#c4llezz

synopsis: you fake date the camp’s most irritating hermes girl to get a boy off your back. the problem? you might actually like her. TW: blood, sword fighting. pairing: hermes daughter!megan x athena daughter!reader genre: fluff. really, really small angst. word count: 5.3k next in the series: capture the fighter

being athena’s favorite child was incredible. that’s what you tell everyone.

having your mother’s blessing was amazing. because of it, you were always chosen for important missions.

going to the underworld to convince hades not to let all souls free? you were first on the list. rescuing ares from an invisible island that hephaestus had built himself? the spot was yours. camp half-blood was under attack by cyclops? you were there, front line, commanding the troops.

you were an incredible fighter and a brilliant strategist. no one could deny it. but you were also a great person, nice and kindhearted. nobody hated you, nobody could hate you.

nobody except hermes’ head counselor.

the feeling was mutual though. you couldn’t stand the girl either.

she was insufferably annoying. you were sure everything she did and every word that came out of her mouth made a grey hair grow on you. she never took anything seriously. not even on life or death situations. always cracking jokes at the worst time. normally you wouldn’t even be bothered by someone joking around, but megan skiendiel just knew how to get under your skin.

that’s why you were dreading next week’s capture the flag.

normally you wouldn’t accept teaming up with the hermes cabin. but this time chiron had chosen the alliances. and you weren’t one to disobey superiors, so you had to suck it up, as yoonchae said, and be the bigger person.

“skiendiel!” you called out, making the girl stop mid conversation with her friends and look your way “training grounds. now.” without waiting for an answer you walked off.

“ohhh, someone’s in trouble” lara teased.

yoonchae laughed softly while megan glared at her “she’s your sister, what does she want?”

the younger girl shrugged “probably about capture the flag. you know she takes this seriously.”

megan groaned “i don’t know why chiron thinks this is a good idea. i would much rather be on lara’s team.”

“tell her that and see how well it goes.” lara grinned “you should hurry up, she hates when people are late.”

with a final groan, she stood up and made her way to the training grounds.

when she arrived, she expected to see sophia, apollo’s cabin head counselor, but instead she found one of the filipina’s siblings, some guy named michael that megan absolutely loathed.

“what is he doing here? where’s sophia?” she said, making her presence known.

you looked visibly relieved that she had arrived in that moment. you even smiled. “i was just asking michael if he could bring her here.”

“okay, then go.” megan told the boy harshly.

he didn’t even bother to look at the hermes girl. his attention was still fully on you. “i’ll look for her, but first i want a real answer to my question.”

you tried your best to not roll your eyes “i already told you, i’m dating someone.”

“i don’t believe you. you can’t even tell me his name.”

“megan” you blurted out. “her name is megan.”

megan’s eyes widened. but instead of denying anything, she smoothly wrapped an arm around your shoulders pulling you close. “yes michael, her girlfriend’s name is megan. now fuck off and go get your sister. we are waiting.”

the apollo boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously, clearly not buying it. but he walked away nonetheless.

as soon as he was far enough you shoved megan off you. “fuck, he’s going to tell everyone.” you started rambling “my life is ruined. my reputation is ruined.”

“excuse me? my reputation is going to be the ruined one,” the ginger haired girl shot back.

“oh, your reputation of hearthbreak girl? what a shame.”

“well you have a reputation of a stuck-up know-it-all! honestly i think im doing you a favor,” she said offended “i could’ve just thrown you under the bus and told michael boy the truth. but i didn’t.”

“go ahead! tell him. i don’t care.”

“i’m not gonna chase after some dumb guy. i don’t chase anyone.”

“yeah, i wouldn’t chase him either.” you muttered. “he keeps writing me really bad haikus that he swears are romantic.”

megan rolled her eyes, “he thinks he’s so special with his blonde hair and light eyes. like all his siblings don’t look exactly the same”

“honestly sophia’s mom’s genes are amazing to win over apollo’s.”

the ginger gasped “what if she is adopted?”

“that’s literally imposible.”

“says who?”

“god rules?”

“god rules are stupid then.”

“you are stupid.”

synopsis: daniela is going down a hole, and guilt is eating her alive. but a light comes to help her, a light she had turned off years ago. TW: pjo violence, subtle (?) depression pairing: hephaestus daughter!daniela x demeter daughter!reader genre: angst, comfort, happy ending word count: 4.7k dani's story is here, only 2 left! next is manon, but you can read megan's, lara's and sophia's before this one.

daniela was diagnosed with adhd when she was six, and her inability to stay focused in class for more than thirty minutes was enough for her classmates to make fun of her.

that’s when she met you.

you also had trouble focusing on class, more than any normal six year old. but unlike daniela, who constantly needed to move around playing and fidgeting with crayons, you were calm. too calm for a young child.

while daniela stood up from her desk to grab things from the floor so she could play with them and annoy her classmates, you just looked out the window, focusing on the trees and flowers outside.

when it was playground time, daniela would pick up sticks and rocks so she could build little toys, all of that happened while you sat in the grass entertained by the little dandelions and the bees flying around.

the least calm she saw of you was one day when another boy grabbed a flower from the grass and offered it to you.

you were MAD.

you gave the boy a lecture right there and then about how plants also had feelings and you should pick them up in a very specific way or they’ll die, something along those lines.

daniela did not pay attention.

she was too busy making a slingshot to throw rocks with.

you both ended up in mrs. williams classroom that afternoon.

you because you made the poor boy cry with your words, and daniela because she made the boy cry with a rock on his face.

after that you were the soil to daniela’s fire.

you’d spend every single hour of the day together. you even joined daniela on her creative interest.

if she wanted to join the dance team, your name was signed next to hers. she wanted to go to a robotics festival on the weekend? your dad was driving you two. a new car exhibition was coming to town? yup, you were right there.

over time everyone knew that if daniela was there you’d be not too far away. that’s how things were and nothing would change it.

not even in sixth grade when a teacher brought her dog to school. it turned out it wasn’t a dog, and the teacher was not a teacher.

she still doesn’t know how you got away from that monster.

that same day, daniela’s parents suddenly took you to some weird camp for ‘special kids like you’, as her step dad had said.

that was the first time daniela was separated from you. after sharing a bed with you for the past six years she had to sleep alone in a cabin full of boys, a few girls too, thankfully.

the next day she was prepared to ramble about how badly she had slept, but the first thing that came out of your mouth was “i love it here” and she decided to shut up.

she got used to being away from you during the day. daniela spent most of her time in the forges doing what she did best, build things.

you on the other hand were always in the fields, the strawberry fields to be exact.

but at the end of the day, you’d always find your way to each other. you’d talk about your day, what you did, who you talked to, who annoyed you— any vague topic. it was just the two of you, like old times.

and then daniela got older, and with that hotter and more confident.

she couldn’t ignore the glances she got from other people, boys and girls alike. and who was she to deny them what they wanted?

she started hanging out with manon more and more. the aphrodite girl knew all about love and relationships and daniela sought out her help. until she mastered the art of flings.

one week she’ll be kissing a hermes boy and the next she’ll be with a girl from the hecate cabin.

she did not have any rules—besides the obvious one. okay maybe she had one: no one from cabin 4. demeter kids were out of the picture.

it was an unspoken rule, and it was not made by her entirely. your siblings knew how close you were with the latina, and no one dared to get close with her on any level that was not friendship.

for some reason everyone was wary of her relationship with you.

before daniela could get any close to someone they always asked about you and your feelings.

she didn’t understand why. yeah, you were best friends, what did it have to do with anything? you were not her girlfriend. even if she sometimes wondered about how your lips would feel like— no, you were just friends. that’s it.

anyway even when daniela started dating around, you stuck by her side.

you listen to her rambling about every crush, fling or whoever her current situationship was. you’d go to the forges, even if you hated the heat, just to hear her complains. or she’d visit you in the fields.

in the sun she’d admire how it would shine on you. the way it made your skin glow, how your eyes sparkled when the light hit them just right, how you’d softly pick up strawberries and give the best ones to her. or how wherever you talked, flowers grew behind you.

or she’d find you at the greenhouse you had insisted chiron add to the camp (daniela had offered to build it all herself and manon had given her a knowing look at that, but she ignored it, that’s what best friends did, right?)

the greenhouse had always been your place, even if daniela had built it with her own hands with no help from her siblings. she hammered every nail, tightened every bolt, burned herself on the solder more times that she could count, but it still was yours.

she only went inbecause you asked her to, because you liked having her there, even if she just kept fidgeting with tools while you talked about soil and harvesting techniques.

the day was no different. she had just exited the forges where she was polishing lara’s spear and made her way to the greenhouse.

she found you kneeling in the dirt, hair falling into your face as you added some water to the plants.

she stayed by the door just watching you.

“i can feel you staring” you said.

that’s when she made her way to you. “you are kind of dirty” she joked.

“like you are any different.”

you kept moving from plant to plant while she sat on a wooden bench, spinning a trowel in her hands, trying to look bored.

you were next to her talking about some flower she couldn’t remember the name of. “it only blooms at night” you were saying, brushing your fingers along its petals like they were made of glass “and if you cut it the wrong way, it won’t grow back again.”

she wasn’t listening. not really. she heard your voice, soft as always, but the words slipped past her ears. all she could focus on was the curve of your mouth, the way your hands moved carefully.

she thought about every year she had spent at your side, every time she dragged you into the chaos, every time you sat for hours just watching her sketch out whatever machine she had imagined.

she thought about how much of her life had you in it. how you were her whole life and she hadn’t realized.

before she could stop herself she started leaning forward.

the trowel clattered to the floor. you looked up startled, lips parting to ask what was wrong.

and then daniela kissed you.

not quick or messy like she kissed everyone else. it was slow, contrary to everything she’d been holding back for years.

and you kissed her back.

you cupped her check and leaned into her. for a second, daniela let herself believe that she could have you, that whatever happened next wouldn’t ruin you.

but then it ended and she pulled back. the look in your eyes was too much, too real. you weren’t like everyone else, a fling, a distraction. she couldn’t risk losing you.

so she forced a laugh and said the first thing she could think of.

“now i can tell manon you do taste like strawberries.”

“what?”

“she said that demeter kids tasted like fruits and i had to find it out myself.”

you stormed out and left her standing there thinking about what she had done. the next day daniela avoided being near you. it wasn’t as hard because you were doing the same.

she talked to manon about it, the other girl called her dumb in so many different languages. the last thing daniela wanted was to ruin your friendship, and ruin your friendship she did.

she tried to fix it, she wanted to fix it. but even as the daughter of the god of craftsman and technology she couldn’t invent anything to make you go back to her.

with no soil to stop her fire, her playgirl era started. it was already in the making before, but now it became her armor.

it was like that for the next years. until everything in her life went downhill.

even if she was a year round camper, she’d constantly visit her parents and stay a few days with them.

she had her own room at their house where she could make her imagination go free, that room was usually where all her inventions came to life, at least just a prototype.

but when she arrived at the house and went to her room everything was gone. her crafting table wasn’t there, all her sketches on the wall had been taken down, her tool box under the bed was not there. all her essence had been remove from the room.

her throat tightened. “mom! what happened to my room?”

her mom didn’t even look up, just sipped her tea in the kitchen like it was nothing.

