!au, soon to be parents!au)

ridin' club switching lanes (smut, streeracer!au)

sweet fury (smut)

hit the breaks! (serie, smut, streetracer!au, mechanics!au)

rich purity (serie, smut, virgin!au)

possessive jeno (smut, roommate)

a different kind of exercise (smut, personal trainer!au)

the rock of gibraltar (smut)

jeno uses his strength against you (smut)

the bat & dove (smut, fluff, mafia!au, racer!jeno)

banana (smut)

guardian gloves (smut, angstish, boxer!au)

teddy bear (smut)

strong jeno (smut)

codename : monster (smut)

his order (smut, ceo!au)

sli(ck-p)up (smut, perv!jeno)

fireproof (smut, brotherbf!au, college!au)

size kink (smut)

only 'til dawn (smut, badboy!jeno, goodgirl!reader)

day6: overstimulation (smut)

day19: pet play (smut)

little wifey (smut, husband!au)

hard dom! (smut)

wrapped around your fingers (smut)

my first and last (smut, college!au)

summer hair = forever young (smut, fluff)

perv!jeno (smut, roommates!au, perv!au)

monster in hiding (smut, stalking!au)

can't take it? (smut)

alternate universe (magics, gods, royalty, etc...)

my sunset is yours (fluff, hogwarts!au)

helping hand (fluff, hogwarts!au)

transfiguration spell (smut, fluff, angstish, hogwarts!au)

sinking ships (smut, sailor!au, mermaid!au, horror!au)

change in you (smut, vampire!au, georgian-era!au)

puppy (smut, supernatural!au, werewolf!au)

sunshine (fluff, angst, mermen!jeno)

the lucky one (fluff, angst, demigod!au, mythology!au)

son of morpheus (fluff, demigod!au, mythology!au)

son of apollo (fluff, demigod!au, mythology!au)

son of shadows (part of elysios serie, fluff, demigod!au, mythology!au)

the tale older than time (fluff, demigod!au, mythology!au)

late night company (fluff, comfort angst, demigod!au)

scream (smut (dirtyyy smut), halloween!au, ghostface!jeno)

why dying my hair was the best decision of my life (fluff, soulmates)

take my breath (smut, abo!au)

puppy pound (smut, abo!au)

jealous (smut, abo!au)

sos x jaemin (smut, abo!au)

destiny (smut, abo!au)

stepbro alpha jeno (smut, abo!au, stepbro!au)

pretzel (smut, abo!au)

phone fuck me (smut, ghostface!au)

incubus!jeno (smut, incubus!au)

ascention to the throne (serie, smut, royal!au, prince!au, political!au)

with another member

just so you know x jaemin (smut)

i'm a mouse duh! x jaemin (smut)

they're roommates x jaemin (smut)

the sequel x jaemin (smut, ghostface!au, halloween!au)

cookie jar x jaemin (smut, stepbrother!au)

can you handle it? x johnny, jaehyun, jaemin (smut)

morally gray (and tw)

baby trapping (smut, sugardaddy!au)

shameless (smut, stepson!au)

undone (noncon, smut)

teddy bear -> our sick story, thus far x haechan (dubcon, smut)

stepbro!jeno part.2 (DUBCON, smut, stepbrother!au)

behind closed doors x haechan (smut, slight dubcon, stepbro!au)

the walls are thin x jaemin (DUBCON, smut)

shoplifter x mark (dubcon, smut, bodyguard!au, stepfather!au)

switch -> chain x johnny (dubcon, smut, neighbour?au)

arcade (continuation of switch/chain, smut)

[neocitism]

nct dream + lucas demigod au.

lee jeno; son of hades, ancient greek chthonic god of the underworld, earth, riches, death, and subterranean regions.

[puppuccinono]

I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight ♡

[all-about-kyu]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐳 𝐚𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬

Summary: The Boyz as demigods Pairing: none Genre: humor, headcanon Rating: PG 13 Tropes: demigod au Warnings: language, mentions of violence, magic, ghosts, spoiler alert they're gay, implications of sex (Hyunjae) Word Count: n/a Note: this is for a combine au with them and NCT Dream 🥹 also this is @raibebe 's fault for enabling my cooking

NCT Dream Headcanon

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

◈ Son of Hestia

◈ Discovered he was a demigod when he accidentally set fire to something

◈ He’s always cooking something for the friend group to try

◈ The exhausted father of the friend group

◈ You can probably find him sat by a hearth at any given moment

◈ He’s very easy to get along with and be comfortable around since his mom is in charge of protecting happiness and peace in the home

