Chapter Text
Mark’s life took a sharp turn, on a fateful Tuesday where he stubbed his toe.
Things never went his way, he realised this as he stood outside his house, or at least what was left of his house, as it now stood a raging pire of wood. Ever since he was literally born, thunderstorms seemed to follow him around wherever he went. On his first day of kindergarten, he cried and cried when his mum left. Right as she walked out of the door, thunder raged as he screamed for her to come back. It rained so hard they had an early dismissal.
When he first tried to ride a bike, his mother held the back to keep him steady. He pedalled hard and yelled to make sure his mother didn't let go. She let go. And when the bike lost balance and he went crashing to the concrete, he sat up confused and looked at his mum. A feeling of both betrayal and pain from the landing washed over him and he cried. It rained that time too.
When he had his first kiss in the seventh grade with Nancy from chemistry, it rained. Granted, Mark wasn't so upset about that one, since the kiss was gross and she used way too much tongue, and right as he started to feel uncomfortable, lightning struck the nearby tree.
Mark watched plenty of chick flicks as he grew up, I mean everyone did, you would be lying if you said you haven't watched at least one episode of gossip girl. One cliche that Mark hated was crying in the rain. Right, when the character goes through some heavy emotional trauma it starts to rain. That was all too real for him. It always got him thinking, Am I living a chick flick?
It was that fateful Tuesday where everything changed. It had actually been a pretty great day, the sun was nice, but not too cool, there were kids playing on the street outside. Mark had gotten a bad grade on his English final but was choosing to ignore it, since he didn't want to let it damper his mood. He got into his house, calling out that he was home as he dropped his bag and slipped off his shoes. He shuffled into the living room to watch some tv when everything went wrong.
Right as he entered the room, he stubbed his toe on the corner of the tv stand, making him scream out in pain and wonder, why on god's green earth, humans were given toes as he tumbled to the floor. He yelled out a string of expletives and it started to rain just as it always did. And for just a moment Mark let his frustration take over and a clap of thunder was heard just above, quickly followed by blinding light and the feeling of the earth shaking beneath him.
“Mark?” Mark’s mother curiously asked as he stumbled down the stairs. “What happened?”
Right as he was about to answer the fire alarm went off. Panic quickly flashed through his mother's eyes as the pair rushed outside, and boy, was it a spectacle. In the middle of the torrential rain, there was their house burning to a crisp. The sun was gone, it was cold and the kids in the neighbourhood were staring in shock.
“Mark.” His mother sighed as she ran a hand down her face and pulled out her phone. “Get in the car.”
“Why are you not freaking out?” Mark said half in a daze as he turned his head to face his mother who had just told the fire department about the fire. “I mean… our house is on fire.”
“It was only a matter of time.” She mumbled under her breath as she led him to get in the car.
“What do you mean?” Mark furrowed his eyebrows as his mother got on the freeway. “It’s not like I started the fire.”
They sat in silence for a little while as his mother furrowed her eyebrows and gripped the steering wheel. The grip only let up when she pulled onto the freeway. The silence continued for about another hour until she piped up.
“It’s complicated, and a long story.” She responded with a far away in her eyes.
“I can keep up.” Mark said, and she sighed as thought about it, before giving in.
“You have to hear me out,” She sighed once again, “It’s about your dad.”
“Oh.”
“Mark, you know the greek gods? I pretty sure you learned about them not too long ago.” She asked as they drove into a dense forest.
“Yeah, but what does that have to dad?” Mark question as he pulled out a water bottle and took a sip.
“Well, your dad was one.” She uttered right as he took a sip from his water, making him choke on the liquid and sputter. Mark was thrown into a coughing fit, his mother reaching over and patting his back.
“What do you mean?” Mark said through his remaining coughs as he wiped his mouth.
“I mean, your dad was a god.” She simply said as the forest got thicker.
“Yeah right.” Mark rolled his eyes, “As if.”
“I met him in the summer of ‘98 and he was hot and a little bit stuck up but I was lonely so we messed around a bit, and then you were born!”
“Ew, gross.” Mark gagged, “But that's just a regular guy, are you trying to tell me you fucked a god?”
“That’s vulgar!” His mother gasped and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Because that's what you are implying.” Mark scoffed, and his mother stayed silent.
“So let's just say that I'm playing into your fantasy and dad was a god, then what does that make me.” Mark asked with an amused smile playing on his face.
“Mark it’s not a fantasy.” She said, her face going dark and making the energy in the car go tense within seconds.
“I wanted to keep you with me for as long as I could but, things are getting out of hand.” She said as Mark leaned back in his seat, “Have you not noticed every time you feel any sort of negative emotion, it storms?”
