"So now we have monsters AND the police after us?" asked Wonyoung, who had just finished tending to Chaewon and Minju.
"The mist is just that strong sometimes," said Yuri. "We were the only 'humans' involved with the crash."
A video then began playing on the broadcast of Yujin using a bat to attack a dog and Yena causing a spark that destabilized the train cart. There were also clips shared by passengers of the six of them running off into the forest soon after the crash.
"Ugh, they didn't even get my good side," Wonyoung complained when zoomed-in pictures of themselves were showcased on screen.
"That's your problem here?" Yujin replied before beginning to bicker with the child of Aphrodite.
Meanwhile, Chaewon was shaking her head, trying to get her bearings back. Knowing that these statues used to be living creatures, she felt a bit bad for crashing into them and knocking them over.
Her train of thought was then derailed when Minju suddenly spoke to her. "Hey, you okay? Thanks for trying to save me,"
"Ah, yeah. It was still Yena-unnie and the others who got the job done in the end though," Chaewon replied, cheeks starting to redden in embarrassment from her not-so-heroic attack attempt. She didn't know what came over her honestly. Just seeing Minju in danger made her act without thinking.
"Come on, let's go help the others look around. There could be some useful information sitting around here," Minju then said before getting up and lending her hand to Chaewon.
~~~~
Unexpectedly, Aunty Em's Garden Emporium was not simply a front to lure tourists and demigods to turn them into statues. Well, the part about being a trap was true, but Medusa was running a real business. In the drawers, they found several customer lists containing famous actors, politicians and even the occasional Greek god who would order statues. Chaewon wondered if their enthusiasm to buy would change if they knew the truth about them but remembering the personalities of some of the people in her mom's field, she figured the demand would probably be higher if they'd known.
"You find anything?" asked Yena, who had been sifting through papers next to her.
Chaewon shook her head. "No, all I'm finding out is that Medusa was really rich. Have you seen these prices?"
Instead of playing along with the bit though, Yena changed the topic. "You and Yujin, you're both not telling the whole truth. Why?"
Chaewon turned away to gaze at nothing in particular. Yena was always sharp when it came to her friends. She could read them like a book. Still, Chaewon didn't want to tell the truth yet. She was so afraid of what her friend's reaction would be if she found out what was being bargained by Kronos. Every move she made from then on would be under the microscope. Chaewon couldn't risk that trust to be compromised.
"Unnie, maybe later on. If we can find another alternative to get to the underworld, it won't matter," she tried to explain.
"So it is a trap,"
"No, maybe? I don't know..."
Yena put a hand on Chaewon's shoulder and turned her back to meet her eyes. "Whatever it is, I'll trust you have a good reason for hiding, but you can't allow it to hurt everyone in the end, okay? Don't wait until it's too late."
Yena may have had a goofy personality, but when she was serious, Chaewon knew to listen, and so, she nodded. "Yes, unnie. I promise."
"Good. Don't think that's the only secret I know you're hiding though, Chae," Yena then said with a mischievous smile.
YOU ARE READING
IZ*ONE and the Olympians: The Forbidden Ones
Adventure*IZ*ONE Greek Demigod AU" Yena, Chaewon, and Yujin had always thought that their friendship was a product of fate. Ever since the trio met, things just seemed to click. They were the only ones in school who ever understood each other, and there was...
