Chapter Text
For Dahyun, thunderstorms had always been comforting. The sound of the rain falling on pavement, the rumble of thunder. There was no better feeling.
Unfortunately, thunderstorms were significantly less relaxing when she didn’t have a roof over her head. She fought off a chill, pulling her jacket tighter around her in a fruitless attempt to protect herself from the rain.
Dahyun had been on her own for a few weeks now, and it hadn’t been as horrible as she thought it would be. It wasn’t pleasant, by any means, sure, but it wasn’t insufferable.
At least, it was better than the alternative, she knew.
However, staying on the streets this long had never been the plan. She was meant to have enough money for shelter by the time she finally left, but…
Plans change.
So here she was, stuck on the streets. Soaking wet and hungry, but free of the prison her home had been.
So at least it wasn’t all bad.
Swinging a left at one of the traffic lights, she reached a hand up to move the wet hair from her forehead. However, her hand stopped in place when she noticed the menacing figure standing a few feet in front of her.
This time, Dahyun was unable to prevent a chill from running down the back of her spine.
Something about this figure, the way it was standing…
Dahyun turned around and walked the other direction, unconsciously tugging at the sleeves of her jacket.
A particularly loud clap of thunder sounded, and Dahyun couldn’t stop herself from jumping a little, blinking at the flash of light that almost immediately preceded it.
She continued on her way, shaking off her unease.
However, that same sense of dread returned full-force as she turned another corner, only to find the same figure standing ahead of her, unmoving.
Dahyun swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.
She couldn’t bring herself to move, frozen in place as she and the mysterious figure simply stared at each other. It remained motionless, as if waiting for something.
Dahyun felt her stomach drop suddenly, unable to control the overwhelming anxiety forming in the pit of her stomach. However, it wasn’t just anxiety. She felt a familiar pull in her gut, something she knew wasn’t a good sign.
She took a deep breath, struggling to control herself.
She didn’t want another…accident.
Except, trying to calm down was significantly harder when the figure finally moved. Without warning, the thing shot towards her, armed with almost inhuman speed.
Dahyun nearly slipped on the wet concrete in her hurry to turn and run. Quickly regaining her footing, though, she ran as fast as she could, hyper aware of the heavy footsteps behind her.
Still, she was confident she could outrun this person, whoever they were. She’d always been quick, and running from her problems was something Dahyun particularly excelled in.
Except, as she whipped around another corner, she knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun this particular issue.
The same figure was inexplicably waiting a few feet in front of her. Dahyun did slip on the wet concrete this time, unable to stop her forward momentum in time.
She plummeted towards the ground, grunting as she landed particularly hard on her elbow. Blood mixed with the rainwater on the sidewalk, and Dahyun groaned, planting her hands on the ground and pushing herself off the sidewalk as fast as she could. It wouldn’t be long before…
“Kim Dahyun.”
Dahyun froze in place, too scared to look. Her heart hammered in her chest, and that pull in her gut became more and more intense. At this point, though, she almost didn’t want to calm down, to prevent any accidents. That voice…that figure…
It didn’t mean anything good.
Her suspicions were confirmed when a bony hand wrapped its fingers around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Its grip was like steel, even as Dahyun struggled as hard as she could, her own hands reaching up to her throat in a desperate attempt to escape.
She finally looked at the figure, forced to meet its gaze as it lifted her to its eye-level. Dahyun’s stomach dropped as she finally took in the thing in front of her.
While it had resembled a human man from far away, there was no denying that this thing was no human. Instead of a head, the creature seemed to only have a bare skull, complete with empty black pits rather than eyes. Its mouth was stuck in a horrible grin, and Dahyun could have sworn it was giving her a sick smile as she gazed upon the thing in horror.
“Your father awaits.” the creature spoke again, and this time, Dahyun was sure the thing was smiling at her. Its voice was grating, and it sent a brand new set of chills running down her spine.