That is true, he had always wondered about that, but he always concluded it was a result of his chronically bad luck. Mark slowly nodded, “I thought it would be okay and harmless, but this fire proved me wrong” His mother gripped the wheel again, his face going grim. “Your powers are getting out of hand.”
“What the fuck do you mean powers?” Mark frowned and the sky started to darken.
“Language.” his mother scolded.
“No! Our house is on fire and you're driving down this stupid fucking country road, going on about how my dad is a god!” Mark’s anger grew and a few drops of rain hit the car window.
“He is.” She whispered.
“Bullshit!” Mark yelled.
“You're the son of Zeus.” She whispered again, only adding fuel to the flame as Mark's anger grew in time with the storm worsening outside.
“I am not!” Mark screamed and slammed his hands down on the dashboard, right as lightning hit the road in front of them, making the car screech to a halt. Mark sobered up immediately, his anger fading as he turned to look at his mum. As he calmed the clouds cleared. That was weird. Mark blinked for a couple seconds as he thought about the scene that just played out. His mother told him he was the son of Zeus and he got angry quickly, as any growing teenager would. But as his anger grew, a storm formed and lightning struck. Maybe his mum wasn't that wrong.
“Do you believe me now?” She asked as she drove down the now sunny road.
“Maybe.” Mark blinked and settled back into his seat.
“Where are we going?” Mark said in a shaky voice as the car started to slow.
“A place where you can safely learn to control your abilities.” His mum smiled a bit as she started to pull into the forest. “It’s like camp.” The car rolled to a stop and the two got out. In front of them stood a large wooden sign reading, Camp Limitless . Mark cocked his hip to one side as he looked at what was behind the sign… nothing. There was no camp no buildings, just trees.
“What?”
“You have to trust me and walk underneath that sign.” She said with frantic eyes as she pulled him into a hug. “I won't see you after, but you can visit during the holidays. When you get in, make sure to find Junmyeon, he’ll explain everything.” She leaned in and kissed his forehead.
“Now go.” She smiled softly and pushed him towards the entrance. Mark looked back sceptically before waving and walking underneath the sign. All of a sudden his senses were overwhelmed by a tingling sensation and then it stopped just as quickly as it came. When he opened his eyes he was met with a completely different view than before. He was no longer in the forest, it was no longer rainy or foggy, it was sunny. There were rolling hills and a deep blue lake. Horses ran through a plain and birds flew high in the sky. In the distance, there was a large group of people running about. Immediately overwhelmed, he looked back to see his mother was nowhere to be found.
“Hello?” A voice came from behind, making Mark whip around to see a boy with cat-like eyes staring back at him, “Who are you?”
“What?” Mark whispered, his eyes brimmed with tears.
“Oh, you must be new.” The boy sighed and pulled Mark into a hug, “It’s okay, you’ll see your parent again.”
“How did you know I only have one parent?”Mark asked as he pulled himself away from the hug.
“We all do, kind of a side effect when one of your parent is a god.” The boy snorted. Oh, right I forgot about that.
“What’s your name?” He asked with curious eyes.
“Mark.” He responded, the boy lighting up with a smile as he held his hand out.
“I’m Xiumin.” He grinned and shook Mark’s hand, “Son of Hermes.”
“Ah okay.” Mark nodded.
“Do you know who your god parent is?” Xiumin tilt his head to one side.
“Uh, Zeus?” Mark said as he thought back to what this mother told him. Xiumin’s face fell in record speed, his expression going to one of complete shock as he grabbed one of Mark’s arms.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, that's what my mum told me.” Mark slowly nodded before Xiumin started pulling him down the hill. "Where are we going.”
“Junmyeon’s cabin.” He responded with a set expression as Mark was dragged behind him.
“Junmyeon?” Mark questioned.
“Yeah, he's kinda like the head of the camp.” Xiumin responded as they neared a white house with a porch. Mark assumed it was Junmyeon’s cabin as Xiumin opened up the door and led Mark inside.
“Yes, Xiumin?” A man with Black hair and glasses asked, not taking his eyes off the papers on his desk.
“We have a new camper.” Xiumin answered, making Junmyeon head snap up. His face was young and he had a cowlick, so Mark found it hard to believe that this man was in charge of a camp this big.
“Son of Zeus?” Junmyeon’s eyes furrowed as he leaned back in his chair.
“How did you know?” Mark blinked a couple of times in confusion.
“I had a feeling.” Junmyeon bit on the end of his pen, “I could tell from your aura.”
“Oh.”
“Well welcome to Camp Limitless! A camp for all young demigods.” He opened his arms wide and got out of his chair, stepping around his desk to stand in front of the pair.
