Chapter Text
There is no prophecy in this story. The closest we got was a mother who told her son that one day he would arrive alive in a place where people could protect and care for him. And that's why Kim Mingyu wasn't surprised when he found a crumpled piece of paper with an unknown address and a small silver pendant in the trouser pocket of his mother's dead body.
He didn't even have time to find out what had happened to the person he loved most in the world, he had been attacked enough times to realize that it was time to look for that safe place.
At thirteen, Mingyu knew he wasn't a normal teenager. He had already gotten into trouble and seen too many strange things to believe that his life was up to standard. He just didn't know what was wrong with himself yet, and it was at the beginning of the summer that he found out.
He had left home carrying only a backpack with two changes of clothes, all the money he had managed to find, cookies that would only last two days and that pendant hanging from a silver chain on his wrist. He felt that he wouldn't survive long if he didn't find that mysterious place, something told him that the thing that had attacked his mother was behind him now and that he wouldn't rest until he had completed his mission. He just didn't know why.
What reason would anyone - or anything - have to kill them? They were just ordinary people and owed nothing to anyone. That's what Mingyu thought.
The paper said “Half-Blood Camp, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141. Long Island, New York 11954” and that's where Mingyu headed, always looking around and not taking a moment to rest, he couldn't let his guard down.
Even so, taking all the necessary precautions to avoid arousing suspicion, Mingyu was attacked by a monster that he affectionately nicknamed a “giant bull that walked like people” before he reached the Half-Blood Hill.
Mingyu couldn't quite remember what had happened but, in his desperation to survive this creature that only he seemed to see, he felt his whole body heat up and, in the blink of an eye, huge flames came out of his hands and turned the famous Minotaur into a bull barbecue. He ran as fast as his injuries would allow and climbed the hill, even though his whole body was sore and tired.
When he was almost at the top, Mingyu spotted a huge pine tree with a kind of carpet on one of the branches and a kind of dragon curled up at the base of the tree with its eyes closed while a boy who looked older than Kim was stroking the animal's scales. Mingyu struggled a little more, summoning up all the courage and strength he still had to finish climbing until the other boy finally noticed him.
The boy was wearing some kind of armor over an orange blouse and had round-rimmed glasses adorning his eyes, which widened the moment they looked at Mingyu.
- Who are you? - the boy asked, startled, as he brought his right hand up to the base of his dagger, ready to pull it out as soon as he saw any sign of a threat.
- Please help me, - Mingyu managed to say as he stopped in front of the boy, resting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily, feeling every inch of his body burn and ache. - I... - He simply collapsed, sinking into exhaustion once and for all.
Jeon Wonwoo was the son of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. He was used to solving any situation using logic. He was used to his own brain shouting commands at him twenty-four hours a day. He always knew exactly what to do and when to do it. But this was the first time he couldn't come to any conclusion. His thoughts seemed confused and didn't make any sense, he felt genuinely lost.
Wonwoo looked around and beyond the thin body in front of him, looking for any sign of monsters, but everything seemed quiet and normal. He knelt down and poked Mingyu, turning him onto his stomach, checking his injuries and coming to the conclusion that nothing too serious had happened to him, just a few superficial cuts and signs of struggle and fatigue. The only thing out of the ordinary was his sooty hands, as if he had recently set fire to something, and the older man automatically knew who the boy's father was.
Hephaestus had sent another of his sons, and this one had something special about him.
Kim Mingyu was taken to the Great House, where Chiron himself gave direct orders for one of Apollo's sons to be responsible for his care. The one chosen to treat Kim's wounds was Lee Seokmin, the current leader of Chalet 7, experienced in both medicine and music, and especially in handling a bow. Seokmin was, almost literally, the sun and Mingyu discovered this the moment he woke up, two days after his arrival.
His injuries were already much better thanks to the work of Apollo's son and also the nectar - which Mingyu discovered was the drink of the gods, with healing potential for an injured demigod, but which should be ingested sparingly as no one would want to be incinerated -. Kim was finally able to feel at peace when he met Chiron - now awake - and the centaur explained to him what had been happening all his life. At last, he was a demigod and now all he had to do was wait for his divine father to claim him.
