Peace seemed to reside on the world as the course of events ran smoothly and with no complication. The topic of Sana leaving the Underworld quite suddenly eventually died down, and Olympus went about as if nothing happened. Sana continued her days with glee and as if the arguments with her mother were nothing but a nightmare, the tension subsided as the two spent their time together.
 

Nayeon couldn’t be any happier as she watched over her daughter smiling the days away. The young goddess walked about the fields, with Nayeon walking beside her, when she stopped to approach a stray dog. Sana kneeled down in front of it and showered it with affection, with which the animal eventually gave in to the comfort and started rolling on its back.
 

“You’ve gotten quite fond of these animals, aren’t you?” Nayeon smiled. “Tzuyu isn’t even here and yet you show great care for them.”

Sana continued to pet the dog’s head. “Tzuyu’s afraid of them, but she tries to endure it for me.”

“She is?” Nayeon cocked her head to one side as she pondered. “I could’ve sworn she was fond of them...”

“It’s not that she hates them. She just gets scared is all.” Sana got up and continued her daily work. Nayeon followed suit.

Nayeon enjoyed spending the days with her like this. It was as if she was getting to know her daughter once again. The goddesses had always been busy with their own roles that they rarely had the time to bond. However, Nayeon wanted to make it a habit that they spend at least this little bit of free time they had to further their relationship.

The older goddess left Sana alone to rest. Meanwhile, she stood by the waters for a breath of fresh air. And as if it was her cue, Jeongyeon appeared.

“Wow, you’re actually here,” the sea goddess snickered. “I didn’t think you still remembered the sea existed.”
 

“Only because you keep popping out unannounced like this,” Nayeon rolled her eyes.
 

“Feisty as always, I see.” Jeongyeon got out of the sea and stood next to her on the shore. “How’s Olympus?”
 

“If you visit once in a while, you’ll know.”
 

“Oh?” Jeongyeon peered at her. “Are you saying you want me to visit?”

“Don’t be narcissistic.I’m saying visit your sister once in a while. She gets grumpy most days that sometimes I forget I’m older than her.”
 

“Well, being the ruler of all gods is not an easy job. Especially since you’re there.”
 

Nayeon turned to her, her expression that of an offended woman. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you implying I’m a difficult company?”
 

“I’m not implying anything. It’s a fact.”
 

“And yet you stayed with me for all those years. How masochistic of you.”
 

The sea goddess heaved out a sigh as she gazed at the horizon, in which the sun was just about to set. “Maybe. I did stay after all knowing full well I was going to get hurt in the long run.”
 

“There’s no point blaming me now. I get it, I’ve caused you grief. Just because it’s been many years, doesn’t mean I still don’t have the guilt of the events that led up to this point.”
 

“I’m not blaming you, Nayeon.” Jeongyeon turned to her, a shadow casting on half of her face as the sun casts its light upon her. “You did what you had to do. It was either your daughter or me. And there was no way I was going to let you pick me over Sana, although I knew you wouldn’t have.”

Nayeon kept a blank expression and looked far ahead, as if pondering on a memory from long ago.Jeongyeon kept her gaze on her, observing the changes on her face— the way she would pucker her lips every now and then, the way she touched her nose with her index finger. Even after all those years, Nayeon still bore the same habits, and Jeongyeon couldn’t help but reminisce.
 

“Why does it seem like our current relationship bothers you more than me?” Jeongyeon asked. “Shouldn’t I be the bitter one here?”
 

The goddess finally turned to her. “Why are you so nonchalant about it? Why aren’t you angry at me?”
 

“It’s been years. I’ve learned to forgive in those years.”

“Even when I chose someone that wasn’t you?” Nayeon searched through Jeongyeon’s eyes for a hint of anger, some sort of remorse that she bore for her. But the goddess merely smiled.

“I’m not going to tell you how miserable I was when you left, because I’m sure you could imagine that already. I was devastated, Nayeon. But what was I supposed to do? I had no control over your decision and the events that had already occured. I may be a goddess but I’m not so powerful as to bend time and the will of the world.”
 

“You’re right. It was the best decision I could’ve made. I could not even consider my own feelings over Sana’s wellbeing.”
 

“Is that why you separated her from the one she truly loves?”
 

The goddess of harvest slightly tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing at the sudden accusation that she felt was coming. “What do you mean?” she asked.
 

“Don’t be like that. You know exactly what I mean.” Jeongyeon sighed and picked up a pebble from the sand and gave it a quick toss to the sea. “I know what you did. Momo’s not exactly the quiet type. I hope that your decision to put a barrier between Sana and Dahyun wasn’t because of your decision to put others over your own feelings the day you conceived your child. Because that was beyond Sana’s control. For her to suffer because of your ideals, now how cruel is that?”
 

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Nayeon raised her voice in defense. She felt her pulse quicken and her heart beat faster. “Who are you to lecture me about how I raise her?”
 

“Because I know how Dahyun must feel. That woman, who has nobody to rely on, nobody to accompany her in that sad and lonely world, she’s down there basking in her own emotions thinking that Sana never loved her, when we know for a fact she does.” The sea goddess placed a hand on her shoulder, waiting for Nayeon to push away, but she remained stiff. Therefore, Jeongyeon continued, “You might not understand because you were the one that left, but think of me. I suffered all those years because you didn’t give me the least bit explanation to why you decided to walk out of my life. And it wasn’t until Sana was born that I understood, and I came to forgive you. But that girl… Dahyun doesn’t know a thing.”
 

“Wow, conversations with you always end in a bad note. This is why I never come here.” Nayeon shook her head and left.

Try as she might, she couldn’t dismiss Jeongyeon’s words. Both her feelings and the feelings Dahyun might be experiencing at that moment, she found herself thinking about such things. Was her decisions truly wrong that even Jeongyeon, who barely took note of anything outside the sea realm, had taken notice and decided to confront her about it? How miserable could an Underworld goddess be? she thought. She spent a year with Sana. Truly whatever bond they might’ve shared, it wouldn’t have that major of an effect on her life…

Somehow the goddess found herself at the foot of the Underworld gates. Standing there, she wasn’t certain what she expected to get out of being there. If brought face to face with Dahyun, she wouldn’t know what to do. However, it was as if her consciousness brought her there, as if it couldn’t fathom that taking Sana away from her somehow brought her misery in her already melancholy life.
 

As Nayeon stared into space, a bark of the guard dog caused her to run towards the bushes and hide. In a few moments, Dahyun emerged from the gates, taking slight steps as she kept an eye on Cerberus who was trying to get her attention by making advances towards her leg.
 

Dahyun shooed the creature away, in which the dog understood as a sign to step back. The underground goddess heaved a sigh and made her way towards a garden bed of dead flowers. She crouched down and started digging on the soil to dispose of the withered plants. Carefully and ever so slowly, she replaced each hole with a seed. After lining about 5 of them, she filled the hole with soil and patted them down. Nayeon kept an eye on her the whole time as she took a bucket filled with water and sprinkled water on the bed.
 

The harvest goddess