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Yujin’s holding on for dear life when he’s reached the clearing that the satyr had mentioned, pointing towards the big tree that had been “supposedly” protecting the camp from something that would have ruined it, though he would like to argue that the protecting it did had barely been obvious… at least from the distance with which he stands in at the moment.
Admittedly, Yujin was, in all ways, particularly clueless of what exactly he was supposed to do and where exactly he was supposed to go from where the satyr had mentioned, though the sounds of encouraging screams before he had retreated and made sure to save his own life had been the only thing he heard before he had promptly ran away, telling himself that these types of questions were to be answered later by… well, not the satyr. Yujin doesn’t think he trusts anything that the creature would say next.
Tightening his hold on the only piece of luggage he had left, a backpack he had sloppily stolen from one of the malls that he and the satyr had visited, before he had passed out on the floor moments after due to being unable to keep his wits about him whilst having to stay awake for at least a week because “apparently” they might end up dead if he were to even let his guard down for a moment. It barely had any kind of essentials inside of it, but based on the satyr’s stories, the camp had been particularly generous when it came to food and anything similar, but, again Yujin doesn’t think he can trust anything the satyr says anymore.
Here’s the thing, Yujin had no idea just what exactly was the reason behind all of the buzz surrounding him had been until he finally turned fifteen last summer, a particularly late age to find out something about yourself, but his mother had always said it would be better late than never, but didn’t exactly meant that he was satisfied about his discovery, because as it turns out, he was a lot more sleepy and a lot more sluggish than he had originally intended. Also, he seems to be able to induce nightmares for people he had disliked, which didn’t exactly end well when he wasn’t exactly liked by most people within his campus.
Again, can you blame him? He would probably have lived a lot easier had he received a proper explanation for his condition a lot earlier than in the middle of his teenage years, but apparently, according to the satyr, they had no idea someone would still be stuck within the “mortal world,” or so they call it. They thought they had already fulfilled the promise that some other camper had asked them to fulfil, which, in Yujin’s view, was utter bullshit. It was impossible every single person in that peculiar camp fulfilled the promise. The satyr didn’t, so why should they?
But again, just like the many other comments he had commented before, the satyr told him he had interpreted it wrongly, before deciding to tell him to go and rest, though for him not to sleep long enough for him to suddenly be attacked by a barrage of monsters. The funnier part about this entire journey had been the fact that the satyr had completely forgotten to introduce himself, and in Yujin’s opinion, had he known the name of the thing, he would’ve trusted him a lot faster than during the first week of their travels.
Which reminds him, did his mother even know about his whereabouts? Does everyone in his family know the situation he’s found himself in? He hasn’t stopped thinking about that part since the satyr had saved his life within that alleyway, dragging him and telling him that he would be the last child that he would risk his entire life for, which, in all honesty, hadn’t been a particularly satisfying thing to hear when you had just ran away from home.
Yujin had left his original backpack in that alleyway, most of which had contained his belongings, though the satyr had told him that someone, or rather, something would eventually come to pick it up and find it, making sure that it would return to its rightful owner, though Yujin wonders just exactly how a predicament like that would be possible, he simply chooses not to question the creature’s sanity. This was mostly because he didn’t know how many more “history” lessons he could take without having his head split.
He was two days into his sleep deprivation when that happened.
Now, he was a week into it with, arguably, the most annoying companion to ever travel with far too busy defeating some kind of monster that had been following them all the way into this so-called safe sanctuary that Yujin highly doubts had been as secure as some people, the satyr, would consider it to be.
But Yujin has no choice, and so, he perseveres, because within just a week, Han Yujin seems to have discovered that his origins hadn’t been as unknownas he had originally perceived them to be, and the knowing idea that he had been a half-blood and all of these things were hidden to him by his family had been more than enough for Yujin to not want to return back home, a past he had so desperately wished to leave, a new beginning he’s finally gained access to.
If freedom had come in the form of something as dysfunctional as a trip to a summer camp he knew nothing about, then the freedom of such will be acceptable enough as compared to returning in the sharp embrace of his mother.
He arrives towards the edge of the tall cliff, with little difficulty, and quickly catches sight of a fire within the distance. According to his friend, who had been an avid fan of the idea of surviving in the woods, and someone Yujin is surprised wasn’t the apparent “half-blood” between the both of them, had said that fire within the distance usually would indicate the presence of humans.
