People believe that the gods of the universe are born. Born by godly parents, to create godly beings. But the fact is, most of the gods are simply crafted into existence. Not born of a womb. Those that are born, however, are born only from the Mother Goddess, and those born from the Mother Goddess are the most powerful - one made to sit on the throne of Olympus, one to rule the seas and one to rule from the shadows. The rest are created based on how humans evolve. 

As the humans learned to hunt, to heal, as they defended their homes, and as they became smarter, so did the Mother Goddess adapt and create Siwon the God of War, Taeyeon the Goddess of Wisdom, and the twins, Yuri and Minho. 

Over the centuries, humans learned to truly live, to move beyond the fight for survival, and when they learned to appreciate beauty and feel love, Tiffany was created. When they bathed in their successes and started their search for true happiness, Joy was there to feed into their emotion and increase it tenfold. 

So, when finally, the humans learned to truly adapt to the change of the weather, to make the most out of each time of the year, Seulgi and her siblings were created. 

Quickly thereafter, the inhabitants of earth learned to relax, to take a breath, they learned to turn their emotions to create beautiful things, and thus, the Goddess of Music entered the world. 

Wendy was a fairly new god, and she was still getting a hang of her powers. She knew she could influence people to create something great, she knew that her music had so much power, it had the power to lighten the mood or to make it somber in an instant, she had the power to change minds, to tell stories, all with a shift in a note or with the pacing of a beat. 

She leaned forward from her balcony in Olympus, and beyond she could see so much of the world below. 

“They’re chaotic.” is Wendy’s first thought when she thinks of humans.

Her second is, “They’re doing their best.” 

She closes her eyes and allows herself to be transported to the ground below, and when she opens them, she finds herself in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. The flowers that surround her are in a wonderful array of colors, dotting every possible space of the forest floor and the trees provide the perfect shade from the Sun goddess’ powers.

After a small walk, she lays down under a tree, watching as the river rushes past, and laughs at how the fish try to go against its current. She doesn’t need to strain her ears in order to hear the happy chirp of the birds, an animal or two scurrying away, and Wendy finds this is the perfect place to just be. 

She closes her eyes and lets the warmth and comfort overtake her, she lets the moment fill her and a melody slips out, and before Wendy realizes it, she’s singing. She’s singing in awe of her new life as a new god, singing of the beauty around her, and singing of the peace she currently feels. It comes naturally to her, the melody, the words, the flow. 

When she finally opens her eyes, Wendy is surprised to find another being staring at her, before they break out into a huge smile. The new god jumps in shock, hitting her head against the tree’s sturdy trunk. 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” the other god says as she rushes to pat Wendy’s head. “I just heard you singing and I got curious. Sorry.” 

“It’s alright. You didn’t mean any harm.” 

“I’m still sorry. My siblings say my curiosity has a habit of getting me in trouble.” 

Wendy watches as her fellow god rambles about how she heard Wendy singing as she journeyed into the forest. She starts asking questions in rapid fire succession, “How did you do that? What do you think of? Do you have siblings like me or is it just you? Why are you in my forest?” and it makes Wendy laugh. 

The goddess bows her head in embarrassment, her long brown hair flowing behind her, and her skin dazzling under the sunshine. 

“You ask a lot of questions.” 

“S-sorry.” 

“No, please don’t apologize! it’s okay! I’m just not used to it. I’m new after all. I’ve only met a couple of other gods but they’re all work. Anyway, let’s start from the beginning, shall we? My name is Wendy, Goddess of Music.” 

The goddess smiles so brightly that Wendy is caught off guard. Her eyes turn into crescents, and Wendy is filled with such comfort in knowing that she has met a kind god. 

“I’m new too! Sort of. I’m Seulgi! Goddess of Spring and Life, at your service.” 

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Seulgi asks, out of the blue, something Wendy is already getting used to. 

Wendy puts down her lyre, showing Seulgi that she has her full attention, before she smiles and asks her friend to continue. 

“When we’re created into existence, we know exactly what we are. We know our purpose. We don’t question it.” 

“Is that a bad thing?” Wendy asks.

