At first, I thought it was a monster that liberated from Tartarus, even when we knew it was Aphrodite, it is stil confusing. Monsters can manipulate themselves to trick demigods. I wouldn't believe if it was Aphrodite, but when she took out her hood, the charm radited and break through my heart. Now I know why I fall for Jungkook so harshly.

"Aphrodite?" I call her to confirm.

"Don't speak to her! She could be a monster." Suga whispers on my ear. The lady with dark purple hood and torch approaches us, she smiles. Her wavy long hair cover her chest and made she looks even prettier.

"Don't worry, Min Yoongi, there's no monster that can compete my beauty." she says and smiles. The way she talks and smiles remind me of Jungkook and make me want to take Jungkook sooner. Aphrodite looks at us one by one, her smile is never gone, her eyes catch me and she giggles, "we meet again, Kim Taehyung."

For the first five seconds I don't get what she meant, but then Jackson reminds me that I had amnesia and just recovered few times ago. I try to make any ground so that I won't be shameful in front of her. But she smirks and glances at me, "it's okay. I know you've through difficult things."

"Thank you." I become nervous suddenly.

"No, thank you." she says. "What kind of person--especially teenager, that made himself goes into a danger where he supposed to not being there."

I can't actually understand everything she said. The room is very dark and cold, I'am afraid that Jackson or Suga may lost somewhere in this creepy cellar, I can't loose them in silly way. All I can see is only Aphrodite's face because of the torch that irradiates her face, I don't want to waste my time down here. But hey, Aphrodite is my mother-in-law (in your dream, Taehyung), I will respect her no matter what.

"Why are you here?" I ask her.

"Because I wanna thank you." she says. Why? Jungkook isn't in my hand yet. "I trust you to save Jungkook." her gaze is very deep to me. She entrusts her worthest thing to me, it means I owe a life to her.

"What if I fail?" I return her trust. I want to see her beautiful face turns into disappointed face.

But I was wrong, she keeps her smile shines bright and warm. "I trust you, but I don't demand you that far."

I don't know if Aphrodite can be this wise and kind, she is different from her children. So far Aphrodite's children image never look good in my eyes because they seem overrated and high. Well, I admit it they are pretty like what-the- but none of them could steal my heart. Except Suga, I heard he had with one of Aphrodite's children in China. But Jungkook represents Aphrodite very well, the beauty of him is real, pure inside and outside, that's why he attracted me more than girls.

"Thanks to you too, Suga and Jackson. I will tell your father how brave you are." she smiles to my friends. I wonder if she gonna tell Zeus something about me or not, and when she tells him, will Zeus be proud of me or just consider it as a normal thing that demigod should do. "Let me help you reach Tartarus faster." She gives us three pingpong balls, but not just ordinary balls, these are galaxy pingpong balls with different combinations of colour. It feels like gummy balls when I touch it, too bad I can't touch stars and milky way that float inside the ball.

"How do we use this?"

"Think about your destination, put it on the floor and step on it." 

"That's harsh." we put the galaxy ball on the floor. Lucky, the balls shine very bright, that's beautiful.

"Remember, you can use the ball two times; when you go and back. Think before you step on it!" she warns us.

I exhale and tell my friends to keep their mind straight to Tartarus. Before we really go, I thank Aphrodite for visiting us and gave my spirit back, something that reminds me of Jungkook always burn my feeling, which is good. So, now I collect my courage and wish our life would still going when we arrive in Tartarus.

"Good luck boys."

*

*

*

*

"Hft, why do bad dreams always come true?" I pat my own forehead and close my eyes. If I could close my eyes longer than I should, I would do it. I want to cry right now, like right now, I wanna go back to camp half-blood, I don't care if Chiron force me to practice 24/7, at least I don't have to see this horrible scenery.

We are really stand in front of Tartarus gate, it looks like death gate. I feel like dejavu, I was in Tartarus but... when? No, why did I even have a pinch of intention to visit Tartarus. But I really did. I was here in my dream, the gate looks the same, I remember the giant canines and skulls, burning atmosphere and cliffs, too bad everything looks more creepy in reality. But I'm not surprised, I was here once.

"I can't feel.... anything." Jackson falls on his knee.

I look at Suga, he is amazed by Tartarus and looks ready to finish the monsters up. "You okay, bro?" I ask him.

"I don't have time to faint right now." he laughs.

"Don't tease me!" says Jackson weak.