“i organized it.”

daniela’s pulse spiked. “organized it? you threw everything away!”

her stepdad appeared in the doorway frowning. “daniela andrea, you are going to college soon. you need to stop with this invention nonsense. you are not sixteen anymore.

the words hit harder than any monster ever had. not sixteen anymore. like growing up meant giving up.

like all her fire, her ideas, the pieces of herself she poured into gears were just a phase to outgrow.

her fists clenched. “you don’t get it. none of you get it. this is who i am!”

her mom’s voice was sharp, cutting in a way she wasn’t used to. “no, daniela. this is a distraction. and it’s keeping you from being someone real.”

that was the moment. the break.

because for daniela, “someone real” had always been the girl in that room, surrounded by scraps and half finished projects. take that away, and what was left?

she didn’t stay that night.

but what came in her dreams at camp was even worse.

her father was never there. daniela used to pray all nights for just a single sign that he was there, watching her, being proud. but he never did. no matter how hard she tried, how much effort she put into her creations, nothing was acknowledged. and for the first time, that night he made an appearance. she thought maybe he’ll reassure her that he did see her, that he was proud, and for a second, before he could say something, daniela forgot about her mother’s words.

but then the god opened his mouth.

of course he just wanted a favor. that’s what the gods always wanted.

a quest to retrieve something stolen. conflict between gods, as always.

she accepted anyway.

if this would finally get her father’s attention then she’d go on the mission and come back successful.

but of course that didn’t happen. and instead, she almost got sophia’s girlfriend killed.

with the help of jungwon she got her out of where she was buried and with the few things she could find she made a small vehicle to transport her body.

but daniela and jungwoon were tired, there was no longer any energy on their bodies to carry on.

she prayed to her dad. she apologized for failing, but she asked for help to get the nike girl to camp on time.

nothing.

then came an owl. athena’s symbol, jungwon’s mother.

the trolley daniela had built started moving fast, and then they were no longer next to a collapsed building, they were at the top of the hill next to thalia’s tree.

sophia came rushing to aid her girlfriend. when daniela saw the look on the older girl’s face at seeing her lover covered in blood and dust, breathing so slow that it was barely noticeable, she felt extremely bad.

as soon as they rushed her to the infirmary, daniela went straight to her cabin’s bathroom and threw up.

the next day, she stayed in her cabin.

and the day after that.

and the next day too.

at first, everyone thought she was just tired from the quest. people always came back bruised, drained, sometimes worse. but days passed, and the forge stayed quiet without her. her half siblings whispered about how weird it was to not see her there.

daniela couldn’t bring herself to go. just the thought of stepping inside the forges, that heavy heat wrapping around her and the smell of burning metal, made her stomach turn.

it wasn’t comfort anymore, it was guilt. every tool reminded her of what she hadn’t been able to build, of what she couldn’t save.

her sketchbook lay under her bed collecting dust. she used to doodle constantly, on napkins, on scraps of paper, on her arm when nothing else was around. now, her pencil sat untouched. every time she picked it up, her hands froze. what was the point of sketches if they only led to failures?

polishing weapons had once been second nature. she liked giving other campers’ swords or shields that extra shine, she liked seeing them grin and say, “you’re the best, dani.” now, requests piled up on her workbench ignored. not even manon’s request had been attended to.

lara came once, asking for her to fix the climbing wall and change its difficulty because the girl she liked had fell from the top and was severely burned. daniela sent one of her siblings to do it.

mostly, she stayed in bed. sometimes she slept for twelve hours and still woke up heavy. sometimes she lay awake the entire night, staring at the ceiling, thinking of nothing and everything until her chest ached. meals blurred together, sometimes she ate nothing at all, sometimes she shoved food down without tasting it just so people wouldn’t look at her funny.

when people asked if she was okay, she forced a grin, threw out a joke, acted like nothing was wrong. she even teased megan and her girlfriend when they got together, normal dani behavior.

but the truth was, she wasn’t inventing, she wasn’t creating, she wasn’t even herself. and the worst part? nobody noticed when she disappeared into the background. or maybe they noticed, and just thought she’d grow out of it.

but she didn’t feel like she was growing. she felt like she was rotting.

the days she did get out of bed, the first thing she did was visit the infirmary. she stared at the girl lying on the white sheets, the beeping of some iv machine daniela had previously invented was the reminder of what she had—or hadn’t— done.

and then she’d look at sophia and apologize a million times, but the other girl always said the same thing *“it’s not your fault”.*

then why did it feel like it was?

there was only one person who could fix this, fix her. but again, daniela had ruined that years ago.

“dani, talk to me, please” manon said. honestly, daniela hadn’t notice when she had arrived at her side.

“about what?”

“i just want to help you.”

she stayed quiet. help. what an unknown concept that was.

“okay” manon sighed softly “i’m about to do the best thing that can ever happen to you, you better be grateful.” and then she left.

the ghanian girl’s words slipped past her. but what happened a few hours later was probably the best thing in the past weeks, manon had been right.

daniela was sitting by the lake, tossing rocks at the water—*even though some water nymphs had scolded her already*— when she smelt lavender.

the familiar smell made her shoulders relax a little, just like it used to. until she realized what lavender meant.

“you know that makes the nymphs mad.”

daniela’s body went rigid. she didn’t have to look up to know who it was, she could never forget how your voice sounded like.

she let the rock in her hand drop to the floor. “they’ve already splashed me twice.”

you didn’t say anything, didn’t even chuckled. you sat down a a few feet from her on the grass. close enough so she could feel your presence but far enough that she couldn’t feel cornered.

“manon sent you, didn’t she?” daniela muttered.

you shrugged, even if she hadn’t turned around to look at you. “she didn’t have to. i would’ve found you anyway.”

she laughed bitterly “yeah, because im such a good company this days.”

“i didn’t come here for company”

finally she glanced at you. and it hit her, how much had changed in the past years, and how much hadn’t.

she’d seen you in passing, she knew how you looked like and how much you’d matured. but your eyes still held the same look, soft and kind, and those eyes still could see through daniela as if she was a piece of glass.

she looked away, glancing back at the lake. “you shouldn’t waste your time.”

“too late” you said simply, standing up and sitting next to her, but still far away so she could still feel free to leave. “i already am.”

silence formed between you. she wanted to tell you to go, to say something cruel to scare you off, just like she had done before. but her mouth stayed closed, because for the first time in weeks, the weight on her chest eased a little.

daniela picked up another stone and started fidgeting with it “i almost got her killed.”

you turned your face to her, just listening.

that was worse somehow. because it made the words spill out before she could stop them.

“i thought— i thought if i did this quest, if i proved myself, maybe he’d finally—“ her breath hitched. “but i failed. i failed her, i failed jungwon. i failed everyone. i always do”

you leaned forward “you didn’t fail, dani. you survived. and you brought her back, that’s more than what most could’ve done.”

daniela shook her head, tears stinging at the corner of her eyes “it wasn’t me. it was jungwon, athena was the one who brought us back.”

“jungwon didn’t build the trolley that transported her. athena didn’t either. you did.” you replied “if it’s not enough, then let it be not enough and still let yourself live. because i’m not letting you disappear over this.”

for a second, daniela just stared at you. waiting for the catch, the moment you’d roll your eyes and tell her she was being dramatic. but you didn’t.

and that was all she needed.

a sob ripped out of her throat, and then another, and another.

“i can’t—“ she choked, hugging her knees close “y/n, i can’t do this anymore. i don’t know who i am without all of it. they— they took everything. my room, my work, and now—“

her voice cracked so hard she almost couldn’t say the next words “i almost killed her.”

you didn’t hesitate. you shifted closer wrapping your arms around her shoulders. she didn’t flinch away, instead she sank into you like her body had been waiting for this, trembling. her fist gripped at your shirt like she might drown in the like if she didn’t hold onto you.

“i’m sorry” she sobbed against you “i’m so sorry. i ruin everything. i ruined us, i ruined sophia, i ruined her, i ruined—“

“stop” you said, firm but not harsh. you started rubbing circles into her back with your hand “you don’t get to say that. you didn’t turn everything. you’re allowed to break, you are allowed to need someone and not be the person everyone goes to fix their things.”

you cupped her cheek, lifting her face so she could look at you. her eyes were red and puffy, tears were still running down her cheeks.

“listen to me, dani. you are not alone anymore. i’m sorry for leaving, but i’m not doing it again, okay? you can fall apart, and i’ll still be here to catch you.”

“i see you and y/n have rekindled” manon said bumping her shoulder with daniela’s. “how’s that going?”

the latina rolled her eyes, she had spent so much time with you over the past weeks but she wasn’t ready to tell anyone, it was something special, just between you two. “you know everything about it already.”

manon shrugged “actually, my mom has never talked about your relationship with y/n— with others yes, but not with her.”

“why not?” daniela asked panicked “are we not meant to be? she told you about megan and yoonchae’s sister and look at them! or what about lara? she told you about her crush too.”

“wow, calm down. i think it’s the opposite, since you are always running around with everyone. she tells me about all your flings and how they’ll never be your true love.”

lara spoke this time “wait, you knew that me and my girlfriend would get together and you never thought of telling me about it?”

“where’s the fun in that?”

“it would’ve made my life so much easier.”

“love isn’t easy, lara.”

“and how would you know? i’ve never seen you in a relationship.”

“are you seriously telling me, aphrodite’s daughter, that i don’t know anything about love?”

“you just give advice and i don’t see you doing anything.”

“well, my advice got you a girlfriend didn’t it? and megan too, and sophia even if her girlfriend doesn’t remember who she is at the moment.”

“can we not talk about that, please?” daniela interrupted “i feel so bad about it, they were so perfect together.”

manon placed a hand on her shoulder “hey, every couple has their bad moments. it has to happen. it’s almost like a rule in relationships.”

“for example, megan used to have beef with her girlfriend and now look at her, she’s so smitten. or you and y/n, childhood best friends who drifted away and are reconnecting!”

lara frowned “that didn’t happen to me”

“don’t worry, it’ll come. it could be tomorrow or in two years.”

“now i’m worried!”

“you know what we should be worrying about?” manon asked “the hunters!”

daniela tilted her head “the hunters? why should we worry about them?”

“i heard mr.d and chiron talking. the hunters are staying for a few weeks. you know how much i despise them!”

“you’ve never met them” lara said, raising an eyebrow.

the aphrodite girl shrugged “i don’t have to, i already know everything i need to hate them.

daniela cleared her throat “talking about the hunters.”

a group of teenage girls, led by a girl around thirteen years old and an older girl on her right side, were going down the hill of camp half blood. they all had this superiority look about them with their silver weapons and their big bows.

but daniela’s attention was not on the hunters. it was on the girl that had approached them.

you smiled at the young girl and then, bowed? then you turned to the girl at her side and smiled even bigger.

what was going on?

the rest of the hunters made their way to cabin 8, artemis’ cabin, while the thirteen year old looking girl went to the big house.

but one of them stayed, the one you had smiled to. daniela watched with furrowed eyebrows as you talked animatedly to this woman.

what was so special about her?

then you started walking, the hunter following behind. daniela saw how you invited the other girl into your sanctuary, your safe place: the green house daniela had built for you.

“let’s go.” she said.

lara and manon turned to her confused “go where?” the youngest asked.

daniela was fuming, “to the greenhouse! didn’t you see what i saw?”

manon rolled her eyes “don’t worry, nothing’s gonna happen. hunters hate love.”

but daniela was having none of it. she grabbed both of their hands, dragging them towards the greenhouse with her.

the greenhouse door banged open, rattling some of the vines attached to it. daniela stormed inside, eyes locked on the girl at your side. “what is she doing here?” her voice sharp.

the hunter raised an unimpressed brow. “enjoying the plants. clearly better company than you if you come storming like that.”

daniela’s jaw tightened, but before she could spit another word, manon stepped forward, folding her arms. “oh, no, no” she said “you don’t get to waltz in here with your silver bows and moongirl attitude acting like you’re better than us.”

the hunter turned her head slowly, sizing manon up with a smirk. “and who are you supposed to be? the camp’s gossip column?”

manon grinned like she’d been waiting her whole life for this, a moment to insult a hunter. “at least i don’t hide behind immortality because i’m too scared of love.”

that earned the first crack in the hunter’s composure, a twitch at the corner of her mouth. “you’ve got a sharp tongue.”

