A chariot isn't the most comfortable ride, not even a godly one. It is also notorious for being hard to steer, but it is the most efficient. TaeYeon can take all four of her horses at once and only have to subject herself to her dog's three pairs of puppy dog eyes.

They happened upon the field after trailing along the river for some time. It's a beautiful land of luxuriant green, dotted by different flowers of various colors, and she feels bad about what they are going to do. As much as she doesn't like the withering vegetation left by her horses, they need it like mortal ones need grass and hay. For that reason, she keeps their weekly stroll exclusively away from human settlements, mostly deep in the woods. It doesn't endear her to the many beings living there, only adds to her reputation of being unnecessarily cruel, but she can handle scorned looks from the forest nymphs as long as her horses exist. After all, they are part of the handful of companions that she has that don't hate or fear her.

TaeYeon pulls the horses to a halt when she sees the woman surrounded by narcissus straight ahead. She was fair-haired and fair-skinned, shining bright under the sun like her golden palace in the Underworld. Something in her chest twinges. She is reminded of Yoona's insistence on her being lonely.

As if summoned by her thoughts, she hears rustling amongst the trees that line the beginning of the forest. On one, sitting on a thick branch, is Yoona, the very god of love, surrounded by fallen white feathers that mark her arrival. She is grinning at her like mad as she fumbles with a bow and arrow. She really needs more training to use them.

"Yoong!" Taeyeon hisses. "No!"

The arrow springs forward, sails through the air, and misses its intended mark by a metre. It lands right on the central pole between the horses. TaeYeon watches in horrified fascination. The arrow sparks, vanishes without a trace, and then it is pure chaos. The horses, spooked by the sudden bright intrusion in their midst, start with a chorus of high-pitched noises. They take off at full speed. TaeYeon's tugs on the rein and calm commands are for naught. They are heading straight at the unsuspecting woman in the field, towards what will surely be a disaster. She would die—there is no doubt of the outcome.

TaeYeon doesn't want her to fall victim to her supposed cruelty. Thus, with all her might, she jerks the rein to the left. The horses finally follow her lead and miss the stunned woman, but then comes the next problem: the sudden change in course isn't followed by the chariot itself. Instead, the momentum swings it farther right, straight to the woman who is falling down. Taeyeon makes a split-second decision. Thankful of all the fighting she did during the war, she reaches down and lifts the woman up into the chariot. In front of them, the earth has opened, but TaeYeon can't think of anything due to the loud shriek of the woman in her arms as they descend through.

Eventually, the horses give in to her insistent tugs on their reins and stop. The low temperature of the Underworld is familiar and welcoming. TaeYeon relaxes her rigid posture. She loves it there. Contrary to what humans believe, there were never any lots drawn, and she didn't get the short end of the stick. She didn't come to rule the Underworld by chance, but by choice. She was given the freedom to choose first, out of deference to her existence being the oldest. So she did. She likes the serenity of the netherworld and the fact that no one—other than HyoYeon, the messenger—can come and go as they please.

That, however, is her exact issue right now.

After nursing her sore limb, TaeYeon follows the small patches of dead plants. Such a subconscious show of power can't possibly come from a mere mortal, nor any type of nymph. It's not grand, but also not a small feat to be able to do so in the Land of the Dead. TaeYeon marvels at the new plants grown in the Underworld that doesn't come from any curse, no matter how short their lives were without the support of their god. The closer she gets to the god, the less dead the patches are. She must be a god related to agriculture.

TaeYeon finds her by the dock on the shore of the Styx, arms crossed over her chest as she squints at the vast dark water. Her feet were surrounded by fresh green grass and little flowers, like a halo. Placed at the very center of the realm, the Styx, named just like the river, is where all five rivers of the Underworld converge together. TaeYeon spies the only vessel available to cross it far ahead, but she can't, even with her enhanced senses, see the other side where the entrance is located. Her previous encounter advised her to keep her distance, so she comes to a safe stop a few feet away. She doesn't have to declare her arrival, because the god whirls around when she feels her presence.

