A week passed and Hyejeong got used to the life in the camp. Training, hanging out with the others, admiring the night sky and sometimes talking to her parents. It was all a simple routine. Being in the camp did her good, she was getting fitter and knew by her arms and legs slowly getting toned. Seungcheol contributed greatly to her physical condition, he would often stay longer after the end of the training session to keep helping Hyejeong with sword fighting so that she could keep up with them as soon as possible. Meanwhile Jiho offered to teach her everything about the Greek mythology and the Camp's history she needed to know. Pleasant evenings à deux with cups of tea and old books were spent in the library. 

"Come on, Hyejeong!" Seungcheol hollered at the girl standing approximately three meters in front of him, mirroring his stance. The left foot slightly diagonal in front of the other, the heavy shield clung lowly on the left underarm and the bronze blade directed at the other with their eyes never leaving each other. They were in the same situation again like last week, only this time it was about proving that Hyejeong was ready for an exterior mission. Her opponent helped her to improve her skills in the shortest time and was profoundly convinced she now was on the same level as the others. The head of the camp trusted his words but still needed to confirm it with his own eyes as he stood in front of the stands, acknowledging Hyejeong's improvement. Meanwhile, a few teenagers had gathered behind him, sitting on the stony benches of the amphitheater and cheered on - for no one in particular, though. Hyejeong had been nervous at first, having so many eyes watching her, but the feeling soon faded away as the battle became more intense.

Deferring to his demand, she lunged forward with small but determined steps and used the last step to jump with dash at her foe. Her sword clashed against his shield, creating a loud, dull sound that echoed from high walls. She watched in satisfaction as Seungcheol stumbled backwards but caught himself again in the blink of an eye. He then sent her a small smirk before it was his turn to attack her and brushed her shoulder, cutting the cotton fabric open and drawing a thin scratch on her skin. Hyejeong's blade bolted upwards to meet his, both repeating the move several times until she drew back. With ragged breath she glanced at the loose shield on her left arm and discarded it, feeling like it was more of a hindrance. Another thud was heard as Seungcheol did the same to keep the fight somewhat fair. She shook her stiff arm to loosen it up and tilted her head back, letting it creak. Now it was her turn to provoke him a bit. The boy scoffed, obviously catching on her plan.

They approached each other again, blades raised highly and ready to charge. Hyejeong was the first to swing her sword and aimed at the side of his right knee, lowering her upper body in the process. Seungcheol on the other hand took immediate action and blocked the adversarial blade with his own, twisting it until she was forced to drop it right next to him. The disarmed girl proceeded to pick up the weapon after kicking his side, but he had a tight on her leg and pushed her backwards, causing her to fall on the sandy ground hence ending the long fight.

The back of her white shirt was no longer white but now ocher. She propped herself on her elbows and looked up at the boy who smugly grinned at her with the tip of his blade resting coolly his right shoulder. Hyejeong rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration. "Maybe next time," his voice was filled with amusement as he offered her his hand. Her left hand reached out for his while she grabbed a fistful of the sandy ground with the other. In split of a second she threw the content at his face and pulled him down by his upper arm, snatching his sword out of his grasp as she rolled on top of him. The feeling of victory and euphoria grew within her at the sight of Zeus' heir lying underneath her with his wrist steadily held in place and his own blade menacing his vulnerable throat; his face revealing astonishment.

The distant whistles and claps also contributed to it. "How about now?" Hyejeong asked, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Touché," he conceded, his eyes fixated on the distance between their middle, "But I'm not the best in this camp for no reason." Her eyes followed his gaze to find her very own sword in his free hand and its tip dug into her leather armor. Sighing in defeat, she let go of him and stood up; Seungcheol doing the same. 

Now that the battle was really over, Carystus made his way to the two teenagers who were busy brushing the dirt off their clothes. "Alright, that was a good fight, you two. You have proven that you are able to fight in a close combat and showed me your improvement in terms of sword fighting. I hereby declare that you may go on an exterior mission if there happens to be one that needs you and your skills." His deep voice boomed through the whole amphitheater. The centaur took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, a sign to seal his words. Another shower of claps erupted from the other teenagers as Hyejeong thanked him. 

