Yujin isn’t sure whether she enjoys staying at the camp or not.

For starters, if you ever think that being a demigod is exciting, thrilling and all, you probably have an opposite opinion from Yujin. If you ever think that the camp is all about trainings, quests, and games, you might be wrong. If you ever think that training on camp half-blood is fun because it’s something new and a fantasy-like story turned to real life—then you are definitely wrong.

Yujin heaved out a murky sigh as she buried her face on the wooden desk in front of her, her brows greeted one another, as if wanting to fight each other off out of frustration. She spun the pen that was in her hand as she is slowly being tortured because of boredom, not showing any interest to listen to an old satyr’s lectures.

Camp isn’t the camp she expected it to be. They had different subjects to take and study every year they'll visit the camp, they had breaks, and worst of all, they were also given home works—or cabin works since she lives in a cabin anyway—to be passed on their next meeting. It was like she attended summer class.

The only difference was: magical creatures and demigods were surrounding her.

Hitomi, who was behind her bored friend, could only shake her head as she sees Yujin's impatient actions. She couldn't blame her though, even she finds it hard to stay awake during the class. It’s like the instructor was singing a lullaby with every words coming out of his mouth.

Yujin and Hitomi have been at the camp for over a week now. They got separated and lived on different cabins. Yujin staying at Zeus’—as he is her godly parent, ofcourse—while Hitomi stayed at the Hestia cabin, because her father seemed to have forgotten to claim his child.

It’s been over a week, and a lot of unclaimed demigods under the Hestia cabin left and came to their respective groups after they have received their tattoos.

Although Hitomi always appear to be calm despite not being claimed for more than a week, she can’t lie that she was getting anxious and afraid considering the fact that there are only two first years left unclaimed, including her.

They only have three months to spend at Camp Half-blood each year, and the percentage of being recognized by your godly parent decreases as days go by, and Hitomi—albeit used to growing up without a dad—knows inside her that she wanted to meet who he is and how it’s like to have a father.

The blonde girl glanced beside her and saw another demigod who was staring outside the window. Another surge of worry rushed through her body as she landed her eyes on Wonyoung, the other first year who’s still yet to be claimed by her godly parent.

Wonyoung averted her gaze from the sun to Hitomi as she felt a stare lingering at her. Wonyoung smiled, to which Hitomi replied with a smile too. The two have been an acquaintance since they both lived under Hestia cabin. Not so intimate like friends but not strangers to each other either. It’s like a person in the same house as yours whose name you know, but that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hitomi wondered who will be the last, and permanently godly parentless demigod standing between the two of them.

“Why? Is something bothering you?” Wonyoung whispered, leaning forward to the blonde girl to let her whisper be heard.

“Nothing. I’m just thinking that it’s just you and I left with unidentified parents, or whoever they may be.” Hitomi chuckled, which made the girl beside her let out a snicker too.

“You’ll be claimed, Hitomi unnie, although I’m not quite sure if I will ever be,” remarked Wonyoung.

A deep, loud horn could be heard from the distance. Yujin immediately raised her head as soon as she heard the foghorn echoing through the camp, signalling that an hour has passed, and that meant that their boring class was done.

A smile was painted on her face, a kind of smile that shows she was safe from almost dying of sleepiness the satyr in front gives them.

The old satyr named Jim who was teaching them the subject The Chronicles of Monsters bid them goodbye before stepping out of the room.

Yujin soon released a relieved sigh, she stood up from her seat and stretched her body, quickly facing her friend that was behind her during the entire class.

“At least Jim did not give us any works for the weekends,” the tall girl said. She placed her left legs on the chair and stretched once more before adding, “I shouldn’t have gone here had I known this is just another season of school,” she frowned. Hitomi could only let out a chuckle as she shakes her head.

“Don’t speak too soon,” the shorter girl warned. Yujin’s eyebrows rose—and she swears her brows were getting numb for being raised or crumpled every single time.

“What do you mean?” Yujin asked, still baffled by what the blonde girl had said. Hitomi pouted her lips towards the door. The other demigods who were fixing their things were about to head out of the room when two hooves stopped them from doing so. Yujin was about to turn around when she heard a familiar voice.

A voice she never wanted to hear again today. Or even next week. Or maybe forever.

“I almost forgot,” he started with his most annoying voice, fixing the eyeglasses that were almost falling off his hairy nose. “We will have an oral recitation by next meeting, so I suppose you all start to study about the lessons we have discussed today. Most especially Hercules’ twelve labors,” he added before leaving the frustrated demigods inside the class.

“Nako’s instructor last year was him. Sir Jim’s a four hundred eighty-six year old satyr, Yujin. You know old people tend to be forgetful of a lot of stuff,” she explained before Yujin could even open .

