Chapter Text
“Where the Zeus is Xiyeon!”
Time seemed to have stopped in Camp Half-Blood as thunder adorned the sky. The fuming son of Hades glared at everyone, scaring the injured demigods that got in his way as he strode off to the Big House. Behind him, Dongho, the son of Poseidon, cursed, as he helped Aphrodite’s daughter, Pinky, fight off the skeleton warriors Jonghyun had conjured in his fury.
“Jonghyun, please calm down,” Minhyun, the son of Apollo, called out, hands raised in a placating manner trying to stop the furious demigod’s rampage. He didn’t really expect to see Jonghyun again, but apparently it didn’t matter for Hades’s son whether or not they meet again. All that mattered for Jonghyun was his mortal friend, and it was obvious, especially with that glare that he gave him.
“Nice seeing you too, Jonghyun,” Minhyun bitterly murmured to himself as Hades’s son furiously stormed off.
“So much for stopping him,” Aphrodite's daughter mocked.
“Did you see the death glare he gave me?” Minhyun bit back, narrowing his eyes at Pinky, before joining the two demigods in their battle against the warriors. “I don’t even know how I’m still alive.”
“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll die soon, especially if Xiyeon is really with your father,” Dongho grumbled, kicking a skeleton warrior. “Jonghyun, can you fucking stop conjuring skeletons?!”
“No,” Jonghyun spat, before halting in place. In front of them stood the God of Light and Sun, Apollo, arm draped over Xiyeon’s shoulders, talking to her in a bubbly manner as they walked toward the Big House.
“Oh gods, you’re really gonna die soon, Minhyun,” Pinky stated.
“Look, it’s not my fault my dad chose Xiyeon as the next Ora—” Jonghyun gave him a death glare before furiously screaming his father’s name and running towards the Big House, his Skeleton Warriors right behind him. If the son of Hades could kill someone by simply yelling out his name, Minhyun was sure his father would already be dead.
Pinky sighed as they watched Jonghyun tackle Apollo to the ground. “Not that I want to save your father, Minhyun, because we all know he deserves what's happening to him, but shouldn’t we stop Jonghyun? I doubt Zeus would appreciate a demigod tackling his least favorite son.”
Minhyun flinched as thunder cracked in the sky. He was sure that came from the King of Olympus himself. He sighed.
He knew how Jonghyun was when he’s angry - the battle with the Titans and their demigod foes already proved how scary the son of Hades could be when he’s furious; but what he didn’t understand was why his father was letting the son of Hades do this to him. Sure, Jonghyun was one of the strongest demigods there is, and his father wasn’t really the best when it came to being scary and intimidating among the Olympians, but Apollo was still a god and Zeus’s most powerful son. Hell, the King of Olympus trusted Apollo so much that he bestowed the god with so much power compared to his siblings.
So really, Minhyun wasn’t sure why his extremely powerful father was acting like this. Letting Jonghyun pin him to the ground, when he could easily turn the son of Hades into a piece of burnt toast with just a snap of his fingers.
There had to be something. Because, really that’s the only answer why his father was acting this way.
“Ouch, that must’ve hurt,” Dongho grimaced, and Minhyun did the same, seeing his father hit his head on the rock. Okay, maybe Jonghyun could be a match for a god, after all.
“Uhm, about that suggestion,” Minhyun started, eyes never straying out of the fight. “Sorry, but I refuse,” Minhyun smiled warily. Pinky raised an eyebrow at him, and he flapped his hand in the air. “Uhm, as much as I love to stop Jonghyun, my healing powers are still needed in the camp, yeah?” He explained. Pinky cocked her head to the side, as if reading his emotions, then sighed.
“Fine, Dongho, then,” Pinky sighed, turning to the scene before them. In front of them, the Skeleton Warriors have now circled Jonghyun and Apollo, hiding them from view.
“Great. Thanks so much, Minhyun,” Dongho huffed dryly, before the daughter of Aphrodite pulled him toward the crowd of voiceless cheering Skeleton Warriors. Minhyun followed, careful not to be noticed by his whining father and the furious son of Hades.
Once they reached the circle of warriors, Pinky pushed Dongho into the crowd. The son of Poseidon ungracefully tumbled his way through, landing on top of the son of Hades and squishing Apollo with his weight.
