2014: In Demigods We Trust. The Beginning. (for sunnysparks)

[baektobaek]

For: EVERYONE
From: ANONYMOUS until December 30, 2014

Title: In Demigods We Trust. The Beginning.
Rating: R (darkest times for children of gods and all)
Pairings/Focus: Baekhyun/Kyungsoo, Baekhyun/Jongdae <- if you squint very-very hard, and BaekChenSoo squad most of the time
Length: 11,200 words
Summary: Being godmanizer doesn't feel enough when a certain demigod never falls into his charms (or pants) no matter how hard Baekhyun tries. When his hope is lost for good, a Barrier of Protection, that keeps the Camp out of humankind eyes, disappears, putting all demigods in danger, and Baekhyun is forced on a quest (that's not his at all) to save their small divine world. Maybe along with his lost hope too.
Warnings: something inadequate and maybe not as mythological as it may seem.
Notes: my dear recipient, please forgive for lack of greek mythology (and cheating with title by the way sorry), i wasn't a really good student back in school with this subject xd but I hope you like it nonetheless. I had a lot of fun writing it, although at first I started working on your other prompt lol
Also huge thanks to my dearest L for encouragement and help <3 and also my team koala for being along with me while i was writing it \o/

♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek Gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that it's just really bad luck but when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day. Baekhyun is 500% sure there definitely was an invisible divine force that screwed his day so bad he doesn't even think he'll ever get over it. He can even count where these 500% are coming from: 200% - because everything happened in the middle of battle practice; another 200% - because it happened in front of everybody in Camp, and another 100% - because he got himself embarrassed for the first time in his life. Well, The Camp doesn't have to know he was actually embarrassed because to the other students he looked mostly defeated. And wounded. But that's another story. Baekhyun had to pretend but he is good at pretending. Natural. Being a Son of Aphrodite has it charms. Its just that today he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself for all things that went wrong since morning. "I think he hates me." Baekhyun hisses and jerks himself slightly with a press of a cold healing gel around his severely lacerated and crushed side, the skin over his ribs is split and torn from blows that had had been made by some sort of tool that made a pattern of round and linear wounds. His right side looks nasty and Baekhyun can't even look at his bruised waist without anger and frustration boiling up inside him like a volcano. "Easy there." Yixing says, while working on Baekhyun's wounds. "And I don't think he does." He adds and makes another gentle swab over the cuts with the healing gel, and then starts bandaging Baekhyun's waist, making sure everything is covered. Baekhyun winces at the pressure, holding himself as still as possible while Yixing is doing his job. "I freed you from two days of practicing. Please try not to get yourself in trouble." He mentions when the bandage is done. When Baekhyun tries to get up, Yixing shakes his head and gently lays him down on the bed. "Nope, you should lay at least 15 minutes for this gel to have effect." Baekhyun rolls his eyes but still obeys the doctor's instructions, lying still on the hospital bed. He sighs contentedly when the cooling effect starts to work all over his waist and stomach, like an invisible hand is patching all his insides and skin under the bandage. "See?" Yixing smiles, a cute dimple forming on his face and Baekhyun wants to stick his tongue out at him, just because the doctor is both annoying and a sweetheart. "I sometimes forget you're one of the few normal among all of us." Baekhyun says softly, closing his eyes and relaxes. "Where do you get all this magic stuff anyway?" "I have my ways." Yixing chuckles, and then adds as if it's an afterthought. "But it's more than ten times you are here on the very same bed; I'm running out of magic gel because of you." Baekhyun pouts, his eye still closed. "The power of Love will heal me." He says confidently. "You're saying this every time I'm patching your poor body." "But it's true. Do you know what my mom told me once? "Love heals and conquers all. Look at Paris and Helen. Did they let anything come between them?" "Didn't they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?" Yixing says disbelievingly over his shoulder, his brows furrowing. Baekhyun clicks his tongue. "I asked her the same thing. She said that's not the point." He sighs. "I should just follow my heart." "I see you following it." Yixing lifts his eyebrows meaningfully. "By hitting on Son of Ares." Baekhyun opens his eyes and almost jumps off the bed at the mere mention of this name. He purses his lips in indignation, because it's still raw. "I wasn't hitting on him. Just thought we might have something more than just being roommates." "You roommate with him for more than a year." Yixing says while being busy with two bottles of something blue in it. Must be another magic gel, Baekhyun thinks. Or poison, like Jongdae would say. "You can figure this out on your own, don't you think?" "We barely talk." Baekhyun mumbles, and sighs, feeling his heart jumping up his throat before it falls down again in unease. It's the sad truth he doesn't want to think about. "Well," Yixing moves to another table and rampages through little empty bottles, their sound dinging in the room melodically. "At least he acknowledges you share the room with him." "Really helpful of you, thanks." Baekhyun rolls his eyes just as he rolls out of bed, hissing quietly. He had enough of embarrassment today and he isn't ready for another lecture from the doctor. Yixing steadies him when Baekhyun sways a little, letting out a heavy sigh. "I told you to lay still. Your wounds are really serious to move this much." Yixing shakes his head. "And fifteen minutes didn't run yet." "Don't care." Yixing sighs and comes over to Baekhyun, stopping him by putting his hands over his shoulders. "You're really stubborn. But I still like you." Doctor gives him a gentle pat. "Glad to know it's not because of my powers." Baekhyun frowns, and Yixing smiles, a beautiful dimple blooming on both of his cheeks. "I liked you way before you tried to woo-doo on me." He says, his brows wiggling cutely. "Plus, my heart is already sold to another person, so …don't you even try." Yixing grins, shaking his head, when he sees a small glint in Baekhyun eyes and feels something warm running up his veins. "I know it won't work." Baekhyun says softly. "And I liked you way before I tried to woo-doo on you too." He grins back mischievously and Yixing laughs. "Just be careful then. And try to rest for those two days you have for free." Doctor winks, and gently shoos Son of Aphrodite out of his medical lodge, getting back to his cures and instruments. When Baekhyun comes back to his dorms, it's almost midnight. He enters the room quietly, throwing sharp glances at his roommate's bed. A perfect chance to take a little revenge, Baekhyun thinks. He considers a couple of options, scanning Kyungsoo's motionless form under the covers but then just shakes his head slightly, being hit with tiredness after the rough day. With a loud oof he plops on his own bed, face down, not even being bothered to take off his jacket and a painful pang all over his waist – Yixing's healing gel did a wonderful job, but his insides still remember. Baekhyun is out in seconds. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ When he wakes up the next morning, the sun is already high up. Baekhyun looks to his left and sees a glass of something blue in it with a sticknote that says, "Yixing tries to poison you". Baekhyun groans because Jongdae and because his jacket is crumpled around his neck, and Baekhyun is sure it would have suffocated him if he didn't wake up. He slowly sits up, throwing the jacket off on the floor, suspiciously eyes the glass and then with one swift move takes it in one gulp. It's disgusting and Baekhyun fights an urge to just throw it up, Jongdae's stick note still in front of his eyes. He shudders, a terrible glue taste in his mouth, and makes a mental note to ask Yixing to mix some drinks for his friend just in case. Baekhyun glances over at his roommate's bed, that's empty, a pair of pajama folded neatly on tidy covers and sighs. Kyungsoo almost never stays with him in one room, unless it's night when Baekhyun is already out or he's already gone to bed by the time Baekhyun comes back to the dorms. It's really disconcerting to share the same room with the only person, well, demigod, in the Camp who doesn't feel anything for Son of Aphrodite. Literally. It's more than obvious that Kyungsoo avoids him at any costs, except during practic hours when he obviously makes sure to let Baekhyun know he is around. Maybe that's why Baekhyun ends up in Yixing's chambers all the time lately. Baekhyun snorts and shakes his head. He hears a low grumble in his stomach and feels hungry. He decides to take a quick shower before going to Camp's dining room. The road to the canteen is like a mental torture. Baekhyun feels that all eyes are set on him, eyes full of respect mixed with pity and consolation, and he thinks that divine forces are messing up his day again. He isn't here for any kind of whispers behind his back, or subtly words of support or anything; in fact, Baekhyun, for the first time in his life, wants to disappear from the Camp. Maybe some other day he'd gladly receive some comfort, or maybe even let somebody handsome or cute kiss his pain away but not today. Baekhyun really hopes that all these demigods around him who oh so badly want to console him at the moment are acting purely of their genuine desire, and not because of some "woo-doo" thing (like Yixing would say). But there it is, this nudging feeling in his guts that makes him doubtful as hell, and… fuck. Baekhyun shakes this creeping feeling off and makes a beeline for the dinning room for some snacks, running out as quickly as possible and sets off into the woods. Screw the pain, screw the demigod's longing stares. Screw it. He needs to be alone. Like, really. So he heads up even deeper in the dark shadows of high and flowery trees, far from any leaving creature that might disturb his divine sulking. Close to the boundaries, there is a small meadow there. Baekhyun discovered that place almost the first day he got in demigod's Camp and sometimes used it for some yoga silence and meditations with the nature, and somehow nobody else found it till now. Baekhyun feels proud of that – he still has some tricks up his sleeve, moreover it wasn't that hard to whisper some magic into trees and birds around this meadow to keep it hidden from wandering eyes. He smirks and sits right there in the middle of the meadow on the grass, hissing quietly, because his wounds still hurt, and cursing Son of Ares out loud. It takes slightly longer to get into his divine Zen, Baekhyun thinks, while slowly chewing on his favorite snack, mozzarella bruschetta. He looks around, suspiciously, squinting and listening to any noise around him. But it's dead quiet. Baekhyun shrugs, probably his latest encounter with Kyungsoo has some effects. A sudden rustle on his left in the woods makes him almost jump from his seat. Baekhyun turns to the sound and slowly gets up. He hums, eats the remains of the bruschetta, while deciding whether he should check the noise that seems to come from outside their Camp. It's definitely from that "part of the world", Baekhyun is sure of it. Curiosity catches him, and Baekhyun, ready for another little adventure, decides that he needs some distraction. Since meditation didn't really help. It takes him a couple of minutes to get to the border. Baekhyun walks along a couple of really high trees, his fingers tracing over the wood, graciously, and listens to any stories that these plants might keep inside them. There is no evident border, like a wall of bricks or some guards, of course, but any demigod, studying and living in the Camp, knows there is like an invisible Veil, protecting their small (well, not actually) world out from humankind's eyes. It's always too soon for people to know that there are gods and children of these gods walking among them anyway. Baekhyun stops dead in his tracks. Something is wrong. He looks over his shoulder and then to his left, feeling suspicious at the thought of being watched. It's a usual feeling when you are alone in the Magic Forest somewhere close to the boundaries, but this time it's different. Baekhyun looks down at his feet, and rubs his temples, trying to figure out what exactly got him so suspicious and then it hits him. The Barrier. It's gone. Their invisible veil of protection has vanished. Baekhyun blinks, a chill running down his spine. That's not good. If the Barrier is gone then the whole Camp is in danger. For a split of second he wishes he had that special teleport ability Jongin, the adorable and shy Son of Hermes, has. The faster he lets the Elders know, the less damage to the Camp will be done. It's not people who are most dangerous to them. Children of Gods have quite a number of enemies that goes back to ancient times. Their Fathers and Mothers have a history together, and the world knows a lot of tales in which Gods had common affairs that sometimes resulted into wars between them. Baekhyun never was a fan of these stories but Athena's mythology courses were really interesting. Baekhyun remembers one particular lesson about Zeus and Hades. That encounter once led to a serie of serious counter strikes that almost resulted into an apocalypse. Chiron – who sometimes substituted for the Gods and Goddesses to teach the demigods – told them that was the day Zeus' master bold disappeared and only hell knows where he got this idea but Zeus blamed Hades for stealing the most powerful weapon ever created, a weapon so powerful it holds more capacity than several hydrogen bombs. They had been in war for centuries already, so it was natural for Zeus to blame the Underworld God as a thief. In the end the master bolt was returned to Zeus but a grudge remained, and since then Hades has undertaken quiet a number of plots to undermine Zeus, but since ancient laws forbid Gods to cross each other's realm, Hades has turned to various creature or monsters for help. Baekhyun muses quietly at the thought that now with the Barrier gone, it won't be difficult for Hades to bring some apocalypse onto Zeus' children's heads. Kids were always God's weaker point so this is a nice opportunity to bring havoc again. "Smart." Baekhyun says to himself, but then there is this rustling noise again, and what happens next happens way too fast for his liking. One second he sees Cyclops in the woods and the next he is forcefully pinned to an old tree, an ugly big hand chocking him mercilessly. Baekhyun wheezes weakly, his vision swaying and black spots starting to dance before his eyes because of the impact. On an impulse he holds Cyclops' wrist with both hands, trying all his best to concentrate on the touch and pulse under the rough skin. It's not an easy task given the fact that Baekhyun is still recovering from his latest encounter with Kyungsoo and he already hears Yixing's remorseful voice in his head, praying to all the Gods for the human doctor to have some healing gel left if he survives after this. Cyclops's are known for their savageness and Baekhyun is a very good student so he rememberts that when these monsters are out to hunt, they won't stop till their victim is dead. Baekhyun tries not to panic at the thought of being so easily killed by some ugly sack of muscles and pushes everything he's got through his fingers, concentrating on the monster's mind and holds his gaze as steady as possible on that big single eye. Cyclops jerks slightly under his touch; Baekhyun feels it - his power running up the monster's veins, but it's too slow, not enough for it to loose its hold on Baekhyun's neck. He pants, his body slowly going limp, but he still struggles and pushes all his charms, trying to coax it and calm it down at the very least. "Come… on… you big fat ass…" Baekhyun croaks, barely holding his connection. "React…. Damn it." It's getting too hard to keep Cyclops' mind under his will, and Baekhyun vaguely realizes it might be because of the Barrier's disappearance. But no matter how hard he tries at the moment, he really can't place a finger on why his own powers are suddenly weakened here, at the borders. And that definitely has nothing to do with his more weaken state. The pressure is too strong, and Baekhyun can't fight it anymore. He feels Cyclops regaining his hold, slamming him hard against the tree again, and roaring something incomprehensible at his face, its awful breath stucks in Baekhyun's nose. With his last drop of power he scratches the monster's skin, making it scream, and before losing his consciousness he thinks he hears a loud thunder breaking somewhere behind him, and two panicked voices, one very familiar and worried voice, screaming out his name. Baekhyun slips into darkness. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ "If he isn't going to wake up soon, we'll have to leave him." Baekhyun remembers the first time he heard Kyungsoo. He was running late for his part time job, too busy to concentrate on people around him, and absolutely not on purpose bumped into his chest, successfully spilling delicious and a hot cup of freshly made cappuccino at Kyungsoo's white, and quite expensive, shirt. Baekhyun was dumbfounded for just one second before he collected himself and went into his full mood charming self. But the moment he smiled his most beautiful apologetic smile the guy glared at him, no words at all, and just walked past him. It was unexpected, because Baekhyun made sure to make eye contact with him – he knew his rules to always look into people's eyes (or creatures for that matter) to pry that tiny sparkle and hold on it – it's the best way to quietly dispel any uneasiness. He knew how important eye contact is, especially when you hold quite a powerful ability to control emotions, he knew how to play with them, when it was needed, and spilling his favorite drink on a stranger was a piece of cake with what he could actually do. Baekhyun was 16 when that happened. He reached for the guy's shoulder, vaguely hoping that maybe his touch will do the job. "Just be careful next time." The guy simply said, over his shoulder, the tone of his voice impassive, laced with coldness. Baekhyun dropped his hand and stood there. Dumbfounded and confused. That tone never changed. Baekhyun can distinct it out of a million voices. He heaves a long tired sigh, refusing to open his eyes. "Oh, he is awake now." "Come on, Kyungsoo. Cut him some slack, the guy was fighting Cyclops." Baekhyun feels the press of a cold hand on his forehead. Jongdae always has cold hands. His hand quickly retracts and Baekhyun vaguely realizes he's on a moving surface or moving himself somehow. Kyungsoo's snort is like a pang in Baekhyun chest. Son of Ares never had mercy for him, and he wants to get unconscious again just to not having to hear the demigod making unwelcome sounds. "Hey." Jongdae says softly. "How are you feeling?" "Sore. Numb. Tired." Baekhuyn says, punctuating every word slowly. He flutters his eyes open and meets the relieved face of his best friend looking at him from the front seat. They are in the car, going somewhere. "Where are we going?" He asks curiously. "To hell." Kyungsoo says flatly, meeting Baekhyun's eyes through the back mirror. They look at each other for some seconds, and then Kyungsoo breaks the eye contact, getting his attention back to the road. "That's not the guy I left the Camp with this morning, I swear." Jongdae huffs over the shoulder. He turns to Baekhyun, watching him carefully sitting up. Kyungsoo makes no acknowledgement at the remark. "Is he always like this with you?" "Since the very first day." Baekyun says, frowning. "For the record. I don't like demigods talking about me in my presence." Kyungsoo pulls over all of the sudden. "What. Why did we stop?" Jongdae looks around, but Kyungsoo says nothing more and shutting off the engine, steps out of the car, the door slumming shut. Jongdae watches him with confusion, his gaze following the small man walking around the car to a small coffee shop, hidden in the big bush growing at the side of the road. Baekhyun watches him too, holding back a smile because he knows Kyungsoo is a man of coffee. He has known this fact about his roommate since the moment they were paired in the dorm. Kyungsoo always drinks one cup of strong coffee, mornings or evenings, time doesn't matter. Baekhyun finds it cute. It's probably the only cute thing he finds about Kyungsoo though. And maybe his squishy face is also cute. Probably his narrow shoulders and tiny body as well. Damn it, everything about Kyungsoo is cute. "He's like completely different, when you're around." Jongdae brings his attention back from musing about Kyungsoo. Baekhyun forces a smile, nodding and scoots a little, making his sitting position more comfortable. "So where are you going?" Baekhyun doesn't want to dig into more of his little problem that runs back to those times when he still was a kid, and surely he doesn't want to talk about all these "why Kyungsoo is so different with him". Jongdae heaves a long sigh. "To the Sea of Monsters." He snarls. "You know, that the Barrier, the Veil of protection of our Camp, is gone?" Baekhyun nods. He was right then, when he felt exactly that. Jongdae arches a brow, seeming quite surprised but decides to quickly feed Baekhyun with all the details till Kyungsoo is back. "Chiron thinks we can find some answers from Poseidon." Jongdae turns to him; a frown cuts his forehead as if he is hesitating to share things with Baekhyun. "Poseidon?" Baekhyun asks, slightly confused, trying not to think about the fact that Jongdae might have secrets from him. "What does he have to do with the Barrier." It's weird that Chiron sent those two to Poseidon, but then again, Chiron is Camp's tutor and he knows a lot of things the boys aren't probably aware of, despite of their everyday studies. Poseidon is one of the Holy Trinity, he might have some answers. Jongdae shrugs. "He probably doesn't, but Suho is in the Camp. I doubt Poseidon will be pleased to know his son is in danger." "Makes sense." Baekhyun hums, leaning back. "So you two are like on a quest or something?" "Sort of." Jongdae scratches his neck. "Chiron has some wild theory that since me and Kyungsoo are both sons of the Gods who had a little love affair with Athena we might get more clues to all this mystery of missing Veil." He meets Baekhyun's stunned look and huffs. "Don't ask. It's complicated. But he said we are the best choice for this mission." Jongdae makes quote marks with his fingers and Baekhyun snorts. "Since when do you listen to everything what Chiron says?" He shakes his head, thinking both Jongdae and Kyungsoo are crazy to go to the Sea of Monsters to seek out questions about the disappearance of Barrier just because Chiron knows better. Jongdae wrinkles up his noise. "Well, we are not the only ones who are up for work. Our Camp is in danger, every method might help." Baekhyun watches Jongdae incredulously but doesn't comment anything about it. He sees Kyungsoo coming out of the coffee, a paper bag in one hand and a small cup in the other. Baekhyun quietly snickers – he was right. Well, all this time living in one room with Son of Ares has had its perks. They weren't close, more like strangers under the same roof, but Baekhyun was observant enough to notice little things that were uniquel his, Son's of Ares. Baekhyun vaguely wonders if Kyungsoo did notice him too. "Hey, Jongdae," He says, a sudden thought blooms in his mind. "Thank you, by the way." Jongdae turns to him, a warm smile on his lips. "What?" Baekhyun, detecs that there is some secret reason for this simle Jongdae is giving him, and, in the hope that there might be mischief lurking behind it, he resolves to worm out the reason. He makes a move by reaching out to Jongdae and touch him, but chuckles when his friend jerks and points a finger at him. "No touching!" He exclaims and then wiggles his brows. "And it's not me who you should thank, by the way." "What?" Baekhyun's jaw drops. And then the door opens and Kyugsoo slides in, holding a bag to Jongdae who beams and rampages inside the package. Baekhuyn looks at Kyungsoo, who keeps this impassive face, obviously trying hard to ignore him, and he squints