Seulgi shakes her head, “No, I don’t think so. Nothing makes me happier than bringing life to the different plants and seeing all the flowers grow. I don’t think I could do anything else. But it’s so strange that what we have is something humans spend their entire lives searching for. We’re born with purpose, while many of them end up leaving for the underworld without it.” 

“How do you know all this?” 

“I’ve seen it! The humans are so interesting, you know? I’ve seen how they are with people they love, with people they hate… when they hate themselves… That is truly a heartbreaking sight. But when they love themselves too much, they can ruin their own lives. They go fight in battles for honor or for glory… or because they believe that is what they’re meant to do.”

Wendy hums in response, and lets Seulgi go on. 

It’s only been less than a decade since they’ve met and Wendy learns right away that Seulgi is different from the other gods. But not in a bad way, not at all. Seulgi thinks of things that have never crossed Wendy’s mind and though she doesn’t always have the answers, Seulgi’s questions always interest her. Plus, there’s a spark in Seulgi’s eyes when she talks about everything she’s learned or everything she wants to know that is so endearing and just so Seulgi that Wendy can’t help but be in awe. 

“You’re staring. Why are you staring? Sorry, I’m rambling again aren’t I? Seohyun says I do that a lot. Am I creeping you out? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I- I’ll stop now.”

“Seulgi, it’s fine. We’re friends. I truly love hearing everything you have to say.” Wendy pokes Seulgi on the shoulder. “You can talk to me about anything, okay?” 

Suddenly, Wendy is enveloped into Seulgi’s arms and Wendy tries not to cry when she feels warm tears fall on her shoulder. “Thank you, Wendy. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

The first time Wendy meets the Goddess of Wine and Celebration, Seulgi is by her side.

The night’s event is a huge celebration, Seulgi mentions, as it is in honor of the King of the Gods. Seulgi also adds that she doesn’t attend parties and festivals as much as possible, since it’s not something she finds particularly entertaining. “Everyone is the same every single time. But this is for the king, and I don’t want to be punished and excluded further if I don’t show up.” Seulgi sighs then flashes Wendy one of her signature smiles, “On the brightside, I like being around Joy. You’ll like her too.” 

“All we have to do is enter, greet His Majesty if we see him, though honestly, I’ve never met him personally. More importantly, I have to introduce you to Joy and if we’re lucky, you’ll be able to meet  Solar and Moonbyul and then we can leave.” 

“Wow, is it that bad?” 

“I think the other gods would prefer if I didn’t stay too long either.” She sighs, “I’ve told you countless times, the other gods are wary of me.” 

“They’re missing out on a great friend.” Wendy says as she puts her arm around Seulgi. “I’ve told you countless times that I am very lucky that I met you.” 

“Are you ready?” Seulgi quickly changes the topic, as they arrive at the golden gates of the palace. 

“You’re making me nervous.”

“Sorry, I’m a bit nervous myself.” Seulgi shakes her head and flashes Wendy a smile, “Anyway, we’ll be fine.” 

They step through the gates and Wendy’s jaw drops in awe. She has never seen anything as grand on Olympus before. 

To the humans down below, Olympus was the tallest mountain on earth, so tall and so wide that no mortal could even survive a trip to its base. (Seulgi says that some have tried, but when they get too close, The King strikes them with one of his lightning bolts.) But what the humans did not know and Wendy was sure they would not be able to comprehend, was that Olympus was home to all, if not most, of the gods. At its peak was the palace of the King and Queen of the Gods, made of shimmering gold and pure white marble. Wendy has heard of it, of course, but stepping into it was a whole other thing. 

The center of the Royal Courtyard seemed to fit Wendy’s entire abode three times over. The columns that surround the courtyard’s perimeter were made of the whitest stone, inlain with flecks of gold, and seemed even taller than Seulgi’s favorite tree.

“I hate how big this place is.” Seulgi mumbles under her breath. 

They walk around, keeping close to the walls as Seulgi explains to Wendy everything she knows about the palace. “I’ve only been in the courtyard, as most gods. But inside, that’s where they have the Hall of the Gods. They call it Hall of the Gods when it’s only meant for the Olympians. Though, I heard that if you’re ever summoned to the Hall of Gods, you better be ready to face the wrath of the King.”

