How could these people like the constant happiness, the constant smiling, the constant joy? As if everything was right in the world.

It wasn’t.

It hadn’t been in years. As a minor goddess, you weren’t roped into the specifics but, you knew that something was brewing up in Olympus. You couldn’t understand what yet but you knew something.

Your mother, Demeter, had not told you much but you had noticed her retiring in the early evenings to bed, only to overhear some whispers in her room in the dead of night. You knew who it was, who else could give her messages of what was happening up in the sky?

Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

He liked to call himself Jimin. You understood the desire to keep more human names, traits. You had especially liked the name Y/N, it rolled off your tongue and stuck.

Of course, your mother despised it. Just like everything else you did that did not include helping her. She had ‘discussed’ the matter with you once.

“You’re a goddess for Zeus sake! You should keep your powerful name, Persephone.”

You had rolled your eyes at the statement. Even Zeus had his own name, Namjoon. It fitted the god’s wisdom but not his intimate tendencies. You knew Jungkook, Hera, would be fuming whether or not Namjoon was looking at mortal women and men again, but just at the thought. You chuckled and rolled your eyes, you missed that. You missed your friends. You were so close with the gods in Olympus.

Only for your mother to pull you down to Earth to help the mortals survive.

It was a fruitless request, your presence was not needed. There wasn’t any weather changed except the warm sunshine to good rainfall every other day. Crops were thriving and the people were happy.

It was a paradise.

You were useless here.

Alas, you couldn’t disobey your mother, that would give more complications then you would ever want. Her gray eyes and sharp words would often cut through your measly requests of exploration. You didn’t ask for the secret of life, just if you could travel beyond the meadows and into the forest.

You tried to reason with yourself that she was just trying to protect you but sometimes it was stifling. Couldn’t she trust you for more than a few minutes?

You had covered up your curiosity by saying that you wanted to help protect the young men who cut wood in the night. You envied their positions, they had real families. Your mother had rolled her eyes and with a subtle way of words, she had made your request seem like the end of the world. She kept a finger under your chin, holding it up to her face. She pouted, and drawled out a familiar phrase.

“Why? You don’t like living with your mother? I know what’s best for you.”

You knew that something was wrong. Your mother was a bit strict, to put it lightly, but she had recently become even more controlling. It was as if she was running out of time and couldn’t bear the thought of you not being at her side.

Your relationship reminded you of a mortal folktale you had heard of. Nothing to do with gods like they usually were, but a different one. You forgot the name but you vividly remembered the story being told around a fire. It was about a girl with long, gold hair who was trapped in a tower by her conniving mother. The similarities were striking and you knew something was off. You never addressed it, scared that the mortals might get the brunt of your mother’s anger for a made-up story.

So you kept the story and the happy ending inside your mind and it beat in your heart. It was something yours and truly and only yours. It seemed like a treasure that you would never let go off. You liked how in the end, she was able to escape her prison and live an adventurous life. You envied her courage. Her bravery to leave what she knew behind to take the chance of finding something more. And even someone more.

You tried to keep these thoughts quiet, scared if it entered your mind, it would be on the tip of your tongue and your mother would steal it from you. Like your freedom.

Your morning thoughts were interrupted by Jimin’s wings flapping onto the balcony you had been looking out from. The balcony was made of a white marble and it was right outside your room. The room was spacious but not needed. You were a goddess, you didn’t need sleep or have any mortal belongings. But it was nice, in its own way.

Jimin’s light smile always brightened your mood, no matter the time or day. You looked at him as he descended but did not open your mouth, afraid of the response he might give to the question that had been plaguing you.

Maybe another day.

He landed next to you, his soft pink locks bouncing before the small white and gold flecked wings on his ankles disappeared in a bit of smoke.

He was wearing white robes with gold accents, he had a touch for style you knew had been inspired by Apollo, or as he called himself: Hoseok. The mortal depiction of Hermes was that he held a staff of two talking snakes and wore a helmet but a few eons ago, Jimin had rolled his eyes at the tradition and tossed both away. Obviously, he was reprimanded for this by Namjoon so he decided to compromise and just keep them hidden from view. However, if you concentrated, you could make out a gold shimmer in his hair where his helmet ought to be or hear two overlapping voices of the snakes on his staff.

“What do I owe to have the pleasure of seeing you, Jimin?” You asked, turning away from him to lean on the handrail of your balcony. Your hands had felt those rails so many times. It was rough and warm, just like everything in the mortal world.

You wanted to feel something different, something—

“You flatter me, and yourself. How did you know I’ve come to see you?” He smirked and teased.

You flicked your eyes back up at his, only to see them gazing back at you. His eyes swirled with a mix of brown and gold, showing his power. You didn’t yield down and continued to look at him. He sighed softly and looked out to the fields that the balcony overlooked. He brought an arm around your shoulders and slowly pulled you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around his torso and put your head on his chest.

“I miss you, Kore,” He murmured, tired of keeping up appearances, “we all do.”

You hummed in understanding, taking the chance to relish being in your friend’s arms. It wouldn’t have been bad to live in the mortal world, in basically a palace that mortals couldn’t see. With endless food and drinks to indulge. But you didn’t want any of that. You wanted your friends, the people you loved and cared about.

“We all miss our pretty bird. The one who would fly across Olympus because she heard some of us talking loudly. Her feathers glistening in the morning dew after racing Hobi and his chariot to bring the sunrise. Quarreling with Namjoon about little things or when Taehyung scolded you for drinking too much ambrosia. We miss you.”

“I know. I miss you all too.”

Your friends had called you pretty bird after your endearing qualities that you always expressed on Olympus. You would hear an uproar from one side of the throne room and you’d come dashing in to see what was the problem. Your selflessness and compassion had made many of the gods favor you. Even Jungkook, known for his coldness to other gods, had a soft spot for you.

And you used to be a cheeky brat when you were a few eons old. You’d steal ambrosia from Hebe, the goddess of youth. She’d be sleeping when you would find her golden cup, filled with the sweet of the gods. She’d scold you multiple times, but you’d have a smile on your face from tricking her. You were also the one who gave her a mortal name, Taehyung. You later realized it was more so used for males, but she laughed it off. Saying she liked the way it sounded and explained how gender norms were only a mortal concept and that she could embody a man. She did and you started to realize why she— or he rather, was the god of youth.

Jungkook would even side you when you disturbed Namjoon, saying that you were only a child. He would also laugh it off, patting you on the head, while Jungkook would only smile. You didn’t remember much of what your mother used to do. She would come every once in a while to check up on you, before leaving back to the mortal world. You didn’t mind her absence. Demeter was always the one scolding you the most. She’d punish you by saying that you weren’t allowed to leave a certain area until she deemed fit. Of course, during these times, your friends would help you out. The first time they did, you jumped so high that Jimin thought you had sprouted wings. That was the first time they called you pretty bird. You still felt like a pretty bird.

A pretty bird held in golden cage. But you realized that, though the bars might be golden, it was still a cage.

And a bird is meant to be free.

————————————————————

You were roaming around the meadows again, but not alone.

You could never be alone.

“Y/N, where are you going? Come back here and don’t wander off!” Your mother yelled from behind you.

In reality, you had barely been a few feet away from her. You turned your head back at her upset form and nodded in acknowledgment. There wasn’t much you could do but agree.

Though, while slowly walking back to your mother’s side, you looked at the meadow you were in. It was filled with vegetation: flowers, grass, fern, and other herbs. They weren’t all just green, but different shades of greens, browns, and a sprinkle of colors from the daisies or lavender planted there.

