Chapter Text
“Seungkwan! Kwannie! Why isn’t he waking up? It’s his birthday!”
Seungkwan hears a soft voice calling out to him and he vaguely makes it out as one of his sisters, Soohyun. He hides his smile in his pillow and waits to see what she’ll do.
“Should we jump on him? I’m scared I’ll step on the babies if we do.” Seungkwan recognizes this voice as his brother, Soobin, who always refers to their snakes as babies.
“Don’t be such a baby,” says the sassiest sister, Misun. “We’ll just be careful,” her twin, Miyoung, says in support.
He feels the four of them climb into his bed and he hopes his snakes will stay close to his head to avoid getting trampled. Just as they’re about to pounce on him, he jumps and yells, gathering his siblings in his arms and tickling them.
“Thought you could wake me up, did you?” he laughs, leaning his head back so he doesn’t get kicked at by their little feet. They squeal in response and their snakes hiss in tandem with their flailing. Finally, Seungkwan stops and pulls them in for a group hug.
“Happy birthday, Seungkwan!” Misun says cutely, pushing her face into his chest. Soobin wraps his arms around Seungkwan’s neck from behind and Soohyun and Miyoung choose to leave slobbery kisses all over his face.
“Thank you, my darlings,” he grins, kissing each of them on the crowns of their head and laughing when their snakes rub their faces against his cheeks. The kids scramble out of bed and tell him that their mother is making breakfast, so he needs to hurry and get dressed if he wants to eat.
He takes a quick bath and dresses in his favorite robe, an above-knee length ivory one that compliments the deep blue of his snakes, along with a threaded gold belt tied at his waist. He fixes his hair while stroking lightly at his snakes and giving them the attention they were deprived of while he was asleep. When his fringe falls over hir forehead the exact way he likes it, he hums approvingly to himself and gives himself one last once over in the mirror before heading to the main living area.
“Seungkwan?”
He turns and sees the oldest of his younger siblings and grins. “Hey, Jihye. I didn’t see you this morning with the other kids.” She walks up to him and wraps her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
“I knew they’d be all over you,” she murmurs, sighing when Seungkwan strokes her back and squeezes her slightly. “And I wanted to tell you happy birthday myself. Happy birthday, big brother.” She gives him a strong squeeze before pulling back and scrunching her nose slightly, something Seungkwan recognizes as her habit when she’s upset.
He presses a lingering kiss to her forehead and pinches her cheek. “Why so glum, kid? We’re celebrating! It’s my birthday, the big two-oh. Don’t frown.”
She furrows her brows and purses her lips, a dimple jumping into her round cheek. “You’re getting older, Seungkwan. The older you get, the closer you are to leaving home.”
At that, Seungkwan chuckles. “Oh, Jihye,” he says as he cups her cheeks in both hands. “I’m not going anywhere. I may be getting older, but I’d never leave you or the kids or Mom. I’m here to stay, okay?”
After a moment of hesitation, Jihye nods and grins, her smile wide and cheeks round, and together, they walk to the dining table where their mother flutters about the kitchen. She’s placing plates of Seungkwan’s favorite foods on the table and the kids are already eating a few of the dishes. The baby, Eunseo, is sitting in her high chair, banging on the small table in front of her with her tiny fists. Seungkwan kisses her cheeks and rubs the pad of his index finger on her snakelets before moving towards his mother.
“Good morning, Mom,” Seungkwan says, taking some plates from her hands and setting them on the table. “Seungkwan, my baby!” Medusa exclaims, opening her arms and smiling her beautiful smile. “Come here and give your mother a proper hug.”
Seungkwan laughs as he bends down slightly to bury his face in her neck, much like he used to do as a child. “You’re 20 now,” She whispers into his hair, his snakes rubbing their heads against her cheeks to wipe her tears. “My first baby is grown now.”