“Is he that bad?” 

“I don’t think I ever want to find out.” Seulgi looks around, then her voice drops to a whisper. “Follow me, I want to show you something!” 

Before Wendy can even respond, Seulgi is already quickly moving away, and Wendy tries her best to follow, quickly apologizing as they run into other gods and immortal beings with a, “Excuse me, sorry! Just passing through!” 

It’s only when Seulgi stops running that Wendy realizes that they are no longer in the central courtyard, but rather, are by one of the palace’s gardens, tucked away from the rest of the festivities.

“Are we allowed to be here?” 

Seulgi shrugs as she keeps walking, “I think so.” 

“You think so?! What if the King catches us?! You were the one who never wanted to meet his wrath-” 

The words and its accompanying panic die in Wendy’s mouth as soon as she takes in the view presented before her. In the middle of the garden is a huge oak tree, and just below it is a small pond. Small, relative to everything else in the palace, but bigger than most ponds Wendy’s seen on earth. But what takes Wendy’s breath away are the flowers inside the pond, some are white, pink, purple and even blue, all fully bloomed and peacefully resting on the water’s surface. 

“Wow, what are those?” 

Seulgi tugs at Wendy’s sleeve and kneels down by the pond bed. As if sensing her presence, the flowers immediately gravitate towards the goddess. 

“Don’t pick it up, its roots are what anchors them to the water,” Seulgi explains, gently running her hand across a pink flower’s petals. “But you can touch them if you’d like.”

Wendy follows Seulgi’s lead, and reaches her hand out to gently graze a white flower. “They’re beautiful, Seulgi.” 

“Thank you. I made them for our Queen.” 

“You’ve met Her Majesty??”

“Very briefly. One of her angels asked me to create a flower for her and she was pleased with my work so she came to thank me herself.” 

“What is it?” 

“I call it a lotus. It’s a symbol of purity, commitment and enlightenment. When I was asked to make it, it had to be able to thrive in this pond, because it was the only thing closest to the King’s Oak tree. But you see… it’s not easy to have flowering plants in the water. But that’s why this flower is so special. It grows through the muddy water and blooms to become one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever created.” Seulgi turns to Wendy with a proud smile, “Perfect for our Queen, don’t you think?”

“It is as beautiful as our queen, and as beautiful as its maker,” a voice interrupts. 

They whip their heads around and Wendy can feel her heart start to race as her eyes meet the piercing stare of the goddess before them. She’s about to apologize when a squeal escapes Seulgi’s lips, shocking both Wendy and the newcomer. 

“JOY!!”

The taller goddess laughs as Seulgi almost falls over as she runs to greet her with one of her big hugs. 

Joy shakes her head as they break apart, “Hello, Seulgi. I missed you too. And of course you would show off your flowers first before coming to find me.”

“Sorry, I got distracted.” 

“Ah, that I am used to.” Joy says, patting Seulgi on the head and turning to Wendy, who was now standing awkwardly behind her friend. “You must be the Goddess of Music, the one Seulgi keeps talking about.”

“Yes, I am. You can call me Wendy,” she bows in greeting.

Joy assesses her from head to toe, and Wendy tries not to flinch as their eyes meet once more. After what feels like an eternity, the goddess smiles. “It’s nice to finally meet you, I am Joy.” 

“Thank you for inviting me, Seulgi told me all this was your doing. It looks beautiful, dear goddess.” 

Joy laughs again, “I’m surprised you were even able to see anything considering how much Seulgi detests these sort of things. And please, you don’t need to be so formal with me, Wendy. I am sure we’ll be seeing each other very often.” 

They end up staying a little longer than Seulgi originally intended, mostly because Joy refuses to let them leave. Wendy finds that she likes Joy, and truly doesn’t mind spending more time with her. It’s not only because Joy is friendly, that is a given, all the gods smile and wave when they see her. But Wendy appreciates how Joy is also protective towards Seulgi. They’re walking around the edges of the party when Seulgi suddenly stiffens, and Joy says nothing but steps forward, effectively shielding the two from a couple of older gods passing by. 

