#zagreus x female reader

[xjulixred45x]

OKAY, I know I should work on the requests but I recently discovered the story of the game HADES and as a Greek mythology nerd that I am, I became obsessed, so I ask you to imagine this scenario that unfortunately I have not seen anywhere:

Platonic Yandere Zagreus+ Reader x son! reader

let me explain myself.

Imagine that we are between Hades 1 and Hades 2, where everything seems to be going well for Zagreus and his partner, both living in the Underworld and occasionally visiting the surface, but paying attention to their duties in general.

then they have a son! reader. Their pride and joy.

Zagreus probably thought that it would be difficult to have children without any kind of divine intervention, so seeing that his son was born alive by himself was a great relief and even pride, because it meant that he probably wouldn't have the same problem as his father, he would be freer than him.

son!reader ends up being a child who is super spoiled by his parents thanks to this, filled with affection not only from them, but from the vast majority of the beings in the Underworld, Achilles being a kind of Fun Uncle, Meg a cool teacher, Thanatos and Hypnos second father figures, etc.

even HADES loved this child.

the only problem that son! reader has is that, like his father and mother, he was very curious and stubborn. which led to the incident before he reached puberty.

It was an occasion where Zagreus and Reader were away due to a hasty visit to the surface, so son! Reader, like every child, did what he was told not to do:

get off the safe path.

From then on son! reader can die however you prefer, perhaps by the Hydra, by one of the enemies on the upper levels, by the river Styx, but my favorite excuse is that he found where the titans were and fell from the shock, dying instantly ( drawing a parallel with mythological Zagreus).

And when Zagreus and his partner find out? God, to say that they are devastated would be an understatement for their pain.

Everyone is hurt and sad about what happened, everything feels so silent now, heavy, empty...

to the point that the prayers of the beings of the Underworld reach the ears of Zeus, who in a certain way feels sorry for his brother for having lost a grandson and Zagreus for his son, who decides to apply Dionysus's typenof move, that is, leave the heart of the child in the womb of a human woman.

Zagreus is difficult to convince, he wants Zeus to do this directly with the reader, but if this is the only alternative, he will accept it. More when the mental health of both has also been seriously affected by this(Zagreus having mutilation and Self harm tendencies bc of grief and incapility of die? yep, although he'll probably be very worried if reader starts to seem like them too.)

And so the agonizing wait begins, the weeks go by, the months go by, and Zagreus and the reader are increasingly anxious and impatient. more distressed with a new day of silence at home, with each day of inactivity, with each hour that their child's room is empty...

But the wait pays off, when Zeus gives them the news that the time has finally come for them to go look for their son.

Zagreus takes off at full speed, with various bonuses given by people like Thanatos, Charon, some Olympians, hell, even his father goes easy on him.

and he begins to search quickly with the little time he has on the surface for his son, being guided by Zeus to where his son was.

When Zagreus was beginning to weaken and felt that he had come in vain, he heard it. a laugh, a small voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.

His son...alive again...

Here things are separated a little. two different scenarios.

1: SON! READER REMEMBER HIS LIFE LIKE GOD

This case is the fluffiest of all and definitely the least yandere.

when son!reader sees Zagreus he's running out to meet him, melting the godling's heart, relieved that his son is not only back in body, but in spirit.

They both return to the Underworld and receive them all with great joy, they ruffle the child's hair, give him gifts, Dionysius may even throw a party in honor of his return.

but it doesn't mean there isn't Yandere stuff.

Zagreus becomes incredibly overprotective of son! reader, to a disturbing degree, now practically does not leave him alone. the same with reader. If he is not with one, he is with another.

they make son! reader accompanies them everywhere and can only play with their supervision, only them, not anyone else. because the previous one was very effective last time.

I think the reader would use the death of son! reader like an auk to keep him fearful and thus avoid another incident. in general both being very obsessive with this new opportunity to have their son back.

Although it's not so bad, Zagreus and the reader continue to bombard him with love and affection, bringing him gifts, reading to him or telling him legends, even now they take him to the surface with them! It is within the scope of a happy ending, they could overcome their unhealthy tendencies over time...I hope.

The only way in this scenario for both of them to become yandere as is is if some person on the surface is "badly influencing" son! reader to be more independent or worse, go to the battlefield.

There Zagreus will directly get rid of said influence with the help of Thanatos.

Now, the most intense and interesting scenario.

2: SON! READER DOES NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT HIS LIFE AS ZAGREUS'S AND READER'S SON

Imagine that you are an apparently normal child with some strange characteristics (like maybe red feet or heterochromia), living peacefully with your parents that you have known all your life as a mortal... and FROM NOWHERE the fucking GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD comes to tell you who you are HIS child and not of your PARENTS....

practically this reader.

Zagreus would believe that after having spent so much time among mortals his son has forgotten his true lineage and even finds his innocence cute with the whole thing, but they must return to their TRUE home as soon as possible.

Since he is a god, A SON OF HADES, even if the reader's parents love him, they cannot fight for him, so they give him to Zagreus.

Zagreus is overjoyed with this, reader is so confused.

because after all he does NOT know these people, he does not know this supposed father who ripped him away from his birth family, he does not know his supposed mother who greets him with tears in her eyes when they arrive at the damn Underworld.

He doesn't know any of the gods who welcome him warmly, who ruffle his hair, who call him cute nicknames, who seem to have known him all his life when they don't.

reader is feeling like some kind of glorified pet. an empty replacement. This is not his house, his HOME.

while Zagreus and reader think that their son must be feeling very shocked by all the information and come home that they simply shower him with more love. much to the child's displeasure.

