#once again in love with thanatos

[misguidedmeat]

thinking about this masterpiece by jen zee

[halfling-myth-lady]

Hades/giratina/death isn’t the devil it’s the 7th grade math book.

[under-your-floorboards]

Okay but I love the idea that everyone just thinks Nico calls himself the Ghost King as like an emo thing but no, he literally is that. They all find out it’s his actual title little by little in the most unusual situations.

Uh oh, the Hekate cabin summoned the wrong ghosts during a seance and now the spirits are tearing up the place! No worries tho, we have a resident son of Hades, right? Nico walks into the cabin and immediately, the items that were being thrown around like an indoor hurricane all drop to the floor at once. Three little kid ghosts appear in front of Nico with their best smiles as he sighs down on them like “what did I tell you three?” And proceeds to lecture them for the next ten minutes while the Hekate campers watch on struggling to understand what was happening until Nico opens a rift to the underworld and corrals the three through while the kids call “come play with us again, King, or we wouldn’t get bored and come mess with people!” As they disappear into the mists.

Or like Thanatos appears in CHB one day and everyone is freaked cause who died?? Are they all dying?? What’s happening?? But no, he just glides over to Nico and bows respectfully with a “King Nico, a pleasure to see you again. It seems I will need your assistance again with wayward souls I have recently reaped from mortality” and Nico is just sucking a juice box as he nods along to all of this as if it’s another fucking Tuesday. Then he just leaves,, with the God of Death after promising Will to be back by dinner so everyone is like ‘WHAT THE FUCK’ and then there’s like Percy and Annabeth off to the side like ‘imagine having royal duties at 14, couldn’t be me’

Please, I need this

[argetcross]

Happy 4th anniversary to wasting beats of this heart of mine, my Zagreus becomes mortal AU! Another year, some more adventures undertaken.

This year, I've unearthed more concepts and half-finished paintings all the way from 2021. I've included notes under the cut about each piece, as well as more reflections.

If you told me in October 2020 that you'll write a fic over 100k words long, spanning multiple cities, with multiple POVs, I would have said, "Are you sure?". I think I never really imagined I could keep a story running, much less one that demands so much of its author. At the same time, this work has been my deepest and most fulfilling pleasure. It lives in my dreams, haunts my waking moments, and demands I regularly carve my heart out and poke through the viscera. I suppose such is the nature of art.

We've been approaching the end of Part III, and readers up-to-date know I've mentioned planning for five parts in total. Five acts, five biomes: it only feels fitting. Many things I had looked forward to (the chariot race! Kyane and Persephone! The return of Thymoetes!) have come to life on the page, but there's still so much of the yarn left to spin. I never expected needing years to complete this story, but I also feel strongly I am beholden to it now. To Zagreus, to Demeter's children, to the mortals and gods, above and below. I will continue to try my best.

Thank you to jules, val, nan, robin, and spleen for having beta'd for me during these years. This story wouldn't be what it is without you. Thank you to mag, for having crawled through the trenches of creating an enormous fanwork and countless hours of spreadsheeting, with me. To every artist that has ever drawn me anything, it is truly humbling to be able to inspire your work. To the House Party, whose friendship I am grateful for every day.

And to anyone who has ever read part of the story, left a comment, and stepped along on this journey with me, I cannot overstate how grateful I am. I remain baffled and pleasantly surprised that this world of mine can touch your heart. It's a story that I hope, when it completes, you will pick up again from time to time, and take pleasure in its telling once more.

With all my love,

Arget

--

Notes about each image:

Thanatos and Zagreus by the sacred olive trees of Athena. This painting was based on a photo I took in Athens. The quality of the sunlight astounded me and, in turn, made me think about life and death.

Thanatos anointing the body of the god Zagreus with nectar. This is related to the scene in Chapter 23, when he and Nyx converse by Zagreus' bedside.

Eleusis concepts. For such a powerhouse of a cult, Eleusis itself has a provincial feeling to it. I was captivated by the idea of the sea, and the fact that Zagreus had never spent any time on the coast. This would have been his first experience with it.

Athens. What can I say about Athens that hasn't been said? The trip I took late 2022 provided a lot of the inspiration for the citadel aspect of the acropolis. This is not the Athens of Classical Greece, the polis of democracy, but a fictionalized city-kingdom, under the rule of its royal family. The idea that Callisto had a student living in Athens was both a nod to the extensive trade happening during the Bronze Age and a deconstruction of the Amazon myth that the Greeks told themselves.

Clymene, the Oracle of Delphi. This was originally meant to be a Hades game-like portrait, but I scrapped the idea. She is dressed in the fashion closer to the Minoans, to give her a more Bronze Age feeling. As the head priestess, I wanted to show her age.

Apheidas and Thymoetes sketches. The two brothers are supposed to look night and day from each other. I tried to give Apheidas a pleasant sort of face, in comparison to Thymoetes' haughtiness.

The tapestry sketch. This was one of the first drawings I ever made about wasting beats, in an attempt to understand the type of story I was about to write. Key elements had already been decided, such as the chariot race and the way Demeter and Hades would play the role of the absent gods, for above as well as below. I had not written Apollo at this time, so you see him here with short hair.

Zagreus, reaching for a bloodstone. The chlamys, a gift from his foster-father's wife, has been the simple denotation of mortal Zagreus. Something bright and red, simple for it was woven by a farmer's wife, and barely able to protect his weaker mortal body.

Megaera, hurt and angry, and Than, stricken and alarmed, amidst a storm of paper. This is a scene from Chapter 18, Primordial Winter, that I had always wanted to illustrate.

[cranberryjuice-posts]

A BRAINROT THAT I CANT LET GO OF!!

VAMPIRE!DAUGHTER OF HADES!READER X CLARISSE

Like Clarisse finds out cus reader was like feeding off a animal or smth and offers reader to feed on her instead if reader uses her superspeed to like win capture the flag or something!

Maybe a camper sees a old scarred bite mark on Clarisse and asks about it but Clarisse quickly makes a excuse 👀 (they eventually date ofc)

- Apex predator -

Pairings - Clarisse La rue x Fem! Vampire! Daughter of hades! Reader

An - this is pretty short and rushed I’m sry I had a comp today and I just wanted to get sum out🙁🙁🙏

“Y/n!” Clarisse yelled running around the forest.

You heard her. Only problem you were to busy to answer. Clarisse continued to move about the forest trying to find you.

After a few minutes the stronger girl noticed you crouched down with your back facing her. “Shit.. there you are” the girl panted. You didn’t respond only keeping yourself hidden from her. “Hello? Babe what are yo-“ clarisse stopped once she saw blood pooling around you.

Cautiously clarisse set her spear down against a tree before slowly stepping to you.

You were frozen not knowing what to do, if clarisse saw what you were doing she would hate you and if you ran she would be suspicious. In anxious thoughts you hadn’t realized clarisse turned you around.

Once the She had saw you with a dead rabbit in hands and blood dripping from your mouth she looked down at you with horror. Taking a step back clarisse grabbed her spear storming off.

You threw the dead rabbit aside quickly getting up and chasing after the girl. “Wait wait please let me explain” desperately you tried to catch up to clarisse who was now walking away.

“Explain what!” She turned around looking You up and down “explain why you were eating a dead rabbit raw?! Yeah I would love to hear about how my girlfriend is a psycho”

“Clarisse please” You begged grabbing her arms. “I know this is weird but I can explain I just need you to trust me” looking in her eyes you watched as clarisse started to calm down. “Fine” she bitterly spoke. “Explain”

You let out a slow breath before speaking “being the daughter of hades im a forbidden kid.. I had been killed a long time ago and in an attempt to save me my dad made a deal with thanatos to bring me back but even that costed something, my humanity. In Order to keep living and aging like a normal person I have to drink blood”

Clarisse looked like she didn’t belive You but at the same time she knew the gods did unbelievable things. “So what your a vampire now or something” she scoffed, nodding your head you looked down embarrassed by it all. “I’m sorry.. I know I should of told you but it’s just… fuck” you sighed

After a few moments clarisse grabbed your face, confused you followed the girls lead allowing you to turn your face in different directions. Eventually she pried your mouth open taking a look at your sharp K-9’s.

Clarisse sighed pulling You Close by your waist into a hug. “You should of told me” she kissed your forehead. “We’re having a talk about this later ok, a serious sit down talk got it” she pulled back holding your face. You nodded once again placing your hand over hers. “Good, now I need you to come with me to do something to get the flag”

———

“And That’s Everything” You sighed, sitting on your girlfriends lap as you both were in clarisses bed. Clarisse nodded rubbing soft circles on your hips. “Have you ever tried to feed off a person?” She asked looking up at you.

You shrugged your shoulders “once I mean human blood holds me over much longer than rabbit or animal but I don’t know anyone who willingly would let me do that”

Shifting around some clarisse pulled her camp shirt collar down tapping her neck. You looked confused earning you an annoyed scoff from clarisse “do you need an invitation just do what ever it is you do”

“Are You Sure? It’s gonna leave a mark I don’t know”

“I don’t care about a damn mark”

Debating it for a second you sighed leaning forward. Sinking your teeth into clarisses neck you punctured the girls skin. Immediately sucking on her neck you reveled in the warmness of the girls blood.

After a few moments You pulled pack panting. Looking at clarisse you started to laugh as the tough girl covered her face from how flustered she was.

“You liked that?”

“Fuck off”

You leaned in giving her a teasing peck on the lips, laughing as the girl jokingly complained.

——

Random camper - Jesus clarisse what happened to your neck

Clarisse - Thats none of your damn business

[h0ney-gl0ws]

Hades Boys! Kiss Headcanons!

Hello! Here are some headcanons about how/where the hades boys like to kiss/be kissed. Now including Dionysus and Ares! Hooray! Thanks for reading, and be mindful of the content warnings. CW: Mentions of PTSD and Panic attacks for Thanatos’, Intoxication for Dionysus (Obv), and mentions of blood with Ares’, oh and angst all around, read with caution!

