Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Kids!”, a soft voice called from out the room. The door knob twisted and an elderly woman walked in. She had a sweet, wrinkled face and a perpetual smile. “Today is the day!” She announced, clapping her hands together.

A small girl with a brown pigtail and overalls jumped up in joy. “Really?”, she asked, voice quivering.

“Yes Theia.”, she smiled, hugging the little girl.

A boy with grey hair got up and crossed his arms behind Theia, rolling his eyes at her overexcitement. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.

“Venus, Mercury you guys look like you fought a lion, come here.”, the elderly woman said, grabbing the two boys and wiping their faces with a towel.

Mars was in a corner reading a picture book. He didn’t look up until Proto walked in front of him and snatched the book. He stared at Proto, confused.

“We might get adopted today!”, he informed the ginger.

He gasped, getting up and analysing Proto’s expression to see whether he was lying or not. He hugged Proto.

Adoption was the dream of every orphan. To have someone love you. To have someone parent you.

A soft melody rang overhead and the elderly woman looked up. “That will be him.”

She left the room and as soon as she did, Theia ran to Proto, squeezing his shoulders. She looked anxious. “Will he like me?”, she whispered.

“Nooo.”, he said sarcastically, “He will murder you as soon as he sees you.”

She frowned at his answer and was about to retort with something but the door swung open once again. This time, standing in the frame, was a tall man with golden hair. He was wearing a red robe that trailed behind him. A crown was nestled in the middle of his silky locks. He was eyeing the kids with a strict glare before he smiled, showing his teeth.

“What beautiful kids!”, he said.

“I’ll leave you to get to know them better.”, the woman said, shutting the door as she left.

“Hello everyone. I’m king Sol of the Helios empire.”, he introduced.

“What a honour!”, Theia exclaimed, “I’m Theia! I really like making new friends and I’m really kind and..”

“Please shut up.”, Proto scoffed, “I’m Proto.”

“Bu-”

“I’m er.. Mercury.”, the smallest of the bunch stuttered, interrupting whatever Theia was gonna say.

“Venus.”

“And I’m Mars.”, the last one smiled.

“Nice to meet you all!”, Sol said, sitting down, cross legged. All the others sat around him.

Sol asked them some more questions but Theia barely paid attention. She was glaring at Proto with a burning rage, tears of fury in her eyes, fists clenched.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Venus who gave her a reassuring smile. He squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

Sol got up. “Well I’ll go sign the documents then.” And with that he left.

“Signing the documents?”, Theia squealed, “We’re being adopted!”

She whooped and danced around and so did the others. They spent five years (their entire life) in this orphanage and they’ll finally see the outside world. She heard so many stories and she’ll finally live them.

“Let’s pack our suitcases.”, Mars suggested, getting his own from under his bed.

Theia got out her orange suitcase, zipping it open. She opened her wardrobe. She got out her pyjamas and put them inside, alongside a bracelet. She couldn’t remember who gave it to her but she had it for the longest amount of time.

As soon as she zipped her suitcase, the door reopened and she felt a hand grab hers.

This was it. She was leaving her old life behind. She looked around, taking in every last scene. All the memories replaying in her head.

A gust of wind hit her face, tangling in her hair. It was a beautiful feeling. The leaves crunched under her feet, the birds hummed overhead.

“Hey Theia..”

“Don’t talk to me Proto.”, she snapped her head in the opposite direction.

“You can’t be mad about that!”

“You ruined my reputation!”

“You were doing that to yourself!”

Theia scoffed.

“Fine.. Sorry? There, happy?”, he grumbled, running forwards, catching up with Mars.

Sol suddenly stopped. “Alright guys, I want you to hold each other’s hand.”

Theia held Venus’ hand and unfortunately Proto’s. They all formed a circle.

Sol’s hand burned a fiery red as he waved it around them. They were no longer outside the orphanage. Instead they were outside a tall red castle. In the front of the castle were smaller grey houses and it was surrounded by a lush green forest.

Outside the gate were four people. The tallest one with ginger hair was wearing a sweater and had a pair of glasses resting on his nose bridge. He eyed the newcomers with… guilt? Next to him, was a blonde, slightly shorter boy. His arms were covered in bracelets and he was wearing a poncho. He had a big grin on his face. And further down the line was a light blue haired teen. Their hair was in a braid. They were significantly shorter than the other two and more nervous. A jewel was nestled over their left ear and they were hugging a brown book with one hand and the other intertwined with the last one who was the shortest. He had dark blue hair and looked the friendliest of the bunch.

“This is Jupiter..”, he pointed, “Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.”

“Hello!”
“Hi.”
“Good day mate..”
“Ello!”

They greeted.

“Wait wait! Are they actually called Uranus?”, Venus said in fits of laughter.

Mercury joined in the laughter but quickly stopped after a stern glance from Uranus.

“And this is Theia, Proto, Mercury, Venus and Mars!”

Now it was their turn to say their hellos.

“Jupiter, would you care giving them a tour and explaining them how things work?”, Sol asked. “Be careful with them, I have big plans.”

Huh?

“Follow me!”, Jupiter beckoned, entering the castle. He pointed around, labelling each room. They went up the golden stairs.

“All of you are obligated to stay in your rooms. It is said for your own safety.”, he explained. He then led each of them to their rooms.

Theia stared at the brown door, excitement fizzing in her. She twisted the knob and was greeted by a spacious room. A white bed was nestled in the corner near the window, opposite a desk and cupboard.

She placed her suitcase on her bed and sat down looking around.
Sol said something about having big plans for them. That intrigued her. Perhaps she’ll ask him.

She got up and looked around for Sol. She walked down the long hallways. They were adorned by red carpet and chandeliers overhead.

Whilst walking, she ran into Proto.

“Where are you going?”, he asked.

“I’m going to ask Sol what he meant by big plans for us.”, she revealed, walking past him.

She heard a pair of footsteps behind her and looked around, Proto was following her. She halted abruptly.

“Why are you following me?”, she asked.

“Cause I want to know what he meant too.”, he replied.

She didn’t believe him but let him tag along. They were face to face with a golden door. It had to belong to Sol. Gathering all her courage, she looked back at Proto and knocked on the door.

It opened, revealing Sol. He looked a bit mad. “Theia, Proto! Why aren’t you in your rooms?” He demanded.

“King Sol.. we wanted to know what you meant by big plans for us.”

“Oh.”

Theia raised her eyebrow, hoping for a response.

“No.. I don’t want to pressure you all.”

“Please tell us. You don’t have to worry about it alone.”

Sol sighed, rubbing his temples. “Very well…”

He took a deep breath. “You see, the five of you I adopted today are a special type of elves. You guys are capable of passing the test and earning the power of life.”

“The power of life?”, she repeated, uncertain.

“Yes! If a kingdom has a species of elves such as you, it can have the honour of having a guardian that harnesses the power of nature and such.”, he said with such longing and softness. “I want it to be one of you.”

Power of life.

Something about it called to her.

She wanted to succeed the test.

She decided from this day forward, she’ll dedicate her time into training. She’ll be the one to earn the powers. She had no idea what the test was about but that didn’t stop her.

She spent the next ten years training.

She trained and trained, disregarding her mental health. She got weaker and weaker by each day. Proto noticed it. During this time, Proto had grown quite fond of her. He tried to stop her, he told her it was impossible but she didn’t listen.

Her will to earn life caused her her life. She died during her sleep. Could be lack of food. Lack of sleep. No one knows.

But what they do know is that her death drove Proto mad. He missed her so much that he climbed the tallest tower of the empire and jumped, ready to join her.

Sol did not handle this well. After losing the early elves and Proto and Theia, he adopted another elf. This time he took good care of him, not letting him out of his vision for even one second.

This was the elf now known as Earth. Earth reminded him a lot of Theia and Proto. Stubborn, determined and he longed for life.
Earth had passed the test and earned the powers. It wasn’t a surprise as he had all the qualities required.

He had celebrated the night he passed, not noticing the sad expressions of some of his friends. Not noticing that they were missing someone.

The loss of Theia and Proto had marked everyone deeply, especially Venus but they didn’t want Earth to feel bad in any way so they kept it hidden from him.

For most it was their only secret.

For some it was yet another weight to carry.

Chapter Text

Mercury yawned, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arm. He groaned when his finger made contact with the wall harshly. Sucking his fingers, he got up and pinned his ear to the door, sighing in relief once he heard nothing.

Whenever Sol would get mad, there would be chaos outside and since Mercury’s room was the closest to his, Sol would come and beat up Mercury to let out his anger. He called it a ‘Solar Flare’.

It was tiring and the bruises would ache for days but he easily forgave Sol. Sol has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders and it could get too much plus he is never aware of beating him up so that means he’s never mentally present.

He crept towards his window, pulling the curtains. The Sun was shining as bright as ever, illuminating everything in its path. He was facing the side towards the village.

His favourite thing was to look outside and see the villagers go around with their lives.

Today, a brown haired child -Phobos was what Mars called him- was holding a toy above his head while the white haired one -If he wasn’t mistaken, he was named Deimos- was trying to reach for it.

He chuckled to himself as they ran around the village centre. It was quite peaceful.

However the peace didn’t last long. His door swung open and he turned around, gasping.

Sol was standing in the door way, eyes literally red. He was heaving violently and he had something in his hand.

“H-hey S-So-Sol.”, Mercury whimpered, pinning himself to the wall, trying to look as small as possible.

Sol locked the door behind him and walked towards Mercury, covering the window with the orange curtains behind.

He grabbed Mercury’s collar and hit him across the head with the rod thing. Mercury let out a scream that was quickly muffled by his own hand. Tears started forming in the corner of his eyes.

Thud.

Another hit across his face. He felt something trickle down his forehead. Must be blood.

Thud.

This time in the stomach. All the air got knocked out.

This was going to continue for a looong time.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

They heard chattering outside their door and rubbed their temples.

“Knock Knock!”, a cheery voice greeted from behind the door whilst knocking on the wooden door.

“Go away…” They grumbled, pulling their covers tighter. Too late. The door was open.

Neptune pulled away their blankets and Uranus hissed as if a vampire being exposed to the Sun.

“Morning my favourite cousin!”, he smiled, sitting on the edge of their bed.

“I’m your only cousin.”, they managed a small grin.

They felt the weight from their bed lift. They got up and saw Neptune approaching their desk, eyes on a brown book. Namely their diary.

To be more honest, it was a monstrosity that, in no situation, should be accessed by anyone except for them.

They literally jumped out and clumsily made their way to their diary (nearly tripping over their own feet twice and bumping into furniture).

They snatched it, hugging it. Neptune stared at them with an expression that was hard to decipher. Concern? Worry? Confusion?

“I’m sorry, I can’t let anyone see this.”, Uranus sighed.

“Oh.”, Neptune said disappointed. He got over it quickly.

“Will you be coming down for breakfast?”, he asked with his signature, goofy smile.

Breakfast…

“Uhm… I’ll be right behind you!”, they lied through gritted teeth.

“Why be behind me when you can be next to me?”, Neptune grabbed their wrist and smiled.

And before they knew it, they were being dragged all the way to the dining room.

It was quite a long walk considering their rooms are all the way in the forgotten part of the castle, isolated from everyone.

They used to be quite close. With Saturn and Jupiter and Sol. And even Neptune. Ever since the new elves came, their rooms moved all the way back. In the forgotten corner. Where no one ever paid them a visit.

Neptune went insane. He lost his memory from being forgotten.

Uranus became resentful. They lost the will to live. They missed the feeling of being loved and cared for from being abandoned for half their life and being the butt of every joke (no pun intended.)

They reached an archway introducing them to the dining room where they found everyone sitting around the long brown table situated in the middle of the room, a chandelier directly above.

Sol was sitting in the middle, face to face with the entrance, munching on his eggs.

Mercury’s face had a red tint and some bruises. Dried snot surrounded his nose. Poor guy.

Venus was eating his bread like a wild beast, his hair entering his mouth as well.

Earth and Mars were having a discussion on something. Something to do with sports.

Jupiter’s eyes were glued to a book in front of him. He dug his fork in his breakfast.

Saturn was right next to him, eating a salad whilst reading the back of the bottle of orange juice.

Two seats were vacant. In front of Uranus’ chair was a salad and omelette. In front of Neptune’s chair was a plate of pancakes with chocolate dripping down its side, a blueberry nestled perfectly in the middle.

They took their seats and Neptune didn’t need an invitation to start eating.

Uranus stared at their food as if it was poison. They poked at it with a fork. Their stomach felt queasy.

“Why aren’t you eating?”, came a demanding voice. Sol was staring at them.