"I didn't tease you," Suga helps Jackson to get up, "I acted brave so Ares won't be shame." Suga holds his sword. I know, I know exactly what he feels. He is afraid, he doesn't want to do this, but at the same time I know that he can't disappoint Ares in Olympus, so me either, I don't know if Zeus ever once proud of me, no matter what, I'm never tired to make him proud of me. Beside, if I fail, I fail for something worthed. 

"Are we going now?" Jackson asks.

I hold my breathe for three seconds and blow it slowly, "everything won't be reached unless you try." I precede them and pretend to be brave to enter that gate. I can see the purple-orange sky outstretched very wide like it has no end, ravens are flying quietly up there and watching us--the uninvited guess--try to pass the big canine gate. I touch the gate and push it slowly, it is rugge and very dry, it's almost brittle. The gate squeals loud and it's open, the road is made of wet clay between two huge cliffs and we walk through them. I prepare my Aegis and sword in in my hand, I don't hear something strange yet, maybe this is just the beginning of Tartarus.

Did I just say we didn't hear something strange yet? Yes, but it was five seconds ago. Suga pulls our shirt when we hear footsteps come closer and hide behind a big rock, he told us to shut our mouth. I try to speak but he prevent me and even cover my mouth with his hand. I know something is coming but I guess it is not something dangerous because monsters will shake the ground if they walk in. I seek a bit to know what happen out there and something shocking makes us almost scream but Suga is ready with his sword so that if we scream, he can kill us and suicide as soon as possible.

Three guys are guided by monsters--cyclops exactly, like hella hollywood celebrities with bodyguards. But that's not the point, we are dying because Jin, Hoseok and Namjoon are there in the middle. Our eyes are wide enough to jump out. I remember the three guys that always appear in my dream, from the shadow I saw on the stone wall, their appearances are over all same. Whereas I begged Hoseok hyung to keep on eye on Jin at the camp half-blood, ah they are actually an accessory. I hear they make a little conversation just between them and they keep walking, we don't know where. After they walk a little bit far, we are out from behind the rock.

"What?!" Suga narrows his eyes.

"Yeah.. that's it..." I fate.

"So that guy gave us drachmas to fight us in the future?!" Jackson points at them that slowly disappear behind mist.

I also can't believe they are Hoseok and Namjoon, I'm speechless, Hoseok hyung is really kind to us, he helps us whenever we get trouble and always in our side when something goes wrong. I thought his charm is real, but everything he does behind his gentle smile proves the reason why he will never be better than Percy.

"Try to not care about them," says Suga, "let's just find Jungkook, because we can go anytime without have to face them as long as Jungkook with us."

I totally agree with Suga, he knows what's better. We walk through stones and ta-da... we meet a dragon farm, they are sleeping like hell babies. Lucky we stop before continue walking through the devider stone, because Jackson almost stepped on a dragon tail.

"." Suga rubs his hair frustation, I feel the same too. But Jackson is useful right now, I mean... he is always useful but sometimes his brain buffers to long. He points at stack of stones (that's kinda very high) and I see devider fortress between the dragon farm and some place behind the fortress.

"Let's climb up there." says Jackson.

"What?"

"C'mon! You said you don't wanna shame your father." he grins, and yeah, we loose. We gotta climb that stones and walk on the fortress, it's okay, better than trap inside dragon farm and become their lunch. So we are really climbing the stack and struggle until our last blood, no, that's excessive, we only climb for hundred meters in the steepness of sixty degrees. That's not bad at all, we fell from the height of hundreds meters and we didn't die, I just lost my memories.

"I think I need to pee." says Jackson.

"Aaaaah, Jackson Wang...." Suga cries again, doesn't really do it.

"You can pee up there." I say.

"Anyone has plastic bag?"

"Pee up there, you can use my bottle." I say in purpose to make this climbing go faster. We are climbing again until we reach the top before our lungs fall down. My eyes are amazed by Tartarus landscape, everything is beautiful from ten kilometers far, but from near everything is definitely creepy. I can hear torured screams from every direction in this place, it hurts my ears, I hope there's no Jungkook's voice amongs them. I reflexively cover my ears with hands, I feel like everything is turn upside down and maybe I'm gonna fall from here.

But Suga catches me faster than he should, he knows me very well, that's why he knows what to do.

"No, Jungkook doesn't scream like that." says Suga. It comforts me, better.

"Just try to not fall okay? I'm behind you." Jackson my hair. The route is like the great wall in China but maybe smaller and tighter without guardrail. I realize that the entrance gate isn't the beginning of Tartarus, it's the roof. Tartarus's root is down there, where monsters are tortured sadistically. I'm glancing down to see what happen down there, but mist covers the surface and I can't see anything, beside, it is too deep and dangerous, why do I want to see something tortured when I'm even unable to hear their screaming.

