"No! For the millionth time, absolutely not!" Yoohyeon's distressed voice whined out in a quiet groan just short of pitiful. "There's no way in Tartarus I'm asking her out!" 

 

"How else are you going to date her, then?" Minji pointed out, her voice colored with hints of dryness. It was obvious she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Yoohyeon, you aren't a mind reader, and neither is Yubin... you aren't magically going to get together. Not even the Fates can make you do that." Beside her, Siyeon seemed about to open , to which Minji shot the demigod a glare. "Nothing beats good old communication. Right, Siyeon?" 

 

"Ah...uh, yeah," her girlfriend muttered obediently. Judging by the lilt of Minji's usually honey-smooth voice, Siyeon could tell the underlying threat wasn't to be taken lightly. "Communication is...um, good. Totally." 

 

The slight twitch of electricity that sparked around Minji's fingertips was not lost on Siyeon, but the way that the taller woman's expression relaxed was enough to let Siyeon know she was in the clear. (For now.) 

 

"So, there you have it, Yoohyeon! Just be yourself and talk to Yubin, okay?" Siyeon didn't really pay attention to whatever followed Minji's advice to their younger friend, all too easily losing herself in Minji's cheerful expression. 

 

Her smile really is my biggest weakness, the demigod mused to herself. It took nearly no effort to become entranced by the way Minji's smile was so wide that it reached from ear to ear, or how cute it was when Minji's nose scrunched up with the corners of , or- 

 

"Helloooo? Earth to Siyeon?" Minji's hand waving in her face was close enough to break Siyeon from her reverie, who had the decency to look embarrassed at being caught daydreaming. "Anyone in there? Poseidon?" Minji playfully rapped her knuckles against Siyeon's temple, who swatted her away with a light huff. 

 

"Yes, I'm paying attention," the demigod whined with a visible pout. While she was spacing out, Yoohyeon must have left at some point, as the tall blonde was nowhere to be seen in the camp's mess hall. (In all seriousness, Yoohyeon was probably tired of third-wheeling them again - Siyeon couldn't exactly blame her, though.) Despite the absence of their friend, however, Siyeon lowered her voice and leaned in. "So, um... you aren't actually serious about setting those two up, are you?" 

 

"Of course I am. Why do you ask?" Minji tilted her head, partially out of curiosity, though confusion was the main emotion that crossed her countenance. 

 

The urge to pinch her nose in annoyance arose in Siyeon, but she pushed the temptation to the back of her mind and heaved a long sigh instead. "Surely she could do much better than that, Minji... I mean, come on! A kid of the big three would just spell even more trouble for Yoohyeon!" 

 

"You do realize that we're also kids of the big three?" Minji pointed out in a deadpan tone. "And that we're dating?" 

 

"W-well- that's different!" Siyeon sputtered in a weak attempt to defend her logic. "You're a sweetheart and a natural leader, and I'm- well, normal, I guess?" The eyebrow raise from Minji was a clear message of 'you're on thin ice' , which caused Siyeon to gulp out of nervousness. "Er- n-not to imply that big three kids aren't normal! But Yubin's literally the only member of her cabin and we don't know jack about her!" Siyeon's eyes went comically wide as she proceeded to voice her concerns. "What if she's like, secretly a vampire or something? She never leaves her cabin unless absolutely necessary!" 

 

"That seems to be more out of introvertedness than actual vampirism, frankly," her girlfriend snorted out loud. Despite her best efforts, the remark came out sounding dismissive to Siyeon. "Besides, it's not like she doesn't have friends, Siyeon. I've seen her hang out with the Hephaestus kid... Gahyeon? And whoever the head of the Aphrodite cabin is-" 

 

"Han Dong," Siyeon corrected her. 

 

"-oh yeah, that's her name. The one that can use charmspeak," Minji nodded in recollection. "If you're so suspicious of Yubin being a bad influence or something, why don't you talk with her friends? Surely they have something to say about her." 

 

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature was constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.

 

"Sometimes I hate it when you're right," Siyeon grumbled under her breath. 

 

"No you don't," her girlfriend combated with a playful smirk. "You love me very much, as a matter of fact. And you're going to help me get Yoohyeon and Yubin together, or your Zeus cabin privileges will be taken away." At Siyeon's scandalized gasp, Minji shrugged in a casual manner. "All you need to do is help me, Singnie. Don't you want to see Yoohyeon be happy?" 

 

Gods curse this damn woman, Siyeon groaned internally. She knows I can't ever refuse anything if she's involved... 

 

"Fine," she finally answered with a huff. "But only because I want Yoohyeon to be happy." 

 

---

 

Over several weeks of tireless monitoring, the amount of evidence Siyeon could use to justify obstructing Yubin and Yoohyeon from dating each other was steadily beginning to dwindle. For lack of a better word, Yubin was… well, pretty insignificant. There wasn’t much that stood out about her, appearance-wise.

 

(Well, that was a lie - Yoohyeon obviously saw something in her, with the way she always drooled over the shorter demigod in archery practice - but no one compared to Minji’s beauty in Siyeon’s eyes.)