Suddenly everyone was staring at them. They didn’t like this type of attention but the pressure was too much. They grabbed a fork, jabbed it into lettuce and brought it to their mouth, painfully swallowing it.

They looked around expecting everyone else to resume their activities but they were still staring at them.

They really had to finish their meal without barfing it all over either Neptune or Saturn.

They took another bite, plastering a big, fake smile as they swallowed.

Once they had finished their meal, everyone went back to their own thing. Uranus got up, politely excusing themself and running down the comically long hallway, clutching their stomach and covering their mouth with a hand.

Sol would be pissed off if they vomited all over his expensive, red carpets.

They ran into their room’s door. It opened. They ran right into their bathroom and kneeled over the toilet, emptying the contents of their stomach.

Once finished they sat down, clutching their head and breathing heavily. They heard a knock at their door. They got up and in the process grabbed a mint.

They opened the door and was greeted by Saturn. He was holding a brown book.

Crap, they realised they had left their diary in the dining room. In the presence of everyone else.

“Here.”, Saturn mumbled, handing them their diary. “Are you okay?”
Saturn doesn’t know why he thought Uranus would tell the truth.

“Yeah of course! Thanks.”, they smiled, shutting the door in his face.

They flipped through the pages, seeing if someone ripped a page or not. They were relieved to see that all the pages were intact. That didn’t eliminate the possibility that someone read it, though.

As they walked towards their night table to place their diary, they looked out their window. They saw the endless forest. The Kuiper forest. It was a natural shield to protect them from who knows what.

They looked closer and saw a figure staring back at them, at the edge of the woods. The figure then disappeared into the trees.

Uranus shrugged it off. They already had a lot to worry about. They didn’t need more stuff to pile up on their plate.

Chapter Text

Sol left the dining room, a bit after Uranus. He hadn’t finished his breakfast but he just couldn’t.

There was something… something haunting him. And it felt like it was nearing closer with each ticking second. Like an infection taking over a body.

He entered his room and sat down at his desk, resting his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes and looked around his room.

He found a rod on his bed. The rod was splattered in blood.

Huh..

He didn’t remember why it was there but he picked it up and took it to the bathroom. He flicked up the faucet, letting the water splash down. He rinsed the rod in the cold water, wiping it with a towel once finished.

He glanced up and saw his own reflection in the mirror. Something fell off. He looked closer and noticed something. Something black at the corner of his eye. He rubbed a wet hand over it.

Must be smudged ink.

He walked out and threw the rod under his king-sized, red bed. He looked out his window and saw someone staring at him. Or to be fair… something.

He blinked and it was gone.

He must be going insane.

He sat down back at his desk and took out a pile of documents and pen. The stack of documents never decreased, only increased. He sighed and starting signing the documents. He’d spend his entire noon like this.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Titan fiddled with his fingers nervously waiting for his teacher to come. They had formed a circle in a park, with a spot left empty.

“Good morning, my dear pupils.”, a milky voice came. They all looked up and saw Prince Saturn in all his glory. He took the place left empty and beamed at his students. “Hello Titan and Mime and Diane and Ensalada and..!”

“Hello Prince Saturn.”, Titan greeted and he was the only one. The others were fuming, not too happy to be misnamed.

“Today I’ll be teaching you the history of the Helios empire!”, he clasped his hands together, looking around hopefully. His smile fell once he saw the grimaces of his students.

He got out a textbook from a satchel and opened it at a page, setting it in the middle of the circle, in the lush green grass. An ant or two crawled over it and the lesson started.

Saturn went on and on but Titan was barely listening. His eyes were on his best friend Luna, who was sitting on a bench next to Prince Earth. Earth was supposed to be teaching him but instead they were chatting. Honestly, Earth was the only one talking, Luna just listened.

Earth was the first and only elf with life powers in the Helios empire. It was hard not to be mesmerised by him.

“And that concludes today! Your homework is to write a short essay about what we studied.”, Saturn smiled, getting up. His bracelets chimed.

An essay?! Titan barely listened to what they were studying.

He’ll figure out something. Right now, he wanted to talk to Luna.

He slowly crept towards Luna and kneeled behind him. He poked at Luna’s back causing him to flinch and turn around, mildly annoyed. The annoyance didn’t last long.

“Heya Titan! What do you want?”

“Bold of you to assume I want something.”, Titan grinned, rolling his eyes. Luna just raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Fine… can you introduce me to Prince Earth.”, he pleaded.

“Oh uh…”

Titan glued his hands together and stared at Luna with big, puppy eyes. Luna sighed, admitting defeat.

He shook Earth’s shoulder who was too lost in rambling about himself. “Huh?”

“Sorry to disturb you, Prince Earth but there’s someone who wants to meet you.”

And on cue, Titan emerged from behind Luna. He slightly bowed in respect before getting up again.

“It’s such an honour Prince Earth. I’m a big fan.”

“Woah, are you another Prince?”

“What? No! I’m just an ordinary villager.”

Prince Mars, who was right next to them looking after Phobos and Deimos, chimed in.

“You’re not ordinary. First of all you’re an elf. Second of all you have all the requirements to have earned-”

“Don’t say it!”, Earth snarled. “He’s just a villager! Don’t give them ideas that they could have powers or what not.”

Those words hurt Titan more than a blade to the heart could. And he was not the only one. Luna had a disgusted expression on his face mixed with disbelief and Mars was just flabbergasted.

“Well you are a fan right? Want an autograph?”, Earth smirked.

“Correction: I was a fan.”, Titan stomped away in rage. Not looking back.

He heard the Earth make a rude remark but he couldn’t care less. He heard footsteps behind him and Luna screaming his name but he couldn’t care less.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Uranus was sitting on a bench under a tree, scribbling away in their diary. Their students were probably playing around or whatever. They just hoped they didn’t enter the forest.

This side of the park was closer to the horrifying woods. The woods where all the children’s stories originated from.

Missing children.

Dead bodies.

Monsters.

They looked up and were relieved to see their students. Umbriel had created some sort of unholy ritual and it looked like the other girls were sacrificing Oberon to some sort of ancient spirit. Oberon looked slightly scared.

They smiled to themself and was about to resume their venting when they heard a beautiful voice call them. They looked around trying to pinpoint the origin.

They heard it again. It was singing a song. A song that made then feel so many emotions despite being lyric-less.

They got up, not forgetting their diary this time. They looked back once again at their students before they climbed over the fence. The fence separated the forest and the park.

They heard the voice again. From their left. They ran through the trees towards it. They shut their eyes whilst they did so. These woods scared them. To be honest, these woods scared everyone.

The leaves crunched under their feet, the trees shielded them from the burning heat of the sun.

They face-planted into some trees. They dodged them and heard the voice again. They opened their eyes, stilling running and looked down.

It was too late.

They didn’t stop in time and fell into a murky pond. The icy water made them let out a gasp. Their lungs felt squeezed.

They flapped their arms and legs helplessly but it was no use. They were only sinking further.

Then they thought. Why fight it?

They shut their eyes and stopped fighting. They stopped trying to hold their breath, ready for the embrace of the death. But it didn’t came.

Confused they opened their eyes and felt a pain in their neck. They ran their hand over it and felt three cuts. They brought their hand to their face and saw webs between their fingers.

They screamed.

A hand stifled their voice and another hand wrapped around their waist.

Chapter Text

Jupiter rubbed his temples, the text in front of a blurred up mess. He took off his glasses, hooking them on his sweater. He grabbed a glass of water from his desk, spilling a drop on his book. The cold water trickled down his throat.

Settling down the glass with a thud, he picked up his book, bringing it up to his eyes. This time he felt a piercing sting in his head. He clutched his head and screamed in rage.

All of this had to be a result of the sleepless night he had. Insomnia was to blame.

A terrible memory that he had kept buried in a grave was crawling out. Coming after him.

He heard a knock on his door. The softness of it made him immediately identify Saturn. “Enter..”, he grumbled. He needed someone to talk to in these times.

The blonde entered the room, giving a toothy grin. “Hello~”, he sang out, jumping onto the bed that creaked under his weight. “You good?”, he asked.

“Yeah… no.”, he admitted. “It’s him.”

“Him..?”, Saturn asked confused before realisation hit him. “Oh.”

“Yeah. The guilt is eating me up from inside. I have to tell someone.”

“No!”, Saturn hissed, getting up. “Sun will execute you publicly!”

“And I deserve it!”, Jupiter mirrored his actions. “I’m not the perfect, elder brother everyone wants me to be.” Tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. He wiped them. Being the elder sibling was not easy. You were expected to be the second parent. You had to be perfect. You had to fake a smile for your younger siblings. You had to protect them and promise them everything’s going to be okay even if you know that’s a lie. You have to pretend your life isn’t held together by a worn out piece of tape.

Saturn sat down back on the bed, patting the spot next to him. Taking the hint, Jupiter sat down, breaking into tears.

Saturn wrapped an arm over his shoulders and leaned into him. Shushing him softly. He understood what Jupiter was going through, being the second eldest.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Uranus sunk deeper, the force on their waist not allowing them to move. Their braid floated around their face. They spat out some strands.

Remember what they said about giving up on life?
Well they didn’t want to give someone else the satisfaction of killing them. They wanted to do it themself. They tried kicking behind but they felt weird.

They looked down and instead of their two usual legs, there was a tail. A light blue tail with darker fins. They let out a scream, the water only entered in their mouth. They coughed.

The hand on their waist loosened and they were forced around, facing the mystery person.

He had long, dark blue hair stuck to his face and icy eyes. He also had a tail similar to their own.

He grabbed their shoulder with one hand and the other fastened on their chin.

“You’re from the Helios empire?”, he demanded. He was talking underwater.

“Who are you?”, Uranus whispered, trying to hide the quiver in their voice.

“Are you from the Helios empire?”, he repeated, sternly. The hand on their chin got tighter.

“Yes.”, Uranus responded. “Who are you?”

“I too, am from the Helios empire. Well I was..”, he said.

“Who are you?”, they repeated.

“Surprised he didn’t tell you.”, he chuckled.
“X. I’m X.”, he said. “Ex-Prince X.”

“Why am I a fish?”, Uranus asked.

“My dear Uranus, you’re a siren.”, he managed a small smile. Or at least tried to.

“How do you know my name?”, Uranus hissed, pulling away.

“Sirens have the power to hear and see all.”, X smiled, twirling around in the water.

It was a lot to process. So Uranus was a siren. And X was an ex-Prince. And they were talking underwater as if they were in a living room.

“So you sang out to me?”, they asked.

“Yep.”

“And you were the mysterious person?”

“Correct.”

“Why?”, Uranus croaked.

“Why?”, X repeated, blinking as if he didn’t expect this question. “Because I have been wronged.”, he snarled. “And you can help me bring justice.”

He outstretched a slimy, webbed hand hopefully.

“What..”, Uranus began.

“I’ve been wronged by the world. By the Helios empire. But you? You are different. You’re a good person born in a bad life. I can help bring change. You’ll be loved once again. You’ll be wanted again. You’ll get what you deserved. Both of us will.”, X reached out and grabbed both of Uranus’ hands in his. “I’ll be the older brother you needed. The one who’ll hear you out. The one who’ll respect your limits. The one who’ll love you.”

Uranus let out a whimper. All of this was what they desired. To be loved. X knew them perfectly.

X swished his hand and a brown book appeared. He handed it to them.

“My diary!”, they cried, hugging it. Despite it being underwater it was dry.

X smirked. “Will you help me?” He whispered. “Will you help me reveal the truth?”

“I will but I need to know what that truth is.”, they said.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

“So uh hey Mars..”, Earth said awkwardly.

Mars, Luna and Earth were in his room. The beige walls were littered by posters of sports and what not. His clothes were scattered everywhere and his green bed was messy.

They were sitting on the brown floor, facing each other, holding their cards.

“Don’t ’uh hey Mars’ me!”, he snapped. “You know what you did.”

“I did what was right! I’m special. You can’t deny it. Not every one can be like me just because they have a few similarities.”

Luna scoffed.

“You did what was wrong! You are special. So is everyone else! You treated Titan wrong!”, Mars yelled.

“So? He’s just a peasant. I taught him his place.”

“Okay I just can’t with you!”, Luna got up. “Thank you for inviting me to this castle this afternoon but I’m leaving.” He stomped out the room.

“B-bu- Hey Luna!”, he called after him.

“I am not perfect.”, Mars’ voice quivered. “I admit I have hurt people by accident and so has Venus but… neither of us are as toxic as you are.”

He stood up, throwing his cards on Earth’s face. “If you aren’t going to change then you might as well play solitaire!”

He walked out the room, slamming the door behind.

Chapter Text

Titan ran back into his small hut. The walls were a beige, slowing fading out into brown, the same shade as his roof.