Or… Even more confusing creatures. Either option would have been fine with Yujin at this point, so as long as he can get a bed to sleep in and somewhere where he could regain his sanity, perhaps someone who can answer all of his questions in a more rational manner, rather than the fantastical way with which the satyr had spoken to him with.
He doesn’t waste time in approaching the supposed fire, something rekindled inside of him. Hope, perhaps. Trust that something new will finally come out of his journey, perhaps something that he wouldn’t have expected. He’s always been thrilled to finally do something new with his life, not just for him to be locked up within the towers, or so he calls, of his bedroom. He wanted to explore, see things, even if he enjoyed sleeping rather than walking. The idea of travelling alone had already been a comfort.
He didn’t wish to show it outwardly, but with the way the adrenaline within his system had quickly shot through, Yujin realises that, in all of the years of his life, this had been his first access to freedom. The first time he would be able to consider a decision to have been made on his own, the first time that he would be able to see the world within the lens of a child, something he hadn’t exactly been privy to in his past life.
Past life… The idea almost sounds incredulous, yet it’s within his reach. His palms sweat at the idea, running even faster towards the light.
And then, as most things go when you’ve finally felt hope seep itself into one’s system, he blacks out.
╳
When Yujin wakes up again, he comes to realise that he truly does enjoy the presence of his dreams a lot more than the painful awareness of having to face reality every single day.
There’s a stinging pain that sticks to his head and if he had more awareness, he’d have noticed the bandage wrapped around his forehead, a necessary precaution to stop the oddly continuous flow of blood slipping through his head when he had fallen onto the floor before he passed out. That was a memory he could barely recall, though one thing had been for sure, he didn’t exactly reach the fire before he had forgotten everything in his surroundings.
It takes him another few minutes before he decides to open his eyes and properly take in his surroundings. He much enjoys the presence of the illusions his brain could conduct, some of which were oddly far too vivid, others having some kind of allusion to a reality he was yet to discover about, though he knew perfectly well that dreams were mere illusions made up by your delirious mind, and so, if his dreams would like to create illusions about some deity attempting to warn you about your condition, then perhaps that’s how most things would end and oddly enough, a fun story for him to tell.
And then, immediately, Yujin remembers that the satyr told him that nothing was to be taken as a joke, especially potential prophetic visions, and if there’s one thing he’s grown to learn, the satyr seems to be right in a few aspects, some of which include everything that had related to this freakish condition—or not freakish. That wasn’t exactly the correct word to describe the one thing you can use as an escape from the reality of your situation.
And, finally, he chooses to actually open his eyes, and Yujin is quickly hit by the scent of something chocolate, something oddly reminding him of home seeping through the corner of his head. He looks to his side to find a goblet filled with hot cocoa, the kind that his nanny from when he was younger had made for him whenever it was the eve before Christmas. He had always complained that he had disliked the idea of having to be the only one with an unoriginal idea for Christmas, saying hot milk would make Santa Claus fall asleep, and so he chose to give him something that energised him instead.
Something like the hot cocoa that he had his nanny painstakingly make him.
It smelled like home, something that he hadn’t been quite familiar with, though he had always complimented the way she had made him, something so loving and peaceful with the way she had handled putting everything into the cup, despite the fact it had only been melted chocolate and warmed milk that she had made earlier in the morning. In Yujin’s view, the special ingredient was love. It was what made it incomparable to that of his mother’s attempts of recreating the drink.
“You should drink that.” A voice echoes from beside him, and only does it register that someone had been watching over him the entire time.
He cranes his head to look over to the side, having to blink a few times to properly get a look on the man. He had purple hair, dimples slightly seeping through as he smiled at Yujin. There was a guitar strapped onto his back, and by the looks of it, calluses all over his fingers, which only made sense if he had enjoyed playing the instrument. He seemed to emit such a peaceful aura, and just by looking at him, Yujin could almost feel as if he was already being healed.
He swallows a lump in his throat, raising a brow at the direction of the stranger. He gestures towards the goblet again, smelling of home, spices, and the days he’s spent cooped up inside the kitchen whilst helping out the chefs and the workers create a meal in hopes of gaining his mother’s attention. The last memory had oddly sent a pang into his heart, though, despite it all, the memory remains fond. At least, in the back of his mind, he knew he had done something about the negligence.