“Please, Mom. Don’t go crying on me now. What will the mortals think if they found out the all-powerful Medusa is turned into a blubbering mess because her son is a year older?” Seungkwan teases, ducking when Medusa tries to hit him with the wooden spoon she was cooking with
“You’re lucky I don’t turn you to stone, mister. Eat your breakfast,” she turns back to the stove and Seungkwan takes a seat between Miyoung and Soobin. As he eats, they all make idle talk about their plans for the day. Soohyun absolutely insists that they must go to the fields so they can pick the prettiest flowers to make Seungkwan a crown with. One of Seungkwan’s snakes hisses and he laughs, reaching up and stroking her head.
“I don’t know that this one likes the idea of flowers near her,” Seungkwan chuckles, referring to the snake that nuzzles her face into Seungkwan’s hair in agreement. “But they’ll have to deal with it since it’s a special day.”
They continue talking and laughing until the dishes are empty and the kids are squirming in their chairs, whining about wanting to go play. Seungkwan gathers the plates from the table and walks back into the kitchen, a smile blossoming on his face as he watches his mom bustle around the kitchen.
“Let me wash the dishes, Mom,” Seungkwan says, hip-checking Medusa away from the sink. “You’ve been cooking all morning. Go relax. Check up on your altar, maybe there are some sweets there or something.”
“Actually, there’s something we do need to do,” she says, pushing a few snakes away from her face. “Jihye, can you go help the kids get ready? Kwannie and I will get back with you later.”
Jihye shoots her a puzzled look but moves to grab Eunseo and guides the kids toward the bathroom for their baths. As soon as they’re out of earshot, Seungkwan turns to look at his mother.
“What’s up?” he asks, washing a few spoons with a washcloth. He stops when Medusa takes them from his hands and gestures to the front door. “Take a walk with me,” she says with a smile. She writes a note to the kids and then they walk out the door.
They stroll arm in arm down the road, a few of their neighbors sticking their heads out and saying their congratulations to Seungkwan. Soon, they reach a building the size of their home, but instead of the more modern look of the rest of their neighborhood, it has an ancient Greek exterior. As they walk up the pathway to the entrance, he sees his aunts, Stheno and Euryale, standing in the doorway.
“Dear nephew,” Euryale cups his cheeks and smiles, her fangs glistening in the sunlight. Stheno gazes at him with a fond smile and her forked tongue flicks out at him teasingly. His aunts have always adopted more snake-like attributes than his mother, but they are no less beautiful to him.
“Aunties,” he smiles, closing his eyes and letting their snakes rub at his face. “How are you?” Stheno brushes some hair off of his forehead and gives him a helpless shrug, “We’re doing well. A little sad that you’re all grown up now.”
Seungkwan rolls his eyes playfully and turns back to the door of the building. “What is this place? Why are we here?” The three sisters exchange a look and it’s Medusa who answers him. “Let’s go inside and we’ll show you.”
They walk in and Seungkwan’s jaw drops. The outside may be ancient looking, but the inside is all modern. The walls are painted a light gray and are lined with white frames containing pictures from his childhood. The furniture is black with white accents and there are large windows allowing for natural light to shine through.
“Woah,” he breathes out quietly, tentatively reaching out a hand to touch the walls. “What’s all this?” The three Gorgons just stay quiet and push him to keep looking around. The more Seungkwan looks around the house, the more he falls in love with it. He walks slowly through each room, really looking at everything in it.
He’s about to enter the third and last bedroom when his mother stops him.
“Seungkwan,” she begins, running a hand up and down his arm. “There’s a reason why we’re showing you this.” She pauses, biting her lower lip slightly. “Let’s go sit down and we’ll discuss it.”
Seungkwan is suddenly filled with nerves and begins to sweat a little, taking a seat on the black couch. What do they need to talk to him about? Was it something he did? His snakes sense his distress and begin to nuzzle into his hair to calm him down.
“Why do you think we brought you here?” Stheno asks as she sits delicately in the armchair across from him. Seungkwan looks around once more and shrugs.
“I thought this is our new house, maybe? That Mom might’ve gotten tired of our old one or something,” he looks at his mother to see if he’s right, but all he gets is a shake of her head.
