[f(x)/SHINee] A Moment to be Real 2/2

[mara_ciro]

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The brown, crisp leaves turn green and sturdy again at Luna’s touch. She ties her hair up in a bun as the stray tendrils start falling over her eyes and the sun beats down her neck. Luna hums as she plants dandelions on a meadow that has gone barren. It’s that time of the year when she and her friends have to part ways to do their own things: Amber goes out hunting; Krystal teaches mortals, while Sulli spends time her latest lover.

She can’t even ask the nymphs to keep her company as she replants the flowers in the fields in time for the next harvest, considering the nymphs have to take care of their own parts of the forest. There are voices in Luna’s head during these moments, and they say awful, vulgar things. She shakes her head as she touches a tree trunk that looks like it’s about to break into two. As she watches the bark put itself together again, practically giving the tree a new life, something else catches her eye. She looks up as a dark figure approaches.

“What is he…?” Luna mutters under her breath as she squints her eyes under the glaring sun. Surely her eyes weren’t just playing tricks on her? She groans as the grass dies the minute he steps on it and how petals shrivel up and fall off as his cloak comes in contact with them. Great. She’s going to have to revive that part of the field once he leaves.

“Minho!” Luna gasps once he’s within hearing range. She takes quick steps to get to him, and to prevent him from killing any more grass. She smiles as she sees the grass Minho killed come back to life as she steps on them.

“I’ve come for you, Luna,” Minho says as he takes her hand. His fingers are cold against her nearly-sunburnt skin. “It’s nice to see you again.”

That line sounds like poetry that Donghae writes and Amber frequently makes fun of. Luna blinks as she stares at the god in front of her. “What does a great god like yourself want from a simple maiden like me?”

Minho blinks, and Luna swears he resembles a lost child rather than the Lord of the Underworld. “I…” he exhales as Luna just stares at him. “I just wanted to see you.”

“What?” Luna asks, trying to mask the disbelief in her features. She doesn’t recall making any sort of impression on him when they last met. “Why would you want to come and see me?”

Minho shrugs as Luna revives the dead grass they’re stepping on. “I just felt like it,” he replies, sitting on the ground. “Besides, I’d love to get to know you better.”

Luna’s eyebrow twitches as she sighs at the amount of dead grass she’ll be forced to revive by the time Minho leaves. “Really? Are you sure you want to get to know me or one of my friends?” she asks as she sits beside him. There’s no use doing her job if her guest just kills everything in sight.

Minho makes a sound Luna isn’t certain is a sigh or a grunt as he throws dead grass at her. “I wouldn’t even dream of bothering Amber while on a hunt, nor would I want to join Krystal as she practices sword fighting,” he mutters. “And I’m not interested in Sulli either. Why bother with them when I can talk to you?”

Luna tilts her head to the side. “But really, why me?”

Luna lies on the grass and plays with it as Minho smiles. “You… You’re different,” Minho whispers. “You’re nothing like the other goddesses I’ve met, including your friends.”

“What makes you think I’m different?” Luna keeps her eyes on the sky above. “We’ve only met once, so you don’t really know that.”

Luna winces as the grass in Minho’s fingers slowly changes from green to brown. She bites her lip as the grass dries and goes limp when Minho tightens his grip on them. She turns her head to him as she hears him chuckle.

“I just have a feeling,” Minho says, flashing that mysterious smile Luna isn’t sure she wants to wipe off his face. “So… what exactly were you doing before I interrupted?”

Luna blinks as she tries to control the expression on her face. No one has ever cared what she does in the fields unless her friends are around. She frowns as she plays with a dandelion that has returned to life at her touch as she tries to figure out what kind of game Minho is playing. She lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding before saying, “I was trying to prepare the field for harvest season by planting flowers and bringing back to life the dying grass and trees.” She points to the grass Minho sits on at her last words, hoping he’ll get the hint.

She laughs as Minho looks at where she’s pointing to. “I can’t help it if I kill everything I touch up here,” Minho says, shrugging at her. “I am the god of the dead, remember?”

“Even mortals and gods?” Luna asks despite herself. She rarely asks questions; that’s Krystal’s job. She bites the insides of her cheek as she slowly inches away from Minho, who chuckles.

“I kissed your hand the last time, and you’re still alive, right?” he says, smirking at her. Luna finds that smirk endearing, despite herself.

Luna blushes as the feeling of Minho’s cold lips against her hands comes back to her. She’s still alive and breathing, so that’s a pretty dumb question.

“But for some reason, I only kill non-sentient things I come in contact with,” Minho continues. “Meaning, I can’t kill animals, or humans at the slightest touch. That only happens with plants.”

“I guess we won’t be friends,” Luna shakes her head as she smiles. “I mean, it’s my job to keep everything alive, which is going to be useless with you around.”

Luna sighs as Minho chuckles. “I can’t say I’m sorry about that,” Minho says as Luna groans at him. “But I meant it when I said I wanted to get to know you better. So… first things first… what do you like doing?”

Luna’s eyebrows meet in the middle. This is the first time anyone has taken a genuine interest in her besides her friends, or at least said they wanted to get to know her. She lets out a breath before she says, “I like being out here in the fields and playing with the animals. I also like being near the water. I don’t know why, but it gives me a peace of mind when I hear the rush of the water. It’s like it washes away my thoughts...”

“Washes away your thoughts?” Minho frowns at her and Luna wants nothing more than the ground below her to swallow her whole. Great, now he’s going to judge her. Maybe she shouldn’t have spoken to him at all. “Why would you want that to happen?”