“and you’ve got a stick up your ass,” manon shot back, stepping closer. “wanna see which one cuts deeper?”

the tension was almost playful beneath the venom. lara whispered to the hephaestus girl beside her “are they… flirting or fighting?”

but daniela wasn’t watching them, her eyes were on you. on the way you stood a little too comfortably next to the hunter, like she belonged there.

“you invited her here?” daniela’s voice cracked. “into our place? the greenhouse i built for you?” her hands shook at her sides. “do I even mean anything to you anymore?”

the words hung heavy in the air. you felt the other’s eyes on you.

“outside,” you said firmly, grabbing daniela’s arm.

she tried to pull away, but you didn’t let go. her anger faltered just enough for you to lead her out of the greenhouse, the door slamming behind you.

when you were far enough she yanked her arm from your grip, her dark eyes blazing.

“what the hell was that?” you snapped.

daniela laughed bitterly “what was that? you smiling at her. letting her walk into our place like it meant nothing. like i never meant anything.”

“dani—”

“no.” Her voice shook, her fists curled tight at her sides. “first my mom clears out my room, tells me I’m wasting my life. then my dad sends me on a quest i can’t finish and i could be dead if not for athena swooping in. and sophia’s girlfriend almost died because of me. and now i see you looking at someone else like—like—” she cut herself off, chest heaving.

you stepped closer, careful. “like what?”

her eyes burned into yours. “like you used to look at me.”

the words took you by surprise. “dani, you’ve always been it. i never stopped caring about you.”

she shook her head “then why do i feel like i’m never enough? not for them, not for you, not for anyone. i break everything I touch.” her voice cracked “even us.”

you caught her hands, forcing her to meet your eyes “listen to me. you are not broken. you’ve never been broken. yes you’re like fire, messy and dangerous, but you’ve always been enough for me.”

her lips parted like she wanted to argue but didn’t have the energy to do it.

so you kissed her.

it was gentle, like how you took care of your flowers. and daniela kissed back instantly, fists twisting in your shirt, dragging you closer like she’d die if there was even an inch between you. then the kissed turned desperate, years of silence and denial combusting all at once.

when you finally broke apart, both of you gasping, daniela leaned her forehead against yours. her voice was a whisper, almost pleading “don’t leave me again.”

“never.”

synopsis: manon hated the hunters of artemis, they thought they were above everyone else just because they swore off love. but maybe not all of them were jerks, and maybe not all of them were incapable of loving. TW: pjo violence pairing: aphrodite daughter!manon x hunter of artemis!reader genre: fluff, angst at the end word count: 4.1k

manon’s story!!! just yoonchae's left 🤧. reminder that you can read megan’s, lara’s, sophia’s and daniela’s before this one since they are all connected, it’s not necessary, but it might help to get some context.

in manon’s point of view, love was beautiful. not flawless, not easy, not the fairy tales people thought it was supposed to be, but beautiful because of its imperfections.

the arguments, the reconciliations, the heartbreaks and the beginnings again, that made it real. love, in all its messy forms, was what made the world worth holding together.

that was why she never said no when someone came to her for help. whether it was advice on a crush, patching up a friendship, or giving someone the courage to confess, manon was there.

a listening ear, a schemer of plans, a shoulder to cry on. she believed in love the way others believed in strategy or prophecy. to her, it was a force just as powerful, maybe even more so.

she was aphrodite’s golden child, the one who wore her mother’s legacy like sunlight. around camp, she had earned the reputation of being the matchmaker, the girl who always had the right thing to say when hearts were involved.

and unlike her siblings, she had yet to complete ‘aphrodite’s rite of passage’.

it was a tradition in cabin 10. to make someone fall in love with you and then break their heart. it’s said that if you don’t complete it, bad things happen. past head counselors are proof of that.

till this day manon has refused to do it and she has been doing just fine. no dead lovers for her anytime soon!

it’s not like you can have a dead lovers if you don’t even have a lover, but the point still stands.

anyway, manon loved love.

that’s why she hated the hunters of artemis so much. why were they willing to sacrifice such beautiful emotion just to live forever besides a goddess?

now she had the opportunity to find out!

according to a conversation she accidentally overheard. mr.d had mentioned that the goddess and her fan club were paying camp halfblood a nice visit.

it was common knowledge that the hunters loathed camp halfblood and it’s campers, specifically boys— which valid— but what was so wrong about being a normal demigod?

that was another question manon wanted answered.

but whatever, she’d have to wait for that. right now, she was focusing on getting daniela back with her childhood love.

and somehow getting sophia’s girlfriend’s memories back, her mom was so hooked into them at the moment so of course manon had to intervene.

not as hooked as she once was with megan though. aphrodite really liked that love story.

and how she could forget about lara? that one had been painful to watch, not because it had been sad, they had just been too oblivious from the start.

now you can see how, when it comes to love, manon is always there.

“yoonchae is going on her first quest!” lara exclaimed excitedly, entering the library with a smiling yoonchae behind her.

manon was sitting next to sophia, who was reading some neurology book or whatever, she couldn’t read so she didn’t really care.

“oh my god, yoonchae! that’s so cool!”

the youngest smile grew even bigger “thank you. but it’s not really my first quest.”

sophia finally closed her book “who are you going with?”

before the other girl could answer, the library’s doors opened again.

“yoonchae! what were you thinking?!”

“babe, calm down please.”

“not now, skindiel!”

“sorry.”

“no, i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have shouted at you. you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“it’s okay, don’t worry.”

“i’m really sorry.”

“babe, it’s fine, really.”

“okay then. i’m still sorry.”

lara and manon shared a look before bursting out laughing. which was quickly shot down by a look of the athena girl.

“i’ll go” manon said and left as fast as possible, megan’s girlfriend looked pissed and she knew not to mess around when that happened.

lara was probably aware of it too, and she followed behind.

“look, there’s dani.” lara pointed out.

“awww, she’s probably looking for her boo.”

“don’t ever say that again.”

manon approached daniela to tease her a little. which led lara to doubt her relationship and ended with a small fight between daniela and demeter’s head counselor, and a confrontation between her and an arrogant hunter.

she couldn’t believe she had to endure a week of being in their presence.

manon was not much of a fighter. she liked having her knives polished, just in case. and she did partake in some fights during the weekly capture the flag game, but usually she’d leave it to the other cabins.

with the hunters visit, all cabins were joining forces to beat them, aphrodite’s included. manon wanted to wipe that stupid smirk from that hunter at the greenhouse.

so she decided if she wanted to beat them, she needed some training. that’s why she was heading to the training grounds, the times she had been there since her arrival at camp were probably less than what she could count with both hands.

usually before a capture the flag the training grounds would be full, manon expected it to be the same this time giving that everyone wanted to win. but to her surprise it was basically empty.

there was just one person. and when manon identified them, she wanted to turn around and leave. but of course, the other girl saw her before she could even make a decision.

“look who we have here, camp’s debutante.”

manon rolled her eyes ready to turn on her hills “i’ll just leave.”

“what? afraid of a little practice?” you said with smugness in your voice.

the black girl narrowed her eyes “please, the only thing i’m afraid of is catching strays with whatever bad attitude you’ve got going on.”

your mouth curved slightly “well, forgive me if i don’t quake in my boots because a gossip columnist showed up at the training grounds.”

“cute, you’ve called me that twice already.” she said, folding her arms “i don’t need weapons when i can destroy you with words.”

“correct me if i’m wrong, but words won’t send monsters into tartarus. i’ve seen you, all tongue, no aim.”

manon gasped “excuse me? my aim is—“ she hesitated “—developing.”

your grin widened “developing into what? a menace to the trees?”

“fine! you think you are so great? show me, moongirl.”

you stepped closer, twirling your silver bow like it was just an extension of your arm “all right, princess. take your stance.”

she grabbed a bow from the rack, huffing. then set her feet they way she thought she’d seen sophia do it, and lifted the bow.

besides her, a really annoyingly nice laugh escaped you “good heavens, that’s your stance? you look like a duck about to take flight, no wonder you can’t hit the target.”

manon lowered her bow, glaring at you. “you’ve got a real talent for compliments, you know that?”

“come along” you said, motioning her forward “square your shoulders. feet apart” you softly kicked her feet into position “you look like you’re preparing for a fashion show.”

she mimicked “feet apart, shoulders square, scowl like i’m personally offended at the world. nailed it.”

despite yourself, you chucked “better. now pull.”

she did as told, tongue sticking out in concentration. the arrow wobbled and you sighed.

“hold still. you’re jittering like a june bug in a rainstorm.”

manon blinked “a… june bug?”

“a beetle, they buzz about. do you truly not—? never mind.”

“right” manon smirked “totally a thing people say, very modern of you.”

you ignored the jab, stepping behind her. you adjusted manon’s elbow with precision. “loosen your grip.” you said “you’ll never strike if you clutch at it like a desperate suitor.”

“excuse me? desperate suitor?”

you raised a brow “what, isn’t it the phrase now?”

she snorted “try ‘clingy ex’ next time, grandma.”

your eyes narrowed, but manon could see the amusement in them “watch your mouth, june bug.”

“where’s the fun in that?” she said, then loosed the arrow. it hit the target, not anywhere near the center, but the board nonetheless. she bounced on her feet “ha! did you see that? no murdered trees this time!”

you allowed yourself a small smile “adequate.”

“adequate?” she shoved your shoulders lightly “that was practically a bullseye compared to my usual.”

“practically “ you said dryly “now try again, before you sprain something celebrating a four.”

they lost the game. it had been so close, but the nike girl had preferred to save sophia, someone she didn’t have any memories of, than finally breaking the camp’s losing streak.

really cute moment honestly. she was happy for sophia.

but now whose love life was she supposed to help with? she could try yoonchae, lara’s girlfriend had mentioned once that the young athena girl had a crush on someone. but she was out on her solo quest.

so what could manon do to entertain herself?

“ugh! i can’t believe those stupid hunters are staying longer.” daniela said, pacing frustratingly, kicking sand with her feet “you know that one who was at the greenhouse? she keeps visiting my girlfriend! what is wrong with her!”

“you don’t have to worry about her, dani” lara’s girlfriend said from the water.

lara floated beside her “yeah, it’s not like she can fall in love anyway.”

“well, someone might want to remind her of the oath she made, because she keeps talking about plants to impress her.”

“i can’t believe someone would give away the opportunity to love just like that.” the poseidon girl said.

that’s it! manon knew how she was going to get entertained.

“yes, they are stupid. i’ll see you guys later.”

manon dusted the sand off her shorts and marched away with that gleam in her eyes. lara groaned. “oh no. she’s up to something.”

“not again,” daniela muttered, but it was already too late. manon was gone.

after going around the whole camp she found you in the greenhouse. with daniela’s girlfriend. laughing.

“didn’t know you could laugh” she said making her presence known.

“i laugh when someone is funny” you shrugged.

manon gasped offended “i’m really funny fyi.” she then turned to the demeter girl “dani’s looking for you by the way.”

the girl smiled brightly “really? where is she?”

“the beach”

“i’ll see you later, y/n!”

“sure.”

you both watched her exit the room. then manon narrowed her eyes at you.

