— LAKE / BEACH

@(aph.) TAEHYUNG It was difficult for him to control his abilities and it only came out when he’s pissed or when he’s in danger. He wanted to know how to control it and not have them whenever he had his breakdowns or when he’s too scared and just creates a hurricane. The lake was the perfect place for him to train. It’d be easier to manipulate water or create shields out of water, something he’s never done and have always wanted to do. He takes in his breathe and fists his hands as he shut his eyes closed. “Focus…Focus…” he mutters and creates a tiny bubble that pops, making him loose his focus. He groans and kicks the ground. The more tries he did got him really frustrated and he wished he had brought extra clothes. He should’ve known that powers that have something to do with water would get his clothes He squeezes his shirt dry as he sat on the side of the lake as he muttered curses under his breathe. “How the does he do it?” Training with his father could’ve helped but he’s a god and has better things to do than train a child he took in after he put his mother in danger. It was a privilege for others to be the child of the big three but it was pressuring for Yukhei. He thought that he had to be good enough for his father or ever better than what he expected. It was also his goal to get stronger and find his mother, hoping she’d still be out there. As soon as he’s stronger and can control all his abilities, he’ll be out of there and finding for the smile that made the flowers grow. He sighs and stares down at the lake as he thought about her and splashes the water everywhere in frustration, getting his shirt wet once again. He runs his fingers through his hair before giving it another go.

@(er.) JIMIN For somebody who was so active during the day, there was something really beautiful about night-time falling. In the warmth of the sun, you could be the best version of yourself, you could be the happiest, the brightest, you could be the person who you, and others, wanted to be. That was why Jeongguk was always so passionate, so intense, about everything he did; he didn’t want to think about the bad that came with the good, he only wanted to focus on what made him happy. But when darkness fell and everything went quiet aside from the cicadas humming in the grass, the far off monster cries deep in the forest, you were given a chance to reflect on everything that makes you what you are. No distractions, no loud noises, just simple peace.

It was why Jeongguk enjoyed visiting the Long Island Sound during the midnight hours, diving deep, deep, even deeper, until the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat and the currents that flowed past him.

Peaceful, is what it was, lying on the sand to stare at the flickering reflection of the moon on the surface.

Occasionally a naiad would swim past to coax him into playing a game but most nights he rejected their advances. He liked being the carefree resident frat dude but even he needed a break from that, to remember the things that led him to being here in Camp Half-Blood.

They never were the nicest memories. They made him cry salty tears that were hidden by the water, made him rip up the seaweed fronds around him when they so much as tickled against his skin, they made him clench his fists in anger and shame until they bled and scream into the endless ocean ‘why? why did you let me go that alone?’ but there was never a reply. There never would be a reply. His so-called family didn’t care, they never would. In the end it just made him appreciate the new family that he had made in his years at Camp Half-Blood, people like Bambam and Jennie, people like his younger half brother Yukhei, everyone else who cared enough to give him the time of day even if he aggravated them on occasion. They were the ones who calmed his anger when he would start to lose control.

But not everyone had a reason to cherish what they have now.

That was something that Jeongguk would find out as he pushed himself off the ocean bed and swim back up to the surface, letting the ocean wet his hair as he surfaced, lungs burning from the change from water to air. He shook his hair clear of the droplets, wading back onto the beach. Somewhere in the distance, a harpy screeched. Jeongguk toed off his dry shoes so he could feel the grains of sand under his feet as he walked, not back to his cabin but rather towards the pier so he could enjoy this time alone a little bit more.

‘The world is quiet here’ he thought to himself, lips quirking up into a brief smile. He paused not a few moments later when he realised he wasn’t as alone as he thought; up ahead, a crouched figure sitting by the ocean. Even from here, Jeongguk could sense the tears that dripped down the figures face so he silently walked forward until he could actually discern who it was. Ah, Jimin Park. Son of Eros, if he remembered correctly, and totally not the kind of person Jeongguk would expect to find here, crying his eyes out.

Jeongguk stopped about a metre away from the crying man, chewing on his lower lip nervously as he debated whether it was a good idea or not to interrupt. Some people liked to be alone in their sorrow whereas some liked having someone to comfort them; it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Hey, uh, what’s going on? You alright?”