[CONTENTID1]

Aron had always been my friend - my best friend. The person I could confide in like no other. I told him everything, pouring out my soul on a regular basis. I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised to discover he loved me. I was, after all, pretty damned beautiful. But he should have known that I myself was already head over heels in love with someone I could never leave.

I was the god of chastity, innocence, moon, and naiveté and I did not see at first the true reasons behind Aron's disapproval of Baekho. In my defense he was quite convincing. I needed to stay strong and uphold the principles I stood for. I must never marry, and above all never sleep with anyone. I must not let myself be tarnished. All whispered in my ear in response to every babbled tale I told of Baekho.

When he realized that I would never cease in my infatuation, he moved to Baekho. Baekho was a god in his own right, the deity of the blazing yellow sun of the day. Here, his jealousy took a sinister turn. Under skies with no moon or sun, he devised his plan.

The near misses at first went unnoticed, dangerous creatures not seen for centuries suddenly attacking, friendly battles going wrong, illnesses caused by his favorite foods. Baekho had been so close to death on numerous occasions, ready to join the multitude of souls in the devil god of death's home. Baekho started to take notice, spending more and more time with me as though he knew his life was short. He didn't know it would be because of me.

Aron had challenged me one day, like he was fond of doing. Typically these challenges revolved around my skill in archery, and that day was no different. Looking around, only later would I discover it had been for show, he spied a tiny black dot bobbing in the waves. Unable to resist, he had drawn back the string of his elegant silver bow, and let fly the matching arrow, hardly looking at all, just knowing he had hit his target.

Aron had seemed all too gleeful at my triumph, and only when the body of my beloved had washed onto the shore did I realize what he had done. He had tried to steal me back to his realm, where I would never leave. Tooth and nail I fought as a demon unhinged, and I made my way to the council to order my Baekho revived.

It took a thousand years, but I - we managed it, Baekho and I. But something dark and brooding lurked around the corner, and my return to the heaven realm was eagerly awaited by someone I had thought to be long gone.

~~

Baekho fidgeted, tugging at his collar in the hopes of some passing breeze granting him slight relief. The ghostly form of his lover slid his hands under his arms and across his chest, limbs wavering in the light from the windows of the front hall.

“They aren’t going to care how you look, my love,” Ren whispered, and he must have been standing on his toes to have gotten that close to his ear.

“Best to give a good impression though, right? I mean…I’ve gotten used to this whole ghost during the day, person at night thing. But I want you whole throughout the entire day and night now. I want to see you, not through you. And this is the littlest thing, and yet the only thing I can do to influence their decision.”

“Darling,” Ren drawled, coming around to face him, long fingers coming to cup his face between his translucent palms, “If worse comes to worse I can always play the same threat –“

“Absolutely not,” Baekho tried to grab for Ren’s wrists, only for his hands to fly through them instead. He heaved a heavy sigh, “Not only am I not keen on seeing you hold a knife to your neck, it won’t believable. You would not ever leave me.” Memories, wavering in his head, still so difficult to believe but they superimposed themselves over reality. Ren had been his, and he had been Ren’s for eons before that point. They would not leave one another for anything, not even death.

“Then we shall just be very convincing. They will not deny our love.”

And with those determined words, accompanied with that steady gaze, Baekho believed him. It just turned out not to matter how much the council of gods believed in their love.

~~

"Choi Minki, known as Ren, First Order of the Gods, formerly God of Moon, Chastity, and the Hunt."

"Kang Baekho, First Order of the Gods, formerly God of Sun, Strength, and the Hunt."

"You may now step forward."

Each line was spoken from a different God among the Olympian Council. They were twelve total in number, two missing from their ranks. The missing pieces, Ren and Baekho. It was rare for all of the gods to turn out to one place, even when Ren had demanded Baekho back, there had only been nine. Hades, Aron, had not deigned to appear, to take credit for what he had caused. Now, Ren glared with all his strength at the dark clothed man lounging on his godly throne, shadows creeping about his person. Had Ren been in his form as Artemis, god of the moon...why, Aron would have been smoking from Ren's gaze.

It only went to show how much the couple had fallen.

It was with quick, quiet steps across the faintly glowing glass floors that obscured whatever was beneath their feet in light misty clouds that wafted over their feet, that they made their way forward, hands clasped together. They had arrived with a flash and a bang, once Ren had taken him through the ever so innocent wardrobe in the front room. Hidden in plain sight, the portal of access to the heavenly realms allowed them to pass through to the audience room. Larger than life, one could not see the ceiling, for it seemed like white sky too far above their heads, and the walls on either side extended too far to guess. It all felt vaguely familiar, as though he were used to this room - if it could indeed be called a mere 'room', given its size.

"Minki," the head of Olympus, Zeus, or JR as he was to be known personally, seemed slightly pleased at their presence. Baekho was still unused to the helpful hints his brain infrequently dropped in situations such as these, he had not known the prior information beforehand.

"JR," Ren murmured, confirming what Baekho's memory had provided. Ren's hand only clenched tighter around Baekho's own.

"You have returned with the Sun God, it seems. Baekho...Is it truly you?" JR still spoke, and the line of Council Gods eagerly craned their necks to hear the answer.

"Ye-" his voice cracked and he tried again, "Yes, it is I. I have returned for my rightful place on the Olympian Council with my husband, who demands the same." The words flew easily from his mouth, rehearsed, practiced, Ren's coaching coming into play.