“what do you think you are doing?” she asked “you know she’s got a girlfriend, right? and you could be her grandma!”

you just raised an eyebrow at her “yes i know, the feisty curly haired one. and i’m twenty one, it’s not that old.”

“how long have you been twenty one tho?”

“…a while”

“okayy, pack it up edward cullen.”

“who?”

manon jaw hit the floor “you don’t know who edward is?” you shook your head “you’ve never seen twilight?”

“is it a play?”

“it’s a movie!” she exclaimed “wow, you really are old.”

“i’m sorry for not having the time to watch a movie!” you said back “i actually have duties to attend to.”

she grabbed your hand suddenly and started dragging you somewhere.

“where are we going?” you asked.

“i’m making you watch the four twilight movies.”

you rolled your eyes “what even is the plot of this twilight thing?”

“it’s a love story.”

“this movie sucks.” you said barely forty minutes into it “why is he so bipolar? why tell her to get away and then pay for her dinner?”

“you wouldn’t get it.” she answered.

“i like carlisle, does he die?”

“they are vampires.”

“they just killed one, manon, i think is a valid question.”

“she spent all that time like that over that guy leaving,”

“he was the love of her life.”

“she met him like a year ago! i bet she’ll go with that long haired boy next.”

“i like the wolves.”

“so are you team jacob?”

“no, i hate them both. wolves are just good hunting companions.”

“they have vampire royalty? what a joke.”

“we also have royalty, in some way.”

“but ours is serious.”

“she’s pregnant? is that even possible?”

“they’ll explain later, calm down.”

“i am calm, i’m just saying it doesn’t make sense.”

“rosalie’s story is actually really sad, and it’s even sadder that she is the only one trying to protect that thing, just because it has always been her dream to have a baby.”

“woah, we are getting deep.”

“anyway, if bella dies, they’ll probably going to turn her into a vampire. hopefully it isn’t a girl, what the fuck is a renesmee.”

“her powers are so cool!”

“you think so?”

“i’d love to show people my memories like that.”

“because people would love to see your thousand year’s old memories”

“i’m not that old!”

“no! you said he wasn’t going to die! what is wrong with you?”

“i never said that.”

“you implied it.”

“just keep watching.”

“…oh, what a dumb thing to do to spectators.”

“you fell for it.”

after that night, the two of you just… kept crossing paths. at first by accident, then less and less so.

sometimes she’d bring you snacks during your watch shifts— chiron assigned the hunters a chore every week for the time being— ‘modern cuisine’ she’d call them, handing over a bag of takis that nearly destroyed your tongue. other times you’d help her with her aim, correcting her grip with steady hands and witty remarks.

“you’re like a walking museum,” she’d joke when you told her something about your life.

“and you’re like a broken radio,” you’d reply.

it became a rhythm. her loud laughter filling the air while you pretended not to smile.

one afternoon, you were sitting under the big oak near the archery range, reading a book. manon flopped down beside you.

“you know,” she said, “for someone who claims to hate camp life, you’ve been hanging around here a lot.”

“someone has to make sure you don’t impale yourself,” you said without looking up, turning one of the pages.

“please, i’m getting better.” she grinned. “thanks to you.”

“don’t thank me yet. you still shoot like you’re throwing darts in a bar.”

“that’s very, what’s the word, vintage of you.”

“you mean accurate,” you corrected.

manon laughed again, then quieted, picking at the grass. “can i ask you something?”

you nodded slowly, finally closing the book. hamlet.

“why’d you really become a hunter?”

you hesitated, thumb running over the cover of the book on your lap. “i told you. i serve the goddess. it’s… fulfilling.”

“sure,” she said softly, “but before that.”

for a long moment, the only sound was the wind through the trees. then, quietly, you spoke.

“i was a daughter of nemesis.”

manon tilted her head. “explains the permanent scowl.”

you smiled faintly. “love wasn’t kind to me. i cared for someone once, a demigod like us. he wanted glory more than he wanted me. he used me to gain favor with the gods, and when i found out, he said i should’ve expected it. that love was weakness.”

manon’s chest tightened.

“so i asked for balance,” you continued. “and my mother granted it. he lost what he loved most, his voice, his music, everything that made people adore him. but the thing about vengeance…” your tone dropped, “it doesn’t heal you. it just keeps the wound open.”

manon was quiet for a while. then, softly said “so that’s when you joined artemis.”

you nodded. “the oath keeps me steady. i don’t have to hurt anyone again. i don’t have to feel.”

“you really believe that?” she asked.

you met her gaze. warm, bright, entirely alive.

“i have to,” you said simply.

“well,” she said after a moment, forcing a smile, “guess it’s a good thing i’m not planning to make you fall in love with me or anything.”

“good,” you said evenly, but your eyes lingered on her just a second too long.

and manon, lover girl that she was, noticed.

for days, manon told herself she wasn’t waiting for you.

that she just happened to walk by the archery range every morning. that she just liked the view from the forest’s edge. that it was purely coincidence that she always ended up where you were.

you noticed.

“something i can help you with, june bug?” you asked one afternoon, stringing your bow.

she shrugged, pretending to inspect her nails. “just making sure you don’t accidentally stab a tree again.”

you gave her a look. “it was one time, you’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“not a chance.”

it became a pattern after that. you learned to tolerate her chaos and her sweet perfume.

somewhere the lines started to blur.

manon would catch you watching her sometimes, that little smirk you always tried to hide, like she was some secret joke.

and maybe she was. because whatever this was, it wasn’t supposed to happen.

one evening, after everyone else had gone to dinner, she stayed behind. the sky was turning into purple, the last light hitting the edge of your silver bow.

“you’re getting better” you said softly, stepping up behind her to adjust her grip. your hand brushed her wrist. she froze.

“yeah?” she whispered.

“mhm. almost adequate.”

“almost?” she turned her head, and you were closer than you meant to be.

“don’t start” you warned, but she could hear your voice wavering a little.

manon smiled, the kind of smile that could start wars. “i think i’ll start.”

you meant to pull back. you really did. but she was sunshine and warmth and everything you’d spent decades pretending didn’t exist. and before you could stop yourself—

she kissed you.

it was soft.

the moment your lips touched, you felt a sharp, searing pull in your chest, like your oath had turned to glass and shattered. the magic that bound you to artemis flared, wild and angry.

manon didn’t see it, but you felt it, the faint hum of a devine warning under your skin.

you pulled away, breath shaking “i— you shouldn’t have done that.”

“why?” she asked, eyes wide. “because you liked it?”

“because i can die for it” you said quietly.

that was the first time you saw manon speechless. she stared at you with her doe eyes.

you couldn’t stand it anymore, the burning in your chest was too much to handle. so you ran away from her.

“y/n! come back!” but you were too far away to hear her.

the next morning manon woke up with a cold feeling. she looked for you everywhere. the dining pavilion, the archery range, training grounds, everywhere. but you were nowhere to be seen. so she went to the last resource, cabin 8.

she knocked on the door, twice, before it was answered by one of your sisters. the girl in front of her raised an eyebrow, probably weirded out by a camper knocking on their door.

“it’s y/n here?”

“she just left, didn’t say were she was going.”

manon had never ran as fast as she did then.

she arrived to the camp’s border where she saw you, bag in your back and bow in hand. talking with… yoonchae?

“bad things happen when both worlds come together, you know that?” you said to the younger girl.

“i’ll be careful.”

you smiled softly at her “that’s good.” then your smile went away “can you not tell manon you saw me, please?”

“she doesn’t have to tell me anything.” manon said, making her presence known “you thought you could leave just like that?”

you turned to her, guilt in your face “you don’t understand. if she finds out—“

“i don’t care!” she said, her voice cracking.

“… i think im going to leave you guys alone.”

you looked at the ground “it’s better this way.”

“for who?”

“for both of us.”

“don’t say that” she said, tears welling up in her eyes “don’t you dare say that after— after everything.”

you looked up again, she could see the tears forming in your eyes too “she’ll kill me, and you’ll blame yourself. i don’t want to break your heart.”

manon stepped closer, fist clenched at her sides “too late” she whispered “you already did.”

you flinched as if she had just slapped you in the face “manon—“

“no” she shook her head “you don’t get to make me fall in love and then disappear like that. you don’t get to decide what’s best for me.”

“i’m trying to save you.”

“i’m not asking you to save me!” she cried, tears sliding down her cheeks “i’m asking you to stay.”

before you could say anything else the air shifted, a bright silver light blinding your eyes.

artemis appeared between the trees, no longer looking like a thirteen year old girl. her expression was unreadable, her eyes cold.

“step away from her, manon.” the goddess said.

manon’s heart thudded, she took a deep breath. “no”

artemis’ gaze flicked to you “y/n, you have broken your oath.”

you dropped to one knee “my lady, please—“

“do not beg.” her voice was soft but firm, like it hurt her to do what she was about to do “you knew the cost.”

manon moved in front of you arms spread “no. you can’t.”

the goddess raised an eyebrow, probably because of the stupid thing manon was doing. “step aside, child.”

“not until you listen!” manon shouted “she didn’t mean to, it just happened. you of all people should understand how impossible is to stop falling in love.”

“i am not the goddess of love.” artemis said sharply.

“then maybe that’s the problem.” manon shot back.

there was a moment of silence. then artemis lifted her arm and a silver bow, just like yours, appeared on her hand.

you looked at the goddess, understanding your fate. then you looked at the aphrodite girl and smiled.

“no!” she cried, dropping to the floor “please don’t.”

“it’s too late” you said softly “it’s fine.”

manon’s eyes widened, she still could do something “mother! mother, please help me!”

the air shifted again. a soft breeze of perfume and flower petals.

aphrodite appeared in a shimmer of gold and pink light, looking effortlessly radiant and slightly annoyed.

“darling, you have the worst timing.” she said, inspecting her nails. “i was in the middle of watching your little friend yoonchae.”

“she’s going to kill her” manon said, eyes puffy from all the tears she had spilled.

aphrodite’s gaze shifted to artemis, then to you, then back to her daughter. “what exactly did you do this time?”

“i—“ her words tangled. “we didn’t mean to. it just happened.”

the love goddess sighed softly “oh my sweet girl. you think you understand love and help all your friends, and when it knocks on your door, you don’t know what to do.”

“please” manon whispered “help her.”

aphrodite’s eyes softened, but then her expression hardened again.

“why should i?” she asked. “you’ve spent your whole life refusing the rite of passage. refusing to honor me properly. love has is price and you know it, but you’ve ignored it. this is the consequence.

manon’s tears continue to fall “i know, i know i messed up. but please don’t take her. i’ll do it, the rite, whatever you want. just don’t let her die.”

aphrodite smiled “you are a stubborn little thing.”

artemis lowered her bow a fraction. “this is my hunt, sister. she broke her vow.”

“then take what’s yours,” aphrodite said softly, she stepped closer, eyes fixed on artemis. “strip her of the hunt, not her life. let her live as she was before, demigod, mortal and free.”

artemis frowned but she lowered her bow anyway.