As the Goddesses of Destiny willed, later that day Carystus approached her table during dinner with a short boy trailing behind him - the heir of Hestia. He was also a close friend of Seungcheol and was often seen either wandering alone through the camp or throwing fireballs at another camper whenever that tall boy pulled pranks on him. Lucky for both of them that the latter was resistant to fire otherwise things would be pretty ugly. But again, if he didn't know he was fire-resistant, he wouldn't keep provoking the hot tempered boy. It was a vicious cycle.

The centaur asked Jiho, Seungcheol and Hyejeong to follow him outside. Not really knowing what was happening, Hyejeong got up hesitantly unlike the other two who seemingly were used to it, thus already understanding the situation. She saw the remaining four giving her encouraging smiles and raising their thumbs up before she turned away from the table and walked next to Jiho. They left the dining pavilion and found themselves a quiet spot next to the burning campfire. The noise of the pavilion faded into the distance and was now barely audible.

Only the sound of flickering flames and crackling wood were clearly hearable. The flames at the wood, devouring the dry branches aggressively as if it had starved for centuries, while the brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow danced maniacally in the air. Hyejeong felt the pleasant heat of the fire embracing her body, protecting her from the now slightly chilly air. The musky smell of burnt wood and pine needles filled her nose, relaxing her muscles. For a short moment, her mind wandered back to the time when her family used to go on camping trips and sit around the campfire whilst telling stories. They would drive for hours to the mountains - far away from their busy city life - and then hike for half an hour near to the river. Those trips were her favorite, spending the whole day and night with her whole family. However those days came to an end as her parents were molested by work and her brother lost interest in their family trips. It was a pity.

"I need you four to go on a mission," Carystus spoke up, eyeing every single person in front of him. Then he carried on, explaining the details, "The Oracle had visions of the Minotaur returning from the Underworld and rampaging in Cheonan. I have also contacted my resources out there and they told me about several people being missed and even a few brutally torn, bloody human body parts being found. You need to stop the monster before it can cause more havoc. Unfortunately, we don't know where exactly the Minotaur is currently to be found yet therefore you, Jiho and Hyejeong, are very important for this mission. With your knowledge and your tracking skills, I am sure you can find him in no time. Well, Seungcheol and Jihoon, I have utter faith in you that you will eliminate the Minotaur since both of you are quite experienced. It's the best if you leave tomorrow right after breakfast. The harpies will prepare the car and your equipment so you can leave right away." After he finished his speech, he eyed all of them again, checking whether there were any further questions or not. None of them seemed to have any questions, only nodding silently. The man clapped his hands and sent them back to the others, telling them to eat up and rest well.

"Hey, Jihoon. Wanna sit with us? We could talk about tomorrow," Seungcheol suggested as they climbed up the flat hill back to the dining pavilion. "Sure," the short boy answered nonchalantly. As soon as the marble table was filled again, they were greeted by curiosity. "So what kind of beast returned from the Underworld this time?" Areum asked, whirling her silver fork around in the air. "The Minotaur," Jiho said as she calmly cut her medium done steak and brought the bit to her lips. Joshua furrowed his eyebrows and squinted his eyes, "A half-human and half-bull creature that eats humans."

"Exactly," Jiho and Jihoon replied in unison. "Imagine that monster devouring your arm or something, how nasty. There are probably human scattered everywhere around in his hideout," Jeonghan's nose scrunched up, "Anyways, as long it's not me." He shrugged his shoulders and diverted his attention back to his food, smiling happily. Meanwhile the girls - except for Jiho - laid their cutlery down, their appetite being replaced by disgust. "You all better came back in whole pieces," Jeongyeon pointed at the affected people; her words were more like an order than a plea.