“Oooh! Cuddle pile!” Xiyeon piped in, joining the accidental pile of two demigods and a god. The Skeleton Warriors paused in cheering and glanced at one another. The leader of the group, who had a badge of a General on his uniform, nodded, and in a split second, all stupidly jumped on Xiyeon, one by one, forming the world’s weirdest and tallest cuddle pile.
A bunch of noises could be heard across the lawn of the Big House. Clicks of skeleton bones, Xiyeon’s giggling (bubbly and innocent as always), and Dongho cursing as he pushed Xiyeon safely out of the cuddle pile.
“Oomph!” Apollo harrumphed, tapping out whoever demigod he was able to reach, as if he’s in a wrestling fight.
“Dongho, stop moving!” Jonghyun yelled.
“It’s either I move or we let your skeletons squish Xiyeon!”
“This will be the tallest cuddle pile ever!!!” Xiyeon squealed, doing her best to hold onto the son of Poseidon, who was still pushing her away.
“Oh gods,” Pinky muttered, helping Dongho and pulling Xiyeon out of the cuddle pile. Minhyun chuckled loudly, finally earning the attention of his father and Jonghyun.
“Son! Help me!”
Jonghyun glared at Minhyun in warning, stopping him before he could even take a step. “Try and help your father, Minhyun. I won’t think twice in throwing you both at the Fields of Punish—”
“What is happening here?!” Chiron shouted, voice booming with authority by the door of the Big House. The centaur stared dumbfoundedly at the at the gigantic pile of skeletons in front of him, then at Pinky, Minhyun, and Xiyeon.
“Chiron!” Apollo pleaded. “Some help, please?”
Chiron searched for the voice of the god, and sighed when he noticed Dongho, Jonghyun, and Apollo at the bottom of the pile. “Jonghyun, please order your Skeleton Warriors away.”
“No.”
“Sooner or later, Dongho wouldn’t be able to hold off your warriors' weight, and he’ll be squished. You wouldn’t want that, right?”
Jonghyun grumbled something along the lines of how he shouldn’t befriend useless demigods who couldn’t even protect themselves, then snapped his fingers. In an instant, the Skeleton Warriors jumped off the pile, forming a uniformed line, saluting the son of Hades respectfully before vanishing in the ground.
“Wow,” Apollo stared in awe. “You really are the strongest of Uncle Hades’s bunch, aren’t you?”
“And also the most temperamental,” Chiron sighed, nodding for Pinky and Minhyun to assist him as he pulled up Dongho.
Before Minhyun could reach out to help Jonghyun, the son of Hades pinned his father’s arms on each side. He felt the air around them turn cold, as frost started to coat the grass beneath them. A sign that Jonghyun was using his Underworldy powers again. He sighed. “Jonghyun, stop it.”
“No,” the son of Hades growled, glaring at the god below him.
“Is it me, or the ground feels so icy all of a sudden?” Apollo asked, nervously glancing at Jonghyun, Minhyun, and Chiron.
“Jonghyun,” Chiron warned.
“Not until the God of Prophecy makes an oath on the River of Styx that Xiyeon won’t be the next Oracle,” Jonghyun spat.
Chiron sighed and pulled Jonghyun up, as Dongho, Pinky, and Minhyun helped the Sun God, and acted as the wall protecting him from Jonghyun, who would obviously attack the god at any moment.
“You of all people should know that whether Xiyeon would be the next Oracle or not, is not in Apollo’s decision or yours, Jonghyun.”
“Hear, hear,” Apollo chimed, winking at Jonghyun and turning to Xiyeon. “So, what say you, Xiyeon? Your gift of Prophecy is both a gift and curse. Will you take this role?”
“NO!” Jonghyun stood in front of Xiyeon, as if he were some knight in shining armor. “She’s too young! We don’t even know if the curse has been lifted!”
“It’s been lifted, Oppa,” Xiyeon replied with a reassuring smile, placing a hand on Jonghyun’s arm. “I had a vision of your dad’s curse when you arrived here in Manhattan with him, and I assure you, it has been lifted. I saw myself sitting in a decked-out pad playing video games.”