A swift breeze passed by you and your dress moved with it. Your hands went to the soft, cotton fabric of your plain, white chiton. Your mother hated the choice of clothing, saying that you shouldn’t conform to mortal standards as you were a goddess. You tried to understand but, it was a simple dress and the gods wore more or less the same thing. It must have been because you didn’t wear a laurel wreath on your head. You despised it, remembering how you loved hiding in cherry laurel when you were younger. There was no point in cutting off a few branches to identify yourself as god. The mortals couldn’t see you, only other gods could. It was useless.

Even in little things you tried to disobey your mother, such as shortening the chiton by a few inches at the bottom. It could help you run through the grass, if you could.

If she allowed it.

You stopped in your tracks to crouch down, holding your arms around your knees while balancing on the front of your feet. You looked in front of you at the baby’s breath in curiosity, it was such a lovely plant and you liked the simplicity. It had always been a favorite.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but it’s getting late and I don’t want you to wander off. Please stay close, okay?” Your mother asked, her true feelings surfacing for a brief second. She held your wrist and pulled you up.

Her fingers pinched your skin, but you didn’t cry out. She dragged you through the baby breath and your feet crushed the plant. Your mother kept walking for a few feet until stopping in front of a cluster of crops that were wilting, most likely from a disease. Your mother folded her arms while you rubbed your wrists to ease the pain. 

“Sorry Kore, I didn’t know I hurt you.”

“It’s fine.”

She looked at you worried, but you shrugged it off and sighed.

Closing your eyes, you tried to stay calm. Your mother wanted to test your powers again, afraid that your talks with Jimin or your curiosity was hindering it someway.

You opened your eyes and took a deep breath in. You felt your fingers tingle and you opened your palm out to the crops. In mere moments, the disease that effected the crops vanished, leaving healthier ones in its stead.

Your mother only hummed and stepped towards you. She stood in front of you and smiled. These were the moments you liked, when your mom was not being completely anxious and worried. Her smile reminded you about wilting flowers, beautifully sad. She took your hands into hers delicately, unlike the way she grabbed them earlier, and rubbed them. You liked the feeling but it was even better when she kissed the top of your head.

“I love you Persephone, I’m sorry if I have been anxious the past few days. It is not your fault. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Demeter gently said before letting go of your hands and walking away.

You liked this version of your mother. Sometimes during the later months of the year, her eyes would gloss over as if remembering something depressing. In those days, her voice and actions were strikingly different from the mother you loved. She would act as if she only cared about what you could do, it was very weird. You knew that wasn’t who your mother was but something made her want to protect and hone your powers. It wasn’t like someone was going to kidnap you, right? 

You sighed and changed your thoughts to something lighter. You wished for a chance to go back and look through all the herbs in the meadow. Mortals thought they had healing powers, and sometimes you laughed at the aspect of mortals. They had no powers, no way to heal themselves, no way to truly hurt each other, no way to protect themselves.

You wished you were human.

You sighed and your eyes flickered behind you, only to see something quite different from what you were expecting. You tilted your head in confusion and suddenly your eyes widened.

It was a forest.

Your eyebrows furrowed and you thought, When had that gotten there?

You were in doubt of what you’re were seeing until the image rippling like a reflection in water. You knew that magic. It was a covering, to stop others from seeing a forest. Your gasped softly in realization, the forest was a lot closer than you had originally thought.

Your freedom was a lot closer than you originally thought.

You took a few steps towards the image and it flickered again, showing the tall trees and darker green grass.

“Persephone? Is everything— what do you think you’re doing?” Your mother snapped from behind you. You turned around to see her steely gaze. You stuttered in a reply, but she only shook her head, repeating how naive you were.

“Do you know how dangerous these parts of the meadow are? Practically anything can happen! Let’s go home, Kore.”

Demeter had a faraway look in her eyes. She strolled over and was about to grab your hand again when another stopped your mother.

It was Jimin.

He smiled sweetly, looking at your mother. His eyes were in crescents but his hand blocked hers from reaching your hand. 

“What a pleasant surprise! Demeter, Y/N, how lovely to see you both.”

Your mother rolled her eyes and eyed Jimin up and down, suspicious of his intentions. Jimin only smiled back and merely glanced at you. He started to gently push your mother in the other direction while holding her forearm. She was shocked and tried to get out of his grip. However, he whispered a few words into her ears and the goddess stayed still. Jimin looked back at you and gave you a comforting smile.

“Why don’t you go along, Y/N? Your mother doesn’t mind anymore. Plus, someone has much to discuss with her.” Jimin stated, already waving and walking away with your mother.

You were astonished how fast everything had happened, but nonetheless would not allow this chance to slip away from you.

You looked behind you once more and took in a deep breath. Waving your hand again, the mirage disappeared and there stood dark pine trees, tall and ominous. You took one step forward, and then another. You kept doing this, slowly, as you were still wary of what might happen. You stopped when you reached the end of the meadow and the start of the forest. Your foot hung in the air, hesitating to step into the different landscape. You knew, once you ventured in, it would be even harder to come back.

You pushed your doubts to the back of your mind and stepped forward. The ground was damp and cold, making your eyebrows rise in astonishment. You looked down and saw dark, brown dirt with hints of moss. You smiled, you did it. You had finally explored out of the meadows, albeit it only being a step away. You gathered up the courage and kept walking through the forest, passing by trees and rocks.

You were blissfully strolling through the forest, your hands swinging from side to side, and a permanent grin on your lips. Before you could continue your journey, you heard a whisper. You turned your head back and forth, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound but without luck. You tried to shrug off the sound, thinking it was your imagination. About to keep walking, you heard the voice again.

And it was picking up volume.

More joined in.

Your hands trembled and your eyes kept flickering between the tree trunks. You put a shaking foot back, only to hear the voices even louder. Your eyes widened from terror and without another doubt in your mind, you started to run in the direction you came from, only to realize that there was more trees. You didn’t see the meadow or your palace. You could only see more trees, as if the forest had tricked you.

You shook your head to try and rid of the disturbing thoughts. You didn’t know what would happen but you had to leave.

And fast.

You took a few more awkward steps forward, until you were running again. You didn’t stop when you heard the voices getting clearer. You didn’t stop when you tripped on a rock and stubbed your toe. However, the fatigue got to you, it was another human tendency you had to deal with while being in the current form you embodied.

You were out of breath and slowed down your pace. From a few feet away, you saw a cave. It was dark gray and looked like it would crumble at any second. Putting aside safety, your curiosity got the best of you and you continued into the cave. The cave was a lot larger than you had anticipated but you relished that you had some sort of shelter. You tried looking behind you to see the light from the entrance of the cave, only to be met with darkness.

Everything was dark.

You looked around to try and find some semblance of light. There was nothing. It was as if someone had dropped you into the middle of the void.

Maybe going out was a bad idea.

The thought of staying inside your palace, surrounded by white walls and plush bedding, felt like a dream. The sun shining through your balcony and the birds chirping.

Maybe mother was—

“What are you doing, Kore?”

You gasped and twirled around, only to find more darkness. You were scared and couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from. You dug your nails into your sweaty palms to try and stop them from shaking, but it was no use. Your feet slid across the cold floor, littered with sharp rocks that pinched and scratched your supple skin. You winced, not understanding what was happening or who had called out your name.

You heard distant wailing and a growing rumble of voices from a far-off distance. You closed your eyes and put your arms around your ears. You fell to the floor, hunched, as if it would protect you from the scary reality. The noises, the rocks, the darkness, the voices, were all overwhelming your mind.

You shook you head, trying to deny the danger you might be in. You didn’t want to find yourself in such a situation, all you wanted was to explore. And you got that freedom, but for a price.

You made out the same voice midst the wailing, garbled and soft, as if you were underwater. It sounded closer to you now, you curled up further, trying to separate yourself. You hoped that whatever, or whoever it was, would leave you alone. Leave you alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.

Everything stopped as quickly as it started.

