#twice action

It was supposed to be a peaceful day. 

A nice lunch after your morning classes. A short drive to the new restaurant for a filling meal (albeit overpriced). Maybe a quick nap in your car with the windows rolled down. And all with your girlfriend by your side, of course. 

A momentary break from the perils of university… before your evening classes begin. 

Peacefulness. 

That’s all you’ve asked for all your life. 

“It has to be them,” Jeongyeon turned to look at you, where you still sipped on your iced tea even though the last of the melted ice had finished. A mere habit to process what you were seeing. “Right?”

It was the three blaring orange shirts that gave it away. 

Oh, and also the blinding Colchis Bulls made of celestial bronze. 

“Do you think it's a sign?” Jeongyeon asked with a frown as a young girl tackled a young boy to the side, one of the bulls storming through exactly where he had stood. “We have to intervene, right?”

“Does it matter?” You frown with her, pushing your empty glass in distaste. 

Jeongyeon grabbed her messenger bag, packing her things in, as you searched through your own bag. At the very bottom was a corroded silver hairclip. You pocketed it. When your girlfriend caught sight of it, she chuckled.

“You bring it with you?” She said as she got up with you, while you pulled out a few notes as a tip and placed them under the plate. 

“Don’t know when we might need it,” you shake your head before looking at the fight across the street. “Like now.” 

“They won’t like this, you know?” Jeongyeon manoeuvred through the crowd, hoping to reach the crossing before the light changed. 

You couldn’t help but glare up at the sky. “You think they would’ve placed them here without considering that—”

“Still not our quest—”

A car horn interrupted your conversation, Jeongyeon only raised her hand in apology as the pair of you sprinted across the street, shoving people aside and holding up traffic. Soon enough, you were on their side of the street, heading towards the open park where the three kids fought the bulls. You can’t imagine what the mist fabricated to protect the humans’ sanity. Worse, you and Jeongyeon probably looked strange running head-first into an active fight or whatever it was that the mistprojected. 

Jeongyeon was ahead of you, her body leaned forward as her speed increased. She tossed her bag to her back, positioned somehow right at the centre, something like thread weaved and intertwined over her spine until you realized what it was—armour. Celestial bronze armour.  

The audacity to ask why you still carried your hairclip when she’d crafted her favourite but ratty messenger bag into a chest plate. You had to smirk at her craftsmanship. 

Coming to a stop a few metres away from the fight, you brought out your hairclip from your pocket. With a click, it expanded in your hands into a bow with its quiver. You swore when you found only two arrows in your arsenal. You’llhave to make do. 

Just as you nocked an arrow, Jeongyeon barreled straight for a bull. All of her body weight and strength against its body. The bull tipped to the side and skidded across the ground. One of the kids who had scrambled out of the way, before running to help her, held the bull down. 

The other two kids had the second bull distracted, one young girl hacking at its side with a double-edged axe while the other had managed to hold onto its horns, the bull’s snout forced into the dirt. The latter was struggling, clearly, but she was holding her ground. 

It will do. 

Muttering a sleep spell, the magic was imbued into the tip of the arrow. Aiming, you shot straight for the left eye of the captured bull. 

The kid holding the horns momentarily startled back before grabbing for the horns again. Not that it was needed. Within seconds, you had a second arrow nocked with the same spell, flying straight by Jeongyeon’s hand and into the eye of the bull. Unlike the child, she knew your work. With her hands around the horns, she pried the metal bull head clean of its body. Looking at Jeongyeon, the little girl followed through, with the help of her friend. 

With both bulls decapitated, you brought down your bow and finally walked over to where they were. You neared the two girls, panting on the ground as they stared at the beheaded bull. 

“Well done,” you said softly, but having never heard you speak nor know who you are the pair of them startled. 

The girl who’d held down the bull springing up with her hands raised, her eyes weary and aggressive, despite how sweaty and tired she was. Protective, she must be older than the other two. 

“Your eyes,” Jeongyeon mentioned with a sigh, while her hands were already messing with the circuitry of her beheaded bull. The boy that was beside her, watching her in a daze. 

“Right,” you sigh, and you blinked a bit furiously. However, the cloudy glow that you often get when you cast spells usually only vanishes with time. “We’re here to help, we’re demigods too,” you say instead to convince them, from underneath your shirt you show them your beaded necklace, similar to theirs. 

The girl with raised fists dropped them to her side, but her eyes were still weary. 

“Not dad’s,” Jeongyeon said, patting her chest twice and her armour unthreaded back into her messenger bag. The small pile of wires and metal she’d rummaged from the bull was shoved into her bag. “They’ve been tampered with.” 