Apollo nodded, walking closer to Chiron and Jonghyun, hand on his chin, pondering. “I love that idea . . .” he paused, realizing that Jonghyun was growling at him. Apollo smiled meekly at the son of Hades, before stopping next to Chiron. “And I have a place in mind where we could build that. You wouldn’t mind having a big purple curtain by the entrance, right? Oh! And torches by the walls! That would be mysteriously beautiful! I should ask the Hephaestus kids to install a home theatre for you.”
“Hell, no—”
Chiron held Jonghyun by the shoulder and shook his head.
“It’s Xiyeon’s decision, Jonghyun,” the centaur reminded him, before turning to Xiyeon with a warm smile. “Creative ideas aside, like what the god Apollo said, the gift of Prophecy is both a gift and a curse. Are you sure you will take this role, Xiyeon?”
Xiyeon glanced at Jonghyun and smiled, before turning to Chiron and Apollo, who was nodding too enthusiastically at her. “Yes.”
“I bet it’s the games that made her say yes,” Dongho murmured under his breath. Minhyun and Pinky elbowed him, as Chiron stared at the son of Poseidon in warning.
Apollo took a step toward Xiyeon. This time, there’s no hint of the mischievousness and stupidity in his face. Instead, it was replaced with seriousness and an air of solemnity, like what a proper god of Olympus was supposed to be. “Do you accept the risks, child?”
Xiyeon nodded, “I do.”
“Then proceed,” the god said.
Xiyeon smiled at Jonghyun reassuringly and squeezed his hand. She then turned to Apollo and closed her eyes. “I, Park Xiyeon, accept this role of the Oracle of Delphi. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the Spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate.”
As Xiyeon recited the oath, the Mist settled around her, thickening with each passing second. A green mist of smoke appeared by her feet, slowly making its way around her like a huge python; the next second, the doors of the Big House opened, showcasing the mummified Oracle of Delphi. A thick green column of smoke uncoiled from the mummy’s mouth and slithered down the stairs, curling affectionately around Xiyeon. The Oracle’s mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old tie-dyed dress, as the Mist enveloped Xiyeon in a protective column.
It felt like time had stopped for the demigods, as they stared at the thick smoke that was hiding Xiyeon. Then the smoke cleared, and Xiyeon collapsed on the ground. Jonghyun and Minhyun immediately rushed forward but Apollo stopped them with a wave of his hand.
“No moving. This is the most crucial part.”
“What’s going on?” Jonghyun demanded. “What is happening to her?”
“The Spirit of Delphi has entered Xiyeon.” Apollo studied Xiyeon with concern. “And it’s either the spirit takes hold of her, or it doesn’t.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Pinky asked.
“Five words,” Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. “That. Would. Be. Really. Bad.”
Jonghyun cursed, and before Minhyun could stop him from going to Xiyeon, Hades’s son had already reached her.
“Xiyeon-ah, Xiyeon-ah, please wake up,” Jonghyun pleaded, shaking her gently. He reached for the ground and tried to absorb any shadow or darkness around the area to save the new Oracle, but with Apollo next to him and his sunshine-y powers, Jonghyun wasn’t able to do anything. He turned to Minhyun, pleading with him. “I can feel her dying, save her, please—”
Minhyun knelt down and checked Xiyeon’s state: Her pulse was too slow and it felt like she was on the brink of life and death. He immediately turned to his father for help, but before he could even ask Apollo to heal her, Xiyeon’s eyes fluttered open. There was a lazy smile on her face as she stared at them—as if she wasn’t dying only seconds ago. “Hi, I’m back.”
“Are you okay?” Jonghyun asked worriedly, pushing Minhyun’s hand away and checking Xiyeon’s pulse. The Oracle nodded, and tried to sit up, but Jonghyun stopped her. “Xiyeon, your life aura, it almost faded completely. I felt you dying.”
“I know, but I’m all right, Oppa,” Xiyeon murmured, then glanced at the son of Apollo. “Please, help me up. I’m having visions and they’re very disorienting.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Minhyun asked this time, helping her stand. He had felt Xiyeon dying, too.
“She is, it’s just the initiation,” Apollo smiled at Xiyeon proudly, then turned to the rest with a proud beam, as if he had just been awarded with the Best Poet award from Olympus. “Lady and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi!”
“You’re kidding,” Pinky said.
