Chapter Text
A Manticore tears free from the skin of the new Discipline Master in their school gymnasium on a mundane Monday afternoon.
In that single, grotesque second, every bit of weirdness in Chi Cheng's life, every unexplained shadow he caught, every flicker at the edge of his vision for eighteen years starts to make a terrible kind of sense. It's a stunning revelation that kind of has Chi Cheng forgetting he's in the midst of an attack.
"Look out!" Ms Li's shove breaks the spell, pushing him out of the way just as the monster lunges at the exact spot he'd been standing. He stares at his homeroom teacher—who once harshly critiqued an essay he spent the entire night writing—crouched in a fighter's stance, tendrils of ivy snaking from her skin.
In the meantime, his sight reorients, the world snapping into hyperfocus. Colour bleeds at the edges, the lurking wrongness he's always felt solidifying with a terrifying clarity, like a smudged lens wiped clean. The Mist, they called it, to obscure the human vision to a version that fit their own reality. It had cleared for the young demigod, slightly overlooking the fact that nothing about this made any bit of sense to Chi Cheng.
It doesn't help when everything gets weirder from there. As Ms Li braces herself, her skin turns completely green, the tips of her ears sharpen at the edges and flowers start appearing all over her body, lacing through strands of hair and the vines that climbed every inch of her forearms.
What on earth? (Pun not intended.)
When Chi Cheng catches another glimpse of the thing, his eyes nearly bug out his head. The monster mutates at a sickening pace, swinging behind it now a leathery, scorpion-like tail with bristles so sharp they could cut through steel.
Body operating instinctively more than anything else, he somehow dodges a spike shot, where it instead punctures smack-dab into the wall. A millimetre from his face. To his utter horror, it instantly starts melting, until all that's left is a bubbling fissure dissolving into the side of the concrete. Poison.
His attention is yanked back when a ferocious roar that's definitely not human rips from its throat, matching the full-body transformation it undergoes. Chi Cheng can only watch, helpless as the now half-lion scorpion creature lets out a growl in warning to Ms Li, its eyes darting around the room wildly.
A wave of dread washes over him.
It was definitely targeting him.
Abruptly, just like it had read his thoughts, it fixates on him, a manic grin forming as it prepares to pounce, paws padding menacingly. Chi Cheng sucks in a breath through his teeth, backing up against the wall. The air was taut with tension, the monster thoroughly amused watching him cower.
"Son of Hades, your life ends here," it growls sinisterly, two-tone eyes glittering with each word.
"What did it call me?" Chi Cheng shouts across the room.
"I'll explain later," Ms Li sighs, her fingers flexing restlessly.
But before it could move any further, she acted first, a forceful motion upward, like she was summoning something. The Manticore is stunned at first, before it growls, tail stabbing in a random direction, completely distracted. At the same time, Chi Cheng spots a tendril of green writhing out one of its eye sockets.
"You need to go now!" Ms Li hisses, both her hands up at this point. Beads of perspiration slid down her face, like she was actively holding it back, her forearms shaking furiously.
It'd been a gruesome sight, the sprouting of slithery coils around its face as the creature twisted, crimson ichor painting a trail down its snout and into its mouth. It howled in agony, its ears and wings similarly twitching in warning, like the plants were itching to burgeon from every single one of its crevices till it consumed the monster completely.
Chi Cheng's jaw drops as he watches the colour draining from Ms Li's face.
"I can't just leave you here!" He cries, panicked as he racks his brain. With each second, the Manticore seemed even more enraged, the claws on its paw brutally tearing each and every vine. He needed to do something, he needed to kill that thing, before it poisoned and possibly mauled them both.
Ms Li's eyes met Chi Cheng's for a fraction of a second, wide with strain and urgency. Then, her knees buckled, and she folded silently to the floor, the vibrant green of her vines leaching away as they turned ashen and brittle at the tips.
The creature advanced, completely ignoring Ms Li. Each second he stood there like a sitting duck, it got closer, probably thinking of a million different ways to snuff out his life.
He couldn't die here.
Like a flip had switched within him, Chi Cheng feels a pull shuddering at his gut, the ground rumbling beneath his feet. The floorboards groan. He dives towards Ms Li at once to move her out of the way. As if he'd knew that the next second, a crack would split the ground like breaking bones, the scalding heat of molten lava radiating deep within.
The monster froze, its snarl turning into a shriek as it fell through, swallowed by the earth.
Chi Cheng scrambles backward, the tug in his gut lessening as he buries his face in his hands, chest rising and falling rapidly. That had been way too close for his comfort.
