There was an explosion, and the eruption of the water fountain meant Percy may or may not be in trouble. It was too early to tell. We're talking about the Percy Jackson here, an actual legend leading a pack of demigods in a large-ish mission in the middle of New York. Soonyoung was not the least worried, but he unsheathed his sword just in case.

One of the two demigods with him looked up in alarm, but Soonyoung only gave him a smile he hoped was reassuring.

"He's doing fine," Soonyoung dismissed the concern before the younger demigod can speak. "He's Percy! It's probably nothing."

The mist and the rainbow appearing in front of him told him it was not nothing. The familiar sea green eyes greeted him with tension.

"You guys seem comfortable," Percy said. "Cleared the perimeter?"

"Up to two blocks," Soonyoung confirmed.

Percy ducked out of the Iris message to parry someone from under him, and resumed his conversation with a pained smile. "There are some mortals stuck inside parts of the mall. Jeonghan's magic can't penetrate some areas for some reason. Some are hidden in the shops. them out, will you?"

"Don't you need help?"

"We're fine." The answer was short and curt, and it meant the decision was not up for debate. Soonyoung understood. This was Percy. Surely, he didn't need help. And he had Annabeth backing him up. The pair was practically unstoppable. "Where's Will?"

"He's tending some injured mortals in the streets," Soonyoung said. "Nothing serious, but I think Will just wants to keep busy."

Percy should be smart enough to understand Soonyoung's underlying message: Soonyoung's team should be doing something besides looking like idiots in the middle of a supposed battle. But Percy didn't say anything else, and Soonyoung was beginning to think that maybe Annabeth was the only one doing the thinking for the two of them. "Just keep yourselves out of fighting range. Copy?"

Part of Soonyoung wanted to disagree. A son of the goddess of war strategies shouldn't be kept out of a fight. However, that also meant he was the son of the wisdom goddess. Which meant he knew better than cross his leader. "Copy," Soonyoung replied.

The rainbow disappeared into a mist taking Percy's distressed face with it, just in time for Annabeth to yell an annoyed, "PERCY WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE'S HERE!"

Soonyoung turned to the younger demigod with him.

"Trouble?" Chan asked. "Are we finally taking part in the fight?"

Soonyoung ruffled Chan's hair. It would be difficult to explain to a child of Ares why he can't join the frontlines, but their mission was to contain the attack within a small circumference and keep the fighting to a minimum.

Of course, if he was being honest, Soonyoung thought it was stupid. Every single one of them was part of the Battle of Manhattan, fighting against Kronos' army of monsters, gods, titans and humans alike. Surely, a rogue band of monsters regrouping wasn't anything the demigods were not capable of putting down.

It was just a stupid clean up mission. 25-30 monsters was a huge group, sure, but Soonyoung didn't think the mission was dire enough to merit the attention of the Hero of Olympus. Percy Jackson was handpicked by Chiron himself to champion the mission, positioning other powerful demigods under him, leading groups of three for backup.

Soonyoung's best friend and brother, Wonwoo, also a son of Athena, was made to lead another group at the other side of the mall. Junhui was with him, and Soonyoung thought it was odd that the three of them were kept apart. The three were brought to the camp as a group, and they quested twice together in their five years in camp. They were a solid team as any.

Well, two children of Athena leading two different groups was a wise strategy, Soonyoung had thought, and didn't question the decision any further.

Will Solace, son of Apollo, caught up with them as they walked further into the mall. Will was more healer than fighter so Soonyoung immediately understood the role of his team even before their assignments were given: and escape. No fighting. Only in worst case scenarios, maybe. But with Percy leading, Soonyoung doubted they would have to.

"We're being asked to some mortals out of the mall. They're probably stuck between the fight," Soonyoung told them as they walked in the empty halls.

The children of Hypnos and Hecate worked together to lead the mortals out of danger, mixing magic and sleep together to keep them safe. Some mortals were hypnotized into walking out of the area, and some just fell asleep where they stood. Soonyoung's team lead them away and carried those asleep from the danger zone into a safer area.