Luna bites her tongue as she looks anywhere but Minho’s direction. She’s said too much to someone she’s just met. Her mother always told her never to talk to strangers, yet, here she is, talking to someone who she’s never heard of until a few days ago. “I….” she whispers.

Luna stares at the grass underneath her fingertips as if they have the words she wants to say. She sighs in relief at the sound of Minho’s voice.

“Nevermind,” he says, holding on to her hand. For some reason, Luna likes the feeling of his cold hands against her skin, so she lets his hand linger on hers. “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer the question.”

Luna nods, eager to deflect the attention away from her. “What about you?” she dares to ask. “What do you do besides gate-crashing picnics and bothering people who have duties to fulfill?” She risks a laugh, hoping it’s enough to convey that she doesn’t really mind his presence.

“How do I explain this without scaring or disgusting you?” Minho murmurs as Luna stares at him, nodding at him to go on. This is the first time she’ll be talking to anyone without her mother or her friends watching her back, so she might as well make the most of whatever this moment is.

“I think your friends have told you this, but I rule over the dead,” he continues. “In short, I watch over them and make sure they don’t try to go back to the land of the living and cause trouble for those who live.”

“What kind of trouble would they even cause?” Luna mentally slaps herself once the question leaves her lips. There’s a reason mortals fear both the spirits of the dead and the idea of death itself.

“All sorts of trouble,” Minho answers as though it was the most intelligent question he’s ever heard. Luna tilts her head to the side, silently begging him to go on. “They can haunt those they’ve left behind, or seek revenge, especially if their lives were ended without their consent.”

“How sad it must be for them to have to leave behind the ones they love before they are ready,” she whispers as another dandelion comes to life at her touch. “I can’t imagine what it must be like…”

“It’s not always sad, for me at least,” Minho says. “Some of them are ready for death, since for mortals, life is just a journey and death is the next adventure.”

“Is that so?” Luna asks, chills going up her spine as she she stares straight into Minho’s empty-looking eyes. “The mortals I know, and the ones my friends encountered all want to live forever. How can some of them wish for death?”

“Some are bored of the daily ins and outs of life. Unlike you and I, mortals are pressured to make their lives worth living, since as far as they know, it’s all they have,” Minho explains. “But not everyone has the capacity to do that. Some of them feel trapped and don’t know where to go that’s why they welcome death, thinking it will set them free from the pressure of having to live a good life.”

“What does it mean for them to have a good life anyway?” Luna mentally notes all that Minho has said to report to Krystal the next time they meet. Speaking of which, her friend will definitely be so proud of her for asking intelligent questions once she hears about this. “Doesn’t living a good life mean having clothes on their backs, food to eat, and a roof over their heads?”

Luna frowns as Minho sighs and shakes his head. “Those are things people need in order to live, but the idea of a good life is different for everyone. Look at your friends, for example. Amber goes on all those hunting expeditions; Krystal reads and learns about arts, war, and politics, while Sulli makes people fall in love with either others or with her,” he picks at the dead grass at his feet. “Those are activities they’re passionate about. Most of the souls I’ve encountered in the underworld, the most willing souls to enter my realm are either the ones who feel as if they’ve done everything they want and have no regrets or those who have nothing left to live for-those who feel as though they have no purpose.”

Luna nods as Minho’s words sink into her head. Her friends always have interesting stories whenever they meet, while she does the same things, day in, day out, that her friends have stopped asking what she’s been doing when they’re apart. If she were a mortal, would she be one of those who would be seeking for something with no idea where to find it? If she were a mortal, would she be ready for death?

“What’s it really like in the underworld? Krystal said no one’s ever hungry there, but ...”

“Where do I begin?” Minho murmurs as he closes his eyes. Luna can’t help but blink at him as he lies down on the dead grass. How can he be so comfortable as though this is something easy to talk about? If even Krystal has difficulty getting him to talk about the Underworld, but Luna is about to hear about a world that’s probably so different from her own.

“I guess, I can start by saying there’s no sun down there. It’s the complete opposite of Mount Olympus-dark and dreary,” Minho says. “Few plants can grow down there, as it’s made up of rocks. I have a three-headed dog as a bodyguard, the three judges of the underworld as best friends, and a boatman I’ve come to see as a younger brother.”

Luna’s head shoots up at the mention of a three-headed dog. “What? A three-headed dog?” she asks, staring at Minho, torn between raising an eyebrow and feeling bad for the dog. “How is that possible?”

Minho shrugs as Luna sighs. “I have no idea, but that’s not the most interesting thing about it. Cerberus also has a serpent's tail, the skin of a snake, and a lion's claws.”

Luna shakes her head as her jaw falls. “You can’t be serious. How is that even possible?” she asks, trying to imagine if such a grotesque-sounding creature can even exist. “And you called it Cerberus? That thing has an actual name?”

“Yes, Luna,” Minho chuckles as Luna hides her face in her hands. “He exists, has a name, and does a good job of preventing the souls of the dead from going to back the land of the living.”

“Now, I really have to see it,” Luna whispers, looking anywhere but at Minho’s direction. This is the first time she’s ever felt comfortable talking to anyone outside of her circle of friends. How does Minho manage to get her to let her guard down around him? She barely considers him a stranger anymore, but as someone who can be a very good friend.

“Why not?” Minho says, as they stand up. “I mean... you have to see it to believe it, right?”

Luna gasps as she drops the grass in her hands. He can’t be serious. This is insane and there’s no way her mother will ever let her out of the house again once she finds out. “Are you actually going to tell me the secrets of the dead? The same secrets you said Krystal will never know?”

“No,” he says, as he stretches out a hand to her. “Not unless you want to come to the underworld with me?” Minho laughs as he shakes his head, and Luna thinks she likes the sound of his deep laughter.