If the reader continues to insist that he doesn't really remember them, Zagreus will probably dismiss it as something temporary, which is simply the adjustment after an event as traumatic as dying (he gets it, seriously! he dies every now and then, but he doesn't want to think about on what it must have been like for his son).

while reader will try with Thanatos to make him remember things from the past, show him family photos and portraits that they made before the tragedy, his room, his old toys and stories behind them. all with so much love that the reader feels uncomfortable, as if he were usurping the place of their true son.

I think the reader would be especially uncomfortable if mom!reader were also a goddess, he feels VERY intimidated by both of them, but when they show this very...vulnerable and loving side...he doesn't know what to think.

In this scenario, both Zagreus and reader are more overtly manipulative and yandere. Zagreus can use his thousands of failed attempts to try to get out of the underworld on his own so that reader doesn't even think about doing so, while reader uses the reader's death as a way to guilt trip him so he doesn't leave them.

The reader feels bad for them and their son, but is very afraid of them. More after seeing Zagreus angry.

At first they would see Reader's attempts to escape as something "cute" thinking that he was "imitating young Zagreus" and was not serious. Of course, if he ran into a shade, Zagreus would appear and take him home. simply a game.

But when they were lost for long periods of time, they had a panic attack thinking that the accident had happened again. and when Zagreus found the reader, on a higher level and with scratches, he was furious, almost killing all the beings on that level.

It was enough to solidify the reader's decision to want to leave. This man was not only terrifying, he was dangerous.

I think that in this case there would be characters like Meg, Patroclus, Odysseus, even Thanatos himself who realize the reader's discomfort around his "parents" and even become his only allies in his escape attempts.

but because they isolate him so much, so much to the point that he can only leave the house of Hades if it is with them, no one else, and they see the desire to RUN in his face. They feel compassion for him.

This is how a new story in Hades begins. As a reader you will have to face many powerful deities, shadows, and more to escape not only from the Underworld, but from your delirious new family.

but Zagreus would not be himself if he were not stubborn and persistent . I wouldn't let him run and escape easily. not this time.

Could reader do it? let the game begin.

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

What can i Say? I'm obsessed over games i will NEVER get to play :,) but at least i'll try to see gameplays.

[slayerkid]

I'll be your Shade | Zagreus x Shade reader

I have posted a Hades fanfic ON AO3 of a reader who is written to be gender neutral so that anyone can read the fic can apply it to either themselves and/or an oc they have to ship with Zagreus! With a slight bit of the other love interests Zagreus has in the game being shipped with reader. Summary:

A shade with no recollection of their memories from when they were alive. With nothing better to do, and unable to pay the toll to take a boat ride across the Styx river, they wander around the underworld till they come across new friends. Especially a certain prince of the Underworld! Will they befriend him and possibly be a wholesome part of a polycule? Regardless, they shall be supportive of the prince! (Ongoing) A Zagreus x (any gender) reader centric fic!

Chapter 1 and 2 are up if you're interested! Click here to read it! Also Chapter 3 is like a bit over halfway finished so next time I'll be posting an update that chapter 3 is out!

[smallraindrops-blog]

May I please request a Zagreus x Persephone's Priestess Flower Nymph! reader who Zag meets when he successfully completes a run while Persephone's in the underworld, find her tasked for caring for the house and garden while she's away? Please and Thank you.

Take me to the garden

(And bury me where I am loved.)

Fandom: Hades

Zagreus X Female Reader

Word count: 3K

Warning: Kissing, no beta. 

Notes: Hi, sorry for the long wait! Been dealing with a combo of flu and work. I hope this was close to what you wanted and that you enjoy it! There is an index of plants/flowers I choose and their symbolism at the end.

Enjoy!

~

The tall stalks of wheat swayed in the gentle breeze, golden in the fading sunlight. In the coming days, it will be harvested for food. Bread, porridge to fill the belly. 

It was a time for the daughters to gather, to work together and provide. The warm sun on their back. And proud smiles on all of their faces. Your mother had worked in the garden just as her mother did and her mother before her. The history was carved in your bones.

Only now it will be just you and your sisters, their eyes on you for leadership. 

You heard Persephone’s soft footstep, the grass growing taller with each of her movements. Little daisies will follow, bright white against the grass. You loved the sight of it, little flowers growing. 

Even your grief, the low boil of anger in your stomach, you couldn’t ignore Persephone. She had a mother to you in ways your own mother never was. You would not deny her. 

So you stood, your empty basket at your feet and turned to face her. 

Persephone’s face crumbled when she saw your expression and she held her arms open. “Oh, little one. Do not despair.”

Like a child, you went to her. Her hand rested on top of your head, careful to not disturb the carefully made crown, colorful with ribbons, wheat and small wildflowers weaved in. The sweetness of lavender and her warmth smoothed the ache in your chest just so and you closed your eyes.

There was a moment of silence, the faint brush of a cool breeze then you spoke. “I know why you must go but I won’t lie, my heart won’t let me. I am going to miss you greatly.” 

Persephone squeezed you, “I know. I will miss you as well. It's just… I think Zagreus needs me. And I wish to know my son.”

“Of course, my lady.” You told her. “We all know he brings you great joy.”

You closed your eyes, and silently cursed your own weakness.

~

Persephone left on a beautiful morning, the cheerful skies seemingly uncaring of your grief. Your sisters murmured and some wept, but there was the harvest and the garden that needed tending to. As well the house.

So that what you did, you cared for the land, to the solid wood of the home. The sun drifted on, and the wheat fell under the scythe and new seeds were planted. It didn’t help the pain in your heart but at least you could do this for Persephone. 