Word Count (Approx): 1,765

Thanatos Hand Kisses|Soft

After a long shift of reaping souls Thanatos’ hands can get tired of holding his scythe. He’s not one for showing his emotions outwardly, and because of that they can seep through in more subtle ways. For instance, when Zagreus says something ignorant, or when he has to deal with a mortal whose not ready to go, or even when he runs into an Olympian he often finds himself subconsciously gripping his scythe tighter.

He does not realize until the time when he returns to your arms and he can catch his breath, the strain it puts on his hands. Aching and tired after long hours at work. Which is why he appreciates your kisses so.

You delicately ghost your soft lips across his knuckles in a most soothing way. He thinks your kisses are reminiscent of that of a butterfly’s wings. How fitting.

He would cup your face with a tired smile as you press a kiss into the palm of his hand. “Gentle kisses for Gentle Death!” You would proclaim in an attempt to make him laugh.

“My, I often wonder what it is that I did to deserve someone as kind as you…” Thanatos would say in return.

He does so much for the house the least you can do is try to relieve some of the stress. You may not be able to make less work for him, but you can show your appreciation to him by giving him the love and affection he deserves.

On certain days when Thanatos’ mood is dampened due to memories of terror from Sisyphus dirty tricks, the nights he wakes panic stricken with the phantom sting of shackles against his wrists. Your delicate kisses to his wrists help to soothe the burn. Snapping him out of his own mind into reality where he is safe, and you’re there to comfort him.

Your kisses are not only comforting to him, but you are a genuine anchor to him. He does not know how he was able to exist before you came into his life. And he is forever grateful he has you now.

Zagreus Cheek Kisses|Affectionate

For someone who so rarely sees the sunlight he certainly challenges Helios for being the embodiment of it, and his kisses reflect that.

Bright and happy is he as he presses kisses into your cheek at every chance he gets. When he passes you in the hall you bet he’s taking a detour to give you a peck before he has to continue on. When he greets you after coming back from a successful run a celebratory kiss on the cheek is practically mandatory haha.

He loves it when you celebrate with him, nuzzling your face into the side of his. It’s such a small but caring notion that makes Zagreus feel as if he’s falling in love with you all over again.

When he’s preparing to head out for another run you meet him in the courtyard to wish him luck and see him off. He smiles when he catches your figure out of the corner of his eye dashing up to you for a final embrace before he returns once again. You give him another fond kiss on the cheek there whispering in his ear to give it all he’s got and to kick Theseus’ butt once again. Earning a laugh out of Zagreus and the promise that he will dedicate his next victory against the pompous champions to you.

On nights when he has scuffles with his father, or when he’s missing his mother, and words are too much in the moment. He wants nothing more than to relish in your embrace with your kisses there to provide the comfort his parents could not.

He often doesn’t let his inner turmoil bother anyone else, and did not have anyone to confide in until you came along. There’s a lot of things left unsaid, but you will be there for Zagreus to love and support him until he is ready. Even if that day never comes, you’re glad you can a least help to alleviate his troubles for a short amount a time.

If what he needs from you is not words, but doting kisses. Then kisses he shall receive. And when Zagreus is ready to speak with you, you will listen for as long as he needs. Zagreus is so glad to have found you, and would trade anything to be able to be by your side for the rest of eternity.

Hypnos Forehead kisses|Loving

Whenever you get excited to share some news with your lover and rush to go tell him only to find him fast asleep per usual, it’s hard to not let an adoring smile come across your face as you decide to let him rest and that the news can wait, but you can’t just leave after coming all this way to see him. This often results in you giving him a caring kiss on his forehead followed by whispers for him to have sweet dreams.

Unbeknownst to you sometimes those sneaky kisses of your actually wake the sleep incarnate. He does not mind though, in fact its quite the contrary. He is able to discern your footsteps from others, and sometimes he is actually awoken but hearing you approach. Occasionally, he would pretend to be asleep if not for a bit longer in order to gain one of your tender kisses.

He doesn’t do it out of malice of course, it’s simply the thought that even when he supposedly can’t hear your or react to what you have to say, you are still kind and devoted to him.

Yes, he hears the whispers of Zagreus and his brothers. Even his own mother talks about him with distain, but when you are given the option to say or do whatever you want to him without repercussion you choose to be caring and loving.

Perhaps that is why he is so drawn to you, and why he appreciates your kisses in secret. It’s nice to have someone who genuinely loves him for him. Not someone who talks to him so “no one else has too” Nor gives him constant sarcastic and petty remarks when he’s honestly just trying to help.

Another addition of why he loves your kisses so, is they remind him of a sort of motherly love that he did not get from his own. Why when he was younger she was kind to him, yes, but as he grew and her attention divided he noticed that she began to treat him more as if he were a burden on others. Your kisses bring him back to a time when his mother still saw him as her son. It’s a warm, fluffy feeling Hypnos is always chasing more of.

So for now, he will continue to let you believe that only you can hear your words of love and adoration for him as well as your caring gestures of your love, at least until he can return the favor tenfold.

Dionysus Lip kisses|Sloppy

Where Dionysus goes jolly festivities and merriment follow, as well as you of course. And what are these festivities if not without a little bit of wine. It’d be absolutely preposterous after all to attend a feast without an offering you know.

And we all know how Dionysus is with wine. You see, when you attend a feast with Dionysus by the hands of the mortals, or any feast with Dionysus for that matter, he loves to show you off. Constantly gushing about what an amazing partner you are.

And with that showing off can come with a bit of possessiveness. So when Dionysus gets to be clingy, you remind him just how much you love him with some kisses.

Dionysus loves to kiss you as he swears he can get more drunk off of your lips than the wine. He reminds you constantly of how you taste better than the finest ambrosia.

You don’t mind his kisses yourself. Yes it can be messy, with Dionysus being constantly in a state of intoxication, but you can always taste the remnants of the contents of his everlasting goblet against his lips. Making the sweetness of his kisses worth all of the awkward nose bumps and accidental teeth clashes.

All in all if Dionysus were to have to choose between never drinking wine again and you, he’d choose you every time, as you provide all the happiness he could ever need in his lifetime.

Ares Neck kisses|Passionate

When the fires of war are blazing so are the fires of passion.

Yes, Ares loves nothing more than to watch the bloodshed of a raging battlefield with you by his side. He caresses your waist as he presses fiery kisses into your shoulder, trailing them slowly up to your neck.

The clashing of swords satiating his hunger for blood in the most intense way, leading him to sometimes get a bit too rough with you.

There are times when the battle can get to his head and that can cause him to almost lose himself, if only for a short moment. A bite, too hard for your liking. The sting against your neck intensifying the raging action on the war zone below. You gasp and flinch away, causing him to realize what he’d done.

He’d apologize by kissing you much more softer, but finds it hard to restrain himself when he seeing the droplets of blood seeping through the wound from his bite mark against your neck.

He holds back to the best of his abilities as he cleans the wound with his lips. It causes you slight pain, but this time you feel as if it is more tolerable when he is caring for you rather than going feral.

You know he never intends to hurt you, and if push comes to shove he will always try to fix it and take care of you afterwards. All you can do is be there when he needs you, when the hunger becomes too much for him to handle, and he needs someone to pull him back to reality.

He’d be lost without you, a friend, a lover, and a lifeline. He would fight to the ends of the earth for you, and you would do the same. Truly, all is fair in love and war.

[percyluvr]

hi!

could you write a fic with clarisse and a nonbinary child of thanatos reader, where they absolutely DOMINATE in capture the flag?

clarisse la rue x gn child of thanatos!reader summary: clarisse and her s/o are undefeated in capture the flag wc: 1127

It was widely known at Camp Half-Blood that if you weren't on Clarisse and her significant other's capture that flag team, you were on the losing team. Even before the two of you began dating, you were a force that no one wanted to mess with.

Your friendship had been very interesting for the other campers to witness, mainly for the reason that Clarisse seemed to warm up to you so quickly, almost as if there was an invisible string of fate tying her to you. The first time the two of you met, Clarisse was almost awkward when she spoke to you, and from then on, the two of you had been an extremely powerful force.

The two of you fit together like a puzzle, your minds always being on the same wavelength. If one of you strayed from the battle strategy you had come up with, the other could immediately tell why and what to do from that point on, which made capture the flag a breeze for your team.

You were sat in the Ares cabin with Clarisse, going over the strategy for the capture the flag, though it wasn't really necessary since the two of you were always in sync, but you thought it never hurt to be extra thorough. Even though the Athena cabin was on the opposing team, when they were usually on your team, the two of you were completely confident that you wouldn't have a problem winning.

"We'll charge together, but once we get through their second line of defense, you'll sneak past and grab the flag. Then, you'll go through the route we marked back to our base, and that'll conclude the game. Easy win for us, again," Clarisse states, making you grin.

The plan may seem simple, especially when it was the Athena cabin you were going against, but you had the entire Ares cabin on yours, and you had more faith in them for these types of things, but that's not to say the Athena kids are not master strategists, because they definitely are.

The next few days came and went, and it was finally time for your and Clarisse's favorite day of the month, capture the flag. The two of you shared a large breakfast, making sure to eat nutritious things to give you extra energy.

After breakfast, everyone headed to the forest and put on their armor and helmets.

"Thirty minutes until the game begins, get set up now. The games begin when you hear the horn, as per usual," Chiron says.

"Alright, does everyone remember the plan?" You ask, making sure that no one would mess up your victory, if that was even possible.

You heard many variations of confirmation, and so you and Clarisse sent everyone off to get into positions.

"You ready to absolutely dominate today?" Clarisse asks, as if she didn't already know the answer.

"Obviously, when am I not ready to hand someone's ass to them?" You joke.

Clarisse gives you a grin, and the two of you head off into the forest.

You two quietly talk for the remaining minutes, immediately focusing in when you hear the horn blast. You and Clarisse sprint off, slowly relaxing into a slightly slower pace to maintain your energy.

When you finally reach the other team's first line of defense, it was just as the two of you expected.

Clarisse knew that you were absolutely insane when it came to fighting, but you'd reached a new level in the past month of training. It was like the world had gone still except for you fighting. She was in the middle of a fight, and all she could look at was you. You fought like an absolute demon, your sword slashing so fast that she it seemed like you hadn't moved it at all. She could tell that you were still holding back, on account of it being a camp game and all, but she would've loved to see you with no restrictions.

