Unlike Jungkook's pleasant experience on land, back in Atlantis there was nothing delightful at the moment. It had been no surprise since a family was missing one family member. There was no reason to be pleased by anything.

Namjoon sensed that Jungkook wanted to be left alone. Yoongi, Taehyung and he swum back to Atlantis with the knowledge that Jungkook would come to terms with how life was. How there was a reason why mers didn't have legs and why humans didn't have a fin and tail. Interaction between both races were prohibited.

Hearing Jungkook say that he loved a human brought him back to Jin. His husband never expressed those types of emotions for Hyosang but Namjoon pondered on the thought on some occasions. During the early conversations of theirs Jin had confirmed that IU had turned Hyosang and his pirate friends into krill for not delivering the payment therefore they paid the price.

Namjoon would've ranted on to Jin had situations been different. He blamed his husband at the moment for having a preference for humans. Jin had never had such a massive collection of human objects unlike Jungkook. This was all Jungkook had been doing when he left Atlantis. If he had known Jungkook would've been forbidden to leave the kingdom. Like with Jin, Namjoon had taken Jungkook's freedom for granted.

Now his youngest son had run away and they were desperately trying to search for him. Namjoon had no leads since Jackson and Hoseok were both gone as well. Namjoon had been hoping that Jungkook had been blowing off some steam elsewhere. Namjoon doubted his thoughts once time had passed. Where had Jungkook gone? What was he doing?

"Any sign of them?" Namjoon interrogated Moonbyul when she entered the throne room. Hours before he had congratulated Moonbyul on the birth of hers and Solar's son, Seungcheol.

He apologized to Moonbyul for interrupting her time with the addition to her family but his friend had understood completely. Moonbyul loved the boys and would guard them with her lives. Finding Jungkook was as serious to her as if her own son had out of the blue gone missing. Namjoon appreciated her deeply.

"Sorry, Namjoon-ah," Moonbyul didn't want to deliver bad news but it was duty to report. "We've searched everywhere. No sign of Jungkook or Jackson."

Namjoon exhaled, "Keep searching. No one shall rest until he's safe at home," he instructed the mermaid.

"Yes," Moonbyul was about to swim away. In support and comfort she gave him a small smile, "We're going to find him, Namjoon," she promised before exiting the throne room.

Namjoon was planning on communicating with Jin about this but he had been too enraged. Jin's trinket box may be wide open waiting for him but he wouldn't be opening his anytime soon. Namjoon had other matters to concern himself with. One of the matters omitted Jin. He didn't need to engage in chats with his husband. They needed to find Jungkook.

His fear was birthed from the thought of IU finding Jungkook. Namjoon warned his sons about her so he had a sliver of hope that Jungkook would heed to the advice. If IU aided Jungkook his son would end up as a victim of hers. Namjoon prayed to Poseidon that Jungkook was safe with Jackson and Hoseok rather than striking a deal with the sea witch.

"What have I done?" Namjoon whispered woefully.

✯✯✯

As the proposal had been planned so had his apology. Taehyung had even composed a song, Stigma, for Hoseok. He wanted to gain his beloved's trust once more. They had been a part for less than a day and Taehyung was losing his mind. He had gotten familiarized with seeing Hoseok every day since Jungkook and he would always hang out. Not seeing the bubbly, smiley merman was starting to make his heart ache.

He deserved it of course. He truly loved Hoseok and wanted to marry him, it's just that his intentions weren't all pure. Yoongi had been the one to suggest it but he had acted on it. Taehyung was hoping to talk to Hoseok, after telling his family about their engagement, to think about their wedding plans and to not distract him with other things so he wouldn't be too stressed. He was even going to suggest to Hoseok that Jungkook help with the wedding.

It was manipulation. Even afterwards he had made the situation worse when he had mentioned to Hoseok that he wasn't the best influence for Jungkook. Taehyung came to terms that he wasn't perfect and that he had done something pretty terrible. Hoseok deserved better.

Now Jungkook, Hoseok and Jackson were missing. What things have been different if he hadn't said anything hurtful to Hoseok? Would outcome would that have been? Worse? Better?

Taehyung couldn't comprehend why Jungkook had a fascination for humans. Whether or not Jungkook remembered or had buried the memory, their mother had died because of humans. Jungkook had only been five at the time so it wasn't a surprise that he had suppressed the memory. He was more than likely mourning and too devastated to piece together what anyone had said.

Yoongi and he reminisced as if it were just yesterday.

Last night hadn't been too strange. The three young boys had gotten used to their mother putting them to sleep. It was a real joy when it was all of them in the nursery. The only difference was that it was always their mother that woke them up in the morning. Taehyung demanded to be held while Yoongi held Jungkook on his back. They would eat breakfast with their father and that was how their day would start.

The three boys had noticed that sometimes their mother sometimes was gone during the day. Namjoon told his sons that their mother was on his own little trips helping some other mers out. Though the three were smart boys they never questioned it. They were exhilarated that other mers were being assisted by their mother. It made them love Jin even more than they already did.

This morning had been unlike any other. Jin hadn't entered the nursery. There was no sweet melody that awoke them from their sleep. No one softly their soft locks if hair and suggesting that they wake up before all the food is gone. It had been a servant mermaid, Heize, who had entered their room and gently shook their little bodies to wake them up. Heize sent them a sympathetic smile as she led them to the dining room.