“I’m Junmyeon, this is Xiumin, we work together to keep this camp working.”
“He does all the work though.” Xiumin giggled.
“Uhh, this is is Renjun, he’ll be your tour guide. He’ll show you around and take you to your cabin.” Junmyeon smiled as he pointed to the sunny boy peeking his head through the door. The boy, Renjun, grinned and held out his hand, which Mark hesitantly grabbed and shook.
“Yes! I’m Renjun, I’m from the Apollo cabin, and I’m going to be showing you around! Follow me!” He smiled brightly and grabbed Mark’s arm, pulling him down the stairs and away from the white cabin.
“That was Junmyeon’s Cabin, It’s kinda like the main office and everyone goes there when they are new, or if they need help. It’s kinda like a good place for everything.” He explained as they left the cabin and walked down a gravel path.
“This is the dining hall.” Renjun pointed at the outdoor seating area, covered by a roof with several tables underneath, “Every cabin has their own table and right… there is your table!”
“Okay.” Mark blinked as Renjun pulled him away from the pavilion. They continued down the same path and came to a large open field, where just about everyone happened to be. There were so many different people running about on the grass fields. Some were fighting, some were using bows and arrows, while others were sitting and talking or reading. Renjun walked him down the field, passing some of the picnic benches underneath some shade.
“That’s Doyoung, Son of Athena. He's pretty boring, but he’s well smart and kinda a savage if you get on his bad side.” Renjun pointed at a boy who was reading his book under the shade of a weeping willow. Doyoung raised his head and pushed his black fringe out his glaring eyes before going back to his book. Renjun pulled them further into the field where a group of boys were fighting with spears and full amour. One of the boys angrily pulled off his helmet and crushed the metal under his foot as he screamed about a rematch.
“That’s Johnny, son of Ares.” Renjun grimaced as he pointed at the brown haired boy still angrily shouting at the other team.
“Are all sons of Ares like that?” Mark asked as he toyed with the hem of his shirt, all of a sudden feeling a lot less safe than he did before.
“Oh no.” Renjun grinned, “You see that boy sitting over there next to the weapons?” Renjun pointed at a boy with blonde hair sitting next to the weapons stand while playing with the flowers. “That's Yukhei, he's a son of Ares, but he's a total softie.”
“Oh.” Mark nodded, holding off on the cute that almost left his lips. Renjun ushered Mark away from the scene when Johnny let out a battle cry and charged the other team.
“That's Sicheng, the only son of Artemis.” Renjun pointed out as they passed a boy with blonde hair pulling the string of his bow and arrow taut against his cheek before letting go and hitting a bullseye. He silently turned around to face the two, his expression blank but very obviously saying, don't fuck with me.
"Don't get on his bad side,” Renjun whispered as they continued to walk down the line of archers. Mark spotted a younger looking boy at the end of the line getting an arrow ready to shoot, but as soon as he let the arrow go it became engulfed in flames and once the flaming arrow hit the target, it lit as well.
“That’s Jisung, son of Hephaestus. He’s still struggling to control his powers.” Reunjun explained as a group of older looking teenagers ran over to the fire and started hastily putting it out. Renjun giggled as he watched the ordeal before leading them over to the lakeshore.
“Those are Aphrodite's only sons,” Renjun explained as he pointed at the two boys sitting on the shore. One was sunbathing with sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, whereas the other one was collecting seashells.
“The one in sunglasses is Ten, easily the hottest person at this camp. Everyone either has fucked him, or wants to, doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl. If he looks you in the eyes, it’s over for you.” Renjun explained as the boy sat up and slid his glasses off.
“The other one is Jungwoo, easily the most obvious person you will ever meet. He is so sweet and nice, and he doesn't know the power he holds over people. They fall at his feet and do whatever he says but Jungwoo mistakes it for kindness.”
“Junnie!” Ten called as he beckoned him over, and as if under a spell, Renjun followed dragging Mark with him. “Who’s this?” Ten looked Mark in the eyes, taking in his appearance. Renjun was not wrong, just looking Ten in the eyes made Mark want to do whatever he said.
“This is Mark, he’s new.” Renjun blinked a couple of times and answered.
“Which cabin?” Ten asked as Jungwoo giggled and came skipping over with a shell in his hand.
“Zeus.” Renjun said, making Ten gasp and Jungwoo drop his new shell in surprise.
"What?” Ten leaned forwards and held a hand over his mouth in shock as he looked Mark up and down.
“Yeah, crazy right?” Renjun nodded.
“Tae is gonna have a field day,” Ten grinned as he pushed a stray hair out of Mark’s eyes, “Come stop by the Aphrodite cabin, if you have the time.” Ten tilt his head to one side and raised his eyebrow before winking and dropping his hands.
