we could happen.
binsica; maybe you can save me from this crazy world we live in
GREEK GOD AU 2/3
note: this wasnât going to be a birthday fic but YALL IT WORKED OUT ANYWAY HEY LMAO BLESS AND GOODBYE. this is the prompt ok i did it a bit differently bUT YO FUCKING LO FIGHT ME ASHDLAKHFSDAS BYE. âOk, so you panicked and kissed the human so he wouldnât drown, but we canât keep him and he canât leave if he knows about us merpeople, so what are we going to doâ NEXT IS ARI PRAY 4 ME AS I WRITE THAT ONE. musical inspiration as always: x x x x xÂ
general greek god notes: this is supposed to come after the jongara one but i just had more muse for this one at the time lmao. so in the general timeline it would be taekmei, jongara and then rabinsic. AND!!! yongguk is the son of zeus, himchan is the son of aphrodite or apollo i havenât decided yet but its a beauty thing, ari is the daughter of a goddess THAT I REFUSE TO REVEAL, ofc taek and i are the children of hades, youngjae is the son of athena, wonshik is the son of poseidon, jaehwan and hyuk are the sons of dionysus. I THINK THATS EVERYONE IN THIS LMAO IDK. BYE.
in an ideal world, perhaps human and god could live side by side in peace and harmony. they could forge more than an alliance, an entire relationship based on the courage of humans and the trust of the gods. together they could create a utopia that would rid the unnecessary evils that plague mortal beings.Â
in an ideal world, however, perhaps the god of the sea was not an easily angered, equally complicated individual who flattened entire countries because they did not sacrifice the correct amount of animals.Â
they had begun to use the term merpeople when you were only a few days old. of course no one in your family lived in the ocean but with the amount of time spent there, you may as well have.Â
you could breathe underneath the water, if you truly wanted to, but that of course meant having to get your entire body wet and even with immortal powers, it was often time not worth the effort.Â
somehow along the course of time, it was made appropriate that all children of the gods spend a summer with the sea nymphs. it was like a camp, almost, each god coming to a different part of the world every other summer. it was your favourite time of the year because, without fail, he would be there.Â
kim wonshik, eldest son of the god poseidon, breaker of hearts all over the seven oceans. he was known to be kind, sweet, gentle, with a heart that was filled with more emotion than his father cared for. a shadow was cast over him (just like all children of gods) from the day he was born but wonshik seemed to carry the crown with an air that did not fit the others.Â
along with yongguk and taekwoon, wonshik rounded out the trinity of the those that will one day inherit the earth and, much like taekwoon and yongguk, he took pride in this destiny.Â
he was popular, too, of course.Â
many hearts were broken over the course of his growth. no one ever seemed worthy of his attention--which was odd because there were so many vying for it. girls wanted to be his consort; boys somehow wanted to be part of his friendship group.Â
it was odd that he always found time for you.
âhi jess,â he says, smiling sweetly, hovering over the lake that divides you. as the daughter of sea nymphs, you of course were bound to the ocean which made your friendship with wonshik all the more easy. âits that time of the year againâ
âso it isâ you reply, standing from the shore. the long white dress that defines the uniform of nymphs is bundled in your hands as you dip toes into the ocean. âare you looking forward for your summer at sea?âÂ
he laughs as he recognises the tone of your joke. he spent every day by the sea, what is one single summer amongst an infinity he will surely hold. âi always look forward to summers with you...â he steps beside you. the water ripples around you as his feet dip into the cold water, â...and the other sea nymphsâÂ
it was always a funny sort of event that first day of camp.Â
thousands of gods silently fill the ocean just south of athens. when the moon had set and all the tourists had gotten home, poseidonâs temple was used as a meeting place for all of the children.Â
of course hades and persephone are avidly discussing the merits of camp with athena. this meant that taekwoon must have arrived already, along with his sister and her consort, youngjae. such a group meant that wonshik would have arrived also.Â
the crowd parts and poiseidon trawls down the centre, amphitrite by his side. they have wide smiles, nodding welcomes to those that they pass. behind them, shoulders wide and smiles even wider, stands wonshik and his siblings. they are dressed in their normal white satin, representative of their family hosting this years summer activities.Â
as always, poseidon stands at the top of his temple to provide the welcome speech. youâve caught the first few words before wonshik appears at your side.Â