“Drink it, unless you want water? I can get some for you.” He spoke with a certain rasp to his voice, though something about it had sounded melodic either way. He then sits down on another one of the beds, and for the second time that day, Yujin comes to another realisation that he had been inside of an infirmary, which now explains the smell of medical equipment that reminded him of hospitals. There was an oddly satisfying smell to it, though—something that he can’t quite put a finger on.
“Hello?” The stranger calls out again, worrying befalling his face. He seems to have slowly reached out for his guitar, as if this would help Yujin’s condition in some way.
“Oh… Uhm, sorry. I’m still kind of out of it. Water, please?” He finally says, the stranger stopping in his motions and deciding to put the guitar on the floor instead. He smiles as he takes his leave out of the room, giving Yujin a few minutes to attempt to remember just what exactly he could recall from the flurry that would have been today’s arrival towards his destination—or, at least he thinks he’s arrived at his destination. The people in the place seem oddly fine having some stranger in their infirmary.
Unless he was caught by a cult, which, he supposes, wasn’t exactly the worst fate that could fall on him. He thinks that cults would actually have some decorum… or perhaps he’s inhaled far too much media that had related horror, the idea of cults wouldn’t have been as incredulous to him. His nanny had mentioned that he wasn’t going to end up falling asleep due to the nightmares it had given him, though he supposes he hadn’t remembered to mention that he had sort of some weird control over his dreams.
He also comes to notice the bright orange shirt that he was now wearing, Camp Half-Blood written all over it with a symbol of a pegasus in the middle. It had looked far too “orange” for his liking, though the stranger seemed to have been wearing the same shirt as well, so perhaps this had been a uniform of sorts, a way for the people who had ran the place to, possibly, find the campers easier if they had gone outside for some kind of activity. That made much sense, though it didn’t make the colours any less obnoxious.
The door opening again removes him from his stupor, and the same purple-haired boy walks in with a glass of water in his hands, smiling a lot wider now, dimples even more so obvious than they had been. He seems to oddly be emitting some sort of sunny energy, a skip in his steps as he gives the glass to Yujin. He reaches out for it, smiling as he takes one full drink. Quickly, he already feels a lot better, and he places the glass to the side, thanking the stranger yet again.
The stranger decides to take a seat on the bed again, tilting his head to the side as he seems to be observing Yujin’s form. “How are you feeling? Do you think you can walk? Chiron wants to meet you… and obviously Mr. D as well, but I doubt he’d actually care enough to properly admit it… Oh! And my name is Taerae. I’m the head medic here at the camp. You are?” He reaches out his hand for Yujin to shake, smiling even wider, if that had even been possible.
Now, that answers two questions and creates yet another.
One, he had safely arrived at the camp that the satyr was ardently trying to take him to, practically holding his head through every single process and contemplating just leaving him alone in the middle of the streets—which he can’t, because it had been the satyr’s fault he had found him in this predicament in the first place, and he had made sure that the satyr knew he didn’t exactly enjoy being treated as if he was some kind of object that the satyr could so easily throw away if ever it so pleases to.
Two, he wasn’t dreaming anymore, because he had attempted to try and move the scene somewhere else, something a lot more familiar, though the image of the head medic didn’t leave at all, and Yujin was stuck wondering what he was going to do in a situation he didn’t exactly enjoy being. He hadn’t enjoyed talking with a lot of people in the first place, hence why he had preferred the comfort of his dreams and sleep itself. He had hoped he had slept for at least a week… that would’ve been a comforting thought.
And finally, for the new question that’s popped up into his head, who the fuck was Mr. D and was this guy serious about meeting the Chiron?
The satyr’s stories weren’t actually half-true, then.
He takes Taerae’s hand and shakes it. He seems to be satisfied by this, seemingly a lot more joyful and sunnier than he had been. “I’m… Yujin. How long was I out for?”
“Oh? At least almost a week! We thought you wouldn’t wake up, but the satyr who brought you here said you were just like that… We’re kind of guessing who your godly parent already is.”
Yujin has to blink his eyes rapidly at the sound of that, half-convinced he had been stuck in a dream. Perhaps a week wasn’t enough to truly quench every single thing within his system. He perhaps needed a month. Yes, a month was perfectly reasonable when the stupid satyr had left him begging for sleep for almost two weeks. In what world was sleep deprivation helpful! “Godly what?”