“Okay.” Mark sighed as Renjun pulled him away.
“What the fuck just happened?” Mark said when he snapped out his daze.
“That’s the Aphrodite effect.” Renjun giggled and Mark looked back at the two sons, Ten still looking at Mark, before throwing a wink in his direction. Mark could feel himself falling under Ten's gaze again but before the magic could take over a large floating blob of water dropped on top of Ten’s head, causing him to yelp and whip his head to face a small and giggly boy who very surprisingly controlling the water in the lake.
“That’s Chenle, son of Poseidon. He learned early on how to control his powers so now he’s just a nuisance to everyone around him.” Renjun said before waving at Chenle and the smaller boy waving back at the two. Renjun rolled his eyes in response and Chenle stuck out his tongue while conjuring up a wave to drench them. They gasped and the apollo boy grabbed him and dragged him to a smaller meadow not too far away.
There were three people sitting in the smaller meadow. There was a boy with jet black hair making a daisy chain out of the wild flowers growing in the grass, a boy sitting on the chairs, very obviously watching Sicheng and his archery and another boy sitting on the grass writing in a journal.
“Renjun!” The boy with jet black hair gasped as he smiled and stood up to greet the pair.
“You must be Mark!” The boy grinned wider, his eyes reducing to crescents under the weight of his smile.
“How did you know?” Mark asked in confusion as he shook the boys hand.
“I was in Junmyeon’s office getting some papers and I overheard.” He giggled as he took his hand back and played with his own fingers. Just being around this boy made Mark feel more energetic and happy, it was weird, as if light was filling his body.
“I’m Jeno, son of Hemera!” He smiled softer and tilt his head to one side.
“Hemera?” Mark asked, once again.
“The goddess of light and day!” Jeno explained, That makes sense, Mark thought to himself.
“That’s Yuta and Jaehyun, sons of Dionysus.” Renjun pointed at the other too.
“That’s me!” Yuta winked as he tore his eyes away from Sicheng but then went back to staring him. A few seconds later, a slowly moving vine wrapped around the boy’s ankle and lifted him up, leaving him hanging upside down. Mark glanced over at Jaehyun who was writing in a journal and saw him smirk while swirling his finger around, causing the vine to drop the boy quite embarrassingly in front of Sicheng.
“Jaehyun, you piece of shit!” Yuta cursed as Mark and Renjun walked away.
“Who are they?” Mark asked as they passed a particularly large weeping willow with four boys sitting underneath. Renjun looked over and his face fell a bit before perking back up.
“Well, the two on the left are twins, both sons of Hecate.” Renjun explained, “Kun and Taeil.”
“The one in the middle taking a nap is Jaemin, son of Nyx.” He gestured towards the sleeping figure laying the ground. Made sense since he was the son of Nyx, goddess of the night.
“And the one leaning against the tree is Donghyuck.” Renjun said with a bit of a glare on his face, “Son of Hades.”
“You mean like, the underworld guy?” Mark gasped.
“Yeah, the underworld guy.” Renjun scoffed as Mark looked at the boy leaning against the tree. His skin was tan and his eyes were dark and half lidded as he talked to the twins. His lips moved slowly with each word, before he glanced up and caught his audience. He looked surprised for a second before his face melted into a smirk.
“Jaemin is pretty harmless, all he does is sleep.” Renjun explained as Mark tore his eyes away from Donghyuck and to the sleeping boy with dirty blonde hair.
“Kun and Taeil are okay too, just don't get on their bad side, they could end your life in seconds.” Renjun warned as Mark looked at the two boys sitting side by side.
“But Donghyuck… He’s bad.” Renjun grimaced for the second time that day, “He’s a son of Hades, darkness follows him everywhere and on top of that, he's a necromancer. He can bring things back to life.” Renjun started to push Mark away from the tree.
“But how is that a bad thing?” Mark asked as he continued to lock eyes with Donghyuck.
“Things that are dead should stay dead.” Renjun said, his face set in stone. Mark gave in, letting Renjun pull him away as he stole one final glance at Donghyuck, and he swore he saw a hint of a smile on his cherry lips.
Renjun led him through the rest of the camp, passing the meadow with the archery range and battle area, and down a small path on the lakeside. The water was a deep blue, almost emerald colour, and when Mark asked if it was seawater he was met with a half hearted shrug from Renjun. There was a clearing in the woods, and in the open grass, there were four large houses and a bunch of other smaller ones not too far away. Mark gasped when he saw the large houses, his eyes immediately darting to Renjun.
“Those are the big four cabins.” Renjun grinned when he saw Mark’s awestruck expression.
