The Lonely God (Rosekook)

18

"Can I show you something?" he said quietly as they emerged from the great hall with silence shrouding their surroundings.

She tilted her head curiously. "Okay."

"Don't get your hopes up," he added as they walked outside the temple. He snapped his fingers, summoning his trusty magic carpet.

"Is...is it safe?" Chaeyoung hesitated to clamber on as he had. She had previously arrived to the general assembly in a chariot from Hecate's stables as Jeongguk flew overhead.

"What, this fella here? Sure thing," Jeongguk grinned and held out a hand to her. "Do you trust me?" he asked quietly.

Chaeyoung smiled and gave him her hand as he helped her up. "Is this the part where I sing 'A Whole New World'?"

"Umm never heard of that song but sure go ahead? It sounds strangely fitting too..."

She laughed. "It's no fun singing by myself; it's a duet..."

They flew silently through the quiet night, eventually landing in a familiar darkened temple courtyard, the only light being moonlight.

"Hecate's temple," Jeongguk reassured Chaeyoung, "it's practically my second home, the guards won't talk to us."

He took her hand and walked her through the corridors and hallways.

"I know you've been wandering this place for a month but I gotta show you this place at night, when it's perfect."

He stepped behind her, gently pushing her forward as they approached an archway.

"We're going to the terrace?"

Jeongguk hummed in answer. She chuckled.

"Sorry to disappoint but I've been here before. And at night too..."she trailed off, her expression turning sober by the light of the flickering flame torches esconced along the wall.

Jeongguk frowned and took her hand as he led her out to the balcony and leaned on the stone balustrades. "All by yourself?"

She nodded as she hauled herself up to sit on banisters. "It's a little far removed from the main chambers and I didn't want to disturb people...I came to sing." She turned towards the darkened landscape, silvery in the moonlight. "It's so different from the other Seoul..."

"Yeah..." He watched her sadly, longing to wrap his arms around her and reassure her that everything would turn out fine, that she would be able to restart her life amongst her kind without all the pain and hurt he inflicted, a clean fresh start.

However, he knew that deep down, both were silently pondering on a niggling question: but what about him/her?

He woke up from his reverie to hear her say: "I wonder why the Gods kind of...holed up here in Seoul instead of actually in Greece from where they originated. I mean, I'm sure there were Gods here in Korea, we have...I mean, had those, there are loads of myths. Or is it maybe like a universe thing? Like in some other universe the gods are in I don't know, China or New York or Los Angeles. Like, how did that happen?"

He shook his head fondly as she rambled, wishing to interrupt her and ask what exactly were New York and Los Angeles and China. He decided to instead explain her inquiries, grateful for the delay to their impending deadline looming ever closer (he was keeping a close watch on the shadows as the moon travelled across the sky).

"Actually Hecate had explained something about this, since I obviously noted this discrepancy," Jeongguk said eagerly, "she said in this universe, they were the only Gods known to man and that they kinda travelled like nomads. Literally the whole of Olympus and the Underworld move to settle in a location where civilisation is undergoing a period of cultural advancement and prosperity—for example, we're amongst the most advanced in weaponry, literature, philosophy, science and magic in the known world for the past three centuries.