Minho’s invitation sounds like an innocent visit to some other place, but there has to be some price for seeing the land of the dead. If it’s information Minho isn’t willing to share with Krystal, what makes Luna so special that he’s letting her actually see it? Then again, maybe this is the excitement she would have been seeking had she been a mortal. She can go somewhere without her mother or her friends. It’s a new world for her to see. As much as she likes her fields, meadows, riverbanks, and gardens, too much of the same thing can be frustrating or maybe even boring.

“There are all sorts of things that would like to take advantage of you,” Victoria’s voice suddenly invades Luna’s thoughts.

Luna sighs as she shakes her head. Here she is, about to head off to a world she knows nothing of. This is the first time her mother or her friends won’t be able to give a second opinion. Luna’s heart pounds at the thought. This is the first time she’s ever been alone, but somehow, she doesn’t feel abandoned.

She’s forgotten to go home before, and her mother has always forgiven her. She’ll only be gone a few days, she supposes. It’s not like anything drastic will happen while she’s away. She’s brought the plants back to life and all the animals have been well-fed, so she’s not exactly going to be missed while she’s gone. Luna nods to herself as she blows the dandelion in her hands.

Luna takes a look around her, inhaling the air of the meadows and taking in the clear skies before she looks at Minho, smiles, and takes his outstretched hand.

“Yes, I’ll go to the underworld with you.”

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

“Welcome to my home.” These are the first words Luna hears the moment she opens her eyes.

Luna blinks as her eyes adjust to the absence of light. She must have fallen asleep, as she has no idea at what point the skies turned from bright blue with fluffy white clouds to complete darkness, with only small flickering flame torches on the walls as a source of light. The golden chariot they’re on is drawn by four black horses, and Luna holds back a scream as she leans into Minho. He has no heartbeat, nor is there any warmth coming from his body; but somehow, she’s safer in Minho’s arms than anywhere else at the moment.

“Look down and I will show you my kingdom,” Minho says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Luna does as she’s told and sees five rivers stand out in the sea of darkness below them. “The Acheron is river of woe, where the souls are first brought once they die, before they meet me,” Minho explains as he waves to the young boatman below. The boy’s austere face breaks into a smile at the sight of Minho. Luna notices the curious glance he throws her way before he smirks at them. “Ignore the brat. I shall deal with him later,” Minho says as Luna turns away from the boy. Despite his words, Luna hears the affection in his voice.

“That’s the Cocytus, the river of lamentation, to your left is the Phlegethon, which leads to the depths of Tartarus-”

Luna sits up as she hears the somewhat familiar place. “Tartarus? Isn’t that where the titans are imprisoned? Or at least those who have committed the most horrible of crimes?”

Luna vaguely makes out Minho’s smile as he says, “How did you know? Victoria doesn’t seem like the type to educate her daughter about matters like these.”

“Krystal, who else?” Luna lets out a small smile, for once thanking her friend for talking about whatever it is she’s reading whenever they meet.

“I should have known.” Luna feels Minho’s chest barely move as he sighs before continuing. “Looking ahead, you’ll see the river Styx. It’s the most prominent river, as it circles the place seven times.” Luna nods as she takes in the pitch black, somewhat raging river below them. “It’s the river of unbreakable oath by which the gods take vows,” Minho continues. “Anyone who bathes in it is granted invulnerability. I haven’t tried it myself, since I’m the living dead and all.”

Doesn’t Minho ever get tired of making all sorts of dead jokes? Luna doesn’t know much about the matter, but surely these jokes were offensive to someone else? Then again, Minho is unlike anyone she’s ever met.

“Finally, that last river over there is the Lethe, also known as the river of forgetfulness.” Minho points to a smaller river that flowed through a cave. “The shades of the dead have to drink from it in order to forget their earthly life. Only when the dead have had their memories erased is when they have a chance at reincarnation.”

“So a second chance is possible for all these souls should they choose to drink from the river?” Luna asks.

“Yes and no,” Minho says and Luna frowns while looking up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“They can be reincarnated, but they don’t get to live the previous life they had,” Minho explains. “Some can be kings in their previous lives, and be reborn as a pauper. Not everyone wants to take that chance.”

Luna nods just as the chariot stops in front of a diamond gate. She squeaks and steps behind Minho the minute she hears a growl.

Standing in front of them is probably the biggest dog Luna has ever seen. As Minho said, it has three heads, all of which are barking at her, saying only one thing, “You are our next meal as soon as the master leaves you.”

“Don’t leave me,” she mutters as her hands ball into fists. She shivers, but dares to take a peek at the creature in front of them. Her eyes wander along its body as Minho shifts in her arms to bring out a flute. She watches as all six eyes close and its body falls to the ground. The only time she lets out a sigh of relief is when she hears the creature snore. As they walk by the creature, she sees the dog’s scaly skin, resembling that of a snake's and the paws and claws of a lion’s. As the dog, if she can call it that, shifts in its sleep, Luna avoids its long, serpentine tail, while Minho closes the gates.

“Sorry about Cerberus,” Minho says as he leads Luna toward a golden palace, which is probably the brightest thing she has seen in this realm, besides the diamond gates. “He tends to get hostile towards new people, but all it takes is a little bit of music for him to sleep.”

Luna raises an eyebrow as she turns to Minho. “Tends to get hostile? He told me I was his next meal, Minho,” her voice coming out slightly whinier than she intended it to be as she swats his arm. “How could I not be terrified?”

“He says that to every soul that enters this place, Luna,” Minho explains, scratching the back of his head. “That’s how we keep them from escaping.”