Your ears couldn’t pick up anything and it didn’t seem so loud anymore.

Maybe it’s gone? You thought, hopeful that you were alone once more and it was all a weird illusion.

You uncovered your eyes and lifted your head slightly to realize you were in the cave once more. On the floor in front of you, you could see your shadow, meaning a light was behind you.

You could go home.

You lifted your body instantly and turned around. You were about to step towards the entrance when you felt a presence behind you. You steadied your hands and tightened your limbs, ready to run away.

But you couldn’t, your curiosity didn’t allow it. You cursed it in your head.

You slowly moved your body to face behind you, only to be met with a male figure.

His black eyes pierced yours but the presence did not feel as threatening as it should have been. His hair looked light to the touch but you didn’t dare think about doing that. Slung around his neck was a small, black necklace, and attached was a singular black feather. He was wearing a black blouse, tucked into black pants. The dark outfit should have made it impossible to see him in the cave; however, there was a small glow around his body, a tell-tale sign of his power.

Your eyes rested on his collarbone and lowered to see that the first few buttons were unbuttoned. Your gaze lowered and you made out a strong chest, before blinking rapidly. Your cheeks flushed and you looked away, trying to calm your racing heart from seeing such a beautiful man in front of you.

But you had to stay focused, beautiful or not, he could be dangerous. Very dangerous. This man could lead you away from home, or worse.

Man? No a god, definitely. No man could radiate such power and authority.

You heard footsteps and saw that he was now only a few steps away from you. At the same time, it seemed that the light behind you darkened, seeming to be farther away. You didn’t pay attention to that fact, only looking up at the quiet figure’s face.

He was emotionless but his eyes swirled with a purple hint. They were looking back at you without faltering. He slowly reached a hand out in front of you. You stared at the hand, it looked rough and you thought how it would encompass your own. You looked up again, to see his expression unchanged. You looked back at the hand and reached out for it instinctively. Something took over your mind and body and now all you wanted was to hold his hand.

Your fingers touched his rough skin, until they were intertwined. The man tightened his grip on your hand but it didn’t hurt. It was gentle and felt protective almost.

Like a friend.

The feeling of his fingers caused your heartbeat to quicken.

A sudden wind blew through the opening of the cave and you turned to face the dimmed light, squinting at the outside world. Three familiar, overlapping voices whispered into your ears. You could only make out a few sentences.

..It is done…

When the maiden joins her hand with the bringer of death,

she entrusts him with her life and last breath

He must take her to his world

until he has learned

the ways of the gods and humans.

For there they will live together as lovers.

For the rest of their days.

It is done…It is done…

The voices echoed on and in a sudden, the light that was once there— vanished. Your eyes widened in confusion and when trying to move, you realized you were pushed to the ground by an invisible force.

Your knees buckled and hit the ground. You tried to get up, but it seemed that something anchored you down. Or as if your legs had fallen asleep. You shook your head and kept trying, even putting one of your hands down on the ground.

But it felt different.

You looked down to see that you weren’t on the ground at all, but rather in some type of vehicle, with a floor of purple velvet.

You were in a chariot.

You looked up to see that your hands were still intertwined with the man and his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes set in front of him.

You didn’t know where he was taking you. You recalled the poem from the wind— no the fates, telling a story.

It was your future.

You knew you couldn’t escape what they said. The fates decided everything and it was futile to try and go against it. You knew that those three women were smart enough to know what is right. You’d have to trust them, even if it would be your worst nightmare.

You closed your eyes, but a few tears slipped out. You tugged on your arm once again, to find it still held by the man. His grip was harsher than your mothers’ or any you had felt, but not too restricted. You wanted to leave, you wanted to go home. You didn’t want this.

All you wanted was freedom, but this was another cage. You hoped that this had softer bars than the last. But it didn’t matter.

You weren’t free.

————————————————————

You woke up to the chariot stopping and the man pulling you up by your arms from where you were sitting. Your legs were shaky and still asleep due to the position you had fallen down in.

When you were finally up and didn’t fall down, the mysterious man clasped his hand around/in yours to support you and guided you away from the chariot.

His hand was rough and encompassed your own. It didn’t feel like your mother’s soft, long fingers or Jimin’s tiny, plump hand. It was different and his hand was freezing.

The entire environment was freezing and you started getting goosebumps over your arms, making you start to regret the choice of clothing.

You finally had a minute to look around since he was walking so slow. You realized that his chariot was drawn by these gray horses. They looked like they were shrouded in mist and you could see their forms flicker. It looked like the same magic that hid the forest from you. One of the horses turned to you and it’s eyes made you uncomfortable. They were pure white. They stared at you and you quickly looked away.

You turned around to look where the man was dragging you and saw that you were approaching a palace of sorts. It was made out of black obsidian and marble, with a bronze door. The palace seemed like it would crumble any minute with how old it looked but, it held strong. It was massive, you quickly realized after being in front of it.

You walked up the steps, your hand still held by the man. You looked up at the building, only for you to lose your footing and start to fall backwards.

You yelped out and tried to hold onto the man’s hand when he quickly turned around and tugged you into his sturdy chest. It all happened in a few seconds.

You clung onto his blouse, afraid of falling down the stairs again while your hands were shaking.

He wrapped his arms around your body to keep you from moving back. The momentum made him sway backwards and so his hands held your waist tighter. He regained his balance quickly but didn’t lessen his grip on you.

You eyes stay rooted to the feather on his neck and didn’t dare look up. You knew if you did, you’d be barely inches away from his face. You felt his eyes on you and you couldn’t help but shiver.

You felt awkward and uncomfortable, and embarrassed for some reason. You tried letting go of his blouse after calming down. At first, the man held on tighter and you became stiff. But soon after, he slowly let go of your waist, letting you adjust yourself to the small step you both were standing on.

You rose your head to his and saw that he was still staring at you. You turned around quickly and head up the remaining stairs while trying not to look back, scared of embarrassing yourself even more. At the top of the stairs was the bronze double doors, at least four times your height and as twice as wide as the doors to your palace back home.

To say the least, it was huge.

There was no door handle to turn or pull so you stood there waiting for the man to come up. You didn’t want to look back, still afraid you’d be speechless again or it would just be awkward, so you tried finding something to distract yourself with.

The man was only a few steps behind you and walked up to your right side. You felt his gaze on you but you didn’t look back. You kept your head up and kept looking at the intricate swirls in the marble of the palace. When you felt his vision shift away, you looked to see his eyes trained on the doors and his arm reached out. He placed his palm on the door and murmured a few words you didn’t catch.

“W-what?” You asked, unaware of what he was saying.

He sighed and repeated his words a little louder, “..Give me your hand.”

His voice was soft and steady. He talked with a type of elegance you hadn’t heard before. He didn’t ask for it nor demand it, but his tone didn’t leave room for questioning. Most people back home were either too cocky and brash, getting angry quickly.

You blinked a few times and decided that it would be safe enough to place your hand in his. You slowly reached out and held his free hand with yours. You stood there, confused and furrowed your eyebrows.

You felt connected to the man and electric buzz moved through your body and into his where you where intertwined. You heard a small and similar buzzing sound in the door and it felt like it was pulling you.

Your eyes widened and you let out a tiny gasp and placed your other hand parallel to his on the door. The door and the two of you were now connected.

You felt a bond to the man that you couldn’t quite describe. It felt almost like a string in your heart, tugging the tiniest bit in his direction.

You closed your eyes as you felt a part of your godly energy being ignited in your being. A slow wind blew and repeated a message into your ears.

..It is done…It is done…

The door creaked loudly and opened, making you and the man put your hands back to your sides. The man stayed silent as the door opened to its full extent. Once open, he walked through the door and went inside.

The string got tighter.

