#asterius chill out

[love-toxin]

Zagreus & Thanatos Commission

a/n: this is a piece for one of my beautiful commissioners!! <3 (cws: zagreus/thanatos/reader, yan!zagreus, yan!thanatos, plus size!shade!reader, canon-typical violence, blood, friends to lovers, small angst + comfort, bath sex, double penetration, breeding kink, fingering, multiple orgasms, premature ejac, light aftercare) word count: 6.4k

Zag-re-us! Zag-re-us! Zag-re-us! 

In life, the Olympics themselves couldn't hold a candle to the roar of the amphitheater when Zagreus was performing. From Tartarus to Elysium you followed loyally in the shadow of the demigod's footsteps, while each spark of his sandals lit up the darkened path to his own salvation. Once he passed Theseus and the Minotaur he would vanish from your sight into the Temple of Styx, though it never dulled your admiration for him to see him leave. You knew he had a journey he needed to make, and it was only a matter of time before he-

Shiiing! The great half-bull's axe swept in a flying arc towards the colosseum's wall, and in an instant the battle was over. Sliced in two, Zagreus choked on blood for a fleeting moment before dropping facedown into the river Styx at his feet. Ah. Another loss. You felt for him, even though the rest of the crowd cheered for the mindless bloodshed. You were the first to leave while Asterius did a victorious lap round the theatre with a chorus of proud snorts–the last thing you wanted to hear was Theseus’ gloating in the face of his ill-gotten gains. They always played dirty in your eyes–two against one just simply wasn't fair. 

As you stepped out into the quiet foyer of Elysium's battle center, the echo of a whisper breathed down the back of your neck, and you swiveled around to see what it was. Nothing. If not for the fact that Elysium didn't have wind, you would've assumed it'd just been the breeze. 

But the great, clanging toll of a bell and the sky overhead growing dark banished the idea of trickery from your mind. Your arms raised in defense as a tremulous cyclone whipped up your clothes and the ghostly strands of your hair–and in a moment, a flash of light erupted from the earth and a man stood where it had been scorched. 

A hood was draped over the crown of his head, but the white of his hair peeked out enough for you to realize he wasn't any normal shade. He was, in fact, the omen of death himself–those golden eyes pierced the name into you without his lips moving an inch. Thanatos. 

Although you'd never done so before, you felt an urge to bow in his presence. He was the closest thing to a god that you'd met before, aside from Zagreus. And you knew he was the one that had carried your mortal soul down to the Underworld, even if you had no memory of it; he would've been the first to greet you at death's door, and the last visitor of the living world you would've had before you were plunged into Tartarus. 

Thanatos stared you down with a callous glare. He gestured with his fingers for you to come closer, and once you did, your voice trembled out of your quivering lips. 

“M-My name is-”

“I know your name.” He interrupted coolly. Of course he did. “You're coming with me to the House, shade.” 

“The-?” Thanatos barely gave you a moment to think before his fingertips brushed your wrist, and in an instant your surroundings melted away to be replaced with candlelight and ornate rugs. Your body trembled and your knees buckled, though the god of death kept a firm grip on your arm, sending chills up your veins that had long since dried up in death. You'd only passed through here once and it'd been so long ago you'd forgotten it entirely; the presence of gods and minor deities and servants of Hades himself weighed on you so heavily you could barely think to stand. Your appearance by Thanatos’ side drew some looks, but most kept their distance as you walked save for Hypnos–though his twin needed only to utter a few words to shut his excitable brother up before he could make some crude comment. 

The deathwalker led you to the right around a corner, past the desk where the mighty Hades usually sat but was absent for now, and darted with you in tow straight towards an open doorway. Light flooded through it the moment you entered, like you'd passed through a barrier that couldn't be seen, and there you stood in an unfamiliar bedroom; but the one washing his face in a basin was all too familiar when he raised his head and turned to glance over his shoulder at the intruders. 

“Oh!” Despite being taken by surprise, Zagreus grinned and turned to face you, his hair still dripping with water that steamed and hissed as it touched his fiery skin. “My favourite shade–what are you doing here, little one?” He chuckled and stood over you like a mountain. Both he and Than easily surpassed you in height, but with the breadth and sturdiness of Zagreus’ shoulders he definitely seemed more mountain than he was man. 

On the opposing side, Thanatos threw down your hand with a dismissive huff, the gentleness in his touch having completely evaporated. He crossed his arms over his lithe chest, though his glare was at least fixed on Zagreus this time rather than yourself. 

“Thought you could just get away from me, did you?” Although his façade hadn't wavered, the twinge of hurt in Thanatos’ voice hit your ears just as much as it did Zag's, whose expression soured at the sound of it. 

“This isn't your business or your burden, Than.” He answered, gaze flicking over to you as if suddenly anxious about why his childhood friend might've brought you all the way here. 

“Well, you were easy to track down with this one on your heels.” The older deity grabbed your wrist and shook it limply to highlight his point, as though tugging you around like a doll was the most respect he could stand to give you. “I watched her in the stands. She was practically salivating.” 

“C'mon, Than.” Zagreus took on an easy tone and slung his muscled arm round your shoulders. You had to admit you felt much safer there. “This is my friend.”

“You don't have friends.” The younger of the two just chuckled. 

“I have you. And I have her.” Finally he peered down at you, and tapped you gently on the nose. “Nice to see you, sweetheart. Sorry you had to see me gutted–it wasn't my finest attempt.” 

“T-Two on one isn't fair anyways.” You replied. Thanatos rolled his eyes. 

“I agree with that statement, at least. However, I'm more concerned with the fact that you left without so much as telling me goodbye.”

“I left when it was necessary, Than. I thought of you and hoped you'd understand.” Zagreus straightened up. “I have to do this.”

Thanatos’ gaze moved from one of you to the other; silent, calculating, and cold. Finally, he furrowed his brow and took a half-step back from where you and Zagreus stood arm-in-arm.

“Well, if you won't say it, then I will. Goodbye, Zagreus.” In an instant, he was gone–vanished in a puff of dark, swirling smoke.

“Don't mind him,” The demigod tutted before he turned towards you, his arm sliding off for his fingers to ghost down your translucent skin. You were friends, and you'd never told Zagreus about the thoughts you'd had about him, but he could still be so effortlessly flirtatious and charming no matter the circumstances. It should've put you off, but it was difficult to when it came to Zag…he was just too kind and sweet of a person to write him off as a reckless womanizer. He was much, much more than that. “You're looking good, aren't you? I couldn't get a good glimpse of you in the crowd.” 

Before you could get a word in, Zagreus swept you up with him into the courtyard, where he would show you his personal armoury and take you up the hill to look out over Tartarus. All those glimmering lights in the distance closely resembled the candlelit windows of homes in the village you once resided…and as Zagreus showed you a little piece of his own, an odd, unsettling ache for what was no longer familiar settled in the pit of your chest where your heart once beat soundly. 

For how prickly you found Thanatos to be, he and Zagreus got on…remarkably well.

Sure, you knew that they'd been childhood friends, and that they had a unique bond as they'd both been raised by Nyx. But despite all their quarrels and reckless competitions with each other, you'd rarely noticed two people who were so deeply attuned to one another. Like ice and fire they melted and coalesced with every brush against the other, so it wasn't baffling to eventually figure out that your crush and his closest confidant were dancing around the topic of love. 

Love in itself was such a twisted thing; it could be beautiful and deranged all at the same time. It could make no sense at all and still work. That was how you saw it for them, and for that reason…well, you'd had to pull yourself away from them more and more recently. Zagreus wasn't any less flirtatious or affectionate with you as of late, in fact he'd been more than happy to invite you back to the House and tote you around his family for all eyes to see, including Hades’. He introduced you to his mentor Achilles, to Nyx, to Dusa, to Megaera–who was so intimidating you couldn't stop your knees from trembling, yet she spoke to you as gently as if you were a baby bird, even tucking a strand of hair behind your ear with a mention of how pretty it was. They were all kind to you save for the head of the house himself, who would demand Thanatos bring you back to wherever you belonged instead of mucking up his floors. Regardless of whether they all accepted you or none did, though, you knew in the back of your mind that you didn't really belong there. 

Neither of them had to say it. You knew by the way they looked at each other alone. Zagreus was deeply, deeply in love with his best friend, and the feeling was entirely mutual if Than's cool affection was anything to go by. Being in the House, it was impossible to ignore the soft chatter between them at the end of the west hall, nor could you look past the bottles of ambrosia that would pass from Zag's fiery hands into Thanatos’. 

They were both in love. And you had no place in that realm, no right to ruin that for them or even get between them at all. It was obvious now that you could see the signs clearly; you were an outlet for Zagreus to express his affections, a tester, so he could get out all that gentility and adoration on someone without ruining what he and the incarnation of death had prematurely. And how could you even be upset with him about it? He clearly loved Thanatos with every ounce of his being, and it was foolish for you to think you even had a chance with the son of Hades himself. You weren't special when you were alive, and you were certainly no more unique as one of millions of souls that passed through the Underworld throughout eternity. 

That was how you found yourself here. Your uncanny ability to move between the levels of the Underworld had, on several occasions, brought you to one of these gates with an unsettling depiction of an eye emblazoned on it. Where they led, what you might be fed into if you crossed it, you'd never been able to figure out. None of the other shades seemed to know about it, and if they did encounter a gate, they would shy away from it as if it exuded a terrible omen. But maybe, if you didn't belong anywhere else, this was where you could truly be at ease. 

The last time you'd seen Zagreus was his latest victory against Theseus, and Thanatos was busy upstairs with a fresh onslaught of new arrivals off of the war. Nobody watched or listened when you quietly stuck both feet through the dark, cavernous opening…and the moment it swallowed you up, you had no idea that the peace you felt would be much more akin to a storm than you ever imagined. 

The time you spent with Chaos was somewhat nebulous. Time moved slowly in their realm and it was quiet, but it was nothing even close to peaceful. They didn't seem altogether perturbed by your presence there, but their voices were hard to understand in the ears of a lowly shade, so they would talk on end sometimes without you understanding a word. It could've been ten days you spent there or ten years because it was impossible to tell in the endless dark, but when light eventually broke in Chaos’ realm and a familiar hand reached out to grab you, you were dragged back up into the lands of Elysium like you'd never even left. The cool, crisp air breached the pall of sorrow that you'd been cloaked in for time immeasurable, though there were still judgements you needed to face; namely those of the two godly men you'd neglected to say your goodbyes to.

“Where were you?!” Zagreus demanded as he tightened his grip on your shoulders. He clearly felt that wasn't close enough though, because with one look into your eyes he pulled you in closer and squeezed you against his unbearably warm chest. “Gods’ sakes, woman…”

“Do you delight in worrying me like this?” Gliding towards the happy reunion, Thanatos chimed in with a sour look on his face. “I don't care about where you went, but don't ever go there again without me by your side.” 

The two of them continued to fuss over you with unexpected urgency; but why would they feel the need to in the first place? They had each other, and that was all you figured they would ever need. Why on Olympus would they ever feel lost without you? 

“Look at me,” Zagreus dragged your attention back to him, and thinking nothing of it, he surged forward to catch you in a kiss. Even he seemed shocked by it, but he took it in stride–if anything, it just seemed like he wanted to do it again. “This is…why would you leave me? Just tell me why.”

