AUTHOR'S NOTE: apollo and helios are both thought of as gods of the sun, but you'll notice that i created a scenario in which both apollo and helios exist. but only helios is the sun god. idk i just wanted a character dedicated to the sun.
okay back to the story.
☼
The roommates parted ways after Medicinal Studies, just before lunch.
Soobin explained to Beomgyu that he always eats alone in their room. Being known as someone who can soothe any type of pain makes him insanely popular among the student population, but for all the wrong reasons.
Beomgyu walked into the dining hall and felt overwhelmed with the scene in front of him. Despite his anxiously early arrival, he saw a myriad of students, of all sizes and abilities. Some stealing food, some on top of trash cans, some reading quietly in a corner.
He was so distracted by the scene that it took the body behind him tapping his shoulder to come back to reality.
"Hey, uh. Are you gonna move forward to the line?"
He turned and saw a boy with pink hair. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's my first day."
The other looked surprised, but smiled warmly. "First day, huh? I'm Yeonjun. Can I help at all?"
Beomgyu sighed in relief at his kindness. "If you don't mind my asking, how in the world does this work?"
The boy smiled again and stepped in front of Beomgyu, motioning ahead. "Follow me, kid. I'll show you the ropes."
Kid? Beomgyu thought annoyed, but trailed after the boy in front of him.
....
"Will you sit with my friends and I for lunch?"
Yeonjun actually asked him. As if he wasn't doing Beomgyu the biggest favor in the world.
"Of course! Thanks."
The two headed to a table in the corner, where two other boys were sitting. Both had blonde, beautiful hair; for one of them it was down to his shoulders. Beomgyu tried not to stare at how pretty they both were. If all, or even most, of the students at Pandora looked like that?
Maybe he wasn't so annoyed at his new environment.
The boys looked up at their approach, just as Yeonjun spoke. "Guys. This is Beomgyu, he's new. I've taken him as my apprentice."
The shoulder-haired boy rolled his eyes at Yeonjun and addressed Beomgyu. "I'm so sorry about him. But I'm Hyunjin, son of Demeter. This is Felix, son of Helios."
It made so much sense to Beomgyu, as the small boy Hyunjin gestured to can only be described as the epitome of the sun.
Beomgyu smiled at both of them. "Hi, nice to meet you both." He hesitated. "Sorry, but, is it normal to introduce yourself using your god parent? I've just... never really done that."
"It depends." Felix stated, in a deep voice that didn't match his face at all. "Some decide to, especially if their god parent is an Olympian and like, impressive. If not, you don't have to."
Yeonjun turned to Beomgyu. "Sorry, I'm Aphrodite's son. I should've said, but most people assume... because of the hair." Beomgyu nodded, while Hyunjin continued.
"Yeah, it's really uncomfortable for some kids. If your parent is, like, a minotaur or something you wouldn't. But if you're, like, Apollo's son or something like that, people tend to want to brag."
They all noticed Beomgyu shift uncomfortably.
Yeonjun glared at Hyunjin. "Dude."
The latter looked at Beomgyu sympathetically. "Hey, I'm sorry. If you're really a minotaur's son, that's cool! There's seriously nothing wrong with that."
Beomgyu knew he looked even more uncomfortable at that. "I'm not, don't worry."
"Oh." Yeonjun frowned. Then, realization hit, and his eyes went wide. "Oh."
Beomgyu sighed. That reaction was going to get old really soon.
Felix was also taken aback. "You're Apollo's son?"
"That's really cool though! Why would you be embarrassed to admit that? He's like... perfect." Hyunjin stated.
"That's exactly why. He might've been a great Hero, a great God, but he's a shit dad. I think people have the wrong impression of him because of the myths they hear. He's not that great."
Not that he would know.
The three stared at him, bewildered. He decided to change the subject and sat down, Yeonjun following silently.
"So, are there any super important details about the campus I should know? Like, any 'don't go in this hallway if you don't want to be eaten' things?"
"Nah. It's actually a really safe campus. The only monsters they let in are the students." Hyunjin laughed and Yeonjun rolled his eyes fondly.