at him. No, there is absolutely no way Kyungsoo helped him with Cyclops; too much worry in a voice he knows perfectly well. Kyungsoo catches his gaze, eyes narrowing, and starts the engine, turning the car back on the road and focusing his attention on driving. Silence falls inside the vehicle; Jongdae is too busy chewing some crunchy snacks and Baekhyun relaxes behind on passenger seat, although his thoughts are swirling inside of his head like whirlpools while he recalls the fight scene with Cyclops. Baekhyun pushes them aside, deciding to get some nap, and he probably would have some sleep but then again, divine forces never were on his side today. There is a slight jolt from the left side of the car, and then with a loud screech they are pushed by some wild force to the edge of the road. Baekhyun is thrown to the left door, wincing at the unpleasant impact, and while Kyungsoo and Jongdae have their seat belts on, both are thrown in their seats as well. Jongdae squeaks weakly when his head hits the window and Baekhyun reaches for him, wanting to ease his pain. "What is happening?" He croacks, fingers grazing over the seatbelt, and tries to unlatch it as quickly as possible. "Something was on the road." Kyungsoo helps him too, and then opens the door. "Or somebody." Baekhyun notices, getting out of the car, holding at his side, but quickly retracting his hand when he sees Kyungsoo looking at him, and makes an indignant face at Ares' descendant, suddenly annoyed with all these mysterious and unreadable signs all over the place since the very moment Baekhyun opened his eyes in the back seat of the vehicle. "Please don't tell me Cyclops got back to his senses and is following us now." Jongdae whines. "Should have known you'll be a pain in the ass for our mission." Kyungsoo glares. "I told him." Jongdae shrugs, and Baekhyun's face contorts and he bites the urge to say something. There is a silence, as all three of them are tensed and ready for attack from any side. It's getting dark, and the boys are in the middle of nowhere – well, at least for Baekhyun who doesn't know where exactly they are because no one filled him in with details of the big plan, because apparently Kyungsoo wasn't thrilled with him, muttering something about surplus ballast and since Jongdae is the biggest sweetheart of bffs, they had an agreement to drop Baekhyun at the nearest city. Baekhyun had to swallow down all his feelings, choosing not to use any of his powers to change their minds. Kyungsoo is immune to him anyway and he couldn't abuse Jongdae's trust either. Baekhyun suddenly feels the atmosphere around them changing. He quickly glances at Kyungsoo and Jongdae and sees them being focused but he feels more then them. Something is off. Baekhyun freezes when he tracks an almost invisible movement along the road. "No…. That can't be possible." He breathes out, eye widening in shock, when he sees three pairs of glowing red dots. Kyungsoo sharply turns to him, hints of worry in his voice. "What. Baekhuyn, what is it?" Baekhyun takes a slow step in front of him and Jongdae, the move too obvious to confuse with anything else than a protective stance . Kyungsoo blinks in realization but before he actually think about it, Baekhyun lets out a scream, warning them. "Hellhounds! Hide!" The red eyes are getting closer. And closer. Three hellhounds charging into them, demonic beasts ready to kill. Their lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers are terrifying and the demigods panicking, start to run for their lives. "The car!" Jongdae tries to protest when one of the beasts jumps on it, squashing it easily like a plastic cup, and is shoved unceremoniously by Baekhyun out of the way when he misses the second monster coming at him from the left side. With a loud whine he rolls in the ditch. "Sorry!" is all Baekhyun can say before the very same beast circles him out, and he focuses back on this monster, fingers curling into fists. The hellhoud jerks and stops abruptly right in front of Baekhyun. "Easy, e-asy." He says, voice bold and takes a few slow steps towards the creature that looks at him, confused and torn with the desire to maul the demigod apart but feeling powerless because something is blocking from attacking. "Behind you!" A sudden scream breaks Baekhyun's connection making the beast come back to its senses and charge at him without any hesitation. He lets out a small-frustrated cry and when the beast is almost on top of him, he rolls out of the way with a swift move. The creature roars when a massive thunder ball collapse on top of its head smashing him down to the ground. "You're welcome!" Jongdae grins at Baekhyun, his fist sparkling with little lightning, and Baekhyun turns around focusing his attention to Kyungsoo who is busy with the two remaining hellhounds circling around him. He is standing on one knee, one hand flat on the ground, feeling the pulsation from both beast's pads, feeling the power under them. Baekhyun motions Jongdae, who is gathering another thunder ball in his hands, to circle around them, taking this distraction as a cue to gather more power to help Kyungsoo. He focuses on the closest hellhound, concentrating. It's slightly trickier to do so when he doesn't see the monsters eyes and has to break through layers of auras to get in there. The monster jerks a little when it feels somebody invading its brains and lets out a loud bark, marching on to Kyungsoo without a warning whose eyes widen in shock and he scrambles out of the way. "Now!" Baekhyun screams, and Jongdae throws his power at the hellhound, knocking it off the feet and then smashes it with another thunder ball, crashing it completely. Baekhyun jumps on the remaining beast, that already has Kyungsoo pinned down beneath it, threatening to cut his face open, one of his nails leaving a nasty cut on the demigod's plum lips. He squeezes its wide neck, his palms glowing and he pushes everything he gathered through the thick layer of hair and skin. "Come on, you little puppy, calm down." Baekhyun squeezes beast's neck even harder, the monster letting out a stridulous sound and then falls completely on the ground, motionless, its fangs dangerously close to Kyungsoo, who still lies immovably, being a fast learner to know that he shouldn't distract Baekhyun at this moment. "That was impressive." Jongdae comes closer when Baekhyun stands from the hellhound's body and give a hand to Kyungsoo, helping him up. "Yeah." Baekhyun lets out a heavy sigh, wincing at the sudden dull pang in his ribs. "Thanks, man." He fist bumps Jogdae gently. "I couldn't do it without you." Kyungsoo makes a face at both them, rolling his eyes at the cheesiness. "Yeah, it was nice." He mutters quietly, reflective. "Our car is destroyed." Jongdae walks over the pile of metal that used to be the vehicle they traveled and his face falls. "We need to find another way to get to the Sea of Monsters." He says, scratching his neck. He squats down, taking a look at his seat, beaming that the paper bag from that small coffee shop (they had a stop earlier today) wasn't destroyed along the car. He looks inside and lets out a small squeal, to find a couple of intact cookies. Baekhyun smiles softly and shakes his head. "First we need to think about some rest. Do you have something we can use and call it a night? Sleeping-bags or a tent?" He says, scrunching his nose. If Kyungsoo and Jongdae left the Camp for their "find the reason why Veil of Protection disappeared" mission, they probably packed some useful things. "I got it." Jongdae waves with a bag he just got from underneath the broken remains of car. "We just need to find a place for it." ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ Jongdae decides to go check around their little camp, making sure to not leave any traces for any more creatures that might disturb their night, subtly leaving Baekhyun and Kyungsoo alone for some moment, and Baekhyun feels terrible. Mostly because of his day full of Cyclopes and Hellhounds and Gods know what they will meet on their way and that he never asked for any of this, and absolutely not because Kyungsoo is around. He looks over Son of Ares who is busy with the last things for their night quarters, and walks towards him to help. "You need to change your shirt." Baekhyun says quietly, squatting down to hold the edge of the tent, fixing it so no wind or something can rip it off. Kyungsoo shakes his head, and Baekhyun notices his face still has some blood on it. He sighs. "Did it hurt?" Baekhyun asks, voice laced with worry. Kyungsoo's lower lip is cut quite nasty from where it was scratched by the hellhound's long knife like nails when it was pinning him to the ground. Kyungsoo shakes his head, and Baekhyun rolls his eyes. He walks over the small bag Jongdae always has with him and takes out a tiny medicine chest, opening it. "It can catch an infection if you don't clean up your wound properly." Baekhyun confidently invades Kyungsoo's personal space, and gently holds his chin. He smoothly swipes blood from his lower lips, not missing teh tiny frown on the demigod's forehead, when the cut stings. "Sorry." He says with a small apologetic smile, and takes another piece of cloth, slowly washing the remains of blood, making sure to be as careful as possible. Kyungsoo looks anywhere but him, Baekhyun notices. "There." He says, putting away the cloth. His hand is still holding Kyungsoo's chin who brings his gaze up looking right in Baekhyun's eye. Baekhyun gulps at the intensity, his eyes quickly dropping to Kyungsoo's plush and probably delicious lips and then back up again. "Kiss me." Kyungsoo says quietly, the words falling frim his lips so easily that Baekhyun almost doesn't believe it. Baekhyun blinks. "What." "I said kiss me." Kyungsoo repeats. "Like you always wanted it." He adds, when Baekhyun doesn't move nor acknowledges that he heard Kyungsoo properly. There it is, that tone in his voice again. Baekhyun's face darkens, clenching his free hand that doesn't hold Kyungsoo's face into a fist. "What is this suppose to mean." He seethes and Kyungsoo gulps himself at this sudden change. "I thought you always wanted me. Like… a forbidden fruit you never got. I understand, Baekhyun. All this time since we first met. I see the way you look at me. " He tries further his luck, as if wanting to know where is the limit. Baekhyun wants to punch him right in the face when he realizes what exactly Kyungsoo is implying. Sure thing, poor guy probably thinks all Baekhyun can do is spread his charms on whomever he wants, to get what he wants. It's written all over the shorter demigod's face. Anger and frustration swaps over Baekhyun, but instead of throwing a tantrum, he drops his hand, the feeling of Kyungsoo's silk skin still tingling on the tips of his fingers. "For your information, no one was with me against his will." Baekhyun says, his face darkening, voice firm. "If people want to be with me or in my bed it's because they want it in the first place. I never force." And with that Baekhyun turns sharply and dives inside the tent, zipping it right in front of Kyungsoo. And it balances dangerously, impending to break and ruin all the efforts, but Baekhyun obviously pays no attention. Kyungsoo just stares in front of him, Baekhyun's words ringing in his ears like a curse. Well, he ruined it. Its not like he never thought of Baekhyun in this way, but somehow saying this right into son's of Aphrodite's face had not the effect he expected. Kyungsoo bites his lower lip, feeling suddenly empty. "Look. Baekhyun, hey." He feels stupid talking to a tent, but it'll be even dumber to try to coax Baekhyun out of the tent right now. Ugh, he wishes Jongdae would come back and safe him from being so ridiculous. "I…, look, I didn't mean what you thought I meant." Kyungsoo says meekly, scratching his neck and trying to find the right words. "This mission, well, when you appeared in the middle of it made me realized that I … I have feelings for you. Sort of." The words slip from the tip of his tongue easier than he thought, and Kyungsoo keeps it going. "And um…, I just haven't decided if they are positive or negative." He heaves a deep sigh. "But I'll let you know when I figure it out." It's quiet inside the tent, and Kyungsoo doesn't know if Baekhyun heard him or felt asleep after their day filled with so many events, or maybe the demigod was too exhausted saving his life from the hellhound. Kyungsoo curses himself inwardly, hit with concern and guilt that he didn't even say thank you. Way to go for being known as someone polite and courteous among the demigods in the Camp he thinks and shakes his head. "Looks like we're safe for the night." Kyungsoo turns to Jongdae who comes out from the woods, looking calm. "But we still need to think about shifts or something. Where is Baekhyun?" "Went to sleep, he was exhausted." Kyungsoo pats Jongdae's shoulder. "I'll watch over. You go take some rest." "Did I miss something?" Jongdae asks curiously, feeling that something happened between the demigods while he was away. "Did you two fight again? Should I be worried?" Kyungsoo frowns, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Too much questions, Jongdae." He says. "Now shoo. I'll wake you up when it's your turn." Jongdae squints his eyes, wanting to ask another question, but decides against it. It's late and they went through a lot, so he just nods and goes into the tent hurriedly, as if he's afraid that Kyungsoo will change his mind, and Son of Ares rolls his eyes. "Thank you." Kyungsoo touches his wounded lip with his fingers, while saying the words quietly, when the small rustling inside the tent dies down. He imagines Baekhyun's face and thinks that maybe he was completely wrong about Son of Aphrodite all this time, and maybe he is just afraid to know the real him under all these layers of flirty sassy godmanizer he always saw Baekhyun as. Guess, they won't drop him at the nearest city anymore because apparently Baekhyun appeared to be really helpful on this little quest as well. Kyungsoo lets out a small sigh, a poof of cold air rolling of his lips, and plops down beside their improvised fire, hugging his knees and focusing on the flames instead. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ "I thought you killed that hellhound!" Jongdae whines annoyingly right into Baekhyun's ear and he winces at the high-pitched sound, falling deep down the crater – apparently caused by some sort of ritual. All three of them were fiercely awaken by a powerful tremor of the underground and before they could realize what was happening the ground swallowed them up all together. "Well, let me remind you that I'm not a killer." Baekhyun huffs annoyingly, looking at the tent, descending along with them. For whatever reason gravitation smoothed their fall and now they just casually fell somewhere deep. It's like a space but inside the Earth. "I doubt it was a hellhound." Kyungsoo says, changing his position "in the air" and now he's flying flat on his stomach. "I think it's the same person who send those beast after us. And judging by our surroundings, it's somebody from the Underworld." "Great." Jongdae's face falls and he looks up, the blue sky is slowly disappearing above their heads and now it's just a lava-red big cylinder around them. "There is only one God to be able to do this then." And with that their fall accelerates but right before they brace for the severe impact their bodies, controlled by an invisible force, are stopped abruptly. Their faces only inches above the surface before they are being lied gently on it. Baekhyun groans, feeling rocks under his ribs and slowly sits up, looking around them. "That was a long fall. How do we get back now?" He looks at Kyungsoo, as if seeking for answers but before the demigod can say anything a snarky voice comes behind them. A dark haired man, with sharp features, wearing all black and holding a cane in his hands, fancy rings almost on every finger, blinking strikingly bright in this red atmosphere, walks towards them. "Well, well, well. Son of Zeus. In the flesh." The man says, a sly smirk on his lips. Baekhyun looks over Jongdae, who looks calm and collected, although that tiny frown on his forehead tells Baekhyun that Jongdae knows mores more than he lets on. "You brought your friends. How sweet." "I wasn't invited." Jongdae bites back. "What do you want, Tao?" "To talk." The man, Tao, says, grinning. He forces himself on a cane, a hand on his hips. "Now, that the