The night dragged itself, another sleepless night was spent in the cabin of Artemis. Nervousness was preventing the girl fro the sweet temptation, again. The sun was peeking at the rim of earth when Hyejeong's body finally gave up to fatigue. With only a couple hours of sleep, she fought her inner burning desire to stay underneath her warm blankets and rolled off her enticing bed, indicating that she had won the fight. Her hand grabbed the water bottle on her nightstand, the old wood creaked underneath her feet with every step she took. The cool water slid down her dry, hoarse throat, quenching the thirst she woke up with and awakening her nerves. Then she opened her small wardrobe to pick out a suited outfit for the mission, also taking extra clothing with her just in case. Finishing her morning routine, she left her cabin only to see Jiho coming her way. Actually she was assigned to pick her up in the morning for the first week only but even after the seven days passed, Jiho was still coming. "You're up early," the chestnut-haired girl remarked as they casually linked their arms and headed to the pavilion. 

As usual Seungcheol and Areum were already waiting for them, sitting at their unassigned assigned table and chatting lively. The Hera twins on the other hand were always the last to arrive since sleep was holy to Jeonghan and his sister had the honor to pry that holiness away from him. 'Good mornings' were exchanged and Hyejeong's eyes wandered across the dining pavilion, looking for a certain short boy. "Jihoon," Seungcheol spoke, noticing what she was doing, "is like the hardcore version of Jeonghan." The girl immediately understood and knew to expect him to come as the last one. She excused herself to get a cup of coffee, before she would fall asleep right on the table while waiting for the others. "Wait, I'm coming with you. I need some cups, too," Seungcheol exclaimed, pushing himself up from the table and accompanied her.

Not paying attention because of the small talk with the handsome boy - and mind her tiredness, too - Hyejeong missed the last step of the three-ary stairs and felt like the rug was being pulled from under her feet, grabbing the next best thing close to her in the process: Seungcheol. He on the other hand casually caught Hyejeong by her waist and pulled her small body against his side. "Geez, you need to stop falling for me," he teased the blushing girl, earning a punch on his arm and a 'shut up'. His eyes sparkled mischievousness as he let out a heartfelt laugh and patted her head. The two of them grabbed a porcelain cup each, three sugar cubes and poured the hot aromatic coffee in their cups. Hyejeong added milk and watched in satisfaction how the white liquid soared like a haze back to the surface. "Do you want some, too?" she turned towards the boy only to find him looking at her with an adoring smile gracing his face. "No, thanks. I need as much as caffeine as possible, it's going to be a long ride," Seungcheol emphasized the word 'long' and raised his cup, referring that he was the designated driver.

Breakfast was finished - Jihoon arrived ten minutes before they finished - and everyone pursued their plans for today, including the mission team. "We need to go to the weaponry before we set off for the mission," Seungcheol informed Hyejeong as soon as they left the pavilion. This being said, the four made their way to the northeastern area of the camp nearby the amphitheater. They stood in front of a shack and Hyejeong wondered how a small cabin could possibly be a weaponry, but that thought vanished when Seungcheol opened the door. Instead of a cramped weaponry she imagined, there was nothing but a staircase that lead to the underground. Dim orange light shone from the bottom and the repeatedly hammering against metal could be heard. Jihoon and Jiho went first, Hyejeong following with Seungcheol behind her since held the door for them like a true gentleman. Hyejeong did not like the stairs at all; the walls were too close to her and the air was slightly stuffy, she felt trapped.

A sigh escaped her lips as they entered a gigantic but hot room. There was a fierce fire burning in the oven on her left, different stations dedicated to crafting on her right. All the cyclops she would away see in the pavilion were currently busy working on swords, lances and other weapons. However there was one person standing in the middle of the room who did not fit the others. His eyes were focused on the red glowing sword in his bare left hand, seemingly not noticing or bothered by the dark fringe that fell over his eye. Drops of sweat traveled down along his temple, neck and arms; his olive green tank top hung loosely around his tanned skin and played a game of cling and fall with every move he made, revealing his collarbones once in a while. His rough and blackened with sooth hands gripped the sword and the hammer tightly as he hauled off.

