One and a half months.

That’s how long Kibum had been gone – how long Jonghyun had failed his friend.

Jinki and Minho had tried whatever they could to find a way to the underworld, but apparently no one could enter, not even Minho, unless they had the permission of Taemin.

So, instead, after another week of wandering around the island without any result, Jinki took Jonghyun home. Minho would continue searching for a way to rescue Kibum while he stayed with Jonghyun and watched out for anything at Kibum's house that could be a sign.

Jonghyun didn’t object to their decision. He was tired and sad and he really knew nothing about mythology to be of any help whatsoever. It didn’t help he was a jumbled mess of emotions either, as not only Kibum's kidnapping loomed over him but the very possible threat of the world ending, if Taemin's words really had been true. So he simply let Jinki pull him into his arms and bring him home.

As Jinki touched down beside the pond and began drying their clothes, Jonghyun realised he hadn’t been home in months. His parents would be absolutely furious with him. He walked slowly around the house to the front door, Jinki following silently. He had no idea what to tell his family, he’d left without any explanation, never even thinking about them. He would be grounded for the rest of his life.

Apparently they hadn’t been worried about his absence and his mother asked how his camping trip with Kibum had been when he found her and his father in the kitchen. Only Roo seemed to have noticed he had been missing. She jumped up with an excited bark once she saw him, circling Jinki suspiciously before clinging to Jonghyun as if he would abandon her.

He threw a confused look at Jinki, who shrugged.

“I altered your family’s memories,” he said under his breath once his parents looked away, hand on Jonghyun's lower back and lips so close to his ear they almost brushed against it. Jonghyun tried not to blush. “I apologise for forgetting about your dog.”

Nodding, Jonghyun bent down to pick Roo up and hug her tightly, moving away from him a little.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

It was the most they had spoken ever since Kibum's disappearance. Jonghyun knew he technically shouldn’t be mad at Jinki, but he couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t just pulled both of them out of the way. He had two arms, two hands, it couldn’t have been that hard.

Without looking at Jinki, he made his way up to his room where he flopped down on his bed, curling up together with Roo and her fur. Jinki hadn’t followed him, so Jonghyun guessed his parents were holding him hostage.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, staring at the orange light of the sunset painting his ceiling as Roo snuggled into his side. He could hear his parents and Jinki talking and laughing downstairs as if they had known each other for years and he wondered who his parents thought Jinki was. He had undoubtedly altered some of their memories to include him as well.

A sudden pang of longing hit Jonghyun, and he kind of wished Jinki would come upstairs and be with him. But he knew Jinki was giving him space. It was his own fault anyway. He had ignored Jinki for the past month and a half unless he absolutely needed to say something to him, and he had simply accepted it and followed him around like a shadow instead, still looking out for him in every way as they searched for Kibum. The thought of it made Jonghyun's heart swell despite his anger, and he realised just how much Jinki meant to him.

A lump settled in his throat and now he really wished Jinki were with him so he could tell him. After all, he didn’t know how much time they had left and he shouldn’t waste it being angry. Jinki could be leaving tomorrow for all he knew.

He grumbled and got up to make his way down the stairs again and reduce the distance he had put between Jinki and him for the past weeks.

He found Jinki helping his mother set the table for dinner and froze, something cracking inside him as he watched from the doorway. He suddenly realised he would never have a real life with Jinki where they had dinner at each other’s house. They would never go on dates, never introduce each other to their parents as boyfriends, never live together in an apartment.

He choked up, his mouth opening and closing, and he took a few steps back. All he wanted to do was feel Jinki’s arms around him, bury his face in his neck, and let his warmth calm him down. He wanted to forget about the world and its unfairness. But he couldn't bring himself to do any of those things. Instead, he backed away and snuck out the living room’s glass door to the back yard, his emotions too jumbled and strong for him to do much else.

Forcing the tears prssing behind his eyes away, he sat down in the grass near the pond to watch the sky darken and the stars wake up. He pulled at the grass by his side absentmindedly, concentrating on the motion to keep unwanted thoughts away. But the lump in his throat refused to go away and his breath came out ragged and hitched.

Why was everything so unfair?

“Jonghyun,” a soft voice murmured in his ear and he turned his head to meet Jinki's worried eye.

“What?” he couldn’t speak above a whisper, afraid he would break out sobbing if he did.

Jinki watched him for a quiet moment. Then he sat down beside Jonghyun and pulled him flush against his side, an arm around his waist. He sighed and kissed Jonghyun's temple.

“My brother is not a bad man,” he said softly. “Kibum will not be hurt.”

Jonghyun swallowed and a tear escaped.