It was helpful that the gods were responsive to Percy's demand that all demigods be claimed. Jeonghan, one of Soonyoung's closest friends, had been housed in the Hermes cabin for as long as any one of them could remember before he was claimed by Hecate a few nights after the big war. It had been peculiar how the Mist bent and responded to Jeonghan's wishes before. Now, he can have standard training with his own specific skillset: Hecate's magic and a bit of Hermes' mischief from his years in the cabin.

"Aren't we getting too close?" Will asked Soonyoung.

Soonyoung should understand. Will was a healer. He was better handling situations post-battle, rather than during. But every demigod, fighter or not, had been trained and should be able to live through a fight. Soonyoung couldn't help shooting Will an irritated look when a wall exploded right in front of them, and through it walked a Hyperborean giant, freezing and destroying everything in its path.

"FINALLY," Chan yelled, brandishing his spear. 

The movement and the weapon caught the giant's attention and it pounded the ground where Chan was standing a few seconds ago. Chan sidestepped this and backflipped before lunging to attack, his spear a blur of bronze and sharp wind with how fast it spun. The giant was only turning its body to face Chan when the weapon buried into its back, Chan zipping out of the way to duck from the giant's paw. 

The son of Ares was so quick that even when Soonyoung rushed in to help, the giant was already crumbling to dust, then it's gone. Chan tapped the end of his spear on the floor twice and it disappeared to hug his wrist in the guise of a bracelet.

"That was easy!" Chan swiped the hair out of his face and grinned. "Why aren't we at the frontlines?"

His question was answered by an arrow whizzing an inch away his ear. Chan froze, his back facing the assailant.

Soonyoung stood between Chan and the newcomer who then shifted his next aim right at Soonyoung's heart. His eyes behind the helmet pierced Soonyoung's as sharp as any arrow, and Soonyoung knew that the arrow shot at Chan had not missed.

It was a warning.

"Ji-Jihoon!" Will, unarmed, unprotected, and definitely afraid, stood in front of Soonyoung like his measly body can offer some sort of shield for his other two teammates. "Jihoon, brother, please."

A son of Apollo? Soonyoung thought. An archer with a deadly aim at that. Crap.

It was not unusual that their clean up missions meant bringing home demigods who sided with Kronos from the war. It was part of Percy's deal with Zeus that these demigods be spared from any form of punishment which earned an uproar in the beginning, but the gods eventually had complied. Some demigods surrendered almost immediately, taking refuge in the camp which, although had still some stigma, offered protection and a home. Some, like Jihoon, still stood with pride and fought.

"Will Solace," Jihoon said. There was only a slight movement of his arm, barely visible even with the trained eye, and it's as if an arrow sprang from the ground at the tip of Will's boot. Jihoon's empty bow told the story. "Lee Chan. Kwon Soonyoung."

He said Soonyoung's name like it was poison from the Styx.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Soonyoung said, his tone taking its usual mirth as he took a step to stand beside Will. "I know I'm famous, but did I disappoint you?"

"Shut up, Soonyoung," Will hissed, surprising Soonyoung. "Don't make this any harder."

"You're not going to convince me to switch sides?" Jihoon asked, sounding almost bitter, his bow reloaded dangerously with three arrows. It looked arrogant, almost silly, but Soonyoung knew not to mess with any Apollo archer. Not even when they were 5'5" and looked adorable in an oversized mail.

"That's why we're here!" Chan said, taking Will's other side so that the three formed a line of defense. "Hyung, we're here to take you home!"

Hyung?

"Wait, you know this guy?" Soonyoung asked, relaxing his stance. "Why are we fighting then? We should all be friends by now and dancing kumbaya."

Jihoon's cold eyes returned to Soonyoung making him raise his sword again. This kid was not going to be charmed? Fighting is the way to go, then.

Soonyoung was about to do something stupid, like attack, when the kid in front of them took off his helmet and lowered his bow. His dark hair and pale face told a story of a boy who had been stuck inside the Princess Andromeda ship, a pretense of safety, surrounded by enemies left and right, not seeing the sun and warmth for a long time. For some reason, Soonyoung felt for this boy. He was hurt, betrayed by the gods in some way, and still standing then, trying to fight for his survival.