“F-father?” Dahyun spat, barely able to breathe, and it wasn’t just because of the bony hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing tight enough to cut off her airway.
And then the creature waved its other hand nonchalantly, and Dahyun nearly screamed as a portal ripped itself out of thin air. The edges were covered with flames, but within the inside of the portal, there was only darkness. Nothing.
And then the thing was moving towards the portal, carrying a helpless Dahyun with it, ignoring her vehement struggles.
The tug in her gut was violent now, and Dahyun did nothing to stop it. It might be her only chance at this point.
Just as the creature stepped a foot into the portal, Dahyun snapped.
With a hoarse scream, her power exploded.
Shadows exploded from within her, and the creature was thrown into the portal from the force of the explosion. Dahyun flew back, finally free from the grip of the creature. The same shadows that had pushed her away now flew below her, barely cushioning her fall before she broke a few bones on the hard sidewalk.
Dahyun groaned, looking up and meeting the creature’s eyes one last time before the portal closed, trapping it inside.
And then, Dahyun was alone once again, only the sound of pouring rain and her own heavy breathing as company.
Except, the shadows were still there. And they weren’t going anywhere. Dahyun felt a familiar bolt of panic run through her as the shadows grew, emerging from her palms and wrapping themselves around her. Her heart pounded, and Dahyun knew there was no chance she could calm down enough to stop.
She could only attempt to lessen the damage.
Fighting off her panic, she shot up from the ground, stumbling a bit on her feet as she ran towards the nearest alley.
She had barely passed the entrance of the alley before the ground began rumbling, and Dahyun felt tears prick her eyes at the familiar tremble.
She threw herself into the corner, shadows wrapping their way around her small form as the ground continued to shake. She could feel the power, the panic, as large cracks began to form in the concrete. The alleyway became darker and darker as Dahyun felt her panic grow.
Would she be able to stop herself? Would she accidentally hurt someone?
The cracks became larger and larger, and Dahyun could have sworn she heard voices from across the alley, but she could barely hear it through the roaring in her ears.
“Dahyun, calm down!” the voice screamed, but Dahyun shook her head.
She couldn’t calm down, she couldn’t stop. The shadows were going to overwhelm her, just as they had last time. She was going to hurt someone again, she couldn’t control her own emotions.
The shadows seemed to respond, becoming thicker and thicker. They formed a shield around her as the ground collapsed around the alley, forming large, dark ravines.
“She’s not gonna stop!” Dahyun heard a voice call from very far away. “We have to do something!”
“No, just give me a bit more time!” Came the response.
The panic in her gut seemed to reach a plateau as the shadows began to fully encase her, muffling the outside world. Now, she could only hear her own heavy breathing. Not even the pouring rain reached her ears inside her little bubble.
She had to calm down.
Deep breath.
She was going to hurt someone.
Another breath.
“Dahyun.” a soft voice broke through her barrier.
Deep breath.
“This is your power.” the girl said, and Dahyun could have sworn she was right next to her for how clear her voice sounded in her head. “Don’t let it control you.”
Deep breath. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes and Dahyun felt a pain in her chest at the words.
“I know it’s scary.” she said. “But you have to calm down. It’ll be okay.”
Another deep breath.
It was going to be okay. She hadn’t hurt anyone yet. There was still time to stop this.
The shadows thinned.
“There you go.” the voice said, and Dahyun could hear the smile in her words. “You're doing great.”
The panic in her gut lessened as the voice spoke, and Dahyun was distantly aware of the shadows around her slowly fading.
The ground had stopped shaking, but Dahyun knew the cracks, the ravines, were still there. Whatever she had done would not soon be fixed.
“You’re almost there.” the voice spoke again, and Dahyun took yet another breath.
Finally, the shadows dissipated, and the painful, intense pull in her gut disappeared.
“You did it!” the voice said, and Dahyun fought through her exhaustion, forcing herself to look up.
Dark eyes met her own, and Dahyun speechless as she gazed at the beautiful girl in front of her.