“Joy, I told you, you don’t have to do that.” 

“They were rude to you the last time you were here. It’s either this or I have them thrown out.” 

“The King won’t allow it.” 

Joy rolls her eyes, “Well, His Majesty can throw his own celebrations then.” 

Joy is also incredibly easy to be around. Seulgi is obviously comfortable being around her, even if Joy is one of the older and more notable gods. “Did Seulgi tell you about the day we met?” 

“Joy, please, I beg you, don’t!” Seulgi whines. 

“Why not? It’s a great story,” Joy laughs. 

Seulgi tugs at the taller goddess’ arm, “Joy, you promised it would stay between us!” 

Then, a sudden chill passes between the trio, stopping Seulgi’s protests. Seulgi and Wendy share a glance but say nothing. Joy on the other hand, looks unconcerned and simply pats them on the back. 

“My dear goddesses Seulgi and Wendy, I apologize but I’ll have to cut this short. There’s someone I have to greet. I’ll see you both soon. It was great to finally spend time with you, Wendy. I’d love to hear you sing soon.” Joy says with a smile as she bows to them both. 

They watch as Joy makes her way towards one of the columns at the boundary of the courtyard. Wendy tilts her head in confusion, thinking that if she wasn’t actively looking at Joy, she could have sworn that she was being consumed by the shadow of the palace. 

“Who do you think that is?” Seulgi asks, squinting to try and get a better look at the King’s (well, Joy’s) new guest.

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe a new god? Maybe they’re a little shy and Joy is trying to help them be comfortable. Maybe we should introduce ourselves!” 

“Seulgi, no.” Wendy says, holding Seulgi by the wrist. “That chill… it was so foreign… it doesn’t feel safe.” 

Seulgi bites her lip, a habit that Wendy has come to learn means she’s stopping herself from speaking. 

“What is it? What are you thinking?” 

“I- it’s dumb.” 

“I said it before, you can tell me anything.” 

“Is it weird? I’m not scared at all. I feel… comfortable… secure.” Seulgi shakes her head, “Never mind. I’m just confused. Anyway, Joy’s gone so let’s go.” 

“So, how did you and Seulgi meet?” 

“She’s really never told you? After all these years?” 

“Honestly, I’ve forgotten to ask her about it. But I guess now would be as good a time as any?” 

“Well, she isn’t here to protest, at least.” 

“That’s true,” Wendy forces a smile, as she leans on the same ancient tree where she and Seulgi met long ago. 

Joy takes a seat beside her and playfully nudges the blonde goddess. “Hey, don’t worry, okay? We’ll find her, I promise.” 

“I just need to know if she’s okay. Usually, when she’s gone off, I can feel her presence if I try hard enough. But now, I can’t feel anything. I have no idea

where she is.”

“We’ll find her.” Joy repeats, maybe more for herself than anything else. “Maybe we both need to rest. I can’t seem to connect to her either.” 

Usually, when Wendy sits in this spot under the tree, there’s a myriad of sounds that surround her. But now, with snow all around them, some animals are in their deep winter sleep, while the birds have flown south and the river that Wendy loves is still frozen over. And usually, even when it’s quiet because of the winter, Seulgi is there, filling the silence with her stories and with her questions. Sure, Wendy thinks, she has gone months without Seulgi before, sometimes even years, (because what do years matter when you’re immortal?) but there’s something about this particular one that feels different. Wendy feels like Seulgi is gone from the face of the earth even though all logic tells her it’s impossible, a small tiny part of Wendy can’t seem to let that feeling go.

“I caught her in my vineyard.” Joy says suddenly, breaking the silence and thankfully interrupting Wendy’s own thoughts that were about to spiral out of control.

“You what?!” 

Joy looks up at the sky and smiles at the memory, “It was the celebration for Tiffany, the Goddess of Love, in one of her patron cities. I was busy, as I usually am, when suddenly one of my satyrs appeared in the middle of it all. I can still remember the sheer panic on his face when he told me that there was a goddess causing havoc in the vineyard. As you can imagine, I was furious. No one enters without my permission, much less touch them! I left the party in an instant and well, imagine my surprise when I got there.” 