"I demand to be let out."

TaeYeon flinches. This young god is loud. "Of course," she concedes without missing a beat. "You are under no imprisonment here."

If TaeYeon hasn't experienced being elbowed and then kicked moments ago, she will be impressed by the fearlessness this minor deity shows. Many will tremble from simply being in her presence. She forces a smile when the god is clearly taken aback by her answer.

She is infamous. The outcast amongst the deities, ruler of a realm that's unenterable. The one whom humans give many euphemisms for, because they are too afraid to invoke her. They blame her for taking their beloved too soon—always too soon. They don't comprehend that it is not she who has decided when their time has come. That their entire life is predetermined long before they are born. Spun, measured, and cut by the three sisters of fate. Truly, TaeYeon is used to being cast aside, out of misunderstanding and unfounded fear, but it still stings.

"My name is TaeYeon. You have no reason to trust me, but please believe that I never wanted to bring you here like I did. My horses got spooked." She chooses not to mention the involvement of a certain god of love, lest this god assumes she desires her. "I didn't know what you were. Taking you up to the chariot was my best option at that time."

If the god's refusal to return the courtesy of introducing herself isn't an obvious enough sign of distrust, the way she looks at TaeYeon skeptically is. TaeYeon stands still under the scrutiny, sure that the antipathy will shine through. Although this time, she supposes it is warranted. She too would be weary of a stranger who, for all she knows, has taken her away against her will. She takes no offence, but there is no need to drag this out longer than necessary. She wants this god out of the Underworld as much as she does; then they won't have to see each other again, hopefully for the rest of eternity. She brushes off the pang of loneliness brought by such thought.

"Let's go." The god stares at the proffered hand, and then at TaeYeon's face, who keeps her expression as calm as possible. "I won't harm you," TaeYeon says. "I'll get you back on earth."

Right on cue, tendrils of black smoke begin to curl from under TaeYeon's soles, and the sharpness of mint ades the air around them. It's an ability that's bestowed exclusively on the major gods, the generation who (mostly) live in the sky.

"MiYoung," the god says at last. She has seen her father vanish in gray clouds. She is familiar with her mother's mist that smells of poppy and the wheat grains she leaves behind. And she knows physical contact is necessary for it to work. With bated breath, she lays her hand over TaeYeon's and immediately grips into it, leeching into the surprising warmth like a tree seeking the sun. "I'm MiYoung."

"Let's go, MiYoung."

If TaeYeon notices the way MiYoung squeezes her hand, which she most probably does, she doesn't say anything. She keeps their distance, so only their hands are connected, and instead the smoke widens to accommodate another person to be engulfed within it. MiYoung prepares herself for the strange flutters in her stomach that always come with this mode of transportation. In a snap, TaeYeon and the smoke are gone, but she is still there, standing alone with a hand hanging in the air, holding on to nothing.

TaeYeon is back in the next second, looking as baffled as MiYoung is. But she is quick to reassure her, despite the way her lips tighten and the smile she offers no longer project the same confidence. She proposes that perhaps, due to MiYoung's coming to the Underworld by the chariot, they should leave using it too.

She says, "The horses have different mean of transport between the realms," and goes to fetch them before MiYoung can say anything.

Before long, the four horses stop by MiYoung with TaeYon on the chariot, beckoning her abroad. In the dry coldness of the Underworld, the beasts' combined heat is more pronounced. They are quite beautiful when they are not trying to run her over. She doesn't dwell on her possible near-death, or how moments ago she kicked TaeYeon on that very chariot she climbs up on. She gives her an apologetic smile instead, one that TaeYeon returns in kind.

"Hold on."

MiYoung does, clasping the front of the basket as TaeYeon barks a command at her horses. They move, slowly at first, before gaining speed. Just as she thinks they will fall into the Styx, a hole opens in the space ahead, like the maw of a vicious beast. MiYoung bites on her tongue to keep herself from screaming, holding on to the chariot whilst clenching her eyes shut. For a moment, she is floating. Then she falls on her . The gap closes shut right in front of her.