You looked back down the stairs and saw the chariot. You couldn’t see much else past that as there was a thick fog blocking your vision. Deciding that it would be better to follow him, you walked through the doors.

In the hallway, it was lit by torches on the wall and so you could barely see the outline of the man in front of you. But you could feel the string inside on your chest, pulling you towards his shadowy figure.

He turned left. You quickened your pace.

You walked for a few more minutes before you reached a smaller white door. Avoiding your gaze, he pushed the door open and walked inside. You followed him to see you were in the middle of a bedroom. Everything was black and the two lanterns in the room didn’t even help illuminate the room. You stayed quiet, looking around and choosing to go sit on the large bed in the corner. You looked up to meet the man’s eyes.

They were still as striking as when you met him in the cave, but they seemed colder, if possible. The two of you didn’t stop staring at each other for a few minutes. You looked away first, too tired from the day’s things to care. You knew what your fate was now.

You were promised to the man in front of you.

You had heard stories about things like this when you were younger. How heroes were tricked into marrying nymphs or evil spirits leading them to their demise for the ‘gods to be happy’. You were a god. This didn’t exactly make you happy.

The man didn’t look like an evil spirit. And if he was, he would’ve killed you by now. You must’ve been promised to marry him. He hadn’t tried anything so you decided that maybe becoming friends would be the best option. You laid your hands on the bed and felt a pillow to your side. It was fluffed up and had a velvet covering. Your hand grabbed the pillow and placed it in your lap before looking up again.

While you were thinking, the man had left the room with the door closed. You realized that this man wouldn’t be with you and you were beyond grateful. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. You decided that maybe sleeping wouldn’t be a bad idea. It wasn’t that you needed to but it was the only thing you wanted to do at the moment.

You placed the pillow back where it was and rested your head on it. You plopped you’re feet on the bed and stretched out in a star shape. You closed your eyes and sighed.

A wind blew through the room again, despite there being no opening in the room. Your bare feet got goosebumps and you shivered. You curled up into a ball and hugged your knees to your chest. You hadn’t felt any blanket so this was the best option to stay warm.

You shut your eyes tighter, trying to fight off the cold and finally went to sleep.

_______________________________________________

Hades wanted to say something to you, but he was pulled away. His servant had called him in his mind and he had to rush out to see what the emergency was. It was a false alarm and Hades was more than furious. A calm god like him wasn’t supposed to show his true emotions and he prided himself on having a calm demeanor. But he was more so confused why he was so angry. It wasn’t an emergency and so nothing bad happened.

Why is there a tugging in my heart?

He shook his head and remembered what happened in the earlier moments of the day while walking back to his room. When he met you in the cave, his first thoughts were flooded by your own. For some reason, he could hear what you were thinking and even he was shocked. He knew how innocent you were but didn’t think that you didn’t recognize him.

He knew you.

Persephone, the goddess responsible of all things green and living in the human world. Also referred to as Kore by your loved ones. He knew about how you liked being called Y/N, like how he liked being called Jin. But that was it.

No one warned him that you were beautiful.

He had been in the presence of Aphrodite— Yoongi, and he strongly believed that Y/N could definitely rival the title: god of beauty. There was a certain aura about you that attracted Jin. You were curious and bold yet clumsy. You had tripped over air when walking up the stairs to the palace doors.

Jin’s hands went to his lightly blushing cheeks. He covered his mouth to hid the ends of his lips turning upwards. He remembered how he had tugged your soft hands towards him and your body hit his chest. Your hands had caught onto his blouse quickly and were gripping them tightly. He had also rocked back and had dug his fingers into your waist a little. He sighed softly and shut his eyes.

He hoped he hadn’t hurt you.

He didn’t want to hurt you. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He knew the two of you were promised to each other for some odd reason. The fates liked to play tricks on humans, but even gods? Jin liked to think it was immature, he knew that the two of you wouldn’t fall in love but he did want to be on good terms with you, maybe even friends. Hurting you in one of the first few moments you met was not the plan.

He opened his eyes and looked down to his opened hands. To anyone else, it looked like regular human hands. But what Jin saw was very different. And he hated what he saw.

He saw blood.

His hands were soaked in red and he couldn’t remove that scarring image no matter how much he washed it, rubbed it, or even poured ambrosia over it. It would always be in his memory and what he saw when he looked at his hands. He was the god of the Underworld, he took care of those who had died, both saints and sinners. He had to join Thanatos to wars and famines since the amount that died where higher. Or when a certain person deserved his presence when dying, for good and bad reasons.

With that on his conscience, how could he live without the thought of the dead?

Jin clenched his hand into a fist and closed his eyes, frustrated at the world and everything. He took a deep breath in and relaxed his hands to his side. He opened his eyes again and looked forward.

He knew it was futile to think more but he thought that the addition of you would make his life change. For the better. He knew it was dumb but he had hope. Even if that hope had become the size of a needle from a pillar.

He started walking again to his room, thinking about what you were doing. He should try and find something for you to do. His palace wasn’t at all like the white palace in the bright human world. His palace was black, black, and more black with very minimal lighting. He was sure that it was a huge shock to you.  

He moved quicker through the winding hallways to his room and stopped mid-step into opening the door before thinking twice. He didn’t want to intrude incase you were doing something private. He sighed again and decided on knocking first.

Who would’ve guessed?

The infamous Hades, king of the Underworld and god of the dead, was knocking to enter his own room in his palace. No one, no one would’ve guessed that or even thought of it happening.

He knocked twice. No response.

He knocked again, albeit a little louder this time. No response.

He decided that it would be okay to open the door so he entered the room. He slowly poked his head inside, only to find you curled up in a ball on his bed.

On his bed.

Jin’s ears reddened from embarrassment and shyness. He quickly pat them down to try and alleviate the heat.

Jin shook his head to stop the emotions and thoughts coming into his mind and focused on your shaking form. He realized that the temperature in his world compared to the human world would’ve also been different.

He moved to the side of the bed in front of you and stared at your small form. You were shaking like a leaf, goosebumps on your forearms and legs. He was thinking of what to do when he heard a small noise from you. You had whimpered from the cold and you’re teeth were chattering.

In an instant, he brought his hand to his shoulder and clenched his fist, looking like he had grabbed onto air.

The ‘air’ he grabbed materialized into his huge coat and he yanked it off his broad shoulders. He wrapped the warm material around your form and you stilled. Your teeth stopped chattering as much.

You hummed in relief and at the soft sound, Jin smiled for the first time in eons.

Once he realized this, Jin quickly put on a stoic expression again while trying to understand why his mind was riddled with thoughts of you. He couldn’t understand his behavior, he was never like this.

He was patting the make-shift blanket under your waist to make it snug when your hand found his fingers. He immediately stopped and felt your soft hand.

Your hand was quite cold but you held on tightly to his fingers. Jin sat on the edge of the bed.

He then trapped your hand in between his and blew lightly on it to warm it up. Jin then intertwined his hand into yours and decided to sit on the floor next to the bed. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or do something that you hadn’t allowed. He also tried not to think of anything else involving you.

He found a place on the floor and put his back to the bed rails and tightly gripped your hand. His thumb rolled over your knuckles in an effort of comfort and to warm it up. Jin’s hair was ruffled from the times he had run it through while on the chariot or coming back to the room due to stress but he messed it up even further.

He knew how many mortals and deities he had to bring to the Underworld and the other troubles that were happening in the human world and Olympus. If he didn’t leave now, he might face the wrath of Namjoon or Thanatos, neither of which would end well.

He decided to be selfish for once and indulge in the quiet moment. Your presence was having an effect on him already.

He wanted to stay with you.

The string in his heart pulled tighter.

How could these people like the constant happiness, the constant smiling, the constant joy? As if everything was right in the world.

It wasn’t.