“I..” Your fingertips brushed your lips in disbelief–did Zagreus really just kiss you? “I…didn't think you wanted me around.” You finally sniffled softly. “Y-You have each other, and–and I'm just a nobody by comparison.”

“Nobody?” Thanatos scoffed. You nodded, but he shook his head in disbelief. “What an idiotic assumption. You need your head examined.” He leaned down, only a cool breath away from your skin. “Or maybe your heart. Perhaps I should take it out of your chest and show it the love it's missed.” 

“Wh-What?” 

As the word slipped out, a soft gasp eased from your lips at the touch of Thanatos’ fingers breaching the ghostly flesh of your chest. You felt them moving from within, deeper, and deeper still, until they closed around something warm and firm that you'd long since forgotten was even there. Within his grasp a gentle thump had you jolting, like there was a flame that suddenly sparked in his palm.

“Don't mess with her, Than.” Zagreus chuckled lightly overhead. “You'll shake something loose.”

“Hush.” With a click of his tongue, he squeezed hard, harder, harder–a distinct pop resonated from deep within you, and something that felt distantly like warm blood started to pulse through your pale veins; you watched it, glowing and gold, spreading like tiny rivers down your arms and your legs.

“Th-Than…Thanatos..” Your mumbling muffled in his palm as he brought it to your mouth, quietly hushing your little cries as the unfamiliar warmth pulsed uncomfortably throughout your body. The essence of life felt unnatural after so many years spent in the comfort of death, but you would get used to it, he was certain. You wouldn't be brought back to life completely–that wasn't a power that anyone truly had, god or mortal–but he could give you a taste of the ichor that would simulate it, at least. Enough for the purposes he had in mind–enough for you to feel. 

“I carried you when you passed, you know.” His nose brushed past your cheek on his way to murmur in your ear, which only intensified the strange feelings of beating, pulsing, throbbing of a body still mostly dead, but sort of alive. “You were so delicate. How you lived past infancy is beyond me.” One of his chilling hands lingered near your thigh, only to raise higher and land on your hip. “You begged me not to take you. And I…I still can't get that vision out of my mind.” 

“Why?” You dared to whisper, only for Thanatos to crack the smallest, most intriguing of smiles, though it sent an unsettling shiver up your spine.

“Because I wanted you for myself.” The answer would've chilled you down to the bone if you still had any. “The Olympians never bothered to notice you. So you appealed to Death himself…and I've been taken with you ever since that day.” 

That was a thought you could hardly stomach. Thanatos had thought of you over everyone else? Just because you begged him not to die, and for him not to take you to the Underworld? It made no sense at all, you couldn't wrap your mind around it, but Thanatos never made jokes and the seriousness in his gaze brought about a tense aura that you had no choice but to wither under. 

“Don't forget me,” Zagreus butted in with as much of a pout as he could muster, both arms wrapped tightly round your middle so his biceps caged you in from both sides. “I was the one who got your attention.” 

“Z-Zag-” 

“Enough.” Thanatos’ authoritative tone blew off any and all further discussion–he grabbed both your arm and Zagreus’ and your surroundings suddenly vanished, soon replaced with the rugs, clutter, and coverings of a bedroom you'd grown readily familiar with by this point. “You're both getting on my nerves. Just shut your mouth and walk.” 

He led you by the hand through the open doorway to the courtyard, but the weapons and ashy ground had morphed into something else entirely in your absence; before you laid a grand, steaming bath like the ones you'd visited in life, though this one boasted the same enchanting view of Tartarus as Zagreus had first showed you so long ago. And in a not-so-delicate fashion, when you turned to Thanatos to speak, he took both hands and shoved you backwards to tumble over the edge, splashing rather unceremoniously into the heated water. Zagreus leapt in after you, seemingly happy as a lamb just to have you back in his presence when he thought you were lost, but upon hitting the surface your skin prickled and the hairs raised for no apparent reason…until you noticed your clothes melting away into thin air, and yelped as you ducked under the water to cover yourself. Unlike you, however, Zagreus didn't seem one bit bothered by his robes doing the same–and Thanatos took his time to undress before he climbed in after you, each clasp and tie of his clothing slipping off elegantly without taking his eyes off both you and the demigod. 

“Hurry up, Than.” He teased, and hovered closer at your side without coming up out of the water. He acted like a crocodile scanning the coast; with his chin barely grazing the surface, he inched closer to your inviting self with startlingly bold intent. Like he wanted to eat you up without skipping a single course. “I'm starved. I'm gonna eat this pretty girl without you, soon.” 

“I'm coming,” He scoffed right back, barely even annoyed with so much expectation weighing down his shoulders. Out of instinctual courtesy you averted your eyes from his nude form as he stepped down into the water, but there was no way you could completely inhibit your curiosity. These two were acting like they really cared, like they really wanted you, and you still couldn't put a finger on why. Maybe there just wasn't any good reason, but you had to at least try to figure it out, surely? 

“Don't cover up.” That cool, gray hand reached for you but he paused, seeking affirmation in the tentative graze of his fingertips over your shoulder. “Show me, go on. Playing coy with us again?” His eyes narrowed into threatening slits, much like a cobra ready to strike. “Don't you dare hold back on me.”

“You're terrifying, Than.” Zagreus broke the tension with a laugh, just to throw himself out of the water and drape his huge, heavy body over your back. “No wonder she's shy.” 

“She knows what I mean.” The glint in his dark eyes sent a shiver up your spine, one that Zagreus could certainly feel when he was pressed up so close. “You left me just like Zagreus did. Without even a word. Without my permission–as the one who gave you your powers, I would expect at least that much.”

“W-Wait, you-?” The god merely nodded in agreement, which left you in stunned silence. 

“The reason you may traverse the realms as you please, why you can go places no shade can enter—did you think that was all a fluke? Mere coincidence?” Thanatos shook his head resolutely. “No. That was my power that I gave to you. I bestowed upon you the greatest gift I could: freedom. Just for you to use it against me.” 

“If you couldn't tell,” Zagreus licked his lips before transferring one of those wet kisses to the tender spot beneath your ear. “Than really enjoys your company, sweetheart. As do I.” 

“So don't leave us again.” The omen himself glared, though with that reasoning in mind, it came off more like a pout. “Ever. Or I will track you down and make you beg for my mercy.” Despite coming off as intimidating in every other aspect, the dark flush across his nose that accompanied those words gave you a sense that the insinuation was there. Neither Thanatos nor Zagreus could ever bring themselves to truly hurt you. It just made you more curious as to how the two of them were reacting beneath the water, because it wasn't all a result of the heat, surely. 

“I..I get it.” You managed to stammer out. “I didn't want to leave in the first place, I..” With a glance between the two of them, they both seemed more than eager to hear your answer. “..I was afraid I would drive a wedge between you. I thought I wasn't wanted, that I wouldn't be missed..”

“That would never happen, my love.” Zagreus hummed lowly, his voice so sweet and endearing your heart wanted to melt.

“Well, I…I really care for you both. I love you.” 

A soft, breathy exhale escaped each of the men like they'd been waiting to hear those simple words for their entire lives. 

“You're so sweet.” Zagreus practically moaned into your ear from his place behind you. The effect of your voice on him wasn't lost on you at all–he could barely contain himself from rubbing up against your behind, much less from caving and leaving a sharp bite on the back of your neck. “...Gods, I wanna put a baby in you so bad.” 

“You what?” Your head whipped around to glance over your shoulder at him, the momentary lapse in his judgement actually bringing a slow chuckle to Thanatos’ lips. 

“We've mulled over it.” He spoke with a murmur, all while letting his eyes roam over your curves that Zagreus was slowly working to pry your arms away from. “In order to make you a permanent resident of the House, we'd need you to bear the spawn of a god. Zagreus is close enough.” The man in question stuck his tongue out at his friend rather childishly for the depth of this particular conversation, and it was too much for you to even keep up with their collaborative thought process. A baby? They wanted to make a family with you just to keep you around? 

“But I-” 

“You seem to forget that I claimed you. Shame, I'll just have to keep reminding you.” Thanatos reached out and gripped your face in his hand. “I can do just about anything to your body that I please. You are my shade. You're special.” 

“Special..?” 

“Very.” Zagreus added with a kiss to your cheek. “You're more like…an angel. My angel.” 

“Whatever you want to call it.” Thanatos breathed in close, barely a hair's breadth from your lips. “I once thought no god nor mortal would ever sway me from my duties. But you put that self-assuredness to shame–you and Zagreus both.” He inched closer to you amidst the ripples of bathwater, needing no clarity through the haze and the greenish hue of the pool to see the effect of your presence on him. A cold, stiff sensation prodded your abdomen under the warm water, and if not for the prince of the Underworld holding you up you would've collapsed to your knees in the face of his overwhelming power. “I'm going to make you suffer beneath me. And when you're at the edge, squirming, praying for mercy from me once more..” A sharp, slicing chill cut through your neck as soon as his lips grazed your tender throat. “..we will be the only gods to answer.” 

With that, Zagreus suddenly dove into the water with a splash, his beefy arms encircling each of your thighs for him to lift you completely off your feet. The wriggling of your limbs and squeaks failed to faze him at all; he hiked each knee over his forearms and braced your back against his chest, and like a gift you were presented with spread legs to the god with as little mercy as the indomitable Hades himself. 

“Cute, eh?” The prince chuckled, his deep voice rumbling against your back with you pressed skin-to-skin. 

“Z-Zag, I'm too-!” Your plea cut off with a swift smack to your inner thigh, which Zagreus took great pride in craning his wrist to squeeze as he held you up like a doll.

“You're not too heavy for me. Don't underestimate my strength, sweetheart–you've never made love to a demigod.” That shit-eating grin would usually have Thanatos rolling his eyes, but right now, he was far more invested in teasing the edges of your sanity with his frigid fingertips. Your soft clit stiffened with barely a touch against it, and he seemed more than content with exploring the superficial curves of your folds until you started to soak his fingers. 

“Look at that.” Mutely, he held up his fingers and spread them to show off how sticky they'd become. As embarrassing as it made you feel to be so exposed and on display, Zagreus couldn't lean over your shoulder and lick Than's hand fast enough to get a well-deserved taste. Slowly, he pumped his digits into the prince's mouth as a conflicted expression crossed his features; poking fun at Zagreus’ enthusiasm was in his nature, but there was nothing he could do to keep from growing aroused by his lover's impassioned intensity. His cock twitched up against his pale stomach, leaving behind a sticky residue of his own, and there was no doubt that the foreplay needed to speed up if either of them had any chance of lasting inside you. 

“This is going to feel odd,” He puffed out hotly and drew his fingers out of Zag's mouth, just to ease them slowly inside so he could give you some preparation for what was to come. “But it won't hurt you. We're going in together.” 

“At the same time, darling.” Zag chimed in, a giddy grin on his lips. “It's only fair. Besides, we're going to compete on who can knock you up first.” 

“It's obviously going to be you.” Thanatos huffed, while the prince smirked in answer. 

“Than hates how…virile I can be.” 

“It's not my fault I don't cum like a fountain. You're going to get messy.” The fact that he even knew as much about Zagreus made your stomach twist in delightful knots; you could only imagine what they got up to when you weren't in the vicinity, but now you'd get to see it for yourself. 

“Mhm. I'm gonna turn this bathwater white by the time I'm done with you.” 

“You're disgusting.” Zagreus’ dick throbbed against your back at his partner's insult, which only painted a clearer picture of how filthy this was really gonna be. 