Xiyeon managed a weak smile. “The God of Oracles wasn’t kidding, Pinky-unnie. I’m really the Oracle now. I knew this would happen even before, back when we’re all preparing for the Battle in Manhattan,” Xiyeon paused, then took a step closer to Jonghyun, and took his hand in hers. She squeezed the son of Hades’s hand, who looked more and more aghast with each passing moment.
“Are you saying that you knew that you’ll be the Oracle back then?” Dongho asked, utterly shocked.
Xiyeon grinned shyly. “Yes, like I said, I had a vision of myself in my future cave. I understood then why I was born with the gift of true sight. This has always been my fate. The only thing left to do was for me to take the oath.”
Xiyeon beamed at everyone, then turned to the son of Hades and smiled at him gently, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you anything, Jonghyun-oppa. I know that you wouldn’t like it. But me being the Oracle doesn’t mean things will change. I’ll still be your Xiyeonnie and we could still go at the beach whenever you want to.”
“Fine,” Jonghyun sighed and pulled away from the hug. He took Xiyeon’s hand, a worried expression still on his face. “If you feel anything out of the ordinary, tell me immediately, okay?”
Xiyeon nodded. “I will, Oppa. I promise on the River of Styx.”
“Good,” Jonghyun exhaled in relief, squeezing Xiyeon’s hand tight. “Good.”
“Uhm, not to ruin the moment,” Dongho started, clearing his throat. “So, does this mean Xiyeon can tell the future now?”
“Yup, but not all the time,” Xiyeon said, pursing her lips. “Though there are visions, images, words in my mind, whenever someone asks me a question, I . . . Oh no—”
“It’s starting,” Apollo announced, with an excited beam.
Xiyeon doubled over as if someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight. Her dark brown eyes changed, glowing a serpent green hue. And when she spoke, her voice sounded so loud—as if ten Xiyeons were talking at once.
“Eight half-bloods shall heed the call,
Coin's golden key the Twins doth hold,
Together, they shall prevail,
Apart, shall face doom;
To Light and Darkness, the world must fall,
An oath to keep with final breath,
And foes bear arms to Doors of Death.”
At the last word, Xiyeon collapsed. Minhyun caught her and immediately checked her pulse, sighing in relief when he found that it’s normal. When he looked closely at the new Oracle, he noticed that she looked so out of it. “Are you okay?”
Xiyeon took time to understand Minhyun’s question, then nodded. “I feel fine?”
“What was that?” Dongho asked, his tone bitter. “Don’t tell me we’re going to save the world again when we just finished the war with the titans!”
Xiyeon turned to the son of Poseidon, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“You just said the next Great Prophecy, Xiyeonnie,” Apollo beamed, turning to the others. “Amazing, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, until she started spouting about our doom again,” Dongho grumbled.
Minhyun glanced up and saw Pinky staring at Jonghyun with a frown on her face. He turned to the son of Hades, and noticed that Jonghyun was too quiet and was staring at him in worry - a contrast to how he acted earlier when he’s all going overprotective towards Xiyeon.
“But . . .” Xiyeon frowned. “I don’t even remember what I said.”
“No, of course you won’t,” Apollo mused. “The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our dear Xiyeonnie will be much as she had always been. Bubbly, charming, and slightly snarky,” Apollo beamed, then turned to Chiron with a wry smile. The Centaur nodded and turned to Dongho who kept asking the new Oracle what the prophecy meant.
“There’s no point in asking her, Dongho,” Chiron stated, using the smile that he always used to keep the demigods from their worries. “She won’t remember anything, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world.”
“What?” Dongho said, “But we need to—”
“Wait,” Pinky interrupted, staring suspiciously at Chiron, Apollo, and Jonghyun. “You’re all hiding something, I can feel it—especially you, Jonghyun.”
Jonghyun flinched, then turned to Chiron, obviously bothered by something. The centaur gave Jonghyun a slight nod, telling him to go, before turning to Minhyun and helping Xiyeon stand up.
“Jonghyun,” Pinky repeated, pointedly looking at Jonghyun. The son of Hades squirmed in place and looked away, obviously avoiding her stare. At times like this, Pinky wished her charmspeak would work on Jonghyun.
“I need to go,” Jonghyun murmured, glancing at Minhyun, “my father is calling me.”
“Go on, Jonghyun,” Apollo piped, waving his hand at Jonghyun in goodbye. “Send my regards to Uncle Hades.”
