Dancing Like Butterfly Wings 🦋 yungi [▶]

22

It was Cerberus, the giant three-headed dog usually tasked with guarding the inner gates of Tartarus to prevent the escape of souls and Titans. But when Mingi and Yunho arrived earlier, the dog was not there. It was probably playing around in the center of Tartarus. Now it had appeared, likely sensing that its master would be leaving this hot place soon.

The dog lowered its head, its tongue lolling out. Yeosang smiled sweetly and extended his hand to pat the nose of one of Cerberus' heads. He wanted to pet the top of its head, but his hand couldn't reach. "Hello, Cerberus. Have you had enough fun?" he asked kindly. The dog responded with a bark, like any normal dog, though with a thunderous resonance that made Yunho's ears ring, as he was not used to such strong reverberation. The Underworld was truly extraordinary, with many unusual things to encounter.

Mingi did the same as Yeosang, with the other head of the large creature. "Phaedon, this is the dog of Papa Hades, and by extension, my dog as well. You must know about him from history books, right?"

Yunho only nodded in response. One of Cerberus' heads stuck out its long tongue and licked Yunho's face, making the front of his body wet with saliva.

"Hey! You fucking dog!" he protested, then quickly dried himself with his superpowers. Yeosang laughed at Yunho, while Mingi just shook his head.

Once they had finished greeting Cerberus, Mingi led Yunho out of there, leaving Tartarus after ensuring the gate was securely locked.

The two of them walked northwest to return to the palace. Yunho actually wanted to visit Elysium or at least the Asphodel Meadows first, but Mingi said they could do that tomorrow. For now, they needed to rest after a day of wandering. Yunho agreed, so he obeyed the host.

After a few minutes of travel, they finally reached the palace gates. They would have entered if not for the large number of souls blocking their way.

Another surprise for Yunho on this already eventful day. He should have known to prepare himself adequately, as pregnant individuals were advised against adrenaline-pumping activities like roller coasters, for the sake of the fetus.

"Shit. Fuck. I knew this could happen when Kang Yeosang forgot to lock the Tartarus gate," Mingi cursed. Being the top student in a practical exam among hundreds of students apparently did not equate to vigilance for a demigod. He continued to curse in his mind about how foolish and careless the arrogant son of Aphrodite was.

Mingi had already braced himself to fight, as had Yunho, whose strong instincts warned him of imminent danger.

So, his bad premonition upon entering Tartarus was correct.

Something bad was about to happen.

And it was happening now.

For a moment, he took pride in having such a strong premonition that turned out to be true. But a second later, he realized it was not the time for self-congratulation.

The souls began attacking, and Mingi and Yunho fought them off with their available strength. Mingi attacked with his fire, while Yunho used his water. Occasionally, they both used their rare earth bending abilities.

"Oh my god, what do they actually want?! We didn't disturb them, did we?!" Yunho asked in panic amid the fight.

"They want your body; they want to come back to life!"

What? Are you serious? Yunho had expected a peaceful Underworld vacation. He never imagined it would lead to such a bloody clash.

After a lot of resistance, some of the souls were subdued. But there were too many, and Yunho and Mingi's energy was limited. They were overwhelmed.

"Phaedon, go inside the palace, wake up all my siblings if they are still asleep! Tell them that some souls have escaped from Tartarus and are now attacking the palace entrance!"

"But you—"

"Quickly!"

Yunho didn't want to leave Mingi alone with the evil souls, but what Mingi said was true. They needed help in this dire situation. So he ran into the palace. But some souls chased him, forcing him to fight again. They swarmed Yunho, trying to tear him apart, but of course, he did not let that happen by continuously evading, parrying, and attacking. Mingi, who had seen some souls chasing Yunho, immediately ran after him and managed to protect Poseidon's son when one soul tried to attack Yunho without his notice.

"Thanos!"

"Quickly call them! I need to keep these souls from getting deeper into the palace!"

Yunho nodded firmly. But as he turned around, "Ah!"

"Phaedon!"

In the end, one of them managed to touch Yunho. The creature's long, sharp claws scratched Yunho's skin, leaving four deep, extended gashes from his chest to his abdomen, even his face. He was torn and bleeding. He could heal and close the wounds with his water bending, but he had no time for that, as he needed to keep fighting to protect himself. Mingi also couldn't keep protecting him forever.

Mingi continued to fight the creatures that still wanted to harm Yunho. Seeing what they had done to someone so precious to him, he growled in fury and attacked the souls more recklessly. He vowed that once he managed to drive these rebels back to Tartarus, he would make their punishment many times more severe.