Now calmer, Mingyu was finally able to feel the sadness of losing his mother and the longing began to knock on his door every day.
Kim was claimed about a week after his arrival, he was a son of Hephaestus and now everyone was sure of it, even if some had suspected it before. He moved into chalet 9, which was slightly more chaotic and noisier than Hermes' chalet. The sound of iron against stone echoed throughout the day thanks to the forge in the basement and the various sons of Hephaestus never seemed to tire of the hard work, Mingyu quickly got used to it.
He had seen the boy who had saved him on the first day a few times, but he seemed to be incredibly shy and reserved, running away whenever Mingyu got too close even if he just wanted to say thank you.
- Hey, Seok - he called out to his friend when they were sitting together on some rocks near the stream that ran through the forest - Do you know that boy who wears round glasses and always has a different book in his hand? - It was silly to ask, Seokmin knew all the campers and Mingyu knew that.
- Are you talking about Jeon Wonwoo? The boy who saved you when you first arrived? - he replied with his eyes closed as he felt the sun's rays kissing his skin, this was his favorite moment of the day and he didn't want to hide it.
- How do you know... ah, never mind. - Mingyu should also have realized that Seokmin knew absolutely everything that went on around the camp. The son of Apollo, along with Soonyoung and Seungkwan, both sons of Hermes, represented the camp's very own gossip wall.
- Well, he's Athena's son and probably wants to be an architect one day. He's fourteen years old and has lived permanently in the camp for more than four summers. He's literally been the pride of chalet 6 since he designed the last renovation of the Big House, and he was only eleven at the time. He's almost always together with Soonyoung and Lee Jihoon, who is the son of Ares, as incredible as that sounds, but Wonwoo prefers to be alone with his books most of the time, so he's not always part of “civilization”. Wonwoo is a nice guy and is always willing to help, he's just shy and lives in his own little world most of the time. - And finally, he shrugged, before closing his eyes again and basking in the sun.
- You've dumped too much information on me, man. - Mingyu said. - I'd even ask how you know all this, but... - he said as innocently as he could.
- As reserved as he is, Wonwoo is an open book, Gyu, it's easy to see who he is, what his ambitions are and what he likes. He seems to like you, he went out of his way to save you that day even though it wasn't his job. Wonwoo wasn't supposed to be there that day, he took over from Jihoon who was playing tricks on one of his sisters with Soonyoung's help. Jeon put a lot on the line when he took you to the Big House on his own, he could even have lost his position as councillor of Athena's cottage, Gyu, but I bet he didn't even think about it while he was carrying you, or rather, he must have since his mother is the goddess of wisdom, but maybe he came to the conclusion that his life was more important than a few perks and the right to a vote on the council. - He shrugged.
- So... he's no longer the councilor? - Mingyu asked, feeling suddenly guilty.
- Naah, that would only have happened if Mr. D had been in the Big House, but Chiron is the kindest and wisest centaur I've ever seen, Gyu, he knows Wonwoo didn't mean any harm so he let it slide. - Seokmin picked at his fingernails before continuing - Have you finished your interrogation of Jeon Wonwoo now? - He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
- Yeah, I think I am. - Mingyu replied, aware that he couldn't hide anything from his friend.
- Good, then let's go back to the not-so-civilized civilization. I bet the sons of Ares will train long enough for me to shoot some arrows at their cottage - Seokmin clapped his hands on his pants to shake off the dust that only he could see and smiled in his friend's direction.
- Jihoon will be furious if he finds out it was you. - Mingyu imitated his gesture, not caring when Lee slung his arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards the forest exit.
- I'm not afraid of that little guy, he doesn't scare me.
If you asked Mingyu, he would say that Lee Jihoon looked scary enough for him to stay away. The boy was small and not much older than Mingyu, but he knew perfectly well how to handle a gun and was always walking around with impeccably combed dark hair and a leather jacket that would scare anyone. Jihoon didn't need any weapons or shields, his angry features were scary enough on their own.