He exhales.
When he cracks an eye open, where the thing last stood, was a jagged scar woven in the hardwood and an innocuous silence that echoed too loud for Chi Cheng's liking.
"Are you okay?" Someone asks kindly. Chi Cheng looks up. And stares, when where legs should be, he sees the sleek, powerful flank of a horse.
He rubs his eyes, blinking furiously. The image doesn't change. He stares a little longer at his(?)…its(?) flank, brain refusing to process whatever he was looking at.
"Is she…?" His voice cracked as he points to Ms Li's still form.
"She will be alright," The man-horse responds calmly, tone impossibly serene, "Typically, all dryads need is a little rest back home."
"I'm Chiron, the camp director." He offers a hand to Chi Cheng—a human hand that Chi Cheng grips tightly to haul himself up.
"Whe—?" is all Chi Cheng can stutter out before Chiron cuts him off.
"I'm afraid we're a little behind schedule at the moment and you, Mr Chi, have a rather non-negotiable lecture with Mr D." His words are gentle, but it's clear he doesn't wait for an answer, hooves clicking decisively on the floor as he wills Chi Cheng to follow.
The teen quickens his pace to keep up, a thousand questions at the tip of his tongue the whole time.
Who was Mr D? What was happening? Where were they going?
And most importantly, what was a son of Hades?
When he takes one more look at the scene, he finds that not a single trace of the markings remained and where Ms Li had been, lay a single leaf instead.
Chi Cheng has only had his mom for as long as he can remember. The first time he asks about his dad as a curious child after a day in kindergarten, his mother's cheery expression falters in a way he's not familiar with. Her grip on his hand loosens, her eyes growing eerily vacant before she answers with a single word.
Dead.
From then on, Chi Cheng never brought his father up again.
He tells Mr D (the D stands for Dionysus) as much, who just bestows upon him a clap on the shoulder that stings more than it reassures him. "You've got a lot to learn, kid," Mr D snarks, his breath smelling like a mix of grape soda and something ancient, more volatile.
Chi Cheng stops processing details when Mr D brings up the words, 'Hades, Lord of the Underworld' and 'biological father' in one sentence, his mind white-noising into static. The rest—him being born a demigod and the insurmountable mortal danger he could face should he ever step within a five-foot radius of the borders—faded right along into the noise. Nonetheless, it's the first time he furrows his eyebrows, about to protest.
"Don't believe me?" Mr D's eyes gleam with a kind of purplish fire. Chi Cheng abruptly recalls the gold-brown eyes and leathery scorpion tail, the memories whizzing by in a flash. He shuts his mouth, giving the man a scowl and a stilted nod.
The real panic sets in when Mr D goes on another spiel about rules and regulations.
That power he had summoned earlier? Yeah, not a single idea how to do that again.
His combat experience only went as far as spending a summer in an arcade grinding Street Fighter so he could beat his classmates for bragging rights. Hardly a good fit for heroic qualifications.
Way to go, Dad.
Mr D finally lets up when Chiron returns an hour later, offering to bring him around camp. Chi Cheng lets out an audible sigh of relief at the sight of the centaur, glad to be free. He offers Chi Cheng a little square of gold that the teenager takes a cautious sniff of, before finally popping it in his mouth. He's pleasantly surprised by the rush of energy that revitalises him instantly, adrenaline thrumming through his veins.
"Ambrosia," Chiron explains, grinning fondly at his reaction as he led Chi Cheng out to Camp.
It's a lot to take in. And it doesn't help when every single area they pass, Chi Cheng feels the stares of the campers. All of them are demigods, like him. All of them don the same orange camp shirt he's clad in. Yet, their gazes etch uncomfortably into his skin, like he was some kind of anomaly, some even nudging each other and whispering amongst themselves.
Eventually, Chiron brings him to the corner of camp, a huge forest covering the border. The trees stood tall and thick, the atmosphere had a distinct scent, like it'd just rained.
Chi Cheng exhales louder than he means to. Here, there's nobody to gawk at him like he was some kind of circus act. His hands don't feel as clammy, his heart doesn't feel like a hummingbird trapped in a cage, going so fast it's about to beat out his chest.
"It gets better," Chiron's voice rumbles, breaking Chi Cheng out of his stupor. His eyes flicker to the floor. Had his discomfort been that apparent?
The terse silence that settles is soon broken, by what Chiron assumes is a botany class for beginners. They make their way towards the group, Chi Cheng inwardly bracing himself for another round of brazen and curious peering.