“My name is Mina,” she said, her voice soft and gentle. “This is Jihyo.”
Behind Mina, a shorter girl with blonde hair gave her an awkward smile and half wave. “Nice to meet you.”
Dahyun blinked and nodded, shaking her head before moving to get up.
“Hold on,” Jihyo said, moving towards her before Dahyun could stand. Dahyun stiffened as she reached into her bag, prepared for the worst. Except, Jihyo just brought out a small container full of yellowish squares.
“Ambrosia,” Mina explained, noticing the confused look on Dahyun’s face. “It’ll help you regain your energy.”
Hesitantly, Dahyun took one of the cubes Jihyo held out to her, glancing at the two of them before popping it into her mouth.
Dahyun almost immediately felt a comforting warmth spread through her chest as she chewed. Dumplings. The squares tasted nearly exactly like the homemade dumplings her mom used to make for her when she was younger.
Dahyun swallowed her emotions as she finished chewing. She wanted more, but didn’t want to push her luck. “Thank you,” she said quietly, giving the two of them a nod.
“Of course,” Jihyo nodded.
“Do you feel better?” Mina asked.
“Much.” Dahyun nodded, finally forcing herself to stand.
And then she looked down and noticed the large bronze sword hanging from Jihyo’s waist.
Because why not, right?
“So, uh,” Dahyun said, fighting to keep her composure. She could scarcely take her eyes off the huge blade. “Could someone explain what’s going on?”
Jihyo narrowed her eyes, and it was only then that Dahyun noticed the huge ravines she’d left across the alleyway. That was surely a safety hazard.
“You don’t know anything, do you?” Mina asked, not unkindly.
Dahyun felt a blush color her cheeks under the heat of her stare. “Um. No.”
“How old are you?” Jihyo asked, brows furrowed.
“I’m about to turn seventeen next month.” Dahyun answered. “Why?”
The pair’s eyes widened dramatically.
“What?” Dahyun asked nervously. “Is that the wrong answer?”
“No, it’s just…” Jihyo answered, shaking her head.
“It’s difficult for us to go…unnoticed for so long.” Mina filled in. “Almost unheard of to make it to your age.”
“Make it?” Dahyun questioned, eyes wide. “Noticed by what? Who’s us?”
Jihyo and Mina exchanged a look. “Look, we’ll explain later,” Jihyo said after the two of them had finished their silent conversation. “Right now, we have to get out of here.”
“Woah, woah,” Dahyun said, gesturing for them to slow down. “Where are we going? Why would I even go with you guys?”
Jihyo frowned, and Mina’s eyes softened.
“Listen, I get that you don’t trust us completely, and I understand,” she told her. “But more of those monsters will be coming, no doubt.”
“ More?” Dahyun questioned. “There’s more?!”
“Yeah, lots more.” Jihyo confirmed. “And they’ll definitely know we’re here after…”
Dahyun swallowed. So her little tantrums were dangerous for a couple reasons, not just the obvious.
“As for where we’re going…” Mina said, glancing out of the alley and reaching down to grasp the hilt of her sword. “It’s somewhere safe. That’s all you need to know.”
Dahyun, even with everything the two girls had already done for her, still hesitated.
Mina sighed, letting go of her sword and leaning a bit closer. Her eyes seemed to see right through Dahyun, see exactly what she was thinking.
“Where else are you going to go?”
And there it was. The real question.
Even if she didn’t trust these random people, where else was she going to go? Where else could she find shelter from whatever creatures may come prowling?
Who else could help her control this…power?
Dahyun sighed, nodding her head. “Okay.”
Jihyo laughed a little as Dahyun waved for the two of them to lead the way. “That was easier than I thought it’d be.”
After retrieving what little belongings she’d stored at her makeshift home, Dahyun joined the two of them in the nondescript car they’d taken to the city.
“Did you just get that stuff from under a bridge?” Jihyo asked, nodding at the backpack Dahyun was now carrying as she sat down in the backseat of the car.
