Joohyun kept to her word.

Seungwan and Seulgi, with Kibum on the latter’s back, had sprinted at full speed up the remaining distance and had eventually passed through some invisible boundary. Seungwan had felt the immediate change in the air - it felt fresher and the surrounding noises were slightly muted, as if a safety blanket was draped over the vast area. Nevertheless, Seulgi had forged on and Seungwan had followed, where they had shortly after met with a small crowd hurriedly approaching them. After Seulgi had briefly relayed the situation, two people had broken away from the crowd and headed down the hill - a tall and well-built man with deep red hair reminiscent of flickering flames, who had hoisted a long spear against his shoulder, and a small woman whose favourite colour must be blue, with raven blue hair, navy hoodie and baggy midnight blue sweatpants, contrastingly unarmed. Seungwan had briefly worried for the safeties of those two before Seulgi had stumbled, almost dropping Kibum. The sudden movement had exposed a nasty gash on her side; Seungwan hadn’t even noticed. They had immediately been ushered to the infirmary, the other demigods having carried both a drained Kibum and a silently wincing Seulgi for the short journey.

Seungwan honestly didn’t remember much of the medical centre, other than it being sterile, spacious and hosting many beds which had been very inviting, especially since the adrenaline had worn off and the toll of the day’s events hit her tenfold. She remembered having fretted by the side as Seulgi and Kibum had been attended to, her lips worried between her teeth and hands wrung. Soon after, someone had gestured for her to take a seat on a nearby bed and had passed her a small cheese cube. Or at least, she had expected it to be a cheese cube, but had instead been met with the welcoming and familiar taste of her favourite bubble tea drink as she chewed on the cube. A few moments later, she had given in to her exhaustion, dreamless rest consuming her alongside soft, clean sheets.

When she woke in the dead of the night, she spied Joohyun sleeping peacefully in the bed beside her, bandages wrapped in several places but otherwise safe. Relieved, Seungwan shifted back to a comfortable position on the infirmary bed, this time dreaming of pillowy clouds and new beginnings. 

Camp Half-Blood was everything Seungwan had not expected. Granted, it had only been less than a day since the existence of Greek gods had been confirmed to her, and there hadn’t exactly been a lot of leisure time to form a preconceived opinion. Nevertheless, she had expected something more along the lines of, well, a camp - rugged, outdoorsy and reminiscent of the outskirts. 

Instead, she found herself looking at something akin to a small town, bustling with life and well furnished facilities. Seungwan couldn’t stop gaping as she followed her tour guide - a sweet child of Aphrodite with an infectious smile named Sooyoung - to the residential area, their first stop. Each of the 20 cabins dedicated to one of the Greek gods were more like a large terrace house with a spacious living room and modest single rooms for every camper. Her guide led her to Hermes’ cabin, denoted by the classy celestial bronze door plate with the god’s name and a caduceus engraved to the left.

“This is where you’ll stay before you’re claimed by your godly parent. As is tradition, all unclaimed children stay under Hermes’ wing till their claiming. After the war, the gods have made it a point to claim all children who show up in camp within a week of their arrival. Really helps to prevent estranged relationships from festering and evolving to yet another massive war. They usually just do this on Saturday dinners though since it’s easier to remember, so you’ll likely be staying here for a few days.”

Sooyoung led her to one of the first few doors by the right of the living room and Seungwan was pleasantly surprised, for the most part. The room came furnished with a cushy double bed, a polished wooden desk and a wardrobe barely a door’s width and height which she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed by with its smaller size. The Aphrodite demigod must’ve anticipated her lack of excitement at that particular piece of furniture because she chuckled and swung open the wardrobe door, eliciting a gasp from Seungwan. It was exactly like Narnia’s wardrobe, only that the new world the furniture led to was a large walk-in room filled with hanger columns, shoe racks and accessory drawers. There was even an ironing board and steamer by the side, as well as a bench in the middle with plush cushions.

“Man, I love Greek mythology,” Seungwan couldn’t help but declare in wonder, earning her a snort from her guide.