It seemed like the fight lasted mere seconds, and all of the other campers lay on the ground. She stared at you in awe before coming back to her senses.

"Come on, we still have a game to win," she says to you, as if she wasn't just staring at you like you were a god.

When the two of you reached the second line of defense, you snuck off without a trace, something that you'd inherited from your dad. If Clarisse hadn't seen you fighting before, she would've wondered if you had ever been by her side in the first place.

You had no concerns about Clarisse fighting off the other team, so you quickly ran through the woods, fighting off stray campers that you came across.

When you reached the flag, you were astonished to find it completely unguarded. You wasted no time in sprinting over to the flag, grasping it in your hands and making a mad dash back through the forest.

You were careful not to step in any of the traps that the Hephaestus cabin must've made and placed strategically throughout the forest. You would've taken time to be impressed by how thorough they were with it, but you had a game to win.

In no time, you found Clarisse, signaling from the sides of the forest that you had gotten the flag. She grinned at you and finished off the fight she was in with some random camper, quickly catching up to you.

You made it back to your side in record time, hearing Chiron make a surprised noise and blow the horn, signaling the end of the game.

You jumped into Clarisse's awaiting arms. No matter how many times you felt her strong arms hold you, you would always be affected by it. There was something about feeling her hold you, knowing she would always protect you that made you feel all warm inside. She kissed you liked she'd been waiting her whole life to feel your lips pressed up against hers, and if you count about 2 hours as her whole life, then yes, she had been waiting her whole life.

When both teams had made it back to the river, Chiron announced that your team had won in a record-breaking 45 minutes, and you team shouted in celebration. You and Clarisse, however, celebrated by her taking off both of your helmets, picking you up into her beefy arms and kissing you with a passion that you'd never felt from her. She was just so enamored by you and how powerful you were that she never wanted to let go, but unfortunately had to so the two of you could celebrate, though she still didn't release her tight grip on your hand.

[bones4thecats]

Can I request Nikola, Qin Shi Huang, Buddha and Leonidas with a s/o that's like Nyx?

How Past! Them Met Their Nyx! S/O

Type of Writing: Request Characters: Nikola Tesla, Qin Shi Huang, Buddha, and Leonidas Name: How Past! Them Met Their Nyx! S/O Requester: Anonymous

A/N: I only have four of Nyx’s kids mentioned (Aether, Hemera, Thanatos, and Hypnos), so just roll with it. By the way, the reader here is considered (in thought) to be a female, but it is left ambiguous so that you male and other readers feel accepted.

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I am downright in love with this man

🧪 When you first met Nikola Tesla, you were just relaxing at night, taking a stroll underneath your sky as your long dark cloak faded into stars at the ends flowed in the air

🧪 You had just spoke to your old friend Hades during a meeting in the Underworld about your second-youngest son’s, Thanatos’, efforts of bringing souls down to the Underworld for Hades to handle

🧪 At the moment, you just wanted some peace, and knowing that your two youngest were busy with work, one being on guard for dying souls and the other watching over many different people in order to help them sleep

🧪 Though, hearing the sound of soft feathered wings moving, you looked up and noticed a bright white pigeon flying around while carrying moonflowers, chrysanthemums, lotuses, and sunflowers in its beak. These all reminded you of the cute flower crowns that the youngest Valkyrie sister, Göll, would make you and your children

🧪 You smiled gently as the bird landed on your outstretched hand and dropped a moonflower into your palm before flying off

🧪 The bird began to fly farther from your gaze as you heard the patter of small feet coming from behind you, making you turn around expecting to see a young child, and a young child you saw

🧪 He looked no older than 4 years in humans, and you noticed that he nearly had fallen older, making you lean down and catch him so he wouldn't crash and hurt himself, it reminded you of helping Aether walk all those centuries ago

" I am so sorry, ma'am/sir! " " It's alright, young man. If I may ask, why are you in such a rush? " " Oh, my pigeon flew that direction carrying some flowers I grabbed for my mother. It's so hard to catch up to, troublesome bird. "

🧪 You chuckled at his expression, he really was quite the interesting mortal, now wasn't he? You could see great potential in his soul, making you look back to where you once stood where the dropped flower laid on the ground

🧪 Picking it up, you opened the boy's palm, dropping the flower once again, not onto the ground, but into the soft hand of the young boy

" I may not be able to retrieve the rest of your flowers, but, here is one that the creature left. I also have something that may help you out! "

🧪 Reaching into your pocket lacing your cape, you summoned some flowers from one vase in your home that you shared in Valhalla with your sibling, Gaia

" Here are some flowers freshly picked from my sister's garden, they, by what she tells me, symbolize things such as motherly love and whatnot. I hope your mother enjoys them. " " Thank you so much! What's your name, if I may ask? " " I am... (Y/N). What is your name, young man? " " Nikola Tesla! " " Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Nikola Tesla. " " Nikola! Where are you, lil' brother? "

🧪 Looking up in shock as the boy turned around, you stiffened, being discovered by a mortal child was nothing, but a possible adult was something truly bad. A child could pass it off like nothing, an adult could not

" I'm over here, Dane! " " Oh thank God. Who were you talking too? " " The lady/man- where did they go...? "

🧪 Nikola looked around for the sight of the person who gifted him the glorious flowers, only for his older brother to pick him up and begin bringing him home in a rush

🧪 As the elder boy ran home with his brother in arms, the younger's mind wandered, where did that nice woman/man go? And will he ever see them again?

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👑 Taking a nightly stroll was something the Emperor of China was familiar with, it was a time that he could have to himself, no guards right behind him and no duties clawing at his door for him to deal with

👑 Just himself and the night sky that he admired

👑 Meanwhile, a cloaked being was walking through the woods, passing through the trees with ease, as they had been on the same path multiple times throughout their limitless lifespan

👑 Due to being in an argument with the Head of the Gods, a headache was pounding through the head of the person as they rubbed their temples with their fingers

👑 As they traveled through the shady lands, they stumbled across a large temple, one they recognized as the very one the Emperor of China resided in

" What a sight, I never realized just how dazzling these building looked from such a high point. "

👑 The star-covered eyes of the mystery person burst with light as the sound of another's voice came from behind them, causing them to turn around, gripping a blade underneath their cloak

" Whoa there! There's no need for that. I apologize if I startled you, uhm, whoever you are. I just saw you walking alone and decided to go with you. " " It's- it's alright, I suppose. "

👑 A stern silence cracked between the two individuals, allowing the pitchy sound of a blade being laid back in a case to echo across their ear-shots

👑 Looking at the stars, Qin Shi Huang sighed deeply and back at the cloaked person who decided to stay alongside him, and he had to ask himself; did this person not know who he was? Could they be a traveler of some kind?

👑 A traveler of some kind you were...

👑 Qin looked down at your feet and noticed that your skin was dipping into a very pale looking shade as your cloak became very faded, as if it was turning into dust

" So... to make this far less awkward and save us a few moments of boring silence, may I ask what your name is, possible traveler? " " It is Y/N, and yours? " " Emperor Qin Shi Huang, but you may call me Qin Shi if you wish. " " Alright then, Qin Shi. "

👑 Qin Shi Huang sat down on the grassy plain, his masked face still looking up at the star-littered sky with such happiness obvious, despite his eyes being hidden

👑 You smiled gently and sat beside him, crossing your legs as you manipulated a star to sway across the sky in what humans seemingly began to call a 'shooting star'

" Ah, it seems that a shooting star has crossed the sky. What shall I wish for? I know! "

👑 Looking at the Emperor, you were shocked at how normal he seemed. Normally the high-ranking humans that you came across were tyrannical and fairly crude in their words and actions

" There! What did you wish for, Y/N-san? "

👑 When Qin looking back over at you, he was shocked to see that instead of you sitting there, a moonflower stood bravely, its petals pristine without any scuffs, as if it bloomed just second before

👑 Where in China had you gone?

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🍭 Ever since Buddha first became a God, many weren't fond of him, though most of the Deities littered across Valhalla have only heard about the God of Buddhism through word of mouth from the few Gods that had met him so far

🍭 You, the Deity of the Night in the Greek Pantheon, had only hear about the man through your children's words, mainly Aether and Hemera, who were by-far your most patient children

🍭 And even during present time, you loved to stare at the stars and remember the first time you met your soon-to-be husband

🍭 It was a lovely night in one of the many fields in Valhalla, and normally you would watch over your domain of the starry sky as Humanity was being dealt with by your youngest boys, Thanatos and Hypnos

🍭 You had dressed yourself in your long star-covered cloak, hiding yourself from any prying eyes, since many feared you just by hearing your name. Even the strongest of all Gods, Zeus, feared the mention of your name

🍭 Holding yourself high while hidden, you walked through the grassy plain, brushing past tree by tree as the wind pulled the cloth covering you back lightly

🍭 To describe it in a few words; you were in Paradise

🍭 As you walked carefully around many plant-life and sleeping creatures, Buddha was laying in his hammock, starring at the same sky you controlled, admiring the stars as they flickered delicately in the vast land known as space

🍭 Sucking on a lollipop from his stash hidden away, Buddha sighed and stretched his back, allowing it to pop as he caught onto the sound of grass being pushed down and let back up in the form of footsteps

🍭 Grabbing his Six Realms Staff, the God held it up for whoever was around to see as he let out an annoyed groan. After all, having your peaceful silence interrupted would be annoying

" Alright, whoever ya' are, come on out. I don't wanna waste anymore time than necessary. " " I apologize, Lord Buddha. I was just taking a walk around to admire the stars and must have awoken you. "

🍭 Cocking an eyebrow at the light-and-honey-coated voice, Buddha looked up and noticed your form walk up from behind the one tree holding up the front of his hammock and once he saw your face, his eyes widened

" Holy shit! You're Y/N, the Deity of the Night! I never thought I'd be seeing you walk around in Paradise so late at night. "

🍭 Chuckling lightly, you nodded as you pulled down your hood, allowing your hair that faded into the dust of space to run out freely, making Buddha laugh at your smile

" I knew you were powerful and all from the stories told, but they never said how dazzling you looked~ "

🍭 Rolling your eyes at his attempt of flustering you, you just looked up at the sky as Buddha stood up and planted himself right beside you to look at the stars and moon with you

🍭 It was nice sharing such a moment with a lovely person like you, maybe you guys could do it again some other time?