JR nodded slowly, now turning to Ren,

"It has been a while since I saw you last. Is he indeed what you were looking for?"

Ren hesitated, and Baekho felt a small trill of fear run through him. He knew he wasn't exactly like the Baekho Ren remembered, but somewhere in between. His body was the same, as well as the sweetness Ren recalled, but the fighting nature, the dominant desire for control, particularly in bed, was not all there.

"He is not an exact copy. He lived a life without his past memories that was too far from the hardships his original form suffered. This is the Baekho as he would have been growing up in a softened human world without strife and pain. However...He is Baekho without a shadow of a doubt, and I love him all the same," Ren glanced at him, and they shared a smile, happy in their wedded bliss.

"And what would you ask of the gods?" That shrill voice could only belong to Zeus's wife, Hera - and even JR rolled his eyes as his wife's tone. Hera, or Hyuna, didn't really like anyone much, so it was not exactly a surprise. Ren pursed his lips and Baekho prepared himself for a disappointing response.

"What you said you would do a thousand years ago. You will return Baekho and I to our prior godly statuses, or live in darkness evermore," Ren stated firmly, without a hint of trembling resolve. This was his last chance to have everything back in its proper place. Back to the joyful yesteryears, where they had lived peacefully amongst all the chaos of the godly realm.

JR merely raised his eyebrows, "The Council must vote on this decision," he nodded down the line of gods to his right and then to the left. Hyuna scowled, Aron didn't even twitch, the rest of the gods muttered lowly to each other.

"All those in favor of granting Ren his wish?"

The Gods' promises truly did mean nothing. It should not have been a voting matter; they had already done that once so long ago. But Ren was used to the ways of the Gods, after all he had been one, and he could not honestly say he would have been any different. He watched as seven of the ten hands went up, and the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Hyuna and Aron's decision not to vote was obvious, and Aries, God of War Kris, made sense because chaos was bred in darkness, after all. JR counted them up, included his own hand in the number, and nodded sharply, gathering the holy golden power in one hand,

"Your wish has been granted -"

"Not yet it hasn't," whispered a voice from the gloomy pile of robes that contained Aron, Hades, Lord and God of the dead and Underworld. The gods and the two not-yet gods turned as one to Aron, who now slithered to stand, the black hooded figure with his staff of ebony metal wavering like a specter as shadows swirled and chased the puffy white mist at their feet. With a crack of lighting, JR stood as well,

"Brother! What is the meaning of this?

"I...I have been waiting a very long time for thisss," Aron's voice ended in a hiss, "Oh all those years ago, Brother dear, you granted him a wish. I never anticipated that you would somehow wrest that despicably bright sun god from my realms. Ren would have come to the conclusion he was better off with me from the beginning if you had just stayed your meddling hand. "

"You shall not bring harm to the Gods!"

"I already have."

In a rush of smoke and black Ren was trussed and tied, one thin shadow line running to the God of Death's hand like a leash for a naughty pet. All so quickly, even as Baekho tried to close his hand over Ren's, to undo his bindings, the rope was snapped like a whip and Ren was sent spinning the culprit's side. A dark portal, a gaping maw that surely led to less unsavory realms, had opened behind him, and into it Aron stepped.

"In the home of the gods you have no permission!" Zeus, JR, called along with a clamor from the Olympian Council that one of their own could have been taken in such a way.

A voice that only echoed as the portal closed whispered, "And since when have I ever asked for it, brother mine?"

                                                                                    ~~~~~~

"Darling, do eat, dear, please," Aron held a spoon to Ren's unyielding lips, poking gently. A spread of delights lay before them, a long tray on the bed upon which they lay. The spoon quivered with the strawberry gelatin Aron knew Ren loved, perfectly firm so as to form any shape, that would remain solid between one's fingertips - just the way the blond captive loved it. But he would not be tempted.

At the very least Aron had not pressed him to in any to fully consummate their marriage in the week Ren had spent in captivity. Kisses, he could get a little handsy, but it was nothing Ren couldn't handle. This was probably all karma, anyways, for his own kidnapping of Baekho not so very long ago. It would be fine...surely. The gods would rescue him, surely. Baekho would find him, surely.

Pushing away the spoon he turned his head to stare obstinately in the other direction. There was a clatter and a sigh but still he did not look back.

"I don't understand, babe. You don't have your godly powers, you can't fight this. You haven't eaten in a week, you'll wither away!"

"Someone will come for me," he whispered, "Soon."

"They would not be allowed -"

"Hang your rules that people cannot enter your realm, they are on their way."

"No they won't! Have you forgotten my daring? My brother is the head of the gods, I myself match his power," those lips were at his ear, words too loud and Ren flinched away, "JR agreed to this. Anything he said before the Olympian Council were liessss. In return for you, I granted him....reprieve from his lovely wife. He gets to visit hissss...little girlfriend, and I get to have you allll to myyyyself. Hera cannot visit here unless I grant her permission, so, you see, it's a win win in everybody's favor. Except that silly little sun god." Ren could feel him smirk, content in his victory. How had Ren ever been friends with this - this monster? But...could what Aron had said be true? Could...could he really have been sold for such a petty cause? And with Baekho still so weak as a human, he would not be able to come to his rescue. If this was the truth...

He was stuck.

                                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~

"LET ME GO AFTER HIM!"

"Absolutely not! And get myself in trouble with the head of the gods?" Hestia, Kyungsoo, force