"What he means is: you'll be fine here."
"Especially if you're with us. We'll make sure no one gives you shit." Felix smiled and Beomgyu felt like he could melt.
"Hey! Yawn Jeongin! Got any powers yet? Or are you still a boring fuck?"
Beomgyu turned towards the commotion and saw four boys slap the tray of a rather frightened looking black haired boy. His heart stung.
So Hyunjin was right about some students being monsters.
"Shit. He said they stopped making fun of him." Hyunjin looked at his two friends, worried.
"I think that was just because Seungmin was with him. Come on.", Yeonjun stated, and they started to get up.
But at the mention of another name, Beomgyu heard another voice burn through the hall.
"What the fuck did you just say to him?"
He watched as a boy with brown hair came up from behind Jeongin and started towards the four.
Beomgyu was amazed that, despite the four being much bigger in size than who he presumed to be Seungmin, there was an obvious shift in their demeanor. As well as Jeongin's, who looked relieved.
"Dude, chill. It's a fact that he doesn't have any powers. We were just asking."
"A fact that you seem to be obsessed with. Why don't you fuck off before I set you on fucking fire again? Hey, Seunghyun. Have those scars healed?" Seungmin stared at the group, as if ready to pounce.
The four stalk off, annoyed but clearly not interested in testing his threat.
"Get a hobby!" Seungmin shouted before he turned to Jeongin as a completely different person. Beomgyu was amazed.
He spoke to Jeongin in a tone Beomgyu couldn't hear, before the two headed over to their table. Beomgyu sat up, terrified. He relaxed a little when they sat and noticed him, both smiling.
"Jeongin, Seungmin. This is Beomgyu. You might want to speak to him before he pisses himself."
Seungmin laughed and did. "Sorry about that. I'm so tired of them. But as long as you're not a dick, I promise not to cover you in flames."
Oh. So that threat was literal.
"This is Jeongin, son of Hestia, the Goddess of the hearth. Don't let the assholes fool you, he's a fucking powerful chef." Hyunjin stated, and ruffled the blushing boy's hair.
"...and Seungmin, son of Hephaestus. A god of fire, which is why everyone is scared shitless of him even though he's a small little boy." Hyunjin ruffled the other's hair, who glared and moved away. "Oh my Titan, Hyunjin. I told you to stop calling me that."
Oh my Titan? It took all of Beomgyu's thinning restraint not to burst out laughing at the odd phrase. He hoped it wasn't common, it didn't exactly seem to roll off the tongue.
But, still floored from the change in Seungmin's demeanor, Beomgyu glanced over at where the scene happened. "Who even were those guys?"
It was Yeonjun who answered: "They're the biggest fucking pricks in school. I mean, they're only friends because their dads all fought in the war together."
"We call them the A Holes because all of their dad's names started with A. Their actual names are Jiyong, Seunghyun, Yongbae, and Daesung." Felix added.
(A.N. there is no way i'm keeping the seunghyun's straight i'm so sorry. there's only one now. think of him as a combined hybrid of the two.)
"Let me guess. They're your stereotypical frat boys with all the parties?"
All of the boys looked at each other, and it was Hyunjin who finally spoke. "You haven't met the Threatening Three yet."
"Do all of the school groups have names like that?" Beomgyu asked.
"No. Jeongin's just clever." Beomgyu laughed at Hyunjin's comment as the mentioned continued to answer.
"Anyway, the Threatening Three are the party animal frat boys. But don't worry, I only gave them that name because they always seem intimidating, despite being some of the nicest people on campus."
Yeonjun continued. "As you can guess, there's three of them. Bang Chan throws all the parties because he's Dionysus' son."
Beomgyu nodded and Hyunjin picked up from there. "Then there's Changbin, son of Ares. He's like, really fucking built. And strong. And-"
"Okay we get it you want to fuck him." Yeonjun commented. Hyunjin rolled his eyes and continued, unaware of the freckled boy on his left becoming a little less sunny.
"Then there's fucking Minho. Son of Medusa and a fucking snake because of it."
