ONE. THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

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MATHEO SHIN WAS A blessing to his father. A bundle of joy with the biggest smile. Shining eyes that rivaled all the stars in the sky. Laughter that sounded like an angels.

Everything about him was angelic.

That's what Ewan Shin would always say to anyone who asked about his dear son.

He was just as beautiful as his mother.

Ewan wanted to spend the rest of his life with this beautiful young boy, raising him to be the best he possibly could be.

But the fates always had a different plan.

Matheo Shin was 3 and a half years old when he was orphaned. The horrible grasp of cancer had grabbed ahold of his father before they could even realize what was happening.

He was sent to live with his aunt, who was just barely 19 years old. But she didn't want the responsibility of a child who she believed wasn't as much of a blessing as Ewan did.

"You're nothing like he said, why did he do this to me?" She would cry at night, pointing fingers at Matheo.

Matheo Shin was 4 years old when he was called a spawn of satan by his aunt. He was 5 years old when his aunt would leave him alone for days on end, leaving him to care for himself.

His aunt said it was time for him to be presented to the temple, saying it was required by the law of Moses. Matheo Shin was 5 and a half years old when he was left abandoned at a camp in the middle of no where, malnourished and bones weak.

"This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him."

Luke 2:34

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MATHEO SHIN WAS EIGHT and a half years old when he was claimed by his mother. A whole three years after he was left at the camp known as Camp Half-Blood.

No, he was not petty about it. . . a liar would say.

He probably wouldn't have been so mad about it if his claiming didn't make people disdain him even more.

Even after being told Hecate isn't evil and neither are any of her children, many still chose to avoid Matheo.

Him and his siblings didn't even have their own cabin like other campers. They had to crash at the Hermes cabin, filled to the brim with unclaimed campers and the children of Hermes.

There was barely enough space to breath in that cabin, and yet everyone still managed to stay at least six feet away from Matheo, even his own siblings.

And Matheo was eleven years old when he was disowned and ignored by the entirety of Camp Half-Blood.

And it would stay this way until one Perseus Jackson would come to camp, curious and clueless.

He would see Matheo by himself in the Hermes Cabin, and by himself at meal times.

He didn't understand it, because Matheo seemed like any other kid at camp to him, except maybe the red hair that made him stand out.

Anytime he would ask another camper, they would say, "You should stay away from him, he's up to no good." And that would confuse him even more than he already was.

Every once in a while, Percy would find something out about the boy that made him even more curious than before.

"He's a child of Hecate."

"I heard he brings misfortune to anyone he's close to."

"There's nothing good that comes from that boy."

"He's been here since he was five, I think. He was just left here."

Matheo Shin was thirteen years old when he had a shadow following him around.

It was easy to notice the curious sea green eyes that would follow him around, and it was easy to notice their absence when Percy would go on his week long quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt.

It made Matheo curious. He wasn't used to someone being that interested in who he was.

What surprised him the most was the fact that it wasn't just a one time thing. When Percy had returned home from his quest, he would continue to stare at him from across the dining pavilion.

The two of them were alike in a way. They had no one to sit with, except for the times when Percy's satyr friend would come and chat with the raven.

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MATHEO SHIN WAS FOURTEEN years old when a thirteen year old Percy Jackson would first talk to him, after a year of just staring him down. He would come to the table where Matheo sat and sit directly in front of him.

Matheo could hear the shocked whispers from the other campers, and he himself was shocked.

"I'm Percy Jackson." The younger would tell him, a bright smile on his face. Matheo would only stare at him in shock, his fork dangling from his fingers. "This is the part where you introduce yourself, too." The black-haired boy would playfully tell him.

"Matheo Shin." Matheo would say when he was finally able to compose himself, making eye contact with the powerful sea green eyes that the other boy had.

Percy would smile at that and stick his hand out toward him, waiting for Matheo to shake his hand. It would only take Matheo a few seconds to reach forward and grab it, giving it a firm shake.

"You're very interesting, you know?" Percy would start eating like there wasn't a care in the world, completely ignoring the input from the other campers. Matheo would raise an eyebrow at that, slowly picking up the fork that he had dropped onto his plate. "How so?"

"I know a little something about a lot of people here, but I know hardly anything about you. So I have a question." Matheo swallowed as he would think about what the question might be.

"Do you?"

"Why does everyone here dislike you?" Percy would ask, his curious eyes dimming as he would stare directly at the fourteen year old in front of him.

The red-haired boy would shrug his shoulders and shake his head, starting to wonder if Percy was trying to make him feel bad about himself. "I wish I could tell you." Matheo would answer truthfully, and he almost missed the heartbroken look on the younger boy's face.

"Well, I think that's unfair," Percy would say as he crossed his arms over his chest. "They were all like you once, weren't they?" Matheo wondered what he meant by that. "Alone. . .?"

"Yes."

"I assume they were once, but not for as long as I have." Matheo would say, looking past Percy's head at the open field surrounding the pavilion. "Well, I still think it's unfair that they avoid you, you're one of us."

"Well, yes, but—."

"Would you like to be my friend, Matheo?" Percy would ask before Matheo could say anything else bad about himself. The red-haired boy was caught off-guard, even if his emotionless face would say otherwise.

"You want to be friends with me?" Matheo asked him to make sure he was hearing exactly what he thought he had. "Well, sure, why not? You seem nicer than people say."

Of course he's portrayed as a bad guy. Why wouldn't he be?

Matheo tried not to feel hurt as he slowly nodded his head. "Sure."

"Sweet! Does that mean you'll come on my next quest with me?" Percy would lean forward excitedly as he would ask this question.

"I guess it depends, Percy."

"That's not a no?"

"It's not a no." Matheo would confirm, finally letting a ghost of a smile rest on his lips.

"Cool! I'll find you at some point, later, I've gotta move before I get caught." Percy would whisper as he got up from the table, rushing over to the Poseidon table.

Matheo Shin was fourteen years old when he made his first friend.

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VANA'S CORNER !
hiiiiii
first chapter of this book, any thoughts so far?

it's on the short side, but that's what i was aiming for!
the next chapter will be more on the longer side, but i wanted to get an introductory chapter out before that!

hope you enjoyed!!!