“Courtesy of the Hecate and Hephaestus descendents, though us Aphrodite kids believe credit should be attributed to us too - we were the main driving force behind this wardrobe, after all,” Sooyoung snickered, the edges of her perfectly red lips curling up as she flicked her hair over her right shoulder. “Normally I’d tell the new kids to leave their stuff in the room and try not to unpack too much, but considering you showed up empty-handed, that’s not going to be a concern.”

Seungwan pouted a little at that, missing her belongings which were bound to start collecting dust back in her tiny apartment.

“Would I be able to go back and get some of my stuff?”

“Some satyrs have already gone over to help with that - much safer for them to be out and about outside than us, sadly. But no matter, you’ll get your chance to venture into the world eventually.”

Seungwan perked up a little at that.

“How?”

Sooyoung grimaced a little, gesturing for her to follow along.

“You’ll find out at our next stop - the training grounds.”

As it turns out, the training grounds were actually more like a full Olympic stadium - which, now that Seungwan thinks about it, makes perfect sense. It was equipped with a full-sized swimming pool, climbing walls with optional lava floors, a track with a suspiciously well-trimmed field in the middle and more. Demigods were speckled everywhere, all engaged in some form of combat training, whether it be sparring with each other, doing simulation monster hunting exercises or just generally exercising. Seungwan eyes flitted past everyone in awe before her brain started to connect the dots, open-mouthed gaze slowly washing over in horror.

“Wait… You don’t mean…”

“Yup - all demigods have to undergo compulsory combat training and pass a series of exams before they’re permitted to leave the camp,” Sooyoung sighed as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “There’s the basic, intermediate, standard, advanced and expert courses, making it a total of 5. The bright side though is that only the basic course is compulsory and it’s honestly not too bad. It’s always good for us demigods to at least know how to hold our ground in danger. However, that only gets you as far as being able to go out accompanied by at least one companion who has completed the full 5 levels of courses, or two companions who have completed at least up to the standard level.”

Seungwan paled a little at that - sure, she was confident in her general athletic capabilities, but she’d never held a weapon in her life, unless kitchen tools could be considered. Even then, the worst - or in this case, the best - she’d ever done was chop up a salmon while attending a trial sashimi class.

“Is it difficult? I’ve never swung a punch nor shot anything before.”

Sooyoung’s carefree laughter was a nice welcome as she patted Seungwan’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Don’t worry, you’ll realise soon enough that us demigods tend to have a natural aptitude for some basic self-defence. It’ll be sufficient to get you past the basic course. We also have some state-of-the-art medical staff who can mend anything short of a severed limb - and even then, all hope isn’t lost.”

Seungwan truly didn’t know whether she should be feeling relieved or horrified at that. 

“Besides, the basic course is usually taught by Joohyun, who you’ve already met, so maybe she’ll go easier on you!”

Cold, piercing eyes flitted through her mind as she recalled the sight of Joohyun in the zone when fighting.

Yup, definitely feeling horrified.

The tour lasted for another 2 hours or so, spanning across the armoury, bakery, dining hall, various shops and a plaza right in the centre. With each stop, Seungwan looked on in awe - she had left one small town only to be whisked away right into another, yet this new other small town felt so much larger. Perhaps it was the way all the other demigods bustling around were doing so with purpose in their actions, as if they truly belonged and had a place in the tight-knit society. Part of it made her feel like an outsider, familiar insecurities surfacing, but another part of it was filled with hope and optimism at maybe being a part of this well-oiled machine.

Their last stop though, as requested by Seungwan, was the infirmary once more. During their walk around the camp, she had learned from Sooyoung that Joohyun had held off the mini army of monsters valiantly, long enough for backup in the form of the spear-wielding man named Minho and the tiny unarmed woman named Wheein to come to her aid. 30 minutes of deadly slashes, heavy stabbing and powerful magic later, all that had been left of the terrifying horde of monsters was pungent dust floating in the air. Nevertheless, the Athena and Aphrodite descendent had suffered some injuries - she had been fending off wave after wave of monsters all alone for a good while, after all, and no one is invincible. Seungwan knew she owed her relatively unscathed state to not only Joohyun, but also Seulgi and Kibum, all three of whom were still recuperating in the infirmary. So despite Sooyoung’s multiple reassurances that they would be back at tip-top condition in a matter of hours, the guilt still mixed in with gratitude and settled at the pit of her stomach, spurring her on to the medical centre with a box full of pastries, fresh from the bakery. 