âheâs been working on this speech for daysâÂ
you turn to him with a laugh. âyouâre jokingâ
âhonest to zeus truthâ both of you subvert your eyes towards the god of lightening who, of course, seems completely and entirely bored of his brothers words. you both share a laugh and wonshik adds, âhe reckons everythingâs gonna change this summerâÂ
âhe reckons iâll find them this summerâ he nods vaguely in the direction of hades and zeus whoâs children stand beside their consorts. it occurs to you then what he meant--he was the only son left who hadnât decided upon a forever love. âhe reckons fate is on my side. he says the waves have been telling him that love is coming my wayâÂ
you arenât sure whether to laugh or question the waves. instead your mother calls for you and with an apology you tell wonshik you will see him later.Â
âiâll save the first swim of the summer for you!â
the summer goes by quickly.Â
taekwoon was infinitely more fun now that he had mei to prod him to do things. for all the years prior, he had spent most of the sunshine sitting in the shade, reading. try as they did, they could never convince him to join in any of their activities. not swimming in the atlantic, or flying over cirrus clouds, or even baseball in the underworld.Â
now he was the first over the cliff, the first to dive into the deep end, the first to pick up potentially dangerous beach creatures and toss them into his sisters face (much to youngjaeâs grimance). even yongguk seemed more enjoyable company now that he had settled down with himchan.Â
at the start of summer, everyone had started off as one big group. it did not take long for everyone to fall into their respective cliques and, within that, their respective pairings. yongguk rarely strayed from himchanâs side. jongup only ever did reckless things if he was sure arazely was watching. nadine only ever pushed her brother if she knew youngjae was there to save her. hell, even taekwoon would always, always, without fail, ask mei if she wanted to join him before doing anything.Â
and, somehow, wonshik ended up your partner.Â
âjess, you wanna come with us? weâre going to explore the amazon riverâÂ
âoh, cool. jess, come here! you have to look at this!âÂ
âjess, you missed it. itâs okay--iâll take you to see the great barrier reef later, i promiseâ
âthis isnât a bit dangerous, jess, take my hand. do you want me to carry you instead?â
âhey, guys, wait up, iâm gonna go get jessâÂ
it was nice, youâll admit. to have someone devoted so surely to your enjoyment without worry. it also helped that when you were forced to actually learn, you had a make shift lab partner without question.Â
after weeks of exploring the different oceans offered by the world, the nymphs bring the children back to greece.Â
the sun sets more beautiful than words can ever describe in oia. it was one of your favourite things about being a sea nymph; watching the sun set in one of the most stunning places in the world with people that you loved.
of course, the definite benefit of the end of summer, was that you were all allowed to explore the human habitations. with a quick change of clothes and the morphing into a more personal look, the ten of you quickly endeavour the streets.Â
the human world became more and more fascinating every time you visit and, without fail, the humans did too. you arenât sure what it is about your group but the humans always seem to realise that there was something not quite right about you all.Â
you overhear them often, they must be models, or, theyâre probably the children of millionaires, and, theyâre quite young but iâm almost certain theyâre all married off to one another, as well as, theyâre all so inhumanely beautiful.Â
the waitresses take notice of the boys quickly. it was something to laugh about, poor attempts to sway the attention of a man so surely in love with the girl standing beside him. it no longer surprised you when wonshik would shake his head in refusal and focus all of his attention on you.Â
âdid you want a drink?â he shouts over the noise of the bar. it was upon the recommendation of himchan that they try may as well try mortal alcohol if theyâre going to blend in.Â
you shake your head. he stands protectively around you; his arm draped over the back of your chair to signify this. "my mother will kill me if she knows iâve been drinking with mortalsâÂ
he laughs and orders you both a drink, âwhat our parents donât know wonât hurt them!âÂ
the girls stumble out of the bar around one am, accompanied only by himchan and youngjae. the six of you decide to leave the future rulers of earth behind in their failing attempt to get drunk.Â
with twenty or so drinks under each of your belts and no affect whatsoever, you all decide that you want to watch the moon on the comforts of the beach. you werenât the only ones with the idea as when you reach the sands of the shore, there was already another group there.Â
