~Ten's POV~

Once we broke the surface I noticed that the storm overhead had finally dissipated. Waves that had been warmed by the two burning suns in the sky lapped gently against the platform we stood on. It had, for the most part, a calming effect on the crew to know that the seas we're finally at peace. San and Wooyoung stood huddled together on one side talking amongst themselves and Mingi exited the hull behind me taking a deep breath of fresh air. The Star King was still in the ship down below trying to establish contact with the others.

Once the water level had gone down it took the crew nearly an hour to pry the grate away far enough for me to squeeze through. Since then the Star King hadn't looked me in the eyes and I could feel that he was angry with me. I could also tell he wasn't the only one when I finally cast my eyes over towards San and saw him glaring back.

"A hundred percent chance Ten?!" Came his distraught voice over the ocean. The translator clenched his hands looking furious as he came to stand over me. I squinted against the mirror reflection the suns made on the sea and looked up at him. His sharp eyes were swollen from crying and his dark hair was plastered wetly around his forehead. A steady stream of tears ran down his face as he narrowed his eyes at me. "San? Are you inju—" I began before being abruptly yanked forward.

Startled, my face mashed into his chest as he pulled me into a tight hug that pinned my arms in front of me. He was breathing heavily into my hair as his chest rose and fell in rapid pants.

"Don't you ever lie about something like that again..." He ordered hotly.

My eyes went wide with surprise at his words but I could only nod my head. It was impossible to respond because of how hard he was squeezing me. He held me there for what felt like hours until his breathing finally calmed. I wriggled uncomfortably and whimpered into his chest.

San finally pulled away and saw that some of my blood had stained the front of his shirt. "Oh shit Ten I'm sorry!" He apologized with worry thick in his voice.

"It's alright San," I said trying to give him a small smile. I was still in pain but his obvious concern for me took the edge off of it. "I'm sorry I lied to you..."

I saw Wooyoung come stand beside his friend and he loudly cleared his throat. "What you did down there cyborg—" He began awkwardly before casting his eyes to the floor. He scratched the back of his head and never looked me in the eyes. "I guess what I want to say is thank you..."

I just stared at him feeling even more perplexed. After a moment of silence he huffed and the same indifferent look he always seemed to have settled into his features. "What the hell are you staring at?"

I shook my head suddenly feeling bashful. "I was just surprised you had something nice to say to me..."

San began laughing loudly which made me jump and I saw Wooyoung's cheeks turn crimson. He huffed again before pushing his silver hair back, the action making his earrings catch the light. "Well don't get used to it..." He grumbled.

When I finally managed to step away from the two of them I felt Mingi's large hand cradle the side of my head and pull me to him. My cheek settled softly against his chest and I stopped to crane my neck up and looked at him. His amber colored eyes were hard as they met mine but I could see something kind within them as well. His embrace was far less demanding than San's but I could feel he was every bit as upset with me.

"I'm sorry Mingi..." I said quietly. He hummed before mussing my wet hair, making my head wobble back and forth. "Look we all know you're tough Ten, but as part of the crew you need to learn to rely on us a little more," He told me with a smile playing on his lips. "Its the kind of thing you do when you're a family."

My heart began pounding in my ears and I felt heat rise to my cheeks. The kind words of the crew had touched me and I felt ashamed for making them worry. But, although I never said it aloud, a small part of me was glad that I did what I did and I knew that I would've made the same choice all over again in a heartbeat.

Maybe that's what family is, the realization dawned on me suddenly. I watched on as San teased an embarrassed Wooyoung who began loudly cursing up a storm. A very amused Mingi eventually joined in to help rile him up. Wooyoung was seething but before he could go off he was pulled into abrupt hug from the second in command along with a very startled San. Maybe a family is about having someone you can't help but to care about...

The sounds of their bickering and loud laughter brought a wide smile to my face until I couldn't help but join them in laughing too. I think I really liked to laugh. It made me feel weightless like my body was made of clouds.

Their antics went on for some time before something large bobbed to the surface beside us. It sent a foamy wave over the side of the platform as we gently bobbed in its wake. I instantly recognized the sleek body of Uranaan's EXO suit as heat from it made the surrounding water bubble and steam. Suddenly the weightlessness left me and I was brought back to the nightmare we had barely escaped from down below.