There crouched a boy, roughly around Chi Cheng's age leading a couple of kids younger, seemingly explaining details about the flowers he'd picked in his hands. They made quite a sight, a little group huddled together in the grass.
"Suowei!" Chiron calls out, brows furrowed, "Since when do you give beginner botany lessons? Leave that to Cabin Four."
The boy, Suowei, sighs exasperatedly like he'd been plagued by a comment like this more than once, "I know the basics, I'm just taking over for Meg today, she's busy with something else right now."
He turns around, like he means to speak to Chiron, briefly making eye contact with Chi Cheng in the process.
Chi Cheng's breath hitches, his eyes openly tracing the edges of the boy's face. He's sure he doesn't end up hearing a single word he says. All he notices is the pink flower tucked at his ear, the two symmetrical moles dotting his face and the set of adorable doe eyes that blinked back at him apprehensively.
He's certain he's just had the privilege of laying his eyes on one of the prettiest people he's ever seen.
Suowei gives him a friendly wave, his smile unwavering. Before Chi Cheng could respond, the boy turns his head away, attending to one of the kids tugging at his arm, hopping back into instructor-mode.
"He's not supposed to take over lessons without notice. It must've been an emergency." Chiron muses, eyes twinkling like he knew something Chi Cheng didn't. As they continued back to the cabins, Chiron looks back at Chi Cheng throughout, a knowing smile blooming on his face.
Chi Cheng scowls again.
"Oh look, someone's here to bring you to your cabin," Chiron points out behind him.
Chi Cheng doesn't register the guy's presence until he stands right in front of him. In true demigod fashion, he too, seems to have no concept of any subtlety whatsoever, surveying Chi Cheng the same way someone studied a particularly interesting sample under a microscope, scrutinising shamelessly.
"Wang Shuo," Chiron's voice breaks his focus, "I have masters' archery class soon. Could I trust you to bring Chi Cheng to Cabin Thirteen?"
"Sure!" Wang Shuo exclaims excitedly, an impish grin on his face. Chi Cheng wasn't quite sure what to make of him, shifting uncomfortably.
"Good luck, Mr Chi. I'll see you at dinner," Chiron says, a kindly beam on his face. He gallops away, leaving behind a trail of dust in his wake.
Chi Cheng blanches, waiting for an inevitable awkward silence to befall them. To his surprise, it never does. Instead he finds himself settling into an easy rhythm with Wang Shuo, proving himself to be quite the patient guide.
True to his word, Wang Shuo leads him to the row of cabins nestled in the woods by the lake. Arranged in a U, each cabin looked wildly different from the next, marked by large brass numbers. The first two cabins stood empty and silent, but as they moved down the line, most of the next few were lively and populous. Campers called out greetings to Wang Shuo, some even offering a curious, welcoming nod to Chi Cheng.
It's not long before they reach Cabin Thirteen. Wang Shuo joked on the walk over that he'd once seen a tumbleweed breeze by its doorstep.
"I'd never thought I'd live to see the day the Hades Cabin ever got a new resident," Wang Shuo chuckles, "We all thought it was built out of obligation, just like the Hera Cabin…"
Chi Cheng looks up. Where a brass number should have been sat a skull instead, serving as an ominous greeting to those who wished to enter.
With a push, the door swings open with a low creak. Wang Shuo crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe to let in a wedge of afternoon sun while Chi Chen explored his new home.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's completely windowless. A soulless box of solid obsidian, with grand pillars that stretched all the way to the ceiling. All they had was a couple of torches, but instead of a bright glow, the flames were completely green, casting more shadows than they dispelled.
Believe it or not, it doesn't get better from there. When he stalks in with his backpack, instead of the bunk beds he espies in the other cabins, there is a set of beds lining the wall. Without a doubt, they were coffin-shaped, with mahogany frames and ornate brass railing, all the bedding in the same uniform, blinding shade of blood-red.
The designers of Cabin Thirteen appeared to assume that the children of Hades thoroughly enjoyed the undead aesthetic or were vampires of some sort.
Needless to say, Chi Cheng was not impressed. From the doorway, Wang Shuo bursts into laughter, the sound echoing in the cavernous space. He laughs so hard he has to wipe the tears from his eyes, apparently finding Chi Cheng's dissatisfaction hilarious.
By the time he had recovered, Chi Cheng had pretty much finished setting his stuff down. They sit in the resulting tranquil silence, the green torchlight dancing over the walls.