“Godly parent!” Taerae says it with so much certainty that he knew there was truth in the way he says it, as is most things in the world. He was sure that the satyr had been telling the truth, but if you were also in his position, hearing such incredulous ideas of not belonging in the world you had currently stood in, then even you would have deluded yourself into thinking that what you were hearing wasn’t real.
So, like any other knowledgeable person within his field, he chooses not to acknowledge this fact again, choosing to ignore rather than confront. Perhaps he’ll dream about the outcome of his decisions again later, since the satyr wants to insist that what he was dreaming had been the effects of something prophetic. Perhaps he should be a fortune teller, making a profit out of his new talent.
“Hello? Are you okay?” Taerae must have noticed the sudden way he’s paused in his thoughts, something uncomfortable forming in his gaze as he tries to flip through the different possibilities with which this new ordeal presents him. Okay, he might be the son of some deity, that still doesn’t answer the question of which one they’re talking about.
And, by the looks of it, Taerae seems to have gained some ideas.
Yujin simply nods his head as an answer to his question, attempting for a smile to form onto his lips, though it comes off more as a wince rather than the intended effect. Taerae stares at him concerningly after this, though he chooses to brush it off. He supposes he’s seen far too many new campers who have seen the same faith, riddled by the same amount of confusion, before someone a lot more credible would finally answer said camper’s questions.
As if on cue, as if reading Yujin’s thoughts that were plaguing him the longer he remained awake, someone bursts through the door, yet another unfamiliar figure with a pencil and notebook within his hold. He has cherry red hair and glasses perched up his head. Someone seems to be trailing behind him, though Yujin can’t exactly get a proper view of the other person.
“Oh, he’s awake already?” The new person says, gesturing towards Yujin’s direction. “Mr. D and Chiron just asked me to check up on him to see if he’s woken up. How is he doing?”
Taerae nods his head with enthusiasm, picking up his guitar from the ground as he prepares to leave the room. “Yeah, but he seems a little out of it. Will Chiron and Mr. D be fine with it?”
“I don’t think they’re that picky when it comes to the conversations they’re in.” He writes something on the notebook he’s holding, as if checking off something in his list. He returns his gaze back to Taerae, tapping the tip of the pencil against the notebook’s pages. “You can bring him down and then have Gyuvin or Gunwook tour him around. I recommend Gunwook more, though.”
Taerae seems surprised, lips pursing and eyebrows furrowing. “Huh? Wouldn’t Gyuvin be a better option?”
“Mr. D already probably gave him something to do in the weaponry with Matthew. If they’re both available, then let them both do it. I think they’d be wonderful company for the new camper.”
╳
As it turns out, Yujin had not only barely arrived at the camp before he had quickly passed out, but he hadn’t even walked enough of the distance to properly arrive towards the direction of the camp, barely even grazing past the tree before something or someone had decided to let him fall into whatever sleep had left him knocked out for an entire week. While it’s arguably one of his better naps, he doesn’t exactly also miss out on the enjoyment that being awake brings.
That’s not to say he prefers either option, though.
Zhang Hao, the guy who had checked up on him, had graciously allowed him to wait for at least another hour before he and Taerae had to go down. There was a certain aura of business that Hao had carried, as if he was far too busy doing everything else to even properly pay attention to those that surround him, though with the way he had carefully catered to every single request and suggestion, it was visible that this was not the case. Perhaps it had been the glasses or the rush with which he did things. Either way, he seemed responsible and looked as if he ran the place. Yujin doesn’t doubt that he probably does.
The man that had been behind him was Hanbin, apparently the head counsellor of the cabin that Taerae had belonged to. He seemed to be in a lot more of a rush than Hao was, as if pestering him to quickly finish whatever task he had needed to finish within the Big House ( Yujin had discovered this was the name of the place he was currently staying at, which seemed very self-explanatory. It was a house and it felt big), though he hadn’t left without at least giving him a small hello, whisker dimples appearing on his cheeks as he fled, so it was easy for Yujin to say that he had found the both of them to be a rather fond presence.