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐁𝐚𝐞

◈ Son of Charitites

◈ He’s always been a happy bubbly guy and finding out who his mom was just made sense

◈ Found out cause his mom randomly popped in for a visit one day

◈ He takes being Kevin’s emotional support sunshine very seriously

◈ Got rather close with Jaemin from loitering in the mission control center (he’s neurotic about Kevin’s safety)

𝐍𝐚 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧

◈ Son of Aphrodite

◈ Jaemin’s big brother <3

◈ Cutie pue who loves making pretty things

◈ Accidentally rizzed up a god

◈ Met his mom at the same time as Jaemin (and collected the scalloped shells with him too)

◈ Has no idea how pretty he is

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧

◈ Son of Eros

◈ From the moment he started showing sexual interest in people he’s been a MAJOR flirt

◈ Has tried to rizz up everyone in the friend group at some point (didn’t even try with Mark or Juyeon… he thought they were straighter than anything in the world)

◈ Dad came to introduce and give him a “control your abilities” crash course after he made someone get a little too attached accidentally

◈ Once he and his boyfriend started dating his flirting turned into affectionate bullying each other

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

◈ Son of Nyx

◈ Has always loved the night time and thrives during it

◈ Found out when he accidentally shadow weilded and scared himself

◈ Gifted in combat (shadow weaponry) and healing but is always worried he’ll fuck up healing somehow (his healing ability works best during the night)

◈ Super private about his feelings until something massive happens

◈ Everyone forgets his bisexual

𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧

◈ Son of Morpheus

◈ Ironically… he’s an insomniac…

◈ Started questioning his mom when he kept manifesting into people’s dreams

◈ Sassy and blunt but a sweetie to the people he’s close with

◈ Very close with Mark and tells him everything

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐞

◈ Son of Demeter

◈ He’s known it most of his life since his mom comes to check on him in the colder seasons

◈ Technically Persephone’s brother but he doesn’t acknowledge it

◈ Sass sass sass!!!!!

◈ Exhausted thanks to his two extraverted boyfriends

𝐉𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐢𝐧

◈ Son of Hermes

◈ Freaked himself out by teleporting across his room when he sneezed… mom decided it was finally time to tell him

◈ A little shithead /affectionate

◈ Teasing and bullying is his love language

◈ If he can prank at least one person a day he’s happy (his favorite victims are the grumps (Jeno/Kevin/Juyeon) and Jaehyun)

𝐉𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧

◈ Son of Pan

◈ Plants started growing really easily when he had a gardening project… then he could suddenly talk to animals…

◈ Very close with Jisung from being in the same area of study

◈ Likes to bother Chanhee in the greenhouse

◈ Loves chatting with random wildlife on the way to missions

𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐨

◈ Son of Helios

◈ Manifested a beam of sunshine in a pitch black room and quite literally screamed it scared him so bad

◈ A very gifted healer but it mostly works in the day time

◈ A little shit about being the son of the literal Sun

◈ Even though he’s a healer he does have good long range attacks

𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐨𝐡𝐧

◈ Son of Hecitate

◈ Started seeing ghosts and having weird purple mist around his hands… he didn’t address it… then his mom showed up and lectured him about not using his gifts

◈ The first time he manipulated mista and warped reality he didn’t associate with anyone for a week

◈ Likes doing silly little spells and readings to play games with/on his friends

◈ One of the strongest but plays a support role on missions since he can’t always control all his abilities

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Networks: @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @jaehunnyy @kyusqult @ericssmile @anyamaris @jwnghyuns

[neochan]

[7:08 PM]

Small blue flames dance around his fingertips for a few seconds before flickering out.

“I can only hold them for a little bit,” Son of Hades!Chenle explains, “But it’s pretty cool huh?”

Son of Hades!Jisung glares at his older brother from across the pavilions picnic table, “Yeah, pretty cool if you wanna light a candle.”

Other Half-Blood campers let out quiet chuckles that with one look from Chenle turn into fake coughing fits. The last thing they’d want is to anger a child of the big three, much less a child of Hades. For all they knew, one minute they’re laughing, and the next they’re staring Abraham Lincoln in the eyes.

“You’re just mad dad didn’t give you this power” He pouts, folding his arms across his chest and letting out an exasperated huff.

Jisung snorts, “Yes, because I sooooo want to be a human cigarette lighter”

“Demigod,” his brother corrects, “Demigod cigarette lighter”