“Yeah, will do, Sir,” Jonghyun shrugged absentmindedly, mind obviously somewhere else, as he agreed with the annoying sun god and even called him “Sir,” when not too long ago, said god was his mortal enemy.
“Take care then, son of Hades,” Apollo said, motioning at Dongho and ordering him to help Chiron to bring Xiyeon into the Big House.
“Stop,” Pinky ordered, using her charmspeak in full force and making Apollo, Chiron, Xiyeon, and the three demigods stop scrambling in place. “Nobody move.” She glared at the rest, then stopped at Jonghyun, pointing a finger at him. “Especially you.”
“Come on now, daughter of Aphrodite, Jonghyun is needed in the Underworld, delaying him would result—okay, brilliant Sun God shutting up now,” Apollo said, mimicking a hand zipping movement on his lips as Pinky glared at him.
“You understand the meaning of Xiyeon’s prophecy, don’t you?” Pinky asked, staring at Jonghyun. The son of Hades turned to Chiron for help, and the centaur cleared his throat, about to say something, but Pinky pinned him with a glare. “Answer me while I’m still asking nicely, Jonghyun, or so help me gods.”
Jonghyun groaned, then sighed, realizing that no one’s going to save him from Pinky’s wrath in case he ran away now. “Yeah, I understand the meaning of the prophecy, but not all.”
“What?!” Dongho screamed, dropping Xiyeon and making Chiron carry all of her weight. Chiron groaned. “Oops, sorry, sorry. It’s just, wow—”
“Shut up, Dongho. Tell us, Jonghyun,” Pinky ordered.
Jonghyun bit his lip, and stared at Minhyun before sighing. “The prophecy may or may have to do with me and my twin sister.”
“Your what?!” Minhyun screeched, making the three demigods and Xiyeon wince in pain, hands immediately covering their ears. “Oops, sorry.”
“No problemo kid, but we gotta control that screeching of yours, it’s deadly,” Apollo said proudly, patting his son on the shoulder.
“Back to the topic,” Pinky turned to Jonghyun. “What are you saying about your twi—”
“Pinky,” Chiron interrupted, his voice obviously warning the daughter of Aphrodite. “Let’s continue this talk in the Rec Room, shall we?”
“Fine. Let’s go then,” Pinky answered, walking to Jonghyun and pulling him into the Big House.
“Wait, can you . . .” Jonghyun glanced awkwardly at Minhyun, and Pinky huffed, understanding what he meant.
“Be inside in 5 mins, or so help me gods, I’ll charmspeak you into dancing Ayy Macarena for eternity,” Aphrodite’s daughter warned, before nodding for Minhyun to stay with Jonghyun. She then pushed Dongho who was helping Xiyeon to walk.
“Uhm, can we have some hot chocolate while we wait for those two, Chiron?” Dongho asked, looking over his shoulder.
“We shall! And even some pies, too!” Apollo piped, winking at his son and at Jonghyun. “Take your time and don’t forget to use protect—”
“Apollo,” Chiron sighed, pushing the god into the big house. He took a glance at the two remaining demigods and smiled apologetically, before closing the door.
Minhyun breathed out tiredly and glanced at Jonghyun, who was already staring at him. “What is it? I doubt you wanted to say ‘Hi’ to me, because you already used your death glare at me far too many times for that—”
“Do you want to run away with me, Minhyun-ah?” Jonghyun asked, cutting him off. He stared at the son of Hades, who looked so serious and at the same time so vulnerable.
“What’s wrong, Jonghyun?” he asked gently, reaching for his hand. Jonghyun gave him a pained look then clutched his hand tightly in his.
“Run away with me, Minhyun. Let’s stay in the Underworld, it’ll be safe there, I’m sure - my father, he’ll protect us so just—”
“Jonghyun,” he whispered, calming the obviously panicked demigod. He had never seen Jonghyun like this - vulnerable, weak, to the point that he was willing to seek for his father’s help. And obviously, the older demigod realized it too, that he immediately schooled back his expression to his usual detached composure. “Jonghyun, tell me what’s wrong—”
“Nothing,” Jonghyun replied coldly, back to his usual aloofness. “Just ignore what I said, Minhyun.”
And just like that, Hades’s son walked off, leaving him, just like how he did months ago.
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