“That’s Poseidon's cabin.” He pointed at the large house over the lake, a wooden dock connecting it to land. It was completely open with no walls, and the only privacy came from the white sheets that hung from the top. It looked like a way too expensive vacation home you would find in the bahamas.
“How many sons does poseidon have?” Mark asked, since the house was so big and could definitely hold many people.
“Only Chenle.” He responded, “All of these cabins only have one person in each.”
“That’s Hades’ cabin.” Renjun pointed at the house with dark wood, just on the river's edge. It looked old and worn, yet still in tact. The wood was so dark it almost looked like the house had been burnt down and rebuilt many times. It had a large porch and a small garden with herbs growing just outside. “Only Donghyuck stays there.”
“That’s Hera’s cabin.” Renjun gestured towards the large marble house further inland than the main three. “Her cabin wasn’t originally supposed to be this close to the big three, but she insisted on the best for her son.” Renjun rolled his eyes as a man walked out of the house. His face was sharp and his eyes were wide yet glaring as he walked forwards. His features were just as chiseled as the marble statues outside his cabin, and his hair was stark white against his already too pale skin.
“Who’s that?” Mark asked as he gestured at the man walking towards him. His chest was broad and his legs were long, taking big strides. The air around him made him seem almost regal, even if he was just wearing a simple loose blouse and black pants.
“Taeyong, son of Hera.” Renjun whispered, “The only son she let live.”
“What?”
“Yeah, Hera usually kills her sons but she fell for Taeyong and let him live.” Renjun said, not taking his eyes off Taeyong who was still walking over.
“Does he have any powers?”
“He can control people with his eyes,” Renjun explained, “He doesnt use it often but when he does, he can make anyone his own personal puppet.”
“Mark, right?” Taeyong said when he stopped in front of the pair, cocking his hip to one side as he stared into Mark’s eyes.
“Yeah… How did you know?” Mark stuttered.
“I heard there was a son of Zeus in our presence.” Taeyong tilt his head to one side as he looked Mark up and down. “Is that true?”
“Yes.” Mark responded after a moment of hesitation.
“Well, I guess that makes us brothers.” Taeyong quirked an eyebrows, “Since our parents are married.”
“Kinda?” Mark shrugged.
“I’ll take it.” Taeyong shrugged back, a grin gracing his already perfect features, “Welcome to the family.”
“It’s a large family, since your dad can't seem to keep it in his pants.” Taeyong snorted, making Renjun giggle.
“Okay okay Tae, I’m gonna show him his cabin now.” Renjun said through his laughter as he wrapped an arm around Mark’s shoulders and waved bye to Taeyong. Mark mirrored the action, throwing a wave at Taeyong before Renjun pulled him away. They walked back towards the lake side, Mark eyeing the big house in between the Hades and Poseidon cabin. It was a large white building with an open roof, most likely made of glass. Much like the Poseidon cabin, it was on the water, and when they started walking on the dock, Mark got the feeling that it was going to be his cabin.
“Here you go.” Renjun smiled as he pointed at the door of the large house, “The Zeus cabin.”
“This is hardly a cabin.” Mark mumbled as he took the keys from Renjun’s outstretched hand.
“You’ll get used to it.” Renjun brushed him off, “Dinner is in an hour, and the closets and bathrooms have already been stocked with clothes and other things! I’ll see you later!” Renjun waved as he started to walk down the dock and towards what Mark assumed was his cabin. He turned back to face what was now to be his new home, staring up at the white walls and letting out a sighed. He slid the key into the slot and pushed the door open.
The air inside the house was different than outside, it was warm and almost humid but still fresh and cool. It felt just like the air right before a thunderstorm, that's fitting, he thought as he walked further inside. The floors were marble, and the furniture was a mixture of navy, grey and white. He gasped when he saw the main room, a large open space with huge windows looking out on the lake. The couches were grey and navy and there were plants everywhere. Some were hanging from the ceiling, others looked like they were planted into the marble floor. He had to admit, the killing part of the room was the glass fixtures hanging from the roof, made to look like rain and lightning bolts.
Dazed, he walked through the room and to the windows. There was a small back dock, with chairs and a ladder leading into the “lake.” He walked over the white staircase and climbed the steps up to his bedroom. It was similar to the room downstairs, with few plants and the same glass fixtures. The ceiling was glass, giving him a perfect view of the afternoon sun. The main focus of the bedroom was obviously the bed, which had white blankets and navy pillows and a grey canopy. It was way too extravagant for a camp cabin. Mark sighed and sat down on his bed, thinking about how his life changed in the span of one day.