Somehow, she wasn’t that surprised to be met with the sight of an annoyed Joohyun attempting (and failing) to wrestle a bottle out from a younger girl’s hands with her non-dominant arm, which also happened to be the least injured limb of her thankfully intact 4. 

“Yerim, hand it over,” Seungwan felt the jolt of trepidation from Joohyun’s stern tone, even when it wasn’t addressed to her.

But apparently, it was completely ineffective on the girl named Yerim.

“No, you already had one shot and you’re still not fully recovered. Taking another shot of nectar will do you more harm than good - you know this,” she casually replied while dangling the bottle in question just out of the older woman’s reach. “Come on, you’re the Athena descendent here. Aren’t you supposed to be wise and, I don’t know, not make stupid decisions like induce a raging fever and risk internal burns by trying to recover a day or two earlier?”

Seungwan watched hesitantly by the side of the door with the pastry box still in her hands, as Joohyun let out a growl of frustration and tried swiping her left hand for the bottle once more, pointedly ignoring Yerim’s earlier lecture. Naturally, she failed but to her credit, the movements did seem unhindered by any pain she must be feeling. Just barely 2 days into meeting Joohyun and she already came to realise that if there was one trait Joohyun definitely had, it was a resolute splash of stubbornness. 

Sooyoung seemed to have taken this as her cue to join in the conversation, unfortunately leaving Seungwan still hanging by the entrance increasingly awkwardly.

“I know you’re hot and all, but you can’t just burst into flames by overdosing on nectar. I can’t lose my favourite grandma like this!”

The magnitude of disgust and indignation in the scowl directed the taller woman’s way almost concealed the dose of endearment. It didn’t stop Joohyun from releasing a sharp exhale though.

“I’ve never had a grandchild like you,” she quipped, eliciting a dramatic gasp from Sooyoung.

In that same moment, she noticed the figure still hanging behind, shuffling uncomfortably, and straightened a little.

“Oh, Seungwan. Are you still feeling unwell?”

The concern caught Seungwan a little off-guard, mainly because she felt like all the concern present in the room should be directed towards the demigod sitting on the medical bed with more bandages visible than skin instead. It didn’t stop the dash of warmth from seeping through her though. 

“I’m good! Sooyoung was just showing me around the camp and we passed by the bakery and then I thought of you and Seulgi and Kibum and how you all were still recuperating in the infirmary when I left and…” she bit her lip to forcibly stop herself from rambling on, taking in a deep inhale to replenish the oxygen she sorely required after her spiel, or perhaps also in preparation for her next action as she meekly raised the modest box in her hands. “I thought you guys might want something sweet? As thanks? Because I’m thankful, very. Thank you for fending off the monsters and guiding me here safely, even if I’m still trying to adapt to this abrupt change. But also, I’m really sorry you all got hurt because of me.”

She felt her cheeks colour in embarrassment at her poorly structured monologue, but the tiny warm smile directed her way helped ease the spreading. Just as she was starting to feel a little more at ease though, Yerim cut in.

“Wow, definitely not a child of Apollo then,” she snickered.

This time, Joohyun did manage to get her, a smack on the back of Yerim’s head ringing through the relatively empty infirmary. 

It turned out that by virtue of Kibum being the son of the God of Dead, it also meant that he recovered from his fatigue quickly. Something about it being his steady state and all - Seungwan didn’t know whether to really believe Sooyoung’s words on that though. Either way, it meant that the only occupants left in the infirmary were Joohyun and Seulgi, of whom the latter promptly woke up from her deep slumber once Seungwan opened the pastry box. Her initial worry that she may have bought too much given Kibum’s unanticipated absence was immediately thrown out the window as Seulgi let out a squeal of thanks and dug right in, Yerim and Sooyoung’s hands following close behind.

Their little afternoon tea session turned out to be a lot less awkward than Seungwan had anticipated. Despite the four of them being evidently close, it was clear that they made a concious effort to include her in the conversation. Seungwan found herself easing into the warm atmosphere painted by them, especially after Seulgi had discovered that they were of the same age. What she had expected to be a quick drop-off and subsequent awkward goodbye weaved into an almost-hour long conversation of getting to know her first few campers in her new home. 