“And you love me anyways, don't you?” 

“Unfortunately. Now lift her legs.” His husky command drew a shudder out of you that only pleased him more. Thanatos’ gaze fixated on the soft pulses of your entrance while he lined himself up. The closer he came to entering your ghostly visage, the more your body appeared to welcome him in. Desperately. “She's giving me kisses.” He commented numbly, though the sheer innocence of his observation made it even harder not to look away. Zagreus chuckled over it, but he was the first one to groan at the sight of Death parting your folds with ease, each inch of his gray-tipped length making its home inside you while he failed to utter even a gasp. But it moved him, it certainly did, because no man alive could resist the tempting pull of such a gods-gifted woman in heat. 

“Holy shit.” The prince's grip dug deeper into your soft thighs as he watched, otherwise tongue-tied in knowing now how violently you trembled when you were first entered. Who knows how long you'd gone without the touch of a lover? It dredged up a sense of guilt in him to know that he could've been bringing you to your knees all this time, but it had taken gods-knew-how-long to finally admit his feelings for you weren't just platonic. And it somehow gave him a deeper sense of satisfaction to see Thanatos delivering that pleasure to you so readily–one that was mired in his love for friendly competition. 

“C'mon,” Hunched over your body, panting, the deliverer of souls resembled a lustful wretch more than the poised, careful god he had come to be known as. “I'm not waiting up for you to gawk. Unless you want her to be the progenitor of my offspring alone.” 

“Ha! Move over, Than.” The prince's determination renewed, Zagreus hiked your hips up higher on his own with a smirk as he cautiously lowered you down on his impressive godhood. Though as he was known to bite off more than he could chew, his confidence wavered the instant he nudged open your slit already stretched by Thanatos’ girth, and struggled to squeeze himself in to what little space remained with his lover buried so beautifully deep inside. Than had more of a curve than his did too, which only made it harder to carve a path to your womb when his darling Death was just…everywhere. Not to mention so brutally cold in contrast to the decadent heat of your plushy walls. “F-Fuck, I can't-” 

“Do not cum yet, Zagreus.” 

“I-I can't-!” 

You couldn't fault him too hard, because he tried. He really did. Evidently your warmth was just too much for him to handle; against Thanatos’ growled warnings you jolted with Zagreus’ rough, short thrusts, and in seconds he was sinking his teeth into your shoulder with an apology on his lips while decimating your hole with his seed. It just kept pulsing, maddeningly thick and swollen as he humped the equivalent of three straight cumshots deep into your womb. It wouldn't stop coming for what felt like minutes upon minutes, and there you realized why Thanatos was so stern with him from the beginning. Zagreus really couldn't be trusted around your impossibly tight, once-mortal pussy. 

But once the high eventually settled down and he'd reoriented himself–once he could at least see clearly again from that absolutely glorious creampie–your frigid lover kicked him into high gear and demanded he not pull out, even as he started rolling slow, intentional thrusts into your cum-soaked hips. 

“Ah-!” Zagreus squeaked at the uncomfortable coolness and stroking against his too-sensitive cock, but Than's glare over your shoulder was too much to resist. They joined in a heated, wet kiss overhead before the older of the two gripped the prince's shoulders, and all decorum flew straight out the window as he started pounding like this was the last chance he'd get to indulge in you. It very well could be, but that wasn't your concern for now. The more pressing matter was the absolutely diabolical squelching of your walls welcoming Thanatos in all his raw glory, as well as the keening moans and blissful wails of your prince stiffening up again as his best friend effectively fucked him into you. “Shit, Than-!” 

“You're mine,” The growling under his breath made him out to be more of a beast than a god, though the hand that he clasped around your throat to keep you in place definitely put the fear of the gods into you. Not enough to want to stop though, not even close. “Get that through your thick fucking skull. Neither of you are ever leaving me again. I don't care if the Olympians kidnap you or you're fucking revived, I will always find you.” That last part, whispered low into the shell of your ear, drove out the last wisps of self-control that still lingered in your body. In a flash of pure, unrestrained, selfish bliss, you let your legs shake and your hips jump to meet his brutal thrusts–they stretched you open beyond any mortal, and ensured you would never be satisfied without both of them again, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. Zagreus cried out and squeezed you as a second orgasm wrung him out to dry, meanwhile Thanatos wouldn't loosen his grip on your neck until he felt you quiver and tighten around him, and only then did he allow his pleasure to overwhelm his willpower and sink a load so deep you might cough it up. 

In a haze, Zagreus teetered back and collapsed on the shallow steps of the hot spring, the two of them still buried within you to the point that your soft stomach bulged with their imprint. Thanatos ran a possessive hand over the impromptu bump, undoubtedly considering the implications of what they'd just done. On the other hand, you weren't sure Zagreus had any thoughts at all, since his eyes had glazed over and he could barely mumble a string of anything coherent…mostly.

“Don’ waste any,” He grunted, and slipped his hands off your knees to gently grind you down further on his lap. The way he slurred every word, it sounded like nothing but instinct talking. “Get pregnant…get pregnant..” Honestly there was no way, with the amount of cum you could feel bloating your poor womb, that you wouldn't be after this. Thanatos seemed certain too, with that easy smile he finally got to boast as the obsessive parts of him were slowly sated.

“You were meant to be the mother of our children.” He purred with a kiss pressed to your forehead. “A matriarch of future gods. I'm going to fill you up with a pantheon.” 

“Th-Than-!” That squeaky shriek of yours, for the first time since you'd met him, actually drew a laugh out of the stoic incarnation of Death. It actually sounded strangely…pretty. Soft, higher-pitched than you expected, and tinged with a touch of warmth that you wouldn't have expected from a man who was the very picture of frigidity. 

“That's the first time you've called me that.” An otherworldly smile painted itself across his lips, which put a skip in the thudding beat of your heart. There was nothing you wanted more in this moment than to live in it forevermore. And he probably would have let you do so, if not for the cheeky hands creeping up from your hips to gently fondle your heaving chest. Zagreus pulled you back to lean against him, unintentionally causing you to wince at their half-hard cocks shifting around inside you with the movement, but feeling Thanatos follow in stride and lay himself on top of you to complete the cuddle pile quickly soothed any discomfort.

“Looks like I've got my pillows sorted out for tonight.” Despite his incessant fondling, Zagreus’ carefree spirit drew a bout of unexpected laughter out of you, only smothered by kisses from both sides as they each took their chance to comfort you.  

“We're going to have to clean this up first, you know.” Thanatos sighed, though his unexpected clinginess erased any hint of doubt or annoyance you might've sensed. He didn't need to smile outright for you to know he was happy. 

“Later,” He slipped an arm round both of you to press down on the small of Than's back, just further sinking you in to the warm water and the gentle lull of bubbles popping from the heat. “I still have another round in me. Just need a little rest first..” 

“Oh, of course you do.” Thanatos clicked his tongue. “Don't break her.” 

“No worries, mate.” His heterochromatic eyes shifted to you with a gleam that couldn't be mistaken for anything but playful teasing. “I'd never break my gorgeous girl. Thanatos will take all the rough stuff in your stead, my love.” 

“As if.” 

“Wanna bet?” He grinned. The banter between them slowly lulled you into closing your eyes; your body was cushioned and safe, it was warm, and their voices were both so soothing it drew you closer to sleep. It was a moment where you realized just how much you had missed them when you left, and how empty you really were when they were no longer in your life. When Zagreus poured warm water from his cupped hands over your back, and Thanatos rubbed it while asking if you wanted to get out of the spa, knowing the heat might make you dizzy–that was the moment you knew, without any shadow of a doubt, that the place between the two of them was exactly where you belonged. 

[fat-oc-battle]

MATCH THREE, QUARTERFINALS

bunny (he/it) character & art by @5eyed

bunny isnt so much a person as hes an entity. he manifests primarily around people in an altered state of consciousness - be it mania, derealization, psychosis, substance use, etc. it generally just hangs out and chills with whoever it manifests around, and while its mood, intentions and personality remain unreadable, it appears generally benevolent and of a fairly passive demeanor unless approached. some find its presence calming or reassuring. bunny can often be found sitting contemplatively and staring off into the distance. it cant speak, but it can make some mouth noises (grunting, sighing, huffing, etc are its main modes of communication). people he regularly manifests around may become friendly with him, in which case he will become virulently defensive of them. little is known about the rabbit typically hovering at the other end of its gas mask.

bunny's toyhou.se (eyestrain warning)

VS.

dianthus of oenoe (she/they, hades) character by @kuruna, art by prinouisse

Dianthus of Oenoe is a half-nymph employed at a library within the Elysian Fields. She's also the vice president of Theseus and Asterius' fanclub (and their wife 💞). Her hobbies include gardening, reading, organizing her home, and writing gay fanfiction about heroes before the time of Mycenaean Greece.

Dianthus is a very sweet girl, but she's also a little bit arrogant and struggles with insecurity at times. She and Theseus initially met when he was a young prince, and she aided him in slaying the Bull of Marathon. Due to circumstances outside of either of their control, the two did not meet again until the Afterlife. Later, she again provided her aid, this time in ushering the Minotaur Asterius into the Elysian Fields. They had a little bit of a weird dynamic for awhile, but everything worked out in the end!

dianthus' toyhou.se

[ifartconfetti]

What Ive done in my current hades run

get mom home

max out almost all the hearts for everyone, including the olympian gods

get nyx and chaos to talk again

get orpheus and eurydice to talk again

romance meg and than + bff forever with dusa

get the secret aspects of most of the weapons

get sisyphus to chill without punishment

get through the theseus and asterius divorce arc

run out of new dialogues for lernie

beat hades in his max heat phase multiple times

and yet i still havent managed to get achilles and patroclus back together

[darthkvznblogs]

Sir, if you don't mind, could you please answer a few questions: 1) What are the differences between the Greek tinanes and those from the boiling islands. 2) How do the demigods see Zagreues from Hades and how did Percy Jackson get along and how do they get along? 3) Asterion from Hades met Percy Jackson and if he did, how do they get along? 4) How did Nico and Hazel get along with Zagreus? 5) How powerful was he? bill chiper from gravity falls has comparison with the gods, the diamonds and the celestials 6) there is some entity higher than the celestials such as the living court or entity

I don't mind, but please don't send me repeated questions! Feel free to use this format with multiple questions or ask them individually, but don't ask them twice (or more), it just clogs up my inbox xD

Sometimes I answer asks as soon as I get them (typically simple answers and a slow work day lol), but I usually take at least a day or two to get to most questions (and sometimes a lot more, sorry to the peeps at the bottom of my inbox, I'll get to them eventually, I promise!)

Anyway...

1 - They're completely unrelated, aside from being divine creatures of incredible power (though BI Titans have to grow into, haha). I guess you could say the Titans are actually immortal and bound to Earth like the Olympian and many other deities, whereas the BI Titans didn't really have those limitations (and in fact, dimensional travel is literally in their blood)

2 - Zagreus is a pretty obscure deity, even for demigods. Their instruction generally focuses more on keeping them alive, teaching them how to fight, defend themselves, and wield their divine power - learning about mythical figures beyond the most relevant ones is something only a few demigods care to do (like Annabeth, for example). Zag has no demigod children, and he literally can't leave the Underworld aside from very specific circumstances, so any non-Hades demigods who've met him did so after death (and have probably fought him as part of his jaunts through Elysium). Sorry to say, but Percy has never met him (nor do I think he knows about him at all haha)

3 - He also has not met Asterius. I figure if he did, he'd immediately assume it's the monster that "killed" his mom back when he was first introduced to his Greek heritage, and Asterius wouldn't care to dissuade him from a fight. I'm sure Percy would chill out (somewhat) once he figures out the difference, but I doubt he'd make much of an effort to get along with him.