they had a bonfire and, as it seems, music playing from a speaker. it takes a moment but someone begins to call your names. as you approach and the fire illuminates their features, you recognise jaehwan and sanghyuk--the twin sons of dionysus.Â
âhey guys!â they greet you with a wide smile, ushering you to join the bonfire. quickly, drinks are handed out and each of you settle into the sounds of music and the light of the fire.Â
jaehwan invites you all to dance and as the only one that declines, you are forced to watch him eagerly try to steal dances from both arazely and nadine only to laugh as he gets rejected. he rolls his eyes and instead chooses to grind on sanghyuk, much to the laughter of the group.Â
when he sits down beside you, you donât catch his name. his voice is bubbly with the kiss of alcohol and his laugh is so infectious, you canât help but laughing along with the jokes he slurs.Â
he smiles wide, talks about how passionate he is about photography, how much he wants to travel the world and leave everything he had behind. his tongue wraps around the greek words oddly, as if he wasnât a native to the island.Â
it wasnât until you ask that you realise his father had moved here to start anew and, lucky for them, they were prosperous. his face falls solemn for a moment as a wistful smile tires on his face. his sister had disappeared a long while ago and, if he was being truthful, his father had moved them to forget about her but, also, to be with her.Â
after a moment, he realises something. he turns to you with a confused look and asks, âso tell me about you?âÂ
he didnât even know your name but he wanted to know everything about you. where you grew up (you lied and said you had grown up in athens), what your aspirations were (you had already accomplished the life of a writer, what more was there), who you wanted to be. he laughs in the right times and provides an unequivocal focus to everything that you said. Â
as he smiles at you, and you smile back, you wonder what that pang in your heart meant. the small thud that prods you into thinking... i donât want this stranger to stay a stranger.Â
the others holler at you and arazely pulls you up to dance. you donât notice it at first, the lonely body that moves away from the group, stumbling over his two left feet towards the ocean. but as he drops the bottle from his hand and it shatters over the rocks below it, your attention finally focuses.Â
there is a loud splash and sanghyuk is the first to react. âshit. is that hongbin?â
âwho?â you ask, standing quickly.Â
âfuck it isâ jaehwan is the next to speak, rushing down the shore. âhyuk, fuck, heâs in the water, HYUK!âÂ
âfuckâ hyuk repeats, following after his brother. âfuck, fuck, fuckâÂ
you follow after them. âwho?â
âhis dad owns like half the island or something like that--heâs jaehwanâs friendâ hyuk speaks quickly, âfuck heâs so far out. what are we gonna do?â
in the split second that it takes for you to read the situation, you have already forgotten the rest of your responsibilities.Â
and dive head first into the dark ocean.Â
though they praise the gods, it was an all reaching rule that mortal beings should not know that immortal beings existed.Â
there was enough turmoil in the world over religions and races and the rest that it was decided there was no need for humans to know that they existed. that their talents, their magic, their endless lives could very well answer each and every mortal tribulation they live.
you can hear your mother telling you this in the back of your mind.
âthey would not understand us, jess. they would fear us and fear will cause them to act irrationally. death is what happens when you act irrationally jess. death and exile.â
you can hear the booming voice of poseidon as well.Â
âno mortal shall know the existence of gods. once a mortal discovers your being they are bound to you for life. that is the punishmentâÂ
you just want to save him.
it takes no more than a minute for you to reach him and even shorter than to bring him back to the shore. jaehwan and sanghyuk work quickly around you, lying out a blanket for him to lie on.
âwhat did you say his name was?â you ask, once youâve caught your breath.Â
âhongbinâ jaehwan answers, propping a pillow under his neck. âheâs not breathing. fuck. what do we do?âÂ
sanghyuk shrugs turning his attention to nadine. she shakes her head. âi canât bring anybody back to life--thatâs taekwoonâ
âmoveâ you instruct, pulling yourself towards him, âiâll do itâÂ
it was a fairly simple task however, as youâre pushing his hair from his face, you find yourself distracted. you arenât sure how long it had been since you had seen a human so close before; had even touched one. you donât remember them ever having eyelashes. you donât remember human cheeks ever holding a pink so pale that it reminds you of the when the seas meets the horizon.Â
most of all, you donât remember human ever causing the small pang at the bottom of your heart that makes you forget everything you ever knew.