“Was it completely destroyed?” 

“She was in the cellar, where we keep the wine. She looked so shocked when she saw me, but I’m not sure if it registered in her mind who I was. Whatever fury I had inside instantly washed away when she gave me one of her goofy smiles.” Joy laughs, “I tried to be stern, asking who she was and what she was doing but then she started crying!” 

“Oh no, Seulgi…” Wendy groans. 

“That’s when I realized she must have drank some of the wine. She was a bit drunk, I figured. She was able to introduce herself as the Goddess of Spring and even explained that she was so curious because everyone seemed so happy when I was around and she knew Tiffany had a celebration and figured she’ll try to sneak in. She kept apologizing and hugging my arm. All this while there were tears falling down her face, mind you.” 

“I take it back, I don’t want to hear the rest of the story.” 

“Oh but there’s more,” Joy laughs, “When she finally stopped crying and I finally got her out of the cellar, she would start skipping in between the rows of grapevine. At one point, she even slipped!” 

“This is so embarrassing. I now understand why Seulgi did not tell me this herself.” 

“The story doesn’t end there. Of course, I was completely awed by this interesting, clumsy and incredibly cute goddess. So, I decided to nurse her back to sobriety in my home. I had my satyrs fix everything that was needed and I only left for a moment but when I returned-” 

Wendy sighs, “What more could have Seulgi done?” 

“She was cuddling with my panther. Calling it Amanda, petting it constantly.” Joy smiles.

“That sounds absolutely adorable.” 

“It was. It was also a very strange way to meet another god. But, it was very Seulgi.” 

“I know what you mean. Seulgi is just very true to herself, and I admire her for that. When she cares for you, you’re really lucky. It’s amazing how much she cares for humans too, especially those from her patron towns.” Wendy smiles as she remembers all the small things Seulgi would do for those she cared for. Especially when she favors certain humans. 

Then, it clicks. “JOY!”

“What? What’s wrong?” 

“I think I know where Seulgi is.” 

“I can feel it! I can feel her power.” Wendy says, as they draw closer to the boundary of the forest and the small town. 

“Are you sure Seulgi’s here?”

“She might not be here right now, but at the very least, she was here. I’m sure of it. Look,” Wendy points to the apple tree on the family’s property. “The flowers underneath it aren’t wilting either, even during this time of year.”

“How did you know about this?” 

“There’s a child… Seulgi mentioned her to me a couple of times. She’s incredibly fond of her. There was a moment where she’d talk about this little girl more than anything else!” Wendy explains, making her way towards the apple tree. 

“FINALLY! YOU’RE HERE!” 

Wendy yelps in surprise as a being drops down from the apple tree and flashes a mischievous smile at the duo. The deity before them is probably an angel, Wendy concludes, though she’s never seen an angel with wings on their hat and on their sandals instead of their back.

“What are you doing here?” Joy asks, her arms now folded across her chest.

“Ouch, that hurt, Joy. Can’t you even pretend that you’re happy to see me? Oh, and you must be Wendy!” the immortal says, before giving a deep and overly exaggerated bow. “I am Yeri, Messenger of the Gods, Goddess of heralds, travelers and merchants.” 

“You forgot the goddess of thieves.” Joy scoffs.

“Why does everyone feel the need to add that?”

“Cause it’s true!” 

“Sorry, hi, yes. I am Wendy.” the blonde goddess replies, gently pushing Joy away to bow to the goddess before her. “I don’t mean to be rude, but how do you know who I am?”

“Well, I’ve heard of you, of course. Messenger of the Gods, you know? I’ve got to know everyone. I heard you too. Truly extraordinary when music comes from you. Goddess of Music, correct? Also, Seulgi told me you’d be here.” 

“Seulgi? You know Seulgi? Do you know where she is? How is she? Is she safe? Is she okay? She’s been missing and-” 

“Yes, she’s safe and she’s okay. I’d say she’s doing great actually.”

“What do you know?” Joy asks, stepping forward once more.