Taerae had filled in more of the details that had been missing within his memory after he had passed out onto the ground, how the nymphs had been the ones to find him, and how the satyr still hadn’t returned since he had arrived. The people within the camp had been assuming that perhaps the satyr had died fighting that monster, though the “council,” or whatever they were, had argued otherwise. Nature didn’t seem to agree with their statements, and apparently, most campers knew better than to let themselves argue against whatever sense these creatures had possessed.
And then, as quick as it had arrived, the hour had passed, and Yujin still felt as if he had only wanted to stick onto the bed and never leave. There was something comfortable about it, and arguably, it was softer than most of the beds that he had stayed at within hotels his mother had forced him to stay within. Not to mention, he had the presence of a perfectly good storyteller. Taerae had an allure with which he told stories, as if reciting them like a musical, a certain tone of melody leaving his voice.
But this had been an important endeavour, and as much as he hadn’t wished to admit, Yujin put a lot of importance on meeting new people. He had made sure to do his best to remember certain qualities of theirs that would make it easier for him to commit them to memory, hence why he would consider himself to be a trustworthy source when it came to the judgement of others.
If someone was simply a terrible person, then truthfully, Yujin wouldn’t take the time to remember even a single characteristic that belonged to this person.
It was an arduous process for Yujin to even leave the bed, though when he does, he realises that he hadn’t been injured at all on his legs. Sure, there had been a few scrapes here and there, which only came as a natural result of rolling down the hills, though he couldn’t exactly feel any kind of pain that would have resulted in him wincing and walking around awkwardly for days. He hadn’t exactly possessed a high pain tolerance.
Taerae seems to notice this confusion, smiling widely. “We let you drink some nectar, that’s why all your wounds are healed up. The only one that really needs some extra attention anymore is that wound on your head, but I doubt it looks too bad since you already drank nectar. Just tell me if anything hurts and we’ll figure something out. I wanted to sing for you to help out the healing process again, but you… err… woke up.”
That’s yet another peculiar piece of knowledge that he’s going to have to ponder on later.
Yujin doesn’t know exactly what are the specifics or what kind of conversation he needed to dabble into, only that there had been something important that he had to know and majority of the knowledge would come from the two most prominent figures within camp. While Taerae had the ability to be able to give him pieces of details that he may need to answer potential questions, that hadn’t meant that he knew what the full extent of what he wanted to know and needed to know was. Even then, the help had been appreciated, and if anything, Yujin was perfectly expecting he would have to sit and stare at the wall until he would be able to remember everything that he needed to.
The Big House had something of a rather antique sight, design mixed with something modern, though it’s obvious that these were details that had only been added in now. There were columns surrounding the walls and a fireplace with a freakish head displayed in the middle of it. Taerae only seems to gloss over this detail, though he seems to giggle at the fact that Yujin takes note of its presence, as if this would be a story he would tell either Zhang Hao or Hanbin later on.
And then, they reach the outside of the Big House, and Yujin is only then hit by the absolute liveliness that he couldn’t quite hear from inside of the walls of the infirmary. Perhaps it had been soundproofed for a perfectly reasonable reason.
There was a chariot seemingly being flown by a pegasus and some camper throwing a dangerous looking substance towards yet another camper, that of which the said camper decides to shoot with their bow and arrow, before glaring and attempting to shoot the flying camper instead. Another two seem to be sparring in the middle of everything, something Yujin deems to be perfectly unsafe, considering there’s probably going to be a place that should be reserved for that.
Other campers seem to find themselves content in being able to speak amongst each other rather than dabbling in with the chaos, though even the way they had done their conversations hadn’t been any less weirder, for some of them seem to be wielding something out of their hands or perhaps creating something out of thin air. One even seems to be sharpening their sword, which, again, Yujin deems to be unsafe when done in the middle of everything.
There was a competition happening in the middle of it all, a bunch of campers chasing each other as they threw different, most likely, dangerous bombs and weapons towards each other, most of which were luckily avoided, though some weren’t exactly fast enough. Yujin considers it to be comparable to dodgeball, though visibly, it was a much more dangerous version of the famed game.
Luckily, Taerae had already told him that the camp had been far from ordinary, though the culture shock all in all hadn’t been able to prepare him for the sight that had been the complete chaos he was not exactly used to, especially after living within a household that had valued formality above all things. Perhaps that had been the reason for his rather timid nature, something Taerae, yet again takes note of, before simply brushing this off with a smile. “You’d get along with Ricky.” He off-handedly mentions, strumming his guitar. He doesn’t know who Ricky was nor what his contribution to society would be, though something about the name had been oddly familiar, as though he’s most definitely heard of it somewhere before. “You both seem to be timid, but I can tell you’ve got some personality inside of you… I mean, sorry. Is that a little mean to say? I don’t mean being timid is wrong!”