One by one, each of your sisters left after the harvest.  They will return next year, some rounded with children, some with tales of far away places and for some, it will be their daughters in their places. 

Then it was just you. 

~

It was when you saw the burnt grass that you knew you weren’t alone. Your mouth thinned in disapproval, you have seen it before. 

It meant that Persephone’s son, Zagreus was in the garden. 

You never saw him despite him visiting Persephone. The visits were never long, just a few hours and typically by the time you knew there was a stranger in the garden, all that was left were Persephone’s tears and blood.

And the lingering smell of burnt grass.

Carefully you followed the footsteps, thankful that he had stuck to the beaten dirt path.  Maybe it was unkind, but you were planning on a firm word with him. Just because Persephone was fine with him going and coming whenever he pleased, didn’t mean you were. 

It didn’t take long to find him, kneeling on his knee and his fingers carefully touching the pale petals of the lilies. 

He didn’t look anything like you expected. It was rare to see a man, only women and children were allowed to be in Persephone’s sanctuary. It would be easy to mistake him for a mortal at first glance. However, there was a strength to his form, broad shoulders and a fluid grace to his movements that spoke of his godhood.

“Their petals are fragile. I suggest not touching them.” Your voice came out sharp and Zagreus jerked his hand away like a guilty child. He stood quickly, turning to you. 

The god looked battle-worn, deep marks on his chest, barely healed cuts on his arms and face. There was a lingering exhaustion in his eyes. He looked surprised, his eyes unwavering from you, then he smiled, slow and warm.

Warmth flooded inside your very core at the sight but you held your head high, your scowl unfading.

“I know you.” Zagreus said, his voice a rumble, a contrast against the gentle birdsong and quiet ruffle of grain. “You’re my mother’s high priestess.”

“And you’re Zagreus. Her son.” You replied. 

There was a pause then you asked. “What are you doing here?” 

Zagreus looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah. Mother asked me to check on the garden. And on you. She suggested that you might need help.” 

“I do not.” You said brusquely. Zagreus gave you a startled glance and you sighed. Guilt was an unwelcome guest but you felt its weight in your chest. 

You sighed, “Forgive me, I am not used to strangers. It is very kind of you to fulfill  Lady Persephone’s wishes.”

Zagrues chuckled, a grin on his face. It made him appear boyishly sweet. “Truthfully, it's probably better if you didn’t need my help. I never gardened before. I would have killed anything I touched.”

You clicked your tongue, “Never?” You couldn’t imagine such a thing, you had been born among the trees and flowers. You had grown up side by side with the plants, learning the cycles of the seasons and your role in it.

“Never. The underworld is nothing like this. To me, not even the beauty of Elysium comes close to this place.” Zagreus said. His hand waved toward the lilies, to the trees. His face was thoughtful. “The work my mother -and you- put into this place is amazing.”

Your fingers curled over your stomach as pity grew. You still resented him for the pain he caused but…

“Would you like to see the rest?” You offered. “I have finished most of today’s chores and the apple trees are fruiting.”

Zagreus’ mismatched eyes locked on yours and you held your breath, awaiting for a judgment you just now only aware of. You wondered if Zagreus resented you the same you did to him.

Then the same warm smile returned. 

“I would like that very much.” Zagreus said quietly. 

Not sparing a moment to think about the warm flush on your cheeks, you turned on your heels. Without missing a beat, Zagrues fell in step with you. This close, you felt the warmth of his body. There was a faint smell of copper and smoke. 

You kept your eyes forward, not letting him see how off balanced he made you.

You pointed to each and every plant as they walked past. Persephone understood plants in a way no else could as far as you were concerned. Every spot was carefully chosen to maximize the plants’ growth and health. 

You told this to Zagreus, pausing in front of the yarrow, the flowers reaching high up to the sun. 

“These are yarrows.” You paused, glancing toward Zagreus who offered you a raised eyebrow. “They are also known as the warrior plant. Perhaps I can make you some medicine, it will help you heal.”

At your words, Zagreus’ lip quirked up, a false smile. “I appreciate it. I do but these won’t help me. Nothing will.” 

You frowned, mouth parting in question when without a single word, Zagrues walked past you, nodding toward the tall sunflowers. “Now tell me, what are these lovely things?”

Normally you would scoff at such words, what man would think himself above such needs? But the memories of Persephone weeping, her hands, bloody and trembling, hovering over nothing flashed in your mind.

You should have asked more questions but Persephone, for as much as you had cared for her, kept many things close to the chest, Zagreus the closest of all. The said god was looking at you, his black hair ruffled by the soft breeze. 

Like this, he wasn’t the villain you thought he was, tearing through the garden and breaking your Lady’s heart. There was a gentleness to him, most would have stomped through the garden, picking apart the flowers but Zagreus had been careful with every single touch. 

“Sunflowers.” You told him, moving to stand by his side. “They are always searching for the sun. They follow its path though the skies. Always looking but never able to touch.”

Zagreus frowned, “What a sad story for a cheerful looking plant.” 

You inclined your head in quiet agreement,  “Come along, I shall show you the apples. Some food will lighten the mood.” 

He nodded, however his eyes lingered on the sunflower. The flowers only swayed the breeze, unaware of the god staring at their dark faces. 

The apples would help that you were sure of, the sweetness unlike anything. The sight of the trees, colorful and lush, would be a treat of itself. 

Only Zagreus never made it. 

Among the pale yarrow and yearning sunflowers and quiet birdsong, he collapsed. Your body moved before you realized it, your arms around his chest as you were dragged down with him. 