To be fair, it wasn’t exactly his hut. It was a shared one with Rhea, Enceladus, Dione and Mimas. It was one out of hundreds of dorm huts.

He stormed in, his entry announced by the door creaking and being slammed back in. The entire hut shook.

Rhea poked out her head from the bathroom, bubbles at her mouth and a light purple toothbrush in her hand. She spat in the glass she was holding in the other hand. “Hey Titan. You look terrible!”

“I feel terrible,” he groaned, falling face-first into his bed, burying his head in his pillow. Pillows were a man’s best friend. They never judged you when you cried all over them. They’d let you hug them without complaints. A pillow is there for you when you’re having a bad day.

Something thumped against the brown, worn out door. Any moment, it could fall of its hinges, exposing them to the ruthless world.

Enceladus got up, the wooden planks creaked under each step he took towards the door. The hinges of the door grated and he heard a familiar, nasally voice. “Is Titan here, I really need to talk to him!”

“Well yeah he is here,” Enceladus said. He turned his head behind and called out. “Oi Titan!”

Titan whined. The last thing he wanted was confronting Luna. “Tell him I’m dying!”

“Sure you are bud,” Luna spoke, standing at the edge of his bed, gently shaking his shoulders. “Get up.”

Using all his brawn (which might as well be puny compared to Titan), he pulled at Titan.

Luna let go, heaving. He rubbed the sweat off his hands on his shorts and was about to strike in for round two but Titan got up. His hair disheveled and a despondent expression on his face. Luna’s lips quirked up and he extended a hand that Titan took, staggering upwards.

Hand in hand, they walked outside. A greyish hue fell upon them. The sky was darkened by thick clouds, allowing little to no sunlight. The weather poetically complimented what Titan felt like. A light drizzle poured down.

Titan crossed his arms, staring anywhere but Luna’s soft, blue eyes. His muscles tensed and that didn’t go unseen by the other.

Luna rubbed his hand over Titan’s bicep slowly and softly, stroking it with his thumb. “I get it. You’re mad.”

“Can you blame me?” Titan whispered. “All my excitement came tumbling down like a house of cards.”

“I know. I’m sorry for what Prince Earth said.”

“Why are you apologising? It should be Earth,” he snarled. “Is he too egocentric that he can’t even say the word ‘sorry’?!”

Luna’s gaze faltered. The light drizzle was no longer light. The water felt like icy, cold bullets falling down.

“I-”, he stuttered, unable to think of a good defence for Earth.

“Exactly!” Titan said. “Nothing can excuse what he did. Why should the Princes treat us like crap just because they got adopted by the Sun and we didn’t? We may be younger and poorer but we are the same. There is no difference between us!”

“What are you suggesting..”

“I’m suggesting that it is time to humble them. To knock them off their imaginary thrones.”, he declared, finally making eye-contact with Luna.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Earth walked into Venus’ room. He probably should’ve knocked. Venus was flat on his bed, lying amidst his bright red blankets.

Thud.

A tennis ball hit the wall and bounced right back into his hand.

Thud.

“Hey Venus,” Earth chuckled nervously, fiddling with his robe.

“Why aren’t you bothering Mars?” He demanded, hand fastening around the tennis ball. He juggled the green ball.

“We had a fight…”, he whispered, staring at the floor. There were some questionable stains on his rug. “So I was thinking…”

“Never ends well for any of us.”, Venus interrupted.

“Wanna hang out?”

“Huh?!”

“I’m bored, you’re bored. Let’s be friends!”, Earth smiled goofily.

“Uh huh.. sure…”

“Yay friend!”

“That sounds awkward as hell.”

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Uranus returned to the surface, dripping wet. Still astonished by what they had heard. And if there was even the slightest truth to it, that changed their perspective of the entire world.

They ran back, eyes open this time, dodging the mossy barks and fallen logs. They hit the blue fence and heaved a foot over it. They fell into the park. Rain poured down on them. They shielded their head and their diary with an arm and ran towards the castle. The castle was never hard to find. It stood out like a sore thumb.

They ran inside the majestic building, collapsing out of fatigue in the front gate. A shadow fell over them. They looked up and saw Saturn. Their expression hardened as they scrambled up.

“We need to talk,” Saturn uttered.

“Yes we do.”, they spat back with poison peaking in their voice.

They walked to Uranus’ room. They locked the door behind them and turned around to find themself being cornered by Saturn.

He had a worried expression on his face. “I read your diary.”

“Yeah I figured that you invaded my personal space.”

“Are you okay?”, he asked.

“Of course I am!”, they forced out in a high pitched voice sarcastically, plastering a big smile. “You didn’t care about me or Neptune ever since the elves came, why would you care now?”

“Is that what you really think?”

“Yes because that is true. Don’t lie to me!” They snapped. “Did you ever pay either of us a visit for the last few years? You knew we weren’t well, did you say anything? Nooo. And now you expect that this one talk can change everything.”

“At least I’m trying!”, Saturn cried.

“Trying to fix what you demolished? Trying to dig out what you buried deep underground?” Uranus demanded, hands on their hips as they took one step closer.

“You think you’re the only hurting! What about us?” Saturn pointed a thumb towards his chest. “Do you understand how many responsibilities me and Jupiter have because we are the eldest?”

“Do YOU understand what you did is why we are like this! Neptune has forgotten everything, he’s going insane, he’s dealing with panic attacks. I have forgotten the feeling of being wanted! Each night, before going to sleep, I punish myself for who I am! I’m patiently waiting for the embrace of death to come take me! None of you would notice me gone anyways! I have lost the will to live!” They yelled, tears rolling down their cheek. They looked away, unable to make eye-contact and wrapped their arms around their middle.

Saturn gasped, taken back from these statements. “If you open up your eyes, you’ll see that you’re wrong! You are loved and you are wanted. So just stop. Stop hurting yourself.”

“It’s not that easy!” Uranus sobbed, their hands covering their face. “Please get out.”

“If you tr-”

“Get out.”

Chapter Text

Saturn ran back into his room, collapsing in the doorframe. He breathed shakily, taking in everything Uranus yelled at him.

Gosh he was a terrible brother. He was a terrible human.

He buried his face in his hands and cried. He missed the times when his family was happy and content. Everyone was treated the same. Everyone was held and told ‘I love you’. Now? Now it just wasn’t the same.

The elves were all divided. It was mostly Mars and Earth together. Venus spent all his time alone in his room. Ever since Theia and Porto died, he wasn’t the same. Mercury struggled in socialising with them and whenever he tried, Venus and Earth would laugh him back to his isolated corner. He had to deal with physical abuse and he still smiled through it.

Saturn admits that he has been neglecting Uranus and Neptune. He has been spending half of his time either with Jupiter or with his moons. His moons who probably hated him.

He tried. He tries. He tries fixing his bonds with everyone but they just drift further away. His efforts mean nothing to them.

Saturn silenced his sobs and crawled inside his room, lying down on his rug. His heart ached too much.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Pulling his hoodie over his head, he walked outside. Hands in his pocket, humming a soft melody. It was a song that Theia would sing a lot. Venus missed her voice. He missed her. He missed her strawberry scented hair. He missed her high pitched laughter. He missed her green eyes that burned with passion and energy.

He was walking through the streets of the Helios empire. The streets were adorned with small, festive markets on each side. The vendors being the habitants.

He walked further down the lane. He looked up and saw Triton, one of Neptune’s students except that Neptune would not remember having any. Triton was entertaining his little siblings by story telling. You could tell he was immersed in them by the way he talked animatedly, acted out the scenes and changed his voice tones to go well with the scenes.

The little ones giggled when Triton acted out a bear, doing a fierce roar.

Venus allowed a grin to take place on his face. He’d never admit it to anyone but he liked the idea of caring for someone. Of being someone’s entire world.

He arrived at a blue fence. This fence ran around the entire empire, serving as a barrier between them and the kuiper forest. This forest was rumoured to have monsters, phantoms and beasts ready to devour you the second you took a step in it.

He tried listening out for a sound. A roar, a shriek, a cackle. Anything to prove the myths and legends.

Nothing. He heard nothing.

Disappointed he turned around but he heard something. A wail.

He snapped his head towards the forest, running back at the fence. He got on his tiptoes and scanned the forest for any signs of movement.

He heard another cry. It sounded like.. a baby?

Forget whatever Sol told them about the Kuiper forest, he loved a good mystery and adventure. He climbed over the fence, falling into the soft grass that cushioned his fall.

A whimper was heard. It was originating from his right. He stumbled towards it, getting his feet stuck on spider webs and fallen branches.

He used his arms to protect his face from the leaves and dangling spiders. He saw something grey.

He crawled in a tree hollow, the moss tickling his fingers. He left the tunnel and saw, nestled amongst the leaves, a small child.

They had grey hair, blue eyes full of tears and a open mouth as they screamed. Venus staggered towards them and picked them up.

Thinking of what to do, he gently rocked the baby. The baby silenced their sobs and stared at Venus with amusement.

“Hello little child.”, Venus whispered.

The baby cooed, reaching out for Venus’ hair. The baby had a dirt smeared face and leaves stuck in their hair.

Cradling the baby, Venus walked back. Climbing the fence and running back the path, ignoring everyone else’s glances and whispers. He couldn’t care less.

Running up the spiral staircase of his castle, he ran into his messy bedroom and into the bathroom. He gently laid the baby in the bathtub and flicked the faucet up, letting it fill with water. He grabbed his bottle of shampoo, rubbed it, creating a white foamy layer of bubbles. A bubble flew and popped at the little child’s nose. The child shrieked in joy, clapping their hands.

Venus washed their hair and rubbed the soap over their body. He dried them with a towel and wrapped them in it, lying them on the bed. Or as he discovered, her.

She rolled in the towel, giggling as she did so and making noises with her mouth. Venus placed an arm at her left side so she didn’t fall down.

He was pondering about where to get her clothes and remembered the stalls. He remembered seeing one selling clothes. He picked up the little girl for another adventure and dashed outside. Or was about to but had his way blocked by Jupiter.

“Hey Jupiter,” he said in a monotone voice.

“Hi Venus. Er.. who’s this?” He asked, eying the little girl who was staring back at the ginger with eyes full of curiosity.

“Another orphan. I found her in the forest,” he explained, walking past Jupiter and descending down the stairs.

He walked to the red stall with Rhea behind it.

“Hello! How may I help you?” she smiled, resting her head over her intertwined fingers.

Venus showed her the little girl. Rhea squealed, picking up the baby and spinning her around.

“I have the perfect thing for her,” she disappeared under her desk and re-emerged with a white dress. It had a silver ribbon in the middle tied with a bow. “Tada!”

Venus took the fabric, rubbing his fingers over it. It was soft and the perfect size for his new little baby. He dug his hands in his pocket, feeling a cold piece of metal. He took the coin out and dropped it into Rhea’s hand who accepted it with a smile and bade them goodbye.

Walking back to his castle and to his room, he changed her clothes. She stared at the dress before looking back at Venus with a confused expression.

Venus picked her up. “Do you like it?” He cooed.

She giggled when being spun around and put a small, delicate hand on Venus’ head.

“Hello Zoozve.”

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Lalalalalala

Where am I?

Neptune looked around the blue room. Was it his bedroom? Probably as he was inside it and slept in the bed.
He fell back on the pillow and felt something under his pillow. He lifted the pillow, throwing it away. It hit the window. He saw a wrinkled paper. It was a photo.

Two guys. One with dark blue hair and the other with icy blue hair. They were sitting together playing with a toy, smiling.

Who were the two?

Wait why did one of them have the same hair as him?

Was that him?

But who was the other one? Was he supposed to know who it was?

He slapped his head, hoping for something to come to his mind. Nothing.

Must not be that important. He curled up the photo in a ball and threw it away.

Wait where did his pillow go?

It was below the window.

Silly pillow! Come back here!

He jumped off his bed and towards the pillow. He grabbed it and hugged it.

“You won’t leave me, won’t you?” He whispered to his pillow.

Not like them…

Like who?

He heard a knock at the door. “Neptune! Sol needs all of us in the dining room for a meeting!”

Chapter Text

Mercury was in the dining room, the first one except for Sol. Sol had an impatient, slightly worried look on his face.

“Where is everyone else?” He shrieked, smacking his hands on the table. You could say the entire castle shook under his fury. He tapped against the table, staring expectingly at him.

“I called them,” he bowed his head. “They are coming.” He sat down, his seat the closest to Sol. He’d nervously glance towards Sol and scoot his chair further away.

He heard footsteps thump against the marbled floor and he breathed out a sigh of relief. Sol wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him in the presence of another.