Will moved to run forward, taking Jihoon's actions as an invitation, but there was another arrow on the ground before his next step. "Don't come near me," Jihoon said, his voice tight. "I will go with you but first I need answers."

"We will tell you what we know," Will said.

"What, no! That's stupid." Soonyoung hit Will's head with the flat of his blade, and the healer cursed at the impact. "We'll tell you what's appropriate. Who's to say you're not a Kronos spy? We can't ha-"

Jihoon cut him with a laugh. Loud and careless, even throwing his head back as he breathed, as if he really found what Soonyoung said funny. But when he stood straight, his eyes were full of hurt. "You really, really don't remember me, do you?"

Soonyoung paused.

What?

"Soonyoung will not be allowed to speak," Jihoon said, and he turned his gaze to Will. Soonyoung snapped his mouth shut. Instead of being insulted and cracking another joke but insubordination, Soonyoung kept quiet, not finding the will in him to antagonize the broken boy in front of him.

Jihoon. Soonyoung tried racking his brain for a memory about him. No, the name did not ring a bell at all.

 "First question," Jihoon spoke. "Where's Jeonghan? He can't be far with these magical barriers."

"He's with Percy and Annabeth," Will responded quickly. "Probably hiding behind the Mist."

"Coward."

The word was so laced with malice Soonyoung was tempted to skewer Jihoon's head with his sword, friend or not, but Will raised a hand in front of his face, as if knowing exactly what Soonyoung thought.

"Next question. Will I be allowed to speak to the Oracle of Delphi?"

"Hyung, if this is for a quest-"

"Chan," Jihoon muttered, his knuckles white gripping his weapons beside him. "I swear to gods, if he finds out…"

"Alright, Soonyoung's patience has been worn thin," Soonyoung said, stretching his arms lazily above him. "I say we just surround him and grab him. Who's with me?"

Both his teammates didn't look like they appreciated his presence at all. Ungrateful, these little kids.

Soonyoung realized his mistake, though, because in seconds they were surrounded by snake-looking monsters, hissing and glaring at them. They looked like dracanae, except they seemed to be more humans than snakes. And they seemed to be in a trance.

"Gemini. Children of the Earth," Jihoon explained, as if they needed some sort of story. "They won't attack unless I tell them to. They don't really answer to reason, so I need you to cooperate with me." Jihoon sounded almost tired.

"I knew he was a spy!" Soonyoung cried. "How else could he be able to control these monsters like this without the blessing of Kronos?"

Will glared at Soonyoung like he just said the most stupid thing in the world. "Jihoon is a talented singer, Soonyoung. Monsters, even humans sometimes, respond to the sound of his voice. He was called Apollo's Siren back at the camp."

"He was a camper?"

"Jeonghan taught him how to control the Mist with his voice," Will told him patiently. "You-"

"Stop trying, Will, please," Jihoon said, taking a few steps towards the three of them. "He won't remember. It's okay."

"Jihoon!"

Jihoon turned and found himself surrounded by Percy, Annabeth and Jeonghan in front of him, Wonwoo's team guarding a possible escape route at Jihoon's right and the another team taking his left.

Jihoon laughed again, this time it was rough, sounding painful in Soonyoung's ears. "You had to take an army to capture one demigod? I'm flattered, Percy."

"You know we can't take our chances," Percy said, shrugging his shoulders, but he seemed to take a cautious defensive form, especially with the gemini still surrounding Soonyoung's team. "We know how powerful you are, Jihoon."

"I was going to hand myself in," Jihoon said. "You really didn't have to."

To prove his point, Jihoon turned to face his team of monsters. He whistled and all of the gemini's head snapped to look at him. Arrows came flying before anyone took their next breaths, and the monsters turned into dust.

"What's this whole parade about, then?" Soonyoung couldn't help asking. Why did Jihoon have to make a big deal of surrendering?

"I don't know, why did Percy want to keep you from seeing me, Soonyoung? Why did he keep you out of battle? Have you asked that?"

Soonyoung found Percy's eyes, his leader whom he trusted his life, and Percy only looked at him with an apology.

"Nice seeing you, too, Wonwoo and Junhui," Jihoon tilted his head and waved at the two boys on his right, before facing Soonyoung again with a wry smile. "And Soonyoung who still doesn't remember the fourth member of his team."