There seemed to be screams echoing from every single direction, though this hadn’t been overwhelming for Yujin. The sight almost makes him comforted, in fact, as if the chaos had been something he had oddly been in search of. He was fifteen years old, having to conform to what the high-class society considered to be formal hadn’t done good things to his psyche, so perhaps that had been the reason for his fondness of knowing that people like him hadn’t been the only things in the world.
He oddly finds so much comfort within the idea of change, suppose he’s anticipating it a lot more than someone should have. He’s always been told change would be scary, though the form it seems to be taking in front of him didn’t exactly omit fear, only a sense of longing, a sense of finally finding somewhere within the corners, not exactly corners, of a camp he’s going to grow to enjoy.
Oddly enough, Yujin doesn’t think anyone would have willingly resigned their fate this way, but if it had come in the form of something so unlike his usual environment, then you can’t blame him. He’s always wanted something new, chased those experiences and savoured them because he knew he wouldn’t be allowed to otherwise.
Again, yet again, he decides that he’d be fine with this kind of life. Internally, he thanks that satyr that hadn’t returned for bringing him here.
Taerae leads him towards the back of the side of the big house, the one that had faced the Long Island Lake, or so Taerae had said. It was a lot more silent in this area, the noise almost muffled, save for the occasional scream. He would understand why the two “big shots” would find themselves lounging out in this area. Yujin thinks he would have had a nice time napping here, too. The chairs had looked oddly comfortable, and every single time they walked, strawberries seemed to seep into the air. It was a comforting smell.
Yujin could hear the muffled voices of apparently Chiron and Mr. D when they both had arrived, discussing something about playing a game of capture the flag within that evening, when Taerae had knocked onto the door, a smile creeping upon his lips as he bowed in the direction of both of the counsellors. Yujin does the same thing, perhaps out of respect, perhaps out of habit. Both possibilities were a given. The one who had been part-horse, Chiron, returned the gesture. Mr. D remained seated.
“Took you long enough to wake up.” Mr. D makes an off-handed comment, something booming about his voice, something that makes Yujin almost wish to simply look away and not pay attention to him. Taerae had said his presence would be aggravating, perhaps a little maddening, and it only made sense. The God of Madness would obviously have that kind of effect, and it was almost surprising not everyone had considered this fact.
Yujin smiles sheepishly instead at the comment, rubbing his neck as Taerae excuses himself. Chiron gestures for him to sit down on one of the couches, offering him one of those goblets he had seen at the infirmary. It continues to fill up with hot chocolate again, the comforting scent of home, the kitchen, seeping through his nerves. He seems a lot more comfortable now, at peace.
Based on immediate observations it had been clear to him which of the two had been satisfied with seeing him and which had wished to finish this conversation, though Yujin, with all the naturality that comes with having to deal with such gazes every single day, simply looks as stoic as ever, or at least lacking in emotion.
Chiron cuts off the last of the awkward energy sinking into the air, gesturing towards him with a smile. “So, it seems you’ve healed well. How are you feeling?”
“A bit… Sleepy, if I’m being honest. This chair is a little comfortable.” It actually wasn’t—the chair. It had been made of wood, and in all honesty, wasn’t comfortable for curling up nor laying your head anywhere, especially for people as big and as long as Yujin had been. However, with the few hours that he had been awake and the overwhelming energy with which his surroundings were slowly giving him, despite finding comfort within that same chaos, he thinks that a nap was due for his being, already resting his head to the side.
Chiron seems to take note of this observation, laughing slightly to himself as he stares at the sight displayed in front of him. Mr. D seems to have found something far more interesting inside of his goblet, choosing not to dabble deep into the conversation, though it was clear he was listening, especially with the way his ear twitches every single time one of them breathes so much as breathes. It was obvious, the body language. Perhaps it was the overconfidence with being a deity that makes one so open in their way of speaking.