Barrier is gone, it's quite easy to do so." Jongdae makes a face. "I am not sure if I want to." Tao tsks and shakes his hand, chuckling quietly. "Well, you should." He makes a sudden swift move with his hand and Jongdae's eyes widen. "No!" He manages to cry out when an swirling puff of black smoke throws both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo backwards, and he watches in horror how they are flipped easily against a massive rock wall. Kyungsoo, taking the hardest hit, falls unconscious, and Baekhyun quietly groans, trying to reach for him. "There. Now we can talk." Tao looks at Jongdae expectantly as if waiting for the Son of Zeus to unleash his power, and Jongdae refuses to start any fights, more preoccupied with his friends being an easy target at the moment. "Fine. If you want to talk, let's talk." He drawls determinedly, and Tao arches his brow. "Did you lift the Veil of protection?" "No." Tao narrows his eyes and then shrugs. "But whoever did has all my gratitude in the Underworld." Jongdae balls his fists; small thunders appear around them and Tao smiles. "Do you really think you can defeat me here?" "Won't lose anything if I try." Jongdae steps out with his power ready to attack, and quickly peeks at his friends, checking on them. Tao follows his gaze curiously and suddenly freezes, when he meets the most beautiful pair of dark chocolate eyes in his life and is stunned with the soft gaze that washes over him, gently caressing all his insides, as if whispering noiselessly something to him. Tao gulps when this handsome man gets up, while he keep looking at him, and his face grow pale when he is hit with the sudden realization that it was his powers that caused all this pain. "I am sorry." Tao mouths and when this man smiles at him, he feels in love. The thunders around Jongdae's fist disappear when he is sure that Tao's attention is completely under Baekhyun's control. He lets out a relieved sigh, looking how Baekhyun graciously (well, making it so) struts towards Son of Hades, a tiny smile on his lips. Tao is stoned, that's for sure. Jongdae doesn't know how Baekhyun does it, so he settles to watch his powers working it's magic. Kyungsoo seems all right as well, slowly getting up from his fall, also watching Baekhyun curiously. There is a small glint in his eyes, Jongdae can't really decipher, like he never saw Baekhyun fully in action, but maybe it's just him. "That was really unwelcoming of you." Baekhyun softly says, making a threatening gesture with his dainty finger in a joking manner. Tao's face eases, and he suddenly looks like a lost kitten. Jongdae doesn't know whether he should roll his eyes or coo at the sight. "I'm sorry, Baekhyun." Tao says. "Did it hurt?" "A bit." Baekhyun pouts. "Kyungsoo took the worst." Kyungsoo wants to protest, but Jongdae shakes his head, hissing at him. They can't risk for Baekhyun to lose contact, just like with hellhounds. "How can I make it up to you?" Tao says, when Baekhyun carelessly invades his personal space. He lifts his head, cupping Baekhyun's cheek, and looks into the smaller man's eyes. Baekhyun's face breaks into a beautiful smile and Son of Hades is lost. "Be nice to my friends and let them go." He says softly, tracing the line of Tao's jaw with his pointy finger, the move so delicate and feather-like, that Tao's face is equal parts of awe and adoration. Kyungsoo is baffled. He sees it. The power Baekhyun is holding. It fascinates him to the point that he belatedly realizes that Baekhyun is buying them out and only when Tao leads Baekhyun in his palace, he panics. Jongdae looks concerned, seemingly less panicked, and Kyungsoo doesn't know if it's a good or a bad sign. They watch as Tao and Baekhyun both disappear behind the heavy granite gates and the moment they close, a huge Cerberus appears out of sudeen black smoke in front of them. Its middle head looks over Jongdae and Kyungsoo, expression quickly changing from suspicion to being bored and it lies down, like an obedient puppy, losing all its interest in the two demigods. "Now what?" Kyungsoo says, walking over to Jongdae, glancing at Cerberus who makes no acknowledgement at the movement. "Now we wait." Jongdae sighs. He doesn't like the idea of Baekhyun being alone in Tao's chambers. But he is absolutely sure his friend will come out alive. "You should give more credit to Baekhyun, by the way." He says, obviously noticing Kyungsoo's hesitation and doubt. Son of Ares pouts and shrugs. "I know he's powerful." He says, sitting across Jongdae. Jongdae feels Kyungsoo holding back, like there is a lot more he wants to say about son of Aphrodite, and curiosity catches him. Is Kyungsoo really immune to Baekhyun charms? He thinks that maybe this quest showcased Baekhyun in a completely different light for son of Ares, and Jongdae is glad to know that at least there is one more demigod who can see the real him. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ Times flies fast in the Underworld, seems like, although for Kyungsoo and Jongdae it felt like an eternity. Even Cerebrus fell asleep that he didn't wake up when the gates opened again when Tao leads Baekhyun out by his elbow. Both Kyungsoo and Jongdae jump on their seats, tensing when demigods walk towards them. Kyungsoo frowns at the longing look Tao's giving to Baekhyun and he suddenly is hit with a jealousy, thoughts boiling inside his head like a tsunami because Gods know what Baekhyun did with Tao behind those gates all this time they were waiting for him to come back. "You can come anytime." Tao says softly, when they come closer, swooping down to plant a quick kiss on Baekhyun's cheeks (too close to the corner of his lips for Kyungsoo's liking). He ruffles his hair and chuckles when Baekhyun brushes his hand off, blushing. He winks and then disappears in a thick black smoke. "Damn," Baekhyun mutters when the granite gates close with a loud thud and Cerberus is gone as well. He licks his lips and drawls a "Why he is so hot." "Well, he's Son of Hades? Inferno much?" Jongdae says and Kyungsoo snorts. "That's not what I meant." Baekhyun deadpans. "Sure." Jongdae squints at him, strutting past Kyungsoo towards to Fire River. "I saw that look. It was the look. The one you usually use on everyone in Camp when you're ready to jump on the new victim of yours." Jongdae makes a finger running move as if playing piano, and Baelhyun wants to hit him hard. He looks at his friend disapprovingly, noticing along the way how the right corner of Kyungsoo's lips turn up quickly in a wry smile, and Baekhyun suddenly wants to coo all over him because Son of Ares somehow looks childish and cute with this expression. "I never used this," – Baekhyun mimics Jongdae – "finger move on anyone. That's not how it works." He huffs in annoyance. "And how does it works?" "Naturally." Baekhyun pouts. He just saved his best friend's ass (again) and what does he get in return? Right. Zeus' sass. Why is he friends with a guy who doesn't appreciate his efforts? Besides, Jongdae is wrong – Baekhyun never uses his powers on "his victims" on purpose like this; he isn't the one to blame that people or demigods or any creatures fall for him so easily (well, except Kyungsoo which is still a mystery). "How did you walk out of Tao's palace so easily?" Kyungsoo suddenly asks, effortlessly pushing the boat into the Fire River, and getting into the boat like it's a normal river and not one in flames. "Everybody loves me. Even bitches like Tao." Baekhyun says, pursing his lips. He looks at the cane Tao was holding when they first saw him, in his hands. At least his escapade brought some results. Tao was too "charmed" by him so it wasn't that hard to play with the Underworld Prince's emotions and get what Baekhyun wanted to get. "I hope he doesn't hear you. We are still on his territory." Jongdae pats Baekhyun's shoulder, getting into the boat too and holding a hand to his friend. Baekhyun handles him Tao's cane and carefully steps in the boat as well. "He doesn't. He promised me." He says, and Kyungsoo arches his brow in surprise. "You're really confident in your abilities, aren't you." "Well, I thought you already saw me in action enough to know this." Kyungsoo just shrugs. "I think it was… a bit reckless." "A simple