It hadn’t been in years. As a minor goddess, you weren’t roped into the specifics but, you knew that something was brewing up in Olympus. You couldn’t understand what yet but you knew something.

Your mother, Demeter, had not told you much but you had noticed her retiring in the early evenings to bed, only to overhear some whispers in her room in the dead of night. You knew who it was, who else could give her messages of what was happening up in the sky?

Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

He liked to call himself Jimin. You understood the desire to keep more human names, traits. You had especially liked the name Y/N, it rolled off your tongue and stuck.

Of course, your mother despised it. Just like everything else you did that did not include helping her. She had ‘discussed’ the matter with you once.

“You’re a goddess for Zeus sake! You should keep your powerful name, Persephone.”

You had rolled your eyes at the statement. Even Zeus had his own name, Namjoon. It fitted the god’s wisdom but not his intimate tendencies. You knew Jungkook, Hera, would be fuming whether or not Namjoon was looking at mortal women and men again, but just at the thought. You chuckled and rolled your eyes, you missed that. You missed your friends. You were so close with the gods in Olympus.

Only for your mother to pull you down to Earth to help the mortals survive.

It was a fruitless request, your presence was not needed. There wasn’t any weather changed except the warm sunshine to good rainfall every other day. Crops were thriving and the people were happy.

It was a paradise.

You were useless here.

Alas, you couldn’t disobey your mother, that would give more complications then you would ever want. Her gray eyes and sharp words would often cut through your measly requests of exploration. You didn’t ask for the secret of life, just if you could travel beyond the meadows and into the forest. 

You tried to reason with yourself that she was just trying to protect you but sometimes it was stifling. Couldn’t she trust you for more than a few minutes? 

You had covered up your curiosity by saying that you wanted to help protect the young men who cut wood in the night. You envied their positions, they had real families. Your mother had rolled her eyes and with a subtle way of words, she had made your request seem like the end of the world. She kept a finger under your chin, bringing it down to her face. She pouted, and drawled out a familiar phrase.

“Why? You don’t like living with your mother? I know what’s best for you.”

You knew that something was wrong. Your mother was a bit strict, to put it lightly, but she had recently become even more controlling. It was as if she was running out of time and couldn’t bear the thought of you not being at her side.

Your relationship reminded you of a mortal folktale you had heard of. Nothing to do with gods like they usually were, but a different one. You forgot the name but you vividly remembered the story being told around a fire. It was about a girl with long, gold hair who was trapped in a tower by her conniving mother. The similarities were striking and you knew something was off. You never addressed it, scared that the mortals might get the brunt of your mother’s anger for a made-up story.

So you kept the story and the happy ending inside your mind and it beat in your heart. It was something yours and truly and only yours. It seemed like a treasure that you would never let go off. You liked how in the end, she was able to escape her prison and live an adventurous life. You envied her courage. Her bravery to leave what she knew behind to take the chance of finding something more. And even someone more.

You tried to keep these thoughts quiet, scared if it entered your mind, it would be on the tip of your tongue and your mother would steal it from you. Like your freedom.

Your morning thoughts were interrupted by Jimin’s wings flapping onto the balcony you had been looking out from. The balcony was made of a white marble and it was right outside your room. The room was spacious but not needed. You were a goddess, you didn’t need sleep or have any mortal belongings. But it was nice, in its own way.

Jimin’s light smile always brightened your mood, no matter the time or day. You looked at him as he descended but did not open your mouth, afraid of the response he might give to the question that had been plaguing you.

Maybe another day.

He landed next to you, his soft pink locks bouncing before the small white and gold flecked wings on his ankles disappeared in a bit of smoke.

He was wearing white robes with gold accents, he had a touch for style you knew had been inspired by Apollo, or as he called himself: Hoseok. The mortal depiction of Hermes was that he held a staff of two talking snakes and wore a helmet but a few eons ago, Jimin had rolled his eyes at the tradition and tossed both away. Obviously, he was reprimanded for this by Namjoon so he decided to compromise and just keep them hidden from view. However, if you concentrated, you could make out a gold shimmer in his hair where his helmet ought to be or hear two overlapping voices of the snakes on his staff.

“What do I owe to have the pleasure of seeing you, Jimin?” You asked, turning away from him to lean on the handrail of your balcony. Your hands had felt those rails so many times. It was rough and warm, just like everything in the mortal world.

You wanted to feel something different, something—

“You flatter me, and yourself. How did you know I’ve come to see you?” He smirked and teased.

You flicked your eyes back down at his, only to see them gazing back at you. His eyes swirled with a mix of brown and gold, showing his power. You didn’t yield down and continued to look at him. He sighed softly and looked out to the fields that the balcony overlooked. He brought an arm around your shoulders and slowly pulled you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around his torso and he put his head on your chest.

“I miss you, Kore,” He murmured, tired of keeping up appearances, “we all do.”

You hummed in understanding, taking the chance to relish being in your friend’s arms. It wouldn’t have been bad to live in the mortal world, in basically a palace that mortals couldn’t see. With endless food and drinks to indulge. But you didn’t want any of that. You wanted your friends, the people you loved and cared about.

“We all miss our pretty bird. The one who would fly across Olympus because she heard some of us talking loudly. Her feathers glistening in the morning dew after racing Hobi and his chariot to bring the sunrise. Quarreling with Namjoon about little things or when Taehyung scolded you for drinking too much ambrosia. We miss you.”

“I know. I miss you all too.”

Your friends had called you pretty bird after your endearing qualities that you always expressed on Olympus. You would hear an uproar from one side of the throne room and you’d come dashing in to see what was the problem. Your selflessness and compassion had made many of the gods favor you. Even Jungkook, known for his coldness to other gods, had a soft spot for you.

And you used to be a cheeky brat when you were a few eons old. You’d steal ambrosia from Hebe, the goddess of youth. She’d be sleeping when you would find her golden cup, filled with the sweet of the gods. She’d scold you multiple times, but you’d have a smile on your face from tricking her. You were also the one who gave her a mortal name, Taehyung. You later realized it was more so used for males, but she laughed it off. Saying she liked the way it sounded and explained how gender norms were only a mortal concept and that she could embody a man. She did and you started to realize why she— or he rather, was the god of youth.

Jungkook would even side you when you disturbed Namjoon, saying that you were only a child. He would also laugh it off, patting you on the head, while Jungkook would only smile. You didn’t remember much of what your mother used to do. She would come every once in a while to check up on you, before leaving back to the mortal world. You didn’t mind her absence. Demeter was always the one scolding you the most. She’d punish you by saying that you weren’t allowed to leave a certain area until she deemed fit. Of course, during these times, your friends would help you out. The first time they did, you jumped so high that Jimin thought you had sprouted wings. That was the first time they called you pretty bird. You still felt like a pretty bird.

A pretty bird held in golden cage. But you realized that, though the bars might be golden, it was still a cage.

And a bird is meant to be free.

————————————————————

You were roaming around the meadows again, but not alone.

You could never be alone.

“Y/N, where are you going? Come back here and don’t wander off!” Your mother yelled from behind you.

In reality, you had barely been a few feet away from her. You turned your head back at her upset form and nodded in acknowledgment. There wasn’t much you could do but agree.

Though, while slowly walking back to your mother’s side, you looked at the meadow you were in. It was filled with vegetation: flowers, grass, fern, and other herbs. They weren’t all just green, but different shades of greens, browns, and a sprinkle of colors from the daisies or lavender planted there.

A swift breeze passed by you and your dress moved with it. Your hands went to the soft, cotton fabric of your plain, white chiton. Your mother hated the choice of clothing, saying that you shouldn’t conform to mortal standards as you were a goddess. You tried to understand but, it was a simple dress and the gods wore more or less the same thing. It must have been because you didn’t wear a laurel wreath on your head. You despised it, remembering how you loved hiding in cherry laurel when you were younger. There was no point in cutting off a few branches to identify yourself as god. The mortals couldn’t see you, only other gods could. It was useless.