Making the morning more peculiar, their parents weren't in the dining room. Their Aunt Moonbyul or Uncle Jackson weren't even there to tell them something. The boys were fed and left alone. Yoongi, being seven, searched around the room. He hoped his parents were playing hide-and-seek or joking with them. It was becoming too unbearable.

"Where's Appa and Umma?" Jungkook, five years old, questioned his older brothers with tears in his eyes.

Taehyung gazed at Yoongi, "Do you know where they are, Yoongi-hyung?"

Yoongi couldn't believe that his two younger brothers were looking at him for answers that he didn't have. He didn't know what to say. He was just as lost as them.

"I don't know..." Yoongi replied. Suddenly breakfast wasn't so appetizing. Yoongi refused to eat.

Heize had come back in the dining room. She was frustrated to see Yoongi had left his food untouched, "Prince Yoongi, why haven't you eaten?"

"Where's our Appa and Umma?" Taehyung answered for Yoongi. Heize stiffened.

Jungkook asked innocently, "Are we playing a game?"

"No, Prince Jungkook, there's no games," Heize said with sadness. Yoongi and Taehyung looked at her strangely while Jungkook was becoming tearful.

Jungkook's lips trembled and tears were streaming down his cheeks, "Did...Did Appa and Umma leave us?"

"No Kookie." The three boys and Heize turned to the entrance of the dining room. Namjoon was standing there in distraught with Moonbyul behind him. "Appa didn't leave you, I promise." He picked up Jungkook from his seat.

Yoongi lit up, "Appa! It's good to see you." He didn't know why his mother wasn't with him. "Where's Umma?"

Taehyung stretched his arms out since he wanted to he lifted up as well. Moonbyul approached her nephew and picked him up. Taehyung smiled contentedly. Moonbyul wasn't looking too joyous either.

"Appa had something to tell you," Namjoon announced as he sat at the end of the table as always. His sons looked at him. He exhaled, "Umma...Umma is in a better place."

Yoongi narrowed his eyes, "Is Umma helping mers right now, Appa?" That's what Jin had been doing is what their father told them.

Namjoon gave Yoongi a sad smile, "No, Yoongi. Your umma isn't helping anyone at this moment...He, um...When someone goes away for a long time, as in forever, they go to a place where they won't have to suffer anymore."

Taehyung tilted his head, "Umma was suffering?"

Namjoon shook his head, "No, Tae Tae, Umma loves his life here with all of us. We're what he loves...But, Umma isn't here anymore, Tae."

Jungkook lifted his head from where he had placed it on Namjoon's chest. "Umma...Is gone?"

"Yes." Namjoon replied.

Taehyung, being young and innocent, asked, "Why don't we just go get him back? And then we'll make sure he doesn't go away again."

This was getting harder for Namjoon. He carried on, "Tae Tae, we can't get Umma back...Umma is...Umma is dead, Tae." Tears formed in the king's eyes.

For being so young the three did know what death meant. Not all sea creatures born on land made it to the ocean as their mother had explained. All sea creatures had to eat and that meant other animals had to die in order for the other animals to survive and continue on with their lives.

Death was something they had thought they would only be taught and see amongst others. They had never anticipated that they would have to be told that their mother was dead. Within seconds after Namjoon's words set in, all three boys were in deep grief. Taehyung and Jungkook sobbed while Yoongi remained quiet and unemotional.

"What...What happened?" Namjoon and Moonbyul were astounded to hear those words come out of Yoongi's mouth. They wouldn't expect any child to ask something when being told of such bad news.

Taehyung had his attention on what the grownups and Yoongi were talking about. Jungkook had hidden his head in his father's chest as he sobbed hardly. Namjoon wrapped his arms securely around Jin's and his youngest son.

"Do you remember how Appa taught you not to go anywhere near humans?" Namjoon earned a nod from Yoongi and Taehyung. "...Umma was helping a mer out and they didn't know there were humans nearby..."

Yoongi gulped, "Humans...Humans killed Umma?"

Namjoon nodded, "Yes, Yoongi. Your umma was killed by humans." The king sniffled, "Don't EVER trust humans. They're horrible creatures. All they do is destroy everything beautiful."

Taehyung listened to everything that had come out of his father's mouth. Yoongi and he hated humans because of what they did to their mother. They didn't know how the humans killed him but they just hoped it was quick and painless. Their mother was too caring of a person to ever deserve a slow, unbearable death. It was haunting that Jungkook had become enthralled by the dreadful beings that killed their mother.

Did Jungkook remember?

It was futile to wonder Taehyung realized. It's not like Jungkook would blame the humans. Hoseok would encourage him to think on the bright side and consider the "good" humans that existed. Taehyung doubted they existed. Nothing good would have killed their mother. Humans were corrupted and vile. Taehyung hoped the humans that killed the queen of the ocean endured agonizing deaths.

If Taehyung hadn't tried to manipulate Hoseok or call him a bad influence, maybe they could've prevented Jungkook running away? It was too late for the "what ifs." They had to deal with the situation that they were in now. He just prayed to Poseidon that the three of them were somewhere safe and they would return to Atlantis soon.