"His name isn't 'fucking Minho'. It's Lee Minho. Hyunjin just hates his guts.'" Yeonjun added helpfully.
Beomgyu frowned. "Why?"
"He's a fucking dick that's why." Hyunjin slumped in his seat and scowled out the window.
"He and Jisung...they hate each other." Yeonjun explained. "Our friend Jisung is Poseidon's son, so his brother Percy killed Medusa. Minho hasn't let Jisung have a day of peace because of it."
"They actually used to get along really well." Hyunjin added.
"You should've seen when Minho found out who did it. They were really close, him and his mom. Medusa hated men, for good reason, but she never hated him. And when he realized it was the brother of his best friend that killed her? It's like the light left his eyes and never returned. "
Hyunjin shivered and kept eating.
"Oh."
Beomgyu could understand hating Jisung if he killed Medusa, but you can't really control the actions of your family. And in Beomgyu's experience, you normally didn't reflect their behavior either.
Right on cue, the doors open and when Beomgyu glanced over, he sees a short buff boy, a slightly less buff boy talking to him, and a taller boy with purple hair scowling and trailing behind. He assumed it was Minho, but Beomgyu instantly recognized him from earlier in the day..
*** flashback
It was Stone Sculpting, and to his right a boy with purple hair was going at it with a tool he'd never seen before. The boy looked seriously focused. His eyebrows were furrowed and his tongue was poking out in concentration. Beomgyu watched in amazement as he worked his way through what seemed to be a snake.
He tapped the boy on the shoulder when he felt his focus had dipped a little, and the boy shot his head up aggressively.
"What."
He was startled. "I, um. I just wanted to..."
"Ask me if I used a real snake to cheat? No. I don't fucking turn things into stone. Everybody knows it, now fuck off."
Beomgyu went silent.. Then mumbled,"I just wanted to say it looked really cool."
*** present day
"Is... that them?" He asked the table.
But he didn't need to hear Yeonjun's confirmation. Because while watching the three he noticed a smaller boy getting lunch, and then being shoved harshly by the purple boy, who walked away without a word spoken.
It was odd; the smaller one wasn't even fazed. Just glanced up and scowled back down at his salad. Beomgyu's heart ached, wondering how often the two must be cruel to each other if that didn't even faze him.
He couldn't help notice the boy's cheeks puffing out like a squirrel's. While staring fondly, Beomgyu watched as he made his way to their table. He started to wonder if he happened to choose the group that was friends with literally everyone.
The boy, who he presumed was Jisung, sat down next to Felix and smiled at everyone.
"Jisung! This is Beomgyu. He's new. He's our friend now." Felix explained, and it was both the words and the look on Felix's face that made Beomgyu's heart swell.
"Hi!" Jisung directed towards him. "Hey," Beomgyu smiled. "Are...Are you alright?"
Jisung frowned. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
It was Beomgyu's turn to frown, and he gestured at the salad bar. "He just shoved you. Like, pretty hard."
He watched Jisung's face darken. "Oh. No, yeah. I'm fine. He does that a lot."
Not knowing what to say, Beomgyu put a hand on his shoulder and tried to give what he hoped was a comforting smile. It worked, and Jisung brightened again.
"So, is anyone going to Chan's party?" Felix inquired.
"Ugh. Probably. But I'm not gonna have fun." Hyunjin sighed.
"Everyone just gets way too wasted and we end up leaving before 9 and spending the rest of the night at the lake," he told Beomgyu.
Then, to the rest of the table, "Besides. It's the 'start of semester' party they're gonna make everyone dress up as their god parent and I've worn all of my good Demeter outfits."
Beomgyu's stomach turned. Now he didn't really want to go.
"We could always stop by, show face, then ditch? We could even skip the lake. I just don't want Chan to be hurt." Felix added compassionately.
"But it's August, 'Lix. I need the lake to survive or I'm gonna melt. It's hot as Hades'." Jisung stated as he fanned himself.
"Speaking of Hades..."
Before Beomgyu could question Yeonjun's comment, he noticed that the entire hall went silent.