This time, it takes longer for TaeYeon to materialize back in the Underworld. The horses wouldn't accept another stroll being cut short. When they arrived, the bank by the dock is covered in grass, undergrowth, and colorful petunias. For the sake of the new Souls, TaeYeon would love to keep the lively reception if she could, but she knows that without MiYoung being there, pacing back and forth, they will wither away.

"The Underworld isn't allowing you to leave," TaeYeon says without preamble. Her frown is prominent, but she doesn't despair, not yet. She hasn't exhausted all the options she has. "It has a mind of its own." She can control the netherworld only as best as the other gods can with the sky and the sea. They are the overseers of their respective realms, the sovereigns and the heads of states, but they are in no way in full control of the realm itself. "And I'm nothing but a ruler here."

She sighs, weariness seeping through. It has been too long since she had to socialize with other beings—it drains her. She, too, is wary. There were never any guests in the Underworld. She never has to entertain anyone in her court who isn't a Soul. There is no protocol for such a thing. Here, under the earth, she is free to be the recluse she chooses to be. But MiYoung, with her bright everything, demands her attention and she finds herself wanting to bask in her presence as much as to hide away from her.

But there's another pressing issue: by the time she returned with the horses, nine days has passed on earth and the field has vanished. The once lush land is bare and the trees lining the forest are losing their leaves. TaeYeon suspects it has everything to do with MiYoung being trapped in the Underworld, which increases the urgency of getting her back on earth.

"We should try a different way, an old one." She nods at the vast body of inky water of the Styx and the lone vessel, now closer, sailing steadily in their direction. "There is an entrance on the other side." She touches her neck. A thin line of golden chain shimmers. MiYoung didn't even realize it was there. Hanging from it is a simple silver key. "A door that's open for everyone but stays locked for anyone who wishes to leave."

MiYoung swallows dryly. The words TaeYeon used to describe the entrance harshly remind her of what the Underworld stands for: death and its inevitability. For the first time since she arrived, the direness of her situation finally weighs on her. She is trapped. The Underworld isn't letting her go. She can't help but wonder whether a god, even a minor one like herself who was born on earth, can actually die. And if she did, would she go to (or rather, remain in) the Underworld like the Souls do? Or would she vanish into nothingness, just like the way every god comes into existence out of mortals' collective wishes for something grander than themselves to explain the unexplainable?

"MiYoung?"

It seems like TaeYeon has said something. She is pointing at the Styx, but all MiYoung sees is her hand. She takes it. She steps closer too, ignoring TaeYeon's recoil from the sudden intrusion of personal space. They are literal strangers, and she is suspicious of any major god by nature, but in this artificially bright and cold world, TaeYeon is the closest she has to an ally.

She wants to see her mother—the older god with whom she's attached based on their shared powers, the tree to her branch. She wants to spend more nights in the forest with the twins, JuHyun writing yet another book while the game Yuri scores for the day is cooking over the fire. She even wants to see her philandering father, who became one simply because he is the king of gods, the father of all. She grips TaeYeon's hand, leaning forward to seek her warmth and the calming scent of mint. She doesn't want to die, not here, alone and forgotten in the dreary Underworld.

TaeYeon squeezes once before taking her hand away. "I'll do my best to get you out," she says in the most soothing voice. "This I swear to you by the Styx."

Behind them, the thick black water seizes and then shudders as a whole. When MiYoung whips her head back to face TaeYeon, her previous distress is replaced with disbelief. Everyone, gods and mortals and everything in between, knows what it means to swear by the sacred river and the severe punishment when said oath isn't fulfilled. Being the ruler of the Underworld doesn't exclude TaeYeon from it. She doesn't smile at her anymore, only inclining her head in the direction of the incoming boat—her last chance of getting out. Side by side, they wait in silence.