“very well,” she said “she is no longer of my hunt and her immortality is gone. y/n, you will live and die as any mortal does. and you will not return to me.”

silver light burst from your chest. you gasped, staggering as the power left your body. the immortality, the bond, the weight of decades all falling away in an instant.

when you looked up again, the goddess was gone.

aphrodite smiled faintly at her daughter. “you’re lucky i have a soft spot for you.”

manon let out a shaky laugh through her tears. “you love me.”

aphrodite brushed a thumb over her cheek. “next time, don’t wait until it hurts to call for me.” then she, too, vanished.

and just like that, it was quiet again.

you lay there looking at the sky, trembling, mortal, but alive.

manon took a step toward you, tears streaking her face “so…” she whispered, voice breaking “you’re staying, right?”

you let out a shaky laugh “i guess.”

manon laughed too, a sound of relief and disbelief. “good. because you’re not running away from me again.”

synopsis: ever since you arrived at camp halfblood, you’ve had a crush on ares’ fiercest daughter. you just have to make a fool of yourself every time she’s near. TW: injuries, pjo violence pairing: ares daughter!lara x poseidon daughter!reader (thank you anon for the idea btw) genre: fluff word count: 3.6k i decided to give all kats a pjo gf. all happy endings (i think). here’s lara’s, next will be sophia 😈. you can read megan's before this one here: capture your heart

the last thing your expected to happen on the school field trip to the aquarium was to get trapped in a tank. with sharks.

one of your really kind classmates, note the sarcasm, decided it would be fun to casually shove you towards the shark thank.

for some reason, you didn’t hit the acrylic wall. you went straight through it, like the glass didn’t exist.

you could see the panic faces of your classmates and teachers. you were probably wearing the same expression.

you were a great swimmer, you took pride in your skills, you were part of the swimming team and all. but you’d never wanted to die in the water, that was not in your bucket list.

yet, it was probably happening today.

the massive whale sharks drifted towards you. you braced yourself but they didn’t attack, they swam past you, calm and silent.

okay…

still if they didn’t kill you. the absence of oxygen in your lungs would.

although, before you had spent almost ten minutes underwater in training. but that had been controlled, you hadn’t been in a stressful situation, surrounded by sharks.

suddenly there was a deep voice coming somewhere in the tank. “sister.” you spun in all directions trying to find the source.

that’s when you saw him or it? a one eyed creature, who weirdly looked like the guy who had pushed you, just taller and way more terrifying, swimming towards you, at a really high speed.

when he was just a few inches away from you he opened his mouth revealing big, sharp teeth, ready to bite you and eat you alive.

you moved out of they was just in time, making the man slam into the wall behind you.

you shot upwards trying to escape him, but he followed close. you looked around frantically, noticing the sharks circling watching you, waiting for something.

“help me” you mouthed, not even sure why.

but they understood.

two whale sharks surged towards to the one eyed monster while the other one nudged you upward, helping you get to the top of the tank.

then you were flying through the air, bursting through the surface. launched out of the tank.

a few hours later you were in a car, driven by your only friend —he now had goat legs— to somewhere in long island. another thirteen year old driving a car from georgia to new york, you were sure you’d wake up in no time.

but you didn’t.

instead, you were attacked by different creatures along the way.

finally you made it to a hill. bleeding and probably with some broken ribs, but alive.

you were carried to the infirmary and they gave you something called ambrosia, it tasted like your grandma’s cupcakes.

anyway, some girl named manon gave you a tour around the camp. tried to explain that you were a demigod and other things you couldn’t really grasp. but at least you knew you weren’t going crazy.

you were claimed, as manon had told you, that same night at a campfire.

people were shocked by the glowing trident above your head. they said the last poseidon child had been a hero, and was now studying in new rome.

if you could end up like him, it could be great. studying abroad was one of your biggest dreams.

then manon explained that new rome was actually located in california and not europe. what a bummer.

as the aphrodite girl had told you, the next day a capture the flag game was held, just like every friday.

you were part of the blue team.

since you were new, you just followed everyone around. they gave you armor too big for you and a shield, along with a weapon of your choice.

you went for a spear. had you ever touched one? no.

while following one of the groups, you got lost and started walking through the forest alone, trying to make your way back.

luckily you found someone, unfortunately it was an enemy.

in front of you stood a girl your age, though she was a few inches taller than you. dark hair, brown eyes. the sun shined on her skin making it glow and her hair flowed with the wind.

she was beautiful.

and she was going to beat your ass.

as soon as she saw your blue helmet, she charged, spear raised at you. before she could hit you, you raised your shield, you heard a loud clank at the contact.

then she swept your legs, making you fall on your back and knocking the air out of your lungs. you tried to reach for the spear that had fallen out of your grasp but she placed a foot on your chest making you stay in your place.

“stay there, newbie” she said.

“it’s actually y/n” you answered.

she rolled her eyes. “whatever. if i lift my foot, are you going to get up?”

you looked around, the answer was obviously no. you honestly didn’t even know how you had defended yourself in the first place. but you wanted to spend more time with her.

“it depends. am i getting a name?” she raised an eyebrow and you sighed “fine. i’ll stay right here.”

she stopped pinning you down and started walking away. you just watched her, disappointed.

but then she turned her head “i’m lara.” and then she disappeared behind the trees. you kept laying on the floor, smiling to yourself.

since then you’ve had a massive crush on the ares girl.

even years later it still remained. and it was worse.

you were a sucker for muscles, and lara rajagopalan new how to show them off. she was in charge of a lot of training sessions, you had tried to attend to some of them, but being around her when she was wearing a tank top under the hot sun, flexing her sweaty arms. it made your usual clumsy self even more pathetic.

still, here you were, sitting on a bench watching as she explained in detail to the younger kids how to use a sword.

were you paying attention to what she was saying? not at all. were you focusing on how her shirt stick to her body and how her hands gripped the handle of the sword? absolutely.

“now, y/n and i will demonstrate what i just explained.” she announced.

of course she’ll choose you. you had been at camp for almost four years now and you were supposed to be experienced.

and you were!

whenever you trained with yoonchae’s sister, athena’s headcounselor and megan’s enemy, you held your ground.

the first time you had gone on a quest with daniela and sophia you had been an important part of it, with your water powers.

but lara only knew the loser part of you.

and she probably notice how distracted you were, that’s why she chose you.

you stood up from the bench, almost tripping over, and went to stand up next to her. as soon as you arrived at her side she hit you on the head with the swords handle.

“ouch!” you said rubbing the spot.

“like i said, never get distracted.”

then she lifted her sword ready to strike. you moved out of the way, now getting a grip on your own.

she attacked again which you dodged, or so you thought. the tip of her sword was just under your chin.

“come on seaweed brain, you can do better.”

you stepped back, breathing a little too hard for someone who had barely lasted ten seconds sparring.

the younger campers were all looking at you unimpressed, they clearly knew you stood no chance against the other girl. which, honestly, you didn’t.

lara spun her sword in her hand. she was relaxed and confident, not even sweating.

you, on the other hand, almost tripped over your own feet, got bonked on the head, and were on the brink of passing out from nerves, heat and the fact that she just looked *so good* in that tank top.

“focus” she said, voice lower than before. “i’m not going easy on you.”

“i noticed” you muttered, gripping your sword tighter.

she lunged again at you. you parried in time, the clang jolting through your arms. she faked to the right then swayed her sword at you, which you managed to block, then she twisted and swept her leg towards yours.

you jumped back just in time. and she smirked “good.”

your heart was beating fast. and not entirely because of the fight.

you attacked this time. a wide swing and then a quick jab. she blocked both of them effortlessly.

you stumbled with a rock but you didn’t fall, instead you dropped and spun, sweeping your leg.

lara gasped as she hit the ground. the crowd did too.

you blinked. you did that?

lara pushed herself back up quickly, dusting off her clothes. she looked at you with something you couldn’t name.

pride, maybe?

“you’ve been holding back” she said, lifting her sword.

“or maybe i’ve been letting you win.” you said grinning.

she advanced, this time faster.

you blocked, sparks flying as yours swords clashed. the kids now seemed to have more faith in you, whispering excitedly.

you swung trying to get some distance, but she caught your wrist and twisted your arm, disarming you in one smooth move.

the sword fell clattering to the ground, and she steeped closer, her blade pointing at your chest.

your breathing was ragged and you could feel your heartbeat in your ears.

you swallowed “all planned.”

she rolled her eyes, breath slightly heavier “you lasted longer than i thought.”

you glanced down, the blade still pointed at you “are you going to stab me or…?”

she lowered her weapon smirking then said loudly for the others to hear “next time, don’t let your opponent distract you.”

you blinked confused “i wasn’t distracted.”

she leaned enough so only you could hear “i noticed you looking at my arms the whole time.” she stepped back with a wink and then turned to the crowd.

“alright, who’s next?”

had someone died from a crush before? maybe you would be the first.

you were in the infirmary, sophia treating to a burn on your hands.

you had been climbing the wall at its highest level, that meant lava was coming through all directions. honestly, the hephaestus children just loved to make everything harder.

you were doing great, almost at the top. when you looked down you saw megan and lara looking up at you. megan cheered you on while lara just had her arms crossed.

you misplaced your hand, putting it on a hole were lava was falling from. you let go at the burning sensation and fell off the wall, landing hard on your back and hitting your head.

they came rushing over to you and lara lifted you up on her arms as if you weighed nothing. megan was at her side, trying to keep you awake.

“you should be more careful y/n.” sophia said, handing you a piece of ambrosia. it still tasted like your grandma’s cupcakes.

“maybe if she wasn’t so distracted by hot girls” yoonchae said chuckling.

you glared at her “why are you even here?”

“megan arrived late at some practice she had with my sister. megan told her what had happened with you. she send me here to confirm she wasn’t lying.

“your sister really hates her, doesn’t she?”

“i don’t know” yoonchae shrugged at sophia’s question “i think she might actually like her a little bit. just like y/n here likes lara.”

you huffed “shut up, yoonchae! i’m not out here telling people who you like.”

she gasped “you wouldn’t.”

“try me.”

“don’t fight girls.” sophia said calmly “there’s people sleeping.

yoonchae rolled her eyes. “it’s just your girlfriend and us two here.”

“and she needs to rest. she just arrived from a quest and she got here really wounded. a whole temple fell on top of her”

“well, you are good with injuries.” you said. “i’m sure she’ll wake up soon.”

before sophia could say something the door opened and lara came in.

“hey.” she said softly “i wanted to check on you. i brought some bread.”

you just looked at her, yoonchae had to nudge you to get you out of your daze “uhm… thank you.” you said receiving the plate with fresh bread.

“yeah” she cleared her throat “you better be ready for tomorrow’s game. i need all my team at its best”

“i’ll be. i just need a quick shower at the beach and all good.”

she nodded then said her goodbye to the other two and left.

three seconds after the door was closed, yoonchae started talking “the bread is warm.”

“it’s still steaming” sophia added, checking the bandage on your hands. “she probably baked it herself.”

“really?” yoonchae asked “she baked bread. for you”

you started at the plate in your lap “she probably brought it from the pavilion.”

“dinner is in two hours.” sophia said.

“oh, she definitely made it.” yoonchae concluded “looks like you might have a chance after all”

you groaned, resting your head on a pillow as they continued to tease you. did you have a chance with lara raj?

later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, yoonchae left to sleep on her bed, and sophia stayed at the infirmary curled up on a chair next to her injured girlfriend’s bed, you went to the beach. campers weren’t supposed to be up this late and if the harpies found you, you’ll be dead. literally.

but the ocean always made you calm and it helped healing your wounds faster. quietly you sneaked out of the infirmary, not that you’d wake anyone up since you were the only one occupying it, other than sophia and her girlfriend.

as soon as your feet touched the water, you felt at ease. you stepped deeper, until the water reached your ribs. you could feel your wounds healing faster. you closed your eyes and let yourself float.

you sensed the presence of someone and you turned to find lara standing in the sand, arms crossed, in her pjs.

“hey” you said.

she stepped closer, the water now touching her feet “you are supposed to be resting.”