Even in little things you tried to disobey your mother, such as shortening the chiton by a few inches at the bottom. It could help you run through the grass, if you could.

If she allowed it.

You stopped in your tracks to crouch down, holding your arms around your knees while balancing on the front of your feet. You looked in front of you at the baby’s breath in curiosity, it was such a lovely plant and you liked the simplicity. It had always been a favorite.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but it’s getting late and I don’t want you to wander off. Please stay close, okay?” Your mother asked, her true feelings surfacing for a brief second. She held your wrist and pulled you up.

Her fingers pinched your skin, but you didn’t cry out. She dragged you through the baby breath and your feet crushed the plant. Your mother kept walking for a few feet until stopping in front of a cluster of crops that were wilting, most likely from a disease. Your mother folded her arms while you rubbed your wrists to ease the pain.

“Sorry Kore, I didn’t know I hurt you.”

“It’s fine.”

She looked at you worried, but you shrugged it off and sighed.

Closing your eyes, you tried to stay calm. Your mother wanted to test your powers again, afraid that your talks with Jimin or your curiosity was hindering it someway.

You opened your eyes and took a deep breath in. You felt your fingers tingle and you opened your palm out to the crops. In mere moments, the disease that effected the crops vanished, leaving healthier ones in its stead.

Your mother only hummed and stepped towards you. She stood in front of you and smiled. These were the moments you liked, when your mom was not being completely anxious and worried. Her smile reminded you about wilting flowers, beautifully sad. She took your hands into hers delicately, unlike the way she grabbed them earlier, and rubbed them. You liked the feeling but it was even better when she tip-toed to kiss the top of your head.

“I love you Persephone, I’m sorry if I have been anxious the past few days. It is not your fault. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Demeter gently said before letting go of your hands and walking away.

You liked this version of your mother. Sometimes during the later months of the year, her eyes would gloss over as if remembering something depressing. In those days, her voice and actions were strikingly different from the mother you loved. She would act as if she only cared about what you could do, it was very weird. You knew that wasn’t who your mother was but something made her want to protect and hone your powers. It wasn’t like someone was going to kidnap you, right?

You sighed and changed your thoughts to something lighter. You wished for a chance to go back and look through all the herbs in the meadow. Mortals thought they had healing powers, and sometimes you laughed at the aspect of mortals. They had no powers, no way to heal themselves, no way to truly hurt each other, no way to protect themselves.

You wished you were human.

You sighed and your eyes flickered behind you, only to see something quite different from what you were expecting. You tilted your head in confusion and suddenly your eyes widened.

It was a forest.

Your eyebrows furrowed and you thought, When had that gotten there?

You were in doubt of what you’re were seeing until the image rippling like a reflection in water. You knew that magic. It was a covering, to stop others from seeing a forest. Your gasped softly in realization, the forest was a lot closer than you had originally thought.

Your freedom was a lot closer than you originally thought.

You took a few steps towards the image and it flickered again, showing the tall trees and darker green grass.

“Persephone? Is everything— what do you think you’re doing?” Your mother snapped from behind you. You turned around to look down at her steely gaze. You stuttered in a reply, but she only shook her head, repeating how naive you were.

“Do you know how dangerous these parts of the meadow are? Practically anything can happen! Let’s go home, Kore.”

Demeter had a faraway look in her eyes. She strolled over and was about to grab your hand again when another stopped your mother.

It was Jimin.

He smiled sweetly, looking at your mother. His eyes were in crescents but his hand blocked hers from reaching your hand.

“What a pleasant surprise! Demeter, Y/N, how lovely to see you both.”

Your mother rolled her eyes and eyed Jimin down, suspicious of his intentions. Jimin only smiled back and merely glanced at you. He started to gently push your mother in the other direction while holding her forearm. She was shocked and tried to get out of his grip. However, he whispered a few words into her ears and the goddess stayed still. Jimin looked back at you and gave you a comforting smile.

“Why don’t you go along, Y/N? Your mother doesn’t mind anymore. Plus, someone has much to discuss with her.” Jimin stated, already waving and walking away with your mother.

You were astonished how fast everything had happened, but nonetheless would not allow this chance to slip away from you.

You looked behind you once more and took in a deep breath. Waving your hand again, the mirage disappeared and there stood dark pine trees, tall and ominous. You took one step forward, and then another. You kept doing this, slowly, as you were still wary of what might happen. You stopped when you reached the end of the meadow and the start of the forest. Your foot hung in the air, hesitating to step into the different landscape. You knew, once you ventured in, it would be even harder to come back.

You pushed your doubts to the back of your mind and stepped forward. The ground was damp and cold, making your eyebrows rise in astonishment. You looked down and saw dark, brown dirt with hints of moss. You smiled, you did it. You had finally explored out of the meadows, albeit it only being a step away. You gathered up the courage and kept walking through the forest, passing by trees and rocks.

You were blissfully strolling through the forest, your hands swinging from side to side, and a permanent grin on your lips. Before you could continue your journey, you heard a whisper. You turned your head back and forth, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound but without luck. You tried to shrug off the sound, thinking it was your imagination. About to keep walking, you heard the voice again.

And it was picking up volume.

More joined in.

Your hands trembled and your eyes kept flickering between the tree trunks. You put a shaking foot back, only to hear the voices even louder. Your eyes widened from terror and without another doubt in your mind, you started to run in the direction you came from, only to realize that there was more trees. You didn’t see the meadow or your palace. You could only see more trees, as if the forest had tricked you.

You shook your head to try and rid of the disturbing thoughts. You didn’t know what would happen but you had to leave.

And fast.

You took a few more awkward steps forward, until you were running again. You didn’t stop when you heard the voices getting clearer. You didn’t stop when you tripped on a rock and stubbed your toe. However, the fatigue got to you, it was another human tendency you had to deal with while being in the current form you embodied.

You were out of breath and slowed down your pace. From a few feet away, you saw a cave. It was dark gray and looked like it would crumble at any second. Putting aside safety, your curiosity got the best of you and you continued into the cave. The cave was a lot larger than you had anticipated but you relished that you had some sort of shelter. You tried looking behind you to see the light from the entrance of the cave, only to be met with darkness.

Everything was dark.

You looked around to try and find some semblance of light. There was nothing. It was as if someone had dropped you into the middle of the void.

Maybe going out was a bad idea.

The thought of staying inside your palace, surrounded by white walls and plush bedding, felt like a dream. The sun shining through your balcony and the birds chirping.

Maybe mother was—

“What are you doing, Kore?”

You gasped and twirled around, only to find more darkness. You were scared and couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from. You dug your nails into your sweaty palms to try and stop them from shaking, but it was no use. Your feet slid across the cold floor, littered with sharp rocks that pinched and scratched your supple skin. You winced, not understanding what was happening or who had called out.

You heard distant wailing and a growing rumble of voices from a far-off distance. You closed your eyes and put your arms around your ears. You fell to the floor, hunched, as if it would protect you from the scary reality. The noises, the rocks, the darkness, the voices, were all overwhelming your mind.

You shook you head, trying to deny the danger you might be in. You didn’t want to find yourself in such a situation, all you wanted was to explore. And you got that freedom, but for a price.

You made out the same voice midst the wailing, garbled and soft, as if you were underwater. It sounded closer to you now, you curled up further, trying to separate yourself. You hoped that whatever, or whoever it was, would leave you alone. Leave you alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.

Everything stopped as quickly as it started.

Your ears couldn’t pick up anything and it didn’t seem so loud anymore.