On the other hand, the son of Ares was always accompanied by Kwon Soonyoung, the adorable - and not so trustworthy - son of Hermes. He always kept a smile on his face that made his little eyes turn into two tiny, happy stripes. While Jihoon pushed away, Soonyoung attracted. And within a few weeks, Mingyu realized that Jeon Wonwoo was right in the middle of those two big shots.
Wonwoo was wise and, most of the time, while Soonyoung and Jihoon were discussing their next Machiavellian plan, Jeon was busy reading all the books available in his personal library. Mingyu had noticed that Wonwoo read a different one every day, and each week they were books by different authors. But those written by Agatha Christie seemed to be his favorites, as he always went back to the famous author's books. Wonwoo even gave his friends ideas for pranks from time to time, but he didn't like to get too involved.
In the end, Mingyu came to the conclusion that Jeon Wonwoo was a good person. No wonder he had saved his life, he couldn't imagine what might have happened if Jihoon had decided to do his duty that day. Perhaps Kim would have received an instant punch right in the middle of the face before he could even think about asking for help. Well, he was grateful to the gods for allowing the son of Athena to be there. He was grateful for Wonwoo's existence and needed to find a way to show it.
A few days later, Mingyu saw Jeon walking towards the strawberry fields, which were certainly empty at that time as most of the campers were busy, either training or doing their usual chores, but Mingyu was free and, apparently, so was Wonwoo. Kim looked around for Soonyoung or Jihoon and found them at the entrance to Hermes' cottage, they seemed to be discussing some very important matter and so the son of Hephaestus took this as the perfect opportunity to finally thank Wonwoo.
He followed him from a distance, trying his best not to be seen, and only stopped when he saw Jeon sit down on the low grass and open a book that Mingyu had barely noticed until then. Wonwoo looked so serene there, so far from reality, that Kim felt strangely guilty for having to interrupt such a sublime moment. Nevertheless, he approached, unafraid of being seen now.
- Shouldn't you be helping at the forge, Kim Mingyu? - Wonwoo's low, serious tone of voice took the younger man by surprise before he was even in front of him.
- Ah... they have enough people, they don't need me that much. - Mingyu made a nervous excuse and caught a glimpse of a half-smile appearing on the other man's face.
- Funny - Wonwoo raised his eyes in Kim's direction - I'd heard that your skills were practically indispensable. - Jeon shrugged, giving a sincere smile this time, as if he really found the situation funny.
- So you've heard. - Mingyu noted, rolling his eyes as he sat down facing the older man, who was still smiling. Kim had caused an accident at the forges last weekend, when he got annoyed at one of his half-brothers' pranks and ended up losing control of his powers and causing a near fire. Luckily, the sons of Hephaestus were well used to dealing with fire.
- Don't get me wrong, but you shouldn't be friends with Seokmin if you don't want the whole camp to know about everything that happens in your life. - Wonwoo adjusted his glasses and closed the book, putting it aside while he concentrated on his company. He really wanted to be alone, but Mingyu's presence was strangely pleasant and made him want to pay attention to what the boy was saying, even if it wasn't that important.
- You're Soonyoung's friend, - Mingyu noted - so you don't have much moral standing to make fun of me.
- Yeah, you got me. - Wonwoo laughed and Mingyu suddenly wished he had more opportunities to enjoy that sound. - Besides, you're a terrible liar, Kim.
- I didn't lie! - He tried to defend himself.
- You didn't? - Wonwoo arched an eyebrow and that was enough to make Kim feel exposed. Jeon seemed to have the ability to see into his soul and Mingyu wondered if this was an ability of the children of Athena. Was Jeon Wonwoo some kind of lie detector? - So you haven't been running away from the forge since the day you decided to play at setting people on fire? - Wonwoo pressed on and saw Mingyu pull his own legs up to his chest, cringing adorably.
- I just don't want to do any more damage. - Mingyu lowered his head, trying to escape that look that seemed to tear the truth out of him.