Except that other person was Venus. Mercury let his head fall on the table, not too happy about being stuck between two jerks- well one and a half. Sol didn’t mean any of the stuff he did! Right? Probably!

Venus’ chair grated against the floor and he heard a childish laugh. Mercury lifted his head, rubbing his forehead. He might’ve hit the table a tad bit too hard.

He saw a little baby. She was wearing an adorable little dress and had her hair in a messy pigtail. Of course Venus sucks with anything to do with hair. His hair was always unkept and tangled.

Venus sat down placing the little girl on the table in front of her, raising a glance at Sol who didn’t even notice her.

“What’s her name?” Mercury started a conversation, seriously hoping it wouldn’t end into one of their silly banters.

“Zoozve,” he replied curtly. His expression immediately softened when he heard Zoozve clap her hands together and laugh. She started crawling on the table. She crawled towards Mercury, sitting on her knees and tilting her head.

Mercury laid a soft hand on her shoulder and brought her closer. He freed her hair of the orange scrunchie and combed through her strands with her fingers. He twisted her hair into a neater braid, tying it in the end. He turned her towards him and kissed her forehead. She giggled, her hands tried reaching for Mercury.

He looked back at Venus who just nodded. He picked her up and settled her on his lap. She pulled on Venus’ sleeve and babbled out something. Venus lifted a finger towards her. She grabbed it and started sucking it.

Too busy looking after Zoozve , they didn’t notice the others walk in.

Earth had a ‘I’m sick of everything because I’m cooler than everything’ look on his face while Mars was glaring daggers at him.

Jupiter’s eyes were fluttering close and he was holding a cup of coffee. Specifically, cappuccino with two spoons of sugar in it. He took a sip of it.

Saturn had red, watery eyes. Dried tears on his cheek and dried snot above his lip. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and rubbed his face, managing a weak, faint smile.

Uranus had terrible eye bags. They were hugging their diary while eying Saturn with such a dangerous look. Any second, they could’ve pounced on him and a brawl could’ve started.

Neptune was smiling. His smile immediately fell once he saw everyone else frowning and mad at each other. Not understanding anything at all, he crept towards Uranus and tapped his shoulder. They turned towards him and were bombed by a hug. Instead of pulling away, they just leaned into Neptune’s fluffy hair, muttering something.

“If all of you are done with whatever you’re doing, SIT!”, Sol yelled. Everyone scrambled to their seats, a chorus of chairs screaming.

“I called this meeting because we are in danger,” he said softly. “I am putting in measure some new rules.”

Tense silence interrupted by Zoozve’s squealing.

“I’ll be locking all of you in your rooms except for the time for the three meals. I’m stationing guards outside each of your rooms. If your pupils want to study, they’ll be escorted by the guards to your room. None of you are allowed to leave this castle.”

A hand shot up. “Why?”

It was Mars.

“Why?” Sol repeated in a dangerously sweet voice. “If you want to die in the worst way possible then disregard the rules. I don’t care!”

“But who are you afraid of?” Uranus asked.

“I’m Sol. I’m not afraid of anyone or anything,” he got up, his throne falling behind him. “Anyone else have a question? No? Then get the hell out of here!”

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Insects chirped at their feet. Luna shrieked as a beetle climbed his leg, he kicked away. It went flying.

Titan, Luna and Phobos and Deimos (both of them who started whining when Luna forbade them from coming with) were sitting in the heart of the forest, sheltered by trees. The leaves formed a canopy overhead, leaving them in darkness.

“Come on Titan!” Luna groaned. “Let’s put all of this behind us and go back!”

“Nope.” He hummed, painting some signs. He wanted to protest against the Princes.

“Ugh!” Luna yelled out. “You’re so frustrating!” He pulled his hair.

“No one is forcing you to stay. Leave.”

“Leave you to do something reckless and stupid? Nope!”

Phobos and Deimos were playing rock, paper, spear.

“Rock, paper, spear!”

“Hah I win!” Deimos stuck out his tongue. His fingers formed a rock while Phobos had chosen spear.

Phobos screamed in frustration and jumped on Deimos. They started fighting. They laid feeble, loose punches on each other, biting and screaming.

Luna grumbled. Why did he join this insane circus?

Well.. I can-

Shut up Dark.

Not a nice way to talk to your oldest friend.

You’re just a figment of my imagination.

I can gut them all!

You’re my intrusive thoughts.

Meanie.

As if you’re a saint.

Let me take over your stinking body and talk them out of this.

By ‘talking’ do you mean holding them in a chokehold until they agree?

Exactly!

I hate you so much.

Rude much?!

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
Io coughed, his cane shook under his weight. Callisto put a cautious hand behind his back, in case he fell.

Ganymede was on his bed, kicking his feet while Europa was on hers, filing her nails.

“Guys. I’m bored!” Ganymede groaned, falling back on his bed. His head scraped against the wall. “Ouch.”

“Yes and?” Callisto rolled her eyes. Io coughed again.

“What if we find the missing people? Timmy, Lungs, Phoebe and Dime.”

“Titan, Luna, Phobos and Deimos,” Europa corrected.

“But we have our classes i-in l-less than an hour!” Io whimpered, using his cane to limp closer to Ganymede.

“So? Would you rather listen to Jupiter about decomposition of dead corpses or go on an adventure!”

“Go on an adventure.” They all echoed in a dull voice.

“Then what are we waiting for?” He smiled, getting up. He hit the upper bunk this time and screamed out in pain.

Chapter Text

I can’t see. I can’t see. I can’t see.

A tentacle came out from the eye in front of him, reaching out for him.

You can’t see. You can’t see. You can’t-

Mercury woke up in a cold sweat, panting. He took a shaky breath. He was in his room… safe(?) He kicked off his blankets and got up. His toes ached against the cold floor. He put his hands on his back and stretched, groaning as a bone cracked.

He staggered towards his window, meaning to pull the curtains, hoping for some comfort at the sight of the bright, white moon. He felt something solid under his foot.

It was too dark to make anything out but it was rectangular. He kneeled down, picking it. Something about it made his stomach churn. The object felt cursed. He ran a finger over it. Smooth, dustless and what’s this? A crippled up note?

Completing his journey to the window, he pulled the curtain, welcoming the moonlight to aid him in his reading.

The note was written in a very messy writing. He could barely make out the letters. A stain covered half the note. Was it… blood?

Squinting his eyes, he read it out aloud. “G… H…F? Wait no.. E. G.H.E 1..”

“Huh?” He whispered. He pulled off the note and saw a cassette. He brought it to his ear and shook it. He, himself, did not know what he was expecting.

Sol was old. He probably had a cassette player. He walked towards his door, twisting the doorknob and pulling. It didn’t budge. He shook it and then realisation hit him. Sol had locked them in. They were his prisoners.

Great, now what?

He paced around the room, a ponderous expression resting on his face. He scratched his chin, sparing a glance at his window.

His window!

He ran excitedly towards it, nearly crashing face-first into the glass. Settling the cassette on the windowsill, he pulled up the glass. The uninvited, cold gale slapped his face. He grabbed the cassette in his mouth and heaved himself outside, fingers on the edge of the window and feet dangling in mid air. He looked down and saw grey guards stationed at various posts, armed. And not to mention he was who-knows-how-high in the air. Taking slow, steady breaths, he creeped to the right, where Sol’s room would be.

He saw a metallic pipe bask under the moonlight. It must be the toilet pipes or something. He outstretched an arm, frantically grabbing out for the pipe but he was too far. He tried again.

Looking around hectically, he wondered the next step and then it came to him. It was risky. He could just turn around and go back to sleep, pretend none of this happened but.. where is the fun in that?

Holding his breath and preparing himself, he jumped. Everything around him was in slow motion. All that mattered was the pipe and the pipe alone. His hand snaked around the cold metal. He started slipping down and settled another hand on the pipe, pulling himself up.

He made it! Yes! But he couldn’t celebrate for long. The pipe creaked under his weight.

He crawled over the horizontal pipe, occasionally having his leg slip. He reached Sol’s window. How did he know? It was adorned in gold from outside.

The pipe went under his window and then vertically. Glued to the pipe, he slithered under the window, using one spare hand to grip on the windowsill. He let the other hand go and his feet went back to dangling midair. He heaved his other hand up and pushed himself up, grabbing onto the golden rod above the window. Sol really loved his gold.

He was stretched to his maximum between the rod and the windowsill. His t-shirt revealed bare skin littered by blue and purple.
He kneeled down and with one hand tried pushing the window it didn’t budge.

Thinking fast, he spat out the cassette meaning to catch it and break the window with it but it slipped past his hands.

“No!” Mercury screamed as the cassette disappeared in the greenery, decorating the castle. As if things couldn’t get worse, the window clicked open and then came the storm. “MERCURY!”

He gulped. He was about to sail into the heart of the storm.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Uranus rolled on their bed, kicking their legs and whining, unable to sleep. Their room felt suffocating and uncomfortably warm. They pulled the neck of their t-shirt as sweat rolled down their cheeks and dropped down into their bed.

They got up, remembering they were locked in this small room. They hated being caged. They longed for the seas. They longed for X.

A metaphorical lightbulb sparked above their head as they had a genius idea. They ran towards their cupboard, falling on their knees. They got out a blue bag. It was supposed to be blue but the colour was hard to tell under the layer of dust and neglect.

Unzipping the bag, they thrust their diary in it and few valuables such as a photo of them and Neptune when they were younger, the jewel they used to carry in their hair and a stuffed toy bear.

“Ouranos!” A cheery voice called. He was holding something behind his back, grinning ear to ear. He jumped around impatiently, waiting for his cousin.

“Yes Poseidon?” An icy blue head popped out from behind a sketchbook.

“I got you… a gift!” He smiled, holding up a bear plushie.

Ouranos gasped. “But isn’t that your most favourite toy in the world?”

“Yes but you’re my most favourite person in the world! This is so if we don’t get adopted together, you’ll always have a part of me!” Poseidon giggled.

Ouranos pulled Poseidon into a hug, sniffling. “We will get adopted together.. I promise. Cousins stick together.”

“Together.” Poseidon repeated, nodding his head in agreemnt.

Uranus chuckled to themself, slightly wishing they could hug that memory. Since they couldn’t, they just hugged the bear and stuffed it in the bag. They zipped the bag and thrust it over their shoulders.

They ran towards their window, kicking it open. The cold breeze tickling their face. They looked down. It was a long fall. They ran back to their cupboard and grabbed every single piece of clothing they owned and their pillows. This’ll probably cushion their fall. Probably.. And if it didn’t.. oh well. Dying didn’t sound too bad either. The idea actually sounded intriguing. What waited for them at the end of the finish line?

They threw the clothes out, satisfied to see them all fall in one, neat pile. They jumped over the window and down they went. Their hair flew upwards and they shut their eyes, waiting for the impact. Would it be soft? Would they find themself alive or would it all fade into black? Would they fall into eternal sleep?

Chapter Text

“I still don’t get why we would find Titan near the castle..” Callisto mumbled in a bored tone, regretting hopping on this train en route de chaos. They were crouching near a pile of leaves on the outer edge of the street. From this point onwards they’ll be in the castle’s front lawn. And that wasn’t a place you’d want to find yourself whilst you’re crouching and hiding from the guards.

“So here is the plan..” Ganymede rubbed his hands together with a look that meant nothing but disaster. “Io will distract the guards with an excuse to meet Jupiter.. I mean we are allowed that so yeah.. meanwhile I’ll scale the left, Callisto the right and Europa the behind. Remember to stick close to the bushes and if you get caught…” he dragged out the last word and on cue…

“Tell them that its research for one of Jupiter’s assignment,” came three voices and a cough.

“Bravo!” Ganymede clapped his hands, pride settling on his face. He put a hand in the middle and other hands stacked up on it. “Woo! Go Galilean team!” He cheered.

“Yay..” Callisto muttered sarcastically.

“Whatever..” Europa rolled her eyes and pulled away her arm.

“Yippee!” Io exclaimed before erupting into coughs. He covered his mouth with his mustard yellow handkerchief.

Ganymede starting crawling towards the elegant building, he looked behind and facepalmed when he saw that everyone else was walking on their two legs carefree. He tugged at Callisto and Europa’s legs, pulling them down. Europa shrieked before eyeing him with fury. She was mere seconds away from strangling Ganymede but she ignored the wailing in her chest and started crawling.

Io limped towards a guard, waving his handkerchief as a sign of peace. The guard lowered her weapon and listened to what Io had to offer. Then came the acting. Io let go of his cane and collapsed on the floor dramatically, screaming and coughing. “HELPPP!! Hey you don’t look away. I’M DYING. Stop looking away, I’m dying!” All the nearby guards rushed towards the commotion, giving Callisto, Ganymede and Europa the perfect opportunity to sneak in.