Maybe it’s gone? You thought, hopeful that you were alone once more and it was all a weird illusion.

You uncovered your eyes and lifted your head slightly to realize you were in the cave once more. On the floor in front of you, you could see your shadow, meaning a light was behind you.

You could go home.

You lifted your body instantly and turned around. You were about to step towards the entrance when you felt a presence behind you. You steadied your hands and tightened your limbs, ready to run away.

But you couldn’t, your curiosity didn’t allow it. You cursed it in your head.

You slowly moved your body to face behind you, only to be met with a male figure.

His black eyes pierced yours but the presence did not feel as threatening as it should have been. His hair looked light to the touch but you didn’t dare think about doing that. Slung around his neck was a small, black necklace, and attached was a singular black feather. He was wearing a black blouse, tucked into black pants. The dark outfit should have made it impossible to see him in the cave; however, there was a small glow around his body, a tell-tale sign of his power.

Your eyes rested on his collarbone and lowered to see that the first few buttons were unbuttoned. Your gaze lowered and you made out a strong chest, before blinking rapidly. Your cheeks flushed and you looked away, trying to calm your racing heart from seeing such a beautiful man in front of you.

But you had to stay focused, beautiful or not, he could be dangerous. Very dangerous. This man could lead you away from home, or worse.

Man? No a god, definitely. No man could radiate such power and authority.

You heard footsteps and saw that he was now only a few steps away from you. At the same time, it seemed that the light behind you darkened, seeming to be farther away. You didn’t pay attention to that fact, only looking down at the quiet figure’s face.

He was emotionless but his eyes swirled with a purple hint. They were looking back at you without faltering. He slowly reached a hand out in front of you. You stared at the hand, it looked rough and you thought how yours would encompass it. You looked down again, to see his expression unchanged. You looked back at the hand and reached out for it instinctively. Something took over your mind and body and now all you wanted was to hold his hand.

Your fingers touched his rough skin, until they were intertwined. The man tightened his grip on your hand but it didn’t hurt like your mother’s. It was gentle and felt protective almost.

Like a friend.

The feeling of his fingers caused your heartbeat to quicken.

A sudden wind blew through the opening of the cave and you turned to face the dimmed light, squinting at the outside world. Three familiar, overlapping voices whispered into your ears. You could only make out a few sentences.

..It is done…

When the maiden joins her hand with the bringer of death,

she entrusts him with her life and last breath

He must take her to his world

until he has learned

the ways of the gods and humans.

For there they will live together as lovers.

For the rest of their days.

It is done…It is done…

The voices echoed on and in a sudden, the light that was once there— vanished. Your eyes widened in confusion and when trying to move, you realized you were pushed to the ground by an invisible force.

Your knees buckled and hit the ground. You tried to get up, but it seemed that something anchored you down. Or as if your legs had fallen asleep. You shook your head and kept trying, even putting one of your hands down on the ground.

But it felt different.

You looked down to see that you weren’t on the ground at all, but rather in some type of vehicle, with a floor of purple velvet.

You were in a chariot.

You looked up to see that your hands were still intertwined with the man and his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes set in front of him.

You didn’t know where he was taking you. You recalled the poem from the wind— no the fates, telling a story.

It was your future.

You knew you couldn’t escape what they said. The fates decided everything and it was futile to try and go against it. You knew that those three women were smart enough to know what is right. You’d have to trust them, even if it would be your worst nightmare.

You closed your eyes, but a few tears slipped out. You tugged on your arm once again, to find it still held by the man. His grip was harsher than your mothers’ or any you had felt, but not too restricted. You wanted to leave, you wanted to go home. You didn’t want this.

All you wanted was freedom, but this was another cage. You hoped that this had softer bars than the last. But it didn’t matter.

You weren’t free.

————————————————————

You woke up to the chariot stopping and the man pulling you up by your arms from where you were sitting. Your legs were shaky and still asleep due to the position you had fallen down in.

When you were finally up and didn’t fall down, the mysterious man took your arm, wrapped it around his arm, and intertwined your hands to support you and guided you away from the chariot.

His hand was rough and was encompassed by your own. It didn’t feel like your mother’s soft, long fingers or Jimin’s tiny, plump hand. It was different and his hand was freezing.

The entire environment was freezing and you started getting goosebumps over your arms, making you start to regret the choice of clothing.

You finally had a minute to look around since he was walking so slow. You realized that his chariot was drawn by these gray horses. They looked like they were shrouded in mist and you could see their forms flicker. It looked like the same magic that hid the forest from you. One of the horses turned to you and it’s eyes made you uncomfortable. They were pure white. They stared at you and you quickly looked away.

You turned around to look where the man was dragging you and saw that you were approaching a palace of sorts. It was made out of black obsidian and marble, with a bronze door. The palace seemed like it would crumble any minute with how old it looked but, it held strong. It was massive, you quickly realized after being in front of it.

You walked up the steps, your hand still held by the man. You looked up at the building, only for you to lose your footing and start to fall backwards.

You yelped out and tried to hold onto the man’s hand when he quickly turned around and tugged you towards his sturdy chest. It all happened in a few seconds.

You clung onto his blouse, afraid of falling down the stairs again while your hands were shaking.

He wrapped his arms around your body to keep you from moving back. The momentum made him sway backwards and so his hands held your waist tighter. He regained his balance quickly but didn’t lessen his grip on you.

You eyes stay rooted to the feather down on his neck and didn’t dare look up. You knew if you did, you’d be barely inches away from his face. You felt his eyes on you and you couldn’t help but shiver.

You felt awkward and uncomfortable, and embarrassed for some reason. You tried letting go of his blouse after calming down. At first, the man held on tighter and you became stiff. But soon after, he slowly let go of your waist, letting you adjust yourself to the small step you both were standing on.

You lowered your head to his and saw that he was still staring at you. You turned around quickly and head up the remaining stairs while trying not to look back, scared of embarrassing yourself even more. At the top of the stairs was the bronze double doors, at least four times your height and as twice as wide as the doors to your palace back home.

To say the least, it was huge.

There was no door handle to turn or pull so you stood there waiting for the man to come up. You didn’t want to look back, still afraid you’d be speechless again or it would just be awkward, so you tried finding something to distract yourself with.

The man was only a few steps behind you and walked up to your right side. You felt his gaze on you but you didn’t look back. You kept your head up and kept looking at the intricate swirls in the marble of the palace. When you felt his vision shift away, you looked to see his eyes trained on the doors and his arm reached out. He placed his palm on the door and murmured a few words you didn’t catch.

“W-what?” You asked, unaware of what he was saying.

He sighed and repeated his words a little louder, “..Give me your hand.”

His voice was soft and steady. He talked with a type of elegance you hadn’t heard before. He didn’t ask for it nor demand it, but his tone didn’t leave room for questioning. Most people back home were either too cocky and brash, getting angry quickly.

You blinked a few times and decided that it would be safe enough to hold his hand. You slowly reached out and held his free hand with yours. You stood there, confused and furrowed your eyebrows.

You felt connected to the man and electric buzz moved through your body and into his where you where intertwined. You heard a small and similar buzzing sound in the door and it felt like it was pulling you.

Your eyes widened and you let out a tiny gasp and placed your other hand parallel to his on the door. The door and the two of you were now connected.

You felt a bond to the man that you couldn’t quite describe. It felt almost like a string in your heart, tugging the tiniest bit in his direction.

You closed your eyes as you felt a part of your godly energy being ignited in your being. A slow wind blew and repeated a message into your ears.

..It is done…It is done…

The door creaked loudly and opened, making you and the man put your hands back to your sides. The man stayed silent as the door opened to its full extent. Once open, he walked through the door and went inside.

The string got tighter.

You looked back down the stairs and saw the chariot. You couldn’t see much else past that as there was a thick fog blocking your vision. Deciding that it would be better to follow him, you walked through the doors.