The crew had gone quiet and watched the machine cautiously. We were all still unsure of just what Uranaan's intentions were and I felt myself tense up. I saw from the corner of my eye Mingi rest a hand on the grip of his gun as the hatch handle spun and creaked open.

The unfamiliar figure who emerged raised their hands in the air before climbing into view and giving us a hesitant smile. The boy couldn't have been much older than the the crew and had a carefree demeanor. He had a youthful face with round eyes that looked at us beneath a head of thick tawny curls.

"Woah, woah there, relax I'm on your side," He explained while keeping an eye on Mingi and his itchy trigger finger. "The name's Jungkook and I'm with Monster. I brought some of yours along with me." He said lightly before pointing down. A head of pink and another of platinum blond climbed out from inside the suit behind him. Both Yeosang and Seonghwa looked battered and exhausted but their faces instantly lit up when they saw us.

Both Wooyoung and San cheered while Mingi's face broke into a wide smile. "It's about time the two of you showed up." The second remarked. "What took you so long?"

The both of them stepped down onto the platform as San and Mingi enveloped them in hugs. Wooyoung clapped them on the shoulders with a lopsided smile on his face. "You gave us a scare us down there shitheads!" He said affectionately while the two men laughed.

"Thank the stars you're alright," Came the Star King's voice from behind me. His eyes looked full of relief as he walked past me, smiling and pulling them both into tight hugs. "What happened down there? When Fang came after us we'd all assumed the worst..."

"Yeah we barely got out," Seonghwa huffed before shooting a glance back at Jungkook. "But we squeezed into Uranaan's suit which worked well enough to get us up here."

"My EXO suit was practically useless and Uranaan was out of ammunition so we retreated," Yeosang explained. "Luckily a ship arrived for Monster and his men so we were able to finish off the last of the guards. But not before Fang slipped by us..." The Star King brushed his pink hair from his eyes and looked at the gash on his forehead. "Are either of you seriously hurt?"

"Just some bumps and scratches. Nothing too bad," Seonghwa said. The platform gently swayed and Seonghwa looked unsteady for a moment. He covered his mouth and closed his eyes. "Although the sooner we get back to the ATEEZ the better captain..."

"Once Monster and the others make it to the surface Hobi will take us up," The EXO pilot said with a wide smile. The Star King looked up at him and gave him a curt nod. "Yes and I hope he's ready to explain what the hell happened down there. Don't get me wrong, I'm relieved Yuyaga is no longer a threat but his death isn't going to go unnoticed. A lot of very powerful people are going to come looking for whoever killed him..."

Jungkook nodded gravely and sighed tossing his head back. "God I missed the sun..."

The Leviathan stirred in the water next to the platform and peeked its head above the surface. The sunlight reflected off of its luminous scales in hundreds of fractured colors. Some of its flesh was pink and puckered with scars, the skin around it's mouth was particularly marred giving the false impression that it was snarling. It's snake like eyes were a brilliant mix of gold woven into deep blue as it stared expectantly at the Star King.

The captain smiled and stepped over to the edge resting a palm against its cheek. "Thank you for getting us back to the surface," He whispered running his hand over it. The leviathan looked at him through half lidded eyes and rumbled contentedly. The sound was like a rolling roar of thunder beneath the water. "Now I will keep my promise..." The Star King looked over at his crew with a soft smile, the warm breeze ruffling his hair. "I'm going to need all of your help to get her free." He asked softly.

All five of the crew looked between each other apprehensively but stepped forward to help their captain. After a moment I stepped in to help as well, directing power into my hand to pull spikes that were deeply embedded into her flesh. With all of us working together to remove the spikes from her muscles it didn't take too long. The ship slid from her muscular back and sunk beneath the waves. The seawater lapped at the puncture holes along her back, weeping blood into the surf and making the water turn a cloudy orange.

The Leviathan closed her pretty eyes and slipped silently below the waves. Her serpentine body coiled as she swam swiftly away from the platform. We all stood and watched in awe as the massive creature wound her way gracefully through the glassy surface of the sea before dipping below the horizon line and disappearing from out sight. "Be free," The Star King whispered never tearing his gaze from where she'd gone. "Be free and stop living in fear..."