“How?” he asked, hating how weak and small he sounded. More tears began to fall, one after the other. “How do you know that, Jinki? We have no idea what he wants with Kibum. We can’t get to his world and we can’t find any trace of either of them. So how–”

He cut off when Jinki's gentle fingertips dried away his tears before they caressed down his cheek to lift his chin up and connect their lips.

For a moment Jonghyun forgot to be angry and sad and just felt all over warm, peace settling over him. Then he realised Jinki was trying to distract him and angrily pushed him away.

“What are you doing? I–”

“Sh,” Jinki whispered and caught his lips again.

Against his will, Jonghyun's gave in. His body softened in Jinki's hands as he laid down in the grass and pulled Jonghyun on top of him, hugging him close. Jonghyun cupped Jinki's face and Jinki's hands landed on his waist, caressing up and down gently, thumbs rubbing small circles.

“I failed you,” Jinki whispered when they broke apart for air. “And I regret it heavily.”

Jonghyun bit his lip and a tear splashed down on Jinki's cheek. He dried it away with his thumb and gave Jinki a soft kiss.

“You didn’t,” he mumbled. “I just… I’m scared, Jinki. That Kibum's hurt and that you’re going to leave and that everything will just…”

He trailed off, not wanting to voice his fear of the world ending. Jinki brought one hand up to cup his face and Jonghyun leaned into the touch.

“I know,” he said. “I am terrified as well. Meeting and being with you has been so simple this time. There has been no wars, no constant attack on you for your soul, and I cannot help but wonder if it might be because it is the last chance we have together and the fates have taken pity on us.”

Jonghyun closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Jinki's.

“Also, I truly believe my brother means Kibum no harm,” Jinki continued. “And I have reason to believe he will not end our worlds either.”

Jonghyun looked at him, puzzled, and sat back up.

“What do you mean?”

Jinki sighed, sitting up as well and pulling Jonghyun to his chest, forcing him to stay in his lap.

“I have had some time to think about his actions and words,” Jinki explained. “And it occurred to me a few hours ago that he feels excluded and alone.” He took a deep breath. “I tried to be there for him, however, I must have failed. Which is the reason he might consider self destruction.”

Jonghyun gasped, looking at Jinki with wide eyes.

“How do you know?” he asked.

Jinki's smile was wistful and small as he looked away.

“We know he has had the jar in his possession for quite some time, thus he should have been searching for the optimal place to release its contents. He has not done so, which leads me to believe he is not planning to release it into this realm at all.”

A flash of lightning suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Jonghyun jumped. Jinki immediately got to his feet, pulling him up as well.

“Brother,” he greeted as Minho strode over to them with urgency written all over his face.

“An audience has been requested in the palace gardens,” Minho said without preamble or greeting. “At dawn. I am not allowed the private hearing I had requested for us three.”

Jinki tensed, the arm he had around Jonghyun tightening.

“Hades?” he asked.

Minho nodded and for the first time since Jonghyun had met him, he looked worried and afraid. Jinki took a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“The council will allow a hearing only with themselves present, though I sense they will not be neutral in their judgement,” Minho said.

“No,” Jinki agreed, anguish clear in his voice. “Have they ever been?”

Minho closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

“Why does he never listen to me?” he wondered.

Silence fell as no one had the answer, intterupted only by the sound of summer night birds singing and the occasional breeze passing through leaves.

“What will happen?” Jonghyun asked. Jinki and Minho looked at him wistfully. “To Kibum and Taemin?”

“The council is not very happy with our brother,” Minho explained. “I fear this might be the end for him in our community. They will press for his imprisonment, if not for his execution. The council wishes to call on The Elders as well.”

Jonghyun's eyes widened and he glanced between them. He could only assume The Elders were gods older than Jinki and Minho and therefore more powerful, which wasn’t a good sign at all.

Yeah, he was angry with Taemin for kidnapping Kibum and trying to open Pandora’s box, but he didn’t think he deserved execution. Maybe not even imprisonment, since he was pretty sure Taemin wasn’t as evil as he first had thought. He hadn’t seemed evil, at least. Sure, he might have used underhanded methods to get what he wanted; kidnapping, threatening, seducing and whatnot… okay, Jonghyun really couldn’t defend him. But he still had the nagging feeling something was off and unfair about this entire situation, and not only because of the way dread had settled in the air between Jinki and Minho.

“Can gods die?” Jonghyun asked quietly.

Jinki swallowed harshly, shoulders tense and fists clenched. Jonghyun reached out and grabbed one of his hands, unfurling it and lacing their fingers together.

“We can,” Jinki answered after another swallow. “If a god were to struck another god with a celestial weapon, the god receiving the hit would perish.”

“And Athena is on the path of war,” Minho said. “She will not cease until Hades is punished to her satisfaction.”

Jinki and Minho looked at each other.

“Which could very well be his peril,” Minho murmured.