His firm chest was under your ear and there was a moment of embarrassment, your cheeks flushed. Then you heard it, the slowing of a heartbeat. That he wasn’t quite as warm as he was before and when he let out a breath, it rattled.

You shifted quickly, placing a spread hand over where his heart was as you sat up. One your ribbons brushed against his shoulder when you moved to study his face. “Zagreus? Are you alright?” 

His eyes met yours and he offered up a weak smile. “Forgive me. You can leave me here. This isn’t the worst place to die alone.”

Your brow furrowed, and Zagreus sighed, the rattle stronger. “My mother didn’t tell you, did she?” 

“Don’t speak. Save your strength.” You ordered, your mind scrambling for solutions. Yarrows were only good for when there was a wound, but there was no wound that you could see.

Zagreus huffed out a laugh, his hand reached up to cover yours and your breath hitched at the casual intimacy. His hand was warm and dry, his calloused fingertips brushing your skin. 

“Thank you for showing me. The flowers are almost as lovely as you are.” Zagreus said, his words slurring together. You stared down at him, the beating of his heart fading. 

“I-“ you tried to say, but there was a thick knot in your throat. It was one thing to know plants and animals die, it was the natural course of life. 

Born, live, die. 

It was another thing to feel the fading of life itself. 

“Can I come back?” Zagreus asked softly. If you said no, you knew he would never step into the garden again. 

And you found that you couldn’t bear the cruelness of it, of him never knowing his own Mother’s garden. To not know how the cool, damp earth felt against sun warm skin, of teeth sinking into the sweet flesh of apples or the cool water down a parched throat. 

Persephone had chosen you to serve her until your last breath. In that moment, you knew your duty belonged to Zagreus as well, in whatever way you could help him. 

How odd things change so quickly.

With your uncovered hand, you brushed his dark hair, silky smooth between your fingers. 

“I will come get you myself if you don't return to me.” You said, your voice painfully gentle. Zagreus smiled.

In the next breath, he was gone. 

~

Fat, lazy clouds rolled past, casting long shadows across the land. The sunlight shone through the trees and the sunflowers chased after it. The birds were singing their songs, coaxing mates to them and feeding their babies. 

Dirt on your bare feet and the wind in your hair, you worked with a low hum. It was an old song, one that you heard Persephone sung before. You didn’t know the words but you knew the rhythm of it. 

Plucking the ripe tomatoes, you placed them in the basket next to the cucumbers, you checked over the rest. Like all of Persephone’s plants, the tomatoes grew strong and healthy.

A memory of mismatched eyes going dull came to you, a weight of pity grew in your chest and you sighed at your foolishnesses. There was a cycle to everything, even for gods.

Yet the memory lingered. 

It was when you were cleaning the front porch, your boom sweeping the dust off when you felt eyes on you. Your hands tightened around the wood, more than ready to chase away any unwelcome guest. Whirling around, your mouth parted with a warning ready but you stopped short. 

Zagreus flashed you an easy grin, already just a few steps away from you. There was a moment as you and him studied each other, and you wondered if he was struggling with what to say just as you were.

“So how about those apples huh?” Zagreus said, an amused glint in those mismatched eyes. Red and green, they were bright with life. It was beautiful and you found you couldn’t look away. 

You huffed in annoyance but your lips twitched, giving away your smile. And Zagreus just laughed, warm and full of life. 

~

A new cycle began. 

Just as the sun rose in the east and sunk into the west, so did Zagreus. So did you.

You taught him how to plant seeds, taking his hands and pressing them against the cool earth. His amazed face when he saw the spouts, tiny and bright green and helpless, made you laugh. 

You had forgotten the joy of a new discovery. 

You shared everything with him, the taste of apples, the golden barley in the sunset and the quietness of early mornings and the songs of crickets during twilight. Often, you caught his eyes lingering on you but you only turned away, not quite ready to… you weren’t even sure what. 

There was an unfamiliar ache in you, one that you thought you would never feel and you thought how sunflowers chased after the sun, forever pinning and you felt a kinship with them.

In turn, he told you of the underworld, of the shades and gods that made their home there. You tried to imagine it but it all seemed so far away even if you knew you would be among the shades yourself someday.

For now, however, there was the garden. There was you and Zagreus. 

~

"My mother had been asking about you." Zagreus told you one day, his hands were dirty from working the earth but he seemed pleased. His shoulders relaxed and there was a smile that never left his face.

“Oh? What did you tell her?” You asked as you moved away from the roses, freshly pruned and the red petals were bright in the daylight. With a sigh, you joined him under the shade of trees. You folded your hands in your lap as you settled down.

“The usual. I think she misses you, she talks about you often.” Zagrues said, tugging at the grass. There was a hesitation in his tone and you glanced at him with a frown.

“But?” You prompted. It was one of the first things you learned about Zagreus, he was an open book unless he had no choice. 

“She worries about how you are going to handle the upcoming season.” Zagreus said. A breeze came by, and with it, dozens of leaves followed. There was a chill to the air that wasn’t there before. 

With the power of Persephone, the garden only knew everlasting bloom. The life here was lush and full and there had been flowers planted by generations of mothers and daughters that had never been touched by rot or death. 

There was a cycle, and not even the garden of life would be spared. 

Rough fingertips brushed against your knuckles, and you were struck by how much bigger he was. You didn’t pull away. Carefully, he shifted and took one of your hands, his thumb brushing across your skin.  There was dirt but you found that you didn't care, especially since your own hands were marked by the earth.

“I told her I wish I could stay up here with you.” Zagreus said, his voice held an intensity that you weren’t used to. Slowly, you met his eyes and your breath hitched at the closeness. 