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🚬 As one of the classic Greek Gods, you were held at a fairly high standard once your myth became the talk of the land

🚬 But, ever since Zeus and the rest of the Olympians came along and destroyed your whole time with your siblings and rest of your allies, you became more of a side-god when it came to standards of worshiping

🚬 Leonidas wasn't fond of the Gods ever since his demise, blaming the demise of him and his 300 (though really 299) soldiers on the Greek God Apollo, whom your oldest children, Aether and Hemera, served alongside

🚬 You, on the other hand, had no-one to place a blame onto, though you weren't fond when someone were to try offending Apollo, as you had treated the male like a son since he was a young God making his way in the Pantheon

🚬 Holding his title far from the grasp of the Gods, Leonidas despised being told what to do, so, when your second youngest, Thanatos, began to hold himself to a standard against Leonidas, you were called in by Hypnos to help out

🚬 Watching as parts of the sky began to fall down and form a humanoid shape was something far new to Leonidas, and because of that he stepped back and readied his weapon to protect himself in case something happened

" There is no need for that King Leonidas I, I am merely here to retrieve my pain in the ass son. " " Pain in the ass? But Mom/Dad, he- " " Enough! I will listen to your side of the story when you take a break in the next few millennia, Thanatos. "

🚬 The King of Sparta watched as you grabbed Thanatos' ear and tugged on it like a parent would when scolding a child for doing something badly, like hitting a kid for example

🚬 Watching a Deity of your stature just treat your son like a human parent would made Leonidas' guard come down slightly, sensing you weren't going to attack him out of nowhere, you had a sense of understanding radiating off you

" Hypnos, please bring your brother back home and also let Aether and Hemera know that he is grounded for the next few months. No using his scythe during that time, only his old training stick. " " What?! "

🚬 Sighing as Hypnos dragged his brother through a portal he summoned, you turned to look back at the human and you smiled nervously, holding your hands out in defense

" I apologize for my son's actions, he sometimes gets in his own head and begins to believe himself to be more powerful than he really is. I think he's spending to much time with the Olympian Brothers... " " It's... alright, I suppose. "

🚬 Smiling gently, you held your hand out for the mortal to shake, making his raise his eyebrows slightly, he was surprised that a Deity of your ranking would actually try touching a human

🚬 Allowing his weapon to lean back up against the building's wall, Leonidas shook your hand, making you mentally sigh, thanking your creators for allowing him to forgive you and shake your hand as a sign of that forgiveness, since every other human just tried disrespecting you for your parenting skills

🚬 Letting go of his hand, you pulled your cloak's hood down and allowed your markings of stars and the moon to shimmer out against the sunlight, making Leonidas mentally swoon; you were quite the looker, how could Zeus fear you and not admire you?

" I hope I see you once again, King Leonidas I of Sparta. " " Just call me Leonidas. And I agree, I hope we meet once again. "

[genericpuff]

Was the Hera×Echo thing for real?! Was it like planned??? It doesn't feel like it was planned! It feels like Rachel just wanted to queerbait to gather more new readers wtf

yeah it's exactly that tbh

FASTPASS SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

like what more realistically happened is she saw people headcanon'ing Echo and Hera and went "yeah sure I'll do that!" without actually writing the fucking relationship.

This was even a problem back in S2 with Echo's character as a whole, she's introduced as this mysterious 'double agent' character who's almost definitely working for Zeus-

-but then aside from two scenes involving Echo accompanying Hera to the motel to retrieve Persephone's things and Echo warning Daphne that Apollo clearly isn't 'over Persephone' (because he had, y'know, barged into Hera's office demanding Hera's blessing) the whole "Echo is a double agent for Zeus" thing was only confirmed after Daphne was turned into a tree and Echo said "FUCK YOU ZEUS, I'M NOT GONNA DO YOUR DIRTY WORK ANYMORE!" which ... huh? Where's the plot? It feels like there was an entire story there that just got dumped entirely so that Hades and Persephone could play golf with diamonds.

Like this was presumably where Echo ditched her obligation to Zeus, but it had nothing to do with Hera, it was because she heard (I'm assuming from Thanatos) what happened to Daphne.

After that we only ever see Echo again when it's implied that her and Hera had some kind of falling out. No idea what over, maybe it was Hera finding out that Echo was a double agent, maybe Hera called her a slur, we have no clue what. But it's sorta just tacked on during an ongoing monologue about how Kronos has affected her.

The only other 'hint' we got towards it was Ares calling Echo Hera's 'girlfriend' but that doesn't mean a whole lot when we've literally never seen these two have more than two scenes together.

So now Rachel making them kiss feels more like her taking credit for writing a plotline that doesn't exist and was fabricated entirely in the audience's headcanon. And this is something Rachel does a lot, she basically relies entirely on her audience filling in the blanks for her nothingburger plot and then of course gets to take all the credit for being a "smart and inclusive writer". Where? Literally where the fuck is the actual writing?

Imagine if we had gotten a proper B-plot showcasing the relationship between Echo and Hera. Echo is working for Hera as a double agent and doesn't want to blow her cover, while Hera is suspicious because she worries her husband is up to something. Over time they work together, grow closer, Hera realizes that Echo makes her feel a kind of happiness that Zeus hasn't made her feel in a long time, Echo realizes that she can't keep lying to Hera about why she was hired and decides she values Hera's loyalty and respect over Zeus' because she has feelings for Hera now. Maybe Hera finds out about Echo being a double agent, either by overhearing a conversation between Echo and Zeus or because Echo outright tells her, and eventually it resolves with them finally admitting their feelings towards one another and Hera realizing that she's felt trapped in a loveless marriage that's essentially serving the same purpose as her union with Kronos, sacrificing her well-being for the good of a King. They kiss and Hera confronts the original perpetrator of her trauma, Kronos, ready to end the cycle of her abuse once and for all.

Like, the plot is right fucking there but Rachel keeps dumping it in favor of focusing on the boring ass heterocis nightmares that are Hades and Persephone, who get SO MUCH FUCKING SCREENTIME of just telling each other how amazing they are and how much they're in love (meanwhile we didn't even actually get to see or hear what Hera wrote in the letter to Echo, we have to just assume) but still tries to take credit for writing queer stories by just vaguely hinting at a queer relationship that has had zero development or actual screentime. It's Hestia and Athena all fucking over again.

It also doesn't bode well for LO passing the whole "bury your gays" test because Hera is literally marching to what she's expecting to be her death. So she's established as a bisexual character, just for her to be sent to her death, while Echo will undoubtedly get shoved out of the plot again.

And, I shouldn't even have to remind y'all of this, but Hera has been racist to nymphs in the past and Echo was her direct subordinate, her personal assistant.

It just makes zero sense to me why Rachel would suddenly force in a queer relationship between two characters who weren't traditionally gay in the original myths (once again removing the queer aspects of CANONICALLY LGBTQ+ GODS AND GIVING THEM TO THE STRAIGHTS INSTEAD) when Hera's story had more than enough to work with through her trauma from both Kronos and Zeus and her loyalty as the goddess of marriage that's kept her trapped in a loveless and abusive relationship. So now instead of having a subplot that could have been about the goddess of marriage realizing that no one should have to stay in a marriage that's robbing them of joy and the "sanctity of marriage" isn't worth being miserable for life, we have a subplot where the goddess of marriage who is racist to nymphs routinely cheats on her husband and now confesses her love to a nymph who we never even saw her interact with outside of two instances where it was simply a working relationship.

[xjulixred45x]

Yandere Alphabet: Dead Royalty Zagreus

Using this as a (kind of?) precuel to the Drabble i'm about to do about yandere Zagreus of the AU i did where he kills Hades for good and he's the new king of the Underworld.

Warnings: YANDERE BEHAVIOR, OVERPROTECTION, OBSESIVE BEHAVIOR, Zagreus has TRAUMA, mentions of murder and intimidation (not to reader/Consort! They're fine).

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

For someone whom get married bc Zeus said so, Zagreus is such a sweetheart in showing how much he loves His Consort.

I Say it before in another post, but Consort brings back some of the old Zagreus that everyone miss. Being it by he giving them gifts (ambrosia, clothes, things to entretain themself meanwhile he is at work), phisical affection(hugs, Kisses, carrying them around bride style) or with words(compliments, soft praise, pet names), he is NEVER out of options when it comes to spoil his Darling.

I would Said that he's a solid 7/10 in the scale of intense. Like, he IS intense, but it could be worse, he tries to give His partner space WHEN THEY ASK TO(if they don't do it he will continue without problem bc lets be honest, the man is touch Starved BAD).

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

REALLY MESSY, You see him rampaging the Underworld just to meet His mother. For Consort, he would kill His father AGAIN.

He is a Big one in the killing of posible "suitors"(which find insulting bc Consort is already Married TO HIM) that Consort may have, and His understand of "suitors" can go from a Suitor itself to a person who was wayyyy to friendly to be platonic, or a person who is "turning Consort against him" somehow(like, idk, pointing out His strange behavior?).

He is also very enthusiast about getting rid of the people who did Bad to Consort in the past, being a Friend who betrayed them, their parents or sibilings, ANYONE who hurted Consort in the past is in the black list of Zag, and he is nothing if not ressentfull and stubborn.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

ABSOLULTY NOT. Zagreus may be lay back in an attemp to calm them down, but he would NEVER mock their fear or intentionally make them uneasy around him.

Once Consort it' set in the Underworld, they have to get use to a very clingy, very loving Zag, it's dosen't really change much honestly. When they find out about Zag Yandere Tendencies, Zagreus dosen't change, he's Just glad that he dosen't "have to lied to them anymore" bc it's very aware that THAT would scare them. But now?he just have to make sure they don't leave.

Ironic...

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

Not much honestly, Zag tries His hardest to NOT take away every right that Consort has, bc he has been on that situation before(with Hades trying to prevent him from leaving and treating him like shit), he KNOWS how frustrating and upseting it is, but he can't bring himself on let Consort go.