“Would you like to take a nap after our conversation? I assure you, it will be swift.” Chiron pushes through, though Yujin’s sluggish look and slow way of blinking had already been an indication that not even swift would be able to take away the unfortunate nonsense that a sleep deprived, travelling, teenager with an unknowing satyr, that could potentially be dead, brings. Chiron doesn’t seem to mind this, however, choosing to speak with Yujin, either way. Something tells him that falling asleep would probably make him understand Chiron better, as if those prophetic dreams would be a lot easier to decipher than this guy’s words.
He finds the offer surprisingly tempting, and so, as much as he possibly could, he tries to give his attention to the centaur, or he at least thinks that Chiron had been a centaur. He was half-sure that he was being fooled by his own imagination, though the sudden explosion that had erupted from behind, quickly followed by a bunch of enthusiastic screams, seemed to have quickly shut down the idea that all of this had been a dream.
Not to mention, if this were a dream, he would’ve had a concerning amount of control over the way it would have flown. He had the choice to quickly change the scene, though by the looks of it, he didn’t have much of an option, and while he was expecting a boring conversation, truthfully, he had quite a few questions he wanted answered.
“Which topic would you like for me to discuss, first and foremost?”
“What am I here for?”
Mr. D cuts off Chiron before he’s even able to properly answer the question, likely a lot more formal than the response coming out of Mr. D’s mouth. “That sounds like a question all new campers keep asking. Do the satyrs not do their jobs are you guys just plugging your ears and not hearing ‘em? Why’d you think they even do what they do in the first place?”
Chiron seems to gesture for him to calm down, though internally, he seems to have been aware that he wouldn’t exactly be able to pause whatever tangent he had been going on. He sighs as he returns his gaze back to Yujin, even more so confused now.
The satyr had mentioned something?
( Which, he realises later, just proved Mr. D’s point. He did plug his ears and not listen to the satyr.)
“What Mr. D meant is… the satyrs that guide you here or take you here usually are tasked with briefing you about the purpose of the camp that you currently are in right now. You’re a half-blood, or a demi-god, depending on whichever version of the word you’re more comfortable with. You’re not just a human, you have divine blood flowing through your system.” He says it so casually, something so comforting in his tone that it only makes Yujin yawn even more. He attempts to do his best to listen to him better, though that’s not exactly happening, with the way he was already sluggishly blinking.
“This camp was made years ago to be able to protect those kids, all of which are all over the world, to train to be heroes and to survive once they’re out and about in the world. We help you grow and we do our best to make sure that you come out of here, come out of your shell without having to fear what it is exactly that’s going to be following you.”
Yujin yawns louder than the last time he had, craning his head to the side, seemingly confused. “Why do the campers need to fend themselves if you’re here to keep them safe?”
“Because, while it is slightly assured no monster would come in to hurt you,” That was far from comforting, “You must learn how to fend for yourselves when the situation comes that we’re not there to help you or protect you. These monsters, they’re rampant most when you’re younger, especially when you’ve reached the age of twelve. This is why parents of half-bloods generally protect their children before they reach that age…” A rather ironic term, if he was being honest. “But then, it would all be difficult once they turn twelve and may only be safe within the camp, which parents are aware of.”
He leans in to emphasise his sentence just a little bit more, adding a certain flick to his words. “They don’t stop chasing you down until you’re within their clutches, and once you are, you’ll die by their hands. You’d become their food.”
Yujin does not want to become monster food.
“The place is mostly known as a summer camp, so the majority of the campers usually aren’t around for most of the year.” Something in the way Yujin had heard the words made his entire heart drop, like a realisation slowly forming inside of his head again that makes him stand up, sit up as he stares at both of the supposed mythical beings in front of him with adrenaline coursing through his system.
Yujin didn’t want to go home, no matter what the consequences would have been. If his mother had decided she would give birth to a half-blood and knew that this would be the fate that he was stuck with, then it wouldn’t be all too surprising if he chose not to be within her sights anymore. Perhaps she might even think that he was dead already, especially since he was already fifteen, somehow still within the clutches of his mother way past the age that he was supposed to have entered the camp.
If he had a choice, if he was given a choice, then he would choose the option that didn’t have to lead back to that wretched household.
“Is there an option to stay?” Yujin cuts him off mid-sentence, far too immersed within his thoughts that he didn’t exactly properly hear what the centaur had been saying, though if none of it was related to his question, then he probably wouldn’t have noticed and taken note of it, either way.