“This is your house now,” she says, stroking a thumb against the apple of his cheek. Her green eyes shine a little more than normal. “I had this built for you when you were 15, for when you’ve come of age. The mortals will begin to give you offerings, which means you can’t live with me anymore.”
“What? Why?” Seungkwan asks, hands gripping the upholstery of the cushions. “I didn’t know we actually believed in that coming-of-age stuff.”
“Of course we do, sweetheart,” Euryale says as she moves to sit on the other side of him. “I’ve had to send off all of my sons and now your mother will send you off. And you’re not even that far! Just a thirty minute walk from her house. I had to send my sons off to the border.”
“You sent your sons to the border?” Seungkwan gasps, turning to stare incredulously at his aunt. “The mortal world border or the underworld border?”
“The mortal world border,” Stheno reassures him and laughs when Seungkwan breathes a sigh of relief. “Be lucky you never met your cousins. They were a hot mess.”
“Watch it,” Euryale warns, her full head of serpents rising to hiss at Stheno.
“Did you have kids you had to send off, too, Aunty Stheno?” Seungkwan asks, leaning forward in his seat slightly.
“Men are a waste of time,” Stheno deadpans. “The mortals think I prefer male company and no matter how many times I tell them I don’t, I only ever get a woman every few weeks.”
“Wait,” Seungkwan whips his head to look at his mother. “What does she mean by that?”
Medusa squirms in her seat slightly and Euryale and Stheno snicker at her discomfort. “You mean you didn’t know about the human offerings?” Stheno asks, leaning back into the cushions of the loveseat.
When Seungkwan shakes his head, Medusa grabs his hand in between both of hers. “The mortals present a human sacrifice to a god that is coming of age. After that, they send them every once in a while because they assume that we enjoy them—”
“Which isn’t wrong,” Euryale interrupts with a slight smirk, “just not for the reasons they’re thinking of.”
“Anyway,” Medusa continues after shooting her sister a withering look, “The first human a Gorgon will ever get, they must turn them into stone. All the ones after that, it’s up to you if you want to give them the same fate.” Her cheeks begin to flush, a few of her snakes hiding their faces in embarrassment. “Sometimes, we sleep with them. That’s how you and your siblings came about.”
Seungkwan stares at her for a moment, stunned, before saying, “That’s it? Do you turn them into stone after or just let them go? It’s kinda hard for me to process that you guys had sex with your offerings.”
“Your aunty and I turn our offerings into stone,” Stheno says, picking some lint off of her navy blue robe. “Your mother has a heart of gold and let all of the ones she sleeps with go, which I think is a waste of time.”
“I couldn’t live with myself knowing I was using them and was going to end up killing them,” Medusa shrugs, the normal pale purple tint of her skin returning to her face. “It’s just sex anyways. There’s no use in keeping them around if they’re just going to stand there looking petrified.”
“Gods, Mom!” Seungkwan groans and covers his face with his hands. He swats at his snakes for hissing in amusement. “Oh come on, Kwannie, grow up!” Euryale teases him and he sticks his tongue out at her. His face feels like a furnace and he knows he’s red from the tips of his ears down to his neck.
“Would you like to see your altar room? That’s the last room in the house you haven’t seen yet,” Medusa rubs a hand up and down his back and he takes a deep breath, dropping his hands into his lap before nodding.
“It’s kind of weird,” Seungkwan says, standing up and adjusting his robe slightly. “I never expected this day to come so soon, and I might have a hard time getting used to it. But I’m kind of excited.”
The sisters smile and lead the way to the final bedroom turned altar room. Seungkwan’s snakes hiss quietly in his ears as he opens the door and immediately, Seungkwan is awestruck.
The room is spacious, just around the size of the primary bedroom, and painted a deep navy blue. The room is bare with the exception of the large, white marble altar in the back of the room and two candles placed on the floor next to it. There’s a wide window right behind it that’s covered with sheer white curtains.