 

No matter what lens she scrutinized Yubin with, she always seemed...underwhelming. Somewhat unremarkable. Normal, or however normal a child of a Greek god could reasonably be.

 

The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.

 

Begrudgingly, Siyeon had to admit that Minji had a point - her interactions with other campgoers were painstakingly mundane at best. There was no foreseeable way to spy on the younger woman when she was in her cabin, obviously, but Siyeon wanted to prove a point of her own to her girlfriend. Her eyes glinted with interest upon seeing Yubin glance around the camp clearing, before reaching into her bag. This is it! I can prove Minji’s theory wrong once and for all-

 

“It’s a book,” Minji narrated flatly beside her. “Yubin is reading. Like usual.”

 

Siyeon’s shoulders deflated almost comically at Minji’s words. “Damn it! I thought I really had her this time,” she whined, flopping back onto the grass in defeat. “There’s gotta be something else…”

 

“Well, there isn’t,” Minji deadpanned in a painfully obvious tone. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she knelt beside her pouting lover. “Are we done with your little investigation gig, or…”

 

Before Siyeon could open to make a snide remark, however, a familiar flash of blonde hair caught Siyeon’s attention from the corner of her eye. She shot into an upright sitting position, nearly colliding with Minji’s head in the process.

 

“Oh, gods,” Siyeon muttered under her breath. “Is she doing what I think she’s going to do?”

 

Rather than reprimand Siyeon for nearly giving both of them a concussion, Minji turned her head to see what her girlfriend was mumbling about. The sight of their friend approaching Yubin (albeit with the grace of a newborn deer) was enough to draw a soft gasp from her lips.

 

They watched with bated breath, as Yoohyeon walked closer and closer-

 

-and walked completely past Yubin. Following the tall demigod’s path, they spotted one of Yoohyeon’s many half-siblings waving her over, a sight that made the couple want to facepalm.

 

Siyeon and Minji collectively groaned in frustration.

 

Gods, this is going to take forever, Siyeon silently lamented to herself. At this rate, Gaia and her children are going to wage war on Mount Olympus before those two get together...

 

“So,” Minji began, breaking the silence between them. “Still don’t believe me when I say they need an intervention?”

 

Siyeon didn’t need to look at her girlfriend to know her undoubtedly smug expression was a silent message of ‘I told you so’ . “I really hope Yubin likes dense women, in that case,” she muttered in response, resigned to her fate.

 

---

 

“Okay, Yoohyeon, this seriously can’t go on,” an exasperated Minji said, rubbing her temples. Yoohyeon’s confused head tilt was usually the younger demigod’s way of acting cute, but at the moment, it just served to further irritate Minji. “Don’t give me that look! You should have asked Yubin out weeks ago, Yoohyeon. Weeks ago!”

 

Yoohyeon’s eyes nervously shifted in Siyeon’s direction. “Um…”

 

“Don’t look at me, kiddo,” she shook her head in slight amusement. “I already got my girlfriend, you still need to get yours.” Mirroring Minji’s crossed arms, she leaned forward. “So, what’s the hold-up, Yoohyeon? Didn’t we tell you to talk to her?”

 

“W-well…” Yoohyeon stammered, evidently attempting to stall for time in order to come up with a believable answer. The younger demigod cast her gaze to the side, unwilling to look at the older couple. “Uh… she’s, um, busy.”

 

Yoohyeon was smart in some ways - a prodigy at foreign languages, sometimes just short of genius intellect – but definitely fit the description of a stupid smart person. Lying on the spot was definitely not in the demigod’s toolbox of active skills, though that wasn’t exactly new information to either of them.

 

“Busy?” Minji raised her brow. “You haven’t even talked to her, Yooh. So how would you know if she’s busy?”

 

“I-I have!” Yoohyeon protested weakly.

 

Siyeon was starting to feel some of Minji’s frustration at how evasive Yoohyeon was being. She withheld a sigh, shaking her head. “We both know that isn’t true, Yoohyeon. You haven’t even so much as approached her, and we know.” She cast a slightly mischievous look in her lover’s direction.

 

“Are you really sure you even like her like that?”

 

“Of course I like her!” Yoohyeon blurted out defensively. Minji and Siyeon were expecting her to stop there, but to their surprise, the younger demigod kept going. “I think Yubin’s attractive and cute, and y! I can never focus during archery practice because I always stare at Yubin the entire time. And every time we spar during close combat, I always lose because I stare at her lips and think about how kissable they must be, and-” Yoohyeon took a breath to continue talking in a rapid-fire manner that seemed unique to Apollo children in particular. “And her muscles are really impressive, but she also looks so soft, and I want to hug her all the time… o-of course I really like Yubin like that! I… I may even...l-love her!”

 

There it is.

 

“Um… is this...a bad time?”

 

Siyeon glanced up in surprise (and Yoohyeon in horror) as the fourth voice hung hesitantly in the air. Yubin stood awkwardly, posture stiff with her arms pressed on either side. “I-I can… I can come back later…?”