“He doesn’t actually eat living flesh, does he?”

“He does, that’s why only the spirits of the dead are allowed to freely enter the underworld, and no one, but myself, is allowed to leave.”

Luna shudders as Minho wraps his fingers around her wrist and pulls her forward into his chest. She snuggles in, but it's more out of habit than anything-after all, Minho’s body has no warmth to offer. Even when his lips brush against her hair and he whispers against her temple, “It'll be okay, I promise I'll do anything for you, Luna,” she says nothing, feels nothing at all, from his heartbeat-less and cold body to his words supposedly heavy with meaning, yet feel so hollow at the same time. She simply nods, as Minho points out the pomegranate orchard they walk by. After all, she's heard that promise time and time again from her mother, only to be disappointed.

She takes a breath as she turns to Minho, her heart pounding as she says, "You're not the first to promise me that. What makes you think I'll believe you?"

“I didn’t let Cerberus eat you, right?” Minho says, obviously thinking she’s joking, given that he's still smiling at her. Luna is torn between laughing along with him just to keep the mood pleasant or to actually say what she means.

This is her only chance to say everything she wants, without fear of her mother hearing about it. The underworld doesn't seem like a place where her mother has spies watching her every move. Minho is practically a complete stranger to her, and she has no idea whether she can trust him.

"It's not that," Luna says as she tries not to bite her tongue. She's already said it, so she might as well continue what she started. "My mother's said the same thing to me ever since I was a little girl, yet I feel like she's not doing all this for me, but for herself."

Minho frowns as they stop in their tracks. Luna suddenly feels her blood run cold as he looks at her, his dark eyes suddenly sparkling with what she thinks is curiosity. "What do you mean by that?" he asks, leading her inside the palace doors. "You can tell me everything."

Luna looks away from Minho's inspecting gaze, as if he's trying to see straight into her soul. None of her friends have ever made her feel this way. If she dares to tell any of them about things like these, all they will say is that her mother is just doing it out of love. But now that she's so far away from everything-from her mother and everything to do with her, maybe this is her chance to speak her mind without fearing judgment.

"I know my mother loves me, but at the same time, I feel like I'm trapped," Luna finally says as they reach what she suspects is a bedroom. She leans on the marble walls as Minho opens the door and gestures for her to follow.

"It's just that, day in, day out, I do the same things over and over again," Luna continues as she sits on the big, dark bed, with sheets unlike anything she's ever felt before. "She also needs to know where I'm going, who I'll be going with, as if I'm a child!"

Luna looks up at Minho's face, only to have him looking at her seriously, nodding when appropriate. Despite this, Luna wants to think he's paying attention to every word she's saying.

"I love the fields, the sunshine, and my friends, but I can't help but get jealous of them. They have all these interesting lives beyond the fields and the times we meet. I know they don't mean to make me feel inferior to them, but sometimes, I just can't help it." Luna's aware she's rambling but this is the first time she's ever admitted both to herself and to someone else her feelings of discontent and boredom. "I... I just want to do something different, for once."

She picks up a small pillow and uncharacteristically hurls it across the room. "That felt good," she whispers as she takes in Minho's surprised smile.

Minho stands up to pick up the pillow and suddenly Luna feels rather self-conscious of her actions. They were certainly unlady-like and her mother would never approve. "Sorry," she whispers as Minho gives the pillow back to her.

"It's fine, Luna," Minho whispers, taking one of her hands in his own. "Not just the pillow, but the whole thing. You don't have to go back to that kind of life if you don't want to."

Luna looks up from their intertwined hands to the kind smile on Minho's face. "A-are you sure?" she blinks at him, trying to find some sort of treachery in those dark eyes. "I... I mean, my mother will come looking for me!"

No one approaches or befriends her for fear of crossing her mother. Minho's probably going to be the same, now that she's mentioned her mother. They all leave her once her mother steps into the picture, directly or not. Now it's going to happen again. Luna straightens her dress. She's probably overstayed her welcome as it is. As she stands up, she looks back only to see Minho frowning back at her.

"Do you already want to go back?" Minho asks, tilting his head at her. Luna almost wants to laugh at the image, as he resembles a lost young boy rather than a great god. "I mean, you just got here and you’ve just said that you wanted to do something different. But if you want to go..."

"No!" Luna gasps before Minho can even stand. "I'm not ready to go yet, but my mother..."

"Well, there is one way for your mother to leave you alone while you're here," Minho trails off, looking straight into Luna's eyes.

Something to make her mother leave her alone? Is this possible? From what she's known about Minho so far, he's a great god, possibly more powerful than her friends. But she didn't think it was possible for some other god to be more powerful than her mother, besides Yunho. Now, here's her chance at freedom, at a whole new life outside of her mother. She takes a breath and whispers, "Tell me."

"You just have to eat something from here, and Victoria will have no choice but to let you be," Minho answers as he points to a pomegranate tree outside the window.

"That's all?" Luna says her eyes going wide. It couldn't be that simple, after all Minho is still a god, and gods have their ways of demanding payment for services. There's no possibility he'll be doing this for free. There always has to be something of equal or greater value to be lost. "It can't be that simple, can it?"

"Once you eat something from here, you're not allowed to leave. Not now, not ever," Minho shrugs as he stands up from the bed. "You have time to think about it though. In the meantime, shall I go introduce you to my friends?"

Luna nods as she accepts the arm Minho offers. This experience is something not everyone is privy to. Minho had told Krystal that immortals like herself will never know the secrets of the dead. What makes her so special for Minho to actually want to take her here with him and let her see all that's meant to be seen in his kingdom?