Zagreus can AND WILL do things in a way Consort feels comfortable and don't force them to do anything besides staying. They don't wanna have children? That's fine, it's not like Zagreus is eager to continue His father legacy anyway. They don't wanna share the same Bed/room as Zagreus? Fair enough, they'll have their own room. Things like that.

Consort can go as they please for the Underworld (the creatures/guards know better than trying to hurt them, specially Theseus) EXCEPT the Temple of Styx, then they only can go with Zagreus or with a person of high trust(like Thanatos or Meg, most likely Meg).

In a good scenario, Zagreus even gets out with Consort to the mortal world! Be it to the temples to His father, meet the other Gods, even some mortals that adore Hades/Zagreus, etc.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

Oh, pretty vulnerable. He seems pretty scary at first when Consort just marry him, but once he gained enough trust(and obsession) on Consort, Zagreus would be quite open about anything they ask, whatever it is. Even sensitive themes like His father.

Zagreus likes to think he's being honest MOST OF THE TIME, to make sure Consort they can trust him bc he trust in them(and it worked! Kinda), to make them happy. He is not exacly afraid of being emotional vulnerable with Consort, he just has lots of unpacked trauma and dosen't know what to do with it (much less now that almost everyone in House of Hades see him different..), so it's almost good for him being like this. He likes it.

The only thing he lied about was about what happen to the suitors of Consort(and ANYONE in general that get in His way honestly), and still he thinks that was just a white lie instead of a blasting crime and abuse of power.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Mostly heart broken, because he KNOWS he caused this, he made them despise him, but he is selfish, so even then, he would't let them get away. He tries to shush them and comfort them, remind them that he loves them, that he's sorry that they have to see THAT. Eventually he gets even better at comfort thanks to this.

A part of him is given a strange feeling of nostalgia? Like in the times when he was the one running away from the Underworld, he thinks that maybe this is His karma for that.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

It's not a Game and he gets worried SICK when he finds out that Consort it's out there trying to escape, do they even know what kind of danger is in the Chambers of Tartarus only? How Bad things can end if they get across the wrong person??

He don't enjoy this in the slightless, he is a panic mess until he finds Consort and bring them back to the house of Hades safe and sound.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Two very different times.

The first one was the first time Consort and Zagreus where introduced to each other for Zeus. Consort was so scared of Zagreus-their future HUSBAND, and the worst part was that Zagreus didn't even tried to stop the proccess in the slightless(maybe out of shock or trying not to make Zeus mad).

The second one, way after this, after Consort and Zagreus fall in love; Consort finds Zagreus giving one of Consort "suitors" one of the most nightmarerish tortures they even seen(Fury level TORTURE if You get what i'm saying). This is what caused after all the attemps to run away from Zagreus, because if he is capable of doing such things to a stranger, what about them?

(he would never, but Consort it's way too hurt from this to listen to His "REASONS")

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Mmm...that's a hard one.

Zagreus didn't even have in mind killing His father, much less becoming King! But now he is more responsible, even more ambisious, so i would say that his plans with Consort are either continue as they are now, riging over the Underworld, better than His father could, or maybe Even go to Olympus some time! Who knows! He is not restricted anymore! He's gonna take adventage of it!

If we talk about a figure where Melinoe exist as His and Consort's Daughter, he's over the moon, that would be a life he would't mind..

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

Oh, he GETS Jealous, and it's escalets pretty quickly. If he copes or explotes, depends on the person and how they act around Consort.

For example, in the Surface, Consort tends to be revere for his worshipers, which is okay! It's the way Zagreus expect Consort to be treated. But it's some of them it's a little too friend/close, he just put Consort on His lap and demands affection(mainly kisses). That normally works to calm him down.

NOW, if is Someone like, idk...THESEUS, when he and Consort go to Elysium to see the Champions and the Pompous bastard is bold enough to try to "make a move" on Zag's partner...yeah, he'll lash out on him, it will not be pretty. (Fortunally, he's never mad at Consort for this kind of things. He trust them! He dosen't trust other people around them..)

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

A love sick puppy, he is way more cheerfull than when he is alone or even working at the main Hall, Consort's presence brings a Big smile to His face. It's almost creepy to the people not used to see "the Godkiller" being this friendly and happy while working.

He acts like the Zagreus before the disaster but a little more calmer. Almost demure(bc it's way more easy to get under his skin now), and obviously, pretty clingy. If he's working, he wants Consort on his lap while finishing paperwork. If he's redecoring, he has an arm around them, etc. It's cute in a way.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

When Consort first got to House of Hades, Zagreus tried to get to know them better in one of the Best ways he knows, ambrosia! And in general at first their interactions we're little and only when Zag start them to give Consort a gift. Gifts that grow of worth and personal value the more he knows them, the more he falls for them.

When Consort started the interactions on their own, Zag's was OVER THE MOON! And start use what would be His signature way of get to know Darling, do tasks with Consort! Whatever it was administrative(Zag's nightmare) or more diplomatic, they get to have good times!

Other way of counting to Zagreus is phisical contact, CONSTANTLY(if they're fine with it), and in general is the softest version of the counting of an average god(maybe it's ctotic thing?being decent spouses?).

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Nah. He still worship his partner and absolulty adores them, the only difference is the violence he use against OTHER PEOPLE.

Zagreus tends to be quieter around the other people in House of Hades(bc they also are pretty tense with him) but it's not hostile. You can talk to him normally and even have a chat(as long as You don't talk shit about Consort), he's not that different. Just more reserved.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Punishment? Whats that?-Zagreus, probably.

Yeah, he dosen't like the idea of a punishment of any sort. Not only bc that would make him just the same as Hades, but bc he just CANT STAND the sight of Consort in pain. Much less If said pain is caused BY HIM.

The most close thing that he got to a "punishment" was isolation for not even two days, and honestly? It hurt him more than Consort. It's like it's punishing himself most likely.

But yeah, he dosen't do that. He thinks that if he gives a reason to Consort to fear him, they will just hate him even more, they'll want to leave more. He don't want to be a cause of their fear, he wants them to stay bc they like it here. So nop. No punishment (besides, he has escaped the Underworld times enough to know that the task itself it's a pain in the ass, thats ENOUGH).

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Besides from leaving the Underworld (or most likely, leaving HIM) not much honestly, again, Zagreus KNOWS how Consort feels likes in the situation, he's been there, so he's not wiling to make them feel like they are His prisioner, because their NOT, they are His partner, the love of His life.

The only other thing i can see Zagreus activily preventing His partner to do is killing themself to stay in the Underworld in a Willing Route. Bc OBVIOUS REASONS. And maybe giving them weopons bc they are dangerous. Aside from that, Consort has the same freedoms and priviliges as Zagreus.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

For a greek god, he's surprisesingly patience, an a GREAT level of patience.

Zagreus don't rush things with Consort (he thinks even when they're nervious or acting awkward is adorable), he waited for them to come around and they fall in love naturally(until the yandere tendencies strike), and in general he's self aware that he being a god and Consort being a Mortal make some things dificult, so, he's willing to wait.

He can endure Consort's lectures about how wrong he is about the suitors matter, how horrible it is, their screams and cries, he can endure it, because he KNOWS that Consort just don't understand that's how Gods are, and it's fine, after all, their only job is stay and love him, and meanwhile they do it, he's just fine.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

Escaping Zagreus is almost imposible for His Godly parients (i talk more about it in the V), and the only way of escaping FOR GOOD would be getting out of Greece. If that happens, i really doubt that Zagreus is able to move on.

He'll trow a Demeter move, he'll neglect all of His duties as god of the Underworld until His parients find Consort. And NOTHING but that will make him change His mind. I can see him worsening His Masochist tendencies.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Yes and no.

Does Zagreus regrets they meet in Bad circumstances? Yes. Does he regrets being Married to them anyways? No.

Does Zagreus regrets scaring Consort with the torture of their suitors(and maybe some of their Friends)? Yes. Does he regret what he did to those people? No.

He regrets they bad consecuences/reactions those actions caused, but he dosen't actually regret nothing. He seems them as necesary. For the same, he's not willing to let Consort get away from him or, Gods forbite, fall in love with someone else. Just...no.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Definitely the actual relationship he has with the people of House of Hades. Don't get me wrong, His childhood as the despised son of Hades has something to do with him being touch starved and eager to love, but the recent events change EVERYTHING in His life.

Before murdering Hades, Zagreus was seen as a troublemaker, but not as a danger, he was a friend, a godling that his parients tried to help and His friends NEVER though they would fear. But after what he did, everyone seems...tense around him, like he's not the same anymore. Maybe they're right, yes, but hurts seeing them look at him with such...pain...fear.

With Consort is another Story, they only know the version of Zagreus that everyone FEARS AND RESPECTS, but they get to know him and, surprisesingly, see the good old side of him, trust him genuinely. Zagreus LOVES THAT.

Loves that he's not feared for them, loves that Consort sees both sides of him, loves that they SEE HIM for who he is, not a king or a Godkiller, but just Zagreus. He miss that horribly and Consort give him that back. And he's not willing to lose it.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Guilty and sad mostly. He tries to comfort them the Best he can, but sometimes that just makes things worse and he decides to leave them some space(not too much space thoug, in cases they need something or try to do something...drastic).

Ironicly, he can handle better when Consort yells or cries than when they isoltaes themselfs. At least in the first two they INTERACT with him and he can try and negociate something for them to feel better (like their favorite food or going to Elysium for a walk), but isolation? It's HURTS HIM being ignored and don't know what to do(so You could use this one if You want something).

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

I'll Say he is the most soft yandere You'll ever see, more for a god of the Underworld. He is not exacly menacing(?) someway. He dosen't kiddnap Consort per se, His family does(through an arrange affair with Zeus)! That's pretty un-convencional if You ask me.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

The mayor weakness Consort could use to get away from Zagreus is his límited time in the surface, bc even now it takes time to get out there, so if Consort gets out and Zagreus don't get to drag them with him to the Underworld, theres is a good chance to get way!

But i would't be very optimistic, Zag is very stubborn and he'll go UP THERE just to fetch them, with the help of all of his Godly parients, just like the old times. There would be NO WHERE TO HIDE with ZEUS HIMSELF lending a hand, POSEIDON making imposible to sail, and HERMES running around with His followers in research for "coz' lost mate".