Seungkwan takes a step inside, leaving his sandals off to the side, and the marble floors are cold against his feet, making him shiver slightly. He turns back and sees his aunts with their arms wrapped around his mother’s shoulders and waist. They’re standing so close together that, if their serpents weren’t different colors, it would’ve been difficult to tell which belongs to who.
“We’ll let you be in here a while,” Stheno says quietly, her tone gentler than normal. “We’re going to gather your siblings and bring them here to see your new place. We can all have lunch together later, okay?”
Seungkwan nods, going back to press a kiss to each of their cheeks and placing an extra kiss on his mother’s forehead, before turning back to walk around the room. He hears the door shut behind him and he takes a deep breath.
There’s nothing exactly special about the room, but Seungkwan feels so many emotions at once that it overwhelms him. The simplicity of it seems to hold a significance that, although he is not a major god, just merely a Gorgon, he still deserves to be honored.
Suddenly, the candles seem to burn brighter and a letter appears on the altar along with a basket of pastries. Seungkwan slowly approaches it and lifts them into his hands. The candles go back to their natural dimness and he sits with his legs crossed under him.
He sets the basket off to the side, humming appreciatively at the selection of pastries, and thumbs at the corner of the letter. Part of him almost doesn’t want to believe any of it is real but now, seeing this letter addressed to him and stamped with a wax seal, it begins to hit him. He is coming of age and he will be addressed as a Gorgon of importance.
After a brief hesitation, he peels off the wax seal and opens the letter. He chews slightly at his bottom lip as he reads.
Seungkwan, son of Medusa and god of serpents,
The mortal world would like to wish you congratulations on your coming of age.
To celebrate this moment, we will be sending only the greatest of gifts for a Gorgon: a human offering.
We assure you that we have selected a beautiful human for you,
and we do hope they meet your standards.
Currently, it is nearing noon in Jeju, South Korea.
When it is midnight and you have spent a full day as a god,
we will send you your offering.
May you bless us and have mercy on us.
“Since when am I the god of serpents?” Seungkwan mutters to himself, a snake slithering to flick its tongue out at his nose. He scrunches up his face and huffs, “Do you think I deserve that title?”
One snake makes a noise similar to a snort and the others hiss in amusement. “Watch it,” Seungkwan says jokingly. “Or I’ll wear a hat for the rest of the day.” The snakes all shake their heads and slither in his hair, apologizing for laughing at him.
Seungkwan tucks the letter inside his robe and takes the basket with him to the kitchen, setting them aside for his siblings to eat when they arrive. He takes a better look around the kitchen and smiles when he sees a stack of note cards in the cupboard. They’re recipe cards, hand-written by his mother and aunts. ‘Please eat and don’t die.’ the top note card says, the squarish handwriting clearly belonging to Stheno.
He sighs and hoists himself up onto the counter, staring outside the window next to the breakfast nook area. It’s nearly the end of spring and the days will get much warmer, the godly world’s weather not completely forgiving during summer. Seungkwan pouts at the thought of how sticky and humid the weather will turn later this month.
“Woah, it’s so big! Hey, Miyoung, don’t push me!” a small voice, sounding much like Soobin’s, says.
“I’m not pushing you, that was Soohyun!” Miyoung yells back.
Seungkwan smiles and hops off the counter, walking to the living room to meet his family. He lifts Soobin onto his hip when the boy tugs on the belt holding up his robe and gives his siblings a tour, carefully avoiding the altar room, laughing at all of their over-exaggerated reactions. The kids go into the living room to play, Euryale choosing to watch over them while the other sisters make lunch.
Jihye is sitting next to Seungkwan, an unreadable expression on her face, and she’s unusually quiet. Seungkwan gives her a nudge. “Hey.” She doesn’t look at him, her eyes trained on Eunseo smushing Misun’s cheeks between two tiny fists. “Jihye?”
She hums and turns to glance at him, but her eyes never meet his. Suddenly, Seungkwan remembers their conversation from earlier in the morning about him leaving. She must feel hurt and lied to. He feels a pang of guilt in his chest and frowns.