Wang Shuo watches him, his earlier mirth softening into something more thoughtful. Compared to his own cabin, this place felt more like a tomb than a potential home. Luxurious and spacious, but a tomb nonetheless.
"Y'know, if you have any questions, feel free to ask away! I had a hard time adjusting when I first got here too," Wang Shuo assures patiently, his gentle voice breaking the quiet.
Chi Cheng nods in understanding, managing to curve his lips up into the closest thing that resembled a smile.
"What's for dinner?"
"When kids first arrive here, they sit at the Hermes table before they're claimed by their parent. You were discovered, not claimed, but it's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?" Wang Shuo rambles, guiding Chi Cheng to the Hades bench, where they sit side-by-side.
"Where do you usually sit?" Chi Cheng asks sheepishly. Wang Shuo had been his shadow all day, and he realised he knew practically nothing about him.
"The Hermes table mostly, or sometimes with my ge Wang Zhen, at the Hephaestus table," Wang Shuo says. "We were from the same orphanage," he clarifies pre-emptively, neatly cutting off the next question he senses Chi Cheng's about to raise.
Like he'd been summoned, someone materialises out of nowhere, plopping himself down at the table directly in front of Wang Shuo.
"Di, you're so rude," the guy he assumes is Wang Zhen chastises, though the teenager's eyes twinkled with amusement. He flashes Chi Cheng a charming grin, a soot-smudged thing that Chi Cheng nervously returns, "You haven't introduced me to the new camper!"
Wang Shuo lets out a long-suffering sigh. "Chi Cheng, Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen, Chi Cheng," he recited and gestures monotonously, prepared to take another bite of his food when another intruder joins them out of the blue.
"Wang Shuo, why're you hogging the new guy's attention?"
The whiff of sunshine and saltwater hits before the introduction, practically clinging to the newcomer offering Chi Cheng a handshake—a guy with a bright grin worthy of rivalling the sun and an overshirt patterned with waves of blue and white seafoam worn over open his standard camp tee.
"Guo Chengyu, Son of Poseidon. Nice to meet you," he says, firmly grasping Chi Cheng's hand in his own. "It's so refreshing to finally have another child of the Big Three! Gets a bit lonely being the only one after a while."
Chi Cheng glances to Wang Shuo, silently pleading for an explanation.
"The Big Three are Zeus, Poseidon and Hades," Wang Shuo explains, waving his fork in one hand "They kind of had an agreement not to have any more kids, because their kids were getting too powerful…the world-ending kind of powerful."
A heavy silence fell. Wang Zhen, his earlier levity gone, leans forward, his voice solemn and serious, "And you're…kinda the first child of Hades anyone has ever seen. In like a hundred years."
Well, that had explained all the weird looks and what Wang Shuo had meant about Cabin Thirteen.
Chi Cheng processes the information quietly. Around him, the conversation in the dining pavilion swells—a cacophony of laughter, arguments and clattering dishes. Wang Shuo, Chengyu and Wang Zhen lapsed into easy chatter about people and events Chi Cheng didn't know. Yet.
He swivels around, watching the groups at the other tables.
At one table, a group of campers who had similar features to Wang Shuo huddled close in a circle, sharing his signature mischievous smile as they giggled, seemingly scheming about the target of their newest prank that Wang Shuo had talked about earlier.
That must've been the Hermes table. It's crammed so full of people, Chi Cheng can't help but grimace, shuddering inwardly as he imagines himself having to squeeze in with all of them.
He looks to another, filled with a bunch of serious-looking, nerdy kids. That must be Athena's table. He hadn't known what to think when Wang Shuo had revealed that they were conceived by way of thought. Even if he hadn't been claimed and didn't live with his mom, Chi Cheng would've known that he wasn't a child of hers, he deduces to himself.
The last table he catches sight of, his eyes zero in on Suowei, who he spots sitting at the very corner. He's blissfully chatting away with his half-siblings, though he seemed like he was a little red in the face, protesting like he was being teased. Chi Cheng can't help but wish he could hear his voice again.
He stares from his own table, not expecting Suowei to notice quite so quickly. When Suowei meets his eyes again, he blushes, a little self-conscious.
"Which table is that?" Chi Cheng murmurs faintly before he finds it in himself to be embarrassed.
They pause their conversation, Wang Shuo meticulously lining his gaze to that of Chi Cheng's.
"That's Aphrodite's," Wang Shuo answers as the three of them begin smirking at each other, "You've got to be careful, they're known for breaking people's hearts."