âoh, sorryâ you break from your reverie and lean towards hongbin. silently taking a breath, you place your lips to his and breathe life back into him. you keep your lips to his for a long moment and, as unceremoniously as he had fallen into the ocean, does he cough back to life.
he continues to cough for a while, actually.
âis he okay?â himchan asks, as hongbin coughs for the eighth minute in a row.
âi think soâ you reply, sitting back and watching him, âi had never done that before and my mum only told me how it works not what happens afterâÂ
âi--am--so--hongbin--and--crap--â he tries to speak between words and you move forward to rub his back patiently. jaehwan hands him a glass of water and slowly he is able to speak again. âthank youâ
you smile. âno problem"
âiâm hongbin, by the wayâÂ
you take the hand he offers to you, âjessicaâÂ
he tries to laugh but the force of the action turns his lung; his hands fly to his chest in pain. you lie him back on the blanket and look up at your friends. âwhat do we do?â
âwe could take him back home?â sanghyuk offers.
jaehwan quickly punches his shoulder, âhe canât leave, shithead. he knows weâre godsâ
âwait,â hongbinâs voice breaks the argument, âyou guys are gods?!â
âgreat work dingbatâ sanghyuk returns the punch as jaehwan whispers a sorry to the crowd.Â
âwait--you guys are GODS?!â
before anyone as a chance to talk a loud crack! captures their attention.
you roll your eyes as zeusâ voice reverberates down the beach.
âBY SAVING THIS MORTALS LIFE YOU HAVE REVEALED YOURSELF AS AN IMMORTAL BEINGâ
âDO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THISâ
âoh--i didnât hear you--OKAY WE WILL DISCUSS YOUR PUNISHMENTâ Â
in a flourish that only zeus can accomplish, he turns to his brothers in earnest discussion. after a few words were exchanged, poseidon approaches you. âhave you seen my son?â
âwe left him at the bar with yongguk and taekwoonâ
you turn your head in confusion. âwe speak constantly. is there anything in particular?â
âhas he spoken to you in regards to a consort?âÂ
âhe mentioned that the waves told you that he will find his consort this summer,â you pause to think if there was anything else, âbeyond that he hasnât mentioned much else to meâ
he purses his lips and nods, returning to his brothers. everyone else stands behind you. zeus quickly chastised them for trying to help you so theyâve all, instead, resorted to appreciating this as a theatre piece. nadine and himchan already have a bowl of chips between them, eagerly waiting for the next act, like the idiots they are.Â
still getting used to the idea of immortal beings, hongbin slowly stumbles to stand beside you. his voice is small and low and he tries his best to answer clearly. ây-yes sir?â
âDO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR LIFE WAS SAVED BY THIS IMMORTALâ
âdo i have a choice?â
âuh...â hades turns to his brothers who shake their heads, âYOU DO NOTâ
âTHEN IT HAS BEEN DECIDED BY THE GODS OF THE SKY, THE OCEAN AND THE UNDERWORLD THAT YOU, JESSICA, ARE NOW BOUND FOR ETERNITY TO THIS MORTAL, HONGBINâ
hakyeon, ever the blunt individual, is the first person to question the appearance of a new person to the mountain. jaehwan avoids his stare while sanghyuk suddenly finds something interesting on the ground.Â
âiâm hongbinâ he is cheerful without reason and hakyeon softens his smile, offering a sunseared hand to him.Â
âhakyeon, son of apollo. who are your parents?âÂ
âlee hongjim and minkyungâ
âiâve never heard of them--who are they the gods of?â
âthey arenât the gods of anything--â you quickly pull him away; saving him from the embarrassment of revealing himself as a previous mortal.Â
âhey jess. weâre thinking of going for a swim after our seaweed lesson. did you want to come?â
you look up at him sullenly. you wanted to say yes but hongbin needed your full attention as he warmed up to the idea of being an immortal being. you promised him that you would take him to see poseidonâs temple to understand where it had all begun. âsorry, wonshik. i promised hongbin i would spend the afternoon with himâ
âohâ he turns his smile away from you, looking into the distance, âis he like, yours or something now?â
âyour father bound him to me for life. he is my consort as punishment.â
ânot really,â there is something hidden in the laugh that wonshik uses. almost as if a part of him acknowledges this but refuses to accept it. âjust because heâs bound to you against your will does not make him your consort. you get to choose who you spend the rest of your life with, remember?âÂ
just as it had been on the first day of summer, you stand on the very edge of poseidonâs temple, outlooking over the ocean as the sun sets before you. below you, on the cliff, hongbin kicks rocks as he thinks about what his life entails once the sun sets and the summer ends.
