Made for Min | SOPE

twelve | "i'm not indoctrinating you, hoseok"

"Did you know there are three sides to the Moon, Jung Hoseok?"

Hoseok said nothing at Yeonjun's question, finding himself startled as Yeonjun gently lifted Hoseok's chin upwards. The moon was seemed to have split itself into three, each bearing the same spherical shape. Under these three, a pattern of stars resembling female figures. Hoseok's lips parted in surprise at the view, feeling himself instinctively hold Yeonjun's hand tighter.

"There's the Crescent New Moon," Yeonjun pointed towards the far left. "The Full Moon, and Waning Moon. Each one represents a Goddess, and while it seems peculiar that three Goddesses would share the symbol of the Moon— light and dark bring about two different sides of the same coin."

While the Crescent New Moon and Full Moon competed to be the brightest, the Waning Moon singled itself out, bearing a soft, darker glow, complimenting the Crescent New Moon while bringing out the fortune that came with the Full Moon. Hoseok had no idea what to make of the situation or how any of this tied into anything, but he couldn't find it in himself to let go.

"Artemis bears the symbol of the Crescent New Moon, taking the role of protector," Yeonjun outlined the pattern of stars, and with a slight twist of the wrist, the stars disappeared— a figure solidifying in their presence. "As the Goddess of the Hunt, she wields the bow and arrow and, when used, bears a direct representation of her symbol. She is the light that contrasts the Waning Crescent, providing harmony and stability."

Artemis looked just as Hoseok could have imagined her to look like. Long, platinum hair with light green streaks flowed down past her waist, encapsulating her face shape perfectly, bringing out her perfectly tinted lips, and matching with her silver eyes. If it weren't for Yeonjun painting the picture perfectly, Hoseok would have thought Artemis was nothing more than a ghost. The shine of the Crescent New Moon reflected on every part of Artemis, but, just as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared, and with it, the first Moon Yeonjun had pointed out.

"I don't get what you're trying to show me," Hoseok began, only to be quickly cut off by Yeonjun. Yeonjun smiled, his mismatched eyes looking at Hoseok amused.

"Do not interrupt me when I'm talking, your Highness," Yeonjun clicked his tongue. "Has your father not taught you manners? You'll know in due time, I promise. Now Artemis's counterpart of sorts bears the Waning Crescent, and her name is Hecate."

Yeonjun's mother?

"Correct," Yeonjun answered, earning a surprised look from Hoseok. "As long as you hold my hand, I know your every thought. I'm a direct descendant of Hecate, and as her Waning Crescent represents coming darkness, so does she meddle in everything the dark provides. Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, ghosts, crossroads, you name it. Everything in this universe has a dark side, and my mother so gracefully carries the burden that comes with it."

Hecate's hair was raven black, the streak opposite of Artemis's white. She bore the same mismatched eyes Yeonjun had— one red, one blue, and her skin was pale, causing her features to stick out more prominently. Though she embodied darkness, there wasn't anything that alerted Hoseok or made him feel like she was someone that was dangerous.

Still, while everything was being presented to Hoseok as if it were a history lesson from one of his father's countless courses, it didn't stick to Hoseok as fact. Even though he could see everything that Yeonjun was pointing out to him, it wasn't internalizing. This sounded more of a myth than anything else, and while intriguing, only left Hoseok completely confused.

"Now you have the Full Moon, which combines the light and dark," Yeonjun pointed to the Moon in the middle. "She provides the balance between the two, a role given to her partly out of guilt and her nature. Guilt from Artemis, who represented the light, and nature because of Hecate, after Selene abandoned life as a human for immortality. Frankly, Hecate loved Selene more than Artemis, but family feuds aren't something we should get into, Prince. You'll come to learn that nothing is simple when it comes to the Gods."