Callisto dived into the bushes and started creeping, wondering why she even considered their silly plan. She had one hand on the wall, feeling the uneven texture of the wall and looking around. Her midnight hair forbade her from sight from her left eye.

She felt a thud under her foot. She pulled her leg away and found a… cassette? She turned it around and around. It looked undamaged. She looked up. Either someone dropped it from height or deliberately left it in the grass. It had to be the latter. A cassette wouldn’t survive a fall that high… right?

She pocketed it and continued on with her search. She’ll play it once she returns to their hut as she has a cassette player. She thinks…

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

The air left their body as they hit soft fabric, their saviour. They got up pulling their blankets away and were met by guards, surrounding them from all sides, ready to shoot upon signal. Their weapons lowered a bit once they came to realise that the fallen person was none other than Uranus.

One guard got near them, outstretching her arm . “Don’t reckon Sol gon’ be too pleased to see ya here. Lemme escort you, yeah?”

They remained silent, their mouth glued together in a thin line as they stared at one guard to another with a look almost challenging.

Another guard groaned. “You seriously think he is going to listen?”

“They.” Uranus interrupted.

“Huh?”

“I’m non-binary.”

“Oh.” The guard stared at his feet embarrassed before pulling himself together and grabbing Uranus’ arm. With their spare hand clenched into a fist, they punched his nose, smiling when they heard a crack and a scream. They knew the guards wouldn’t dare shoot them. Sol wouldn’t be too happy about it anyways. If Sol even cares.

Taking full advantage of the distraction, they ran. They ran trying their best to remember the direction of the pond.

It was on the other side of the fence right? Near the park.

They ran and ran, ignoring the screams behind them and the thumping footsteps, approaching nearer with each second. They ran as if their life depended on it. Honestly? It probably did.

They were still far from the park and they had the risk of being seen through any given window of the castle.

And then they heard a whoosh. They looked up and saw a bullet miss their ear by a millimetre. It landed in the grass, spraying mud all over them.

Okay so they would dare shoot. Now what?!

They risked a look behind and saw the guards closer, reloading their weapons. Too busy focusing behind, they tripped over a twig. They yelped as they fell in the grass, skinning their knees.

The footsteps behind fainted and multiple shadows loomed over them. A hand reached for their arm pulling them up.

The guard was about to yell something but before he could an arrow sliced through the flesh between his eyes. It re-emerged from the other side, leaving a deep red wound. Blood splattered across everyone’s face and the body dropped down, never moving again. Glossy eyes stared into distance and Uranus saw someone in their reflection.

They turned around and so did all the other guards. Uranus gasped.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_
When had things gone this bad? Why hadn’t Jupiter realised that because of him Uranus and Neptune were hurting? Why hadn’t he comforted them? Why hadn’t he noticed Sol being afraid and talk to him? Why hadn’t Jupiter done more?

He pushed away his chair and got up. It was sickening. The family he dreamed of was broken beyond repair. Everything he wanted to be perfect was far from it. He picked up the stack of books from his bed and arranged them into the bookshelf. Something outside his window caught his eye.

An icy blue head. Uranus.. surrounded by grey. Guards..

The guards were fighting someone. That someone was insanely good with arrows. A skill that Jupiter only knows one person capable of. The mysterious person fought under the moonlight, the light falling upon his long, dark blue hair.

Everything around Jupiter froze, his breathing got rapid, he dropped whatever he was holding.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He’s alive?!

What if he tells Sol?

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

They’ll hate you.

You’re a terrible person.

BREATHE. I SAID BREATHE.

It was too much for him. Jupiter collapsed.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

“MERCURY I SAID NO LEAVING YOUR ROOMS!” Sol roared from the safety of his room while Mercury was hanging onto the golden rod for dear life.

“I- I..” he whimpered. It was hard to form proper, comprehensible sentences under the intimidating presence of Sol.

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH!” His voice boomed through the night. “IF YOU WON’T OBEY ME, I’LL MAKE YOU!”

“Sol I’m sorry please!” He pleaded, tears rolling down his cheek. Not again please. He couldn’t take anymore. Please.

All the noise made Venus open up his window. He met Mercury’s eyes with a look full of… concern. Before they could share more glances, a warm hand wrapped around Mercury’s leg, burning his skin and pulling him into Sol’s room as he shrieked and cried. No please.

“Mercury!” Venus’ raspy voice called out. Huh Venus actually said his name right.

Mercury was thrown aggressively onto the floor. He fell on his face, hearing a crack from his nose and feeling warm liquid from his nostril. He sobbed pathetically, curled up into a ball. He wasn’t crying because of the physical torture. It was because he was mentally sick of it. He tries his best to please Sol, being his little pet but he has to deal with his mood swings. Why him?

Sol picked him up as if he was nothing by one arm and faced him.

“Sol I’m so so sorry! This w-won’t h- happ-” he hiccuped.

Sol’s hard gaze softened and his eyes were full of pity and regret. “I’m sorry.. but this is for the best.”

“You’ll thank me later.” He added.

Thank you? Thank you?! FOR WHAT? BASHING MY FACE IN? MAKING MY LIFE HELL? WHAT SHOULD I THANK YOU F-

He slapped him across the face and there came the familiar sting in his cheek. Sol dropped him down once again and stomped on his stomach.

Mercury didn’t even bother screaming. What use was it anyways? All he did was silently cry. Crying was what he was good at, wasn’t it? He was a ‘crybaby’, wasn’t he?

Sol grabbed the lamp from his night table and brought it down on Mercury. He was pretty sure a rib broke as Sol hit him. Sol beat him up as if there was no tomorrow.

And apparently that wasn’t enough punishment. Sol picked him up and they had left his room.

His vision was covered by his tears and blood so he couldn’t exactly make out where they were going. He licked his lips and tasted metal mixed with sweat.

They were going downstairs and then he heard keys jingle. Before he could understand anymore, he was thrown down a flight of stairs into pure darkness. The door clicked behind him but that didn’t matter anymore as he toppled down the stairs. His jaw hit the edge of the stair and he slipped into unconsciousness. A deep slumber. Hopefully not an eternal one.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Zoozve giggled, playing with Venus. Venus would hide behind the blanket, causing her to be confused then he’d reappear, causing her to be absolutely flabbergasted. To her mind this was black magic, sorcery.

But there was something bothering him. Hearing Mercury scream and that look of panic on his face just.. made him think.

This definitely wasn’t the first time Sol beat up Mercury. This wasn’t the first time everyone didn’t came to help him and that’s what’s wrong. No one helps him. Mercury is being tortured and he is sitting here playing ‘peekaboo’.

But the look in Mercury’s eyes.. fear, panic, desperation, weariness. It rubbed Venus in the wrong way. It made him rethink a lot. He was met with the same gaze whenever he bullied Mercury but he was too blind to it. He was blind to Mercury’s pain and… he regretted it.

No Venus stop it. He deserves this.

But does he?

Yes he does.

But what did he do to-

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand on his thigh. He looked down and saw little Zoozve staring up at him with concern as if she understood the complexity and beauty of life.

Don’t be silly Venus! She’s a baby! What could she understand?

Zoozve cooed and raised two arms in a demanding manner. Venus scooped her up in a hug and stroked her hair, finding some comfort in it.

Chapter Text

Io got up from the floor once his friends were visible, creeping back onto the street.

“I’m alive! Stop looking at me! I said look away, I’m alive,” He wobbled towards his friends as fast as his weak legs would allow, leaving the guards confused. They shrugged it off and continued with their job, marching uniformly.

“It was a big fail!” Ganymede crossed his arms, pouting.

“To no one’s surprise,” Callisto added harshly. It was the truth.

“So now I have a new plan! Callisto, Io you guys search the Kuiper forest and me and Europa will ask around!” He beamed, grabbing Europa’s wrist, much to her dismay, and leaving.

Callisto looked at Io. “Well I have other businesses to attend so byeee!” She smiled and waved, running towards her hut. Io was alone now. Always him. He was the weird one and the others hated being around him. He slumped his shoulders and walked down the street, hanging his head.

Callisto practically kicked open the door. She scanned around the room for any signs of her cassette player. When she didn’t see it on first glance she started throwing around stuff.

Jackets, shoes, boxes, blankets and pillows went flying, leaving the room in disorder. Until she finally found it. It was sitting in a corner, tucked in between their boxes and bags. She pulled it out, rubbing the layer of dust with her finger. She turned around. “Oh.”

It looked like a full fledged battle had played out in their tiny little home. She’ll fix it later… probably.

She placed the cassette player on their brown coffee table, sitting in the middle of their bunk beds, kneeled to its level and pulled out the cassette from her pocket. For the first time in her life, she was actually excited about something.

She inserted it in the player with a ‘plop’. The second it entered the cassette player, a red ring of energy rippled through the hut, making lightweight objects fly. She ducked under the table to avoid the mayhem above her. Once things returned to calm, she cautiously looked up and heard distorted music.