thank you would be enough." Baekhyun sticks his tongue at him, and then sighs heavily; deciding against starting another heated conversation. Jongdae gives them a devilish smile. "By the way, I think Tao was more interested in you." Baekhyun says nonchalantly, looking at Jongdae. "You know, being a son of Zeus isn't one of your advantages in the Underworld." Jongdae visibly tenses but keeps the impassive face forcing himself to snort at Baekhyun's words. "He asked me questions about you. I played dumb." "Was it hard?" Kyungso deadpans, and Baekhyun hisses at him like a snake, surpressing the urge to throw him off the boat. Kyungsoo laughs quietly and then hisses himself, when his lips sting. That cut he got from the hellhoud's sharp razor-like nails is bleeding again, and Baekhyun shakes his head, ripping off a stripe inside of his jacket. "Let me." Baekhyun scoots over Kyungsoo and bats his hands away when the latter tries to wipe away the remains of their encounter with Tao. He takes Kyungsoo's chin with one hand and piece of cloth with another, almost forcing him to sit still, holding his face in a strong grip. Kyungsoo glares, but says nothing. Jongdae snorts behind him. "Why your delicious lips are always an easy target." Baekhyun exchanges a slow smile with Jongdae, washing away blood with the fabric as gently as possible. Kyungsoo winces at the word "delicious" but Baekhyun only keeps him stronger, not getting any of it. "And why am I the only one to always clean them up." Baekhyun is focused, eyes locked on Son of Ares' plum lips, the lower being split in two severely. He carefully grazes his thumb over the cut, and if Kyungsoo wasn't busy sending daggers at Baekhyun with his eyes, he'd catch tiny light on the tip of Baekhyun's thumb every time he sweeps over the cut, subtly sending some healing power. Jongdae sees it though. "Your fingers are glowing." He casually drops, and Kyungsoo almost jerks out of Baekhyun's grip. His eyes fall down and he sees it – a quick quirk of light jumping on Baekhyun's slender fingers before it vanishes away. "Don't touch me with your powers." Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, voice dropping an octave lower, and Baekhyun tsks at him. He throws the blooded piece of cloth into the Fire River; its flames eating it, leaving a pshhh sound and a puff of smoke, and purses his lips. "I was healing you, not touching with my powers." Baekhyun says flatly, changing his seat away from Kyungsoo. "Since when you heal?" Jongdae asks curiously from behind Kyungsoo's back. "Yixing taught me." Baekhyun shrugs. "He may be a human, but he's around demigods for so long, he got some tricks to learn." He looks at Kyungsoo's lips, a tiny smirk blooming on his face when he sees them self-patching slowly, its curviness so inviting, even with a scar. He looks up and meets Kyungsoo's eyes and catches something unreadable in them, something he never saw before. "And I was too often in his chambers to learn some." Baekhyun adds, and tears his gaze away. Too tired of these games, of this mystery with Son of Ares. Baekhyun wants to get back on the surface, and if possible back to the Camp, maybe then things will get back to like it was before. It's probably easier to coop with Kyungsoo when he ignores him rather than this version, who radiates confusing emotions, and even being blocked Baekhyun still feels that son of Ares is conflicted. "I just haven't decided if they are positive or negative." He recalls Kyungsoo's words from that night while he was playing hurt in the tent keep ringing in his ears, and Baekhyun vaguely hopes it's more positive. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ It was indeed reckless to think that their escape from Underworld would be easy. The boys don't have any problems to cross the Fire River but as soon as they step out on the solid ground, the atmosphere changes and suddenly it feels like they are in more danger than ever. There are statues all around them. Hundreds of life-like statues that create a maze-like atmosphere, and it feels so lifeless here, the contrast between the heated Underworld and this cold Statuary is striking. Baekhyun is holding the cane he got from Son of Hades firmly, Jongdae has his thunders ready around his fists and Kyungsoo secures them from behind while the three of them carefully walk on the winding, serpentine gravel path that leads through countless big, small and ruined statues. "This is not the Underworld anymore." Kyungsoo says quietly, looking around, feeling chills running down his spine. "Probably Cement Maze. Remember during the lesson Chiron was talking about non-magical escapes from Hades' land." He adds and Baekhyun rolls his eyes, because Chiron said. "What?" Kyungsoo muses and pinches Baekyun's side. "The guy is a walking encyclopedia, and I'm just a good student to keep some things in mind." Jongdae laughs, while Baekhyun is too preoccupied with this sudden sign of skinship from son of Ares. A loud noise makes them stop dead in their tracks. Kyungsoo touches one of the solid statues, sending a small tremor through it. "We are not alone." He whispers, and looks around. "It's something big …and fast." Jongdae holds up his hand, a thunder ball growing in it. Baekhyun holds the cane like a sword. It's hard to concentrate when you don't know from where to expect the attack. "We need to split." Jongdae says, and nodding, all three split off in three different directions. As they do, the head of a big gargoyle's statue appears to turn, ever so slightly, in their directions. "Hello? Is someone there?" Baekhyun asks, tensing. From out the corner of his eye he sees a quick blur and turns sharply. Someone or something is running fast between the statues. He wipes out the cane and unfolds the knob, transforming it into blade, mentally thanking son of Hades for the useful gift.There is this loud noise again, and then the statues start to blow up in the air, their broken pieces flying into all directions, and Baekhyun sees it. A wild big dragon, like a big cat, is jumping from statue to statue. Ots every jump smashing cement, and Baekhyun steps back when he sees a long scorpion tail behind it. "Guys! It's Manticora!" Baekhyun remembers it, from an ancient book he once read. The thing caused a lot of mess right after the day Zeus' master bolt was stolen. All blamed Hades for letting the beast out but till now no one knows exactly who did it. Rumors say Hades keeps it here, in the Cement Maze, like in a cage, and whoever gets inside has zero chances to escape alive. Baekhyun's eyes widen in horror when he sees the beast sprinting at him and he decides not to push his luck with his charms this time. He quickly ducks behind a soldier statue and then rushes back to where they've split up. "Baekhyun!" Jongdae screams when the Maticora's tail destroys every statue Baekhyun is running past. He throws a thunder ball, smashing it right on the monster's head and when it falls down, a powerful tremor knocks both of them off their feet, the ground cuts in two and swallows the beast like a piece of cake. Baekhyun sees Kyungsoo on his knee, his hand flat on the ground, clefts and fissures as if growing out of his palm. They hear scratches and roaring sounds of the Manticora, when the beast tries to scramble out through the falling rocks, but Kyungsoo keeps it under control and with one final loud roar the ground sticks together like there was never a hole. Baekhyun quickly gets up, coming closer to Kyungsoo who stands up, his face full of triumph. "Did it eat it?" Baekhyun asks, stepping on the exact spot where the monster disappeared. "I've never seen your powers like this." He turns to Kyungsoo, grinning. "Technically, yes." Kyungsoo smiles back at him, but then his smile slowly drops and everything happens like in a slow-motion. Baekhyun feels the ground under him shaking and the last thing he sees before being thrown aside into the statues with full force is Kyungsoo's pale face and eyes full of concern and pain. He hears a loud hissing sound through the smoke and dust and then a broken no and his heart clenches inside him with a cold grip. When everything dissipate Baekhyun pulls through the cement fragments and rushes to Kyungsoo. Jongdae runs over from another side as well. Baekhyun kneels next to Kyungsoo, cradling him in his arms and feels his forehead. He is burning up, drops of sweat wetting his hair – the poison effect doing its merciless job. The Manticora managed to break its poisonous tail through the ground for a final deadly stake before submerging completely. "Kyungsoo, oh Gods." Baekhyun holds him close, his hands cupping Kyungsoo's cheek,a thumb smoothly drawing circles on it, and the tip glowing while sending some healing powers through the skin. Baekhyun hopes he can at least ease the pain from the poisonous wound. "You're cute when you're worried." Kyungsoo mutters. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together." He gives Baekhyun a soft smile, his breathing becoming labored, tears of sweat running down his temple and cheek. "You're not going to die on me like this." Baekhyun says, his voice shaky and on the verge of tears. He cards Kyungsoo's hair and his heart beats so fast, like it will jump out of his chest in a second, and he hates this feeling. "Why did you take that bite?" He asks quietly, pressing his forehead to Kyungsoo's. "Why." Baekhyun whispers, even though he wants to cry and shout in frustration because he feels so powerless right now. "You would've done the same for me. Like you always do." Kyungsoo chuckles weakly and Baekhyun knows it's true. They both know it's true, but still, Baekhyun feels like somebody is poking his heart with a cold metal rod. "You can't. Do you hear me? You just can't go. Not like this." Baekhyun shakes his head slightly, refusing to let Kyungsoo go, when he closes his eyes, his body going limp and unmoving in Baekhyun arms. Jongdae lets out a quiet squeak, trying all his best not to burst into tears. After everything they all went through none of them accept this reality of losing a friend. "Kyungsoo, please." Baekhyun chokes a cry, a tear rolling down his cheek. "You can't leave me. Okay? " He leans down and on impulse and captures his cold lips, feeling the scar on them with his. "Kyungsoo…." He murmurs brokenly into his mouth. "We still need to find out why our Barrier was gone, remember? The main goal of all this hell of a quest." Baekhyun holds him close, arms around Kyungsoo's small body securely, face pressed into his hair now, and closes his eyes. Jongdae gasps quietly when he sees Baekhyun's body starting to glow, the dim light enveloping the both of them in a cocoon. It runs around them, pulsating and he sees a black, thin stream leaking through it, slowly being absorbed into the ground where the Manticora disappeared. He looks back at Kyungsoo, noticing the color on his cheeks coming back and his face lilts up "Baek." Jongdae calls his friend in a quiet whisper, motioning with his eyes at Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun looks down at him, the demigod's eyes fluttering open. "Was I dead?" Kyungsoo says hoarsely, leaning on Baekhyun's shoulder. He slowly lifts his hand and carefully wipes off Baekhyun's wet cheeks. "Technically, yes. And I liked you better when you were." Baekhyun chuckles, letting go of his hand reluctantly. He lets out a sigh of relief, his eyes roaming all over Kyungsoo flushed face, and he doesn't care that Jongdae is quietly snickering at both of them, muttering something like ‘ew cut this cheese'. "But next time you decide to save my life don't die along the way. Deal?" Kyungsoo snorts and Baekhyun sees everything will be all right now. ♡(•ི̛ᴗ•̛)ྀ In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek Gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck but when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day. And today it's really the day when something divine tries to mess things up, especially now when the boys have finally reached the Sea of Monsters. "What. Is. This. Thing." Baekhyun mutters, standing together with Kyungsoo and Jongdae on the shore and looking at a massive black pile of something monstrous. Some sort of unfortunate cross breeding of an octopus, a lion, an eagle and a hedgehog – an accurate description of the sea in front of them – it's indeed a Monster in the waters. "I wonder if Joonmyun forgot to close one of his cages again." Jongdae says, thoughtfully. "Poseidon doesn't let anybody to his little Zoo, not even his son, so I doubt this." Kyungsoo guesses, watching in disbelief how a monster that bag floats so easily in the water. "Also, remember Suho is still in the Camp, and the Barrier is still gone. So, we are here to get some answers." He wrinkles his nose, thinking about something. "Can you electrocute it?" "I sometimes think, Baekhyun, that you have seaweed brain." Jongdae rolls his eyes. "If I use my lightning power, it will electrocute everything and everybody that is in the sea, including us." He draws his hands apart, motioning with his head to where they're standing. They look down at their legs at the same time to see that the three of them are standing in the water, and yes, Jongdae is powerful enough to knock them out in a second. "Son of a Zeus." Baekhyun exclaims and it sounds more like son of a bitch but they get the idea. It's still a couple of months till Jongdae reaches 25 and finally will be able to produce powerful thunderbolts out or pure air in seconds – a deadly weapon for almost every creature in the world. "Well, I think there is only one thing we can do." Jongdae turns to Baekhyun, his brow arching suggestively. Baekhyun doesn't have to turn to him to know what exactly his friend means. "No. No way." He shakes his head. "I'm not going to do it. I had enough of monsters, nope." "Baekhyunnnnn." Jongdae whines and Baekhyun hates him. "Absolutely not. I had Cyclopes, hellhounds, son of Hades, Manticora – all these creatures in less than a week." He exclaims, finger counting every creature, theatrically sticking out a long dainty finger with every count, and shaks his head. "Nope." "Jongdae might have a point though." Kyungsoo says, a small smile on his lips. "Besides, who else can coax this …lovely species to calm down enough for us to make a move." Baekhyun heaves a long heavy sigh, muttering something like traitor under his breath, and Kyungsoo's smile goes wider. "Like your mother always says – Love conquers all." Jongdae laughs, and Baekhyun shows him a middle finger, no shame whatsoever. "Careful, or else I'm sending you an invitation back at Tao's palace. The guy clearly would loooove to meet you for a tete-a-tete again." He adds and wiggles his brows. "Guys, please." Kyungsoo motions Baekhyun with his head towards the monster that is moving dangerously closer to the shore, seemingly interested to step on the ground. "Baek, just try to calm it down and distract it." He says, his fingers working out some power, a tremor slightly shaking underneath their feet, and Baekhyun coos inwardly at his name rolling off Kyungsoo's lips so effortlessly. He might like it. Baekhyun nods, somewhat hesitantly, but still makes a move deeper in the waters; then he suddenly stops and turns to Kyungsoo. "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition now, right?" A beautiful smile blossoms on his lips; Jongdae snickers, and mouths a painful Ouch when Kyungsoo jabs him hard in the ribs. He arches his left brow and says: "Come back alive, babe. Then we'll see."

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Comments

[sunnyjjang]

OKAY. THis fic grabs a spot in my top 10 favorite baeksoo fics. Maybe even top 5. I kept on gushing like crazy while reading it. I am in dire need of a sequel. Gaha. The BAEKSOO is too much to handle plus I love the AU (love the prompt Sunny bb).

I don't even know what to say. It is so damn good. Love u author

[(Anonymous)]

OMG! thank you? it's a really pleasant surprise that this baeksoo got into your maybe even top 5 like wow ;;;;;;
ah I wish my recipient didn't drop out ;w; I would love to read her opinion if I managed to make it, altho I kid of went off with her prompt oop ;w;

oh man, the sequel .....well since it's "the beginning" in the title & i know this is cheating cuz main question where did the Barrier go isn't answered yet, maybe I'll try lol

thank you for your comment! It spurs me to write more <3

[sunnyjjang]

It's really good. Cries. Haha. I know your recipient would love it.