“Come with me,” he pats her knee softly and stands. When she gives him a confused look, he smiles. “Come on. I have something to show you.”
Euryale gives him a knowing look and pats their arms when they walk past. Seungkwan leads Jihye to the room at the end of the small hallway of bedrooms. He begins to take off his sandals, Jihye following suit despite the confusion clear on her face. Seungkwan turns to her and smooths down a bit of her hair, letting her snakes slither into the palm of his hand.
“This is part of the reason why this is my new home,” he says, his voice quiet. “Why I'm moving out. The kids are too young to understand, but I know you will.”
Jihye gives a small nod of her head and Seungkwan opens the door and steps inside. Immediately, he feels the swell of emotion from earlier that morning and he has the take a deep breath to keep himself from crying. He turns and sees his sister looking around in awe, taking tentative steps inside the room. She closes the door behind her and takes a wobbly step toward the altar.
“This,” her voice is a whisper. “This is yours?” When he nods, she lets out a long, shaky breath. “Wow.”
“I know,” Seungkwan says, his lips turned slightly upwards in a small smile. “It’s kinda crazy, huh?” Jihye nods and reaches out to him, wrapping a hand around his forearm.
He guides them to sit on the floor, both of them shivering when their knees rest against the cold marble. Their hands stay clasped and they watch the candles flicker.
“Mom told me she started building this when I turned 15,” Seungkwan says quietly, breaking the silence. “She probably had it built according to tradition, which means she started with this room first and built the rest of the house around it.”
“It’s the most beautiful room in the house,” Jihye says, her gaze never tearing away from the stark white altar. “It looks like Mom’s, except with fewer statues.”
“That’ll probably change soon,” Seungkwan says, pulling out the letter and showing his sister. She reads it quietly to herself and her eyes widen when she sees the words “human offering”. “Gods, Seungkwan. They’re sending you a living being.”
Seungkwan bites his lip and nods. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little bit nervous. I’ve… I’ve never turned anyone to stone before.” He turns back to the altar and shudders at the thought of a human appearing atop it in just a few hours.
She looks up and pinches his cheek. “It’ll be okay, brother. I promise.” He chuckles and ruffles her hair, smiling at the small yelp she lets out, her snakes hissing in annoyance. He blinks away the tears in his eyes, chuckling again when Jihye strokes the corner of his eye. “I’m supposed to be the one that reassures you of things, not the other way around.”
Jihye smiles and rests her head on his shoulder. She sighs and rubs the paper between her fingers. “I was a little hurt. When Mom told me you got a house and you’re going to live on your own, I was… Beyond upset. I mean, you told me this morning that you wouldn’t leave and now you will. But now, I understand. It wasn’t your choice, but you don’t mind either. You want all of this. I know I will too when the day comes." She pauses, pulling back to look him in the eyes. Her smile looks just like their mother's. "Thank you for sharing this with me.”
Immediately, Seungkwan imagines his little sister as a grown woman with her own altar room, much like the one they’re sitting in, and his breath catches in his throat. “Gods, Jihye. It’s coming soon too, isn’t it? I bet Mom’s already started to build your house.”
“Four more years, loser,” she laughs at how shocked his tone is. “There’s plenty of time for you to prepare yourself.”
“Hey, who are you calling loser? I am the god of the serpents,” he points at the round characters in the letter, smirking when she reads the line again. “Put some respect on my name.”
At this, Jihye laughs loudly. “A god? Since when?” Seungkwan laughs along with her and together, they walk back into the house, the letter tucked back inside Seungkwan’s robe, and their sandals in their hands.
~
Seungkwan sits on the floor of the altar room, taking deep breaths every five minutes or so. He stares at the altar in all its beauty, and he has to will himself from shivering at its power.
It’s nearing midnight and Seungkwan is extremely nervous. The entire concept of receiving a human for his birthday makes Seungkwan feel like he’s going a little bit crazy. His heart pounds in his chest and his cheeks are warm, and he feels like if he stands up, he might just drop back down.
