Made for Min | SOPE

thirty one | "i'll be by your side, always"

Time had never once been something Yoongi couldn't control.

If anything, Yoongi felt he was almost to Chronos's level when it came to the concept of time. He could dip his fingers into the past, gaze outwardly to the limitless future, witness visions that could warn him of the dangers ahead. Yoongi held time on a tight leash— all the way down to the milliseconds, and he had been reasonably confident that he'd continue to do so.

Nanoseconds were all it took for Yoongi to completely lose his hold on everything.

Yoongi should have realized when he'd heard the words slip from Seokjin's mouth that Hoseok's blood would be spilled. He had wondered why Seokjin and Micah had bound him the way they had. Apart from the apparent hunger for power dynamics, Yoongi knew there had to have been another reason for their restraint. They had never been planning on leaving Hoseok alive.

From the moment, Hoseok's body fell on the floor, Yoongi knew he was too late.

There were fates worse than death.

Seeing Hoseok wither away in front of his eyes while Yoongi lay completely helpless would be a vision he'd never take out of his mind.

He should have listened to his brothers. He should have done something— anything, to ensure that Hoseok would have survived. He should have abandoned his moralities and dealt with the consequences later. Yoongi should have looked into the future to see what lay in store for them. He should've done a better job protecting Hoseok. He shouldn't have let Jimin drag him away as the palace crumbled around them. His life didn't matter nearly as much as Hoseok's.

Yoongi should have been better.

Now, all that was left was the deafening sound of silence.

🩸

"You won't find who you're searching for, Artemis."

Hecate could not be bothered to hide the discontentment in her voice as Artemis waltzed into the room, a bounce in every step that she took. Hecate didn't look up, focusing her attention instead on her son, whose head was laying on her lap and was now fast asleep, streaks of tears now dried on his cheek. None of it seemed to deter Artemis's mood, and she spoke with adorned glee.

"It's been three days since Hoseok's tragic passing," Artemis sighed dramatically, smirking widely. "Is your child still not over it?"

"My child has been in mourning, Artemis," Hecate snapped, glowering. "This is the first time I have managed to get him to fall asleep. I know you're in a celebratory mood, but you would think a Goddess would have more empathy over purposefully inflicting pain on innocents."

Artemis's smirk faded slightly. "The Purebloods and your son are far from innocent."

"You will never know what it's like to love, Artemis," Hecate said, "You will never know the pain of losing a significant other because you have never given anyone the opportunity to love you. Your version of love is cruel and vindictive."

"I am a just Goddess."

"No," Hecate smiled cooly. "You are just a Goddess. Just a goddess with no perception of humankind. You ought to be forced to become human. Maybe that will humble you."

"Seokjin is King now," Artemis answered, crossing her arms. "I gave him back his crown. I think it's only fair. The Purebloods have disappeared. There is not a single trace of them anywhere. I'm sure Yoongi is depriving himself of basic necessities. Shame."

"Get out of my sight."

Artemis seemed taken aback by Hecate's sudden, sharpened tone. For the first time since her entrance, Artemis thoroughly looked at Hecate. Hecate was furious, that much Artemis could tell, but among the furious streaks, there also lay a tinge of sadness with just a dash of disappointment. Artemis couldn't make sense of it. Once upon a time, Hecate would have been celebrating with Artemis. She would be by her side, congratulating Artemis on her success. She'd held out slight hope that Hecate would want to celebrate a victory that took her centuries, but all Artemis saw was the opposite. And for Hecate to kick her out?