“Can you?” You asked quietly. Your heart raced at the thought of having Zagreus with you for longer, that you and him would survive together with the winter to come. That maybe you might allow for more if he could.

At this, Zagreus squeezed your hand. “I want to. But…”

Just like your hope was dashed but you didn’t resent him for it. Zagreus was a bit like a sunflower, blooming only once to chase after the golden rays of light before returning to the earth. 

“Tell her I will be fine.” You said, returning the squeeze. “Tell her I have planned for it. That I am looking forward to resting. I don’t think I've ever seen snow before.”

“And you will stay warm?” Zagreus asked sharply, leaning in closer. You felt like you saw every hues of green and red in those beautiful eyes. He reached brushing a stray hair from your face. 

“Yes. I will.” You said quietly. 

“Good.” Zagreus said, just as quiet.

Then he kissed you. 

It was gentle but warm sparks went off in your core as you carefully returned it. You leaned more into him, just wanting to feel him. Your other hand pressed against his chest, his heart strong under your palm. You felt weightless, like nothing but Zagreus could keep you grounded. 

Even when the kiss broke, the feeling remained. He smiled at you, his cheeks flushed.  

And you kissed him under the canopy of trees, the smell of roses drifting through the air and you felt like the winter itself would never touch you.

~

Flower/plant index

Wheat: Staff of life, Resurrection

Lavender: Devotion, Grace

Lily: Devotion, Purity, Associated with Hera and Zeus

Apples: Love, Good health, Associated with Aphrodite

Yarrow:Courage, Love against all odds, Associated with Achilles

Sunflowers: Unwavering faith, Loyalty, Associated with Apollo and Clytie

Roses: Romantic Love, Passion, Sacrifice, Associated with Aphrodite.

[deady-nightshade]

About this Blog, Video Game Edition

This blog offers Video Game x Reader literature, and it is primarily an 18+ Blog...no minors! Themes I will NOT include in writing: necrophilia, incest, non-con, or minor/adult content. Themes that might be included: war, blood, kidnapping, arranged marriages, magic, plagues, resurrection, gods/goddess, etc...

Also, feel free to send requests. When you do, please specify the fandom, character and gender of the reader, along with any additional elements that you would like for me to include. For example, Hypnos (Hades Game) with a F! Reader that is a flower nymph.

**This blog will be a F!Reader by default, but I will also write M!Readers and GN!Readers. If you want me to change the gender of the reader, please ask/make sure that it is included in your requests, otherwise I will write the Reader as Female.

Content Offered

HeadCanons (HC)

Blurbs (500 words or less.)

Scenarioas (word length ranges, but they will have a beginning, middle and an ending, with the possibility of becoming miniseries).

Content Guide (sexual content wise)

💛 Yellow heart: SFW

💗 Pink heart: Soft NSFW (oral sex, fingering, masturbation, etc...)

❤️‍🔥 Red, flaming heart: Hard NSFW (penetrative sex)

**Below are the fandoms and characters that I will write for!**

Hades 

Zagreus 

Hypnos

Thanatos

Chaos

Ares 

Dionysus

Hermes 

Megaera/Alecto/Tisiphone 

Aphrodite 

Athena

Artemis 

The Arcana

Asra

Lucio

Julian

Muriel

Nadia

Portia 

Valdemar

Valerius

[durotoswrites]

For the writing meme thingy: 🍄how do you get yourself in the mood to write? 🍑 do you/would you write smut? 📒 any fics planned?

🍄 How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Getting in the mood to write and actually wanting to sit down and start writing are two very different things, but they're connected, so I'll explain both.

To set into “creative mode” it helps me to do these things:

Listen to music that makes me think of a character/situation in my story/stories. I've got playlists separated by character and pairing. Sometimes I also just work on curating those playlists for fun and get my brain going.

Bounce overall ideas off of my friends and husband/editor (but he's my best friend, too 💗)

Reread old chapters or recent ones and future snippets based on what I want to do.

Once I actually want to put words down, I get a little more strict with myself. I get distracted verrrry easily sometimes and I have to fight the urge to open a million more tabs when researching a small detail.

I move to instrumental music (I have playlists for different moods like “emotional”, “soft”, “sad”, etc. I usually listen to “soft” as a general soothing background sound, as I can get pretty dang emotional when I write, especially with the stuff I've been churning out lately.

So, yeah, I need tissues within reach if I get upset. (Wow, I'm not making this sound fun at all, lmao)

After sound has been established, I like to eat a snack (something with protein) because I can be under for hours, lol. Eat it and finish it. Otherwise, I get distracted.

I also like to have drinks available. I always have a bottle of water, but I also like having a hot cup of tea. I think it's the time of year for me to switch to cold barley tea.

I write while seated on a recliner with my feet up. I have my laptop on a lap desk and it's a pretty cozy setup.

I basically try to remove any excuse I have to get up once I start writing, because I am the worst procrastinator I know.

🍑Do you/would you write smut?

Heheh... heck yeah, I do. Waaaaay more than most people realize. Stuff I've actually posted? It's pretty limited. I posted a couple pieces (Let Me Love You and You're Like the Sunshine) a few years ago, but I've been practicing ever since. One of my planned stories literally has what I refer to as a “smut dump” in the draft where I've been experimenting with writing different moods. I like the intimate scenes to play a role in the overall plot or have it be a bonding experience.