“It’s okay, Seungkwan,” he murmurs to himself. “You’re alright. Everything will go well. You’re going to be fine.”
Suddenly, the flames start to burn brighter and grow in size, nearly consuming the entire candle. Seungkwan watches as a boy materializes on the altar, curled into himself and fast asleep. The candles dim to their normal flame just as quickly as they exploded, and Seungkwan slowly stands and takes a tentative step toward the boy.
Said boy shifts slightly in his sleep and Seungkwan holds his breath, hoping he doesn’t wake up. When Seungkwan sees that the boy is still asleep, he releases his breath and shuffles closer. He gasps when he gets a good look at the boy’s face.
“Oh, gods almighty.” Seungkwan reaches out a hand and lightly traces the curve of the boy’s cheek, biting his lip when he feels the supple skin. His eyes trace over the boy’s face, taking in his long lashes and the pink of his lips, then down his body, marveling at his broad shoulders and strong chest, noticeable even though he's curled in on himself. There’s a letter in the boy’s hand and Seungkwan gently pulls at it until the boy unfurls his fingers and lets it go, taking a step back to read it.
Seungkwan, son of Medusa and god of serpents,
We hope you are pleased with our offering.
His name is Chwe Hansol and he is on the cusp of his 20th birthday.
He is the most beautiful human in our land,
and we pray his beauty pleases you.
If you do wish to reject our offering,
we hope that you may take mercy on us for our wrong decision.
May you bless us and have mercy on us.
Seungkwan exhales slowly and tucks the letter into his robe. He stares at the human for a minute longer before taking one last deep breath.
“Okay,” he whispers to himself. “Let’s do this.”
He clears his throat loudly, puffing his chest out slightly to make himself look bigger. It’s now or never.
“Human,” Seungkwan says loudly, hoping his voice sounds stable enough to mask just how nervous he is. “Chwe Hansol, awaken.”
The boy stirs slightly and lets out a soft moan. “Fuck off, Chan. I don’t have class until 11 today.”
Seungkwan's jaw drops, taken aback by the casual tone and foul language coming from the human. “Who is Chan? You dare speak to your god that way?” Seungkwan fumes, arms crossing in front of his chest. Hansol makes a noise and sits up slowly, tucking his legs beneath him.
“My god?” he scoffs, rubbing his still-closed eyes. “You’re really pushing it. You drank too much at the festival yesterday.”
“What festival are you talking about, mortal? I’m telling you right now, I am Seungkwan, son of Medusa and god of serpents. I demand the respect I deserve,” Seungkwan is livid now, putting as much force in his voice as possible. He can feel his face heating up, no doubt bright red with anger. He has to force his hands to stop quivering by digging his nails into his palms.
Hansol freezes, his hand still covering his eyes. Slowly, he sits on his knees and lowers his head in a bow. “My lord,” he says, voice shaking slightly. “My apologies. I seem to have… forgotten where I was. Please have mercy on me.”
“Forgotten? You’ve forgotten about your god? How dare you? Is this how you choose to represent your people?” Seungkwan says, voice firm and demanding. “Surely, you know what I am capable of.”
“Yes, my lord, I do,” Hansol whispers. “I apologize. Do not punish them for my mistake.” Seungkwan is silent as he watches Hansol’s hands pull lightly at the rips in his jeans. He notices he has yet to lift his head, hands flat on the tops of his knees. Seungkwan can see the way his fingertips tremble against the denim of his jeans.
After letting the silence linger for a moment longer, Seungkwan exhales through his nose. “Very well, mortal. I’ll have mercy, just this once." He takes a deep breath and carefully unfurls his palms, recentering his energy. “Take off your shoes and socks and stand in front of me. You are in a holy place.”
Hansol follows the instructions, all while keeping his head down. His hands are folded in front of him and he bounces slightly on the balls of his feet. Seungkwan bites his lip and silently hopes everything goes as planned.
“Raise your head,” he says, setting back his shoulders and putting a serious face on. “Look me in my eyes, Chwe Hansol.”