- You just need to learn to control yourself, Mingyu. - Wonwoo smiled at the image of the boy in front of him. He seemed lost even though he was surrounded by familiar landscapes.
- That's all I've heard since that day.
Wonwoo felt bad for Hephaestus' son. It wasn't easy being a half-blood, life as a child of a god was considerably complicated and definitely dangerous. Those who chose to live outside the camp spent most of their time running away from monsters and trying to live a normal life, Wonwoo didn't know which was harder. Living in the camp was safer, but it didn't mean not taking risks.
Mingyu seemed to be coping well, the death of his mother and the discovery of his abilities was too recent. Even so, Kim still kept a smile on his face and made a point of treating everyone very well. But for some reason, Wonwoo could see that the son of Hephaestus was slightly irritated by all the attention he was receiving. As well as being a new camper, Mingyu had been claimed considerably quickly and his skills were greater than those of his half-brothers, and Wonwoo knew that this caused envy.
- I'm sorry. - Wonwoo apologized before even thinking if it was appropriate, but he felt bad for making him upset about it - Have you decided if you're going to stay here all year? - he asked, trying to change the subject and saw Mingyu's face light up a little.
- Yeah, I don't have anywhere else to go.
- No relatives? - Mingyu denied it and Wonwoo felt his chest tighten. Life wasn't being very generous to that demigod either. - I don't know if it's any consolation, but I know how you feel. - He finally said. He wanted to make sure that Mingyu at least wouldn't feel so alone. The summer was coming to an end and soon the vast majority of campers would be going home. But Wonwoo, like the son of Hephaestus, had nowhere else to go.
- You don't have to console me. - Mingyu smiled slightly - Actually, I came here to thank you for... well, saving my life that day. - He felt his face heat up as he said it, the shame hitting him hard.
- Ah - Wonwoo was surprised. He wasn't sure if Mingyu remembered clearly what had happened that day, since the boy was so weak. - Anyone would have done that. - He tried to justify himself, shrugging as if it wasn't an important issue.
- I don't think so. - Mingyu said after a while - Lee Jihoon would have made a point of waking me up just to interrogate me before putting me inside. - Mingyu explained his point of view with his eyebrows drawn together and watched as Wonwoo gave a small smile, adjusting his glasses once again.
- Now I feel useless for letting a stranger through the camp barriers. You really could be very dangerously injured like that, Mingyu. - And he rolled his eyes, clearly finding the hypothesis funny.
- What if it was just a disguise? - Mingyu joined in the joke, secretly enjoying seeing the way Wonwoo seemed to know exactly what to answer to every topic raised.
- You fainted from exhaustion in front of me, Kim, I think I'd know if it was just a disguise. - Wonwoo laughed.
- Yeah, you have a good point. - Mingyu laughed too, only pausing for breath when he noticed that Wonwoo was staring at him with that look capable of drawing out the deepest truths.
- It was a dangerous decision, I know. I could have put everyone's lives at risk when I brought you in. But you needed help and, for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure what I should do. I also didn't have much time to think and, honestly? I don't know what came over me to think that taking you to Chiron was the right choice. I was trying to come to some conclusion but my brain kept balancing the pros and cons of each decision, so I decided to ignore all these thoughts and... follow my heart. - He paused for a moment, looking deep into the younger man's eyes before continuing - I think it was the right thing to do in the end. - He shrugged, turning away from Mingyu's curious gaze.
A long pause ensued before either of them mustered the courage to say anything. Mingyu stared at the son of Athena as he tried futilely to process all those words. It all seemed so true that Kim felt like hugging Wonwoo. Meanwhile, Jeon just wanted to hide. He felt stupid for opening up like that to someone he barely knew, but something about Mingyu made him want to tell even his biggest secrets.
- Thanks for saving me, Wonwoo. - Mingyu finally let go. - If it hadn't been for you that day, I might not be here today.
That's how he felt. The purest and most sincere truth. It didn't seem like enough thanks, but it was a good start. Mingyu thought he could try again later.
Well, he was wrong.