Jinki growled, looking close to hitting something. Jonghyun didn’t know what to say or do. He wanted so badly to make everything okay, to save Taemin for Jinki's sake. But he had no idea where to even begin.

“I have a theory, brother,” Jinki suddenly spoke up. “It occurred to me Hades has the Jar in his possession, though he has yet to begin his search for the place to open it. Months have passed, he should have begun as soon as he had the jar.”

Minho frowned but nodded.

“Yes, I am aware,” he agreed.

Jinki hesitated, watching him closely.

“This leads me to believe he plans to self-destruct,” he said slowly.

If Minho's worried expression had surprised Jonghyun, his downright pale and terrified face shocked him to his core.

“You are lying,” he whispered.

“I wish I were, brother,” Jinki said somberly.

Minho grabbed at his hair, eyes darting around desperately.

“What have I done wrong?!” he exclaimed. “What have I done to force him into this?! I did my best to protect him! To keep him from harm and spiteful gods!”

Jonghyun frowned. From what he had witnessed, Minho hadn’t been that great at dealing with Taemin. It was more like he simply gave him an order and expected him to follow it.

“Maybe you should have actually communicated with him properly?” Jonghyun blurted.

Minho rounded on him, eyes blazing and Jonghyun recoiled. Jinki immediately put himself in front of him, glaring Minho down with a growl of warning.

“Jonghyun is correct,” he said. “You never did speak with him properly. He never understood why you restrained him so much and he never believed me when I told him.”

Minho glared back at Jinki, poised and ready for attack. Then all fight left him and he exhaled slowly. His mouth opened to say something but before he could both he and Jinki went ridgid and wide-eyed, listening to something only they could hear.

“Did you not say at dawn, brother?” Jinki asked breathlessly.

Minho stared at him in shock and disappeared in a flash of light without a word.

“What’s happening?” Jonghyun whispered.

Jinki turned to him and gathered him in his arms, burying his face in Jonghyun's hair and breathing in deep.

“I must leave,” he murmured and pulled back. “My brother decided to arrive earlier than planned.”

Jonghyun grabbed at his shirt desperately and shook his head.

“Don’t leave me,” he croaked, throat dry with panic. It was too soon. He wasn’t prepared.

Jinki looked torn, reaching out a hand to brush his fingertips down Jonghyun's cheek. It felt too much like a last farewell and Jonghyun's grip tightened, his fingers going numb.

“You can’t leave me Jinki,” he choked, his vision blurring. “Not now, not so suddenly… please…”

Jinki leaned in and kissed him.

“I never could resist you,” he muttered, more to himself than to Jonghyun, and pulled him into his arms again. “Hold on to me.”

Jonghyun's arms were already tightly wound around his waist, but he nodded and buried his face in his shoulder. The world tilted as Jinki tipped them over and they dove right into the pond they had emerged from a few hours ago.

It was weird. Jonghyun instinctively knew he should feel gravity pull him down, but instead he felt light as a feather, floating on the breeze, up and up and up until solid ground met his feet again. It surprised him since he hadn’t felt any decline in their soaring. He squeezed Jinki's waist once before daring to let go, gasping at the sight before him.

They were in the middle of a beautiful garden, the sweet aroma of flowers permeating the air, fragrance richer than anything he had ever smelled on earth. Every colour he could imagine and then some met his eyes as they travelled over bushes and trees and flower patches, so vibrant he felt alive and vibrant himself. The sun was warm but not excruciatingly so, water murmured somewhere out of sight along with the gentle hum of bees, and the fountain in front of them gurgled playfully, white marble sculptured into two women and two men, each shouldering a conch spilling water so clear it was nearly invisible.

Angry voices disrupted the calm of the garden and Jonghyun turned his head. A group of people, or rather gods, were arguing animatedly, Minho in their midst. Jinki quickly pulled him around some bushes and they nearly ran towards the crowd.

“Are you implying I do not have the right to condemn him for his actions, father?!” a black-haired woman shouted, glaring at Minho as she got up into his face.

Another woman with light-brown hair pushed an arm between them, glaring at her.

“I understand you are angry, Athena,” she said. “But do not touch my husband.”

“Angry?!” Athena shouted. “Livid fury would be more appropriate!”

Jinki and Jonghyun finally made it to the group. Jinki pushed in-between the crowd of gods to get to Minho's side, pulling Jonghyun with him, their hands clasped tightly together. Athena’s blazing eyes turned to them, passing over Jonghyun without interest.

“Poseidon!” she spat. “We have never been on good terms, but even you must see the madness in not giving Hades any punishment!”

Jinki said nothing, but stood taller beside Minho, staring her down without hesitation.

“Call the elders!” someone in the back shouted. “They cannot disobey them!”