“As usual, more than you. But, as you can see, Seulgi isn’t here and-”

“We’d rather take a look for ourselves, thank you very much.” Joy says as she grabs Wendy’s hand and practically stomps into the small hut. 

It’s an endearing sight, Wendy thinks, as she watches the family huddled over the fire. The two children are acting out a scene, and their mother cheers them on as she watches. The son pretends to be a dragon, a blanket on his back as his wings, and the little girl - the one Seulgi is so fond of - pretends to be a princess slaying the dragon. 

“Wendy, over here.” Joy gestures to the blue flower placed in a small cup on the table. 

Wendy’s eyes widen in recognition. “That’s an iris! I- I was there when Seulgi first made it. It means hope.” 

Joy pokes at the flower, “Hope? But why would this family need it…” 

Suddenly, the little girl starts coughing violently, her tiny body almost hitting the ground if not for her brother catching her in his arms. 

“Poor child… I understand now why Seulgi was so attached to her.” Wendy says. 

“It can’t be…” Joy mumbles under her breath. 

Wendy manages to tear her eyes away from the little girl (who is still forcing a smile even if she’s incredibly pale and weak in her brother’s arms) to look at Joy. “Sorry, what did you say?” 

But Joy does not repeat herself. She looks at the flower once more, then at the child, and storms out of the hut, calling for the other goddess. “YERI!!” 

Yeri, on the other hand, looks unconcerned with Joy’s sudden outburst, kicking the snow around like a child. “You called?” 

“Do you promise?” 

“You’ll have to be a little more specific than that, my dear goddess.”

“Do you promise that Seulgi is safe?” 

“Would I ever lie to you? Okay, okay. I would. But would she ever lie to you?” 

Joy stops for a second, caught off guard by Yeri’s question. “No. No, she wouldn’t.” 

“Joy? Yeri? What’s going on?” Wendy asks, reaching for the tall goddess’ hand.

“I think I know where Seulgi is…” Joy mumbles in response. 

Yeri flies up and wedges herself in between Wendy and Joy, her arms around their shoulders. “Remember, my dear goddesses, to not let your hearts cloud your judgment.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“When the time comes, I’ll need you to have a little more faith.” 

“Yeri, you’re not making sense.” Joy huffs, pushing Yeri away.

Yeri puts her hands up in surrender. “Listen, Joy, I know we don’t always get along-” 

“That’s because you steal my wine!” 

“That was once-” 

“No it wasn’t-”

“-and you really should get over it. But, I need you to listen to me, okay? You know I wouldn’t be here for no reason. I have much better things to do.”

“I’m sorry, Yeri, Joy, I don’t think I’m following.”

“Wendy, just have faith in Seulgi, okay? I get it if you don’t trust me, we just met, after all. And I’m not Joy’s favorite goddess. So, trust Seulgi. Can you do that?” 

“Of course I can.” Wendy replies. 

Yeri turns to Joy, “I need you to trust in me again, Joy. Just for a little bit.” 

Joy gives a small nod, “I have one last question.” 

“Yes, Joy?” 

“Are you here as a messenger or as a friend?” 

“Both.” is all Yeri says, before she flies up and disappears from their sight. 

Wendy reaches for Joy’s hand again and leans on the taller goddess’ shoulder. “I feel like I know even less now. That was all too confusing. Yeri seemed helpful… but at the same time, not at all.”

“That’s Yeri for you.” Joy sighs then squeezes Wendy’s hand in assurance, “Don’t worry. The ice is beginning to melt… if Yeri is to be believed, we’ll see our Seulgi very soon.” 
 

A/N: 

Hello all! Not gonna lie, I was going to post this a lot earlier but then Monster happened and then there was so much content then Joy got nominated for a bonsang then Naughty dropped and Yeri had her collab and then Wendy's LYSN covers too?? Yeah, multitasking was hard.

Anyway, we're back in the underworld next chapter! So please do let me know what you think! Also, who do you think the King of the Gods is? You can also talk to me on @iccampfire on twitter :)

*Oak tree - symbol of Zeus
Lotus (along with pomegranate) - symbol of Hera
Panther (along with bulls and goats) - symbol of Dionysus

PS. RV 6th anniv in a couple of days!!