Something about the way he said it or the faraway look that settled into his eyes made it seem as if he was speaking more to himself than the Leviathan. His strange eyes were filled with so much loneliness and in that moment I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to know the source of this deep sadness that he always seemed to carry around in his heart and find a way to ease his burden. My heart compelled me to open my mouth to ask but before I could say anything to him another ship broke through the surface.

It was sleek with a large BTS emblazoned in red on its side that I instantly recognized. Through the froth that spilled over the hull I saw the black haired pilot nod his head in our direction. "That's Seokjin," I informed the crew. "He's Monster's second and the one who smuggled Cerber and I into Hala Hala..."

The Star King nodded once in understanding. Jungkook, who still stood waiting in the EXO suit, put a hand to his ear and squinted his eyes. I could faintly make out the static noise of a voice over his earpiece and he uttered "Yes understood..." under his breath.

We all stood waiting expectantly as he gave us a huge smile. "Hobi says he's on his way to bring us back to ATEEZ," Then a strange emotion flooded across his features for a second before he composed himself. "Monster thinks it's about time we talk about what happens next..."

~~~

Once we found ourselves back on the ATEEZ the Star King and Monster decided to hold a conference with everyone in the command center. The crew was also eager to get the drive deciphered and pinpoint Jongho's location.

When we finally arrived Yunho met with us as soon as we disembarked the ship in the hangar. He looked at us all with tired eyes that shone with relief once he saw that we had all made it back safely. He gave me a quick hug and whispered that he was happy to see me. Afterwards both him and a wounded Yeosang retired to the sleeping quarters to get some well-deserved rest. San insisted that Wooyoung join them but the jet pilot shook his head indignantly. "Hell no I'm not missing out on this! I want to know exactly how we plan to get Jongho back."

I followed the men through the halls until Mingi stopped me outside of command. He handed me a med kit and his mouth was set into a hard line of worry. "The Star King insists on holding this meeting as soon as possible but he needs his stab wound tended to immediately. Since Yunho isn't going to be in command you are the next most qualified person to help," He explained. "You can probably already tell that it's deep, really deep. He's going to need a lot of stitches—"

"It's alright Mingi I understand," I assured him. In truth I was just as worried as the second was for the captain's health. He tried to put on a strong front but anyone could tell he was having a difficult time disguising how much pain he felt. My systems were still fully functional and would prove useful in detecting any infection before it had a chance to set in. "I'll do a scan on the rest of the crew too and check out Wooyoung's ribs. I'm sure he'll need some pain medication since they haven't had a chance to properly set yet."

"That's good Ten thank you," He said gratefully before opening the doors to command. He ushered me inside and we joined the others who were already seated around the conference room table. Mingi took a seat next to the Star King at the head while I pulled out a chair on the captain's other side.

"Ten's going to take care of that stab wound for you Hongjoong," Mingi said sternly before shooting me a glance over the captain's head. "If you refuse to rest you should at least get some stitches."

I could see the Star King tense as I sat down next to him. It was obvious by his tense demeanor that he was still upset about what happened down on Aquaceria. So instead of speaking he wordlessly slipped his ruined shirt over his head exposing his upper half. My heart fell when I looked over his pale skin.

A interwoven pattern of silver and gold tattoos covered every inch across his chest and stomach. It shone in the low light as his chest gently rose and fell with his breathing. I couldn't tell from where I sat at his side but knew it probably covered his entire back as well. Parts of the tattoo were interrupted by the raised flesh of countless scars. Some were lash marks from being beat with a whip while others looked like old battle wounds. A bumpy patch over his ribs from being burned by plasma gunfire here, a clean line across his hip from the slice of a blade there...

I'd never seen someone's body so ruined from living.

I tried to keep my composure and focused on the led kit. The Star King locked his blue grey eyes with Monster. "So are you finally going to let us in on why you kept it a secret that Uranaan was one of your men?" The chop shop owner groaned and scratched his head. "Yeosang wasn't ever in any real danger when battling Jungkook I want you to know that," Monster explained in an exhale and rested his weight forward on his arms.