In the hallway, it was lit by torches on the wall and so you could barely see the outline of the man in front of you. But you could feel the string inside on your chest, pulling you towards his shadowy figure.

He turned left. You quickened your pace.

You walked for a few more minutes before you reached a smaller white door. Avoiding your gaze, he pushed the door open and walked inside. You followed him to see you were in the middle of a bedroom. Everything was black and the two lanterns in the room didn’t even help illuminate the room. You stayed quiet, looking around and choosing to go sit on the large bed in the corner. You looked up to meet the man’s eyes.

They were still as striking as when you met him in the cave, but they seemed colder, if possible. The two of you didn’t stop staring at each other for a few minutes. You looked away first, too tired from the day’s things to care. You knew what your fate was now.

You were promised to the man in front of you.

You had heard stories about things like this when you were younger. How heroes were tricked into marrying nymphs or evil spirits leading them to their demise for the ‘gods to be happy’. You were a god. This didn’t exactly make you happy.

The man didn’t look like an evil spirit. And if he was, he would’ve killed you by now. You must’ve been promised to marry him. He hadn’t tried anything so you decided that maybe becoming friends would be the best option. You laid your hands on the bed and felt a pillow to your side. It was fluffed up and had a velvet covering. Your hand grabbed the pillow and placed it in your lap before looking up again.

While you were thinking, the man had left the room with the door closed. You realized that this man wouldn’t be with you and you were beyond grateful. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. You decided that maybe sleeping wouldn’t be a bad idea. It wasn’t that you needed to but it was the only thing you wanted to do at the moment.

You placed the pillow back where it was and rested your head on it. You plopped you’re feet on the bed and stretched out in a star shape. You closed your eyes and sighed.

A wind blew through the room again, despite there being no opening in the room. Your bare feet got goosebumps and you shivered. You curled up into a ball and hugged your knees to your chest. You hadn’t felt any blanket so this was the best option to stay warm.

You shut your eyes tighter, trying to fight off the cold and finally went to sleep.

_______________________________________________

Hades wanted to say something to you, but he was pulled away. His servant had called him in his mind and he had to rush out to see what the emergency was. It was a false alarm and Hades was more than furious. A calm god like him wasn’t supposed to show his true emotions and he prided himself on having a calm demeanor. But he was more so confused why he was so angry. It wasn’t an emergency and so nothing bad happened.

Why is there a tugging in my heart?

He shook his head and remembered what happened in the earlier moments of the day while walking back to his room. When he met you in the cave, his first thoughts were flooded by your own. For some reason, he could hear what you were thinking and even he was shocked. He knew how innocent you were but didn’t think that you didn’t recognize him.

He knew you.

Persephone, the goddess responsible of all things green and living in the human world. He knew about how you liked being called Y/N, like how he liked being called Jin. But that was it.

No one warned him that you were beautiful.

Persephone, the goddess responsible of all things green and living in the human world. Also referred to as Kore by your loved ones. He knew about how you liked being called Y/N, like how he liked being called Jin. But that was it.

No one warned him that you were beautiful.

He had been in the presence of Aphrodite— Yoongi, and he strongly believed that Y/N could definitely rival the title: god of beauty. There was a certain aura about you that attracted Jin. You were curious and bold yet clumsy. You had tripped over air when walking up the stairs to the palace doors.

Jin’s hands went to his lightly blushing cheeks. He covered his mouth to hid the ends of his lips turning upwards. He remembered how he had tugged your soft hands towards him and your body hit his chest. Your hands had caught onto his blouse quickly and were gripping them tightly. He had also rocked back and had dug his fingers into your waist a little. He sighed softly and shut his eyes.

He hoped he hadn’t hurt you.

He didn’t want to hurt you. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He knew the two of you were promised to each other for some odd reason. The fates liked to play tricks on humans, but even gods? Jin liked to think it was immature, he knew that the two of you wouldn’t fall in love but he did want to be on good terms with you, maybe even friends. Hurting you in one of the first few moments you met was not the plan.

He opened his eyes and looked down to his opened hands. To anyone else, it looked like regular human hands. But what Jin saw was very different. And he hated what he saw.

He saw blood.

His hands were soaked in red and he couldn’t remove that scarring image no matter how much he washed it, rubbed it, or even poured ambrosia over it. It would always be in his memory and what he saw when he looked at his hands. He was the god of the Underworld, he took care of those who had died, both saints and sinners. He had to join Thanatos to wars and famines since the amount that died where higher. Or when a certain person deserved his presence when dying, for good and bad reasons.

With that on his conscience, how could he live without the thought of the dead?

Jin clenched his hand into a fist and closed his eyes, frustrated at the world and everything. He took a deep breath in and relaxed his hands to his side. He opened his eyes again and looked forward.

He knew it was futile to think more but he thought that the addition of you would make his life change. For the better. He knew it was dumb but he had hope. Even if that hope had become the size of a needle from a pillar.

He started walking again to his room, thinking about what you were doing. He should try and find something for you to do. His palace wasn’t at all like the white palace in the bright human world. His palace was black, black, and more black with very minimal lighting. He was sure that it was a huge shock to you.  

He moved quicker through the winding hallways to his room and stopped mid-step into opening the door before thinking twice. He didn’t want to intrude incase you were doing something private. He sighed again and decided on knocking first.

Who would’ve guessed?

The infamous Hades, king of the Underworld and god of the dead, was knocking to enter his own room in his palace. No one, no one would’ve guessed that or even thought of it happening.

He knocked twice. No response.

He knocked again, albeit a little louder this time. No response.

He decided that it would be okay to open the door so he entered the room. He slowly poked his head inside, only to find you curled up in a ball on his bed.

On his bed.

Jin’s ears reddened from embarrassment and shyness. He quickly pat them down to try and alleviate the heat.

Jin shook his head to stop the emotions and thoughts coming into his mind and focused on your shaking form. He realized that the temperature in his world compared to the human world would’ve also been different.

He moved to the side of the bed in front of you and stared at your small form. You were shaking like a leaf, goosebumps on your forearms and legs. He was thinking of what to do when he heard a small noise from you. You had whimpered from the cold and you’re teeth were chattering.

In an instant, he brought his hand to his shoulder and clenched his fist, looking like he had grabbed onto air.

The ‘air’ he grabbed materialized into his huge coat and he yanked it off his broad shoulders. He wrapped the warm material around your form and you stilled. Your teeth stopped chattering as much.

You hummed in relief and at the soft sound, Jin smiled for the first time in eons.

Once he realized this, Jin quickly put on a stoic expression again while trying to understand why his mind was riddled with thoughts of you. He couldn’t understand his behavior, he was never like this.

He was patting the make-shift blanket under your waist to make it snug when your hand found his fingers. He immediately stopped and felt your soft hand.

Your hand was quite cold but you held on tightly to his fingers. Jin sat on the edge of the bed.

He then trapped your hand in between his and blew lightly on it to warm it up. Jin then intertwined his hand into yours and decided to sit on the floor next to the bed. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or do something that you hadn’t allowed. He also tried not to think of anything else involving you.

He found a place on the floor and put his back to the bed rails and tightly gripped your hand. His thumb rolled over your knuckles in an effort of comfort and to warm it up. Jin’s hair was ruffled from the times he had run it through while on the chariot or coming back to the room due to stress but he messed it up even further.

He knew how many mortals and deities he had to bring to the Underworld and the other troubles that were happening in the human world and Olympus. If he didn’t leave now, he might face the wrath of Namjoon or Thanatos, neither of which would end well.

He decided to be selfish for once and indulge in the quiet moment. Your presence was having an effect on him already.

He wanted to stay with you.

The string in his heart pulled tighter.