“Old? He’s ancient, Hii-chan!” The sky demigod let out a groan after processing the sudden homework she never wished for, her face crumpled as she fixed her things so she could quickly get out of the room, not wanting to be stopped again by a pair of hooves in case the ancient satyr had forgotten another announcement and add another bag to the loads of schoolworks she has for the weekend.

Don’t get Yujin wrong. It’s not that she’s dumb at class, it’s just that she believes that the more important things to learn about are the things you experience outside, and not just being in a four-cornered room reading and memorizing an old, dusty book that seemed to have lived before any creatures on Earth.

Yujin performs well on exams, and even recitations. She has a very good brain, the only problem was when the sky rained laziness upon Earth, she was there, enjoying every single drop falling from the clouds.

As the two friends finished organizing their things, a girl who’s about the same height as Hitomi, only taller than her for about two centimeters, approached them with a big smile on her cheeks. Yujin and Hitomi exchanged confused looks, until the other girl extended her open palm towards them.

“My name is Jo Yuri,” she introduced, still with a wide smile drawn on her face. Hitomi took the girl’s hand and shook it though puzzled as Hitomi also introduced her name, surprised by the sudden act of a stranger they haven’t talked to yet since the camp started. Hitomi took a glance at their hands, and noticed a golden sun marked on the other girl’s wrist.

A child of Apollo.

“Uh, hi. I’m Ahn Yujin,” she greeted as soon as Yuri offered her hand to the sky child as well. “Is there anything we can help you?” Yujin added.

“Nothing much, really. I just thought if I could hang with you guys? Since you’re Korean, and I am as well, because I’m not much comfortable spending time around my step sis and bros, you know. They’re too... many,” the sun’s daughter explained, and Yujin must’ve noticed the honesty on the shorter girl’s voice so she let out a small laugh.

“That would be great!” Yujin exclaimed, placing the small bag she had on her shoulders. They carry bags because cabins were pretty far from the class building, and you wouldn’t want to try going back and forth from your cabin to your class just so you could take or bring back a book. You won’t die because of monsters, you’ll die from over exhaustion.

“Hitomi and I are headed to the diner to grab some lunch before going to physical training class.” Yujin added.

Yuri’s face lightened up at Yujin’s reply. She nodded her head consecutively—took her bag, and before she could even say let’s go, another girl butted in.

“Can I tag along?” Wonyoung beamed, and all their attention was diverted to her. She took the shoulder bag on her seat and placed it on her shoulder before offering her palms to Yujin and Yuri because Wonyoung remembered she haven't introduced her name to them yet. “My name is Wonyoung. I happen to have the same schedule as you guys, and Hitomi unnie and I are on the same cabin. Would that be okay?” she asked.

“I don’t see any problem with that actually.” Hitomi smiled, exchanging quick glances with Yujin as she nodded her head. A warm feeling washed up on her body, the thoughts and fear of being unclaimed she had earlier were left forgotten, and Hitomi almost forgot to do the one thing Chaewon had told them before the school started.

Make friends.

It’s been over a week now, and the two friends never talked to anyone beside each other in their class. Although Hitomi and Wonyoung sometimes have interactions that did not last longer than a minute, Hitomi and Yujin never had other friends to walk with from one class to another. To have friends aside the two of them to eat lunch together at the diner just in front of the building. It was only the two of them. Always.

As Yujin smiled warmly to them, she realized maybe it’s not that bad to add members to their squad. That maybe it’s okay to just give this place a chance and not to worry about other things aside from the present.

Let's not just talk about the homeworks she has to do, maybe.

“Let’s go?” Yujin said, and all of them headed towards the door before Jim could even think of coming back and announce other works he forgot inside his dusty brain.





“Hitoma, are you sure Yujin’s sane? The food here is unlimited, why is she behaving that way?” The child of Apollo whispered, leaning towards the blonde girl as her eyes were fixed on the Zeus' kid in front devouring her food aggressively, as if a monster was coming after her.

“She’s like that when she enjoys the food,” she said, shaking her head and added, “And for god’s sake, Yuri, it’s Hitomi. Stop calling me Hitoma or I’ll have to call you Yura too.”

Yuri laughed at the whining girl beside her, taking a sip from the lemon yogurt with extra pearls she ordered. “Yura’s a cute name! You can call me that if you want, Hitoma.”

Hitomi sighed in surrender.

“What do you think are we going to do on our first day at physical training class?” Wonyoung said, sipping through the straw of her strawberry milkshake, ignoring the very much hungry Yujin beside her.

“I’m not sure. Considering that subject’s name, they’ll probably teach us something about defense mechanisms.” Yuri answered. “Taekwondo maybe?”

