➵ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓: 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 [𝐊.𝐓𝐇]

"It was them, then."

"As much as I hate to admit it, the maknae's right," Namjoon sighed, glancing at you with a concerned expression as he shook his pale silver hair out of his eyes, "They are not the strongest out there, but they are NOT deities to be trifled with, Y/N-ah. Gods, Taehyung, you really didn't know?"

The son of Ares glanced at you, emotion flickering behind his eyes as he looked at you before his gaze hardened, pulling at his collar and rubbing at the bronze chain beneath his shirt.

"I had no idea," his voice husked roughly, jaw clenching as his fingers wrapped around the chain as if in a curse, "but it makes perfect sense now. Why everything I felt in that place was torture. Why it preyed on my worst fears and made me begin to fade away to them."

You kept your face still through the low aura of panic threading through the entirety of the conversation, but you knew what Taehyung was referring to. Why he got unsettled when you sent him in the sword; he'd learnt to push it down, but the first time you'd thought to leave the sword in the apartment while you left to Target, he'd been so desperate, so panicked.

And it was effecting you as well— it was why you had felt all your worst fears when you glanced at Taehyung. Why his initial advances had made you so defensive and brought out your panic attacks. Why the logical part of your brain was so desperate on fighting him, why your doubts and insecurities had felt at an all-time high through the time you'd been with him.

It had to be because of them.

The words escaped you in a low, hissing breath, dangerous all in themselves.

"Phobos and Demios,"

A sort of eerie stillness spread over the table, so much so that all you could feel and hear was the thudding of your own heart. Sons of Ares and Aphrodite. Charioteers of the war god. Representatives of, the very spirits of, terror and loss.

Panic and fear.

Hoseok let out a long breath across from you, fingers drumming agitatedly on the fancy top of the table, making little flashes of light burst from the tips of them and increasing your need to blink every few seconds. "Of course it had to be them. We all knew from the start— they hated Taehyung ever since his father stopped paying attention to them and gave it to him."

Jungkook's irises flashed angrily, little storms beginning to blaze with white flickers in his doe-like eyes. "It was them, then," he growled with decisiveness, fingers curling into fists, "It was them that tampered with your mind that night, Tae. It was them that kept you hidden and tortured you as long as they could. It was them that kept our brother from us."

"Of course it was!" Seokjin burst out, attracting a few odd stares from all around before he awkwardly coughed and lowered his voice. His eyes locked in on Taehyung, whose long fingers were laced together, still covered in those gloves. "Sorry. But still, listen. They're my brothers too, remember," you didn't think you'd ever seen Seokjin look so disgusted when he said those words, really, "and even my mother's gotten tired of them. Ma helped us without a price— it must mean she wants them gone as much as we do."

Everyone shifted uneasily at those words, because it was true. Aphrodite had let you all go with only the reassurance that you would get rid of them from this place and a warning— that they were perfectly suited to the task they'd decided to adopt.

They had preyed on Taehyung's fears; of what, you had no idea, but you knew from the way he was gritting his teeth that it certainly didn't sit well with him.

"They make us afraid, then?" you spoke, voice low and serious, making all eyes flick to you. You'd been worrying about Aphrodite's words all day, and despite Taehyung's constant soothing and reassurance that it would be fine, from the way he was glaring at the floor right then, you weren't sure he knew that. You weren't sure he meant it. "Look, is that what they do? Because seriously, you guys are all talking about them like they're superpowered and the worst thing that could have happened, and I need to know. Are they really that bad, damn it? They make us afraid?"