Dancing Like Butterfly Wings 🦋 yungi [▶]

21

The two continued walking until they passed a river with a large cave beside it. Based on what Yunho had learned from his general Deity Science course, this was the River Lethe. Its appearance and condition matched exactly what he had seen in his history books. Known as the river of forgetfulness, anyone who drank from it would suffer total amnesia, which was very dangerous. Yunho was relieved that if he became thirsty, he could drink water from his own control, drawn from the open air.

“Mingi, that’s the Cave of Hypnos, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, that’s Lucas’s home?”

“Correct. Why? Do you want to visit?”

“No, I was just asking.”

The inside of the cave was not as bad as it seemed. It was a house. The cave was just the outer appearance. Inside, it was very spacious and designed like a comfortable home. Mingi had never visited there, and neither had Yunho, as they simply passed by the river and the cave. They needed to get to Tartarus quickly anyway.

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived. They stood before a large black gate with a design that looked horrifying to Yunho.

Taking a key from his coat pocket, Mingi inserted it into the keyhole and paused as he turned it to unlock.

“What’s wrong, Mingi?”

“The gate isn’t locked. Oh my gods, could Jooheon hyung be this careless? This is very dangerous.”

Whatever the case, Mingi led Yunho through the gate, and they finally set foot on the surface of Tartarus.

The hot air that greeted them was in stark contrast to the cool air outside. Mingi might still look relaxed, but Yunho suddenly had a bad feeling. However, since Mingi, as a native of this place, seemed fine, Yunho tried to trust the son of Hades and told himself that everything would be okay.

At least, he hoped so.

As they walked deeper into the area, they saw someone standing and watching.

“Aphrodisia?” With typical spontaneity, Mingi asked, surprised at Yeosang’s presence there.

“Oh, hey guys. You’re here too. And welcome to my hometown, Phaedon. I hope you enjoy your stay here.” Yeosang spoke with his usual arrogant tone. He was friends with Yunho, but his manner of speaking was always like that with everyone.

Unlike Yeosang’s haughty demeanor, Yunho smiled warmly. “Thank you for the welcome. I will learn to adjust to this place.”

Mingi squinted at Yeosang. “I didn’t expect this, but I knew Jooheon hyung wouldn’t be careless enough to leave the Tartarus gate unlocked.”

Yeosang just shrugged slightly. “Oh, I seem to have forgotten. But never mind. Everything is under control. All the creatures here are under my watch, so no one dares to escape.”

“Who gave you the spare key to Tartarus? You’re not one of Papa Hades’s children, are you?”

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “I was assigned by Hecate—Goddess of magic and ghosts—because she said Thanasis, son of Hades, needed to welcome his siblings.” He casually blew on his nails, as if dealing with titans was not a big responsibility.

“Why didn’t she ask her own children?”

“They’re using their break from college to camp in the upper world.”

“I’m here now. So you can go home. What’s a son of Aphrodite doing in Tartarus anyway? You should be back in your home in Elysium, taking care of your appearance. Instead, you’re here in this bad air that will ruin your skin.” Mingi said sarcastically, which was far from the usual adoration given to a son of Aphrodite. But Mingi was different. To him, Yeosang was just a demigod craving admiration and never satisfied if there were entities that didn’t like him.

“I’m also a fire bender if you’ve forgotten. I can manage the hot air so it doesn’t affect me. Since I arrived first, you should go now. I’ll handle things here.”

“Handle what? You’ve been just lounging around. They need to be judged!”

Yeosang patted Mingi’s broad chest with a hint of seduction. “Oh... calm down, Thanos. I’ve already taken the initiative to handle things myself, so you don’t need to order me around like you’re my mother.”

“Mingi, why is it getting hotter here?” Yunho interrupted the argument between the two Underworld residents. And no, the heat wasn’t due to their argument. Yunho was literally and denotatively uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to such intense heat. It felt much hotter than summer in the upper world. He tried to control water to cool himself, but instead of refreshing him, the water turned into hot steam that did nothing to help. He then used ice from his control, but it sublimated into vapor and disappeared without a trace.

Mingi, feeling sorry for his suffering partner, snorted and glared at Yeosang. “Alright. I’ll go. But remember, you must fulfill your duties properly. Managing all the souls and titans here is not an easy task. They have all fought against the gods and goddesses before. And you’re alone.”

“You should remember who won the duel practical exam and was the top student among hundreds of third-year students. Besides, these souls have been suffering in Tartarus; what can they do?”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But you should also consider the worst-case scenarios that might happen.”

“Okay, okay. Are you leaving or not?”

“You—”

Mingi’s sentence was cut off by a distant roar that was deafening. As if there was an earthquake, the ground around the three demigods trembled. Something large was running towards them. Yunho’s heart seemed to drop as he saw a nine-meter-tall creature standing before them.