Like, really silent. Eerily so.
He followed Yeonjun's gaze, and saw every other student looking in the same direction. It was weird, like they were all on edge. But all he saw were two boys standing at the entrance: a smaller boy with black hair and piercing eyes; and his blonde friend next to him glancing around, entertained.
The dark haired boy rolled his eyes at the silence in the room and kept walking toward the trays as if nothing happened, while the other followed close behind.
The room went back to the normal noise level, leaving Beomgyu the most confused he'd been all day. Which was saying a lot.
When he turned back toward the table, he waited for an explanation on... anything that just happened. But only greeted with more silence and awkward food stirring, he had to be the one to ask.
"Who is that?"
They all looked at him. It was as if they'd heard a tone in Beomgyu's voice that he hadn't placed himself.
Then Jisung stated: "That was Kang Taehyun. Son of Hades himself."
Beomgyu's eyes widened, ignoring the fact that the other didn't bother to question if he meant the blonde or the dark haired boy.
"Like, Hades Hades? The whole...keeper of the dead underworld thing?" They all nodded.
Beomgyu sat back and glanced over at them. He noticed the two looking for a table, then the students right next to them jumping up and heading towards the door without a word.
They sat at the newly empty table, but it wasn't long before someone warily approached the blonde and he bounced off. The dark haired boy stared off after him with a sour expression.
"I didn't know he had a kid." Beomgyu whispered, a little dazed and mostly to himself.
It was Hyunjin who stated, bitterly: "Yeah well. Since he kidnapped my sister, the two have been living a happy fucking familial fantasy."
"Oh...shit.", Beomgyu tried to sympathize. He turned to Yeonjun, who mouthed Persephone before he even had to ask.
Jeongin leaned in: "Don't be fooled by everyone's behavior toward them. No one knows if Taehyun is as bad as his dad, because no one bothers to find out. Everyone's sort of scared shitless of him. He's got...it's just an aura. I can't explain it."
"What about the other boy he's with?"
"That's Huening Kai." Yeonjun stated. "He's the son of Hermes, and totally sweet. He's a floater in terms of friends, so we hang out every now and then. But anytime Taehyun's in the room, those two are mostly together."
"They grew up together." Seungmin explained. "Since Hermes is the current psychopomp, Kai is expected to do the same eventually. It's natural that the two should be expected to hang out. And I think they get along pretty well."
"Sorry, but what's the psychopomp?"
"Don't apologize. It's just a fancy way to say that he leads souls to the underworld. When they die." Jisung clarified.
"I thought your dad was a knowledge God." Yeonjun joked, but realized his mistake and immediately looked at Beomgyu apologetically.
"Wait, who's his dad?" Seungmin asked.
Beomgyu smiled toward Yeonjun to convince him it was fine, but braced himself for the coming reaction.
"Apollo." He said it quietly, as if that would've mattered and somehow made the table less silent with shock.
"Holy shit." Jisung said, failing to conceal the awe on his face. The table was silent, and Beomgyu was praying for a change in conversation.
"Hey, what class does everyone have next?"
He could've kissed Jeongin.
"Archery". He remembered going over his classes with Soobin, dread filling him as he remembered.
But part of him was relieved as Hyunjin smiled and told him: "I have archery too."
"Oh! Same!" Yeonjun added, Beomgyu's rare luck growing by the minute. He laughed internally at the thought of the love prince having archery lessons, like he was some sort of Cupid.
Jisung made an exasperated sound. "Unfair. I have swimming with Instructor Yeosang." Though he didn't sound as upset as he pretended to be.
"Culinary Arts with Jin." Jeongin stated. Immediately following was Felix's mention of Horseback riding with Instructor Yunho, and Beomgyu couldn't help but wonder if everyone got to take cooler classes than him.
The slam of a flyer on the table startled everyone out of the conversation.
"Dudes! You're coming tonight, right? Our parents were like total friends so you have to come!"
Bang Chan smiled, and it's warmer than Beomgyu would've expect from a supposed frat type.
