Chapter Four

Days pass by like a blur, your days became a cycle of training, spending time with your friends so that they won’t bug you about disappearing and hiding from them, specially Wonyoung who started to act clingy with you. But most of your time was spent with Minjoo, sword fighting every now and then, she still lends you her spare sword while she uses the one from Athena, Vindex.

Last week she thought you how to ride a Pegasus, she said that Aphrodite kids are good when it comes to taming Pegasus but it seems that you are an exception because the Pegasus that you were riding thrown you off the lake, Minjoo was laughing at you when the Naiads flocked on you, gushing about you.

One of the Naiads even tried to pull you down saying that you should joined them on living in the lake. Good thing Minjoo decided that she had enough comedy for that day and decided to pull you out from the grasp of that stubborn Naiad.

Most days you will just sit and talk about random topics, she goes from discussing a whole architectural design with you, while you sit there trying to sound like you understand the words and the terms that she uses. To talking about theories and conspiracies with you then proceed on sharing topics she read on one of the archives she found in their cabin that she can’t understand.

There are instances you wonder why she thought you would understand those topics when she herself, daughter of goddess of wisdom can’t understand it. But you let Minjoo talk, she looks so happy talking about things that interest her and it was such a sight to witness.

Just like right now, you both agreed to meet at the Cliffside after dinner. Just like the usual she wasn’t present during dinner. It’s like a routine you both developed, sitting side by side watching the dark Long Island Sound, above you are the sea of stars. You feel a peace at this place and maybe Minjoo feels the same.

“Did you know that Aphrodite is older than most gods?” she said out of nowhere, breaking the peaceful silence between the two of you.

“What?” you answered, turning to her “Where did that question come from?”

“I don’t know either,” she answered, chuckling “I just suddenly thought of it”

“Care to explain, Big Brain?”

She snickered at the nickname, you’ve been using that nickname ever since she started talking about theories. Minjoo didn’t liked it at first but eventually she just let you, besides it suits her. You’re starting to think that her brain is bigger than yours with all the theories inside it.

“Well, I honestly don’t know if it’s true or not” she started “I just read it somewhere, that there’s two story on how Aphrodite was born”

“By somewhere you meant, the archives on Cabin 6” you commented lazily, leaning your back slightly “I bet this is one of those crazy theories again”

“It’s not crazy, this is about your mother, Yujin” she said shoving you lightly “Anyways, if we will look at the Lliad–“

“Wait, what in Hades is Lliad?” you said, cutting her off

“It’s an epic poem from ancient Greek” she casually said “So again, in Lliad it says that Aphrodite is Zeus and Dione’s daughter, by the way Dione is a Titan goddess daughter of Oceanus and they say that she is the first wife of Zeus, which he swallowed in form of fly,”

“And now we’re talking about Titans” you said with a groan “Seriously Minjoo, if we are going to talk about Zeus’ love life, it will take us years to finish it”

“We’re not talking about that” she answered, glaring at you, annoyed that you keeping on cutting her off “I’m just giving you the background.”

“Fine, but where did you even get that information?” you ask curiously

“On a book written by a mortal” she replied, smiling sheepishly

You groaned at her answered, being a demigod, you were told that some stories written by mortals are inaccurate so you know better than to trust that information. Minjoo laughed at your reaction, it seems like she had grown fond on how you react towards certain topics.

“Weird right?” she said still laughing “But this is a lot weirder cause if we look at Theogony, and before you cut me off again Theogony is another poem discussing the births of gods” she said looking at you pointedly

You laughed and gestured her to go on with her theories

“In that poem it was said that Aphrodite was born from sea foam.” she started trying her best not to laugh at her own words. “It was said that when Kronos killed their father, Ouranos, the Father Sky by chopping him off, his s fell into the sea and then from seafoam the goddess of love and beauty rose, walking on the beach making everyone she wants fall for her” she said finally letting out her laugh

“That’s gross and outright weird” you said your eyes blown wide

“Can you believe your mom came from seafoam and the Father Sky’s ?” Minjoo said still laughing

“That’s really weird,” you said, shaking your head “but I think that’s the truth” you added which made Minjoo stopped from laughing

“What? you prefer that your mom came from sea foam than her being Zeus and Dione’s daughter?” she said with teasing smile

“Come on Minjoo, there’s no such thing as normal when it comes to our world” you answered chuckling “gods and goddesses have weird tales on how they are born, I mean your mom come out from Zeus’s head in her full armor, introducing herself as Athena the goddess of wisdom and warfare. Hephaestus literally smack Zeus’s forehead and broke open his skull for your mother to have a way out” you added laughing, as you imagine Hephaestus smacking Zeus forehead to let Athena out

The two of you spent the whole ten minutes laughing at how weird you mothers are born

“You know, you have your mother’s eyes” Minjoo suddenly after she calmed down “You have beautiful eyes”

You turned your head to her, she’s looking at you intently, despite the darkness you can clearly see her stormy gray eyes twinkling under the moonlight. Your staring contest plus her comment made you blush, so you diverted you gaze.

“You’re blushing” Minjoo giggles “I knew it will make you blush”

“how did you-” you said, shocked that she knows

“Children of Athena has night vision,” she answered with a shrug “You know her symbol right, Owl”

You stared at her your mouth hanging. You had no idea that she can see through the dark. You are about to ask her how but then she burst into another fit of laughter

“I’m kidding, Yujin” she said trying her best to hold her laughter “Seriously, at this point you’ll believe everything that I say”

“You’re annoying” you scoff which made her laughed even more

Minjoo seems you have grown fond of making fun of you. You can’t believe that she got you there, you practically believe that she has night vision.

Minjoo just laughed and turned her eyes towards sea, while you lay down at your back gazing at the stars. One of another odd thing between you, you can spend time by just sitting in silence.

“Say Yujin,” Minjoo said starting another conversation, she’s good at starting conversation “You never told me anything about yourself” she added looking down at you

Maybe her starting a conversation is not really good for you

“Well, what do you want to know” you answered

"Depends on what you want to share with me" she said before laying down beside you
That's a tricky question, as expected from a being Athena’s daughter. You tried to think of the things that are worth sharing. There are tons of experiences but some are just not worth sharing.

"You know that I joined camp Jupiter just months ago, right?" you started and Minjoo hummed "for demigods, our life gets more dangerous after our thirteenth birthday"

"That's the age where our scent grows stronger making us get tracked easily by monsters" Minjoo commented "also the reason why most demigods starts getting into camp when they are nearing their 13th birthday. The stronger the demigod is, the stronger thier scent"

"That's right" you said still looking at the stars "It was impossible to survive in the outside world for kids like us"

"Yet you managed to survive" she stated "You started camp when you are already 18 years old, you stared quite old to be honest" she added

"Atleast you are older than me," you snickered "So again, yes I managed to survive but I only managed that because I had help"

You felt Minjoo shifted her position now she's laying on her side facing you but you remained on your position, gazing at the stars. This is the only way you'll be able to talk about this particular topic without breaking down.

"It was Aphrodite who helped me, somehow she protected me from the monsters. A lot of accidents happen around me ever since I turned 13, accidents that doesn't make any sense to me during those times. I thought it was sheer luck that I never got killed in the span of years that I am not under the protection of the camp it turns out it was my mom" you said smiling sadly at the thought of those experiences "She started talking to me when I was 15 years old, she appeared on my dream claiming that she's my mom and that I am a demigod but she never explained a thing to me"

You took a deep breath before continuing your story

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