âare you okay?â you ask, coming towards him.
he shrugs and smiles. you had noticed that early on. there was so much to understand when one enters this life and they had all told you to give him time. arazely had said that jongup took months to accept his new lifestyle and that he was consistently confused about it.Â
through his five stages of grief, anger was the only he spent the longest in.
hongbin, however, has had time but he has never used a single minute of it to be vindictive. he was accepting, far too accepting, of this sudden lifestyle. he rarely questioned things, was hardly ever rude and has not once made you feel guilty for the choice you made.Â
âiâm sorryâ he says eventually, noticing your absentminded stare.
âfor being your consortâ he smiles, âi know i wasnât your first choiceâÂ
âi--no, donât say that--what makes you think you werenât my first choice?â
âi see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you. wonshik? you couldâve had the seven seas if you hadnât saved meâÂ
âno. hongbin. i--i wanted to save you. i swearâÂ
he laughs and shrugs, again. you wonder if he believed your words. you wonder if you believe your words.Â
âiâm glad you didâÂ
âsave me. iâm glad you saved meâ he bends to pick up a rock and throws it into the water metres below him, âmy soul had left my body. i was dead, you know, when you pulled me from the water. i shouldnât be here. but you saved me; gave me lifeâ
âyou donât have to say... this...â
âi am but iâm thankful for more. itâs like that old saying. a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. except, itâs you. you are my sun. my moon. my stars. every single constellation and every single cloud in the sky. when i opened my eyes, you were the first thing i saw and it just made sense.â
âand it shouldnât make sense, you know? i died! i was dead! but you bought me back to life and i didnât question it. i just... accepted it. i just accepted... youâ
âi donât know what to sayâ
âyou donât have to say anythingâ he turns to you and takes your hands into his. âyou are the only thing that makes sense to me in this entire mess of things. because of this, i wonât question if you want to be with him. he makes you happy. so go be with him. jaehwan told me, it doesnât matter who you are bound to, you will always be able to choose your consort. go, choose him.âÂ
his words stay with you for a long time.
you are the only thing that makes sense to me.
as the camp comes to an abrupt end, you return to your life by the seas living with the rest of your colony. there are days when you visit land, along with your aunty thetis, and sit in the crowds of onlookers as warriors battle their lives out.
wonshik, seemingly noticing the sudden absence of hongbin, decides to use this to his entire advantage. he whisks you away on a number of getaways--from the bahamas to the bermuda triangle to even the seas of hawaii. miles away from home, you forget hongbin and focus on the truly important matter.
itâs hard not to picture a life at wonshikâs side. as the queen of the seas, you would rule the oceans. his own mother often notes how much of a blessing you are in her eldest sons life. she was worried that he would become his father but with a soft touch like yours, she knows she need not worry.
even as you begin to fall into the routine that would become something more, you canât help but think back to hongbin.
there was nothing wrong with wonshik--with this life. so many gods have lovers outside of their designated consort. what was wrong with wonshik choosing you as his consort while being bound to hongbin for life.
and then you realise what it was.
wonshik deserved to have someone who loved him wholly and with purpose.
you saw that every time he looked at hongbin.
how, no matter what he did or how hard he tried, he was just too slow.
the king of the seas came second to a drowning mortal.