I would say there's a higher chance to do it if You have Persephone (and extension, Demeter) on your side, but it would be futile against the KING OF THE GODS. Worth the shot though.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

NO.

Zagreus may have a fucked up sense of love in this AU, but definitely he don't forget how painfull and understimated is phisical pain(His deaths speaks themselfs..) so he would never even raise His hand to Consort. Ever.

He may raise His voice when he's mad or worried or carry them/pin them, but honestly that's it, there's no violence, there's no phisical nor emotional pain. He can't Bring himself to do it. Even when some of His parients tries to encourge him to be "rougher" with His Darling, he really just see them as a fragile creature that must be take care of.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

He's head over heels for Consort, i can picture him as a worshiper Yandere honestly(bc 1- that feeds His idea that no one really deserves them And 2- its feels complementary to His Masochist tendencies), no matter if they are mortals or "under his level" for His family standards, they are a God/Godess to Zagreus eyes.

He would kill for Consort, he would die for Consort. Either way is a bliss.

He is up to anything to win them over, EXCEPT maybe hurting some specific members of the house of Hades that bring him jelousy (like Thanatos, for respect for their friendship). Besides that, he's even up to get rid of Consort's WHOLE family tree if that gives them a reason to stay in the Underworld.

Still, he wants to go for the no-violence route, and romance them "properly"(sort of...).

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

Not a long time. It's a soon as Zagreus feels connected in a meanfull way with Consort that he "snaps" and makes plans to make them want to stay and don't leave the Underworld, Zagreus don't Even consider His sudden dark feelings "snaping" either, bc he has this mindset of "well, we ARE already married, it's COMPLETLY NORMAL i am very observant of them And i want them to stay"

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Luckily, no. He is way too soft and unwiling to make them suffer (at least on prupose)that it's virtually imposible that Consort ends up broken for his fault. It's most likely that they develop Stockholm syndrome and either 1) stop trying to get way from Zagreus or 2) they get away from Zagreus but they come Back because...they miss him.

In both cases Consort ends up turning a Blind eye to the horrible things that Zagreus has done(and posible keep doing, but more carefully), but it's kind of a new status quo. They're okay again and Zagreus seems happy than ever...Consort can't bring themself to break it again. To break HIM.

It's for the better. I promise.

(this awesome drawing belongs to the Twitter/X artist kurosaki_sasori, here's the link to the original piece , show them support!)

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[misguidedmeat]

it’s criminal that hades isn’t letting me give thanatos ambrosia yet MY HEARTS ARE ALL FULL BUT HES ALWAYS TALKING TO PEOPLE AT THE HOUSE OF HADES

[shanastoryteller]

happy birthday!! i would love to read something about zagreus!!!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Thanatos has seen the courtyard maintained by Queen Persephone, is well aware of the poms that liter the realm thanks to her influence, but this is something different.

"Than?" Zagreus asks nervously.

Even in Elysium the trees and fields are washed out, half there and half not, ethereal in the way of loss rather than beauty.

This is lush.

There are fields of strange fruits and vegetables growing, acres of rolling hills and forests, all of if glittering as brightly as the gemstones that litter the realm. There are people down there, working and planting, and others talking and laughing, buildings carved from stone and built from mudbricks and grown from twisting oaks.

They've stepped out onto a balcony, high enough to see for miles, and nowhere in the underworld is there this much space. It's all rooms and sections, constantly shifting, nothing allowed to just be be. Except here.

"Say something," Zagreus says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "You're making me nervous."

"Where are we?" he asks. They're still in the underworld, but in none of the three levels or on the river, and that's all that should be, all that should exist. There is nothing else.

Zagreus swallows. "Um, well, it doesn't have a name exactly. Or it does, I guess. Everyone keeps calling it the Prince's Court, even though I think that's stupid."

The Prince's Court. He and Megaera had heard whispers of that. They thought it referred to Zagreus, and his growing power, and the people he kept close. Him, and Meg, and Dusa, except it turns out it had nothing to do with them at all.

"Have you lost your mind?" he demands, finally tearing his eyes away to glare at Zagreus. "Doing something like this in Hades's realm - he's going to kill you and make it stick-"

"This isn't my father's realm," he interrupts and Thanatos sputters. "No, I'm serious. Stop freaking out and focus."

"I'm not freaking out," he retorts but he grudgingly listens, if only so he can then continue yelling without interruption.

Hades's power is not limitless, as Zagreus has demonstrated so many times, but it is ever present, settling like a cloak over his domain and keeping it tightly within his grasp, not letting anything escape his attention or control.

Thanatos frowns then stretches his senses further.

It's only Zagreus.

The power he'd felt from his friend and brother and the person he loved most, something that he'd once had to press close and breathe in to feel and then later had ballooned to a comfortable presence that hung around Zagreus's shoulders.

They're standing so close now that he hadn't even thought it was strange that his power was all around them. But it's not because of that. It's because in this place, of open spaces and flourishing fruits and smiling people, it's Zagreus who holds it steady.

Not Hades.

"Why would you do this," he whispers, "why wouldn't you just challenge him for the throne if that's what you wanted?"

This is so much worse. An inevitable civil war, father against son, in a way so much bigger than their fights on the surface.

He makes a face. "Why would I want that? The underworld is depressing. And dealing with all those spirits is a lot of work. This is better. Besides, then I'd just inherit his curse, and then I'd have to work my way around it all over again. No thanks."

"What are you talking about?" he demands. "You're cursed too."

Zagreus grins, bright and happy and Thanatos can't return it because this is insane and he's insane and it's all going to end in misery. "Race you to the mountaintop."

Before Thanatos can say how ridiculous that is, a chaos rift appears behind Zagreus and he steps back and slips inside it, the rift closing before Thanatos can follow him.

Chaos is involved in this too? His grandparent, who has never take an interest in the affairs of the underworld and who has enough power to tip the scales in any direction they choose.

This just gets worse and worse.

[baejax-the-great]

Sing, O Muse

Achilles is standing in his room, a scroll in his hand. He has a look of utmost concentration on the page, so much so he doesn’t notice Zagreus walking in, though his cheeks are strangely pink as his eyes scan over the words. He raises an eyebrow, then blinks a few times at whatever he has just read, at which point he notices Zagreus in the doorway. He coughs once, tossing the scroll to the desk.

“Interesting reading you have here, lad.”

Zagreus feels his own face begin to flush. Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no. “Dusa gave it to me,” he blurts out.

It’s not a lie. It is true of the scroll Achilles was just reading. It is not true of two of the scrolls now underneath it on his desk, which are written in his own hand. Blood and darkness, Thanatos was right about him needing to clean his room.

“I see,” Achilles says, though now his eyes have wandered to the poster of him Zagreus has on his wall, and he wants to die. It wouldn’t do much, because he’d only come back about twenty meters away, but getting skewered by Theseus would be less embarrassing than this moment.

“Did Patroclus, um…” Achilles’ brows furrow even deeper somehow. “Dusa’s never met him, has she?”

“No,” Zagreus says, and for some reason Achilles’ flush grows deeper.

“There are some very fine descriptions of him in that,” he says with a gesture to the scroll.

“Dusa has a way with words.”

There is an awkward pause in which Zagreus wishes with every bone in his body that Achilles would just tell him why he’s here and then leave his room and then immediately suffer a bout of amnesia, and in which Achilles does nothing at all.

“The muses,” Achilles says suddenly, but then he stops. “Well, they told me…” His eyes search the floor of Zagreus’s room. “I died before any of the songs about me were written, you see.”

“Oh.”

“Well, there were some songs, among the men, but not the promised immortal poetry.”

“I don’t think this counts as—”

“I’ve tried not to think about it much, what they would write about me, what the living people up there right now must think of me. I don’t even know how much time has passed, but immortal is forever, so the muses must… well, they must inspire as they see fit, I suppose.”

Both of them turn to look at the scroll sitting on Zagreus’s desk. Zagreus has never met the muses, so he doesn’t know if they like stories that involve two childhood friends now grown, dressed in torn, thin chitons while stranded in a cave after a surprise flooding cut them off from the rest of the army, tenderly washing each other’s wounds, caressing each other with the reverence of ostensibly unrequited love until one leans in with bated breath, then the other, both of them filled with such longing and such fear that once their lips finally do touch, they can’t help but make passionate love on the cavern floor, which, in Zagreus’s experience, would not be very pleasant on the knees and seems like a terrible risk for magma, but in Dusa’s writing comes off as desperately hot, so much so he can’t stop thinking about inviting Thanatos to Asphodel with him. Zagreus’s story club seems to like those stories, though, so perhaps he could get Hermes to send an invitation to the muses and see if any would like to visit.

“Would you like to keep it, sir?”

Achilles’ eyes widen as he looks at Zagreus dead on for the first time since Zagreus walked in the room. He protests that he couldn’t possibly, but Zagreus insists, “Maybe Patroclus would like to read it, too. It’s only fair, I think, given that it’s about him as much as it’s about you, sir.”

Achilles’ cheeks grow pink again. “That’s a very kind offer, lad, but I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your… reading material.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it, sir, I’ve got lots of others to read, and Dusa’s already working on the sequel and I’m sure she’ll share it next week at our—”

Zagreus cuts himself off before he reveals that half the House gathers to talk about Achilles’ shapely legs and Patroclus’s hairy chest in all sorts of contrived scenarios. It’s not only them in the stories, but currently those are Zagreus’s favorites.

“Just how many people have read this?” Achilles asks, his voice strained.

“Not many,” Zagreus hedges. “A normal amount, I think.”

“Right.”

In a smooth movement, Achilles slips the scroll off the desk and tucks it away somewhere on his person. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer after all, lad,” he says before striding out of the room.

“Will you want to read the sequel, too?” Zagreus calls after him.

Achilles doesn’t acknowledge him, walking purposefully away before fading from view, a blue flash indicating he has made his way to Elysium.