All because of a stubbed toe
He fell back and curled in on himself. Unlike the other kids, he was alone in his cabin, there were no other kids of Zeus. He wondered to himself why there were no other kids of Zeus or any of the other big three gods. When he grew up, much like any other teenager going through the angst of trying to grow and figure out who you are, Mark couldn't wait to live alone and finally be without his mother, but now that he was alone he hated it. He regretted fighting with his mum all the time and wishing of her riddance. It was quiet and lonely, the only sound being the sound of rain softly hitting the glass ceiling.
It was a lot to take in, going from living in a quiet neighbourhood to having to live an undetermined amount of time in a camp for demigods. Even in the quiet of his cabin, he could hear the screams and laughter from the meadow not too far away. Those kids were like him, sons and daughters of the gods. That was a weird concept to wrap his head around, that his father was a god. Does that mean my mum fucked a god? He shook his head to rid the thought from his mind. It was so unrealistic, but as he thought about the invisible barrier between the camp and the rest of the world, the boy with fire in his hands, the boy who could control the water and the boy who could manipulate vines, he was starting to believe it.
***
Mark managed to get (relatively) used to his new home. It wasn’t like it wasn’t nice, quite the contrary actually. It was super nice and the bed was way comfier than the one he had back at home, but it was empty. There was no one inside the cabin except himself, and he couldn’t help the terrible feeling of loneliness.
“Mark!” A voice called out from outside his cabin. Mark got up from his place on the couch and, walked over to the front door, and saw Renjun and Taeyong standing outside his cabin.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Mark asked.
“It’s time for dinner, and I thought we could walk together to the dining room!” Renjun said excitedly. Mark looked for a second at both of the boys standing in front of them, they both seemed to exude such different auras. Renjun was light, bubbly, and energetic while Taeyong was calm, protective, and reserved. Seems like they fit their parents well, and Mark couldn’t help what aura he gave off. He hoped he wasn’t too intimidating since he was the son of Zeus.
Mark nodded at the two and they started walking up the path to the dining room.
“We need to stop by Dionysus’s cabin to pick up Yuta, I promised we’d walk together today.” Taeyong said after they started walking for a few seconds.
“You know Yuta?” Mark asked.
“Well, yeah, we’ve known each other since we were young. Same with Ten.” Taeyong explained.
“Taeyong and Ten are what we like to call the deadly duo.” Renjun said, laughing a little at the end.
“Don’t say that.” Taeyong said shyly.
“What? It’s true! They’re both like insanely hot and they both can control people with their eyes! When they’re together, people like fall at their feet.” Renjun explained and Taeyong couldn’t help but flush and hide his face in his hands. Mark could see Taeyong didn’t like to be complimented.
“Well, at least I use my gifts responsibly and not with every hot person I meet to try to get them to have sex with me.” Taeyong rolled his eyes, obviously referring to Ten. Suddenly, as if he was summoned by Taeyong himself, Ten revealed himself from where he was on a tree branch above them and jumped down in front of the trio.
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Taeyong grumbled, earning a giggle from Renjun.
“That’s Miss Devil to you.” Ten retorted, pretending to flip his hair.
“You’re such an annoying tease.” Taeyong said, slapping Ten upside the head lightly.
“You love me though~”
Taeyong scoffed and the group kept walking forwards, “Sure, whatever you say.”
They arrived at Yuta’s cabin shortly, Renjun calling out for the boy to come out. Yuta exited the cabin shortly, a towel in his hair.
“What happened to you?” Ten teased.
“Motherfucking- whoever decided it was a great idea to just let it pour while I was reading outside just drenched me and my book.” Yuta complained.
“Oh yeah, it did rain around thirty minutes ago, I wonder who it was.” Renjun nodded. Mark looked at the boys with a confused expression.
“Wait, what do you mean ‘who?’” Mark asked.
“It doesn’t rain here, well actually there is no weather here, only sunny. It’s because of the barrier, so when it rains or snows, that means someone caused it.” Taeyong explained. Mark then instantly thought back at thirty minutes ago, when he was so frustrated and sad that it suddenly started pouring rain. It can’t be, can it?
“Hey, Taeyong?” Mark asked, causing the older boy to look over at him while the group resumed walking.
“Hm?” Taeyong answered.
“Do all of you have powers?” Mark asked.
“Well, yeah, it runs in our DNA because we’re the children of gods we get one of their abilities-”
“Like I can control snakes since they’re my dad’s symbolic animal.” Yuta said, cutting off Taeyong’s explanation.
“And I can make anyone fall in love with me by just looking at me because my mother is Aphrodite.” Ten boasted like a schoolgirl.
“I’m super good at archery because of my dad!” Renjun said excitedly, “But not as good as Sicheng.”