“I think it’s like PE,” the blonde girl paused, shaking her head continuously. “Oh god. The last subject we had was PE before a harpy attacked us on field.”

“A harpy attacked you?” Yuri gasped. She placed down the yogurt on the table as she ce again to Hitomi, and not a chance did she consider asking Yujin, because girlie was still busy with her meal.

Hitomi pressed her lips, her chubby and cute cheeks bulging as she nodded her head. “Chaewon and Sakura were with us, luckily. We wouldn’t have reached this camp if not for them.”

“How did you meet them, though? I bet they already know you two have a blood of a god before you met them,” the tall girl beside Yujin said. Wonyoung batted an eye on the sky demigod as she felt her stop eating. Yujin gulped the food that was in and drank her iced tea.

“You’re right,” she said, still catching her breathe after a mouthful of bacon stuffed in .

“I haven’t realized that before. Have they been eyeing us the whole time, Hitomi?” Yujin asked, curious as to how fate seemed to let them four meet like it knew their similarities. Being a child of greek gods and goddess.

“I’m not sure, Yujin. Maybe they do, or maybe it’s just a coincidence. What’s important is that they saved our lives.” Hitomi pointed out, causing her friend to slowly nod her head in agreement as she went back to eating.

Yuri asked once more about their life before camp, so Hitomi told her everything she knew. About how Yujin and Hitomi have been friends since the first grade of middle school, and how they met Sakura and Chaewon on their third year. She told them about the incident before the PE, about Yujin’s wrist itching before the marking happened, and how Chaewon and Sakura fought the harpy without showing any sign of fear.

Yujin continued telling the story when she paused eating. When the other two demigods had brought them to a subway station to ride a train to the camp, and how Chaewon introduced everything about the place and the way things work.

As Yujin finished telling their story, she realized it’s been quite a ride in such a short span of time.

“Say, Yuri. How did you end up here in the camp?” Hitomi suddenly asked.

Yuri smiled at the blonde girl before answering, “Do you know Yena?” The other three nodded.

“Well, she’s my roommate in Seoul. I live in Busan and it’s very far so I have to rent a dorm to attend school in the city. I was wondering where she went last summer since she’d always attend a part time job every year, turns out she was here pissing off other demigods the whole time,” she said, her eyes smiling as she laughed.

“Then one night, we woke up because of the light coming from my wrist, and then I had the mark,” she added, pulling the sleeves of her clothes and revealing the mark of the golden sun.

Hitomi thought Yuri is a perfect fit to be a child of Apollo.

She has a very beautiful voice. Hitomi could tell it because she once heard Yuri sing at the cabin assembly.

“She told me there’s this camp for demigods. I didn’t believe her at first because who will even be?” Yuri took another sip from her drink as she cleared to continue her story. “She even called my mom through my phone and told her about this tattoo, and I swear I could picture my mom panicking telling me to go here immediately because monsters might have sensed my existence, so I went with Yena. I mean—it wouldn’t hurt if I tried to believe.”

Yujin puts down the utensils she was using after finishing the heavy meal she just had. Her gaze darted at Yuri, because she had no idea that the other girl would have another someone she knows at camp, and most especially, it was Choi Yena.

“You’re friends with Yena? That’s cool. Everyone here’s always wanted to be friends with her,” says Yujin—including herself to the everyone she’s talking about—which got a continuous head shake from Yuri.

“It’s fun at first actually, she’s really fun to be with! She always jokes around and make me laugh back then at the dorm but it gets more annoying everytime one of my things gets missing. She takes my things but returns it after using. No offense taken though, I don’t really mind, but when I still had no idea about this place, I always thought Yena was a kleptomaniac, you know,” the Apollo’s daughter leaned towards them, placing the back of her hand on , whispering something while praying Hermes won’t be offended by what she was going to say.

“It seems she perfectly inherited her father’s skills.”

The squad bursted out laughing at Yuri’s remark. Wonyoung slapping Yujin’s arms as she covered while cackling up, causing Yujin to rub hers as she gave Wonyoung a frowning look, but the youngest didn’t really care at her stares.

The daughter of Zeus faced Wonyoung, and she thought it was time to know about this mysterious girl’s what about’s too, since all of them were done talking about how they ended up here—Yujin throws her question.

“What about you, giant baby?” she asked, which earned a disgusted look from the other girl.

“You know you’re being disgusting, right Yujin? Stop calling me giant baby, you creep!” she exclaimed, giving another slap on Yujin’s arms.

Zeus’ daughter could only make a face as she rubbed her arms.

“You haven’t answered the question, Wonyoung.” Yuri rolled her