Dahyun swallowed, nodding her head. “Yep.”
Jihyo opened her mouth to speak, but after a quick look towards Mina, she apparently thought better. She turned away from Dahyun and faced the road ahead.
“So, where are we going?” Dahyun asked, eager to change the subject. She looked out the window as the scenery passed, noticing that Mina seemed to be driving out of the city.
“There’s a safe place for us, on the northern shore of Long Island.” Mina explained, keeping her eyes trained on the road ahead. “There’s a barrier there that keeps out any monsters.”
Monsters.
Monsters.
Jihyo seemed to pick up on Dahyun’s alarm, because she turned back and gave her an understanding smile. “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in. Everyone struggles at first.” she told her. “But you’ll be safe at Camp Half-Blood.”
Dahyun’s brows furrowed. “Half-blood?” she asked. “What is that supposed to mean?”
The two girls exchanged a look, communicating silently once more.
“Please,” Dahyun pleaded, noticing their reluctance. “It’s not like I’m gonna run away now. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Mina sighed, nodding her head at Jihyo.
“Half-blood…it refers to us. All the campers there.” Jihyo said. “We’re half-human, half-god.”
“Also known as demigod.” Mina chimed in.
Dahyun blinked. “ God?”
“God.” Jihyo nodded.
“But…”
“You’ve heard of the Greek gods?” Mina asked, glancing back at Dahyun through the rearview mirror. “Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite?”
Dahyun swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, but I thought -”
“It’s all real.” Jihyo interrupted, sensing what Dahyun was going to say. “All those gods, those creatures? They’re real.”
“But…a god?” Dahyun said, shaking her head in disbelief. “My dad?”
“Probably,” Mina nodded. “Was your mom around?”
“Yeah.” Dahyun said simply, deciding not to include all the details. “She was always around when I was a kid.”
“Then yeah,” Jihyo agreed. “Your dad is the godly parent.”
“Gods almost never return to visit their children after they’re born,” Mina explained.
“But.. that means my mom..?” Dahyun questioned, almost to herself. “How did she get involved with a god? She was a pastry chef!”
Jihyo snorted. “The gods get bored, and they often come to visit earth as ‘mortals,’” she explained. “Having relationships with humans isn’t out of the ordinary, even if nothing ever comes out of it.”
“Except a whole bunch of demigod children, of course.” Mina added.
“Of course.”
Dahyun shook her head. “This is crazy.” she whispered. “You mean to tell me I’ve been a demigod all this time, and I didn’t know?”
“Yep.” Jihyo nodded. “That’s usually how it goes.”
“Do you have dyslexia by chance?” Mina asked, not unkindly. “ADHD?”
Dahyun paused. She didn’t know how to answer, she’d never been very open about talking about those particular weaknesses.
“Us too.” Jihyo asked, seeming to pick up on Dahyun’s unease. “It’s something a lot of demigods have.”
“The dyslexia is because your brain is naturally hard-wired to read ancient Greek,” Mina explained. “And ADHD helps us in battle. Your reaction time and impulsivity can be the difference between life and death.”
Dahyun swallowed. So there was a reason she was like this. It wasn’t random, she wasn’t a freak.
If only her stepfather could see her now, the bastard.
“Dahyun?” Jihyo asked, brows furrowed in concern. “You alright? You look like you went somewhere dark there for a second.”
Dahyun shook her head, forcing a smile on her face. “Just a lot to take in, is all.” she said. “Are we almost there?”
Jihyo didn’t look sure, but she didn’t prompt Dahyun further. “Almost.” she said, turning back to the road. “Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes away.”
Dahyun hummed, turning her attention to the passing scenery outside the car. A demigod. Of all the things…Dahyun never would’ve guessed this. She was willing to believe super powers and aliens before the existence of Greek gods and goddesses.
But, as hard as it was to admit, it explained a lot. The ADHD and dyslexia, for one. And her freakish powers.
