Ataraxia [BTS au | Heroes of Olympus]

42

Jin

He wasn't surprised when the snake people arrived. He had learned a valuable lesson from all the quests he had been on: never assume you’re safe, and never, ever tempt the Fates by announcing that you think you’re safe.

So when the ship docked at the harbour in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens, he resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Sure, they had finally reached their destination. Somewhere nearby – past those rows of cruise ships, past those hills crowded with buildings – they would find the Acropolis. Today, one way or another, their journey would end.

But that didn’t mean he could relax. Any moment, a nasty surprise might come flying out of nowhere.

As it turned out, the surprise was three dudes with snake tails instead of legs.

He was on watch while his friends geared up for combat – checking their weapons and armour, loading the ballistae and catapults. He spotted the snake guys slithering along the docks, winding through crowds of mortal tourists who paid them no attention.

"Um … Namjoon?" He called.

Namjoon and Jungkook came to his side.

"Oh, great," Jungkook said. "Dracaenae"

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. "I don’t think so. At least not like any I’ve seen. Dracaenae have two serpent trunks for legs. These guys just have one."

"You’re right," Jungkook said. "These look more human on top, too. Not all scaly and green and stuff. So do we talk or fight?"

He was tempted to say fight. The snake man in the middle held his head high. His face was chiselled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly dark hair glistening with oil. His upper body rippled with muscles, covered only by a Greek chlamys – a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, his body was one giant serpent trunk – about eight feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moved.

In one hand he carried a staff topped with a glowing green jewel. In his other, he carried a platter covered with a silver dome, like a main course for a fancy dinner.

The two guys behind him appeared to be guards. They wore bronze breastplates and elaborate helmets topped with horsehair bristles. Their spears were tipped with green stone points. Their oval shields were emblazoned with a large Greek letter K – kappa. They stopped a few yards from the Argo II. The leader looked up and studied the demigods.

His expression was intense but inscrutable. He might have been angry or worried or terribly in need of a restroom.

"Permission to come aboard." His rasping voice made him think of a straight razor being wiped across a strop.

"Who are you?" Namjoon asked. The snake man fixed his dark eyes on him. "I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city." He held up the covered platter. "Also, I brought a Bundt cake."

He glanced at his friends. "A trick?" Namjoon asked.

"Probably," Jungkook said.

"At least he brought dessert." He smiled down at the snake guys. "Welcome aboard!"

Kekrops agreed to leave his guards above deck. The king of Athens was invited to the mess hall for a ‘get to know you’ meeting.

"Please take a seat," Jimin offered.

Kekrops wrinkled his nose. "Snake people do not sit."

"Please remain standing," Hosoek said. He cut the cake and stuffed a piece in his mouth before he could warn him it might be poisoned, or inedible for mortals, or just plain bad.