Soonyoung felt like Jihoon slapped him.

"Maybe it's the new hair. I didn't recognize you, either," Junhui called, and Jihoon chuckled.

"I thought black hair suited me more, though, don't you think?"

"Jihoon," Wonwoo said, taking a step forward, but Junhui held him back, the son of Hermes shaking his head.

"I get it," Jihoon shrugged. "Four is an unlucky number. The fourth member of the team was never expected to survive. Never really part of the camp in the first place. What's the merit of erasing me from his memory?"

The question made something shift from around them, as if the Mist was suddenly taking a solid shape. Jihoon made a finger gun and pointed it at Jeonghan, not really turning, his body still facing Soonyoung, but the action was enough to make Jeonghan quiver.

Soonyoung saw it, he saw it even before Annabeth was screaming for everyone to cover their ears. He saw it when Percy's sword shrunk into its pen form, finally comforted at the idea that Jihoon was surrendering. He saw Jihoon's smile curl into a snarl, he saw Jihoon's mouth forming a note, and the back of Soonyoung's mind told him it was familiar. It was the start of a song he might have heard a long time ago.

Soonyoung did the most logical thing he thought that moment. He moved quick to reach Jihoon and captured the stranger's mouth in a kiss.

Okay, the more logical move was to hit Jihoon's head and make him pass out. But Soonyoung had taken the more creative side of Athena, sometimes abandoning logic in favor of his instinct. And his instinct told him he wanted to kiss Jihoon.

Jihoon kissing him back told him he was right.

Jihoon falling limp in Soonyoung's arms was not part of the plan, though.

Jeonghan helped him carry the boy on the way to camp since he said it was the Mist and his magic keeping Jihoon in a sleep-like trance. Jihoon's head lolled between their shoulders on ride at the back of Argus's truck. Soonyoung couldn't help but find it endearing.

"You don't remember anything about him?" Jeonghan asked.

"I think I would remember a good kisser like him," Soonyoung tried with laugh, but that only made Jeonghan look even guiltier.

"You always talked about how he was a good kisser from before," he murmured.

Soonyoung blinked. "So why…"

"You're my first victim, Soonyoung," Jeonghan said, his voice barely a whisper. "You were the first one to find out how powerful the Mist worked. Jihoon had been talking about wanting to escape camp, wanting to find a life outside Camp Half-blood. He was never happy there. Besides hanging out with you, Junhui and Wonwoo, he never really found a place. Everyone was afraid of him, being Apollo's Siren. He'd been dropping hints about joining Kronos's army, and…"

Soonyoung took Jeonghan's hand, understanding. "He wanted me to run away with him."

"I… couldn't lose both of you," Jeonghan sniffed. "You wanted to, you know. You would do anything for him."

Soonyoung supposed he should be angry at Jeonghan, if Jihoon was so important to him he was willing to leave camp, which was his home and family, to join Kronos for him. But without a single memory to link him to the sleeping boy between them, Soonyoung could only understand what the son of Hecate meant.

For now, it meant that both of them were safe, not hiding from the anger of the gods who were only lenient when Percy or Poseidon were looking. It meant Soonyoung was on the winning side of the war, earning the favor of his mother and the gods on their side, which can also mean he can rally for their favor for Jihoon, too. For now it meant that his family was extended, from only Wonwoo and Junhui, to having Jihoon with them. And to Soonyoung, more was merrier.

And Jihoon was a good kisser.

"Good morning," Soonyoung greeted Jihoon when the boy woke up, although it was already late afternoon. Even after Jeonghan assured him that no more magic was working on him, it still took Jihoon a few hours to come to. Boy was probably tired from running around too much. Controlling those monsters must have taken a toll on him, too.

Apollo's cabin was empty save for the two of them, the demigods up and about their usual activities, unbothered that Jihoon, traitor and now camper, was back in the camp. Chiron made everyone swear on the Styx that all demigods be treated equally after the war, and no mentions of traitors or spies were going to mess with the relationships of their army.

It was an uneasy truce. It was hard not to look at these demigods with disdain, them who fought beside Kronos with their own sort of loyalty, but after a few weeks with them, months, Soonyoung saw that relationships, even trust could be rebuilt.