Those shadows…which God had gifted her these horrible abilities? Why did that creature come after her? It had claimed that her father was waiting, but why? From what Jihyo and Mina had told her, it sounded as though Gods were relatively absent throughout the lives of their children. She wouldn’t be surprised if either of them had never met their godly parent, just based on the way they spoke about them.
“Dahyun, if you don’t mind me asking…” Mina asked carefully, tearing Dahyun from her train of thought. “Where is your mom?”
Dahyun’s eyes drifted downward and her mouth suddenly became dry. She swallowed, collecting herself as best she could. “She’s dead.” she said simply, fighting to keep her face neutral. Even though it had been almost three years since her passing, Dahyun still had trouble even thinking about it.
Silence consumed the car. “I’m so sorry,” Jihyo said, breaking the silence. “My father passed away a couple years ago too. It’s a horrible loss.”
Dahyun ignored the burning in her throat. “Yeah, but it’s okay,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m fine.”
Mina hummed a little, as if she didn’t agree, but she remained silent. “So who have you been staying with?”
“My stepfather,” Dahyun replied, fighting to keep both her expression and voice neutral.
Jihyo and Mina said nothing, as if waiting for more, but Dahyun remained quiet.
These two already knew way too much about her. No need to freely share more personal information.
“Okay,” Mina said, nodding her head. She paused, as if carefully deciding her next words. Dahyun was already dreading where the conversation was going. “Is he - “
Except, the conversation never got to continue. Instead, a huge crash interrupted Mina, and the car dangerously shuddered under the weight of whatever had just landed on the roof.
Dahyun bit back a scream as Mina swerved to keep the car from tipping over entirely, her hands gripping the wheel with a white-knuckle grasp. Jihyo didn’t hesitate to draw a bronze dagger from the waistband of her pants as a roar sounded from above them.
Scratches sounded from above them, and Dahyun couldn’t withhold her scream this time as a huge talon tore through the roof of the car, narrowly missing her face.
Mina fought to keep the car under control as the monster atop them furiously roared and shook the car once again.
Dahyun just barely caught a glimpse of the creature as if it finally tore the roof of the car off completely, and she paled as she met the yellow eyes of a fanged, angry harpy.
The harpy reached towards her, but Jihyo swiftly turned in her seat, swiping her dagger at the creature’s leathery arm.
It hissed, retracting its limb and roaring with rage. It was only then that Dahyun noticed the huge, leathery wings attached to its arms.
“Oh shit.” Jihyo muttered as it spread its wings, seeming to flash them all a twisted grin. It latched its legs around the frame of the car, and before Jihyo could reach back to cut the legs away, the harpy flapped its huge wings, shifting its weight and flipping the car off the road.
Screams filled the car as it crashed off the road, rolling and careening towards the side of the highway. Dahyun reached up to cover her head, but she was aware of glass crashing and cutting her arms and face. Her head slammed into the headrest of the seat in front of her during a particularly intense flip of the car, and her vision tilted as the car finally rolled to a stop, thankfully rightside up.
Barely aware of her surroundings, Dahyun gasped and shuddered, blinking in a useless attempt to regain her composure.
In the front seat, Jihyo and Mina were already moving, having somehow escaped much of the damage Dahyun had received. Distantly, Dahyun was aware of voices, screaming.
“Is she okay?!” someone was shouting.
“I don’t know, look at her head!”
A huge roar.
“Fuck!”
“I got it, see if you can get her up and running.”
“Jihyo!”
“Go!”
Hands were suddenly on her cheeks, roughly shaking her. “Dahyun!” Mina was saying. “Dahyun, come on!”
Dahyun blinked a few more times, forcing back her sudden nausea. As she gained awareness once more, she was startled by the splitting pain in her head.
“Ah,” she winced, reaching up to cup her forehead, where blood was dripping from a gash.
Must have been where she hit the headrest.