4 - It's kind of awkward. Zag may be almost nothing like Hades (aside from brief flashes of temper in battle and rather lacking social skills when things get serious), so he's a lot more agreeable, but they also have very little in common with him. Hazel doesn't relish the fight or exude the same confidence as he does, Nico lacks the optimistic outlook and easygoing personality, and even though Zag understands it's not their fault, he's not exactly cool with Hades having demigod kids. They've gotten along decently well, the few times they've met, but you can tell there's some tension there.

5 - I would put Bill Cipher quite a ways above a god in terms of raw power, sure, but he does have a very glaring Achilles' heel, which was obviously exploited by the elder Pines twins and ultimately killed him.

6 - Again, I hasten to point out that Kverse!Celestials don't work the same way as Marvel!Celestials. A Celestial is the ultimate life form in the entire setting - it is naturally omnipotent, omniscient, absolutely impossible to kill or even harm. They may choose to take any form, and exert their power in any way they choose - and often choose to limit themselves in some way to make their unending, beginningless existences a bit more interesting, but they can easily unburden themselves if they so choose. There is no entity above them - anything that might look that way is just a Celestial that's taken another form, and that the other Celestials allow to act in that way for whatever reason.

[randoimago]

Hades for ask game

So freaking excited for Hades 2, ngl

Ask Game Here

3 male characters I love: Zagreus, Dionysus (those freaking thighs oof), Achilles

3 female characters I love: Artemis (I literally simp for her in the game. She gets all my nectar and I get nothing 🥰), Persephone (mommy sorry mommy sorry mommy--), Nyx (same thing as Persephone ngl)

3 romantic ships I love: Orpheus/Eurydice (the amount of nectar and time and love I spent to get them to sing together), Achilles/Patroclus (the amount of nectar and time and love I spent-), Zagreus/Thanatos/Meg (Hades 2 better have a poly as well is all I'm saying)

3 platonic dynamics I love: Zagreus/Minotaur (I really do love the convos and the mutual respect they have even with Theseus's bitch ass there), Skelly/Zagreus (the fact that it's the same voice actor still kills me every time, kind of like how I kill Skelly--),

3 favorite moments in canon:

Being tricked into thinking I had to fight Cerberus and feeling my heart break only for me to let out the biggest sigh (and then deal with the most annoying enemies in the game. They've killed me more then freaking Hades has)

First time hearing Orpheus sing and it's the same song Eurydice sang. The chills I got from his version and how unbelievably sad it sounded. I made a 3 part fic just because of this damn song and the different versions.

The record scratching and music completely stopping after stealing from Charon's shop. I just saw it and didn't even think about it. I barely saw that it said "Steal?" before I had already clicked it. It was just so fucking funny and I definitely let out an "Oh shit" and died to him the first time cause I was not ready.

3 favorite headcanons:

This is another series that I've done so many romantic headcanons for (and I ended up being swamped in requests too, fully expect that for Hades 2 as well)

Hypnos sharing his autograph book with Thanatos. He's just so proud and happy and saying things like, "Well, I got the Asterius's autograph" and Thanatos staying quiet even though he's definitely met Theseus and Asterius several times.

Persephone getting Hades and Zagreus a "Get Along" shirt. No way in hells would they wear it, but it would be such a funny thing for her to do and then she'd explain about the memes of the mortal world (which I can only imagine the memes of ancient greece)

Zagreus trying to teach Thanatos and Meg how to fish. Thanatos actually does a good job, but Meg gets frustrated a bit and scares off the fish (they all cheer when she does eventually catch one).

3 least favorite things about it:

Zeus is in it 😔 (yes I understand that Zeus would be in the game based on greek mythology, but anyone that's into greek mythology or knows a bit about it knows that Zeus is the literal worse).

Apollo isn't in it (I love sun daddy so much. I know he's going to be in Hades 2, but I really would've loved the interactions with Zagreus and choosing one sibling over the other. I just hope Hades 2 Apollo isn't like Lore Olympus Apollo)

I wish there was some more variations with the cast. Like I know there's different dps effects or you get more based on certain things, but I wish that it could have some aesthetic changes depending on which deity you have a boon from.

[singofus-a]

@intothewildsea asked: “I’m sorry, I’m just—I’m just really tired.” (for asterius)

HURT / COMFORT : STARTERS| Accepting

"Then rest, stay in bed. Do not tire yourself unnecessarily. I can fetch what is needed." He insists to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder as he guides her to lay down again. In the next moment he got out of the bed and tucked the covers around her to keep the chill out. "Go back to sleep, love. I will tend to the garden and to food."

And so he would, getting on his day clothes and boots, he would sleepily head out to the garden to do what errands needed to be done. He would clean his boots of mud outside and take them off before re-entering, hoping to discover her asleep by the time he returned. Breakfast could wait until she was truly awake and rested.

[audaciiae]

@eirigh

The chill of the underworld isn't something Ikaros ever gets used to. Being dragged down here every seven years just for the Fates to tell him that he'll continue to be immortal really is some kind of sick joke. It gives a taste of what he could have, of something just out of his reach. Death here might be awful to some, but to him? There's nothing he wants more.

It'll be a while yet before they call for him. Such is his plight. At least being technically alive gives him the freedom to wander around. It's only then that he comes upon an old friend--or, well, at least he'd like to consider them friends to an extent. The shared misery that came with being stuck in the Labyrinth is something that brings people together, regardless.

"Asterius! Hi," he breathes out, pleased to see him. Ikaros moves to sit down, pulling his cloak tighter around himself. "It's been a while, huh?"

[kaggeorgia]

Tears of Fears

Darkness...

Cold...

That's everything that surrounded the young demigod. He felt his heart pounding, his head was turning to look around with a frightened expression constantly. He wasn't in the safety of Olympus anymore, he knew that much. He was...

Well he didn't know where he was. Voices were reaching his ears from all around, screams of pain and pleas of despair. He could feel a chill running down his spine. He took a step forward, not knowing though where he was headed. Perhaps all he seeked was some kind of exit from what he could only describe as a hellhole.

No matter how much he walked though, the road was leading nowhere as if this abyss was going on and on for the rest of eternity. His breathing became laboured, his heart was beginning faster, his eyes darting around anxiously. Far away he could distinguishe a form of a man but he couldn't see his face. Only thing he knew was the power emitting from this figure. He could sense it seeping in his bones. A regal authority and it felt almost family.

He knew this man... From where though?

You shouldn't have come here, Asterius. You'll regret your foolishness

Those cruel words was the last thing he heard before his surroundings started to collapse around him and change

★------------------------------------------★

A tall man knocked once on Asterius's bedchambers before entering. He looked like a young man who had reached just now adulthood but the way his eyes fell on Asterius betrayed a wisdom that a young one couldn't possibly have. A pretty crown adorned with golden leaves of Daphne betrayed who he was, Apollo, the God of the sun, music and healing. He quickly approached the younger -much younger than him- demigod.

Asterius was curled up on his bed with his knees tucked against his chest which was rising and falling rapidly as he was gasping through soft sobs. His hand covered his mouth in a desperate attempt not to disrupt the silence and peace of the night.

Apollo's cheerful expression quickly dropped and was replaced by a look of worry, anxiousness and love for Asterius. Apollo had never seen his half brother for what others saw in him, a bastard and a thorn amongst the other Olympians. Rather he always took his side and protected him whenever he could. The mattress dipped beneath them as he sat down and quietly placed a comforting hand on Asterius's back.

The boy was definitely surprised by the way he quickly looked up. He realised his own crying was so loud in his head that he hadn't even noticed when Apollo sat besides him. That touch felt so comforting, like it was giving him oxygen to breathe again. His sobs calmed down a bit and he leaned his head against the God's strong shoulder. He couldn't only let out out incoherent mumbling between tears about things that didn't make sense to Apollo

"It's ok, Asterius. It's all over now"

Whumpee who has nightmares they wake up from completly silent from

They'd curl up into a small ball and cry

Caretaker would find this out eventually and whumpee would panic, that is until caretaker would pull them into a hug

[fangirlingpuggle]

A dumb Thesterius fic prompt/idea where Hades doesn’t actually agree to let Asterius into Elysium.

However, Theseus just decides... fuck it no.

Theseus: Asterius you are coming to Elysium that man does not know what he’s talking about.

Asterius: My king...he is the god of death

Theseus: And he is wrong.

Hades finds out and sends Asterius back... so Theseus just breaks him out again...and again...and again.

Everyone ships it so are more than happy to just let them go, the furies will just find Asterius in Erebus chill and have tea with him til Theseus and Charon show up to pick him up.

Hades is just fucking done at this point at some point he stops sending Asterius back... it’s never put in writing but everyone knows even if he did send him back he’d be there like an hour tops.

[junietuesday]

who are thseterius and bareleifdrjas?

anon you have zero idea what youve just unleashed. (this little parenthetical was writtten after everything else in this post but this is focusing on thesterius bc it just got SO LONG. barreleifdrias will have to wait </3)

ok so. hades video game 2018. you play as a dude named zagreus fighting to escape the ancient greek underworld but the point is that when you get to elysium, the two guys blocking your exit are theseus, the theseus of minotaur and ship and labors fame, only hes an annoying pro wrestling vibes egotistical blond (/derogatory /JOKE) dude, and the minotaur, the cannibalistic half man half bull monster in the labyrinth, only hes a chill honorable (hot) dude named asterius. and theyre best bros!!!! despite their meeting and the myth theyre most famous for being theseus killing the minotaur, asterius and theseus are now super best friends. theyre so unlikely but the respect for each other is clearly so deep. reason one why theyre compelling.

here they are btw. (via hades wiki)

and its like, theseus is so annoying that general fandom opinion is that hes the worst character in hades, in a “you love to hate him” playful way sometimes, or real hatred depending on which circles of the hades fandom you trawl, but hes Written to be disliked. even tho hes the hero of the original story, a hero among the ranks of like, heracles and that ilk. and meanwhile, everyone loves asterius bc hes such a bro, hes so chill and respectful and honorable, so many people think hes hot, people are like “dump theseus you could do so much better”, hes such a fan fave. even tho hes the monster of the original story, the villain!!! that role reversal is so so compelling!!!!!! hades didnt even change anything abt their backstories on paper but their personalities are what makes it a sort of roleswap. like theseus’ only redeeming quality is that he loves asterius so much, and asterius’ only real flaw is that hes so dedicated to theseus lmao

(all these dialogue images via @/hadesgamedialogue here on tumblr)

and its especially cool in hades bc its like, asterius, the minotaur, the one that everyone in the hades fandom loves way more, is an actual person. the minotaur is half man of course. theres so much thats added to the story of theseus and the minotaur overall by making asterius a person. but so very few stories take advantage of it. hades game first opened my eyes to the potential of asterius being an awesome character and i love it so much for it.

and THEN through menu stuff you eventually find out how the minotaur got such a high standing in elysium despite being a monster, fighting side by side w his killer-turned-bestie, adored by a crowd of cheering fans that watches your every fight, and especially constantly talked up by theseus himself. and as it turns out!!!!! after asterius died, he actually ended up in erebus. no surprise there, why shouldnt a half-animal monster end up in tartarus 2 electric boogaloo. but then when theseus died, he thought of asterius, and decided that since "their fame and glory were intertwined" (according to the in-game codex), if theseus deserved elysium for being part of the legendary theseus and the minotaur myth, surely asterius did too.

can you fucking imagine??? youre famous for killing a monster, you had an epic one-on-one fight to the death, but then when you get eternal paradise for it can you imagine thinking "hey what happened to the monster. hey what if he was a person. hey what if he was a person i could have join me in literal ancient greek heaven." and the codex says theseus almost certainly risked his own spot in elysium for it — the guy writing the codex would know, he tried to get his own boyfriend into elysium but ended up having to stay in hell in his boyfriend's place. but no theseus literally just got asterius into elysium, kept his own place there, and now theyre basically gladiator celebrities living(ish) their best lives(ish). THE SHEER ROMANTICISM OF IT.

like i was saying before asterius has always been a monster, but now the man who killed him is also the man who first saw him as a person...... a person worthy of paradise, a person worth saving, a person who gave him a glorious fight for the ages, a person. circling back around the roleswap thing, like a comment on one thesterius fic i read puts it, the player hates theseus bc of his in-game annoyingness, but learns to see him as a person through asterius' eyes, through asterius' high esteem of theseus and theseus' decent treatment of asterius. and at the same time, asterius has always been seen as a beast, but it was only through theseus' eyes and esteem and asterius was able to see himself as anything more.