 

“Actually, now is a great time!” Minji declared loudly. She ignored the scandalized look of betrayal from Yoohyeon and flashed a megawatt smile at the visitor, motioning for Yubin to sit. “Yoohyeon was just telling us how badly she wanted to talk to you, so this works out perfectly.” She gave the blonde woman a deadly look. “Isn’t that right, Yoohyeon?”

 

One moment her girlfriend was smiling all the possible encouragement in the world at Yubin, and the next she was dragging Siyeon from the building. She chanced a look over her shoulder at the remaining pair of demigods sheepishly. “Um, babe… don’t you want to stay and watch?”

 

“Do you honestly think anything will happen if we stay and babysit them?” Minji asked, as if the answer was obvious. Not giving her girlfriend any time to reply, she chuckled and shook her head. “As much as I hate to say it, we can’t force anything to happen between them. We just gotta let them talk it out and hope it turns out for the best.” A playful smirk of sorts curled on her lips. “Besides, don’t you want some time alone with your electrifying girlfriend?”

 

“Minjiiii,” Siyeon groaned as she resisted the urge to bury her head in her hands. “Gods, I hate your puns. That was so unnecessary!”

 

Minji shrugged. “You must not hate them enough to still be dating me,” she concluded with a snicker. “Come on, wolfie. My cabin, now.”

 

---

 

So it seemed that something good had come of that harmless intervention after all. The nosy part of Siyeon so desperately wanted to know what exactly was said during their little ‘date’ - to which Yoohyeon vehemently denied it being a date, not that Siyeon cared - but she decided to just leave it be.

(That, and Minji threatened to kick her out of the Zeus cabin if she kept snooping around for the details.)

 

Siyeon had not exactly been prepared to absorb Yubin into their little friend group, but she couldn’t deny she felt a certain kinship with the other woman. There was a certain synergy that existed between children of the big three - she noticed it first when her and Minji got closer, and now she was experiencing it with Yubin, albeit to a lesser degree. It gave them a point of commonality together, and that moreover made their new friendship not so awkward.

 

Occasionally, Yubin and Yoohyeon joined them for meals on the less busy days, but there was definitely a noticeable difference of how absent the new couple would be. Not that Siyeon really minded, since it gave her more time to spend with Minji one on one, but she couldn’t deny that she missed talking with Yoohyeon as often as they used to.

 

Speaking of the missing demigods, Siyeon was able to spot them a bit further down the clearing, near the lake. She couldn’t hear what was being shared between them, but the sight made her expression soften all the same. “Ah… young love,” she commented with a fond expression.

 

“You say that like we’re old,” Minji snorted out loud, breaking Siyeon from her reverie. “Are you calling me old?”

 

“Wha- no! Of course not!” Siyeon sputtered, face reddening slightly. She didn’t like it when people caught her lost in thoughts, but she didn’t have the heart to reprimand Minji for it. “It’s just… they’re cute, right?” She gestured somewhat vaguely with her hand towards the lake. “They’re probably having a lot of first new experiences with each other. It’s a little endearing, I think…”

 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Minji’s own expression turned sentimental. Almost automatically, she put her hand out, to which Siyeon eagerly took in her own and squeezed it in a gesture of comfort. “We’ve been together for a while… but, hm. I still remember it like it was yesterday.” A playful smile made its way onto her features. “I seem to remember you falling face first into the lake, actually.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“You like to project a tough guy image, but you’re really just a dork,” the older demigod teased, though there was obviously no malice disguised in her voice. “It’s what makes you so lovable. But you also keep those you love near and dear to your heart, don’t you?” She tilted her head to glance at her lover. “That’s why you weren’t sure about letting Yubin date Yoohyeon, right?”

 

“I…” Siyeon sighed. Her grip slightly tightened on Minji’s, before she forced it to relax again. “She’s just a kid, Minji. Can you blame me?”

“You didn’t want her getting hurt, I know.” Minji’s smile widened a little more, something that stirred butterflies in Siyeon’s stomach like it always had from the very beginning. “It’s understandable, Singnie. But sometimes it’s okay to ease up and let someone make decisions for themselves.”

 

“If I had let you make decisions for yourself, you wouldn’t be dating me,” Siyeon couldn’t help the quip, along with her own little amused snicker. “I had to convince you I was worthy of your time, after all.”

 

“Don’t get it twisted, love. You’re the one that called me ‘thunder thighs’ when you first got here,” Minji narrowed her eyes in slight annoyance. “Of course I’d have reservations about dating someone whose first impression was...that.”

 

Siyeon’s face noticeably flushed a bright scarlet. “W-well-” She abruptly cut herself off, unable to give a reasonable answer that would justify her choice of words. “I… I don’t know. It was the first thing that popped in my head, I guess. Um, sorry.”

 

“I figured as much… You don’t have much of a filter, do you?” Her girlfriend giggled out loud. With a tap of Siyeon’s shoulder, the demigod was coaxed into looking up at the now-standing form of Minji. “Come on, now. You can apologize to these thunder thighs in bed.”

 

“Ugh… you’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

 

“Nope!”