Chiron seems to stare at him in surprise, before a warm smile slowly forms on his lips, comforting in a sense that makes Yujin almost fill with hope, though he wouldn’t blame him if he says no. It was a summer camp for a reason. Having a singular camper to care for when everyone else had been far too busy returning back to their loving homes hadn’t exactly been a tempting offer, but he lets himself fill with hope. He already saw a glimpse of the difference with which his life could have, he had hoped it would stay that way for long enough, at least.
“Of course. We do offer year-long campers for people that may wish to stay. We would ask you before the summer term is over if you would like to stay for a year so that we wouldn’t end up cleaning up your things inside of your cabin.”
If Yujin was asked to describe the feeling that he had felt during that part of the conversation, it would be something similar to exhilaration.
In all honesty, it wasn’t a complete secret that he hadn’t exactly enjoyed the childhood that he had been given. This was not to say he wasn’t appreciative of it, though this is not to say he particularly enjoyed every part of it, either. There were certain details within his memory that would sometimes go blank whenever he would try to remember it, but at least, in some way, he was aware that what he had gone through wasn’t something every single child shouldn’t be given.
He doesn’t think he would’ve preferred any other option, too. He thinks, somehow, he would’ve begged Chiron to stay had he ever said that it wasn’t allowed. If he worked up enough of the courage, if he had mentioned every single piece of living condition that would just ruin him a lot more after he’s gotten a taste of the freedom he could’ve had, Yujin doesn’t think he’d come back right, something inside of him torn apart forever, both by hope and by the notion that it would’ve been his escape.
Maybe it came from the reckless imagination of a child, Yujin not even considering the possibility that the living conditions here could potentially be worse, but he had wished for this on his fifteenth birthday. If it came in the form of an origin he wasn’t aware of, then he wasn’t perfectly fine with that, too. Anything would’ve been a better option than the words that were practically branded into his skin, digging itself into his brain whenever he would try to remind himself that everything would be okay.
Everything wouldn’t be okay then. Everything can be okay now.
His childhood best friend, Ollie, as he called him, told him that it was completely fine that his family hadn’t exactly cared for him, for lack of better sentence structure since they were kids, since he had cared for him anyways. He had told Yujin, chocolate stuffed in his mouth and a cheeky grin that had made itself a staple within his memory, that it would be okay. Everything would eventually get better and he was going to go somewhere that was magical and would make him smile.
“When that happens, don’t ever leave that place anymore! And then bring me with you so we can explore together, okay?” Happily, Yujin makes a pinky promise with this best friend of his, before returning to their game.
Now, as he hears the sounds of pegasi and actual genuine laughter echoing from somewhere behind the three of them, Yujin finds himself considering his options, almost as if there was any other option available. His pinky twitches at the memory echoing within his head, telling him there had been hope and that there was also an insane possibility that Ollie had been potentially psychic, whether he was going to put an actual meaning to that or not.
Chiron seems to stare at him with anticipation, as if waiting for the next thing he was going to say, though he’s sure that the centaur had read his mind, that he was aware of what exactly the decision that was burrowing itself into Yujin’s head already would be. He didn’t exactly make it not obvious, asking the question right off the bat as if that would make things a lot more subtle. Mr. D seems to have busied himself with drinking something from inside the goblet, complaining about the taste of it and not being too strong enough for his liking..
“Okay… Thank you.” Yujin chooses a simpler response, adrenaline leaving his system as he slouches back into the chair. By the end of his stay, however, he was sure that he would choose to become a year-long camper. He thinks Chiron is aware of this, too, smiling towards Yujin when he seems to have gained a resolve.
The memory of his mother seeps itself into his mind as he tries to feel guilty for his impossibly impulsive decision, but there was always a chance for him to change that, to decide otherwise. It was only April, if he recalled correctly. He had more than enough time to think about his decisions and everything that he needed to consider if he truly wished to remain here and never return home.
Though, internally, something tells him his resolve had already been solidified. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s already said goodbye.
Chiron continues with the tangent he had already started, deciding to go into the facilities that the place had offered. Yujin takes this as a sign to finally pass out, take that promised nap from earlier within his clutches and not pay attention to a single word. Mr. D seems to find himself completely detached from the conversation now.
Once more, with a smile on his face as he drifts off, Yujin thinks he’s finally found his home.