A few agreeing voices joined and Athena watched them smugly. Though not everyone seemed so keen on the idea. Some of the gods in front of the group murmured to each other, frowning. Jonghyun could barely make out the words, but he thought they muttered something about the necessity of a hearing without violence. The unrest in the air flowed like electric currents, the threat of rebellion nearly palpable.

“Shall we?” Athena challenged confidently.

The woman beside Minho took a threatening step forward, but he put an arm out, stopping her. She shot him a disgruntled look and he shook his head.

“If you must,” Minho said simply.

Athena’s face went blank. Then it grew angry again.

“How dare you–,” she began, but cut off as a voice spoke behind them.

“There will be no need for the elders.”

Jonghyun turned his head, his heart lodging itself in his throat. He nearly cried with relief, because there Kibum was, pale, wide-eyed and confused, clutching Taemin's arm in a vice like grip, his eyes darting around.

“I willingly accept whatever punishment you decide upon,” Taemin spoke again, voice monotone and expression empty.

Kibum tensed, looking like he was coming to his senses. He opened his mouth to say something but a war cry sounded from behind and Jonghyun turned back around. Athena was struggling to get out of the hold some of the other gods had on her, clearly intent on getting into a fight with Taemin.

“Athena, calm yourself,” Minho thundered, dagger drawn, and every god present stilled.

He wasn’t exuding any authority, but clearly the other gods knew of his power without any display. Jinki summoned his trident in silence, letting it rest loosely in his hand to back Minho up.

Minho huffed, glaring at Athena for a moment. Then he turned to Taemin, gesturing to the space between him and Jinki.

“Brother, if you please,” he said calmly.

Taemin gave him a long look before nodding and approaching them, Kibum trailing after him dazedly.

“Jonghyun, take Kibum off to the side and stay out of the way, please,” Jinki murmured in Jonghyun's ear.

Jonghyun swallowed and nodded. He met Taemin and Kibum as they approached and grabbed Kibum's arm after exchanging a small nod with Taemin. He pulled him to the edge of the half circle the spectators had formed. Taemin was standing before them all, head bent and hands clasped in front of him. Minho and Jinki stood a few steps in front of him, flanked by the rest. Minho took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes briefly. Then he pinned Taemin with a piercing gaze and began questioning him of his actions and motives.

Everyone was quiet, listening intently to every word falling from Taemin's lips. Some looked torn, others furios.

“Are you okay?” Jonghyun whispered to Kibum after a moment of listening to Minho interrogating Taemin.

Kibum turned his wide eyes to him, shaking himself a little, as if waking up from a dream.

“I… I don’t…” He swallowed. “I don’t… know…”

Worry filled Jonghyun. Kibum's attention was already drawn back to interrogation, his body trembling. Jonghyun followed his gaze and gasped at the sight. Taemin had been brought to his knees and Athena stood over him, once again restrained by arms around her.

“You heap of bile!” she yelled. “I knew you would someday attempt this! It was only a question of when! You are a spineless, evil, good for nothing bastard!”

Taemin simply stared down at his clasped hands in his lap, not moving a single muscle as he took her insults. Kibum, however, stiffened beside Jonghyun and he threw him a questioning look. Kibum didn’t acknowledge him, just kept his gaze steady on Taemin.

“I ought to end you!” Athena continued. “You would wipe out humanity as well as us celestials for the sole reason Zeus refused letting you live frivolously with humans?!”

Taemin looked up at her then, and his eyes were filled with so much anger and grief Jonghyun thought she couldn’t have been more wrong. Apparently Kibum did as well, because he drew in a sharp breath, chewing on his lip so insistently Jonghyun was afraid it was going to bleed.

“I did what I had to,” Taemin said quietly, but his voice rang through the air as if he had spoken into a microphone.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion then. Athena let out another angry roar and managed to break free of the hands restraining her in her rage. She moved faster than anyone Jonghyun had ever seen and grabbed Minho's dagger from his hand, throwing it right at Taemin.

Jonghyun had no doubt Taemin could easily move out of the way. And yet he sat where he was, not moving or flinching, only staring at her as he waited for the dagger to hit him. It surprised Jonghyun, as well as every god present apparently. Gasps were heard all around and even Athena looked shocked. Minho and Jinki yelled at Taemin to move, but he ignored them.

What shocked Jonghyun more, though, was the loud ‘NO!’ from beside him and the sight of Kibum throwing himself forward, intercepting the dagger’s path. It hit him square in the chest and time stopped.

Everything fell silent, even the bees, which up until that point had been buzzing around, seemed to sense something worse than horrible had just happened.

A/N: Don't hate me! I promise this will end happily for EVERYONE, so just trust me? You will not be left brokenhearted.

And, well, I would say I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but yeah... death is not enjoyable...

Thank you for reading, though! And I'll make it better!

Love <3

Bye~