“you gonna snitch on me, counselor raj?” you said teasingly “saltwater helps with the wounds.”

she shook her head and her gaze softened “you scared me earlier.” she confessed.

“what?”

“when you fell” she said. “you hit your head and you weren’t moving.”

you shrugged “it’s not the first time i’ve fallen in front of you.”

“but it’s the first time you didn’t get up right away.”

something in your stomach twisted, or was it in your heart?

“i’m fine” you said tapping your head softly “hard headed.”

“still” she looked you up and down, examining for any injuries “you should be more careful.”

“i’m always careful”

she gave you a look.

“most times im careful.”

she laughed softly “you should go to sleep. you need to rest for tomorrow. i’ll walk you.”

you nodded getting out of the water. she passed you a towel she had brought with her.

she looked at you surprised when she saw your clothes and hair were dried already “you don’t get wet?”

you smirked “why are you asking?”

she rolled her eyes.

you adjusted the grip on your spear for what felt like the nth time that day, trying to not look nervous. you’d think that after all those years you’d be more confident in yourself, but nope.

lara walked up to the group. her hair was braided and she carried her own spear like it was an extension of her. confident and terrifying.

she gave quick orders to everyone “stick to formation, and don’t leave your partner unless you want to get ambushed.”

then she turned to you “y/n, you are with me.”

you stared “you sure? i think i still can tell chiron that im injured so i don’t have to be part of this.”

she narrowed her eyes. “too late. you are with me. have you forgotten how to use a a spear?”

“no! no, i’m great. excellent. like, the best.”

the horn blew and screams erupted.

lara started moving forward, you jogged to keep up with her. she moved trough the woods like she knew them by hand, which was probably true. you tripped over a root in the first ten seconds.

“focus” she snapped, not even turning back to look at you.

“i am focused” you whispered spitting some leaves out of your mouth.

any enemy you encountered, lara took them out. you just watched amazed.

a camper from the apollo cabin came bursting out of the trees, sword raised. lara quickly blocked his attack and disarmed him.

then another camper came running from behind, you shouted and threw your spear at him from a few feet away. thankfully it didn’t hit anyone, but it was a good enough distraction for lara to elbow him and throw him to the ground.

then everything went to hades. hell for non demigods.

at least five campers appeared, surrounded lara from all directions. you were too far away, and without a weapon, thanks to your stupid choice before.

lara started walking backwards spear held high, but then she slipped, just slightly. but it gave the others more advantage.

you couldn’t see it, but you could feel water nearby. a creek. you stretched your hand and the water answered.

it rushed up, blasting through the trees. the force knocked the attackers back. lara steadied herself and her eyes snapped to you, stunned by what had happened.

you charged forward, picking up your spear from where it had landed and threw yourself between her and a camper that was still standing.

your eyes flashed with anger when you said “back off.”

the other teenager hesitated, then retreated. probably because lara had recovered from the shock and was ready to beat everyone up.

“didn’t know you could do that.” she said when they were gone, voice low and breathy. almost impressed.

“you’ll be surprised by all i can do.”

the after party bonfire was dying down, some people had already gone to their cabins or the infirmary for minor check ups, others stayed to enjoy the last marshmallows.

you sat at the edge of the circle, a hoodie wrapped around your shoulders. the soreness had settled in, in your arms and legs. even the burn in your hand you thought was gone had come back. you stared down at the cracked handle of your spear, you’ll have to ask daniela or one of her siblings to fix it for you. or maybe try and do it yourself.

then someone sat down beside you, close enough were their shoulder was brushing yours. you didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“are you okay?” she asked softly.

you continue staring at your hands “yeah, just a little bruised.”

“thanks for what you did today.”

“you would’ve done the same.”

she shook her head “i would’ve done it for selfish reasons. you did it because you wanted to. you could’ve gotten hurt.”

you shrugged “i’ve gotten hurt for less” you said it intending to make her laugh, but she didn’t, she just looked at you.

“i mean it. you didn’t even hesitate.”

you swallowed “well… i didn’t want you to get hurt either.”

lara didn’t respond at first, just turned to face the fire. the flickering light shadowing her sharp jaw. “i don’t think anyone’s ever done that for me” she said eventually.

“what do you mean?”

she glanced at you, then looked away again “i’ve always been the strong one. the leader. the protector.” she inhaled “never the one who needs help.”

“that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.” you said hesitantly.

she nodded taking your words in. you sat in silence for a second. you thought about how she fought every friday, rescuing others from dangerous situations and risking injuries just to secure a victory. how, after every game was over, she was so tired she couldn’t even stay on her feet.

you nudge her knee lightly with yours “you don’t always have to be the strongest one.”

she turned to you, something in her expression different. not just gratitude from your words, something softer. “but i’m not used to people like you.”

you raised an eyebrow “losers?”

she laughed—finally—and she shook her head, “you’re not a loser. you are brave and kind. and frustrating as hell.”

you smiled, leaning back on your palms a little. “sounds like you’re in love with me.”

the moment you said that you regretted it immediately. had you ruined everything? you looked over at her, but she didn’t look angry nor surprised.

“maybe i am.” she said “i don’t know when things changed. maybe in our sparring sessions. maybe yesterday when i thought you were going to die from that fall.”

“i care about you. more than i would like to admit.” she continued.

you blinked, your throat suddenly dry. “i care about you too.”

“yeah?” she asked, her voice had a hint of vulnerability.

“yeah. like a lot.” then you added “i’ve liked you for a long time.”

she smirked “really? i didn’t notice.”

you rolled your eyes “way to ruin the moment.”

“i’m kidding” she said, chuckling. “come on, let’s get you to your cabin before you fall asleep out here.”

you stood, wincing at the sore ache in your legs. lara stood up too, close enough that your arms touched.

after daniela broke up with you, she shoved everything that reminded her of you in a box that she later hid in her closet thinking she would never see you again. years later she still reminisces about her time with you and thinks “i should’ve taken more pictures”.

status... on going!

ft... katseye, olivia rodrigo, conan gray, njz hanni & danielle and more

genre... smau, fluff, angst, bad jokes, exes to lovers, slow burn!!, celebrity!r, cursing, kys jokes, alcohol consumption, etc...

author notes... this isn't an actual representation of the people involved, it is just fiction, actions and situations are not real they are just for entertainment. i honestly wasn't thinking of actually posting this but when I saw manon singing this song i took it as a sign.

three musketeers multilingual queens

0. prologue 1. holiday miracle 2. please please please 3. little mix 4. santa costume 5. mark of athena, page 480 6. FREEDOM 7. leaked number 8. count your days 9. no thought process 10. last show 11. disappearance 12. how to really disappear 13. good afternoon 14. hailee steinfeld 15. silly little question 16. apology video with tears 17. blue mustang 18. friends sounds great 19. reflecting 20. how things ended (written) 21. new friends 22. uber driver 23. robbed 24. SOS 25. kendrick lamar concert 26. world champions 27. valid question 28. sad v-day? 29. THE conversation (written) 30. not a passenger princess 31. first dating scandal 32. momager 33. max verstappen´s rival 34. three lattes for later 35. i like you a latte 36. megan skinny 37. girl kisser #2 38. lebanese 39. a thread 40. ratio 41. (not) coincidences 42. l word (not really) 43. feeling: scared 44. didn't get the memo 45. platonic!!!

more coming soon...

taglist... open

synopsis: yoonchae finally has the opportunity to prove she isn't someone people need to take care of. who knew a roman demigod could make her feel truly seen? TW: pjo violence pairing: athenea daughter!yoonchae x vulcan legacy!reader genre: fluff word count: 5.5k merry christmas, everyone. this is my little present for you! with this one, the pjo series comes to an end (for now). i had so much fun writing every single part of it, and i really hope you had just as much fun reading along. if this is your first time here, you should also check out megan’s, lara’s, sophia’s, daniela’s, and manon’s stories before this one (it's not necessary, but it could give you a little bit of context).

yoonchae has always been in the shadows. first in school, she had good grades, good art skills, but nothing too special for teachers to notice.

her parents signed her up for every single thing they could: piano, taekwondo, dance. you name it she probably did it. she was good in all of them, but again, nothing special.

until she discovered what she truly was: a demigod. finally, something that did make her special, not everyone could say they were half god.

but quickly after getting claimed by athena she noticed that she’d stay in the shadows. suddenly she was everyone’s little sister that needed protection. if someone ever even thought of looking her way wrong, three of her siblings were already there, ready to take care of them.

she remembered the first time she went on a quest. she had been so excited. everyone always came back at least bruised, and she was going with her favorite sister, who happened to be athena’s head counselor. she had never acted as if yoonchae was a fragile thing.

not until then.

“okay. yoonchae, you stay here. sophia and i will go in together and defeat the enemies so you can come in.” she had said. “nothing can happen to you.”

“but i want to fight!” yoonchae answered.

“you’re still a baby” her sister said, ruffling her head “we’ll take care of everything. we’ll be quick so you can get back to camp soon.”

she opened her mouth to say something like you’re only a year older, but they were already gone.

thirty minutes later, sophia appeared with a cut on her cheek “hey yoonchip, the monsters are gone come in.”

the mission lasted less than a day. it was record time at camp. and yoonchae did nothing.

she never went on a mission after that. not even chiron wanted to put her in danger, even if the first time she had come back without breaking a sweat. for some reason even after younger kids would turned up to camp, she was still the baby. the one who needed protection.

lara and megan were the only ones who never actually treated her like a child. she was still their “baby” but at least they didn’t hold back while training. lara almost stab her one time, her sister was not happy about it.

so no, being a demigod doesn’t mean you’re not going to be in the shadows. no quests, no glory.

until one rainy day, when she had been called by chiron to the big house.

when she got there, chiron was absent so she decided to sit down while she waited. suddenly she heard a noise in the attic. at first she decided to ignore it, but then she heard it again. and again.

curiosity won over her, and she climbed the stairs that led to the dark, dusty room.

“please don’t be a spider, please don’t be a spider” she whispered.

then green smoke filled the air, and the old oracle moved slowly towards her, its bony mouth open.

“when chaos stirs where borders fade,

the silver mind must face the shade.

alone shall wisdom’s child depart,

to seek what sleeps in iron’s heart.

beware the hand that mirrors thine,

the bond forbidden, yet divine.

two paths shall cross, one truth to see.

what was divided may cease to be.”

she ran out of the attic as soon as the oracle collapsed on the floor, running into chiron, megan and lara in the process.

“a prophecy” she told him “meant for me.”

they were as surprised as she was.

“where borders fade.” megan said after yoonchae recited the oracle’s prophecy one more time “is it talking about the boundary we aren’t supposed to go past?”

the centaur nodded. “there are rumors about some artifact that vulcan, hephaestus’ roman counterpart, hid in those mountains. and if monsters find it, they can make the barrier between the worlds collapse.”

lara frowned “then why does she have to go alone? it sounds really dangerous.”

“the prophecy was explicit: ‘alone shall wisdom’s child depart.’ you know if we don’t follow it, the gods might get angry.”

megan’s jaw tightened “if its roman, maybe we shouldn’t touch it.”

chiron’s voice softened “or maybe that’s why it must be yoonchae. athena’s children see thing others miss.”

“you hear that?” lara said, wrapping her arm around the youngest “you are the chosen one.”

