half-blood

twenty-one

"Lisa?" Jungkook gulped, nervous and embarrassed at the same time as they heard some girly giggles and one loud laugh that the three of them are very familiar with.

"Hoseok! Stop messing with us!" Jisoo was now trying hard not laugh too, though still confused as to why they're not seeing their friends.

Yoongi knitted his eyebrows. "Is this an Iris message? I don't see any rainbows."

Before them, the Mist wore off, revealing Lisa, Hoseok, and Chaeyoung doubled over with laughter.

"Chaeyoung said we should make ourselves invisible to scare you guys." Lisa breathed out heavily, especially when she remembered how embarrassed Jungkook looked when she whispered beside him.

"Since when did you find us?" asked Yoongi, taking Soul Reaper back in his scabbard. Apparently, he unconsciously pulled his sword just in case some monster's toying with them.

"Hoseok heard Jungkook calling Lisa when we were about to take a turn. It was a pretty loud yell, Kook. It's a surprise you didn't attract a monster or two."

"We got lucky." Jungkook grinned at Lisa, who he was pertaining to.

Lisa only smiled at him, a certain goddess who got mad at her for being too lucky invaded her thoughts. Jisoo noticed Lisa's behavior, so she pulled her out of the group to ask her what's wrong.

Long story short, Lisa told her best friend about meeting the goddess of balance, retribution, and vengeance, Nemesis.

"You met a goddess?" Jisoo said, in awe despite what Lisa told her about. Lisa scowled at her, then realizing that the goddess might as well cursed her for being naturally lucky. "You should talk to your mother about that, I suggest."

Lisa pouted. "But how? Chiron said Tyche is hard to find."

"Then try your luck." Jisoo said, "Or pray for her."

"Maybe I could." Lisa considered Jisoo's suggestion. "But right after we save everyone here."

"Hey sis? Are you two done talking now? Time's ticking." Hoseok called them.

"Coming!" Lisa chimed, pulling Jisoo with her to meet the rest of their new group.

"I'll navigate our way through the maze now. Hopefully, we can find the remaining three in a few hours."

They nodded, although Hoseok seemed to be disagreeing with the idea at first. Too much usage of abilities can drain Chaeyoung out, and they all knew it.

"Just tell us if you're tired." Hoseok whispered to Chaeyoung before she concentrated on her magic.

Chaeyoung nodded with a smile, thankful that she has Hoseok with her to take care of her.

Even without Lisa being her normal lucky self, the group were able to find where Jimin, Jennie, and Taehyung not too long after Chaeyoung used her magic. Just a little ahead of them was a crevice at a wall at the end of their path, a delta sign carved on it.

Just as they were about to get out of the maze, they already heard the sound of battle; swords clashing, horses neighing, and someone shouting, "Curse these brats!"

"Oh, they're right here, I tell ya!" Hoseok commented, getting his remaining arrows ready for battle. He looked sideways to check on his sister, "You sure you can fight with only your dagger?"

Jisoo nodded, feeling determined. "I've practiced well enough to fight without my arrows."

"Ready?" Yoongi asked his companions, and they all nodded. He smirked, "Let's get these brats out of their misery."

Yoongi, Jungkook, Lisa, Chaeyoung, Jisoo, and Hoseok emerged out of the exit in that order. Much to their dismay, the three demigods they were supposed to rescue were already surrounded by horses, giant scorpions, and hippalektryons - a monster whose front half is a horse and the back half is a rooster.

Once Jimin and Taehyung caught sight of their friends, the two of them had their mouths wide open with a smile, feeling encouraged to battle and finish off the pesky monsters. Jennie, on the other hand, kept on fighting despite the reunion they're having.

---

They were all busy fighting off the flesh eating, and fire breathing horses that they can't even ask each other if they're still okay. Hoseok and Chaeyoung were fighting back to back while Jungkook protected Lisa, who were the ones nearest Taehyung.

Taehyung dodged one of the flesh eating horses that was about to bite him and then angrily cut off its front legs before he tried to find Jisoo. At the other end of the stables were Jennie, Jimin, and Yoongi. A few feet away from them, he finally found her.

Jisoo stabbed one of Geryon's pets in its stomach, twisting her dagger for more impact before pulling it.

He found himself smiling unconsciously, proud at how far Jisoo has become as a demigod. He definitely taught her well in sword fighting - he refused to give Jimin the credit for that. However, his smile faded when he saw Geryon running towards Jisoo, her back facing him so she didn't notice him approaching while the rest of their group were busy fighting others to see what was happening.

Frantic, Taehyung used his winged shoes to get to Jisoo faster and protect her back from the monster, with Backbiter ready to stab him.

But he was too late.

At that moment, Taehyung felt that time stopped moving.

He didn't make it. His stupid winged shoes that was supposed to enhance his speed didn't help him protect her.

With his own two eyes, he saw how Jisoo fell on her knees, silently trying to endure the pain as the left side of her stomach was bleeding heavily from the sudden attack. He was just a few steps away from her when she turned around and attempted to block Geryon's own dagger yet Jisoo was a second late, and, unfortunately, so was he.

Taehyung growled in rage as he finally stepped in front of Jisoo, hitting a horse's snout with the hilt of his sword so hard that the monster turned into ashes right after the hit. Before he even got the chance to stab his sword a hundred times on Geryon's chests, the man had already fled out of sight. However, fire-breathing horses and giant scorpions started to gather around them, as if trying to taunt him. Clearly outnumbered, a fire-breathing horse managed to burn his right arm, making Taehyung drop his sword beside Jisoo. To cry out in pain was the last thing Taehyung tried to focus on, he was too angry to feel anything more than that.

With everything that's happening around Jisoo, she decided to use her last strength to kill the damned horse who had the audacity to hurt Taehyung right in front of her eyes. After a deep breath, she willed herself to concentrate the light particles between her and the horse that burned Taehyung's arm. Slowly, the particles clumped together and turned into laser, shooting it through the neck of the horse and out of its head, instantly killing it. Before Jisoo lost consciousness, Taehyung caught her with his burned arm, not really minding how the contact hurt him.

Using his left hand, Taehyung slashed Backbiter in the air to widen the space between him, Jisoo, and the monsters. "No one gets near her again!" Taehyung spit in seething anger, his feral voice getting the attention of his fellow demigods.

--

ARMYBLINKS, stream How You Like That and Stay Gold! Let's support the two superior groups hehehehe :>