"Look!" Jackson stops for a while. He takes out a cent from his pocket and throw it into the ravine. I just pay attention and see what will happen next, we can't hear the where the coin ends and it isn't a good thing for us. "Can you imagine how deep is that?"

"I don't even have intention to think about it." I say.

We successfuly pass the fortress and find a new stage of 'how-we-meet-our-death'. It's a ravine, a ravine that full of lava, it's very hot and burning, even my sweats flow before we reach the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, I remember something from the past--my dejavu strikes again. I remember when the giant bull-headed monster kicked me until I fell into the ravine, it was the first time I dreamt about Jungkook and it was really sickening, traumatic and scary.

"How do we cross?" Jackson asks.

"Somehow...." I answer him.

"The dragons may be functional." says Suga.

"Yeah, functional you said." Jackson denies Suga's opinion. I won't do it either, it is better to face Jin and friends than eaten by dragons.

If we could deny Suga, why did Suga can't deny us? That's what I'm thinking since Suga recommended the dragons to join us. Once Suga becomes selfish, he won't listen even to his father. So he whistles loud and everything becomes very silent. There's no signal that the dragons are awake, all I can hear is the tortured screams and Jackson's hidden fart.

"What now?" Jackson holds his hips. Suga gives us the most cruel smile he has and cross his hands on chest. We don't see anything until something comes out from mist and move closer, there are three dragons flying to us.

"Get your sword!" Suga takes out his sword.

"What?"

"Cut their tail after I say three!"

"In three or after three?!"

"After three!"

"What should we cut!?"

"One, two..." and after three, we really cut their tail off. The dragons are falling on the ground and maybe pain. There are spots of blood stuck on my sword and I have to wipe it with my t-shirt. But that's not a big deal, there must be Gaea's blood on my sword to make Zeus proud of me.

Suga is going somewhere, not really far, he goes to the other side of this cliff. "Can someone help me?" he shouts and we go get him there. I see stack of stones exactly like the stack we climbed before. "Take a stone, but not the big one." he orders us, so we do it for him. We go back to the place where the dragons fell and helpless, I can't believe these dragons faint, whereas we only cut their tail.

"What are we gonna do with these?"

"Tie the tail on the stone." answers Suga. Wtf is he thinking!?

"No, Suga, I'm enough." Jackson puts down the stone.

"This is the only way to save Jungkook. Come on! I'm too lazy to beat Namjoon." Suga ties up the dragon's tail onto the rock, it makes my stomach pain and shaking, seeing the blood that always flowing from the tail, I think I gotta throw up. "I'm done, your turn."

I must do it no matter how disgusting the blood is, this is the only way to save Jungkook unless we want to meet Namjoon, Jin and Hoseok and everything would be worse.

Meanwhile Jackson and I are busy tying the tail onto the stone, Suga sits on his dragon like a boss and tell us about Greece ancient story. "Tartarus dragons are the weakest dragon," he says, "the Gods gave to much prestige on them and tail is the most precious thing for every tailed-animals, include dragons."

"Did Gods give their prestige by their tail?" I ask him.

"Right. Once they loose their prestige, they become weak in a blink of eye and they will worship you. Besides, they can't stand in balance without tail." Suga explains. Ah, I know why we should tie the tail onto stone.

"I don't mean to be rude, but... it's similiar with girls that loose their ity." Jackson is done tying the tail.

"I agree!" I raise my hand, we are ready to fly.

"KIM TAEHYUNG!"

"........"

"KIM TAEHYUNG!"

"You hear that!?" Jackson panics.

"Jungkook is now crying." I say in rush, I really can't stand with how the voice cries.

"Move dude, move! Jin has touched him!" Suga's order never fail enslave us, which is good. I almost forget how to climb on dragon's back, but then somehow I'm up here riding the dragon. We kick the dragon at the same time and the dragons start moving slowly and fly fast pierce the mist. "Kim Taehyung! Set your Aegis and sword. They may attack you first!" shouts Suga.

I do it as fast as I can. I become very silent and cold, I can't speak anything, I'm too nervous and afraid of them, not about they will kill me anytime, I'm afraid that they will torture Jungkook even worse. I can't feel my own body that shakes, the goosebumps, I'm numb. I hope the feelings that I feel is still worse than what Jungkook feels right now.

- Tbc -