“oooh, like harry potter!”

yoonchae laughed, but she could only think about how she was supposed to do it alone.

her sister was freaking out when she found out about yoonchae’s solo mission a few hours later. she stormed into the library shouting about how irresponsible yoonchae had been for going up to the oracle alone and many other things. megan had to calm her down. then she started crying saying yoonchae was going to be alone for the first time and how she couldn’t protect her. and finally, when yoonchae had patted her back a few times and her tears slowed down, she told yoonchae how proud she was of her and that she was sure she’d do a great job saving the world.

that made the korean girl smile a little.

everyone helped her pack her things. yoonchae thought they were a little too much, when was she supposed to use a star screwdriver? she was greatful anyway. they all had been in quests before, so they knew better.

unfortunately, she left the day after the hunters’ arrival. yoonchae had received a little pamphlet once and she had considered joining, but she’d miss camp life too much.

anyway, back to the mission.

thankfully she, unlike lara’s girlfriend, could take a plane and get there faster. she only encountered one monster at airport security. everything was going fairly well.

if you were interested, yoonchae was going to the appalachian mountains, specifically the blue ridge. where the heart of vulcan was supposedly hidden.

she arrived in virginia before noon, which gave her plenty of time to get to the shenandoah national park before it got too dark. if she could get a car, that is.

now, yoonchae did not have a license, not even a drivers permit, so renting a car was not an option. but she couldn’t trust anyone, monsters were everywhere and she couldn’t risk it. so her safest option was to steal a car.

yoonchae stared at the rows of rental cars like they were monsters. she had never driven anything in her life, not even a golf cart. the only vehicle she operated was a canoe once, when megan made her steer, and she almost made drowned them both.

“okay” she whispered to herself “mortals do this all the time, it can’t be that hard.”

she picked a gray sedan that looked good enough, not suspicious and it felt unthreatening. with a hairpin she slid the lock open and slipped into the driver’s seat. for some reason, they keys were in the cupholder.

“well, that’s convenient” she said “i love virginia.”

thankfully, the car she chose only had two pedals instead of three so it would be easier for her to drive. she turned the vehicle on and the engine roared to life. she put the shift lever into drive, and the car jerked forward.

“whoa!”

she swerved before she could crash into the car in front of her but ended up crashing into a bush. she reversed, hit a car behind her. but somehow she managed to escape the parking lot alive, and no one even noticed!

the car had a gps she obviously used, since she had never been in the state before, and even though she drove like a grandma, she eventually arrived to shenandoah. just as the sky was turning an orange color.

she pulled into a small, empty gravel lot an parked. actually parked, car straight.

“ha, take that! who needs a drivers license!”

she got out of the car with her backpack and went straight towards the woods. when she was surround by only trees that towered over her and she could smell the moss and wet dirt she took a deep breath. finally, she could relax a little bit.

yoonchae followed the trail upward, heart thumping from excitement and adrenaline. birds chirped and breaches creadores under her feet.

then she froze, slowly taking out her knife. up ahead, a silhouette moved. tall and confident, definitely not a lost hiker. as she got closer she noticed the figure wearing purple. her stomach dropped. that meant camp jupiter. that meant roman. and romans were never good news.

what was a roman girl there in the first place? was she trying to get the relic first?

yoonchae circled around carefully, as silent as she could, stepping over branches until she was directly behind the stranger. then swiftly she pressed the flat of her knife against the girl’s back.

“don’t move” she whispered.

you froze.

then you turned your head slightly, enough that yoonchae could see the smirk on your face.

“well” you said, voice lightly amused “and here i was thinking the wildlife would be the dangerous part.”

yoonchae swallowed. you were pretty, too pretty. with hair pulled into a messy braid and a tight purple shirt with ‘*camp jupiter*’ written on it that made her heart skip. but she stayed firm.

“state your name” she demanded, knife pressing harder against your back.

you raised your hands in mocking surrender “we’re doing introductions after the attempted stabbing? cute.”

“i’m not joking” yoonchae hissed “why are you here?”

you sighed, still with that annoying smirk “a prophecy. didn’t think i’ll meet someone who enjoys threatening strangers in national parks.” your tone was a little sarcastic and too calm for someone being held at knifepoint. “and you are?” your eyes flickered to her face with interest.

she tighten her grip “i didn’t say you could ask questions.”

“ohh” you murmured, grin widening “feisty. i like it.”

yoonchae rolled her eyes, finally putting her knife down “you know what? i don’t care why you are here. just stay out of my way.”

“will do.” and with that, you turned around and kept moving forward, humming under your breath.

she watched you go for a few seconds before regaining her senses and moving towards a complete different direction.

after walking several miles without even knowing where she was heading to, she found a gorge with a really unstable bridge. it was already dark and she couldn’t see what was at the other side of it, when she looked down all she saw was darkness.

maybe there was another way to cross? but after looking around and finding nothing she sighed and prepared herself to cross.

as soon as she stepped on the bridge one of its planks went falling down. with a shaky breath, she carefully placed her other foot. nothing happened, she exhaled relived.

then the plank broke and she fell. she closed her eyes, ready to die from the impact. but went she felt nothing she opened them.

looking up, she saw you. braced against the cliff’s edge, arm extended down. your grip around her wrist was strong, steady and confident. annoyingly so.

“really?” you said raising an eyebrow as she dangled. “a few minutes without me and you’re already throwing yourself off cliffs?”

yoonchae’s heart hammered. was it from terror or humiliation? she didn’t know. but definitely not because she thought you looked even prettier at the moment.

“I didn’t—“ she stuttered, her legs kicking uselessly. “the bridge broke!”

“sure it did.” your lips curved into a smug smirk “clumsy and aggressive. you’re the full package.”

“just pull me up!” she snapped, cheeks bruning from embarassment.

“right, sorry” you grunted and hauled her upward, muscles flexing under your shirt. yoonchae stumbled as she stood up and you instinctively put your hand around her waist to stabilize her.

that’s when she finally noticed the tattoo on your wrist. there, on purple-ish ink, a crossed sword and a torch, the letters SPQR and six lines underneath.

she didn’t ask. but you noticed.

“we all have it” you said, looking at the mark with furrowed eyebrows “it means the time we’ve been part of the legion. every year they burn another line into your skin.”

the korean girl’s hand went up to her necklace, the clay beads on it had the same meaning as the tattoo on your arm, but hers wasn’t meant to hurt.“what does the symbol mean?”

your lips turned into a really small, almost imperceptible, smile “it’s bellona’s, she’s my mother.”

“the goddess of war?” yoonchae asks, you simply nod. “my mother is athena.” she doesn’t know why, but she felt the need to share something about her too.

“yeah, i figured with your attitude.” you answered “minerva is supposed to be celibate.”

okay, maybe sharing wasn’t a good idea. “we are not born like others. we are born from connection and thoughts.”

“a brain baby?”

yoonchae rolled her eyes at the comment, but she was also reminded of her home, of how megan used to call her sister.

“yeah, a brain baby.” she answered, then changed the topic. “what are you doing here? i told you to stay away.”

“and i did” you said “but it seems all paths lead to this cliff, and lucky you, i arrived just in time before you became a pancake.”

“i was not going to be a pancake.”

“whatever helps you sleep at night…brain baby.”

“stop.” she said firmly “let’s look for a way to cross this thing.”

“yes ma’am.”

you found a really narrow ridge jutting out slating upward toward the other side.

“we can walk along that” you said “carefully.”

the ledge was barely wide enough for one person at a time, so you walked ahead, while yoonchae followed matching your steps.

“don’t look down” you told her calmly.

“i wasn’t going to” yoonchae muttered. “…i looked down.”

you snorted.

by the time you reached the opposite side, yoonchae’s legs were shaking and her palms were sweating. you, on the other hand, hopped onto solid ground with a grace of someone who clearly wasn’t afraid of anything.

“see?” you said, offering her a hand “not so bad.”

yoonchae took it reluctantly. then she looked around. everything was dark but instead of a cold night, the air shimmered with heat.

“do you feel that?” she asked.

you hummed and stepped toward a cluster of stones that here half hidden beneath some bushes. they were arranged in a perfect circle around a big slab covered in dust. yoonchae crouched beside you, brushing the dirt away.

underneath was a symbol. a hammer. his mark.

“this must be one of his waypoints.” you murmured “he used to mark travel routes for his creations. automatons and all that.”

yoonchae traced the figure with her fingertips. “which means we’re in the right place.”

you nodded “looks like we’re working together then.” your mouth twitched like you were trying to not look too pleased about it.

she stood, wiping her hands on her pants “looks like it.” then she looked at you. the purple shirt, the spqr lines, the bellona symbol, the confident posture.

“just… don’t get in my way” she said softly.

you smirked. “i’ll try. but no promises, brain baby.”

despite herself, yoonchae let out a small laugh.

you decided to make camp not too far away. yoonchae was in charge of making the tents while you had the job of making the fire.

“hey.” she jumped startled at your voice behind her “you need help with that?”

“you are supposed to be making the fire” she answered.

“i finished already.”

she turned around with a surprised look. her eyes drifted behind you, a big fire lit the forest. “how— how did you do that so fast?”

you shrugged “practice.” you said lightly.

yoonchae frowned but didn’t press. she turned back to the tent, tightening the stakes. still, she couldn’t stop glancing over her shoulder. the fire was… perfect. it was steady, warm without spitting sparks. she noticed that there were no flint marks on the stones either.

when the tents were standing, yoonchae stepped closer to the fire, as soon as her palms hovered near the heat, the flames grew smaller as if they didn’t want to burn her. she looked around and notice you watching her and the flames, she must be imagining things.

she sat, pulling her knees in “most people struggle to start a fire out here. damp ground, lots of wind. you did it in, like, thirty seconds.”

you poked the flames with a stick, watching them curl around the wood obediently. “i’m just talented like that.”

you ate dinner in silence until yoonchae broke it. “so, camp jupiter. how is it like.”

you sighed “it’s loud, competitive and structured. nothing can be out of place and everyone is obsessed with proving they are better. you paused. “it’s not bad. just… heavy.”

the other girl nodded slowly. “camp half blood is chaos. i think everyone is scared because we’ll die young, or maybe you’re lucky and get to live past the age of thirty.”

you frowned confused. “demigods can definitely live longer than that. you can stop going on quests and just start living your life like a normal person.”

yoonchae raised an eyebrow questioning “how are you supposed to go to college if monsters will be tracking your every move.”

“well, we go to college in new rome. and then when you graduate you can go out or stay in the city.”

“you have a city in your camp?” she asks, trying to understand what you were saying.

you nodded, eating a piece of bread. “i don’t really like being in the legion.” you said “but new rome is amazing. my dad has a workshop there and my stepbrother is on his second year in university, hopefully we’ll make it out of here alive and i’ll get to make my own life like them.”

“sounds nice and… safe” she said.

you huffed a soft laugh “yeah. that’s the point.” the more quietly you continued “sometimes i feel guilty for wanting that.”

she glanced at you “why?”

“because some people on the legion don’t get to see it.” you said, eyes fixed on the fire. “and wanting out feels like admitting you’re scared, fear isn’t exactly encouraged in the legion.”

yoonchae nodded “at camp, they all treat me like i’ll break if they aren’t careful. i don’t get to be scared because they don’t let me do anything.”

you furrowed your eyebrows “you don’t look breakable.”

she snorted softly “you should hear my siblings.”

for a moment, neither of you spoke. yoonchae looked at the fire crackling, she noticed how close it burned to you, but never touching your clothes, like and unspoken command. no, she was overthinking.

eventually she yawned and stood up. “we should rest. tomorrow we’ll continue exploring.”

you nodded, pushing yourself up too. “i’ll take first watch.”

