charm(less)

trēs

—— t r ē s ——

"A DEMIGOD," KOREY repeated, with disbelief. "I'm a...demigod."

"Yeah," Park said. "Part god, part mortal."

Korey was silent for so long Park didn't think he would ever respond. He wondered what that was like, growing up your whole life believing you were one thing only to learn you were something else entirely, for an entirely different world. His childhood had been many things, but a lie wasn't one of them. His mother had always been honest with him from the start, with monsters at their heels and his confusing lack of a father, even if the truth was too painful for a child. He'd been forced to grow up too quickly to ever really be a child.

As Korey processed the huge information load he'd just received, Park curled his fingers through the plush material of Korey's duvet and marvelled once again at the wealth surrounding him. That hot shower had been one of the nicest things he'd experienced in a long time, the soft scent of soap and steam curling off the walls, rather than the stolen moments of icy water he managed to snatch to clean up. He hadn't  even been able to properly enjoy it because he didn't trust himself to. This all felt too easy. Clean clothes, hot water, a place to sleep...it was too much.

Was it a trap? Was Korey waiting for him to lower his guard to attack?

He couldn't imagine why another demigod, especially one who didn't even know his own origins, would go to such lengths. Park still couldn't shake his creeping suspicions that it was a huge ruse even as his body relaxed and urged him to enjoy the few moments of peace he'd had in weeks. When was the last time he'd stopped looking over his shoulder? Park wasn't unhappy, not necessarily, because he was too busy trying to stay alive to feel anything beyond constantly on edge. He couldn't understand what a rich and attractive person was doing letting him, a bedraggled street kid, into his house.

If Park was stronger, he would have climbed out of the window of the bathroom and run. But he wanted to revel in this splendour a little longer even if it meant he was playing into a trap. It was too hard to be strong without his mother here and he was tired of running alone.

"It just doesn't make sense," Kore said, interrupting Park's internal conflict. "You're a demigod, fine. I don't have a choice to believe that after what I saw. But I don't have any abilities like that."

"Not all demigods have abilities and they certainly won't manifest in the same way." Park sighed at the blank incomprehension in Korey's eyes and realised he'd have to approach this from a different angle. It made perfect sense to him seeing as it was the only world he knew but for someone being thrown into the deep end, he'd have to get more basic. "Okay, fine. Think of it this way. What do you know about Greek mythology?"

"Uh..." Korey's lips curled up in a sheepish smile. "Zeus really likes lightning bolts?"

Park bit his lip to stop himself smiling. "Right, no. Forget everything you think you know."

"I think we've established I don't know anything," Korey pointed out.

"Greek mythology is too complex and detailed for me to go through with you even if I wanted to. Which I don't," Park added, just so they were on the same page. "So we'll go with the basics. There are hundred of Gods but the important ones are the twelve Olympians and they're usually the twelve who have the most powerful children, the ones who can't get away with living normal mortal lives. Following so far?"

Korey nodded slowly. "Lots of Gods but twelve important ones. Got it."

"Depending on who your Godly parent is, you'll have different abilities," Park explained, instinctively reaching to touch the medallion looped around his neck and tucked beneath the hoodie Korey had lent him. "Say Demeter is your mother. She's the Goddess of agriculture, so you have influence over the plant kingdom, whereas a child of Poseidon would have influence over sea and water. It all depends on your parent and not everyone will have a particular influence like that."