Later, on some day or night, a new scroll lies on Zagreus’s desk. He unrolls it to find Achilles has written “He insisted” in a script so tight, Zagreus wonders if he didn’t snap the quill. Beneath that is a long list of what appears to be critiques written in Patroclus’s hand, including parts of Achilles’ body he believes were overlooked and underappreciated and the adjectives he personally would use to describe them, though a couple of those are blotted out, presumably by the messenger, as well as positions he thinks would be better-suited to making love on a cavern floor.

Zagreus glances at his door. He’d been planning on going back out there, in part because Eurydice has been waiting for him to finish Dusa’s latest story and he’s finally finished it, but at the very end of his very long note, Patroclus had suggested a shipwreck on an uninhabited island as a potential new setting for getting the heroes to admit their love for each other, and now he’s having so many thoughts about that he thinks he’ll explode if he doesn’t write them down this instant.

Zagreus sits at his desk, takes a long look at the poster of Achilles on the wall, and picks up a quill.

[jennrypan]

Let's go down the line of fuckassary: LONG ASS POST AHEAD.

1: Gaia looked and acted like everyone else. She should've been WAY angrier, she should be pissed at Persephone for bringing about winter first of all. Should be pissed that she was a sleep and NOTHING got better over the centuries. But sure, she's giggling and happy.

(I liked that she shoved her hand in Ouranos' chest tho.)

2: It's soo funny that people keep SAYING that Persephone and Hades have true love but the comic hasn't showed us that ever 🤨, like if anything those two losers are obsessed with each other. Be so fr.

3: Once again..this should be Persephones story/POV but its in Hades' always. Fascinating.

4: "You have to spend 3 months away from your sugar daddy" OH NOOOO BUT WEVE BEEN APART FOR SO LONGB 🥺. God. At this point does she even NEED to be in the Mortal Realm fr?? Like..Demeter, Metis and Rhea are back now so..what's her purpose there.

5: The way Gaia just isn't. Gaia is baffling. Anyways. Demeter FINALLY found out what happened to Persephone but she's not..having a moment with her daughter?? Not talking to her about it?? Okay.

6: As usual. They're eager to have sex cuz that's the only thing they do. "I can't wait to see that ass--" ..how very Zeus and Posedion of you quote on quote romantic 🤨

7: She gets her coronation but..didn't she already have that when she married Hades?? Ig not then. Also..Apollo just got a slap on the wrist, not surprising.

DEMETER GOT PUNISHED MORE THAN HIM??? Hell the Titans got punished more than that bitch what the fuck??? God.

8: The disrespect to Zeus is so. 😶 Zeus would literally not sit back quietly for this shit the fuck??? Also..Hera didn't divorce Zeus all those years and now she did ?? And she's what..gonna get with Echo now??? Fascinating. Zeus needs to start tossing rocks. Rachel did Zeus and Heras relationship so fucking DIRTY!!!! GOD!! FUCKING DAMMIT. I hate how she wrote them. Anyways.

9: The Mortal Realm is a lot easier cuz Hades is there?? YOU WERE BORN THERE!!! ITS YOUR HOME!! You ungrateful ass spawn. It wasn't that fun cuz you didn't have a man there?? Insane.

10: The way Persephone clearly doesn't love her own mother is sickening actually. Like..we can't even have them talking to each other?? Dancing?? Even the comment about her doesn't have that much emotion. Also..Dionysus' hair looks goofy, and I guess Hades is all for bringing back mortals now despite making a big stink about it in season 1 but whatever. Yay Semele.

11: "hera just gives him busy work" ..He's literally the king. Literally-- oh my god. "His powers having been the same" which..MEANS WHAT?? And the way Zeus would literally not be happy about this shit is so-- UGH. God it's infuriating. Hades and Posedion clearly don't give a shit about their brother if they aren't concerned about his fucking powers 'not being same'??? Die.

12: Echo needs to stand SEVERAL feet away from Hera. That ship is so god damn tasteless and unnecessary. If you're gonna give hera a new love interest. Maybe give them actual moments?? Make it make sense!!

13: "Ares is still a dog!" *cue laugh track sound*, god this is so..why ?? Ares, baby I'm so sorry people keep disrespecting you in every iteration 🤦‍♀️

14: ignoring the Artemis bit cuz she wasn't relevant for any of the major plots and she still isn't. Anyways. Hades stay the FUCK away from Thanatos. "They can have conversations" oh?? How fascinating. Hades just NOW deciding to care about Thanatos doesn't make up for years of his neglect.

15: Persephone, Ares and Aphrodite should beat Eros' ass for being useless about Apollo. I still think that. Eros is an ass of a friend.

16: 'new powers' ..Girl your powers are basically your old powers with one extra step. Shut UP!!! anyways. (No one cares about kassandra, sorry not sorry. Who was worried about that )

17: Hades and Persephones millionth drabble of nonsense fluff. They're not saying anything new, nor are they doing anything new. I do like the art tho. It's just..baffling how..they're relationship started soo much nonsense and we're suppose to see it as a good thing??

THIS is a good ending??

Nevermind the fact Persephone didn't spend time with her friends or her MOTHER, nevermind the fact Zeus and Posedion don't even get to speak to their mother either.

Hera, Hestia and Demeter don't have a moment with Metis either.

Like..what was the point of bringing them back if you weren't gonna bring it to a satisfying conclusion?? Absolutely insane

Also..Eileithyias design is ass. It's sooo boring. It's literally just pilot Hebe but darker. Oh wow she's yellow with purple eyes??? Insidious. Also she just looks boring and bland to be the daughter of the literal king and queen but sure. Give us nothing.

And..again with making the children boring copies of one specific parent! Macaria is so..boring to look at just like Melinoe. Also...hades can..have kids now?? 🤨 okay.

So basically..this was insane from start to finish.

This wasn't a good conclusion. It was absolutely a wreck.

[captainremmington-13]

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖊𝖓

show!Luke Castellan x daughter of thanatos!reader

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the image above or any of Rick Riordan’s characters/world-building except for Brio.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, mentions of scars, death, and pain, injury, kissing, overall angst

A/N: fun fact: the beginning part (which is a dream) is based off a dream i had the other day where i was chasing Luke thru the woods lmaooo

“This isn’t fair!” you yelled, your legs screaming in protest as you picked up your pace.

Luke laughed loudly, also increasing his speed. The dirt trail meant that with each step, he kicked up dust, effectively making your eyes water. 

“I thought you said you could catch me, angel,” he called out tauntingly. “What happened to all your confidence?”

“Fuck you!” you said with a fake angry tone. “You’re going too fast, you know you’re better at running than me, can you at least slow down a little?”

This just made Luke laugh harder, and he glanced over his shoulder to give you a grin. 

Gods, he made you feel so many things.

“What, you can’t handle the challenge and need me to make it easier for you so you can win?” he asked teasingly. 

“No, that’s not what I meant,” you huffed, trying to hide the fact that you were completely winded.

“Sure, whatever you say, baby,” Luke said, clearly not convinced. You rolled your eyes at his sarcasm, but couldn’t prevent yourself from smiling. You really did love playfully bantering with him.

Channeling all of your remaining energy, you charged towards your boyfriend. You leapt onto his back, making him yelp in surprise. 

“What in Hades?” he asked, bewildered. You just smiled, resting your chin on his shoulder as he hooked his arms under your thighs. “Has my lovely girlfriend been possessed by a gremlin or something?” 

You gasped dramatically. “How dare you assume such an awful thing, Castellan?” You slung your arms around his neck, enjoying the feeling of your bare skin on his. 

Luke turned his head to peck you on the cheek. “I know, I know, I’m the worst, aren’t I?”

You giggled, holding onto him tighter. “Yeah, you are.”

He set you down gently, and turned to face you. His cheeks were slightly flushed from being relentlessly chased by you through the woods, but other than that, he didn’t seem tired at all. Perks of being the son of the messenger god, apparently.

You sighed, looking up at him adoringly. “This isn’t fair,” you said once again.

Luke’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been running for so long and you still look perfect. In comparison, I probably look about as good as Medusa with a bad case of bead-head.”

Luke scoffed. “That’s so far from true. You look as pretty as ever.”

Before you could protest, he wrapped one of his large hands around the back of your neck gently, connecting his lips with yours. You melted into the kiss, reaching up to grip his strong shoulders. Thankfully, you were deep enough in the woods that it was unlikely that any other campers would see your intimate moment. You never did anything quite this intense while in the presence of others, as you didn’t want to get lectured by Chiron and Mr. D.

You closed your eyes, losing yourself in the moment. You were completely at peace…

Until Luke let out a blood-curling scream.

When you opened your eyes, you saw him being dragged away by Ladon, the dragon’s claws creating gruesome wounds in his skin. 

“No!” you shrieked, immediately flying after him. But before you could get close enough, one of Ladon’s heads opened its mouth and released a gust of fire, setting your body ablaze. 

You plummeted to the ground, helpless as you watched your boyfriend be ripped to pieces by a monster.

You kept falling for what seemed like an eternity, bracing yourself for the bone-shattering impact that you knew was to come. 

When your body finally hit the ground, everything faded all at once.  

.

.

.

“She’s waking up! Someone get Brio or Will, quickly!”

“Keep your voice down, you’re gonna scare her! You know how dangerous startling her can be!“

“You keep your voice down, you’re the one shouting-“

“Everyone, shut up!”

You groaned quietly, the noises surrounding you immediately giving you a headache. As you slowly regained consciousness, a searing pain bloomed in your abdomen, making you cry out. Your eyes snapped open, and you saw Brio Olarei, a son of Apollo, standing over you with bandages in his hand.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I need to lift up your shirt to re-wrap your stomach. You got a pretty nasty cut, and your ribs were cracked.”

“Great,” you muttered. “What else?”

“Well,” Brio began slowly. “You’ve been out for almost four days.”

You blinked. “You’re fucking kidding.”

“No, I’m not,” Brio said, removing the old bandages from your torso. “Teleporting all the way from the west coast to the east drained you enormously.”

You suddenly felt a wave of nausea overtake you, realizing that your encounter with Ladon and the Hesperides hadn’t been a dream. 

You began to sob, not caring that you were in the presence of the others who worked in the infirmary.

You had failed your mission.

But even worse, you had failed Luke.