“Of course,” you shake your head. “Do you have ambrosia or nectar with you?” you ask, looking around to see if kids bags are nearby. They were nowhere to be found. “It’s alright, come here.” 

“Be careful with them! They’re children,” Jeongyeon said, though not caring enough to turn back. She did however send the boy over to you as well. 

“I can control the potency, calm down,” you kneel to their height, trying not to roll your eyes at Jeongyeon’s warning.“It's a somnambulism spell,” you extend a hand, but all three children only look at you with blank stares. “Right, which means nothing to you. It is a sleepwalking spell—sleep-state spell!” You corrected yourself quickly. 

Shaking your head, you tried again. 

“I can’t heal your injuries,” you pointed at the cuts and gashes along their arms. “But I can reduce the pain for a moment until we can find you a sanctuary.” 

Jeongyeon nodded, finally getting up with a grunt and walked over to rummage through the circuitry of the second bull.“Dad’s got sanctuary down the main road,” she plopped down to the ground, harshly ripping out wires and setting them aside for herself. “Hephaestus,” was all she said to let the children know who her father was. 

You pressed a hand to your chest. “Hypnos.” 

The girl, who previously wielded the axe, nodded before speaking up. “Nike.” 

You turned to the two other children. 

“Demeter,” the boy said with his own hand to his chest. 

You finally looked at the girl who’d been ready to sock you in the face, she was still weary. That was admirable. 

“Hephaestus,” she said and you nodded. It made sense how she didn’t fear the bulls and held them down. 

Sighing, you gave her a soft smile before looking at all three of them. “You don’t have to take the spell, it is just a temporary solution. And we will drive you to the sanctuary. I think that’s all we can help with your quest,” you frown, you do wish you can do more. 

Once more, you extend your hand. With a frown, the daughter of Hephaestus takes a step back. You only give her a placating smile, as the other two reach out their hands. Once again, under your breath, you utter a spell imbuing the pair with magic. Blinking, you look at them, there was a mild cloudiness to their eyes. 

Just to make sure, you ask. “How are you feeling?” 

“Sleepy,” the daughter of Nike states, you nod. 

“That makes sense, and your pain?” 

“Not there,” the son of Demeter gently brushes the skin where his bruise was forming. 

Chuckling, you took his hand from his bruise. “Your pain is still there, I’ve just convinced you think it’s not. It will hurt worse when you come to if you keep playing with them.” 

After a few minutes, well, after Jeongyeon and her newfound sister had fully rummaged through the bulls. The children were ready to travel. Seating them in the back of your car and making sure they had their seatbelts, you drove them to the sanctuary. It took longer than expected to get to the traffic with afternoon traffic, though, the children seemed to use this reprieve to get some sleep—without your help, of course. 

Jeongyeon looked at them through the rearview mirror and then let out a soft sigh. “They can’t be older than twelve,” she said, her hands fidgeting with a wire. Doing and undoing knots as she spoke. “Colchis bulls? Really?” she looked up at the ceiling of the car as if she were speaking to the sky instead. 

“Must’ve been strays they came across,” you sigh as well. “They don’t have their bags on them, they must’ve come across by accident after running away from something worse.” 

“Whatever,” was all Jeongyeon said. The rest of the ride was in silence. 

Once you reach the sanctuary, the pair of Hephaestus daughters offer a sacrifice to their father for his guidance while you and the other two children watch from the side. After a while, the children had been able to find ambrosia to heal themselves, and a temporary kit with enough drachma, food and mortal money to keep them afloat for a bit.  

Kneeling to them again, you speak. “If you come back this way, anytime, come to this sanctuary and call us,” at that moment Jeongyeon bent down to hand her sister a little button-looking machine. 

“It is not perfect,” she said warmly, “but I’m sure you could make it better with time. It’s a beacon of sorts,” Jeongyeon pulled out her own button-looking machine, though it was marginally smaller. “It will call me.” 

“We can drive you back to camp, or help you out again,” you look at Jeongyeon, unsure how far your so-called help can actually extend. It seemed the young daughter of Hephaestus understood what you were thinking. “Just keep it in mind, there are others like you looking out for you.”

You offered a small smile. 

You only said what you wished someone had said to you when you’d been on your quests at their age. 

The trio nodded before bidding their goodbyes. You and Jeongyeon watched them board a bus further north. Then, you turned to Jeongyeon. Her expression was much more tired than she had projected in front of the children. No doubt memories of her own quests returning to her. 

“They’ll make it back safe,” you slowly reach for her hand, intertwining your fingers with her own callused ones. “They will.”

any feedback is much appreciated.

a/n: this was supposed to be like 0.5k, lol what a joke. also, sidenote, i do have a christmas fic as usual... as in i have a plan... nothing written yet RIP but anygays hope you have a good day/night :]