‘Do do doo… Aæďîðŵß.. Do do doo… F̷̨̧̪͉̲̭̜͕̻̮̩͉̥̣̓͐̋̿̓͛̋i̷̢̨̨̘͔̻͖̹̳̞̪̭̫̲̻̖͔͕̥̠̳̝̺̱̎̿͒͑̎̃́͌̔͊̽̍̋̒̒́n̴̡̧̧̧͓̻̲̭͉̙͇̻̓͊̈́̃̆̒̇͊̎̓͑̃̕͝a̸̡̡̧̖͍͎̤͉̖̜̳̳͈͓̻͇̣̼̲͔̱͔̲̭̻̮̦͙͎͆̒̈́̾̓̀̄̇̃̈́̃̃̏̆̓́̾̐̈́͗́́̃́̌̈́͂͌́͑̌͜͝͝ͅļ̸̛̛̙̮̺͇̝͓͖̫̞̤͈̼̫̦̜͓̮̲̀̔̊͂̀̏̇̔̇̈́͊̑͛̍̔͋͗̓̌̂͑̾́̈̉̾͆̀̄͜͝͝l̶̡̢͓̦͕͔͉̞̩͙̱̦̰͕̩͍̤͇̰̯̺̙̥̺̹͉̙̻̣͔̖͓̙͙̞͖̋̓̓́͜y̷̨̛͍̟̰̦̬͖̹͕̞͙̘̺̜͓̩̆̿̔̓̃̀̂͋̊̒̔͐̄̀̀̂͊͌͋͒̕͜͜ͅͅͅ ̸̫̗̝̩̝̀͂͑̐͗͂̐ȕ̴̮̻̰͚̘̦̙̩̙͈͎̥̙̤͉͖̙̫̇͗͗̍̈́̌͗̀̽͋̏̐̋̀̄͘͘͝͝ͅͅn̶̡̰̟͇͉̻͎̣̝̩̳̫̊̈͆̓̒̈́̽̈́̎̑̅̆̚̚͘l̸̢̢̢̨̧̩̞̼̮͓̩͉̝͚͚̮̣̫͔͓̬̰̼̜̙̱̞̖̝͎͖̯̣͇͈̓̇̈́̔̾̀͘͜ͅͅè̷̢̨̢̩̣͕̺̠̯̤̠͕̪̯̰̦̞̣̣͙͚̳̼̺͈̠̟̼̞͕̫͉͎̝͕̤̤̂͒͊̎̆͑͒̅́͜͜͜ͅͅä̵̛͍̳̥̻̩̦̳̺͓̗̙̞̳͇͚̘͔̜́̀͛͑̒̍̒̈́͗̎͒̾͆̈́̆͑͆̊̄̋̓̾͒̓̈́̃̊̔͋̌͘̚̕̕͘͜͠͠s̸̢̛̛̛͙̰͖̄̅̓̀̔̔̆̅̔̾̒͌͐̂̎̉̇̔́̓͊͂̃͗̌͊̽̚̕͘ḫ̸̡̡̨̛̻̣̰̜̥͉̣̙̘̠͚̞͓͉̦̺̬̬̘͉̫͖̞̬̼̮̰̠̮̫̺͖͚͔̳̠̏́͋́̿̎͊̽́̓̃́̓̊͊̅́͂͆̈́͒̃̎͊̾̑̍͐̉̆̉̏̚̚̚̚͝͝͝͠ͅͅͅë̴̢̡̡̡̛͙̝̪̖̙̬̟̹̝͓̰͍̤͍̥͕̻̭͈̻̫̻͈̜́̀̓̊̀̑͐͋̄̔͂̿́̈̉ͅͅͅd̷̡̨̨̡̩̠͇̝͔̖̯̘̪̳͔̺̝̝̠̺̫̝̠̗̭̳̭̣͉̦̰̤͊͆͂̀̈́͒̒̑̒̾̋̀͊̅̾̑̓͋̿̒͊̊̈́́̓̒̀̑̿̓͐͛̓̈̈̕͘͝͝͝ ̵̡̨̢̧̛̹̩͙̮̲͙̫͉͔͙͕̭̞͎̗̳͇̹͈̝̜̺̰͇̳̯̬̬̩͎̬̪͔̼̼̈͆̍̂̎͊̃̌́̽̿̿́̓͂͊̿͗̔̄̿̿̐̀̓̄͆̕̚f̴̢̢̧̛̛̝̼̙̯̣͔̟̰̗͉̜̥̝̗̞̟̪͖̩̞͚̯̞̮̠̟̬̙̬̰̠͚̭̿̉̈͗̀̍̀̾͗̈́̇̒͋̑̿̒̈́̚̚͜͜͝ͅͅṛ̶̨̡̛̹̙̘͓̠̭͖͖͇̜̠̯̰̖͇͉̼͚̩͙̭̣̩͇̳̖̇̀̏̒̃͂̏̓̄̾̕ö̵̲̱̦̤͈͇͓̘̰̹̳̗̯̣̻̖̰̲͎̖̥̝͈̹́̉̉̂̊̎͛͛̋̅̿͗͜ͅͅm̶̡̡̢̨̧̛̗̪͔̘͈̪͙̩̥̫͇̖͎̫̘̰̙̱̮͈͓̦͈̩̼̙͓͍̗̹̖̻̦̲͊̀͜͝͠ͅ ̷̡͍̰̳͇̹̤̮̺͕̝͔͉̩̜̮̻̦̖̝̝̪̰̞̐͆̑̇͊̓̽̊̋̍̑̔̐͊̒̿̚̕̚̕̚͜͜͝ͅḿ̴̧̡̡̨̡̞̭̘̯̟̥͙̝̺̞̗͙̺̖̮̜̘͈̖͚̼̬̦̱̪̬̺̉̑̄̓̐̓́͑̋̾͌̉̒̇̓͒͒̓̏̓̓͂́̊̅̓̄̄̐̎̾̇̽͑̆͌̽̀̽͝͠͝y̸̧̡̡̢̳͎͈̞̪͕͚̞͇̞̲͚̦̮̣̱͚̘̼͈̣̹̆̀̀͗̈́̇͒̅̂̄̇̈̄̅͂̃̆̆̇͛͗͊̎̿͊̏̓̕̕̕͜͠͝ͅ ̵̧̡̞̪͕̥̩͍̣̼͚͙̻̲̣̗͙͚̮̘̰͙͚̰̜͈̠͕͈̫̭͎̜͍̪͊́̏̾̏̓͐̄̈́̍̄̈́̆̇͆̈̂̌͘͜͜ṕ̵̨̨̧̡̛̪͖͚̙͖̞̣̺͙͍̪͚̘̪̭̮̺̩̯̫̝͔̟̱̣̫̘̟̼̻̭̝̋̋̑̈́͗͗͠ŗ̷̗̝͎͖͚̬̰̠̮̙̖̅̇̈́̊͋͒͑̈́̂͗͊̚͝ͅͅî̸̡̢͎̤̖̪̟̟͓͙̹̗̫̣̞̜͙̺̮̮̣͇̲̱̺͇̘̹̠̣̬̝͖̘̝̳̦̩͕̥̳̲̻̈́́̿͐̊͌s̴̛͎̣̲̱̬̱̙̞̯͇̙̩̬̭̲̣̗͔̳̲͕̟̝̟̖͚̬̜͓̠̟͓͔͈̺̊̄͋̄̐͌̿̿̈́̒̈́̃̒̍̽̆̂̿̾̄̏̾̓̔̇̕̕ͅͅͅờ̶̛̛̗̬͉͉͎̇̏̈͗̐̎̇̀̌̔͆̈́̒̇̓̈́̈́̃͒̊͑̕͘͝͠͝n̸̢̺̙͔͓̙͙͐̆͊̄̀̂͑̍͒̌͐́̍̀̀́̕.̴̢̜͖̫͖̗̜̙͕̙̻̭͕͎̹̯̻̼̪̗̻̟͓̀͛ ̷̡̨̢̞̪̙͕̜̭̼̙͙̺̣̝̫̬͎̺͔͚̳͚͔̖̄̇̐̄̒͆͊͊͛̐̂̇́̓́͋̋̓̈́͗͑͗͘͘͠͠ͅ…’

And there was static. She shook it aggressively and it stopped working. The cassette popped out, this time with a note on it.

‘Be—ind y-y..you’
-
She turned around. A giant eye was staring at her. She wanted to shriek but before she could react, a tentacle wrapped around her face, it’s tip poking in her eye. It then made way for her ear, entering it. The pain was unbearable and breathing became harder as another tentacle wrapped around her neck, squeezing it. Her eyes rolled upwards as she felt something spread across her body. It felt like blood trickling through your veins but much more.. gross.
-
She lost control.

She lost control over her body.

All she that she was now was a voice in her own mind.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Earth tapped on the wall between him and Venus, calling out. “Hey new friend~?”

“HUH? WHAT WAS THAT?”

“I SAID HEY NEW FRIEND!” Earth shouted as if they were talking to each other from opposite ends of a football terrain.

“HELLO,” Venus replied finally. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“TALKING TO YOUUUU.”

Then came a third voice. “CAN YOU TWO KEEP IT DOWN? I’M TRYING TO SLEEP OH MY GOD!”

“YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS I’M TALKING TO VENUS AND NOT YOUUU!”

“I PITY VENUS RIGHT NOW! NOW SHUT UP OR I’LL CRASH INTO THIS WALL AND STRANGLE YOUUU.”

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE,” Venus snorted. “YOU ARE TOO WEAK!”

“I WILL STRANGLE YOU TOO AAAAA.”

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Uranus stared at X in awe as he washed off the blood in the pond. The same one where they first met. And to make it clear, it was not his own blood.

“Bloody hell mate,” They chuckled weakly, sitting down at the edge, dipping their feet in the water.

“Come now. This time we’ll be exploring an ocean,” He offered a hand that they took gratefully.

“I don’t feel like walking,” They whined. It was true. Their legs ached and their muscles were sore.

“Oh okay,” X replied calmly. Too calmly actually. Too calm for someone who murdered like five people in the previous ten minutes.

Now they understood why he was so calm. He wrapped an arm around Uranus and heaved them over his shoulder, humming while Uranus kicked, shrieked and slapped his back. They stopped fighting as they admitted defeat. Branches grazed their back and a leaf or two fell on them.

They stopped and X dropped Uranus down, not quite gently. They rubbed their behind while staring at X with an angry expression. “Would it have killed you to place me down nicely?”

“Yes,” X replied.

Uranus looked up and saw an endless sea of blue, stretching over the horizon and the sun, showing half its face and taking all the light with it. The sun was ready to give up its turn and give the moon a chance to shine in the night sky. The sky was a crimson fading into gold, reflecting so beautifully into the water.

The entire view was breathtaking and simply magical.

“Would you have seen something this lovely stuck in the Helios empire?” X smirked.

“N-no,” They whispered, feeling weak compared to the magnitude of beauty in the world.

“Anyways let’s go. The ocean is much much prettier. Trust me,” X smiled, taking Uranus’ hands in his own and leading them to the water.

Uranus trusts X. More than they should actually but still there was mutual trust between them. The cool water lapped at their legs, the waves urging them forward and they let them. They submerged in the water and felt the transformation start. Three piercing cuts in their neck, a slimy feeling instead of their legs and the growth of their fins. X went through the same thing.

Uranus looked around. A pretty shade of blue curled around them. There were no sea animals yet as they were still pretty close to the surface. X grabbed their arm and dragged them further away from the land and deeper underwater. The blue got darker and many species of fish came into view. Clownfish, catfish, goldfish, tropical fish and so many other species that they couldn’t even name. The colour complimented the ocean so beautifully and the fish spun around Uranus. They grinned widely, finding peace in this environment but they hadn’t stopped. X dragged them deeper until they hit the corals. So many colours covered the usual, boring beige of the sand. And once again Uranus tried to identify as many as he could.

Staghorn coral with its pointed, textured branches, resembling a male deer’s antlers. Bubble coral, often mistaken for fish eggs. The white bubble-like things known as polyps look ordinary in the day but at night they deflate, releasing their tentacles on a hunt for food.
Brain coral, that as its name suggests, looks similar to a brain.
Pink tipped anemone that should a fish get too close, it’ll be stung.

And that was all Uranus remembered from Jupiter’s lessons, back when they used to be close, back before the elves.

X smiled at Uranus. “So what do you think?”

“I love it here,” The words were uttered before they could even be stopped.

Huh…They actually loved something in this pathetic life. Shocking.

They swam around the deep sea, taking in every sight and treasuring it.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Titan and Luna had decided to move around in the forest, obviously in the search of more food, with Phobos and Deimos tagging along. Those two would not shut up at all.

“Hey Phobos, do you ship Titan and Luna together?” Deimos snickered, “Cause I do.”

Luna looked absolutely mortified and turned around, his skin paler than his hair.

“Honestly they do look like an official coup-”

“Say it and I swear to the void, I’ll wrestle you,” Luna held up one finger, shaking it around while Titan snickered. “Kids, we aren’t a thing.”

“Sureee..” Deimos smiled deviously before taking a deep breath. “LUNA AND TITAN SITTING IN A TREEE, K-I-S-S-”

Before he could finish his chant, Luna pounced on him. Deimos squealed, kicking around. “PHOBOS AAAAA!”

Phobos rushed over to help his little brother while Titan was shaking his head, giggling to himself.

He dropped silent once he heard a rustling nearby and a clacking noise. He turned around and saw a silhouette nestled amidst the leaves.

Chapter Text

Titan screamed. Him screaming caused the person in front of him to scream louder which made Titan scream even louder. Luna, Phobos and Deimos stopped bickering and came to his side.

“Oh hey!” Phobos yelled, pointing his finger at the newcomer. “That’s Jupiter’s pupil, Io! I’ve seen him a lot.” He drew out the last word.

“O-o-oh h-h-hey Ph-Phobos!” Io calmed down and greeted. “You guys have been missing for so long!”

“Oh hey…” Titan muttered, clutching his heart that pounded in his ears, still not over the shock.

“W-what h-have y-you guys be-been up to?” He coughed out, spraying spit all over the four. Luna just groaned in disgust, wiping his face with sleeve. Phobos and Deimos started laughing at each other.

“We-”

“Never mind! I-it’ll be better if you ex-explain i-it in the pre-presence of Ga-ga-Ganymede and Europa!” Io took out a walkie talkie from his pocket and brought it to his mouth, whispering something in it.

Then he heard something that made him freeze and he dropped the walkie talkie. Titan dove behind him, preventing Io from hitting the ground.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Mercury bolted up, wincing and rubbing his jaw. It felt swollen and Void it hurt. He shivered. It was dark and cold. It took a while for his eyes to adapt to the black. He made out the shapes and realised he was in the basement. The place where Sol threw a lot of his old stuff.

He got up but immediately fell. Every bone in his body was aching and even one breath took all of his efforts. So instead of walking on his two legs, he crawled. His head bumped against a cardboard box and he pulled it open, staring at its contents. He rummaged through it feeling a book. It was covered in dust. He picked it up and blew the dust, coughing as it entered his nostrils. It was still too dark to read but he could feel the 3D letters. He traced them with his finger. First he felt a ‘G’, then he felt a ‘H’ and finally an ‘E’.

The combination of letters rang a bell in his head and he put his brain to work, trying to recall from where he had seen ‘GHE’.

The cassette.

He opened the first page and squinted. He tried reading the first line but his eyes felt like they were going to pop out so instead he tried finding a light switch, given there was one. He got on his knees and ran his hand over the wall feeling for any sort of bump or button. In the end he felt a cold lever and he flicked it upwards. A light overhead flickered and buzzed. It wasn’t much but it was certainly an improvement.

He opened the book once again and started skimming through the first page.

Gemini Home Entertainment, abbreviated GHE is a horror analog series. Each episode is an ad with a narrative covering topics such as Woodcrawlers, parasites and body horror. From this series originates the Iris, a parasitic creature.

The more he read, the more fear he gained until he shut the book abruptly unable to continue anymore.

Was the Iris who Sol was afraid of? Had to be.

He dwelled on the Iris but was interrupted by a rustling and weird squelching noise. He looked up and saw a round shadow moving strangely. Then he noticed.. it was moving towards him.

no

No

NO!

