“Who did you say my father was again?” Chanyeol asked as he stared at the remains of the wood they used for fire.  It was the break of dawn, and they were getting ready to leave the riverbank.  The mood was light, unlike hours before.

Thera gave him a smile as she slung her quiver on her shoulder.

“How many times do you have to hear it, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun said as he stretched his arms.

“It’s just so amazing,” Chanyeol said, looking at him.  “Now I know why I’m so into creating stuff.”  He stood up, dusting his tattered slacks with his hands.  “It’s because my father’s the god of craftsmanship.”

“Is he the god of talkativeness, too?” Baekhyun asked, facing Thera, who shook her head.

“That’s why Minseok is so smart,” Chanyeol continued.  “Because of Athena.  And that’s why Lay likes reading medical texts because of his dad.”

“But who would have thought Baekhyun and Lay are siblings?” Junmyeon asked.

“I know,” Lay, who was attending to Tao’s wound, said.  “I’m so unlucky.”

“Lay must have gotten the good side of their dad,” Junmyeon said.  “The destructive part… Baekhyun definitely has it.”

“Ya.  I got the music and manly beauty in me!” Baekhyun, who was then by the river, washing his face, said.  After a last rub on his face with water, he stood straight and wiped his hands dry on his uniform.  “But I still think Tao doesn’t deserve to be the oracle.  I think I should have been the oracle.”

“And why does the son of Apollo want to be the oracle?” Minseok asked him in a mocking way. 

“I just think I’d do better at that oracle stuff than him,” he said.  “An oracle should be pretty, right?”  He pretended to tuck his hair behind his ear.

“Seriously, man, that’s gross,” Chanyeol said.

Chen went to help Lay as he fixed Tao’s wound.  With Lay’s ability to heal, his dominant ability as the son of Apollo, Chen’s ankle was back to normal, as if it was not swollen the night before.  Tao’s wound on his chest was almost healed as well.

“How does it feel to be the son of one of the Big Three?” Lay asked Chen as he slowly cleaned Tao’s wound with a dampened cloth Thera gave him.

“Nothing special,” Chen said.  He and Junmyeon were the sons of Zeus and Poseidon, respectively.  “How are you feeling?” he asked Tao.

“A bit queasy,” Tao answered.  “I think we should get going.”  He tried to stand up, but Lay pushed him down.

“Take it easy, Kung Fu Panda,” Lay said.  “Your wound’s not fully healed yet.”

“But we really have to go,” Tao insisted.

“We will go once everyone’s ready,” Chen said.  “Take advantage of the time left and rest.”

Tao reluctantly lay down again, but he could not get himself to rest.  There was fear building up in his chest, but he didn’t know where it was coming from.  He had a lot of thoughts in his head—the prophecy, his dreams, the image of the man holding the bow…

Somehow, he found himself staring at the slumped back of Luhan, wondering what his friend’s future would be.

Luhan was sitting on top of a boulder near the river, watching the waters.  Of all the seven demigods, it was only Luhan who Thera would not tell who his Olympian father or mother is. He was wondering why Thera won’t tell him about it.  Maybe it wasn’t worth knowing.  The least of all gods, he thought.  But he wanted to know who it was, anyway.

“I grew up alone,” he said as he felt Thera’s presence behind him.  He knew it was her.  Her aura was different from the others.  It was as different, but not as deadly, as Aoife’s.  He feels a sense of warmth… of belongingness when she’s near.  “I was raised in an orphanage.  Technically, that’s not growing up alone.  But I felt alone.  No matter how many people surround me, I still feel alone.”

He looked down and saw her standing at the base of the boulder.  She was looking across the river, on the thick forest.

“Forgive me,” she said.  He could not see her face, but from the sound of her voice, he could tell she wants to tell him something.  “You will know of your parentage when the right time comes.  I will make sure of it.”  She turned around and started walking to the others.

After taking a few steps, she stopped.  She looked at her right, straight through the forest where they came from a few hours ago.  She gripped her bow tight with her left hand.

“What is it?” Junmyeon, who walked towards her, asked.

“We have to move,” she said.  She walked towards the riverbank.  “We have to cross the river.  Quick.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked as he and the others followed her.  “Why? What’s going on?”

But she would not answer their questions no matter how many of them asked.  She fetched her cloak that Tao used to lie on the night before and tossed it to Lay, insisting that Tao should wear it.  She immediately ran to the waters.  “Everyone, in the waters.  Quick!”

With utter confusion, they ran to the river.  The water that was almost up to their knees was freezing cold.  The icy morning breeze made them shiver.

Just when they reached half of the river, they heard gallops, neighing of horses, and voices.  They didn’t have to ask if they were being chased.  They knew they were in danger.

Seven riders with their horses appeared from the forest they came from.  All of them had black cloaks on, similar to those that Aoife and her pack had.  Each of them carried weapons; spears, swords, and bows and arrows.

“Junmyeon, call on the waters,” Thera ordered as she pulled Tao by his arm.

“What?” Junmyeon asked, confused.

“Call on the waters.  We