“Dahyun!” Mina exclaimed, raising her voice. “We have to go!”
Another shriek from the harpy punctuated her sentence, and Dahyun blearily nodded, shaking off the pain and forcing herself to focus.
“Where’s Jihyo?” she asked, struggling to undo her seatbelt.
Mina cut the strap of the seatbelt entirely, practically dragging Dahyun out from inside the car. “She’s buying us time,” she said, already sprinting towards the nearby hill, not far from where the car had crashed off the road.
Dahyun, shaking her head, glanced back behind them. Jihyo was ducking and dodging around the harpy’s strikes, doing her best to distract the creature. “Mina, we can’t just leave -”
Mina kept pulling her along. “Jihyo knows what she’s doing,” She insisted, running even faster. “Besides, the harpy isn’t even after her -”
As if punctuating her point, the harpy finally had enough, and both Mina and Dahyun turned to see the creature shooting into the air. It flew towards them with inhuman speed just as they reached the edge of the hill, leaving Jihyo standing in shock.
Mina didn’t hesitate before drawing her own sword, shoving Dahyun forward. “Go!” she yelled, turning towards the harpy as it careened towards her.
Dahyun hesitated for only a moment before turning tail and hauling ass up the hill. Mina looked like she knew what she was doing. At least, a hell of a lot more than Dahyun knew what to do. She didn’t want to get in the way, especially not where a harpy was involved.
“Jihyo!” Mina called as she fought back the harpy, grunting as she dodged the swipe of talons and dealt blows of her own. “Cover her!”
“Got it!” Jihyo said, and Dahyun glanced back, breathing heavily from sprinting up the hill. Jihyo shot past the battle between Mina and the harpy, meeting Dahyun’s eyes.
She desperately waved for Dahyun to keep running, eyes wide.
Dahyun swallowed and kept running up the hill, even though she didn’t know where the hell she was running to. At the top of the hill, all she could see was trees, and she didn’t know how a damn forest was going to protect her from a winged demon.
“It’s coming!” Dahyun distantly heard Mina yell, but she didn’t dare slow down.
But just as she reached the cusp of the hill, Jihyo screamed. “Dahyun, duck!”
Dahyun just barely threw herself to the ground in time to dodge the creature as it swooped above her, but it didn’t stop the sharp ends of the creature’s talons from scraping against her back.
Dahyun screamed at the ripping sensation and the sudden, blinding pain.
She was distantly aware of the other two’s screams, but all she could focus on was the intense pain from her back. The harpy flew above her, cackling its evil laugh.
Dahyun struggled to lift herself from the ground, desperate to escape as it began to swoop down towards her once again.
“Dahyun!” Mina cried, and she could just barely make out the two of them running towards her in her periphery.
Still, they didn’t make it in time. At least, they didn’t make it before the harpy swooped down and unceremoniously snatched Dahyun by the ankle. Without warning, Dahyun’s vision tilted, and she screamed as she began to fly through the air, yanked upside down and the harpy’s claws wrapped tightly around her ankle.
Unparalleled fear seized Dahyun, and her chest tightened as the harpy flew her higher and higher.
She had never been the biggest fan of heights.
And this sort of fear was never a good thing, at least not for Dahyun.
Still, it might be her only chance.
Before she could get too far from ground, Dahyun searched and found that ever-present pull within her gut, the thing she always tried to ignore and avoid.
For the second time today, she would be forced to use her powers.
But she was too high, and she was too afraid to do anything but panic.
And so she pulled.
Shadows exploded from within her once again, and the Harpy shrieked in pain as it was suddenly blasted away from her. The talons released Dahyun, and she was suddenly falling.
The roaring wind stole Dahyun’s scream as she careened towards the ground, and her stomach dropped with the sick sensation of falling through the air.
She was distantly aware of the shadows still present, still wrapping themselves around her, but she could scarcely focus on anything but the rapidly approaching ground.
Just as she was about to hit the grass, her vision went black.