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Neptune kicked his feet, humming a loud and wacky melody. It felt strangely silent around here. The feeling of loneliness struck him harder.

He wasn’t alone! He had Guillermo!

He picked up his stuffed toy, beaming at its horrifying face and hugging it.

Guillermo had loyalty unlike them. Unlike Uranus and Saturn and Jupiter.

Huh? They did nothing to him! Or with him…

He just shrugged it off and got up and towards the wall between him and his cousin. If his memory was right, his cousin was Uranus.

He tapped the wall. “Uri?” He whispered weakly.

No response.

He tapped once again. “Uranus?”

He knocked harder, the panic rising in his voice.

He may not remember a lot but he knew that his cousin always answered him. Even if they were sleeping, they were a light sleeper and would’ve been up already. It was impossible they didn’t hear him because they could hear each other breath or cough.

“URANUS?” He pounded against the wall desperately, tears welling up in his eyes. “This isn’t a funny prank!”

He started sobbing as he fell down.

Chapter Text

Someone knocked on his door. “Prince Earth, it’s time for breakfast.”

Earth leaped out of his bed, breakfast being the best time of his day. He could finally meet up with Venus and talk things out with Mars.

The door unlocked and two guards marched in, standing by his sides and escorting him. They went down the stairs and past the spooky looking door. He met up with Venus there who was also being taken for breakfast with Zoozve curled up in one arm. She was lightly snoring.

“Hey!” Earth smiled, high-fiving Venus. “You look miserable.” He remarked.

“Yeah it’s Mercury. I’ve been worried about him ever since I saw Sol snatch him,” he admitted. “It’s almost as if I could hear his screams for help.”

“Help!”

Earth paused. “I can hear them too.”

“If you’re done with your chitchat..” a guard groaned.

“We can handle ourselves now scram!” Venus hissed furiously.

“Yeah the dining hall is only a few steps away,” Earth chuckled. “You can go.”

The guards left, whispering negatively under their breaths.

They started walking but froze in their tracks as a door rattled. It was the door to the basement. A restricted area.

They heard a muffled scream. “Help! Someone? Please!”

It was Mercury.

They looked at each other and ran towards the door pulling at the handle, screaming his name. Venus handed Earth Zoozve who had woken up and only cried once she saw Earth. She hit him in the face with her little hands and kicked. She obviously hated him.

Venus whispered in the keyhole. “Mercury stand back!”

“I CAN’T!” A muffled yell that Venus ignored.

Concentrating all his strength in his left foot, he kicked open the door. Mercury scrambled out, immediately falling thanks to his leg. “SHUT THE DOOR! SHUT IT!” He screamed.

Venus did as told in exactly the right moment. He held onto the knob as something tried pulling the door open from the other side. It was strong but Venus was stronger and soon the force from the other side died out. Cautiously, he twisted the knob open and saw the staircase leading to darkness but there was nothing out of ordinary. He shut the door and turned towards Mercury.

“You. You have a lot to explain,” Venus heaved.

“Let’s go to your room, Venus. And here take Zoozve.” Earth chuckled, trying to hand the screaming girl to him but he refused.

“No hold her for a bit. Unfortunately I am the only one here that can pick up Mercury without breaking my back,” Venus kneeled down, putting a hand on Mercury’s back and the other on the backside of his knees, picking him up bridal style.

Both of them looked beyond humiliated. Their faces made Earth erupt in laughter before Zoozve kicked his jaw and nearly fell out of his grip.

They walked up the stairs. Zoozve finally silenced but she was eying Earth with hatred. Earth muttered something under his breath and Zoozve slapped him.

“Ow!” He cried out.

The two guards from earlier were stationed outside Venus’ room.

“Oh. You’re back here quickly.” One of them said.

“Yes now shut up and open the room.”

“All three of you can’t enter one room.”

“Shut up and open the door,” he said in dangerously sweet voice, advancing on the guard who grumbled and opened the door.

The three walked in and Venus gently laid down Mercury on his bed. He finally took Zoozve who cooed happily and placed her next to Mercury. She snuggled next to him, babbling contently.

Venus rummaged in his cupboard and took a first aid kit, tending to Mercury’s wounds while he explained everything. The cassette, Iris, Gemini Home Entertainment and how Sol was afraid of it.

“But.. what if.. someone else found and played the cassette,” Earth whispered nervously.

Mercury’s face turned into an ‘o’. He was about to say something but the door burst open and there in the doorframe was an angry Sol with two guards behind him, smirking.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Uranus swam around in glee, feeling happy in a long while. X just smirked. A little more and he could get what he wanted.

They swam past jellyfish, smiling widely but the smile quickly fell as they felt a stinging in their head. They squeezed their eyes shut and saw stuff.

A creepy looking eye with red tentacles.

Their cousin, Neptune being attacked by it. His body changed. His eyes bigger and red, blood dripping out.

Uranus tried screaming out but a tentacle reached for their mouth, shutting them up.

They opened their eyes and found X staring down at them, worried.

“What happened?” X asked gently.

“We have to go back!” Uranus screamed, swimming in the direction from where they came.

“Why?” X asked, swimming behind him.

“They’re in danger. Neptune is in danger!” They explained but they were quickly blocked by X.

“You won’t be leaving. Not so soon.” He declared coldly.

“But I have to! If I don’t return, they will die!”

“So? Why are you caring about them when they don’t even care for you?”

“They have always been trying. I’ve been so blind to that but they were always trying! Saturn tried to know me better and help me! Jupiter taught me all I knew and always comforted me and Neptune never left me despite me treating him bad!”

“That was all in the past! They’ve changed now for the worst! Don’t you remember what I told you about Jupiter and Saturn?”

“I remember. They made mistakes and so have I! Now I see I’ve been a fool! I treated them like inferiors and I always took everything they said negatively!”

“That’s because all they said was negative and bad! Just stay here! You’re happy here and you can’t deny it!”

“Yes but I was happier with Neptune. I need to go back. I can’t let him get hurt.” They whispered weakly.

“He won’t be hurting! You just had a dream about the Iris! It’s not real okay?”

“How did you know? I never told you I had a dream and what’s the Iris?” Uranus asked, advancing towards X, staring him in his eyes. X clenched his fists, well aware that he messed up.

“Do you trust me?” X asked softly.

“Not anymore, no.” Uranus whispered and they tried swimming past X but he grabbed their tail. Uranus yelped.

“I can NOT let you go!” X cried. He had tears down his cheek. “Please.. I can’t be left all alone… not again..”

Uranus stopped squirming and faced him. “Well.. first of all you owe me a lot of explanations then you will come with me and help me save them and you can’t say no.”

Chapter Text

There was awkward tension between them as all seven of them sat in a circle around a campfire in the forest.

“So uh.. we can’t find Callisto,” Europa stated. She and Ganymede were found by Luna who explained that Io was unconscious.

“WHO’S CALLISTO?” Phobos screamed but was immediately shushed by Titan.

“I guess this whole strike has to wait because we have more pressing problems,” Luna explained.

“Woah, what strike?” Ganymede asked.

“That’s not important for now,” Titan asked, “You said that your hut was bloody and had a note written?” This was directed at Ganymede who dug his hands in his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to Titan who read it.

“Behind you,” Titan read out, looking up at his friends for their reactions. Needless to say they were as shocked as he was. Phobos and Deimos did not understand much which was probably for the best

“Er.. Was she abducted or..” Ganymede said hesitantly.

“Seems like she was attacked..” Luna concluded. He snatched the note from Titan and held it up, “Was this all that you found?”

“No.. there was a cassette too.. I left it in the hut,” he admitted.

“Well let’s go there then!” Luna got up.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

All three of them gulped in unison, turning towards each other before looking back at Sol who screamed, “MERCURY! VENUS! EARTH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” He took a step closer and they cowered in a corner. Venus wrapped a protective arm over Zoozve who was whimpering silently in his chest, no doubt scared of the King.

Mercury took a step closer, “We know about the Iris!”

Sol froze in his tracks like a deer in a headlight, “How?”

“We know there’s a cassette! I dropped it by accident that night and I found your book in the basement about the Iris! Heck I nearly died to it! We know you’re afraid of it!”

Sol’s expression dropped as he took a step nearer and fell on the bed, hanging his head, “All I’m doing is trying to protect you from it..” he whispered.

“Well you’re failing! The Iris is clearly in this world and we aren’t safe!” Venus growled.

“I know..” Sol mumbled.

“What should we do?” Earth spoke up.

“For starters we should try find the cassette.. which is outside the castle..” Mercury said.

“Yes we should..” Sol said getting up. He opened the door and beckoned at everyone else to follow. And that’s what they did till they were outside the castle. It was a bit chilly. Mercury wrapped his arms around himself not used to the cold and he wasn’t the only one. Venus had wrapped his jacket around Zoozve, afraid of her getting sick and Earth shivered a bit.

“Well.. it did fall in the bush but there’s a chance that someone took it..” Mercury said, looking at the direction he remembered it falling.

“I’ll check the bushes, you guys go ahead and I’ll join you in a bit,” Earth said, running off.

“We can start by asking around,” Sol suggested. Mercury and Venus nodded and they ran off on the street. Everyone around fell silent under the presence of Sol, bowing their heads and speed walking past him. The first person that Venus asked was Rhea who shook her head. Then they asked Enceladus, Mimas, Dione, Elara, Thebe and many others but still no luck.

“Please.. have you seen a cassette with a note on it?” Mercury asked Miranda, desperation peaking in his voice. “I’m sorry..” Miranda whispered, “But have you guys seen Uranus? We tried entering the castle for studying with them. The guards followed us to their room and we knocked for a good while but no response..”

“Huh..” Sol murmured while Mercury shook his head, profusely apologising. Venus looked up and saw seven people enter a hut in the further left. He squinted his eyes and saw Luna. “Hey guys look!” He yelled, pointing towards them and running. Mercury and Sol sprinted right after.

Luna looked up and saw Sol with Mercury and Venus. He gently nudged Titan with his elbow, grabbing his attention. The three halted in front of them, out of breath. “Cassette… Iris… Note..” Sol wheezed, clutching the stitch in his stomach.

“Aw look a baby!” Deimos squealed, “She’s so cute and tiny!”
“She’s adorable!” Phobos gushed, “Can we hold her pretty please with a cherry on top?”

“Sorry kiddos! You’re too small,” Venus replied, chuckling.

“Hold on! A cassette?” Titan asked, “Well.. we have one in our hut and this note.” He gestured at Ganymede who reluctantly handed Sol the note.

“Oh no! Did any of you play the cassette?” Sol inquired.

“We think Callisto did..” Europa explained, “She has been missing for a long while.”

“Oh no…” He rubbed his temples, “No!”

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

X explained everything from the beginning to the end, “So Sol banned Jupiter from entering his room but Jupiter ignored him, went in the room and found a cassette. He played it in the same room with the elf babies. Me and Saturn saw him running out the room, crying and murmuring about the Iris. I don’t know what happened then but Sol stopped it all. Void he was so scared. So was Jupiter. I tried telling Sol that it was Jupiter’s fault but he didn’t let me. He tricked me by telling me that Sol is in the forest. I went there and he ‘accidentally’— he did air quotes during this— pushed me in a pond which led me to discover my siren side..”

“Wow,” Uranus gasped, “So you believe that this Iris killed the elf babies and is back for round two?”

X nodded.

“Then why did you try lying to me by telling me it’s a dream?”

“So that you wouldn’t go there and get hurt..” X whispered.

“Well we are going back and we are saving them.. together.” They grabbed X’s wrist and looked at him. X nodded again and they swam to the surface, the light brightening with each second until they were out. Uranus gasped. The waves lapping at his neck. It had been a long while since they saw the light. They looked around for X and saw him on the surface, drying himself. Uranus swam to the shore, their legs returning to normal. They basked in the heat, feeling the last of the water evaporate before getting up.

“Lead the way Uranus,” he smiled at them.

Chapter Text

He dived face first into the piles of leaves, clawing around for anything metallic. Instead he found a humongous, fluffy, black and yellow caterpillar. Boy did he scream. Disappointed with his search, he got out, leaves stuck in his hair and jumped in the other bush, this time a bit more careful with what he picks up. Scanning through the green, he saw a big shadow loom over him. It was round. He followed the trail of dark and looked up.

A giant eye was looking back at him. He scrambled backwards and screamed. A tentacle-branch thing made its way towards him. He screamed even louder and held out his hand, green mist forming from his hand. A vine shot out and grabbed the tentacle, giving Earth enough time to get up. Another tentacle grabbed his ankle and he fell down in the leaves once again, the branches pricking at his eyes. He yelped. He was being dragged towards the eye which was supposedly the Iris. He squeezed his eyes shut and started muttering prayers under his breath, waiting for something to happen. And something did happen.. just not what he expected.