Hephaestus, the God of blacksmiths, fire and volcanoes, himself was considered as crippled and thus abandoned by his very own mother, Hera. He was often portrayed deformedly, but his heir was nowhere close to him with his handsome face.

"Hey, Mingyu!" Seungcheol called the familiar face. Immediately, the tall boy stopped and laid the tools aside and smiled towards the group. "Here to pick up your toys, I assume," Mingyu said while wiping his hands clean and motioned them to follow him to the rearmost corner.  He stood next to a wooden table, several golden gadgets lying on top. Bracelets, watches, pens and a ring. Mingyu picked up a golden pen and clicked it, the tool immediately transformed itself into a longsword with a zing. "Just as you ordered, Seungcheol." He passed the weapon on the leader and handed everyone a pen, Hyejeong received the only short one. Wanting to try that magic out herself, she pushed the clicker down and watched it turning into an elegant dagger. She examined the golden weapon in her hand, turning it around under the lights and admiring the filigree Greek carvings. But now that she had turned the gadget on, how can she turn it 'off'? Helplessly, Hyejeong looked at the boy next to her whose sword had already reverted to its harmless form. "Here," he said, taking her small hands in his and turned the handle counterclockwise. His warm hands left hers and she opened them, revealing the pen in her palms. "Thanks."

Then Mingyu proceeded with the bracelets for the girls and the watches for the boys. He instructed them, actually just Hyejeong, how to activate the shield by turning the small wheel, respectively the rhinestones circle. And just like the other gadgets, you needed to turn a certain part counterclockwise to revert it to its old form. "So, the bow and arrows you ordered..." Mingyu spoke to Seungcheol, "Well, I couldn't make a gadget in a trice. But I rummaged a little bit in the stock of my ancestors and found this!" He stretched his arm out, holding a silvern ring between his thumb and index finger. The jewelry glinted in the dim lights, the smooth surface of the amber gemstone reflected tiny light rays. "You need to pull the gemstone out of the ring and the ring turns into a bow while the gemstone itself turns into a quiver with unlimited arrows. And if you want to turn it back, all you need to do is pulling the helve apart," he tells them, his eyes sparkled in admiration. "Cool," said Seungcheol and took the ring, eyeing the unfamiliar gadget before sliding it onto her left ring finger. Their eyes met again and Hyejeong felt like melting under his warm gaze.  

"Guys," Jihoon interrupted them and tapped on his watch, "It's about time to get going." The other girl nodded in approval. "Ah, yes," Seungcheol cleared his throat. All of them thanked their blacksmith and left the weaponry, heading due south where the entrance to the camp was located. There were the harpies already waiting, a little bit impatiently, and tossed the packed backpacks at them then spread their arms - or rather wings and flew back to the direction where the group came from. Seungcheol fished the car keys out of the front pocket and strolled towards the black jeep. "Hyejeong," he said and put his hand on her shoulder, "will sit with me. You two can get some sleep in the back. Once you got some proper rest, you can switch with her, grumpy." The other two nodded, not even hesitating as they climbed into the back of the car, Seungcheol and Hyejeong claiming the front seats.

Hyejeong dropped the backpack at her feet, fastened her seatbelt and leaned back into the dark leather seat. Seungcheol leaned over, fighting against the strong seatbelt, and opened the glove compartment to pull out a yellowed paper roll and a silver quill. "Please write 'Cheonan' right here," he pointed at the space below the compass rose in the right top corner. Following his instructions, she wrote the name as neatly as possible. Even though she had no ink, the letters appeared gradually, glowing golden. After she wrote the last letter, a black ink blot appeared in the center of the paper, spread out in every direction and created a map of the west coast of South Korea. Then an emerald dot popped up in the north eastern part of the map, indicating their current position. 

Seungcheol started the engine and pulled out of the camp, driving through the all too familiar forest.

Ω Woozi and Mingyu are now officially introduced, too. I really wanted to call Mingyu "Mr Tall, Dark & Handsome" in here, but it sadly just didn't fit. 

An exciting adventure is coming up, whoop whoop.

I'm working on making the chapters longer - at least like this one - so be prepared!