AND THATS NOT EVEN ALL. this is all the backstory stuff, everything that takes place off-screen before the player even shows up. but zagreus (the player character) shows up and hes a polite guy so hes very nice to asterius bc asterius has been nothing but nice to him, even if they do have to fight often (bc asterius is both a miniboss on his own and the regional boss alongside theseus), its more like friendly and respectful sport than anything by the time they get to know each other. but theseus is constantly insulting zagreus bc of his own skewed sense of honor and dedication to the gods bc of theseus' own willful misunderstanding abt who zagreus is. that isnt super important but the point is, when theseus sees asterius, his bestie, being friends w zagreus, the guy he despises, guess what happens.

thats right. the "asterius is cheating on me 😭😭😭😭" arc. bc theseus is so sad and pathetic that he cant conceive of his bestie having any other friends. asterius Must be abandoning him to marry some other guy who is just so much nicer and cooler than him. and so theseus has a temper tantrum abt it. im bullying theseus rn bc hes a loser but also i dont like how relatable his feelings are during this arc.

if theseus sees asterius as a person worthy of love, then its also the same vice versa: asterius is the first person to see theseus as a real person Also Worth Love. hes not a monster, in fact hes a hero. he should be adored by all. and he does have his supporters in the arena! but do they like the real him? hes deeply annoying. he talks too much. hes desperately clingy to what friends he does have bc he just has so few of them. all of his relationships have ended Awfully, and it was his own fault for reacting so strongly and passionately to the things around him.

he and zagreus are actually kinda similar: theyre endlessly kind to people they deem worthy of it but also scathing to people they hate, theyre both accomplished warriors, theyre extremely stubborn (zag keeps trying to escape the underworld no matter how many times it takes, and theseus keeps meeting him and trying to stop him every time no matter how many times he loses), etc etc. but unlike theseus, zagreus is so charming and friendly. theseus tries so hard to be charismatic, but everyone flocks to be friends w zagreus after like a single conversation, and theseus only has asterius. so its very easy for this deeply insecure guy — no matter how he tries to cover it up by a massive ego and a constant barrage of insults toward zagreus — to believe that asterius might see zagreus as a way better version of him, and break up w theseus and go date zagreus instead. and zagreus does nothing to discourage this notion lmao. (honestly most hades players wouldnt have done anything to discourage this lmao. ive seen so many memes, such as this post, abt wanting asterius to just divorce theseus and "get himself a better man" and date zagreus already.)

and honestly its like, as zagreus himself says in a different dialogue, theseus took asterius up to elysium yes, but like, theseus also killed asterius in the first place, so they should be even. but its not just abt that for asterius. its abt how during their fight in the labyrinth, asterius got to at least experience once during his life what it meant to meet someone as an equal. its abt how theseus was the first person who saw him as a real person, not a mindless bloodthirsty beast. its abt how theseus took asterius to elysium, yes, giving asterius the chance to spread his wings and figure himself out and truly live, in a way he never would have been able to in erebus. its how theseus gave asterius the chance to experience friendship and love. so asterius, of course, doesnt gay divorce. he says this.

“he doesnt even understand it” and its literally so true. zag doesnt understand any of the things abt theseus and asterius being the only people to really understand each other and stay, despite everything repulsive abt the other, and be friends. i would bet the average player doesnt understand it either (see all the common hades fandom opinion “asterius dump theseus already”). but asterius understands it. he reminds theseus of this shared understanding. no matter what, no matter everything that should have come between them long ago, no matter anything that theseus fears might come between them now, asterius and theseus are a pair. its always theseus and the minotaur, their names together have gone down in legend. their theme song in hades is even called the king and the bull!!! bc theyre a matched set, theyre hero and villain, theyre inseparable, theyre gay.

also since theyre really just the regional bosses of zone 3 of hades (almost all of the contents of this essay are entirely missable), they get a cool new best friend battle move called the “counterstrike”, where asterius charges into theseus’ shield to create a shockwave, after they reconcile. to go along with their previously established bestie attack “bullhorn”, in which asterius picks theseus up and literally throws him at zagreus. theseus is such a dork he literally shouts “counterstrike!” and “bullhorn!” when they perform those moves like this is some kind of anime. gay wrath moments <3

tl;dr: thesterius is the ultimate ship of all time. thankyou

[the-actor-himself]

Mark is Asterius' first victim, so it stands to reason that it's not the best attempt. The Minotaur sneaks up on his sunlight in the garden, grinning widely.

A colorful balloon full of water sails past the Actor's head, followed by a curse in a long dead language. A second one hits him in the shoulder and bursts, wetting him, and Asterius whoops in delight.

Mark is waiting for him out in the sunshine, looking off into another part of the garden and lost in thought.

His head tips back to watch a balloon go streaming by to splash harmlessly against the grass. He starts to turn, to chase the sound of ancient swearing, only to get smacked with a second, better-aimed balloon. His back and some of his front immediately become soaked with water, and he gasps from the chill of it as well as the impact.

“ Who gave you those? ” he asks, but it’s hard to be annoyed when Asterius looks so very pleased.

[asterius-of-crete]

It’s the moment Yancy is knocked unconscious that the Actor sits bolt upright from where he’d been dozing at his desk. His sleep had been restless the last couple of nights, even with those most beloved to him near in the dark.

He tosses himself out of his chair and there upon the shelf he spots one of the many colorful universes, spiraling gently within their baubles, is pulsing, it’s light fluttering and it’s rotation disrupted.

“ Fuck— ” He didn’t have to look that closely to know whose it was. He didn’t need to feel the tug of the threads from his heart to that story to know which of his creations was now in trouble.

He’s already calling out to Asterius as he descends the stairs and heads out the back door. “ Asterius. Yancy’s in trouble. ”

The manor gives him chills. He never feels like he's alone anymore, which would be a good thing, if not for the fact that even when he's physically alone, he feels watched. He bears it for his beloveds, but Asterius still spends much of his time in the garden, aided by the fact that he does not need nearly as much sleep as they do.

He's trying to figure out how to stop tracking dirt inside when Mark's voice reaches his ears. And he does not like what he hears.

"What's happened?" He asks, trying to stifle the worry in his stomach, as he meets the Actor at the door. Yancy had only been gone for less than a day. Asterius is never letting him out of his sight again. He needs to be calm; if he were to lose his temper, his sunrise would not be able to reign him in.

[agrumina]

Some more Aeneid AU :) I admit these days I don’t have much energy to write so have some unorganized ideas

tl;dr: Asterius and Theseus are more sad a bit different than they are in game, Zagreus expands his collection of “People to reconcile”.

Theseus insults Zagreus less since they’re not enemies here. But if Zagreus makes him angry a “Deamon” or “Monster” gets thrown. He’s still very loud and overdramatic.

Pirithous is a forbidden topic. Theseus has very conflicting feelings and the majority of them are negative. Just don't mention him.

No “Bouldy” affair there. Theseus hates the chair, hates the snakes and is costantly salty.

Asterius is less chill and is more “minotaury” than he is in game, but he learned to “calm down” a bit (after all in Erebus he’s not hungry and hurt anymore) and considers Zagreus an okay person to talk to if not the only one.

Since Theseus’ arms are blocked, he has to be helped for basic things. It’s a bit awkard when Zagreus gifts him nectar or ambrosia because the prince has help him drink it.

Zagreus learns to NOT ASK about the maze fight unless he wants to stay STUCK for HOURS to listen to the tale. Both in Theseus and Asterius’ case.

The idea of freeing Theseus is… from Asterius (Zagreus actually considered it but Asterius just “pushed it” more). He doesn’t even expect the Athenian to join him, he just thinks it’s cruel his rival is stuck in darkness and pain like he once was, no matter the sins the Athenian committed. Useless to say both Zagreus and Theseus reaction is “WHAT????”.

Asterius is even more surprised when he finds out Theseus actually remembers him as one (if not THE) greatest rival he ever fought and he even wants to meet him again. He just thought that, for him, he was just a monster to slay.

At first Theseus insists to not be freed but asks to find a way for Asterius to visit him. To Zagreus he tells him he just “Respects the Gods’ will” and that “He got used to this afterlife”. The truth? In part Theseus doesn’t think he deserves freedom… but also the last time he actually got up it ended really badly, to put it in a way Zagreus won’t laugh at him lightly.

Not sure if Zagreus finds out exactly why Theseus is stuck there or, like with Sisyphus in the original game, he just has vague informations (“Ah ah you made father mad what a madlad!” “Ah ah ah yeah!! Don’t ask HOW :D”)

In the end Theseus gets freed. At first he thinks Zagreus just found a way to make the snakes and the Furies go away (and Theseus is like “YESS I can move my arms!! *flexes*”) but then Zag is like “You can actually get up :)”. After much hesitation because he doesn’t want to get his ass ripped again because there’s still a part of him that thinks he doesn’t deserve it because what if the prince is pranking him he gets up. The minute Zagreus leaves the chamber Theseus, as fast as someone who sat still for years can, goes to Erebus. 

Asterius sees a man suddenly appearing in Erebus, holding himself on the wall (turns out that, even if he’s long dead and a shade, he still have to get used to walk again) and shouting about “Finally meeting him again” and asking him if he wants a rematch

Theseus and Asterius end up becoming friends, something they started while using Zagreus a messanger between them. They’re not as close as they are in the original game, but they’re working on it. 

Theseus insists that one day he'll find a way to get them both to Elysium. 

Theseus sometimes comes back to his former “prison cell” to talk to Zag just because “I know you can’t escape without a bit of help no it’s not because I have some sort of respect or GASP affection towards you”. 

[ao3feed-mythology]

Lips Like Wine and Daydreams

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/30Sw0fr

by Astr

Zagreus meets Ariadne, the wife of Dionysus and former lover of Theseus (and sister to Asterius the Minotaur). He decides some more reunions are in order.