Despite that, I do have a shameless Gray x Mary story I should just get out there that has zero plot, just two cuties in love. In my mind it's so naughty and kinky and I get flustered thinking about it (Mary is hot, okay?), but it's probably hella vanilla, lmao. I really am grateful that people have been really supportive about my writing smut despite what I usually write, and they've been so encouraging, too! I honestly feel like the smut I've posted is really stilted because I was so self-conscious about it. I don't feel like they are terrible for first attempts, but I have definitely grown more comfortable writing it.

Will The Shy Newcomer become explicit? I kinda really want it to, but I might separate the chapters for those who don't care for that content. Overall, I'd like to write more and post more, and I want to write more than just male x female smut as well. I have some of those in my planned pieces (more about them later).

📒 Any Fics Planned?

Firstly, I'm super tickled more than one person was interested in this. I copied the answer I wrote earlier.

Short answer: Yes. I also plan to bring more of my stories over from ffn to Ao3.

Long answer under the cut, heheh. I rambled quite a bit.

Ask me about my writing processes and stories!

I have so many WIPs that haven’t been touched in years that I’d like to finish, so new planned fics aren’t posted yet. Some of them have more adult themes than most of the stuff I’ve been writing, so I get flustered sharing them. I’ve been at a crossroads, as I feel that you can’t have growth without changing things up. On the other hand, I feel like a lot of my readers associate my works with a specific “wholesome” feel-good mood. It’s kinda nice to be known for something, although that might just be my ego talking, thinking that people recognize my work as a “type”.

Regardless, in the end, I feel growth is necessary.

I don’t want to leave a lot of unfinished WIPs waiting because they stress me out and I have too many of them already, so I’d like to have a bulk of my new stories with a good chunk written before I decide to post them.

Among those include:

A longfic featuring Pete’s farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley (A blend of HMDS with the FoMT plugin and AWL). It takes place in the same universe as The Shy Newcomer (Claire in Mineral Town) and there are a few overlapping moments, although Pete’s story starts first. Pete’s personality is verrry different from Claire’s, and his story was kind of supposed to be the yang to TSN’s yin. Pete’s best friends in his story are Ruby (not sure if I’m adding Tim yet), Nami, and Rock. Readers will be treated to a poorly-socialized pre-Mineral Town Cliff (if you think he was bad at the beginning of TSN, well… heh… he’s a wreck here).

Another planned unpublished story is a crossover of Harvest Moon and the movie “In This Corner of the World”, based on a manga of the same name by Fumiyo Kouno. It was written as a gift for a friend. I have the entire outline figured out and have slowly been filling it in. My friend asked for an AU where Claire and Cliff have an arranged marriage and live with his family in Akiyama, the hometown I had created for Cliff in The Shy Newcomer. I took the opportunity to expand the characters in his family. I have it written during the same time period and society as “In This Corner of the World”, but had decided to write a spreading disease as an allegory for war, but then COVID happened and some parts of it just got really hard to write. There are also a lot of sexually explicit content as Claire slowly grows and learns from her spouse that it’s okay to express what she wants despite sex being a taboo issue. If there’s enough interest in the story, I’ll post it, but I worry it’s a little too niche for there to be many people into it.

Pastor Carter and Doctor Trent are one of my favorite rare pair ships. I’ve had a partial draft for a story about them for a few years now, especially focusing on Trent growing up and acknowledging that he has an unhealthy addiction for things that he knows he can’t have. There are some more adult/sexual themes in this piece, too, including the main character lusting after a married woman (who also happens to be his patient) and some lemons. (Does anyone call it that anymore or is it just referred to as “smut” nowadays? Haha) I always feel so bad for neglecting the folks at the clinic in-game and wanted to write a piece that focused more on them, Trent specifically. It’s a multi-chap fic, but I don’t think I’m going to let it get as long as some of my other pieces.

I also really want to write a short romantic oneshot for every marriage candidate in Mineral Town, around 1,000 words each. So far, I have one for Cliff and one for Gray. I want to write Claire with everyone, because I think it would be fun to explore all the different personalities.

I have more installments planned for A Single Day, including a day in the life of the following characters, all with drafts in varying degrees of progress:

Anna

Doug

Nora (yes, I’m writing from the point of view of the cat living at the inn)

More to come – I think Lillia and Thomas would be especially interesting to explore

I do still have that Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask piece I’ve been pondering where Link befriends the soul of the deku scrub child while possessed by the mask. I don’t have much written about it, but I really love the world of Majora’s Mask. Such a fun game.

I also think about the lead carpenter’s son in Ocarina of Time and that weird side quest involving the blue chicken and the son being lost to the forest. Then that unique-looking kokiri girl explaining that all who get taken in the lost woods become stalfos. Like, did the guy die? Was he sick? Did he want to die? There’s just so much going on there that would be fun to explore.

I also have played OMORI recently and have like… A LOT of feelings about it. I don’t know what I’d write, but I’m still damn impressed at how well the characters are developed in such a short game.

Other games I’ve had vague ideas about writing for include the following:

The Flame in the Flood: I’m thinking a survivalist/action story fleshing out Scout’s backstory a bit more and her thoughts as she’s traveling. I feel like she’s a very lonely person, but isn’t given the chance to really dwell on it.

Night In the Woods: I’d love to write more about Mae’s dreams and what they mean to her. She doesn’t really talk to anyone about them openly, so it’s really hard to tell her feelings about them in some regards. We know that she’s distressed about them, but I’d like to dive a little deeper. Do the nightmares end after the games does? What about Bea’s new nightmares?

Hades (Supergiant Games): I think it would be fun to write more about the events that take place before the game starts, like Zagreus’s duties in the house of Hades, and expand on the strained relationship with his father.

[slayerkid]

I'll be your Shade | Zagreus x shade!Reader chapter 3 update

Chapter 3 of my fic is out now! Which you can check it out here!