"We'll probably stop by, yeah." Hyunjin smiled, not-so-subtly directing it at Changbin, who returned it. Beomgyu noticed Felix looking at his lap, and made a note to ask him if he was alright later.
He also noticed Minho behind him staring at Jisung, the latter transfixed on his salad so as not to look at him.
"I can't imagine parties are your scene, fish boy. Probably too rowdy for someone who's used to ocean sounds 24/7."
Beomgyu could admit that the boy's tone did appropriately sound a bit hiss-like. He looked at Jisung, who's jaw tightened as he mumbled: "I told you not to call me that, dick."
Minho's eyes flashed and he started forward, but Changbin's hand found his arm before he could come closer. "Minho, come on. Leave it."
The purple-haired boy glanced at Changbin, and his nostrils flared. Changbin shifted his posture, as if to say Really? You want to fight the son of Ares? and Minho surrendered silently.
Chan chuckled awkwardly at the display of his friends, then glanced around the table.
"Anyway, I really hope you all make it. All of you." He made a point to glance at Jisung, who smiled appreciatively. Minho scowled. Chan continued to scan the table.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say that everyone's invited. Even... sorry, who are you?"
He tilted his head at Beomgyu, who was not expecting to have to speak to them and found his voice came up shakily.
"Uh- Um. Beomgyu. I'm new. Sorry."
"No need to apologize! I'm glad there's a reason I hadn't seen you, I never forget a face." He said warmly, and Beomgyu, while touched, shifted uncomfortably at all twenty pairs of eyes on him.
"So, are you like...should we know you?" Changbin asked. Chan hit him lightly in the chest and gave him a pointed look.
"He's asking your god parent. It's just so he can brag about his own." Minho deadpanned.
"Oh." Shit. "Um..." While he was hesitant, something about the way the three were looking at him expectantly made him spit it out.
"My dad is... Apollo.", he stated, once again convinced that if he whispered the name it would fall off the face of the earth and he'd never have to hear it again.
The three stood there, surprised. "If I can ask, why did you join so late? If your dad is obviously a figure that would let you go here."
"I was raised by mortals. I didn't know I had a god parent until they told me last month." Beomgyu tried not to cringe at the sympathetic noises coming from all around him.
"I secretly think my mom and dad just wanted an excuse to kick me out.", he added. Before he could mentally slap himself for making such a stupid joke the whole of the group let out a laugh.
"Cool. Then we really hope to see you tonight!" Changbin stated, and the three walked off.
They all relaxed a little, but none more than Jisung. It reminded Beomgyu to check in. He took the chance while Hyunjin was discussing outfits, and turned to the boy in a low whisper.
"Jisung. Are you okay? You shouldn't have to put up with that."
Jisung looked startled at the directness, but then nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I get why he's mad. Besides, I'm usually worse to him. I'm just tired today." he smiled softly, then added: "I'd probably do the same. My family...has a streak."
The last part was quiet, but there was an emptiness behind his eyes that Beomgyu knew he wouldn't be able to shake.
"Then, why doesn't he just pick on your brother? If he's the one that did it." Beomgyu gestured at the table to explain his knowledge of the event. "Sorry, they told me earlier."
Jisung hesitated before he said: "Well, that would be pretty hard considering he was found as a stone statue when they discovered Medusa."
Oh. All Beomgyu could find himself saying was: "I'm so sorry."
Jisung shook his head and smiled. "It was a long time ago."
"Hey."
Hyunjin snapped his fingers at the two, lost in their own world. "If you guys are done, can we go? I have to get to archery before the good bows are gone."
Beomgyu's stomach twisted when he remembered the class he had next. He nodded. "Let's go."
"Wait up, Titan!" Yeonjun called as they all bid goodbyes and he followed the two away from the table.
Despite the absurdity of the phrase 'Titan' again, Beomgyu smiled to himself. He was relieved at having the two in his next class. He was so glad to already have friends, including Soobin.
The school was daunting. He couldn't imagine how hard it would be to deal with all of it alone.
He frowned at the thought, as he glanced once more at the dark haired boy, stabbing his pasta silently in the corner.