âwhy does the ocean move like that?âÂ
wonshik looks over at you with a confused expression. heâs shirtless, lying on his back, draped over a towel that he had placed onto the sand. there was no use for it, of course, your skin immortal immune to the scars of heat that the land can offer. however, because he craved land food and thus whisked you on an impromptu trip to santorini, there were certain expectations to uphold.Â
âa number of reasons. the wind moves the water--there is a friction between the molecules that causes a transfer of energyâ
he sits up, balancing on his elbows, âbecause thatâs how the world works--itâs how my father made it workâ
you nod. âi guess. it makes sense, doesnât it?â
âeverything makes sense eventually. everything has a place, everything has a time. everything except youâ
âeverything make sense except for you?â
âwhy?â there is an urgency you cannot place and as you both sit up, you feel his confusion waver towards you. âwhy donât i make sense?â
âi donât know. i donât know why i like you so much, why i always feel like i need to be near you, why i canât go a single day without seeing you--i donât know why i feel like this and iâm not particular in the need to know whyâÂ
âi said something wrong, didnât i?âÂ
your jaw falls slightly ajar and in that moment of hesitation, you both knew the answer.Â
âi choose youâ hongbin looks up and his smile brightens at the words, âi choose you hongbin!âÂ
âI DIDNT KNOW THIS WAS A GAME OF POKEMONâ
wonshik waves a hand and tosses sanghyuk into the ocean. himchan, snickers and soon falls too, taking nadine with him (again, much to youngjaeâs grimace).Â
âbecause you make sense, hongbin. you make more sense to me than anything else in this worldâÂ
a year passes and so much has changed.
hongbin had begun to pluck up more and more courage, effectively turning each of their pranks on their heads. no one wanted to cross him anymore. sanghyuk and jaehwan had even begun inviting him along with their pranks; forming a trio of troublemakers.Â
he has become, unfortunately, the begrudged trouble maker in your private small circle of friends. taekwoon was often on the recieving end of such troubles however mei gets involved right after he âaccidentallyâ fells into the ocean for the tenth time and they all swear the king of the underworld was to remain untouched territory.
celebrations were never rare; neither were wonshikâs appearances with a different beautiful muse on his arm. you are happy for him, of course, knowing well that he had moved on though you wonder why he so actively avoids you. his father says he is busy training with your cousin achilles but rumours state otherwise.Â
you over hear amphitrite tell persephone one evening, âhe isnât the same since that summer. he used to have no interest in girls and now it seems like its the only thing he thinks about.â
later that evening you question yongguk and taekwoon on the merits of the conversation. yongguk looks over at you with a confused expression.Â
âheâs trying to fill the void in his heart that you leftâÂ
âyou really donât know how much you meant to him?âÂ
âhe--i--he never said anything?â
âhe wanted you to be happy, jess. why else would he let hongbin win?â
when you had begun that summer you thought that the only person who would fall in love would be wonshik.
you hadnât expected to meet hongbin nor find yourself so content with the promise that someone would be yours forever.
someone so understanding that he didnât mind sitting through hours upon hours of history lessons with your mother (it was a good thing gods did not need sleep).
someone so kind that he laughed at every joke zeus told; even the ones that were barely veiled offers of sex (the god of the sky never discriminated).
someone who fit so well into the transition of mortal to immortal that he never once questioned how or why they were all related.
(that is a topic that no one wanted to branch ever).
what was difficult, however, was the notion that someone who had no experience of the gods had to, suddenly, understand thousands of years of living.
visiting the sea nymphs was out of question.
âsanghyuk pushed hongbin into the ocean again and now heâs caught in a wave"
âits not my fault he doesnât know how to swim yetâ)
it wasnât just zeus that made them avoid the skies for a period but hakyeon also.
(âis it okay if i eat this?â
âi donât know. hakyeon gave it to me--OW! IT STUNG MEâ
âis that--HAKYEON--WHY DID YOU GIVE HIM CLOUDS WITH LIGHTNINGâ)
and for a while you had thought that with mei and nadine living in the underworld, you would be safe.
(âHONGBIN FELL INTO THE RIVER STYXâ
âagain? thatâs the third time this week!â)
as acceptance trickles into your lives and the questions previously unanswered are forgotten, the both of you make the weekly trip to athens. to sit atop the cliff where it had all begun.Â
the could-have-been-queen-of-the-seas and would-have-been-world-famous-photographer sit side by side, simply, together.Â
âdo i still make sense to you?â
âyou are the only thing in this world that ever couldâÂ