rivals | taejin

XV

After letting curiosity get to him, a few days after his and Hoseok's conversation, Seokjin went down to the library. Hoseok's friend worked in the library, so he had someone to specifically talk to that he knew could be trusted. Or at least that his friend trusted and could help him.

He walked into the library, which was like a giant hall full of endless rows of bookshelves. It was two stories high, and both floors were covered with books. Full of students of different backgrounds and looks; he felt a bit overwhelmed by it all. He breathed in and went to the front desk, since Hoseok said that's where his friend would most likely be found.

He walked up to the desk, looking to see if someone was there. He was able to see a male with blonde hair, crouched down and picking up some books he had most likely dropped. He turned around, surprised, but quickly turning his expression into a smile. The smile and his whole aura was blinding, Seokjin feeling like he was in front of the very sun.

"Hey, i'm assuming your Hoseok's friend?" he asked, his voice sweet like honey.

Seokjin gulped, "Ah, yes."

"I was expecting you. Well, I was just going to bring the books over but I tripped and dropped them on the floor." he said, face palming himself in embarrassment.

Seokjin smiled, "Do you need help?"

Namjoon shook his head, "No, no, it's fine!" he declined, putting the books down on the desk. He walked over and brought two more, pointing at the chair next to him, "If you're comfortable, you can come and sit here."

Seokjin nodded and went to sit down next to him. He took his back pack off and set it on top of the desk. Namjoon scooted a little away from him just to make sure Seokjin was comfortable. He smiled and looked at him, "So, Seokjin-ssi, what is it you want to know?" he asked.

Seokjin spent some time thinking about what it was he wanted to ask exactly. This was his chance to know more about this Goddess of the Moon, and it could also be his only. And he didn't want to waste this opportunity.

"Namjoon-ssi...", he started, "what do you know about the Goddess of the Moon?"

Namjoon cleared his throat, "The Goddess of the Moon, is named Artemis. Among being the goddess of the moon, she is also the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, and chastity. Here in Mount Olympus, her presence has completely disappeared for almost one hundred years.

It is said around here that she had a fallout with the god Apollo, and the goddess Athena. And that this caused her disappearance. In other terms, she was said to train the students at this school archery and hunting. But, that program was canceled after her disappearance. She isn't mentioned by anyone here or even in recent books anymore. Some people don't even know of her existence.

Before her disappearance, out of rage, Apollo had unleashed a deadly plague that killed a great percentage of animals that lived in the forests around here. Athena had been devastated after her disappearance, and also disappeared to Earth for an amount of years. But, unfortunately, Artemis left without a notice and for an unknown reason.

And that's what is said in the books I could find, since a lot of the information about her has disappeared just like her; but some of this was told to me by my own father."

Seokjin nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. "I don't know if it's rude of me to ask...but how do you know so much about her? When I looked on my phone, I almost couldn't find anything. But...I could have been the problem myself because i'm still not used to electronics." he said, chuckling shyly.

"Oh, I don't mind. And yeah, there isn't you can find  about her online. A lot of it is still hidden inside these books. But, I had said my father told me more about her, right?"

Seokjin nodded.

"It's because she is my father's twin sister. And my father is Apollo." he said.

Seokjin's eyes widened. "No way! Then that explains why Hobi trusted you so much to tell me this knowledge."

"Really! I'm glad he trusts me that much." he laughed, "Well, that's all I know about her. But, it would be helpful for you to read some of these books for extra knowledge. You have your reasons to want to know about her, so you may find information you want that I haven't given you."

"Yes, I was hoping to be able to check out some books so I can read them on my own time." Seokjin affirmed.

Namjoon stacked up three books together, one which was pretty thick and the other two fairly thin. "These are the ones with the most information in them. I'll check them out for you and you can just come in to renew them if you need them for a longer time."

"Okay, thank you so much, Namjoon-ssi!"

***

Seokjin rubbed the bridge of his nose, the book he was reading resting on his lap. It had been almost a week since he had visited the library. And even after reading the books time and time again, the possible reason for Artemis' interest to peak with him was unknown. Nothing connected her with his mother, so she couldn't know her. Unless something behind the scenes was happening, he didn't have the slightest clue of what happened.

So, he decided to drop his short investigation for the moment. He'd try again if something else happened to him. The end of the year was approaching quickly, and he had to study for his exams. So, he put the books back in a box under his bed and decided to go to sleep. And after that day, the whispers he had heard from the moon, disappeared.

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thank you for 4K reads! i tried not to take long writing this in order to celebrate this little achievement ☺️💗

thank you so much! 💜💜💜💜