Minho takes her around his kingdom, telling her bits and pieces of information about each place. First are the Fields of Asphodel, which seems to be an in-between place. Beyond that is Erebus, which has two pools, Lethe, which Minho pointed out earlier, and the pool of Mnemosyne or memory, where the initiates of the Mysteries drink instead. As they approach the forecourt of Minho's palace, Luna spies three men talking, while a line of souls stand in front of them.

"Those are Jonghyun, Onew, and Key," Minho whispers as he points to the three men who seem to be whispering among themselves. "They judge the souls of the dead based on what they did while they were alive."

As Luna looks past them, she sees three roads fork out from behind them. "So, which soul goes where?" she asks as she points at the roads.

"Hello, Minho and Luna, what brings you to our side of the kingdom?" the man seated in the middle greets, his bright smile seemingly out of place among the grim souls. She throws Minho a confused look. How does this man know her name when Minho has yet to introduce her to them? She's not exactly a mortal soul whose name would be in their book of life or whatever they use to keep track of every single living soul.

"To answer your question, Luna, souls return to Fields of Asphodel if they are neither good nor evil. We send impious or evil ones to Tartarus, and the virtuous souls go to Elysium, Islands of the Blessed with the blameless heroes. My name is Onew and I guess you can say I make the deciding vote in the case of a split-decision between these two."

Luna looks at the men sitting on either side of Onew. One is rather short and reminds her of Amber and Donghae, with that cheeky smile as though he's happy to be sentencing these poor souls to whatever fate they have. "I'm Jonghyun, and I'm the judge of the souls from the west. Nice to meet you!"

She looks at Onew's other side and sees a man with soft skin and feline-like eyes looking as if he's too superior for whatever games his companions are playing. "I'm Key, and I'm in charge of the souls from the east. It's about time Minho finally brought you home."

For the first time since she got here, Luna laughs as Minho sputters at Key's words. She giggles as all three stern judges of the dead shift into annoying, overbearing friends to Minho in an instant. Is this what she and her friends look like to other people? A group of people who love each other and have fun together despite everything they have to do? She smiles as Minho finally manages to free himself from their grip.

"We'll be going now," Minho says as he attempts to fix his tousled hair. "We'll see you when we do."

"Yeah! See you!" Jonghyun shouts as they turn away. “Nice to see you love birds around!”

Minho rolls his eyes as he gently pulls a chuckling Luna by the wrist. They soon end up on the other side of the Acheron river, as a boat stops right in front of them. Several souls disembark and she instinctively steps behind Minho as these souls attempt to reach for her. She hears a snicker and she turns to see a young boy with long, unkempt dark hair, round eyes, a slim frame, and smooth skin standing on the boat and holding an oar, staring back at her.

“This is Taemin,” Minho says, as the boatman comes closer. “He carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers that divide the world of the living from the world of the dead.”

“But of course, these souls have to pay me first,” Taemin smirks as he uses his oar to point at the disembarking souls. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. Were you the woman on Minho’s chariot earlier?”

“Yes?” Luna answers, blinking at the young boy in front of her. “Unless you saw someone else before?”

“I bet you’re the one he’s been talking about for days! It will be nice to have an older sister figure around here,” Taemin says, elbowing Minho in the ribs.

“That’s enough, Taemin,” Minho says. “Don’t give Luna any weird ideas.”

Luna frowns as Taemin snickers. “Weird ideas? Like what? Actually falling in love with you?”

Luna pats Minho’s arm as he lets out a sound that is a hybrid of a grunt and a sigh. “Don’t you have any more souls to ferry over to this side?” she asks, taking pity on Minho.

"Already teaming up against me, I see… Fine, I know when I’m being a nuisance,” Taemin says as he gets back on his boat.

“Taemin…” Minho says, his voice barely concealing some sort of threat, but Taemin just laughs.

“Don't forget to tell me when the wedding will be~" Taemin sings as he sails back to the other side to pick up more souls.

"Stop it!" Minho shouts as he runs away from the area, with Luna trying to match his quick, long strides.

“You have... very interesting... friends,” Luna says, huffing and puffing by the time they get to Minho's pomegranate orchard. "But they’re so set on us getting married. I mean, we just met…. I mean, not that it’s bad or anything, but I barely know you… Isn’t it too fast?"

Minho sighs as he leans against a tree and looks straight into Luna's eyes. It's that same look he had when they first met, back in the field with all her friends. This time his gaze is a lot heavier than it was back then. It's not the way any of her other friends look at her, so she can tell it's not the look of friendship. Where are her friends when she needs them to help her interpret men?

"I have to confess something," Minho says once they have both caught their breaths. "The day at the picnic isn't the first time I met you."

"What do you mean?" Luna frowns. She doesn't recall seeing Minho anywhere else before the picnic.

Luna blinks as Minho inhales deeply. What's going on here? She looks around and sees nothing out of the ordinary, at least as normal as it can be in the underworld.

"I've seen you several times before and... I think that you are the most beautiful, the kindest, and the most fascinating woman I've ever met. And I think I'm in love with you," Minho continues, waving his hands in front of his face, all semblance of charisma and poise gone. Luna has the urge to pinch his cheeks, until she realizes what he just said.

"In love? With me?" she asks, pointing to herself. "Are you making a fool out of me?"

Luna tilts her head to the side as Minho sighs. "I know that confession is pathetic, but I'm not playing any tricks. I know it's rather sudden, but I really think that you're the one. You're the person I want to spend the rest of my immortality with. I don’t want to rule the underworld with anyone else but you. Not because because you're beautiful or special, but because it’s you, Luna."