"And yet you chose to let us think that he was..." The Star King whispered dangerously. The room was filled with tension as both sides of the table eyed each other warily. "You forced my hand to finish off Yuyaga and now the lives of my family is at risk. So I'm going to ask you once why you did what you did and you better give me a damn good explanation for it."

I sprayed an antiseptic over the Star King's wound and gently dabbed at it with a sterile cloth. The captain took a steadying breath trying to ignore the pain and I shot him an apologetic look.

V and Jimin both tensed up and looked posed for a fight but Seokjin shot the two men a warning look as if to say 'stay out of this.' Yoongi and Jongkook were both standing back quietly observing their leader and the captain while Hobi had a serious expression in place of one that was usually carefree. Something had them all on edge and they seemed almost... afraid.

Monster looked conflicted as if he was deciding on just how much to tell us. "There's so much at stake that I couldn't risk what I had to say being overheard," He began slowly before narrowing his eyes at the captain's. "I also didn't want to take a chance that any of your men would unknowingly let something slip to Yuyaga or his men that could jeopardize the mission—"

"What mission?" Mingi asked suddenly. The second had his hands clenched into fists over the table. "As far as we knew the only mission was to get the information we needed to locate and save Jongho."

"We agreed to help because our interests were aligned," Seokjin finally answered after a long pause. His usually kind eyes looked cold as he stared at us. "Don't misunderstand though. We also want to keep Jongho alive and bring him safely back home."

Monster stood and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why we're going to help you get him back. We never would've made it out of there without the help of your men so for that you have my gratitude."

I began stitching the captain's wound and he barely flinched as I threaded the needle through his skin. "What mission?" He asked reiterating Mingi's earlier question. "And don't you dare keep dancing around this... I need to know what happened down there and why. I think we all deserve to know."

"For now I can only tell you half of the truth Hongjoong. I know it's not what you want to hear but it's all I can give you," Monster said quietly. He looked over the crew almost pleadingly.

Wooyoung stood up from his seat shaking off San's hand as he tried to pull him back down. "A half truth in exchange for our lives sounds like a shit deal to me!" He thundered. Even while unsteady on his feet and clutching his side in pain Wooyoung looked furious. "The captain wants the truth so stop feeding us a fucking line!"

"Wooyoung sit down!" Mingi ordered loudly. V had his hand on his gun and Jimin stood up fixing a venomous glare at Wooyoung. Hobi stepped forward to grab onto his friend's shoulder to stop him. "Please we're all on the same team here so stop fighting!" Hobi exclaimed annoyed. "Stars just tell him the truth Namjoon or I swear I will..."

"Alright, alright!" Monster yelled exasperated. He sat down in his chair a heaved a sigh. "My men and I.. we— we're all part of the rebellion. Yuyaga had to die because of his allegiance with the Void..." At this new information Wooyoung gave pause and sat back down. "I volunteered to be the one to kill Yuyaga. He took someone precious from me a long time ago and I wanted to see him dead for it..." Monster said furiously. His eyes burned with barely concealed hatred as he spat out the name. His other men looked saddened at his words and Seokjin rested a comforting hand on his leader's shoulder.

The Star King's eyes furrowed and he tapped his hand over the table processing what it meant. "I thought that the Elders and the Void were all just a myth," He scoffed. "You mean to tell me this secret organization, the ones who are said to be responsible for the birth and death of every planet within the universe, actually exist?"

"Yes, and they don't only exist but they've been busy," V said in his low voice. He brushed his blue hair away from his face and looked at each of the crew. "They've been more active lately then they have in years and we figure that it could only mean one thing..."

Everyone was silent as they intently listened to what V had to say. He glanced at Monster who only nodded his head.

"This time they plan on wiping the slate clean," V continued as he leveled his pale eyes at the Star King. The captain was listening with bated breath for what he had to say next. "This time they're planning on total annihilation..."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys sorry for the extremely late update! Had some stuff going on and have been super busy with life and all of that. :-) But it's insane to log onto Wattpad when I do get a chance to write and see just how many people are still voting and adding king of stars to their reading list! You guys are so amazing and supportive. I can't believe I'm getting close to 7,000 reads. 🤯 That gets me pumped to keep writing for you all! ❤️

I have a lot of really cool stuff planned for the second volume so I hope everyone is looking forward to it. As always see you in the next chapter!
-Jess