Words: 434, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Hades (Video Game 2018), Ancient Greek Religion & Lore

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Dionysus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Ariadne (Hades Video Game), Theseus (Hades Video Game), Asterius | The Minotaur (Hades Video Game)

Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Dionysus/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus (Hades Video Game), Ariadne/Dionysus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Dionysus/Zagreus/Thanatos (Hades Video Game)

Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, crack ship?, There's a lot of fluff but also a lot of serious stuff, there's a fight in the arena, Theseus has luckily chilled out a little after a century of self-reflection, mild mutual pining

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/30Sw0fr

[thegirlwiththedorkydad]

War of Hearts - Pt. 8

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7

 Summary:  When the Pevensies are recalled to Narnia, nothing is as they expected it to be, particularly the mysterious girl that has become Caspian’s left hand. Her mysterious arrival and strange tendencies confuse the siblings, and the interactions between the strange girl and Edmund give them even more reason to be curious. Together, can they help give the Narnians back their kingdom?

I just realized that I never updated this on Tumblr, so i have this chapter and I think 1 or 2 more fully completed. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Embry Black

There’s always that one moment in life when you realize the enormity of a situation that you put yourself in, the moment when your heart starts to pound a little harder, your mind starts racing a little faster, and you reach that understanding of just how important something is. It’s the moment when you conclude that you might not be the same afterward, or in Embry Black’s case, you might not be alive.

           The odds of the night raid’s success were slim to none, and although none wished to acknowledge the fact that their chances for survival were dwindling with each step they took toward the Telmarine castle, the thought was stuck in the front of their minds. As each movement brought the Narnian forces closer to the stoic stone walls, Embry’s heart grew heavier, her resolve stronger, and her anger fiercer. From astride her horse, the dark haired girl removed her hand from its tense grip on the hilt of one of the knives at her side and reached up, rubbing at her eyes. Why had she decided to smear charcoal on her face again? The only purpose it was serving at the moment was to irritate her, the ashy substance rubbing off on her fingers and making the girl glare at her hand before wiping it on her jeans.

           The cloudless sky gave way to a field of stars, each varying in their brightness and each with a history that remained a secret to all those who viewed it. The temperature had dropped as night had fallen, the wind nipping bitterly at the army of creatures as they trudged on with determination. The Narnian army spoke little, the occasional murmuring, muttering and whispering as well as their footfalls being the only breaks in the stifling silence. They walked in complete darkness; torches would alert the enemy, and the element of surprise was crucial to the plan. The damp forest air clouded the dark haired girl’s senses and her eyes strained to see more than 5 feet in front of her, their path illuminated only by the light of the moon – something that seemed far too cliché for the young girl. The conditions around them – an army willing to fight for their home, a perfect night, the element of surprise against a terrible enemy, and seemingly fearless leaders – gave the girl an impression of surrealism. It all seemed like a scene from a movie or a book, too perfect to possibly be reality. At least it was perfect at the moment.

           Pulling the sleeves of her tunic a bit farther over her wrists, clutching the hems in her palms as a chill ran down her spine, Embry rolled her neck and shoulders in an attempt to eliminate the tension that had built up. Biting her lip, she glanced over at the centaur that was walking next to her. Glenstorm had been assigned the role of one of the lead generals of the Narnian force for the raid, along with Asterius. Reepicheep and Trumpkin were presumably already within the walls of the Telmarine castle and were beginning the first steps of their infiltration plan. On her other side, Rainstone, whom had been named second in command by his father, walked in silence, his face stoic and his posture straight. With a glance at the two centaurs beside her, Embry inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she did so, and letting out a slightly audible exhale.

           “What if I can’t do it?” She asked softly, half to herself, her voice barely rising above a whisper. Rainstone looked at the young girl beside him, the two being almost level with each other from her position atop of Brego, masking his own anxiety with a look of seriousness. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, she was not even from this world yet was going to war to save it.  Prompted by the centaurs’ lack of a response, Embry continued, “Take a life?” Her eyes never moving from their gaze, locked onto the castle that was growing closer with every passing movement. There was silence for a moment following her words, the Narnian army falling silent and craning their necks forward to catch any response that might be given.

           “Then they take yours,” Glenstorm replied, sparing the dark haired girl a brief glance, barely taking his eyes off of the castle in front of them, his voice hardly wavering from its deep, grave, and monotonous tone. Embry bit her lip harder, tasting the salty tang of blood on her lips resulting from her actions, her fists unconsciously clenching tighter onto her sleeves. Any hope that the girl had for an inspiring pep talk was wiped away by those four words, her mind balking at the thought of killing.

           The Narnians slowly came to a halt at the edge of the forest, the dark trees fading into grass, the Telmarine castle looming before them, and the waiting game began. All eyes scanned the towers, searching and waiting for Edmund’s signal. Within moments, the signal is given, several clear flashes from the flashlight Ed had brought with him to Narnia. Glenstorm and Asterius looked at each other before Glenstorm raised his sword in front of him, indicating for the army to move to its next position at the entrance to the drawbridge. Embry leaned down across Brego’s neck, the bay stallion pawing anxiously at the dirt. The dark haired girl smiled slightly, people did always say that animals could sense their owner’s emotions or when a storm was coming. Whether her horse was sensing her anxiety and fear or the fact that a storm was indeed coming in the form of a battle, Embry patted his neck reassuringly.

           “Shhh,” She murmured in his ear, the horse slowly steadying his gait as the pair began to move forward, “It’s okay.” Embry said, reassuring herself just as much as her horse. Looking around her at the gathered Narnians, she felt a tug at her heart as she realized that many of those around her would not be returning home.  You might not either. She told herself, the morbid thought lodging itself deep in her mind. Shaking her head, Embry urged Brego forward as she caught back up to Glenstorm, Asterius, and Nikabrik – the latter sending her a nasty look of disapproval, the black haired dwarf had never liked her very much.

           Upon reaching the stone fortress, Embry slipped off of Brego’s back, rubbing his nose affectionately. “This is as far as you go my friend,” She whispered to him, unstrapping his bridle and sliding it into the saddle bag to keep him from getting tangled on the way back to the How. She looked at her horse, a sad smile gracing her face, “now go home and I’ll see you when this is over.” She told him using her body weight to push him back toward the woods, shoving him with her shoulder. The bay stallion went a few steps before looking back at his friend over his shoulder. “Go!” Embry hissed at him, motioning for her horse to leave with her hands. Sparing one final glance at the dark haired girl, Brego galloped into the woods back towards the How, Embry watching him disappear into the woods before turning and moving to resume her place at the front of the line.

           The girl nervously tightened the straps of her quiver, the leather straps crossing between her breasts in the center of her chest. Rainstone glanced down at the girl as he came up beside her, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. Embry smiled at him in thanks, dropping her hands to her side, her left finding itself grasping onto one of the knives on her belt, and her right arm wrapping itself around her midsection.

           Quietly, the Narnians slunk through the corridors as they advanced on the Telmarine stronghold, each step leading them to the point of no return. Slowly, Embry reached behind her head, drawing her two daggers from their place on her back. Each knife was about the length of her forearm from the tip of the blade to the base of the hilt. The moonlight caught on the clean blades, having never been used outside of training the blades, and their wielder, clearly showed their lack of experience. Gripping the leather hilts tightly in her hands, Embry twirled them each in an effort to comfort herself, although the idea that daggers could provide her comfort was rather troubling. Up ahead, a movement caught the girl’s eye, her focus narrowing on a Telmarine guard pacing throughout the corridor.

           The dark haired girl soundlessly moved next to Asterius, gaining the older Minotaur’s attention with a tap on the arm, and gesturing to the Telmarine with a jerk of her head. The Minotaur looked at the soldier and then back down at the girl beside him, nodding almost imperceptibly. Embry adjusted her grip on the daggers in her hand as she made a wide arc around the guard, ducking through an archway to get on the other side of the wall behind him. She pressed herself against the stone, careful to keep her blades from scraping against the wall and making a sound, and edged her way to the large arch that went across the main pathway. Peering her head around the corner, Embry watched as the Telmarine caught sight of Asterius, a look of shock and fear taking over his features. The girl had to bite back a chuckle when the Minotaur raised one leather-clad finger to his lips,

           “Shhh,” she barely heard him whisper. Taking that as her cue, Embry rounded the corner and swung the hilts of her blades with as much force as she could muster against the Telmarine’s head, effectively knocking him out. She smirked at Asterius who nodded his head in approval. Glenstorm came up beside her and the army of Narnians continued toward the bridge. Waiting a distance away so as to remain out of sight, they waited in tense silence.

           Embry’s head jerked up, looking around at the loud clang of bells, her eyes stopping on the flashlight’s beam being waved frantically through the air. Nikabrik looked up at Glenstorm and the girl beside him, a look of distaste on his face,

           “What’s that supposed to mean?” The dwarf scoffed and Embry shrugged. Glenstorm looked at the dark haired girl again, her uncharacteristic silence causing him to furrow his eyebrows momentarily. As quickly as the flashlight had turned on, the beam was gone, leaving the Narnians standing in a confused state, the alarm bells of the castle ringing with intensity.

           “I believe this means we have lost the element of surprise,” Embry muttered to no one in particular, earning herself a disproving look from Rainstone. Embry looked at him in indignation, “what else could those bells mean?” She huffed, readjusting her daggers in hand once more. The Narnians behind her began to shuffle anxiously, all ready for a fight. Their movement only increased as they could see the drawbridge begin to lower, only waiting for the Just King’s signal to begin the attack. As the drawbridge continued to lower, a dark feeling stirred in Embry’s stomach as she fully realized their situation.

They were walking into a massacre.

           Her attention was drawn back to the task at hand when Glenstorm reared onto his back legs, thrusting his sword in the air at the signal they had been waiting for. Upon returning his forelegs to the ground, the centaur began to charge, the rest of the Narnian army close behind. Embry ran with them, a satyr on one side and a tiger streaking past her on the other, careful not to slice herself or others with her still drawn blades as the force charged toward the stone courtyard. Asterius ran ahead, the Minotaur using his horns and large frame to easily crash through a flimsy wrought iron gate and continued his rampage toward two terrified Telmarine guards at the foot of the drawbridge. The Narnians ran across the bridge and into the courtyard screaming and shouting, and as she ran through the gate herself, Embry faintly heard a battle cry,

           “For Narnia!” a voice shouted. Embry glanced to her right and saw Caspian, Susan and Peter. The sound of clashing weapons soon rang throughout the courtyard, overwhelming the dark haired girl. With hardly any time to react, Embry ducked out of the path of a Telmarine sword, readying her blades as she got a good look at her attacker.

           The Telmarine soldier looked to be no more than 25, his dark eyes and tanned face drawn into a snarl as he lunged at her again, sword swiping at her barely missing her abdomen. Embry jumped out of the way of the sword, pushing it away forcefully with her knives and causing the Telmarine to stumble. She swallowed in fear as the Telmarine spun around to face her, looking angrier than before. Positioning herself into her ready stance, she held one dagger in front of her, perpendicular to her body and the other at her side, tip pointing toward her attacker.