Luna bites her lips as she looks anywhere but Minho's direction. It's too soon for her to receive a confession like this. How can Minho be so sure that she's the one for him when this is possibly the first time they've actually spent a sufficient amount of time together? Not even Sulli accepts a lover she barely knows.

"You... You don't have to accept my confession right away," Minho says, looking anywhere but at Luna. "I mean, it's unfair of me to just spring that on you and all... If you want to go back, I understand... but yes, the decision is completely up to you. But no matter what you decide, it won't change what I feel about you... so...there..."

Luna blinks as she watches Minho walk away. Victoria has always made the major decisions for her, what duties she'll carry out, who she's allowed to be friends with, the dos and don'ts of proper behavior. When she was younger, her mother went so far as to decide what Luna wore and how she styled her hair. Her friends don't realize it, but they also make decisions for Luna. By being too busy for her, she's forced to be alone and feel abandoned. The only choice she's been able to make so far is whether to dwell on those feelings or not. It's not easy to ignore those feelings, especially if she compares her friends dynamic, multi-purpose lives compared to the sheltered, stagnant life she lives.

Down here, there's no one here to report her wrongdoings to her mother. There's no pressure to keep up with her friends. Every soul she's met so far has a purpose, but they are never too busy to spend a little time with Minho. For a land of misery and death, the deities here seem content, maybe even happy. If she stays here, she'll be free from all that stagnation and maybe whatever happiness the others down here have will rub off on her too.

If she goes back to the light, she'll never find out. She's lived her life in the shadows of her mother and her friends anyway. Luna sighs as she watches Minho approach the orchard's gate. He says he loves her. The only other person to ever say that is her mother, and look what happened. The way he looks at her is different from the way her mother does. It's not just because his eyes don't reflect the sun, but it's also how he sees her as an equal. He doesn't have that look in his eyes that needs to preserve whatever innocence she has. Maybe, she can say, he has been nothing but indulgent so far. Is this what love is? Indulging the other person in the things she wants?

She nods to herself as she comes to a decision.

"Minho! Wait!" she shouts, running, as the god turns to her with wide eyes. "I'll eat."

Minho stops in his tracks. "Are you sure?" he says once she catches up to him. "Once you've eaten there's no way back."

Luna nods, with her lips set in a straight line. "Yes, Minho. I want to stay.," she replies, hoping he can hear the determination in her voice. "Feed me before I change my mind."

She sees the look of shock on Minho's face, only for it to change into a small smile. She might have over-asserted herself, but it's the only way she can think of to assure him she's made her decision.

Minho can't reach for the nearest pomegranate hanging above their heads fast enough. She watches with bated breath as Minho breaks the fruit open, inhaling the flowery scent the wine-colored seeds emit.

She parts her lips as Minho offers her a portion with six seeds. Rather than taking it from him, as she normally would have done, she eats it off his fingers lest she has any time to change her mind.

As Luna licks the remnants of the fruit off Minho's fingers, she thinks to herself, "This is it. There's no turning back."

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

It’s been days since Luna first arrived in the underworld. She has traded the green dress she wore in favor of a black and silver one to match Minho’s clothes. Waking up to a somewhat dark sky takes some getting used to, but she manages just fine. Her hair has changed from light brown to a darker brown that’s almost black. It makes her feel more mature, if she dares to think it.

Having someone to talk to all the time is the best part of this new life. Although she and Minho have been together, Minho gives her space without her having to ask. Ever since their marriage, if she can call it that, no one has attempted to harm her. Even Cerberus has stopped treating her like his next meal.

Minho laughs as she tells him all this. They have just finished welcoming the new dead souls to the realm and sent them to Onew, Jonghyun, and Key to be judged. “You're meant to be a queen," he says, pulling hair to drape over her shoulder.

“You’re being silly,” Luna laughs at his words. Never did she think she would become a queen, let alone that of the Underworld. Then again, she never imagined a life beyond the meadows and the fields until Minho came along.

“I’m not,” Minho laughs back as he takes her hand and twirls her around. There isn’t any music, but she plays along. Indulging him is the least she can do after all he’s given her so far.

It doesn’t take much to make Minho happy, Luna learns soon enough. As long as she laughs at his sometimes lame jokes and keeps him company, he’s satisfied. A smile from her can bring a great god like Minho to his knees. It’s not a great gift such as beauty, intellect, or courage like those of her friends, but it’s some sort of power, so she’ll take it.

“I love you,” Minho whispers, smiling as he takes her in his arms. Luna bites her lips and looks anywhere but Minho’s direction. It’s only been a few days, and Minho’s been so patient. But there are moments like these, wherein he probably hopes for Luna to say, “I love you too.” It’s difficult to miss those lingering touches and hopeful glances he sends her way. It’s burdensome, but at the same time, it’s nice.

Before Luna can try and laugh it off, a flash of color catches her eye from a distance. Her insides run cold as the figure comes closer. This was bound to happen eventually, but she didn’t expect it to be so soon. She should have known her mother would come after her eventually. But it’s too late for that. The Underworld is her home now; she made sure of that.

“Oh no,” she whispers as the figure finally stops. Luna must have underestimated her mother’s overprotectiveness. Victoria stands in front of them, and the look on her face is something Luna has never seen before. It’s rage, along with something else she can’t identify.

Luna tries to smile at her mother, yet it feels forced. Why does she feel so guilty? It’s not like she’s done anything wrong. Joining Minho in the underworld and tying herself to it is the first thing Luna’s ever done for herself. Victoria takes her shaking hands, obviously trying to pull her back to the light. Before Luna can open her mouth to protest, Minho steps up behind her. He wraps his long fingers around her waist, and almost on instinct, she turns towards him so she doesn't have to look at Victoria.