Brio did his best to calm you down, but nothing really worked. Tears kept spilling down your cheeks, and you didn’t even try to stop them. He applied a salve to your wounds that helped ease the pain, and re-wrapped them quickly. 

“I’ll do anything I can to help you with your recovery,” the healer said warmly. “You’ll need to stay in the infirmary for another few days to make sure your injuries don’t get worse.”

You avoided his gaze, not caring to respond to his words. Instead, you asked,

“Where’s my boyfriend?” 

Brio swallowed. “He’s fine. He was in rough shape when we found you two at the border, but he made a quicker recovery than expected. He got released from the infirmary last night, but he refused to leave. We had to have him forcibly removed because it’s really busy in here, and even then, he still insisted on waiting outside of the building-“

As if on cue, none other than Luke Castellan burst through the wooden doors of the building. Nobody really tried to stop him as he rushed over to you, kneeling at your beside. His pretty brown eyes swarmed with tears, and you could tell he hadn’t been sleeping at all.

But the most startling thing you observed was the angry red scar on the right side of his face. 

“Oh, Luke…” you whispered, reaching out to cup his cheek. Luke cringed slightly, but allowed you to touch him regardless. 

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. “It’ll heal up. But it won’t ever fully fade.”

“Oh, Luke, I am so sorry-“

“It’s not your fault, angel. What’s important is that we’re both okay.”

You took his hand, rubbing circles on his palm with your thumb. “For a moment, I was worried that you…you were dea-“

“I know,” he cut in. “I was worried sick about you too. Fuck, I even prayed to Apollo, begging him to aid you in your recovery.”

You sighed. You knew that if Luke went as far as praying to the gods, he really was concerned. 

“Brio said that I’ll be fine. I just…need more recovery time than you did. Not only did I sustain injuries from the fight, but the teleportation also did quite a number on my body.“

Luke ran a hand through your hair, caressing the top of your head. “I wish it hadn’t affected you so badly, but I’m eternally grateful that you did what you did. You saved our lives.” He stood up, to lean down and place a kiss on your forehead. “You’re my hero.”

You smiled weakly. “You’re more of a hero than I’ll ever be.” 

“Nonsense,” Luke said, shaking his head. “You were so brave, taking on Ladon like that while you were seriously injured.”

“I wouldn’t call it bravery,” you replied. “I’d call it determination to keep you safe.”

He sighed. “Either way, I’m just so relieved you’re gonna be okay.” He took a deep breath, looking down. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had lost you…”

You reached up to wipe a stray tear that began running down his cheek. “I have no doubt that you would tear the world apart. You probably would’ve marched down to the Underworld and demanded Hades to give me back, just like Orpheus.”

Luke laughed quietly. “I would’ve moved mountains to reunite with you, my angel.”

You hummed appreciatively, closing your eyes once more. You felt drained, despite only having been awake for a handful of minutes. 

Luke called Brio over, who handed you a bottle of water and a small pill. 

“This will help you sleep,” Brio explained, helping you sit up slowly. You whimpered as your ribs screamed in protest at the movement. Luke squeezed your hand reassuringly, promising that the searing pain would subside soon.

You swallowed the pill and took a few sips of water. The son of Apollo turned to look at Luke.

“If you want to stay at her bedside, that’s fine. Just don’t get in the way of any of the healers and-“

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Luke said impatiently. “I won’t cause any trouble, I swear.”

A son of Hermes promising he wouldn’t cause trouble would normally raise some red flags, but in a situation as serious as this, he clearly meant what he’d said.

Brio gave you one last look before walking away, and you swore you could see pity in his eyes. You despised pity, it made you feel weak and stupid, which you knew you weren’t. 

Luke pulled up a chair and sat next to your bed. He immediately laced his fingers with yours. “Is there anything I can get you, angel?” 

You thought for a moment. “Yeah. Can you get me my stuffed bat from Cabin 11?”

Luke smiled. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

When he returned a couple minutes later, you were barely awake. The medicine had kicked in, and all you wanted was sleep.

Luke placed the stuffie in your arms, and draped the infirmary bed’s comforter over your body. “I’m not leaving your side until you’re fully healed.”

You frowned. “But you have duties as head counselor.”

“Fuck that,” Luke said dismissively. “You’re more important. Chris can take over for me.” 

You sighed. “Where are you gonna sleep?” 

“Right here.”

“Luke-“

“I’m not leaving,” he said firmly. “After what happened at the Garden, I swore to myself that I’d never let you out of my sight ever again.”

Knowing you couldn’t persuade him to change his mind, you nodded. Clutching your stuffed animal to your chest, you let your eyes fall shut. Luke still had a tight hold on your hand. It seemed like he believed if he let go of you, he’d lose you forever.

With your beloved by your side and the medicine in your bloodstream, you were able to drift off into a peaceful state of rest.

________________________________________________

After three long days, Brio finally deemed you recovered. Well, at least recovered enough to leave the infirmary and start sleeping in Cabin 11 again.

You were instructed to take it extremely easy. No sparring, no archery, nothing that was even remotely physically taxing. You were also told to apply a healing salve nightly on the long cut Ladon had given you. You didn’t even remember getting scratched by him, but you figured it had happened right as you teleported away. 

At least the poison hadn’t spread too far throughout your skin. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have survived.

The scar, which was still an angry shade of red, went from your left hip across your torso to the right side of your neck. It was ugly and quite gruesome, and every time you looked in a mirror, you almost burst into tears. 

You felt like you’d taken several steps backwards in your progression as a person. You felt depressed and angry, your hatred for the Olympians growing with every day that passed.  

And being so fragile frustrated you greatly. Not being able to participate in the daily camp activities or practice your fighting put you on edge. The pitiful glances the other campers constantly threw your way made it even worse. It became so hard for you to control your temper that at some point, you stopped leaving Cabin 11 except for meals and to shower. Whenever you were out and about, you had to refrain from snapping at every person who tried to talk to you. Even your closer friends, like Chris and Annabeth, seemed nervous around you, not wanting to get on your nerves.

Luke was the only one you let your guard down with. There were even times where you refused to speak to anyone else but him. 

You suspected that you were trauma-bonded to each other. Every time Luke wasn’t by your side, you felt terrified. You worried that he’d suddenly be ripped away from you, and you’d be powerless to stop it, just like the nightmare you’d had just before waking up in the infirmary.

If you thought Luke was protective of you before, you had no words to describe what he was now. 

At times, he felt like your personal bodyguard. If someone even looked at you funny, he’d place a hand on the hilt of his sword and glare at them until they practically ran away. He almost always had a strong arm wrapped around your waist or shoulders, guiding you to wherever you needed or wanted to go. He doted on you as if you were a princess, opening doors for you and taking over any chores you were assigned. 

“Let me handle it, angel,” he would say, giving you an affectionate pat on the head. 

But even though he was sweet and gentle with you, he became more withdrawn with everyone else. 

You always knew he had some anger issues, but had managed to keep them suppressed most of the time. However, ever since he’d been released from the infirmary, it didn’t seem like he cared about keeping them at bay.

Just like you, he was furious at all of the gods, especially Hermes.

He was still polite, but he had adopted a cold, less-than-friendly demeanor. He followed through with his duties as a camp counselor, but was much less patient with the other demigods. His voice always seemed to have a hint of bitterness in it. The scar that ran down the right side of his handsome face made him even more intimidating.

Sometimes, he seemed like a completely different person.

But with you, he was still Luke. Your Luke.

And you hoped more than anything that he’d stay that way.

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Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments!!!

The next chapter will take place months after the quest occurred…

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[superkooku]

A missed potential in Hades (the game)

Ok, listen. I'm a fan of Supergiant Game's Hades (haven't played Hades II yet. Because my PC is a potato and I hope the full version will be in PS4). Yes there are bothersome inaccuracies, but...

The characters are fun, the game is surprisingly not repetitive yet consistent, the mechanics are cool, Hades and Persephone are actually compelling (a miracle in mythology retellings). And Hypnos is a fun lil goober.

But I feel like there was one huge missed potential. No, I'm not complaining about Dionysus for the 100th time or OdyPen being tossed in the trash in Hades II (gosh I hope it's a fake out and they're still together 🙏🙏🙏).

I'm talking about this guy :

This is Asterius, better known as the Minotaur. Yes it's the third time I talk about him today, but I just had an idea for him that I want to share.

I actually like what Hades did with him ! Again, I have more positive thoughts about this game than negative.

I'd even go as far as to say this is the best version of Asterius I've seen, imo.

He's an actual character, capable of speech. He's not always seen as Theseus' sidekick, even having his own moments with Zagreus. He's the more intelligent one, he's more human than Theseus and I love that about him. Like Achilles, but to a much higher degree, he mellowed down in the afterlife and lost his murderous rage.

The ironic friendship with his murderer is also very cool.

But we could've done so much more with this wonderful concept. Hades is essentially a game about mending broken relationships: Persephone and her family, Orpheus and Eurydice, Achilles and Patroclus, Thanatos and Hypnos... but Theseus and Asterius never really contributed to the main plot. They're just kinda there, doing their own thing.

I think adding ONE element would change everything, an important part of the Underworld (so Zagreus can interact with it) and something interesting for both Theseus and Asterius : the three judges. More specifically Minos.

A plotline where Minos and Asterius' abusive relationship will be discussed and Theseus actually being a good person for once and standing up for his friend.

Maybe with Minos apologizing and seeing that Asterius isn't a monster. And Zagreus being the catalyst for fixing the relationship, because in all those encounters, he learned to know who Asterius is.

Bonus point if Ariadne and/or Phaedra are mentioned. I see the latter appearing. Heck, maybe the former in a "Dionysus wants to resurrect her" storyline.

But this post is about Asterius and Minos. Between the underworld themes, the broken family of Crete, Asterius' humanity, Theseus humbling himself, it'd have been integrated so seamlessly !!

Just by adding a room for the three judges, with whom Zag regularly interacts, or fights as bosses, or just NPCs like Charon/Chaos with unique gimmicks.

Maybe fun interactions with Radamanthus and Aeacus too, though I have less ideas for them.

Please tell me there's a fanfic out there exploring that ! Or that Hades II will somehow do it 🙏.