“No one is as good as him though.”
“What can you do, Mark?” Ten said as he poked Mark’s shoulder.
“Well, that was what I was going to ask, how do you find out what your power is?” Mark asked.
“It’s different for everyone depending on your power and how you grew up. I was raised by Hera so I knew from the start what I was going to be, but if you’re raised by your human parents it might be different.” Taeyong explained.
“Taetae is one of the only demigods here who was actually raised by a god! Isn’t that so cool!” Renjun exclaimed cutely.
“It’s not that big of a deal-” Taeyong said silently, but was then cut off by Renjun again.
“Most of us don’t ever get to meet our parents, but Taetae grew up with them, and he was also born on Mount Olympus! Can you believe that? I was born in a regular old human hospital.” Renjun rambled, obviously incredibly invested in Taeyong’s life.
“That’s enough, Junnie, we’re at the dining hall, so go find your table.” Taeyong instructed, and Renjun obeyed, running off into the open pavilion filled with picnic tables under the raised roof.
“See you bitches later.” Yuta said, walking over to a table wrapped in small vines.
“Excuse you, the only bitch here is you!” Ten retorted, afterwards walking towards a table filled to the brim of people all oozing beauty and sensuality.
“I’ll see you around, Mark.” Taeyong said, turning around and walking in the opposite direction and leaving the pavillion. Now Mark was confused, where exactly was he supposed to go? He walked around a bit and saw that the tables were obviously sorted by gods and their cabins, yet some mingled together. Like how the Apollo cabin and the Hemera cabin were eating together, their bright smiles and overflowing energy giving that away, and how some of the kids from the Aphrodite cabin sat with the Eros cabin, their dark and lustful looks and their flirty auras were enough to understand who was allowed to sit there.
Mark just stood for a second, looking around at the playful smiles, the loud laughs, and the deep conversations between the people who really understood each other. But Mark had no one like that. He was Zeus’s only child, and of course he can’t have anyone else to relate to because no god is like Zeus. Zeus is intimidating and angry and their goddamn leader . So, Mark was stuck, until he felt a sudden presence behind him. It sent a shiver down his spine, but the dark feeling was oddly… comforting?
Mark turned around and came face to face with none other than Hades’ son, Donghyuck. The boy seemed a lot shorter up close, his face a lot less intimidating than he remembered. Maybe it was because Renjun spoke so terrifyingly of him that he had a weird memory of the son of Hades being… scarier. But this boy was not like that. He looked sweet and soft and cute enough to kiss. He had brown hair, but there were also undertones of red in it and his skin was the color of honey. He was… gorgeous. Just as Mark was about to open his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the sweet boy in front of him.
“Zeus’s table is over there.” Donghyuck said, gesturing towards an empty table in the corner. Mark was taken aback for a second, not registering what had just happened. The beautiful but mysterious boy he had to supposedly “stay away from” just talked to him, and god his voice sounded like smooth honey dripping from a silver spoon.
“Oh, um, thank you.” Mark said awkwardly, pausing for a moment and then walking away towards the empty table. Yet again, another empty area for Mark to have to get used to, just like his empty cabin. It had only been a few hours but Mark already missed his old life. He missed his friends and the comfort they brought him, sure this was sick as hell being surrounded by actual demigods and goddesses, but he didn’t know anyone. He really had no one he was really close to. Mark was alone.
***
The dinner ended, and suddenly Mark was met with Ten running up to him and latching onto his arm, pulling him towards the exit without providing him with an explanation.
“Ten, what are we doing?” Mark asked hastily.
“It’s bonfire and I’m trying to get there before all the good spots are taken!” Ten exclaimed
“Don’t fall for it! He’s just trying to get there early so he can tease his brother about having a crush on one of Ares’ sons!” Mark heard another voice say from behind him. Mark turned his head and saw the bright boy from earlier, Jeno was his name, following closely behind.
“Shut up, you’re literally twelve.” Ten sneered at the kid before turning around and continuing to pull Mark down the road towards the bonfire.
“Hey!” Mark heard Jeno yell from the distance, but Ten kept running ahead, dragging Mark down with him. Finally, they reached the bonfire area, and Mark could immediately spot Ares’ sons. There were others helping, of course, the daughters of Athena, some counsellors, and other various older teenagers, but it was Ares’ sons that your eye was drawn towards. They were handsome, of course, but they were also exceedingly and incredibly strong.
It was like there was a ring of strength and masculinity surrounding the two men. Mark could tell Ten was making serious heart eyes towards the one with the dark brown hair and the serious expression permanently plastered on his face, he vaguely remembered his name to be Johnny. Mark recognized the second one from Renjun’s introduction earlier in the day. He was the other son of Ares, the one playing with the puppies, but now he looked like a completely different person. He was large, obviously well built, and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.