Luna sighs in relief the moment her back is turned to her mother. She struggles to find the words to explain her actions. After all, her mother would never understand. She loves her mother more than anything else, and whatever explanation Luna can come up with will just hurt her. She leans into Minho’s chest, taking shelter in the silence it offers, despite the mess going on around her.

"You have no right," Victoria hisses. "You can't just-"

“He didn’t force me to do anything, mother. I came willingly,” Luna wants to say, yet the words are stuck in her throat.

"She ate," Minho interrupted Victoria, and Luna looks up at him, smiling in relief. "She ate six seeds. You can't touch her."

“Thank you, Minho,” she whispers as she snuggles deeper into his empty chest.

“I will save you, Luna,” Victoria mutters under her breath. Before Luna can even turn around to look at her mother, the earth goddess is gone.

“I’m not in any danger. If you truly love me and want to save me, please let me be, mother.”

Minho cups Luna's face and whispers, “I’ll protect you, Luna. I’ll be back.” He kisses the crown of her head before he follows Victoria on his chariot.

Without Minho for company, Luna finds herself going around the underworld as if she’s seeing everything for the first time. She stops just as Taemin ferries a new set of souls to their side of the river. The boatman gives her a small smile as the soul of a child catches her attention. Unlike the other souls who stare at her with hopeless eyes, the child is in tears.

“What happened?” she whispers to Taemin who shrugs.

Luna points the dead souls to the path that leads them to Onew, Jonghyun, and Key. Something pulls at her dress, and she sees the crying child staring up at her. She smiles as she crouches down to see eye-to-eye with the little girl. The poor child probably doesn’t know that she’s already dead.

“Welcome to the underworld, where the souls go when they die,” Luna says as gently as possible.

She opens her mouth, but finds that she has no idea what else to say. After all, she isn’t the best person to explain to these souls that they’re already dead. She sighs and points at the other souls for the child to follow. The child nods and Luna watches her go.

From what Minho has told her, just like living a good life is different for people, death is very much the same. Almost everyone fears it, whether it’s the mortals or the gods. There are people who choose death, when they find their existence to be so mundane. Sometimes, there are those who welcome death, who give up their lives for others or people who find contentment in the land of the living. They’re a mix of hopeless and brave, the souls who come to the underworld. Luna sighs as she watches them march along the road to where the three judges wait.

As for gods and goddesses like themselves, although they are physically immortal, Luna wonders why they would fear death if they will never be able to experience it. Her mother and friends have always had this unspoken fear of death. They’ve made it sound terrifying to the point that it’s become taboo to talk about. But Luna has never felt this way. Now that she was living in the Underworld, her thoughts of death have gotten broader. Seeing the people who have experienced death, learning the reasons behind them, has given her something more to think about.

Maybe it’s the very appearance of death itself that makes mortals seek and the gods fear death. Minho may be the god of the dead, but there’s a certain life in his eyes that makes her think he is anything but. How can someone dead have a smile that shines as if the sun is brighter down in the Underworld than on Mount Olympus? Minho’s body offers no physical warmth, yet Luna feels it whenever he embraces her in his arms. If joining Minho in the underworld, means dying, then it certainly isn’t as horrible or painful as others make it out to to be. She has never felt more alive until this time she spent in the Underworld. If death makes everyone feel this free, then it shouldn’t be so bad.

She’s safe, thanks to Minho’s protection (and her new status as queen of the underworld), but there’s no one watching her every move. She can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. There’s no pressure to be as good or better than anyone else either. She has no reason to be envious of anyone or anything, after all, she is their queen. It’s not much to be proud of, but it’s better than being the sheltered, naive daughter of the earth goddess or the mysterious, quiet friend of the great Olympian goddesses.

She must have fallen asleep, for when she opens her eyes, she sees Minho lying beside her on the bed. His discussion with her mother is probably finished. Luna blinks as she sits up, looking at Minho. She balls her hands into fists, unsure what she’s hoping for, as he takes a breath.

“Your mother initially wanted you back, but as I said, you’ve eaten food from here,” Minho begins, stroking her hair. “So Yunho’s decision is that you spend six months with me, one month for every seed you ate. The rest of the time, you spend with your mother."

So much for never having to go back to her mother again. Now that she’s had a taste of freedom, how can she go back to the life she used to know? She loves her mother, and her mother loves her back. How does she justify her actions to her mother? How will she make the woman understand that none of this is Minho’s fault but her own? All she’s ever wanted was to be free, and now she’s experienced it. Now that she’s a queen in her new life, she can’t go back to just being her mother’s daughter again. This isn’t a conversation Luna ever wants to have with her mother. If she says anything, she’s just going to be an ungrateful daughter in her mother’s eyes. If not ungrateful, her mother would probably believe she’s brainwashed. Luna's eyes start to water of their own accord as Minho settles her on his lap and strokes her hair back. Luna cries and cries even though her heart is dry.

“If I could have it my way you’d never have to go back to your mother,” Minho whispers into her hair. “But as the husband of her daughter, I must still respect her wishes.”

Surely, she isn’t the only one miserable because of this arrangement. Minho has done everything in his power to make her happy and keep her by his side. The difference is that, Luna came willingly. Whereas with her mother, she didn’t exactly choose to be born as her mother’s daughter. The Underworld is the home she has chosen. It’s different from the sunny fields, the flowery meadows, and the cheerful laughter she has grown up with, but to her, it’s still home. This is where she’s free to do what she wishes, have power over other souls, and most importantly, Minho and his heart have accepted her for who she is, without asking for anything in return.