She found out that Seulgi had been born and raised in Camp Half-Blood itself, her mother being one of the first and few mortals to not only be allowed in, but also live in the premises of demigods and friendly monsters. Joohyun had proudly explained that Seulgi’s mother was as much a genius as Seulgi’s father Hephaestus himself - a compliment which the God of Forges wholeheartedly recognised as well. After all, it was thanks to the now older lady that the camp had ingenius tools such as Mist Eyedrops for demigods and mortals alike to better see past the Mist, and a compass for all demigods venturing outside to always be able to find their way back home to Camp Half-Blood. Seulgi had puffed her chest a little at the introduction, eyes gleaming with fondness and pride for her mother; Seungwan thought she looked absolutely endearing. 

Barring the few campers who had been born and raised in camp, Yerim apparently held the title of being the youngest walk-in demigod. From her earliest memories, she had already been passed around various orphanages before a wood nymph had come across the then 5 year old girl by chance on a scouting mission. Having sensed her definitely-not-mortal aura, the nymph had disguised herself as an affluent lady and adopted little Yerim, thereafter bringing her back to Camp Half-Blood. Luck had been on her side, though Seungwan realises that’s only to be expected after finding out that Yerim was a child of Tyche. Lady Luck was and will definitely always be on her side.

On the other hand, Sooyoung was one of the older entrants, having only been brought into the camp in her second year of high school. A powerful demigod in her own right, it was a miracle that she had been born with a covert presence to monsters. With her drop-dead gorgeous looks and alluring aura though, the Aphrodite offspring had attracted a lot of attention otherwise - thankfully much less mortally endangering too. 17 year old Sooyoung had been scouted by various entertainment companies and had almost joined one to train as an idol before being saved by Joohyun and a few others from a pack of manticores one not-so-fine day. And as much as Sooyoung dramatically lamented her missed opportunities, Seungwan could tell she was grateful to the bedridden woman from the way she subconsciously snuggled a little closer to Joohyun after retelling the action-packed tale. 

Just as it was almost Joohyun’s turn to share her “origin story” - as Yerim so fondly and aptly dubbed it - though, their conversation was interrupted by a reverberating bell chime. From the way Seulgi’s and Yerim’s eyes lit up, Seungwan instinctively knew that was the signal for dinnertime.

“Alright, shoo. Go get some dinner before the barbeque meat runs out,” Joohyun chuckled warmly as she waved them away, including Seulgi who was well enough to be out and about. 

“We’ll save you some tteokbokki so don’t be too sad about missing dinner!” Sooyoung yelled out before dragging Seungwan out the infirmary, speed walking after a sprinting Seulgi and Yerim.

Despite feeling a slight sense of loss at their group conversation being cut short, the prospect of a delicious and equally pleasant dinner time brought an extra spring to Seungwan’s steps. It had only been 36 hours since her life had been turned upside down, but she was already experiencing much more warmth than she had in years. Granted, some of that warmth could be attributed to the sky painted a beautiful swirl of reds, pinks and oranges, bright sun hanging lowly in the horizon and much larger than Seungwan had ever seen elsewhere. In fact, perhaps it was just a little too large - her eyes started widening as she noticed the size of the glowing gas ball growing at a rapid pace. 

Holy sh-

She barely managed to tug on Sooyoung’s wrist before the literal sun hurtled itself right in front of them in a flash, momentarily blinding everyone in the vicinity and bringing a stop to all movement for a good minute or two as everyone blearily blinked the spots out of their eyes. Once Seungwan regained her sight though, she was almost blinded once more by a literally glowing man with a smile so bright it could light up Norway for entire winters. 

Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one stunned by this strange firework sparkler of a man’s appearance. 

“Apollo…?” The question had involuntarily slipped out from Yerim, though the sun god seemed to only have his attention fixed straight ahead.

Straight ahead at her.

Apollo swung his arms wide open and Seungwan swore she saw sparkles flying out at the action. 

“My daughter, I’ve been waiting for this day for ages!”

Stunned silence filled the air. 

And then-

“What the fu-”