They were Greeks. They had a long history of betrayal and disloyalty behind them. That didn't stop them from flourishing before, and it sure as Hades will not stop them now.

Soonyoung's presence didn't look like it comforted Jihoon like any of them expected. The boy turned into a wild shade of red, and refused any amount of nectar or ambrosia Soonyoung offered him, claiming he wasn't sick at all Don't be stupid, Soonyoung.

"You know," Soonyoung started. "I'm a son of Athena and all, so I'm not really stupid."

"I used to call you stupid all the time," Jihoon quipped.

"Then I must have called you a beet if you turn that red all the time, too," Soonyoung told him, and Jihoon could only roll his eyes, naturally finding Soonyoung's statement stupid. "I meant I'm not stupid."

Jihoon snorted.

"I meant I know you like me."

Jihoon took a breath, and there was it again, the familiar tugging in Soonyoung's brain into a memory that was not thoroughly complete, but it was enough for him to figure out the shape of Jihoon's lips forming a song. It was enough to make him push forward to kiss him again.

Jihoon was a thousand times flushed.

"Do you always try to sing to when faced with uncomfortable situations? Must be why kids were scared of you if you try to control them all the time," Soonyoung told him.

"It also meant you kissed me all the time, stupid," Jihoon said.

Soonyoung blinked, then smiled. "I must have loved you a lot."

Jihoon sank back into the pillow behind him before whispering. "You did."

Jihoon was quiet for a while and had his eyes closed, but Soonyoung knew he wasn't sleeping.

"The quest you want from the Oracle of Delphi," Soonyoung asked, his elbows sinking on the bed beside Jihoon as he leaned forward. "What was it about?"

Jihoon opened his eyes and turned his neck to face him, and his smile sad. "I… I wanted to look for a son of Hecate. Alabaster, his name was. I stood by him in the battle with Kronos. He's a powerful magician. He's more stubborn than I am, and I know he won't come to camp just like that. I-I could try to convince him. But I would need a quest to look for him."

Soonyoung waited. It wasn't really an explanation, and it felt like Jihoon rambled on because he didn't really want Soonyoung to know. But Soonyoung waited.

Jihoon was hesitating, looking like he was fighting an internal battle for a while, then he sighed, a part of him admitting defeat. He reached over to swipe Soonyoung's fringe out of his eyes, as if he had done it a million times before.

Soonyoung leaned into the touch, feeling like he'd felt it in a dream.

"I know Jeonghan kept trying," Jihoon said, his fingers still playing with Soonyoung's hair. "So maybe, I thought, we need a more experienced son of magic. I… I hoped Alabaster could bring your memory back," Jihoon admitted.

Jihoon wasn't going to sing, but Soonyoung was leaning forward again, his lips meeting Jihoon's in their own form of dance. Soonyoung was trying to find out what Jihoon's song tasted like, trying to figure out how the sweet melodies could cause so much fear if they were always muffled by sighs Soonyoung was making.

"You kiss me like that when you want to hear me sing," Jihoon whispered when Soonyoung pulled away. Jihoon's eyes were unsure as they searched Soonyoung, maybe trying to look for the piece of Soonyoung that still held him in his heart. "Do you?"

Soonyoung breathed a yes, and he lost himself in the story and melody of Jihoon's song. Small memories began to pop in his mind: the two of them plus Junhui and Wonwoo, struggling to enter Camp with a shadow running after them. Jihoon singing his first notes to Jeonghan who found him interesting the very first time, Jihoon laughing at Soonyoung for at archery, Soonyoung sulking because Jihoon was still better at him in sword fight, Soonyoung dancing to a song Jihoon had written, and Soonyoung kissing Jihoon all the time.

They were not whole memories, just bits of pieces of what they were, with not much emotions attached to them, that Soonyoung still couldn't place them with the rest of what he thought happened without Jihoon in camp.

But one thing was sure when Jihoon ended the song, breathless, and looking vulnerable.

"I could try falling in love with you again," Soonyoung said, holding Jihoon's face.

Jihoon closed his eyes, the worry from before dissipating at Soonyoung's words. "I would love that," he said.