As she thinks of Minho's affection, of his love, she remembers just how lacking she is as his wife, unable yet to love him. Her heart is still far too closed and dry. Now that she’s free, she’s only learning to open her heart now. At this point, she’s incapable of loving, but somehow it’s still fine with Minho. It’s unfair, but this is something she can’t force herself to do just yet. She feels something for Minho-gratitude for saving her from a meaningless life, affection, perhaps, since he has been nothing but kind to her. Minho isn’t bad to look at either, so attraction might be possible, but this isn’t the kind of love Sulli has often told her about. It’s not the love Minho wants, that she’s sure of. She doesn’t see him the way he sees her, but maybe she will someday.

Looking up at Minho, Luna takes a deep breath. She stares straight into his eyes and he seems to understand what she’s trying to say. “I will learn to love you. just give me some time."

Out loud, Luna whispers, “I love you.”

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

Luna squints her eyes as she steps into the light. This is the first time she will see her mother in six months. Before Luna can take another step, she finds herself engulfed in the arms of her mother.

“Luna, I’ve missed you,” Victoria says once she lets go. Luna feels her mother’s eyes scrutinizing her, probably looking for any evidence of physical harm.

“I’ve missed you too,” Luna says more out of duty than anything else. While she may have missed her mother a little bit, she has spent the last six months of her life happier than she has ever been before. But this is what her mother wants to hear, so she just has to act like she means it.

“That necklace…I’ve never seen it before,” Victoria murmurs, staring straight at Luna’s neck. “Is that…”

Luna’s fingers instinctively move to her neck, where a necklace of braided silver sits. Minho gave it to her the day before she went back to the land of the living, so she “doesn’t forget him.” How was it possible to forget the man who changed the entire course of her life? She smiles and nods at her mother, who simply purses her lips.

“It’s… different,” Victoria decides as they walk to the fields.

After six months of working the nerve to explain her actions to her mother, Luna takes this opportunity before she loses the moment to speak up. She takes a breath as she looks at her mother. “Mother, I…”

“I don’t need to hear it, Luna,” Victoria says, puts a hand up. “You did what you did. The decision has been made. That’s all there is to it.”

Luna sighs. “But don’t you feel as if you deserve an explanation? I feel like I owe you that much…” This is possibly the most painful conversation she can have with her mother. After all, this is possibly the first time she will ever have to tell her mother she was unhappy when they were together. What mother would like to hear that?

“No, Luna. I don’t think I need to,” Victoria snaps. Her tone is more clipped than usual and this is the first time she’s never wanted to hear Luna’s explanations. “This is why I told you never to talk to strangers or to wander off alone.”

“But… I…” Luna falters. No matter what happens, her mother will always have some sort of power over her. Maybe this is why she prefers being in the underworld.

“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you in the slightest. It’s all Minho’s fault. He abducted you, seduced you. Took you with him without you knowing what it really means.”

There’s a rage in Victoria’s eyes that Luna isn’t certain to whom it’s directed at. Perhaps it’s directed at Minho, for stealing Luna away and making her his wife without her consent. Pretty likely. But Luna wonders, if her mother is also angry at herself, for not being able to convince her only daughter to stay with her for eternity. No, Victoria is too self-righteous to acknowledge her own faults.

Is this rage directed at Luna for deserting her poor mother? No, it can’t be. In Victoria’s eyes, Luna’s still a child who doesn’t know any better. There’s always someone else to blame as far as Luna is concerned. Victoria will never see Luna as an adult capable of making her own decisions. But maybe that’s the strength, and probably stubbornness, that comes with a mother’s love, she can never blame her child for anything that happens, no matter if it’s the child’s own fault.

Before Luna can say anything else, Victoria points to the fields. “Your friends are waiting for you. They’ve missed you,” she says, kissing Luna on the cheek. “We can talk some more when you get home tonight.”

Luna waves her mother goodbye as the latter walks away. She wanders off to the fields to spend some time with the nymphs and her friends. Amid the squeals of “Luna!” and the many-armed hugs, she still feels as if they’re so far away.

The nymphs don’t stop apologizing. As it turns out, their youngest sister Yeri saw what happened between Luna and Minho at the meadow and told Victoria. She admits that she came willingly, and suddenly, she finds herself entertaining questions about married life.

Though her friends do their best to keep the atmosphere pleasant and act like nothing has changed, everything seems so different now. Luna once enjoyed playing in the fields and throwing grass at her friends, but now she finds herself missing the cold rocks back in the underworld. As the nymphs’ laughter ring in her ears, she wishes it was Taemin’s snarky commentary on the new souls he ferries or Onew, Jonghyun, and Key’s decisions on the souls’ fates she hears instead. As she looks up at the sun, she finds its light dim compared to the brightness of Minho’s smile.

Luna tells Victoria all this when she goes home later that night. Victoria smiles and tells her it’s because she’s all grown up and married now. Even now, she’s still being lied to, but she knows the truth.

It's because she's already dead.

-30-

Notes:

• To darkyulate, as Lovelyz sing in “Candy Jelly Love,” and I quote “You’re the best ever come in my life / You’re the best of my life” for being my beta, holding my hand, and being my personal cheerleader in times of mental breakdowns. Thanks also to Agent N, Agent WG, Agent I, Agent JM, Agent KS, Agent E, Agent C, TF, and the rest of T-list for the word sprints and the cheerleading.
• Hi ladadadi! I doubt this is how you expected a remix of this story to turn out, but I did my best to do this justice. >.<
• I did my research to make this AU as accurate as possible, since the last time I did intensive reading on Greek mythology was when I was a university student.