He doesn’t know what he’s expecting, but he doesn’t expect the human to say, “I can’t.”
“Excuse me?” Seungkwan says incredulously. “I said raise your head. You are to listen to me.” Hansol lifts his head, but his eyes remain closed. Seungkwan becomes more agitated, face twisting in annoyance.
“Open your eyes,” he says, more force in his voice than ever. “The quicker you do, the quicker this is over.”
Hansol’s face shifts for a split second before he opens his eyes, and they’re a beautiful hazel brown. Seungkwan takes a moment to admire them before he begins to murmur in ancient Greek and his snakes hiss loudly along with him.
Look in my eyes, my dear. I promise you, you won’t regret it.
Hansol gasps and clutches at his chest as he feels the wind swirling around them, the room illuminated a bright blue from the light in Seungkwan and his snakes’ eyes. However, he doesn’t begin to turn to stone. Instead, when the wind dies down and the room returns to its normal dimness, he stands there, hand over his heart and confusion all over his face.
“Why haven’t you turned to stone?” Seungkwan mumbles, frustration bleeding into his voice. “That’s the spell, it should have worked.”
Hansol’s face scrunches up and he turns his head to gaze at the wall. “I told you, I can’t. I physically cannot look at you.” He sighs and rubs his t-shirt between his fingers. “I’m blind. I can’t see anything.”
Seungkwan’s eyes widen and his snakes hiss in shock. “Blind? But- But I’m supposed to turn you to stone. It’s tradition.”
Hansol scoffs and crosses his arms. “Well, I’m sorry, I didn’t choose to be blind. Don’t blame me.” Seungkwan’s gaze snaps back to the human, fury simmering under his skin like venom.
“You’re right. It’s your people’s fault,” Seungkwan walks over to the altar, nudging Hansol aside, and hovers a hand over the center. “They’ll be punished for this, and so will you for not telling me as soon as you arrived and wasting my time.” He begins to murmur the first plague spell that comes to mind when Hansol yells and throws himself at Seungkwan’s feet.
“No, please!” Hansol pleads, hands feeling for Seungkwan’s feet, pressing his forehead to them when he finds them. “Please, I beg of you, don’t punish them. It’s my fault, I volunteered to be sent. Don’t punish them for my mistakes. If you can’t turn me, I’ll be your slave or-or you can just kill me, but please,” he takes a deep, shaky breath, “have mercy on them.”
Seungkwan stares at the trembling human at his feet, contemplating what to do. He’s absolutely terrified of what will happen if he keeps this human around, but he just can’t kill him. He could ask his mom or aunts, but chances are, they don’t know what to do either and they might do something rash to punish the humans. He sighs and turns his gaze to the altar, slowly removing his hand.
“Okay,” he says, leaning down and placing a hand on Hansol’s head, frowning when the human flinches. “I won’t punish them. But I need another human. Preferably by tomorrow night. I’ll keep you alive until I figure out what to do with you. I promise you that much.”
Hansol immediately throws his arms around Seungkwan’s legs, endless thank you’s and prayers falling from his lips. “Thank you, my lord. Thank you so much.”
Seungkwan awkwardly pats his shoulder and Hansol lets go. He stands in front of Seungkwan and gives him a 90-degree bow before placing his hands behind his back.
“Let me send a message to your people before I take you to where you will sleep tonight,” Seungkwan says, placing a light hand on Hansol’s shoulder to guide him to the corner of the room. He notices Hansol tense up and try to shrug his shoulders as if to subtly remove his hand, but Seungkwan pretends he doesn’t notice and squeezes slightly.
“Chwe Hansol?” Seungkwan asks as he walks over to the altar. When Hansol hums in response, he asks, “Do all of your people speak Greek?”
“No,” Hansol says, shifting slightly from foot to foot. “Only the priestesses and priests. And perhaps the extremely devout.” Seungkwan hums and begins raising his hand over the altar. “Do the priests and priestesses live in the temple?”