“you don’t have to—“

“i want to.” you cut in gently.

she studied your face, you were not backing down “okay, wake me in a few hours.”

yoonchae crawled into her tent, listening to the sounds outside. the steady fire, your footsteps, the forest breathing around you both. she should have felt uneasy sleeping so close to a roman demigod. instead, for the first time since leaving camp, she felt… safe.

for the next days you continue walking through the mountains, following clues and hidden marks that vulcan had placed strategically. you got to know each other a little, finally knowing the other’s name.

surprisingly you didn’t encounter any monsters, which made yoonchae feel quite anxious.

a whole week of two demigods in the wilderness near a god’s secret base with a powerful relic, and not even a small creature? the lack of monsters bothered her because if there were no monsters it meant that this place was far too dangerous. she didn’t comment on it. not yet. though you probably were aware of it too.

another mark. another wave of heat.

“it feels like we are going in circles” you said one day. “i swear we’ve seen that one before.”

yoonchae stopped in her tracks and looked around. that’s when she noticed the same tree you had climbed three days ago to get an apple, then the rock you had stumbled with and almost fell on the ground— she laughed really hard that time. yeah, you were definitely going in circles.

then you sucked in a sharp breath.

“y/n?” she asked instinctively.

you didn’t answer right away. your head tilted like you were listening to something, something yoonchae couldn’t hear.

“it’s…hotter” you said slowly. “not like before. this is different.”

a few seconds later she felt it. the sudden wave of heat in the air.

you turned without hesitation and started walking off the marked path.

“wait” yoonchae said, grabbing your sleeve “the clues—“

“aren’t meant for you anymore” you said quietly, not unkindly. “do you trust me?”

she hesitated for a second, then looked into your eyes and nodded. you started walking again, yoonchae following behind. with every step the heat intensified, it was so hot sweat gathered at her temple. you seemed more focused the hotter it got, movements purposeful. she noticed how you didn’t slow, didn’t flinch at the warmth.

then she saw it.

half hidden behind hanging rocks and vines, a stone wall that looked almost melted with a faint imprint, a hammer striking an anvil.

hephaestus’—or vulcan— true mark.

yoonchae’s breath caught. “an entrance” she said “it wasn’t meant to be found by following signs, it’s meant to be… felt..

as you got closer, the mountain seemed to hum louder. a deep vibration, like metal cooling. she pressed her palm to the stone, but retreated it quickly when she felt the burning sensation.

“it must open with pressure” she commented “maybe if we pressed our hands at the same time.”

you didn’t comment, simply placed your hand on the same spot she had done before. she noticed how you didn’t flinch at the contact. slowly, she placed her hand beside yours.

the stone shuddered. then, with a low roar, the wall split open, revealing a descending cave, lit by a faint orange glow. heat poured out, thick and suffocating.

when you were inside the wall behind you shut close, leaving no way out.

“i guess this is the only path” you said.

just as you took a step forward, arrows shoot in your direction. you managed to get down just in time before they hit you badly, but yoonchae didn’t miss the way you winced.

“you okay?” she asked, genuinely concerned.

you nodded, breathing heavily “yeah. just a small scratch.” you answered looking down at your arm.

that’s when she noticed the blood running down your shoulder. “y/n” yoonchae said sharply “that’s not scratch.”then she tugged you softly towards the dim light, to have a better look at your wound.

“i’ve had worse” you muttered trying to sound convincing.

she ignored you, as she was getting used to do by now, then kneeled to pull a strip of fabric from her pack. “hold still.”

as she wrapped your shoulder, the cave shuddered again, the sound of gears grinding made yoonchae froze. “that wasn’t us.”

“no” you said quietly. “is definitely not good, though.”

as if summoned by your words the floor tiles changed, now different symbols adorned them. a hammer, an anvil, fire, and a throne. then, everything went dark, the only thing lighting up the place were the sudden change of color in the floor.

“a puzzle!” yoonchae exclaimed.

“try not to sound too excited.”

“throne, anvil, fire, hammer” the korean girl muttered as she saw each one light up “it’s a pattern. wait here.” she slowly stepped to one tile with the throne, when nothing happened she continued moving forward—*anvil, fire, hammer, throne, anvil, fire, hammer…*— until there were no more symbols left.

you only watched as she moved gracefully until the darkness swallowed her “yoonchae?” you called out nervously “everything good?”

a few seconds later you heard her voice “yeah! follow the pattern.” you repeated what you saw her do, stepping carefully into each tile.

when you were face to face with the other girl you smiled “you’re amazing.”

yoonchae ducked her head, a little flustered by the praise. “it wasn’t that hard… you would’ve figure it out too.”

you chuckled “yeah, in two business days.”

the corridor beyond started shifting its weight. the stone walls slid apart, revealing a wide chamber lit by a molten glow.

“not ominous at all.” you muttered.

then the ground shuddered and from the walls and floor big figures started to rise. bronze statues with different weapons started coming to life. one, taller and broader than the rest, stood at the center, its chest shining brighter than the others.

yoonchae inhaled slowly, automatons. “five. the big one must be the anchor, if we disable it, the rest should follow.”

“got it” you shifted your grip on your sword, already moving where she pointed. “call it.”

she did, every step, every dodge. you followed her voice without question, striking when she told you, forcing the smaller automatons to overextend. sparks flew whenever your weapons made contact with their joints and the heat climbed.

then one of them clipped your injured shoulder. pain exploded down your side.

“y/n!” yoonchae shouted.

she was too far from you to get there on time, but she ran anyway. an automaton raised its spear, ready to strike at her back. suddenly fire surged from your hands. the flames wrapped around the robot’s arm, heating the bronze until it collapsed behind her. the others stopped moving too.

yoonchae stared at you frozen.

you exhaled sharply, the fire dying down. “before you say anything—“

“you can control it” she said, not scared but in awe.

you swallowed, holding onto your wounded shoulder. “i’m a legacy. my dad’s a son of vulcan.” you glanced at the molten remains of the automaton. “i was afraid to tell you. you probably would’ve never trusted a living roman forge. no one at camp jupiter does either.”

the other girl crossed the distance between you. she didn’t look at the smoking metal, or the other automatons. her focus was only you.

“sit” she said, firm in the way she had seen her siblings done many times before, guiding you down behind a fallen column. when you winced, she softened immediately. with steady hands she cupped your face for half a second to make you look at her,. “hey. you did good. you saved us.”

you laughed weakly “still bleeding.”

“i noticed” she pulled her pack open “hold still.”

as she worked in bandaging your arm, the sounds of grinding metal echoed through the chamber. the remaining automatons now moving slowly.

“you’re hot” she blurted “i mean warm. well, obviously, but like… more than before.”

“yeah” you muttered “that’s kind of the problem.”

she paused, the looked up at you, eyes sharp. “no it’s not.” her voice was sincere “you’re not a weapon. and you’re not a monster. doesn’t matter what camp jupiter thinks or what you can do.”

something in your chest twisted “you don’t know how they look at me” you said. “a living forge. useful when there’s war, dangerous the rest of the time.”

“i know how that feels. being reduced to what people think you are.” her hand pressed briefly over the bandage “you’re still you.”

the loud heavy clanging was closer than before. yoonchae stood. “okay, emotional moment over.” she pointed toward the glowing seams in the floor “i think they are drawing power from the forge core. if you pull the heat, we can reroute it.”

you swallowed, forcing yourself up “i can do it. just tell me what to do.”

the automatons charged.

heat surged through you. the veins in your arms started flowing a soft orange until yoonchae felt the room grew hotter. she stayed close, calling out movements and timing your strikes, guiding you like it was a dance.

“left, now!” she shouted.

you released the heat where she told you to, then she struck the runes with precision. one by one, the automatons collapsed into silence.

when it was over, the runes you had basically melted revealed a hidden door that slid open. warm golden light spilled out, illuminating a pedestal at its center. resting there was a sculpted metal heart.

you both stared at it, sweat dripping down your dust covered faces.

“the heart of vulcan.”

your knees nearly gave out from the exhaustion of using your powers. she caught you without thinking, arms steady around your waist. you leaned into her, trying to regain your balance.

“stay with me” she whispered “we’re almost there.”

carefully she guided you to the pedestal. up close, the heart had thin veins of glowing script across its surface.

“there’s an inscription.” yoonchae murmured, moving closer “in latin.“

you opened your mouth automatically to translate “it says—“

“Mens ducit” she cut you off, tracing the words with her finger “ignis sequitur. in bello, unum cor.”

you blinked “…you speak latin?”

“i’ve been taking classes with my sister.” she said, a little shy.

“the mind leads. fire follows. in battle, one heart.” you repeated “is it referring to us?”

she didn’t say anything. instead she lifted the heart with grace. its weight lighter than she expected

the mountain groaned. cracks spread through the walls and dust rained down from the ceiling.

“i’m guessing we are not meant to linger here.”

yoonchae nodded in agreement “there’s the exit” she said, pointing at a side tunnel that had split open the moment she grabbed the metal sculpture and the forge began to collapse.

you let yoonchae go first, staying between any possible danger and the greek demigod, even injured, with your sword raised and fire faintly flickering at your fingertips.

she noticed.

“you don’t have to—“

“i want to.”

you burst out of the cave just as the entrance sealed behind you. panting, trying to regain your breathing neither of you noticed where you were standing. until the loud sound of a honk came from beside you. you jumped in surprise, looking around. you were in the middle of the city, cars going in every direction, people moving around.

“are we in… new york?” you asked. confirming your own question just a second later when you saw the big empire state building in the distance.

“great! easier for me to get to camp.” yoonchae exclaimed excited.

you smiled at her “i’ll go with you.”

she blinked “you don’t have to.”

“i know.” then you added “i want to.”

you took a taxi to long island, no monsters in sight. maybe the power of vulcan’s heart kept them away. which made yoonchae wonder how were you going to get to california now.

you payed the driver, a big man with a nice beard and many burned scars on his body, with some drachmas, he didn’t say anything about it. then walked closer to a hill.

“this is where i go alone.” she said. you stopped beside her, the faint noise of wind and birds making the moment feel calmer.

the korean girl turned to face you fully “thank you.” she expressed. “for everything.”

you gave her a crooked smile “take care of the heart.”

she shook her head “you should take it.”

“no.” you said “it might be roman. but i don’t need proof anymore.”

she frowned. “y/n, this could show them you’re more than a legacy.”

“i don’t need that.” you shot back “you solved every puzzle, every trap. you led us. this is your prize.”

she hesitated “they’ll say i only survived because i had help.”

“so what?” you said “help doesn’t make you weak.” then you added “but if you want, you can keep me out of your story. i wouldn’t mind if it meant you get the recognition you deserve.”

the silence between you was heavier this time, full of things neither of you were ready to name yet.

finally, yoonchae nodded. slowly she tucked the heart into her pack. “okay. i’ll take it.”

you seemed relieved at that. “good. take care of it.”

she met your gaze “i will.” she felt warm inside, maybe it was the feeling of accomplishment, or maybe it was you, but she finally felt as if she had come out of the shadows.

“we can still talk” she said softly, as if she was afraid you’d denied the suggestion.

you tilted your head “iris messages?”

she smiled “i have drachmas.”

“so do i.” you paused, then added quietly “maybe someday we won’t have to meet in the middle of a crisis.”

her smile widened, hopeful and shy. “i’d like that.”

after daniela broke up with you she shoved every single thing that reminded her of you in a box that she later hid in her closet thinking she would never see you again. years later she still reminisces of her time with you and thinks “i should’ve taken more pictures”.

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i'm so sorry 🥸

after daniela broke up with you, she shoved everything that reminded her of you in a box that she later hid in her closet thinking she would never see you again. years later she still reminisces about her time with you and thinks “i should’ve taken more pictures.”

masterlist prev next