"hello guys, are you here to train?" a young girl asked when jeno and donghyuck approached the training spot.

"hello irene, i wanted to train with donghyuck. is there a place we can train that isn't busy?"

the girl, known as irene, turned around to look at the various rings and fighting areas.

"it's pretty much crowded today." she said, scanning the place. "ah! over there."

jeno and donghyuck looked at the place she was pointing at.

"renjun and jaemin are fist fighting there, and they are alone. it's the less busy place for the moment."

"we'll take it. thanks." jeno said smiling before heading towards his assigned training spot, donghyuck on his heels.

the two boys got in front of the ring, seeing two other boys training there. donghyuck recognised them as athena and ares' sons.

jeno coughed to catch the boys' attention, but none of them spared him a glance, too busy fighting each other.

jeno coughed louder this time, and the two boys turned their heads towards him at the same time, stopping their actions.

"hello guys, donghyuck and i are here to train with you." he said, his eye smile showing.

"hello." "hmm." renjun and jaemin respectively replied, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

"s-so..." jeno looked between the two boys, earning a snort from jaemin.

"do you have something to say?" he asked. "we were in the middle of a fight if you didn't notice."

"more like you were in the middle of losing again..." renjun mumbled.

"i was about to win, stupid."

"no, you weren't. you never win against me."

"yes, i do."

"no, you don't."

"yes- "

"huh..." jeno interrupted the two's bickering.

renjun and jaemin diverted their attention on zeus' son.

"as you two are the sons of athena and ares, i guess you could help donghyuck learn how to fight." jeno explained.

"do i look like a fucking teacher?" jaemin raised a brow.

"yeah, we'll do it." renjun replied, ignoring the other boy.

jeno smiled brightly, signalling donghyuck to get on the ring.

the forbidden child hesitated a bit before climbing on the ring.

"i'll let you learn with this incompetent dude. i'll be watching him making a fool of himself from there."jaemin told, pointing at the bench jeno was currently seated on, before jumping off the ring.

"h-hello." donghyuck bowed in front of athena's son.

"hello. donghyuck?"

the beautiful boy nodded shyly.

"well, i'm renjun, athena's son. and this means i'm the best in terms of strategy and wisdom."

the boys heard jaemin snort from the bench, but they didn't pay attention to him.

"if zeus' son wanted us to teach you, this means that you don't really know how to. but fighting is very important, so you need to learn how to defend yourself in priority. fighting with weapons is very good, but fighting with your bare hands is even more important, okay?"

donghyuck hummed, looking at renjun straight in the eye.

the boy was smaller than him, but he radiated a powerful aura that made donghyuck trust him without second thoughts.

"i know it will be hard to learn how to fight properly in very little time, so, i think it will be better for you to learn strategic techniques instead of actual fighting combinations. this way-"

"bullshit!" jaemin cut renjun's speech.

"sorry?" renjun raised a brow, pissed at the other male.

"how can someone learn strategy if they don't even know how to fight?" jaemin retorted, standing up to come closer to the ring.

"because, stupid boy, strategy wins over strength, and you are painfully aware of it."

jaemin snorted. "if you win, it's that i let you."

"now, that is bullshit."

jaemin jumped on the ring and approached donghyuck, holding his hand out.

"jaemin. son of ares, the god of war. and this means i win every single fight." he told confidently, shaking donghyuck's soft hand.

"except those against me..." renjun added in a low voice, making jaemin clench his jaw. he didn't fight renjun though.

"what this guy is trying to tell you is completely nonsense. you can't win a fight without knowing how to defend yourself using your fists."

"of course, you can." renjun rolled his eyes.

"did i talk to you?" jaemin barked. "anyway. i'll push my pride away and teach you how to fight like a man."

donghyuck's eyes wandered between jaemin and renjun, the boy completely lost.

"see, you're confusing him." renjun applauded jaemin.

"he's just looking for a way to decline your offer without being mean."

"keep telling yourself that." renjun laughed. "he's lucid enough to understand that strategy can win over strength."

"you are even stupider than what i thought." jaemin sighed.

"i'm just speaking wise words."

"wise my ass."

"don't you trust me?" renjun raised a brow.

"who is stupid enough to trust something this illogical?"

"okay." renjun nodded. "attack then."

jaemin laughed with his mouth open.

"sorry?"

"i said, attack." renjun repeated, stepping back from jaemin.

the other boy didn't waste a second to throw a punch in renjun's direction, the smaller dodging it effortlessly.

jaemin chained kicks and punches, quicker and stronger every time, but none of them reached ahena's son, who managed to dodge them.

the fight went on for a dozen of minutes, jaemin running out of breath at that point, and renjun still in shape, dodging easily.

jeno had taken the precaution of pulling donghyuck out of the ring to avoid him being harmed in the process, and so, they were both watching the very strange fight unfold in front of their eyes.

a few minutes later, jaemin was panting hard, his punches getting obviously weaker, and renjun decided to act.

quickly running behind the tired boy, he kicked the back of his knee, making jaemin stumble and fall on his stomach, allowing renjun to jump on his back and fake a neck twist on jaemin, ringing the end of the fight, and the victory of renjun.

"see?" he asked, rising to his feet. "the only fighting technique needed was that last kick in the knee. and i'm pretty sure anyone knows how to do this."

"shut... up..." jaemin stood up, trying to catch his breath.

donghyuck had his mouth agape at the scene that just unfolded in front of his eyes.

renjun had just won a fight without actually fighting, and it was very impressive.

"h-how did you...?" he asked, losing his words.

"easy." renjun smiled. "this strategy is called 'exhausting'. you do not actually fight, but dodge the attacks while the other tires out by chaining punches and kicks. and when the other is completely drained out, you are still strong because you didn't use your muscles much. and so, you can fight back and beat him very easily."

donghyuck nodded vigorously, smiling at the small boy.

"yeah, whatever." jaemin rolled his eyes before getting off the ring to sit on the bench.

"want to learn?" renjun asked to donghyuck.

the beautiful boy didn't hesitate a second before climbing in the ring and join renjun.

on his side, jeno sat down on the bench next to a fuming red jaemin.

"don't worry, losing one battle doesn't mean the war is lost." he told with a smile.

"with him, the war is lost since the beginning." jaemin replied immediately, not looking at jeno.

"i'm sure you'll win one day."

jaemin abruptly turned his head to look at jeno.

"tell me, son of zeus, have you ever tried fighting against him?"

jeno shook his head.

he hadn't been much in the half-blood camp; he was too busy with donghyuck.

jaemin chuckled. "that's what i thought." he told, looking at the two boys on the ring again. "nobody won a fight against him. renjun is invincible. he has no weaknesses."

"that's ridiculous. everyone has one." jeno said.

"well, not him."