Been a while since I had time to update the fic so I'm glad that I finally was able to post it last night!

Chapter 3 Summary:

The hooded shade's first day on the job was quiet the day. But at least they get to pet the dog.

For those of you who for the first time are hearing about this fanfic, here's the overall summary

I'll be your Shade overall summary:

A shade with no recollection of their memories from when they were alive. With nothing better to do, and unable to pay the toll to take a boat ride across the Styx river, they wander around the underworld till they come across new friends. Especially a certain prince of the Underworld! Will they befriend him and possibly be a wholesome part of a polycule? Regardless, they shall be supportive of the prince! (Ongoing)

A Zagreus x (any gender) reader centric

Chapter 1 can be read here!

[smallraindrops-blog]

May I please request a Zagreus and fem!s/o where s/o is a river nymph of Styx? I really don't know where to go with that but I think it's an interesting prompt. Please and Thank you.

Where We Will Begin Again

Zagreus x Female!reader

Warnings: kissing, no beta.

Word count: 1.6

Notes: Hey Anon, thanks for the fun prompt! I really hope you like it! ❤️ ❤️

Sometimes it was impossible to know when you started and the Styx ended.

You learned the rhyme of the river, and how it hid your mother’s heart away in its depth. Of the mortal blood that flowed and of Charon, his boat was ever steady among the wailing.

You followed him sometimes, tracing his path from behind. You never got close to the land though, you just watched from afar as shades talked to the looming god.

One time you got close enough to touch his boat, the wood smooth against your fingertips. You gasped when you heard a groan from above and yanked your hand away, your guilty hand curling against your chest. You looked up to see his eye staring down at you and you froze, staring back at him.

Then he reached down, placing a gentle hand on your head, uncaring of the blood that surrounded you. He groaned, and maybe it would have been nonsense to anyone else but you heard his words. ‘Be good, little one. Return to your mother and sisters.’

Then his hand left your head, fingers marked by blood. You nodded and with one last look back toward the boatman who tipped his hat at you, you returned to the embrace of the Styx.

~

You have been content.

You had been more than happy to attend to the river and to your mother's heart, to wave Charon on after he let the mortals off. You liked the mortals, their stories and the quiet way they rebuild their lives.

You have your sisters to care for, weaving the same tales your mother told you as you guide them along the river.

But…

You knew of the prince, how could you not?

Even his attempts to break his ties to the underworld had reached your ears. You knew every time the Styx had claimed the young god, the power of a god filling the river in a way no mortal could.

“What a fool, just dying over and over again. And for what?” Your little sisters muttered as the prince floated down the river, watching him with confused eyes.

They were young, their hearts still whole. Unlike your mother’s. Unlike yours.

You said nothing as the river had sent him your way, the water calm as it carried his form.

You thought about your mother’s tales, of Achilles’ mother placing him in the river to try to save him from his fate, her lips muttering prayers, tears spilling from her eyes.

Of when Hypnos had made Hera swear to give him Pasithea’s hand in marriage, his golden eyes were hard and desperate, not a warrior but willing to be one for her.

Of when Lord Hades and his queen had taken their wedding vows, different souls but whole when together, their voices low and tender.

You stopped him for a moment when he drifted past you with gentle hands on his face. You studied the prince of the underworld, at the line of his jaw, the fan of his dark lashes and his messy black hair.

“I think.” You said carefully. “He might have his reasons.”

And with a caress on his forehead, you let Zagreus go.

~

“An oathkeeper.” A voice said behind you, low and reverential.

You whirled around with a gasp, still knee-deep in the river. You haven’t heard someone call you that name in a long time.

You blinked when you saw the prince standing at the shore, his sword in hand. He looked just as surprised as you did. He had been fighting, his bottom lip busted open and you saw the bruises all over his body.  Even far away as you were, you saw the strength in his form.

You said nothing. What could you say to this god before you?

Even beaten and worn down, he looked like a prince. Straight back and proud, he stepped into the shallow water with you, water lapping up his knees but he stopped there. His mismatched eyes - and how odd, you’ve never seen eyes like those before even among gods-  held your stare and only then were you able to find the words.

“Your Highness.” You said, and you cursed at how weak your voice sounded.“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“My apologies for scaring you.” Prince Zagreus gave you a boyishly sweet grin, and you forgot for a moment that he was a prince, and not just an excited boy. “I never thought I would see, let alone meet one of the river Styx’s daughters.”

You tilted your head, watching the god before you. “Well, your highness. Here I am. I must say it doesn’t look like it will be long before you will join the river once more.”

Prince Zagreus gave a rueful laugh, “I look that rough, huh?” Then he gave a cheerful grin, “At least I don’t look as bad as the other guy does.”

You laughed quietly. “I suppose not, your highness.” Your eyes swept his form, and you thought of how he looked before. His face peaceful in his rest, made whole once more. You thought how hsi skin felt against your hands. Of the smile he graces you with now.

You picked up your skirt, bunching the fabric between your fingers and moved closer to him. He almost reached for you, as if fearing you would trip but the river held you steady.

His fingers curled back, and he said nothing. You offered a grin, a small one. Then you cupped his cheek with one hand then leaned close. You brushed your lips against his other cheek. “A second chance, your highness.”

He gasped at your soft kiss, at the power of the styx.  His hand found your wrist, his hold was gentle even with his rough fingertips.

You pulled back with a smile, took several steps back into the river and before he could call you back, you were claimed by the river again.

~

Your sisters gathered around you when you returned home.

The prince had made his way past the Hydra, a feat no one else had done before.

Yet he had.

