Ataraxia [BTS au | Heroes of Olympus]

41

Yoongi

After dragging themselves to their feet, they had boarded the ship again not ready to waste any time. Namjoon and Jimin volunteered to watch as the others even though it was morning hit their beds. And like that he slipped into a dream.

"The Acropolis," A ghoul, or it looked liked a ghoul to him, said. "The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That’s where Gaia will wake." They guy was sitting on a table surrounded by many other ghosts and ghouls.

"Of course, Iros!" The one next to him laughed. The wound in his chest made a popping sound, like a porpoise’s blowhole. "And, to get there, those meddlesome demigods will have to travel by sea, eh? They know it’s too dangerous to fly over land."

"Which means they’ll have to pass this island," Iros said. It seemed like he was on top of a mountain. There was ruins around him. The ruins themselves weren’t that impressive: a few stone walls, a weed-choked central courtyard, a dead-end stairwell chiselled into the rock. Some plywood sheets covered a pit and a metal scaffold supported a cracked archway.

But there was hundreds maybe twice ghosts milling about laughing and pushing each other.

The ghoul next to Iros nodded eagerly. He dipped his finger in a glass of red wine. "At that point, they’ll have to make a choice, eh?"

On the tabletop, he traced a coastline, red wine glowing unnaturally against the wood. He drew Greece like a mis-shapen hourglass – a large dangly blob for the northern mainland, then another blob below it, almost as large – the big chunk of land known as the Peloponnese. Cutting between them was a narrow line of sea – the Straits of Corinth.

He hardly needed a picture. He and the rest of the crew had spent the last day at sea studying maps.

"The most direct route," The ghoul said, "would be due east from here, across the Straits of Corinth. But if they try to go that way –"

"Enough," Another ghoul snapped. "You have a loose tongue, Eurymachus."

The ghost looked offended. "I wasn’t going to tell him everything! Just about the Cyclopes armies massed on either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course if the ship got as far as Delphi –"

His dream ended and he woke up. He scrambled out of his berth to find the son of Athena. Jimin also joined them and as they sat at the mess hall, he told them about the dream.

"So what? We are supposed to find another path? The guy itself said, it's not safe to travel over land." Jimin said.

Namjoon looked conflicted. "The Strait of Corinth is our fastest way. Nothing Eurymachus said sound impossible to defeat to me. I'm sure they have more enemies camped over the whole country waiting for us. Yoongi did you recognise where this mountain was?"

"I think it was some Bay in Ithaca." He said.

"Are we gonna avoid the island?" Jimin asked.

Namjoon thought again. "Yoongi what do you think about blowing the top of a mountain with some Greek Fire?"

He shot Namjoon a crooked smile at that. "I am all ears".

Taehyung

Having a ghost expert on the crew was good. Jungkook knew which Bay they had to go to and which mountain it was.

Some ghosts spotted their ship but before any of them could do anything Greek Fire and Celestial bronze shrapnel engulfed the zombie frat party that was going down. It was easy, since Yoongi had known what to expect for. It couldn't even be called a fight. It was over before their enemies could even be ready with their weapons.