           He lunged again, but this time she was ready, spinning to the side and using her knives to trap the sword between her blades and pull it from his hands. The Telmarine, now disarmed, pulled a knife from his belt and lunged at the girl, who using one knife blocked the blade. A look of horror crossed the man’s face, and Embry froze as her blade met resistance. Looking down, she realized that she had thrust her blade forward as the man lunged, and without realizing it, impaled him through the chest. Blood trickled from the corner of the man’s mouth, and the dark haired girl realized she must have punctured his lung. Breathing shallowly, Embry yanked her dagger from the man’s body as he fell to the floor. She had killed someone. She had actually taken someone’s life. Staring at the man’s body in shock, Embry yelped in surprise when the body of a faun fell down next to her. Seeing the dead faun’s body, Embry felt her blood heat up. Ardnus. Embry stared at the faun in horror, his unmoving corpse a far cry from the youthful enthusiasm he had possessed when the two had sparred earlier that day.

           “Ardnus,” Embry whispered kneeling down next to the body of the fallen faun. She placed her hands on his shoulders, moving her right hand to feel for a carotid pulse, placing her ear above his mouth so check for any breathing. Nothing. No pulse, no breathing. Embry began to panic, looking over her friend’s body and noting the crossbow bolt that protruded from his chest, directly over where his heart would be; her stomach flipped as she noticed several of his limbs were splayed around him at unnatural angles. Her breath coming in short pants, Embry felt the churning in her stomach before it came, and she leaned over to her side to heave up the contents of her stomach. Wiping her mouth in disgust, she stood up, averting her eyes from the body of her dead friend.

Looking around the courtyard Embry could see many of the bodies of fallen Narnians, and her eyes looked back at the man she had just killed, narrowing in rage, her emotions beginning to take over. His people were responsible for Ardnus’s death, and the death of the other Narnians that were sprawled across the courtyard. The Telmarine people were to blame for driving the Narnians near extinction and into hiding, they were going to be held responsible, they were going to pay. They needed to pay.

           Twirling her blades in hand, the girl narrowed her grey eyes, and ran at the nearest Telmarine, only hesitating slightly when she spun out of the reach of his sword and slit his throat in the process. Adrenaline and anger had taken over, her body wired and ready for a fight, the two weeks of nonstop training causing her body to run on autopilot. By no means was she the best fighter, but she could hold her own, and she had anger on her side.

           The battle around her raged on as she sliced at a Telmarine soldier, his sword barely missing the girl’s head, his movements heavy and stiff. The Telmarine may be stronger, but Embry was faster. Ducking underneath his outstretched blade, she sliced at his stomach making the man double over in pain, clutching his wound. Moving behind him, Embry thrust her blades up and in between the soldier’s shoulder blades, crossing her arms at the wrist as she did so. The man’s body tensed before falling limp, the girl behind him removing her blades and spinning around to block the next advancing enemy’s attack.

           The moonlight caught on the dark haired girl’s blades once more, the weapons slick with the crimson blood of the enemy, no longer the fresh, unblemished silver they had been going into the fight. These blades would never be the same as they once were, having been used to take a life, the evidence of such actions dripping off the tips of the daggers and onto the stone floor of the courtyard.

           From his position above the battle on one of the towers, Edmund watched the battle below him, his eyes landing on Embry as she fought looking almost like a demon with her war paint, grey eyes and dark clothes. Below him, a row of crossbow wielding Telmarine soldiers filed out onto the balcony-esque space, taking their aim at the Narnians below. Edmund’s eyes narrowed as he saw the Telmarine almost directly below him take aim at his brother. Without much thought, Edmund jumped onto the roof, sliding down and kicking the Telmarine over the side and into the courtyard. The Telmarine directly next to Ed looked over and noticed that his comrade was no longer standing there, the Just King looking at his older brother in concern. Peter, noticing the commotion, looked up at Edmund, his eyes betraying the fear the sight evoked from him.

           “Ed!” Peter shouted frantically. The Just King looked beside him to see the Telmarine’s noticing his position and beginning to shift their aim to him. Edmund’s eyes widened as he ran toward the door to his right, diving through the doorway and closing the door with his feet as he barely escaped a barrage of crossbow bolts.

           Miraz watched the scene unfold before him from his balcony that overlooked the courtyard, scanning the carnage below him. He watched the High King, the Gentle Queen, and his nephew, however his eye was caught by someone else entirely. A dark haired girl, her grey eyes clear and shocking through the band of ashy black that had been painted across her eyes. She fought with intensity, spinning and dodging with her twin blades in her hand, her face in a permanent snarl as she took down soldier after unsuspecting soldier. Unlike the Gentle Queen, the only other female on the battle field was dressed in pants, improper if you asked Miraz. As he watched her fight, he couldn’t help but feel some sense of familiarity toward the girl. He was so engrossed in watching her fight, he failed to notice a satyr clutching to the side of his balcony, his blade raised to strike or be thrown. Miraz looked at the satyr startled as he gave a battle cry, only to be cut off with a twang of a crossbow. Looking to his right he saw Gomez, the head of his guards with a crossbow aimed at the beast. Miraz grinned at the satyr sadistically, the Narnian in excruciating pain yet still holding on to the side of the balcony. With a final grin Miraz reached out and shoved the satyr from the balcony, sending him falling two stories down and landing on the floor of the stone courtyard with a crunch.

           Embry spun around at the loud metal clang behind her, eyes widening in terror at the sight of the weight that was to keep the gate open lying on the courtyard floor. Apparently, she had not been the only one to notice, and Asterius ran to the thick metal gate, holding it open on his shoulders. Embry stared at the Minotaur. If the gate were to close, the courtyard would become a tomb for any Narnian in it.

           “Fall back!” Embry heard Peter shout from somewhere behind her, the dark haired girl turning around to see the High King descending a set of steps near Miraz’s balcony. Embry looked up at Miraz, tensing and narrowing her eyes when she noticed he was watching her, the girl shifting uncomfortably. Shaking off the eerie sensation of having a sadistic bastard stare at you, Embry ran toward the nearest Narnian,

           “Fall back!” She shouted, “Get out of here!” Embry swung her blades in an arc, swiftly disarming the Telmarine, the satyr beside her thrusting his sword through their enemy’s chest.

           “Get her out of here!” Peter shouted to Glenstorm, indicating to his sister. Susan looked at the centaur, who galloped up and grasped her outstretched hand, pulling the queen onto his back. As the pair galloped toward the gate, Susan looked over her shoulder at her brother,

           “Caspian! Embry!” She shouted to him. Peter nodded, his jaw tightening,

           “I’ll find them!” He called back, raising his sword to block a Telmarine soldier’s blow. At her name, Embry turned to see Glenstorm galloping toward the gate with Susan on his back, and began to make her way toward the gate, a rather difficult task when you are in the midst of fighting to stay alive. She was almost to the center of the courtyard when a particularly large soldier moved in front of her. Embry raised her blades, dodging the Telmarine’s blow by making her knives into an X and using her strength to push him back. Knowing that her time was limited, Embry ducked from another blow, sticking out her right leg and sweeping it toward the Telmarine, knocking his feet out from under him and sending his sword skittering across the stone. Embry sliced at the man, who could only partially block the girl, and delivered a deep gash to the chest.

           “Embry!” At her name, said girl looked over her shoulder to see Caspian astride a horse, the reigns of another in hand, and an older man on a third horse close behind him. In her distracted state, the dark haired girl failed to notice the Telmarine at her feet slice at her calf with a small dagger. “Look out!” Caspian shouted to the girl, but it was too late. Embry attempted to move out of the way, but the Telmarine still landed his blow, although it could have been much worse had she not evaded in some way. The Telmarine’s knife sliced across her calf, leaving a diagonal gash on the side of her thigh. The dark haired girl cried out in pain, reaching down to grab her wound with one hand, and bringing her knife down with the other. Biting her lip, Embry stood up, pulling her blade from where it had found itself in the man’s throat and sheathing both of her daggers as Caspian and his horse approached. Adrenaline still coursing through her system, the cut on her leg felt nonexistent as she jogged toward Caspian who reached out as he trotted by, helping the girl swing up behind him onto the horse as she pushed off of an outcropping stone to help her up. Embry wrapped her arms around Caspian’s torso as he handed the reins of the trailing horse to Peter, who used a piece of stone to push himself into the air and onto his horse behind them as the two galloped through the gate.

           Embry looked over her shoulder in horror as she watched the scene unfold. Just as Peter made it through the gate, Asterius was hit with yet another crossbow bolt, several already protruding from his body. This seemed to have been the final blow, and the great Minotaur fell to the floor, the heavy iron gate falling onto his back and trapping the rest of the Narnian army in the stone tomb. Fauns, Satyrs, Minotaurs, and numerous animals were stuck behind the iron coffin that had sealed their fate. As they reached the archway where Ironhoof, Suncloud, Glenstorm and Susan were waiting, Embry looked again as the cries and pleads of the trapped creatures reaching her ears, several attempting to climb the gate as they were assaulted with barrage after barrage of crossbow bolts.

           “Help us!”

           “Run for your lives!”

           “Save yourselves!”

           The trapped Narnians cried to their escaped comrades, pressing up against the gate, clawing at the metal in a futile attempt at freedom. Embry let out a choked noise, watching as one of the cheetahs that had been trapped was pierced with a bolt from a crossbow, its cry of pain ringing in her ears, its body going limp and falling to the stone floor. A faun jumped up onto the gate, struggling to pull himself higher, hoping to find a way out, only to be shot with several crossbow bolts.

Peter sat astride his horse right in front of the gate, looking at the trapped creatures in horror, and then looking at Glenstorm. Glenstorm lowered his head for a moment before looking at the gate. Embry followed the older centaurs gaze and froze.

           “No,” she whimpered. Rainstone stood at the gate, looking out at them with sorrowful eyes. He glanced at Embry before sharing a look with his father. Rainstone nodded at his father before turning and returning to the massacre that was to be his fate. “No, no, no,” Embry said, her cries getting louder each time. Letting go of Caspian’s torso, the dark haired girl slid off the horse, her body shaking as she felt the adrenaline dissipating. “We have to help him!” She cried, not realizing that she had begun to sob as she attempted to move back toward the gate. She only got a few steps before strong arms wrapped themselves around her chest, pulling her back.

           “Peter, the bridge!” Caspian called as he fought to restrain the girl he had come to think of as a little sister. Peter cast one last devastated look at the Narnians trapped in the courtyard before urging his horse onward, jumping the bridge before it closed completely. Caspian was attempting to calm a hysterical Embry.

           “No we can’t leave him!” She all but screamed, falling to her knees with Caspian’s arms around her, her body shaking, tears coating her cheeks as the screams and cries of the Narnians they had to leave behind made their way to her ears. “Please,” she whimpered, her eyes never leaving the closing drawbridge.

           “Em, we need to go.” Caspian murmured in the girl’s ear, helping her to her feet. The shaking girl nodded, not fully comprehending the situation at hand, and allowed Caspian to help her onto his horse, pulling himself on behind her. Sparing one last glance at the now closed draw bridge, Caspian urged Destrier into a gallop, Glenstorm, Susan, and Peter close behind him as they rode away from the massacre.  

              The walk back to the How was silent, the Narnian force half the size it was upon their departure. The sun rose as they neared the grassy clearing that preceded the How, the caravan of injured and despairing creatures slowly moving ahead without much purpose or fervor. Embry remained on the back of Caspian’s horse, her arms wrapped securely around her midsection as Caspian led the horse forward. Her injured leg was not so bad that she could not walk, however her mental state was what worried the man. She had not spoken at all on the ride home, opting instead to cry silently and finally stare into space. Following her breakdown outside the gate, Caspian had managed to calm her down slightly, but the girl had retreated so far into herself that Caspian feared it would be difficult to draw her out again.