Ten guided Mark to where Ten’s younger brother was sitting, his head resting on his palm, obviously looking enamoured at the blonde haired son of Ares.
“God, Jungwoo, I can practically see the gay ooze out of you.” Ten said, sitting next to his brother and gesturing for Mark to do the same.
“Stopppp.” Jungwoo whined into his hands.
“I’m just kidding babe. It’s cute, how you pine over Yukhei.” Ten said, laughing at the end.
“I told you to stop making fun of me!” Jungwoo whined again, hitting Ten’s shoulder.
“Who are we making fun of?” A boy suddenly popped his head in between Mark’s and Jungwoo’s. Mark recognized him as the guy he saw reading in the shade, Athena was his mother.
“Just Jungwoo and his crush on, Yukhei.” Ten said, giggling at the end.
“Ten! I told you to stop!” Jungwoo said in an annoyed tone, but it honestly sounded like a small puppy’s whines.
“Awww, my little Jungwoo has a crush~” Doyoung said, hugging Jungwoo from behind and squeezing him tightly.
“You guys are seriously the worst.” Jungwoo said while pouting.
“Oh wait, I never introduced you guys to Mark!” Ten said, drawing sudden attention to Mark.
“He’s Mark, and he just came here from a place called Canada, and he’s Zeus’s son!” Ten said excitedly.
“What? No way!” Jungwoo exclaimed.
“I didn’t know Zeus had actual living sons.” The third boy said.
“Doyoung!” Jungwoo scolded, hitting the guy with a disappointed look on his face.
“What?” Mark said with confusion laced in his voice.
The three guys looked at each other for a second, before turning back to Mark.
“All of Zeus’s sons are either killed by Zeus himself or die because other gods kill them themselves because they’re scared of the lineage. Zeus has never had a living half blood child, yet, you’re here.” Doyoung explained, leaving Mark stunned. Mark had only just found out that he was the son of an actual god, but not only that, now he’s the only living son of that god because apparently, his dad killed the rest before him. His brain flooded with questions, why him? Why was he spared? Why did his mother keep this a secret? How did his mother even meet the god? How was he even born?
His thoughts were interrupted by Taeyong putting his hand on Mark’s shoulder and giving him a warm smile.
“Come with me, bonfire doesn’t start in a few minutes and I want to talk to you for a second.”
Mark nodded and got up, following Taeyong a few feet away from the bonfire, his head still swimming with questions.
“I heard what Doyoung told you.” Taeyong told Mark, causing him to stiffen.
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you, and tell you not to be worried. Don’t let this get to your head, because after all you’re alive now aren’t you? You’re here now aren’t you? You’ve made it this far, so what does it matter what caused you to be conceived in the first place?” Taeyong explained, sending a wave of reassurance crashing on top of Mark.
“Thank you.” The younger breathed out.
“How-how do you always know what to say?” Mark asked.
“Well, I’m kind of like you in a way. It’s common knowledge my mother isn’t the… kindest person, and she’s killed all her children in fear of them taking her position or threatening her status, but she spared me. I’m the only one who lived, and the only one who ever will live because she saw something in me. I don’t know what that is yet, but I can’t disappoint her.” Taeyong finished, leaving something like a faraway look in his usually warmer eyes.
“Are you-”
“Don’t worry about me, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me, okay? I know this can be a lot to digest all in a few hours, I’m only a few feet away.” Taeyong said with a smile and he walked back to the glowing bonfire.
Dear Mum,
I just finished my first day at Camp Limitless and it was… interesting to say the least. I met lots of different people. The kids here are also very interesting. I met the kids of Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysious, and God so many more (do I have to say Gods now?) A kid from the Apollo cabin showed me around, his name was Renjun and I became friends with kids from the Dionysus, Aphrodite and Hera cabin. The Dionysus kids are really funny and Yuta is really loud and just like his dad he is so chaotic. And the Aphrodite kids are so i don't know? Alluring? Flirty? Just everything about them lives up to the Aphrodite name. Ten is really sensual whereas his brother Jungwoo is more innocent love. It’s really cool. Taeyong is from the Hera cabin and he's really nice. He’s kinda in the same boat as him. I really like him. There's this kid from the Hades cabin that's really interesting. Renjun told me I shouldn't talk to him, but I kinda want to? Is it weird if I say he's hot? Because he is, Gods is he beautiful. I think I’m gonna try and talk to him, do you think I should?
Anyways, I’m having a better time here then I thought I would!
-Your darling son, Mark