“winter, i'm not like you..”

“NO, MOM!”

“LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE MY MOTHER!”

“IT IS HOPELESS!”

winter woke up with a stinging pain inside her head. she bolted straight up, her nightmares slowly eating up her system. she groaned in pain when she realized that her arm was still wounded from yesterday's heated argument with hyun, her step father.

winter was about to lay down again when she heard a knock on the wooden door of the cabin.

the brunette sighed.

“who is it?”

a few seconds of silence were heard before the person from the other side spoke.

“it is me, winter.”

it was giselle.

“come in. it's not like i'm or something,” winter uttered.

giselle twisted the rusty doorknob and entered the cabin with a smile on her face. on her right hand was a basket full of bandages and a wooden mug. the girl headed towards winter's bed and placed the basket on the small table.

“how are you feeling?” she asked, concern written all over her face.

“worse. i can't even find the will to live now that my mom's gone,” winter replied, not even looking at the girl beside her.

“i also felt the same way when i lost my father. he took care of me and made me feel the safest but unfortunately, things ended up the same way like how your mother disappeared. it has always been the same fate for demigods like us,” giselle replied. 

she pulled the roll of bandage up and took a perfect cut, just enough to cover winter's wounds.

“have you met your mother already?”

“who, aphrodite? i met her once,” she answered.
winter was silent. she watched every move the girl made.

“i thought she was like the other mothers that would give their children a tight hug and ask them how they are doing, especially because she has not seen me ever since i was a baby. but my thoughts proved me wrong. aphrodite did not even notice that i was one of her spawns– she nearly zapped the life out of me when i first stepped into mount olympus,” giselle continued.

the girl grabbed a piece of cotton ball and applied an ointment to it. she placed it on the slightly deep wound that winter earned from hyun, making the brunette wince in pain. giselle then placed the bandage all over her wounded arm and tied it up, making sure that it won't fall off.

“there we go. i guess you will not be able to train with us today,” giselle uttered.

“train? what do you mean?”

“camp half-blood is not a place for you to stay and feel at home, relax all day– or whatever we do in the mortal world. in this camp, we train and train and train until we grow stronger. once we are ready, we will be sent to different quests, some are very dangerous and require enough knowledge and strength. that is why you will be spending the rest of your life training and working hard,” giselle explained.

“but you're aphrodite's daughter,” winter reasoned out.

the latter could only chuckle.

“do not underestimate my skills, winter kim. all of aphrodite's spawn are given a gift– a gift of charmspeak. watch me in the training field and you will see how it actually works.” 

giselle held the wooden mug and gave it to winter. 

“drink this. it will help you recover in no time.”

winter stared at the mug. 

“what's this?” 

“do not fret because i will not be poisoning you, winter. it is just nectar and it is a healing drink for wounded demigods. it will help you get your strength back,” giselle explained. 

winter just nodded in response before taking a sip. her eyes widened at the taste. 

nectar definitely tastes better than normal juice.

she took a huge gulp until the mug was emptied and giselle wasn't kidding, winter actually felt a little better. 

“i see you like it. now, come with me and i will take you to chiron. i am pretty sure you still have a lot of questions going inside that brain of yours.” 

winter stood up the bed and headed outside, following giselle's tracks. she looked around and saw a lot of demigods in their training clothes, every single one of them holding their own swords and shields. winter sighed as she watched them battle with each other, wondering if she could actually learn as fast as they could. 

the girls reached a bigger cabin. flowers of different colors and varieties welcomed them and winter enjoyed the sight. they both entered the place and was welcomed by an old man sitting on a wheelchair, probably in his mid forties. 

“greetings, chiron. i have brought winter kim with me.” 

“ah, yes. the new girl and the talk of the whole camp,” chiron replied with a chuckle. 

“i'm sorry, what? talk of the whole camp?” 

giselle chuckled as well. 

“yes, winter. the whole camp has been talking about you since last night and they were all surprised by your arrival. it has been a while since a new demigod entered the premises.” 

winter just nodded. 

“do you know who your father is, winter?” 

she shook her head. 

giselle and chiron gave an unknowing look at each other. winter felt like the two of them knew something that she had no idea of. 

“well, by training, you will be able to find out who your godly parent is. how are you feeling? i heard you were wounded when you got here.” 

“yeah, but i'm feeling a bit better now. giselle tend my wounds and made me drink nectar.”

chiron smiled.

“very well then. anyway, giselle also told me that you're still clueless with whatever is happening right now. do you have any questions to ask? i might be able to answer them,” he stated. 

winter sighed.

“i'll just ask them some other time. my brain is still processing everything and i don't want to add up any more stress.” 

“alright, i understand. then you are dismissed. giselle, please show her the whole camp so she wouldn't get lost if ever she's not with you,” chiron ordered to which giselle immediately obliged. 

the two of them went towards the training field. the demigods and trainors were all busy with their own businesses. giselle and winter watched as they battled with unbelievable strength. 

“do you think i could do that?” winter asked, feeling a bit anxious after knowing that she was the talk of the whole camp. she didn't want to fail and become a laughing stock. 

“of course. you just need to train hard. every success starts with something small,” giselle encouraged and it made winter smile. 

the brunette was about to speak when a raven-haired girl suddenly caught her eyes.

she was wearing a purple long-sleeved shirt, a leather vest covering her upper body for protection. her hair danced with the wind as she swung her silver sword in such ease– winter could only gulp at how gorgeous the girl looked despite the beads of sweat covering her forehead and neck. 

dear gods, her neck. 

winter noticed the bump on the raven-haired girl's throat, blushing at the thought that she actually had an adam's apple. 

he