               As she stared at the approaching stone stronghold, Embry’s mind was still lost inside the stone courtyard of the Telmarine castle, her heart with her dead comrades that lay still on the cold, unforgiving floor. The dull ache of her calf muscle where the Telmarine soldier had cut her lingered in the back of her mind, the shallow cut covered in a layer of dried blood, visible through her jeans. She could still hear the haunting cries of the trapped Narnians resonating in the back of her skull, bouncing off the bone, echoing. The girl’s mind then flashed to the first Telmarine soldier she had encountered, the first time that she had taken a life.

           She still couldn’t fathom how she had been able to do it, slowly coming to the realization that she had taken a man’s life – she had killed. She had stopped the man’s heart and spilled his blood.  Embry stared ahead, replaying all of the moments that she killed someone in her mind, her heart becoming heavier with each slash of the knife. Horror seeped into her heart, a chill running down her spine as she fully understood what had just happened, the adrenaline and residual emotion finally exiting her system completely.

           What was left of the Narnian army passed through the stone archways and over the stone patch as they made their way to the entrance of the How. Lucy and Windmane appeared from inside as they exited the How, and the Narnians who had stayed behind during the battle scanned the crowd anxiously for their friends and family. Lucy looked at the approaching group in sadness.

           “What happened?” She asked with a hint of desperation, directing her question at her eldest brother as they met each other’s gaze. Peter clenched his jaw before responding.

           “Ask him,” Peter sneered, looking at Caspian. Caspian slowed his pace and looked at the young man beside him in disbelief, dropping the reins of his horse.

           “Peter,” Susan chastised, sensing the volatility of the situation that was about to occur.

           “Me?” Caspian scoffed coming to a stop, “You could have called it off, there was still time.” Peter walked another step before spinning on his heel to look at the Telmarine prince.

           “No there wasn’t thanks to you. If you’d kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now.” Peter stated, a lump forming in his throat.

           “And,” Caspian all but growled, “if you’d just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!” Caspian stepped toward Peter, glaring at the blonde king. Peter took a step toward the dark haired prince, raising an arm in the air slightly.

           “You called us, remember?” Peter retorted, blue eyes blazing. Caspian curled his lip slightly.

           “My first mistake.”

           “No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people.” Peter scoffed turning to walk into the How.

           “Hey!” Caspian shouted, ignoring all of the eyes that were trained on the altercation between the High King and the Telmarine Prince. “I am not the one who abandoned Narnia.” Caspian said in a low and dangerous voice. Peter stared at the dark haired man in disbelief.

           “You invaded Narnia.” The High King stated, pointing his finger accusingly at Caspian as he moved toward him. “You have no more right to it than Miraz does!” Caspian pushed past the eldest Pevensie, the two hitting shoulders as he went, and had barely gotten a few feet before Peter continued, “You, him, your father…” Caspian froze, anger beginning to radiate off of the man. “Narnia’s better off without the lot of you!” Caspian’s face warped into a look of pure anger as he let out an animalistic cry and drew his sword. Peter did the same as the two leaders held their blades at each other’s throats.

           “Enough!” A voice shouted loudly, drawing the attention of all but the two young men, both refusing to lower their blades. Susan turned to see that Embry had dismounted the black steed she had remained on the entire ride, and although the Gentle Queen could see flickers of the sadness and guilt in her eyes, the other dark haired girl’s gaze quickly turned hard and cold. At that particular moment, Embry looked terrifying. Her hair, while still pulled up, was ruffled and unkempt, her ashy war paint dried in streaks down her cheeks from her tears. Her grey eyes were burning with fury and disappointment as she stalked over to the two swordsmen, her clenched fists covered in dried blood of her enemies.  At her approach, the two men diverted their attention to the girl, but their swords did not move.

           “You call yourselves leaders,” Embry snarled, taking them both by surprise at the unabashed animosity and anger in her voice, “yet all I see are two little boys playing pretend, and fighting to show who has the bigger ego. Keep acting like that and you’ll get us all killed.” Peter glared at her, and she met his gaze levelly. “Caspian I expected better from you,” She said disappointment evident in her words as the dark haired prince met her eyes before looking at the ground in shame, yet never dropping his sword from its place at Peter’s throat. The dark haired prince had grown to be like an older brother to the girl during her time in Narnia and to see him act so rashly due to another male, both too overwhelmed by testosterone and egos to see the harm they were doing to others, was disappointing. Moving her gaze to the blonde teenager she met his gaze, never wavering despite the animosity in his gaze, “And you…” she trailed off. Peter narrowed his eyes at her, adjusting his grip on the sword in his hand, still holding it at Caspian’s throat.  

           “You know nothing about me,” Peter stated and Embry chuckled darkly, earning herself a startled look from those watching the scene in front of them.

           “You want to be treated like the king you once were,” Embry stated her voice laced with venom as she stared at the boy in front of her. Peter clenched his jaw at her words.

           “I am still the king and you will treat me as such.” Peter demanded his voice steady, no longer yelling. Embry scoffed.

           “If you want people to stop treating you like a child, then stop acting like one.” She told him, stepping closer to the High King, stopping when the two were less than 2 feet away. “And when you start acting like a king, then I’ll start treating you like one.” The dark haired girl growled, her grey eyes meeting Peter’s blue ones in an unflinching gaze.

           “Guys!” Edmund shouted, and the three turned to look as Glenstorm made his way to the front of the group, holding Trumpkin the red dwarf in his arms, the small man barely clinging to life. Lucy let out a gasp as she ran toward the group with Trufflehunter hot on her heels, Edmund helping to lower their friend to the ground gently. Caspian watched as the young queen removed a vial from her belt and poured a single drop into the mouth of the dwarf. He met Embry’s disappointed Gaze, and felt his heart drop. The fact that he had disappointed the girl he had come to think of as family made his heart heavy with guilt. Turning toward the How, the Telmarine prince walked into the stronghold, returning his sword to its place at his side as he walked. Embry watched him go, not failing to notice Nikabrik abandoning his place at Trufflehunter’s side and following the dark haired prince into the How.

           Embry turned her head back to Lucy and Trumpkin, letting out a sigh of relief as the dwarf began spluttering.  Catching Edmund and Susan looking at her in concern, she chose not to meet their eyes, instead looking at Glenstorm. Following the gaze of her friend, she watched as Windmane lowered her head and began to cry, Glenstorm reaching up to grasp Suncloud’s hand that had found its way to the older centaur’s shoulder. Embry’s stomach lurched as she was reminded of Rainstorm’s fate, the image of her friend behind the iron gate flashing through her mind.

           “What are you all standing around for?” Trumpkin asked gruffly. A few around him let out chuckles; despite having been near death moments before, the dwarf did not lose his spirit. “The Telmarines will be here soon enough.” Lucy smiled at her friend, despite his words holding true. From where she stood, Embry could faintly hear what Trumpkin said next. “Thank you, my dear little friend.” The red dwarf whispered to the young Queen. The corner of Embry’s lip quirked up at his words, but only slightly. Turning away from the group, she began to walk toward the How. Taking a deep breath as she passed Windmane, Embry paused.

           “I’m so sorry,” The dark haired girl whispered to the grieving mother, reaching out and squeezing her hand reassuringly. Windmane gave the girl a grateful look and Embry released the centauress’s hand, walking the rest of the way into the How. Immediately, Embry made a beeline toward her room, ignoring any looks she received from the Narnians in the How. Entering her room, the dark haired girl removed her quiver and bow, setting them on the floor near the foot of her bed and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

           Her arms curled around her legs, Embry pulled her body into a ball as she finally let herself go. The sobs came in waves, wracking her body and making her shoulders heave and tremble, her breaths shallow and frantic. The faces of all the dead Narnians she had seen played through her mind like a movie on repeat, her head buried in her knees, her eyes screwed shut. In her state, she failed to hear the knock on the door, or the squeak of the rusty hinges as the old wooden door was pushed open. Embry felt the person slide down the wall next to her, not saying anything.

           The person placed a hand on her back and rubbed circles in between her shoulder blades as she cried, helping to sooth the girl next to them. They sat like this for a few minutes as Embry sobbed, the dark haired girl slowly calming down. Looking up at the person through her watery eyes, Embry was surprised to see the dark brown eyes of the Just King as he watched the girl next to him with guarded interest and concern.

           “Why are you here Edmund?” Embry croaked, her voice hoarse from sobbing. She reached up and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her tunic, slightly embarrassed at her actions. Edmund shrugged.

           “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. Embry looked at him curiously, becoming painfully aware of his hand still residing between her shoulder blades.

           “Well thanks,” She said softly, refusing to look at the Just King. Edmund pursed his lips and nodded, an action that the girl saw out of her peripheral vision. The two teenagers sat in silence a moment longer, neither saying a word, just enjoying the silence and the presence of another. Without a word, Edmund pushed himself off of the floor.

           “I should probably go find my brother,” Edmund told the dark haired girl, who sighed and moved to get up as well. Edmund held out his hand to the girl, who hesitated before grabbing it and allowing the boy to help her to her feet.

           "Yeah," She cleared her throat slightly, "I need to go find Caspian before he does something stupid." Wiping her hands on her thighs, Embry opened her mouth to say something else, but her words were stopped by Trumpkin swinging open the door, the red dwarf looking frantic and breathless.

"Come quickly," the dwarf said looking between the two of them, "Nikabrik is trying to use Caspian to bring back Jadis."

 So that’s Chapter 8 of War of Hearts! I know I haven’t been on/updating much lately and I apologize, summer has actually been super busy for me and I only have like 2 weeks left so that sucks. But I want to try to finish the book before school starts and things get even crazier, but my main goal is going to be to finish the book in general. So I hope you like this chapter, its 13 pages of my blood sweat and tears (A/N: now that I’m a BTS fan this just makes me laugh), and it took like 5 or 6 hours to write because I wanted to make sure that I showed the characters emotions the way that I wanted to. Embry is by no means a warrior, she is just a girl who was taught to fight and is expected to use her training, so I attempted to show how she didn’t want to take a life, but after seeing what the Telmarines were doing to her friends – the people she had grown to think of as family – being slaughtered, she kind of snapped and I wanted to make sure that I showed that. I also wanted to show her realizing what she had done, and how many lives she had taken so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It is the longest one in the book so far by like 5+ pages. So hopefully I can start working on the next chapter soon and I hope you enjoy! Please Read and Review! Also, any constructive criticism/ mistakes you notice (plot or grammatical) are much appreciated! Happy Reading Everyone!

                                                                                               -TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad

[lumiosemuseum]

Theseus loooovveees little knick knack and oddity shops but there's an issue where he's a bit clumsy and tends to accidentally knock things over 💔 he's good at catching stuff tho! But that often just leads to further issues considering how small the spaces inside antique shops are. He may be banished from some small shops in Elysium for this exact reasons 💘

Asterius meanwhile. Dear Asterius is just Too Big. "Bull in a china shop" he's just too big his horns would be all up on the ceiling 💔 he doesn't like cramped spaces, though, so maybe it's fine that he can't fit anyways. He doesn't mind waiting outside for however long, either (though I certainly wouldn't want him to have to wait!)

And because Theseus is so clumsy, it's easy to imagine him and Asterius just chilling outside a shop while Dia is going ham inside 😭 sometimes rushing out to show them things (before rushing back in because she hasn't paid for it yet 💔💔💔)