He heard a ‘swish’ behind him and turned around. A tall, dark blue haired person was standing with a katana in his hand, fighting off the eye while another person was next to him with familiar icy blue hair. “Bloody hell mate… where did you get that katana?!”

“I found it lying around..” the other yelled, slicing off another tentacle.

Uranus ran towards Earth, helping him up while scolding the other, “You don’t just find katanas lying around everyday!”

“Yes you do! I found one! Now run you idiots!” He threw the katana at the eye and grabbed Uranus and Earth by the armpit, dragging them along.

“X is the name!” X smirked at Earth.

“Being insufferable is his game,” Uranus muttered under their breath and got a stern look from X.

“I used to be a prince. More on that later!” He picked up his pace.

“The others would be somewhere in the streets!” Earth yelped, not understanding half of what’s happening, “They know what’s happening more than I do!”

“Okay!” X huffed, ducking in the crowded streets, letting go of the two. Earth took the lead, scanning around for familiar heads until he found them gathered outside a hut.

Sol just stared at X and growled, “I thought you abandoned us X!”

Everyone else turned towards X, eyeing him with curiosity.

“I didn’t abandon you, Jupiter pushed me away and lied to you all!”

“Jupiter knows who you are?” Mercury whispered.

“There was a secret prince?!” Venus exclaimed.

“I’ll explain everything once we deal with the Iris,” X replied curtly, sticking close to Uranus.

“Wait.. I just realised that Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Mars are still in the castle!” Sol yowled.

“Oh no… Mars!” Earth exclaimed, “And the others… are in danger!” He added.

“We have to go back mates!” Uranus spoke up, “Right now. Before it’s too late.” They said sternly.

“You’re right..” Titan exclaimed. Earth yelped and hid behind Mercury, only now realising that there others.

“Well then what are we waiting for?” Sol said. He did not even wait for a response as he started running.

“You peasants..” Earth eyed Titan with disgust, “Stay here.” Europa crossed her arms, Ganymede frowned, Io’s smile dropped, Titan was being held back by Luna while Phobos and Deimos were having a staring contest.

All the princes followed the king while everyone else stayed put, “Luna! Did you see that? He looked at me like I was trash!” Titan pouted, crossing his arms.

“Jupiter treats us like we’re babies too..” Ganymede mumbled.

“And Jupiter doesn’t remember the names of any students except us four..” Europa added.

“I’m sick of it all!” Titan groaned.

“Once we solve this matter, we’ll do something about it.. I mean this can’t go on any longer..”

“You’re right!” He nodded.

“Please don’t go starting a revolution..” Luna facepalmed.

“No! We’ll do a strike!” He said. A revolution was too dangerous and unnecessary. However Ganymede didn’t seem to think the same.

“G-g-guys w-wou-wouldn’t it be better if w-we ent-enter the hut?” Io asked, coughing in his handkerchief.

“Io’s right,” Europa crossed her arms.

Phobos twisted open the door of the hut which creaked open. It was dark. The scary kind. The one that bore your secrets and whispers. That kind.

————-

Jupiter paced around his room, hands yanking his hair. He had to get to Uranus but how?! There were guards stationed outside his door and..

The door.

Jupiter facepalmed at his stupidity. He was the strongest, he could just crash into the door and run to Sol, explaining everything. Why hadn’t he done it earlier?

He looked at the door and clenched his fists. He ran into the door, putting all his force into his body. The door sprang open and much to his surprise, he was met with silence. No guards, no nothing. There was only the faint light from the chandelier.

He sprinted down the hall and pounded on Sol’s door, calling his name but he got no response which was very strange. Sol would’ve immediately opened the door or shouted something.

In a panic, he knocked on Mercury’s door. No response. He tried Venus’ door no response. He pounded on Earth’s door and nothing again.

He knocked on Mars’ door, praying for an answer. “Mars?” He called out, the fear evident in his voice.

“Jupiter? Is that you?” A voice called from inside.

“Yes! Yes it’s me!” Jupiter sighed in relief, “Stand back.. I’m going to break open your door.”

And that’s what he did. He was so happy to see someone that he pulled Mars into a big embrace.

“Everyone else is missing! No guards, No Sol!” Jupiter explained, hands on Mars’ shoulder.

“So that explains why I haven’t heard Earth screaming for a good amount of time.”

“I- I suppose.”

“Have you tried other doors?”

“I have done all the elves.. However I haven’t done Saturn or Neptune..”

“What about Uranus?” Mars asked innocently.

“I’ll explain later,” Jupiter whispered, grabbing his arm and leading him down the hall.

Jupiter tapped on Saturn’s door and this time instead of breaking it open, he found the key in the lock and twisted it. The joy he felt seeing the blonde was immeasurable.

“Saturn! X is back! He has got Uranus!” Jupiter rambled in one breath and Saturn’s eyes widened. He brought one hand to his mouth, muttering something incomprehensible.

“Who’s X?” Mars asked, not too happy about being left in the dark. He was even more displeased when he didn’t get any answer. Instead they all ran out and broke open Neptune’s door.

Neptune was curled up in his bed, hugging his knees and staring at the window fearfully. He didn’t even look up at them. Jupiter went forward and kneeled down in front of him so that their eyes were level.

“What’s wrong Poseidon?” Jupiter whispered softly, using a nickname that he hadn’t uttered in a decade.

“Outside.. to the fields.. so.. so many lights,” Neptune whimpered, burying his head in his knees.

That line seemed to have ring a bell for Jupiter because of they way his expression turned to that of fear. Of worry. He looked out the window and was relieved when he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“Must be a nightmare..” Jupiter decided, taking Neptune’s hand who just pulled away.

“It was not a nightmare. I feel them. I feel it.” Neptune whispered, hands in his hair as he pulled and shook his head. “They are here..”

Chapter Text

Why can’t they see it? Is he going insane? He must be! He always was weird. He always had a vivid imagination! That’s what everyone told him when he introduced his ‘imaginary’ friend that appeared very real to him.

Neptune looked at the window again, the blinding lights being all he sees. He looked back at Jupiter who was eying him with concern.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

No. No I’m not. WHY WON’T YOU BELIE- “Y- yes..” he nodded, blinking back tears, refusing to let them fall.

“We have to leave now!” Saturn spoke up, “We have to find the others!”

“You’re right..” Mars muttered.

“So you coming?” He asked Neptune who just nodded once again, they wouldn’t take no for an answer anyways.

Mars turned and walked out the door, his footsteps fading as he walked down the stairs with Saturn to follow.

Jupiter froze in his steps, analysing Neptune with his gaze before he walked behind Saturn, his head hung low.

Did Neptune somehow disappoint him? Did he mess up again? Was he a failure?

He rocked himself back and forth, sparing a glance to the window before deciding to get up. He hovered his foot over the wooden planks before reluctantly putting one foot down and then the other. All he managed to take was one step before he collapsed on his fours. A broken voice bubbled from his throat as he felt a weird feeling rise in his chest.

He coughed and before he knew it, blood was trickling from his mouth. Should he scream? No, no. He had to stay as quiet as possible. They shouldn’t know. Not them.

He tried wiping the red from his lips but only more poured out. He was full on vomiting blood, his inners feeling like they were being ripped out. Perhaps they were…

A dark shadow fell over the puddle on the floor and Neptune tensed. It wasn’t one that belonged to his.. friends? Brothers? Whatever he can call them. He followed it up and that was the last thing he did.

_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

“Er.. guys..?” Mars whispered, looking back at the two others, “Where is Neptune..?”

“Wasn’t he behind me?” Jupiter asked, his voice going up a pitch in worry. He looked behind and there was no one, only the staircase. He turned back to look at Saturn and Mars who shook their heads, letting his eyes widen.

He was about to run back the stairs before he tripped. What he tripped over, he didn’t know but what he did now is that when he got up, he wasn’t in the castle.

He got up, leaves stuck on the palm of his hands. Leaves? Huh? He wiped them off his trousers and looked around. He was no longer with his brothers instead he was surrounded by an entourage of trees, the leaves forming a canopy to prevent sunlight from reaching him and submerging him in still darkness.

“No..” he whispered, running past the trees that never seemed to end. “No!” He repeated, louder, running even faster. Still no signs of light.. or anything for that matter, except for eternal darkness and a heavy silence.

He saw distant red and walked towards it, instantly regretting it as he saw a bloody stream. If he wasn’t frozen in fear, he would have vomited right there and then.
_*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚_

Earth stumbled into the castle and as soon as he saw Mars, he hugged him, whispering many apologies. Mars awkwardly patted his back and looked behind him where he saw Venus gently cradling a sleeping Zoozve with the other hand over Mercury’s shoulder. Apparently he had missed a lot.

Sol was there too, dark circles under his eyes and a frightened expression settled on his face. Behind him was Uranus and someone else who he didn’t recognise but judging Saturn’s expression, he did.

That person took slow steps towards Saturn and stopped in front of him, crossing his arms with a bored look. “Saturn.”

“X! You’re back!” He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and noticing that all eyes were turned towards them

“Of course I am.. no secret remains buried for long.”

“Where is Neptune?” Uranus asked, looking at Saturn and then at Mars. Both of them stared down at the floor with a guilty expression on their faces.

“Upstairs.. we think..”

“He was whispering something about strange lights and looked paranoid.”

That was all it took for Uranus to push past the two and run up the stairs, ignoring the shouts of their name and the calls. They skidded to a halt in front of Neptune’s door that was slightly open. Through the gap, they could make out someone standing with his back to them. It had to be Neptune.

They nudged the door open, “Neptune..”

He jumped up and without turning his head, “Please.. leave..” Only now they realised, he was holding his head in his hands and shaking up and down.

“Neptune?”

“LEAVE!” He roared, a distorted edge to his voice. This wasn’t their cousin. This wasn’t Neptune.

They tried opening the door even more but felt a hand fasten on their waist. They looked behind to see X who was looking at the door with discomfort. “We have to leave.” was all he said before picking them up with ease and dragging them down the stairs, ignoring their screams and protests.

“SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH NEPTUNE! I HAVE TO HELP HIM! LET GO!” They kicked but their efforts proved futile as X dropped them outside the castle. Everyone else already seemed long gone.

“The Neptune you know is dead. All that remains is his body. His soul has moved on.”

Tears were rolling down their cheek, “Please.. let me go back..”

“Do you think Neptune wants you to risk your life for him?” X asked, hands on their shoulder as he tried to reason with them.

“What I do know is that he would have done the same for me! It’s called to care for someone you love, X.”

“Love just pulls you down into pain! Why would you risk your life for a feeling that could be easily replaced? For someone that could be easily replaced?”

“Have you ever cared for or loved someone? I think I can tell the answer.. Someone you truly love isn’t an object that you can throw away the second someone new comes up. And if you can do that, then there was nothing ever between you two. Love is a feeling that makes life worth it because.. because what is better than having someone by your side? Someone you can trust? Someone who cares for you as much as you do for them?”

“All these feelings will get you killed! Oh my god! Are you even listening to yourself?”

“I am. So what if they get me killed? They say a life isn’t worth living without something to live for.. and Neptune is the one I live for. I will easily give up my life for his own because he made my life worth it, from the start to the end. I’d give up my life to get one last chance to apologise to him for being a bit of jerk to him, for leaving him and for everything that is happening to him now!”

“IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT! WHAT ABOUT ME? DON’T I LISTEN TO YOU? AM I NOT TRYING TO HELP YOU? YOU WOULD SERIOUSLY LEAVE ME ALONE FOR THAT DIMWIT? DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT MY FEELINGS? ABOUT ME?”

“Do not call him a dimwit,” they said sternly, jabbing him in the chest, “You are only trying to help yourself. You want your former glory back. You just want your revenge.. You don’t give a damn about me, do you?”

“I care about you! You just aren’t understanding!”

“It’s you who is not understanding..” Uranus took a step back before turning away and running back into the castle.

“NO! URANUS!” X screamed after them, outstretching one hand in a weak effort to get them back. Great, he lost his only.. friend.. Perhaps this was why Jupiter banished him. He was just an annoying anchor, trying to stop ships from sailing and venturing out. He looked at the castle for one last time before turning around and walking back, everyone else was probably at the hut they met at earlier.

His shoulders slumped as he hugged his middle. Sure, he was kind of using Uranus to get his own way but he did care about them but guess his feelings were one-sided. He had given up his only friend to have another chance to wear the crown Sol does. Wearing such a heavy crown wasn’t worth anything when there was no one to applaud and praise him, to be proud of him.