Analyzing the situation was quite difficult when the weather was bad. Who wouldn’t think straight with all the thunder and lightning demanding attention from the skies above? Nichkhun sighed calmly as he placed a hand on Taecyeon’s shoulder. 

“Taec, it’s gonna be okay. Calm down for a sec. Breathe in and out,” he assured.

Taecyeon stopped pacing to and fro as he cooled down the heat off his head. He closed his eyes shut and did slow inhales and exhales. He glanced back at his group who were appearing lost like him. “Okay,” he extended his hands out. “We can do this guys. We just need to know where harpies are found in this area. Does anyone have any idea where a harpy would probably head to?”

Sooyoung thought of something her mind. “Harpies take victims to Furies. They’re in the woods, preferably everything that would be dark and has thorns all over. I’ve read about them and the victims are usually…well, consumed by furies.” 

Taecyeon felt like throwing up at the thought of wild bird species that would eat a half-blood alive. “We need to hurry. The harpy went west, so we’ll be heading there. Remember, if anyone sees a harpy or a fury, don’t hesitate on shooting them down. Protect yourselves at all costs.”

Hence, the squad set forth on traveling west and hoped they would find any track of the harpies’ trail. Sooyoung took out her wooden whistle again to see whether she would get any response around their circumstance. They remained still and quiet, checking if there were any echoes or sounds. 

“We’re near. We continue heading west, a harpy caught the sound and responded.”

“How does it work? The whistle?” 

“My mother Demeter gave it to me as a present,” Sooyoung smiled. “It’s a handy tool to tame or coax animals nearby.”

They came across an area of the forest where it was darker with leafless trees crowded together. Gasps were uttered when a harpy appeared right in front of them, standing by on a branch. The creature looked horrible. A head and a neck of a woman and the rest was a body of a vulture. Terrifying as well. 

“Half-bloods,” the harpy cooed, its eyes moving from person to person. It observed the demigods like they were the next set of preys it was looking for. 

“Where is the Daughter of Aphrodite?” Taecyeon questioned impatiently. 

“Guys! Help!” 

They turned to the direction of the voice that was similar to that of Yoona’s. It came from the narrower path into the spooky woods. “I’ll look for Yoona. Guys, fight the harpies,” Taecyeon already sprinted into the narrower path of the woods. Junho released an arrow from his bow as he shot the harpy off the branch successfully. Little did they know a swarm of harpies surrounded the area. Cackles of cries and shrieks filled up the atmosphere. 

Nichkhun fought with a harpy that attacked him, raising his sword down its neck. Yuri swiped her daggers across the feet of the birds and knocked one off using her elbow. Nichkhun and Yuri touched each other’s back unknowingly. They were fighting the harpies back to back with their weapons aiming at the flying creatures.

“You okay?” he panted, turning his head around a little. 

Yuri tossed her dagger into the harpy’s body. “Always am,” she smirked. “Duck,” she ordered and he obeyed, as she turned around to kill a harpy that attacked from behind. 

Nichkhun stood back straight, admiring her flexibility. “Nice work,” he praised. 

“Hmm,” she nodded. “More to come,” she sighed.

Wooyoung went on fighting off the harpies that surrounded him. He sweeped his battle axe horizontally, witnessing the heads of the harpies rolling down on the ground. His reflexes were quicker than he thought when his bare hand grasped a harpy by its neck and killed it with the snap of his fingers. “Woah,” he mumbled. 

Junho threw endless shots of his arrows, watching every harpy drop on the ground. “This is getting crazy, why are there plenty of them?”

Sooyoung slashed her sickle across the neck of the harpy. “I think it’s only getting worse!” she said panicking. 

Taecyeon faced the furies resting on the branches, and caught sight of Yoona tied on the ground leaning against the bark of a tree. “Yoona!” he was about to run forward when a few furies approached him.

“Taecyeon!” she yelled but was silenced when a fury stood in her way to block his view. 

He whipped out his sword, pointing it towards the fury. “Let her go!”

The fury let out a malicious guffaw. “I smell the Son of Zeus,” it hissed. “Trying to save the Daughter of Aphrodite?”

Taecyeon stepped backward as he noticed the fury coming to his way. “That’s enough,” he said in a low tone. “Let her go or the woods will be in trouble.”

“Threatening us now?” 

“Yes.”

The fury leaped at him and he dropped to the ground to dodge its huge claws. He stood back up, leaving no choice but to ask help from above. He rose his arm out to the sky and watched the clouds turn into dark grey, the sounds of thunder booming in an even louder pitch. Dead leaves swirled around the forest as the air blew with strength. Taecyeon smirked as he focused on the furies, “You just made a mistake messing with me,” he summoned a lightning bolt from the sky, it was fascinating to witness a bright bolt shooting downwards to his direction, catching it in his hand and aimed it towards the flying creatures. The bolt killed a fury at its spot then and there. He summoned for more lightning bolts, aiming it at others who were trying to escape.