Hansol shakes his head before thinking better and responding, “No, my lord. But they’re going to be at the temple all night, praying to you since it’s your birthday. May I ask why?”
“No reason,” Seungkwan says. When his hand is hovering completely over the center, fingers spread wide, he says a spell under his breath. Wind begins whirling all around the room and the flames of the candles extinguish when the light from Seungkwan’s eyes fills the room. He ignores Hansol’s loud gasp.
“Mortals,” he says in Greek, force and power embedded in his voice and all of his snakes hissing in tandem. He hears the gasps and scrambling of the priests and priestesses and smirks slightly. “You have knowingly sent me a blind offering. You know that your actions have dire consequences and yet you still acted as if I wouldn’t find out. The boy says he volunteered to be sent and has begged me not to punish you. Since I am benevolent and kind, I have decided to give you a second chance. I demand another offering tomorrow night or the boy dies and a plague will be sent over your people and lands.”
The humans on the other side begin to scream and sob, begging for mercy and making promises of a better offering. Seungkwan says nothing, simply taking his hand away and cutting off the noise. The room returns to silence and the candles light themselves once again.
He turns to Hansol and smiles at the confusion on his face. He grabs the human’s shoes in his hand before walking over and placing a hand back on his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”
This time, Hansol does shove off Seungkwan’s hand. “What did you tell them?” he demands. “Why were they crying?”
“I told them the information you already know,” Seungkwan says, undeterred by Hansol’s attitude. “I told them if I didn’t get a new offering by tomorrow night, then they’d be punished. I’m not going to do anything drastic. I don’t even have that much power. Don’t worry.”
He pats Hansol’s face and hums in amusement when the man takes a step away and into the wall. “Okay, okay, I won’t touch you. Follow me to your room then. I have your shoes, so don’t worry about those.”
He begins to walk out, murmuring in Greek to his snakes to hiss quietly so Hansol can listen and follow. He walks out and waits patiently for Hansol to feel his way out of the room. When they’re both out, Seungkwan closes the door and, after a moment, decides to place a spell on the door to lock it. He doesn’t want Hansol to find his way back into it.
Seungkwan watches as Hansol keeps his gaze trained on the floor in front of him. “Are you sure you don’t want help?” He figures the silence he gets in return is answer enough.
His snakes begin to hiss quietly as Seungkwan walks down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder every once in a while to ensure Hansol is following him. When he reaches the door, he stops and opens it, making sure Hansol can hear his actions.
“This is where you’ll be staying for the time being,” Seungkwan says, hovering a delicate hand above Hansol’s shoulder. “It’s around one in the morning, so I’d get some sleep. We can figure everything out when you wake up.”
Hansol stays silent, moving slowly in the dark until he feels the soft duvet of the bed. He immediately flops down and wiggles until he feels the pillow beneath his head. Seungkwan bites his lip and fumbles a bit with the doorknob before entering and dropping Hansol's shoes inside the closet.
“There are robes in the closet. If you need help in the morning to put them on, let me know,” he says, and he starts to step out when Hansol says sharply, “I don’t need your help.”
Seungkwan is stunned. “I’m sorry?”
“Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I can’t do things myself,” Hansol scowls in the dark. He doesn't move from where he's laying on top of the blankets, curled in on himself like he was when he was on Seungkwan's altar.
Seungkwan lets out a soft sigh and shakes his head. “I know that you are more than capable, Chwe Hansol. I just thought you’d need help because ancient Greek-style robes aren’t commonly used in your world if your jeans and t-shirt are anything to go by.”
Seungkwan watches as Hansol’s cheeks blush a dark pink and his frown deepens. “Whatever,” he mutters, finally pulling the covers on top of him and laying flat on his back on the mattress.
“Good night, mortal,” Seungkwan says softly, finally leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
He walks to his room and throws himself into his bed, letting out a deep breath. “I didn’t kill him,” he whispers to himself. “Fuck. I didn't kill him. Mom’s gonna kill him and then kill me.” He rolls over and whines into his pillow, tossing and turning until he finally falls into a dreamless sleep.