They whispered among themselves, eyes bright and soft giggling between words but you stayed quiet, your fingers curling into your tunic. You waited for the call of the river to come for you, to attend to the prince once more.

You did not tell your sisters of the blessing you granted him.

~

He found you again, somehow.

You stared at him as he joined you in the river again. You shoved away the warmth you felt bloom inside your gut and clasped your hands as you waited for him to get closer.

“I don’t think you know how much I owe you my gratitude, daughter of Styx.” Prince Zagreus said in a low tone, words only for you and him.

You only nodded with a curl of a smile. “It is no trouble, your highness.” You almost turned away when he held out a hand. “Wait, I got you something.”

You blinked at the bottle he held, round and golden. Nectar. You didn’t reach out for it, unsure what to even say.

You have never been given such a thing before.

“Please. I know it’s not much of a gift.” Prince Zagreus said but you shook your head, your hands curling over his.  And your cheeks warmed when you realized how smaller your hands were against his, at how different you and him were.

“It’s perfect, your highness.” You whispered as you took the weight of the bottle into your hands. You ran a finger over the bow, smiling even at the doubtful look he gave you. “Truly, it is. Thank you, Prince Zagreus.”

“Zagreus. Please. Just Zagreus.” He grinned at you, and you couldn’t help but blush at it.

“Zagreus.” You agreed quietly.

~

Your mother whispered to you when you returned to her. Styx was ancient, even among gods and her mere presence carried weight.

“Are you sure about this, child? He may not stay. Such as a bird, trying to be free.” She said. It wasn’t meant to be cruel but you flinched at her words.

You curled around the bottle of nectar, biting on your bottom lip. It was foolish. It was nothing to a god like him but you never even saw something like this before.

Nor anyone like Zagreus.

Your mother sighed, and placed a gentle hand on your head.

“Remember you can always return to me, to the river, to the flow of mortal life.” She whispered and with that she was gone.

~

You were alone this time when the river sent Zagreus your way. You hurried over to him, his body carried by the river.

He looked like he was asleep, almost childlike in how sweet he looked. You smiled as you held his face between your hands. You brushed his black hair out his face as you whispered a prayer for him.

“Oh. It’s you.” He slurred. His voice was warm and fond. Your eyes snapped to his and he was staring at you. Like you were the one to save him. Like there was no one else but you. His hand reached up and cupped the back of your head. You gave in to the gentle pressure and leaned down.

He kissed you, a soft and chaste kiss. It only lasted for a moment before his hand dropped back into the river.

“I will come and find you.” He promised as he fought to stay awake. You shushed him gently, like a mother would a child “And I will be here waiting for you, Zagreus. Never doubt that.”

He smiled before darkness claimed him.

This time you didn’t let go, you guided him down the river yourself, only letting go when you got close to his home.

You watched the river claim him and you knew you would wait centuries for him.

~

Later when it was you and him, his hands covering yours, he swore an oath. His forehead against yours as he spoke low and sweet, his eyes never leaving yours.

With body, soul and heart, I return to thee.

[smallraindrops-blog]

Heya! Its Lilith! I know I've said it thousands of times, but holy shit you write SOOOOO good!!!! You said to send in the ideas i had well i've got one! Could you do a Zagreus x reader whos is the daughter of Anubis (Egyptian god) and had been sent to go greet and Greek gods to ask if their underworlds could be combined for whatever reason? And she meets Zagreus and he forms a huge crush on her and they get together? Its a bit vague as i havent fleshed it out very well but I wanted to see your take on it?

The Weight Of A Heart

Zagreus x Female!reader

Work count 5k

Warnings: Death, talking of the death of children, talk of doom for souls/gods, kissing, implied intimacy, no beta. Will have a happy ending, just in case that wasn’t clear

Note: Hey! Thanks for this fun prompt, and I hope this is close to what you were looking for. 💜 @jewelwayne101 (tagging you since tumblr was being a butt last time)

Quick thing to note: I am playing fast and loose with a lot of stuff, so just that in mind. I also had to read up more on ancient Egyptian mythology thus part of the reason it took me some time.

Enjoy!

Like the sand of an hourglass, fate has come for you as well.

You stood straight and proud as your father carried the jackal head to you. Black as of void, its irises were made of gold and it stared at you accusingly. As if you weren’t worth it’s time.

You took a sharp breath, you didn’t care what the others whispered, you will prove yourself worthy as a daughter of Anubis.

Anubis stared at you and you made yourself hold his stare even as your hands shook.

At last, he spoke. “Be brave, you are but one more grain of sand among the many.”

You said nothing and bowed your head.

A heartbeat later, your face was covered by void.

~

Say what you will of the Greeks Pantheon, they knew how to make an impression.

Hermes stood bright and golden, his scarf moved like flames among the snow. You almost missed how cold snow was. And you didn’t realize how soft it would feel under your feet. You wondered if the rest of the underworld was like this.

He beamed at you and your Father, like you were old friends. “Oh my, Anubis. You didn’t tell me she got so big.” He said to Anubis, his voice lightening fast.

Then he turned to you, holding a hand to his temple then to yours. “The last time I saw you I think you stood knee high.”  He lowered his hand with a laugh, “I forget how quickly young gods grow up.”

“I trust that you will make sure my daughter will make it safely?” Anubis spoke more slowly but Hermes didn’t seem impatient. He acted like he had all the time in the world for your father.

“Don’t worry about a single thing, fellow guild. I know Lord Hades and his Queen had done everything in their power to make your daughter feel right at home.”

You doubted that but you knew better than to voice it.  You and the rest of the Egyptians needed this to work out.  If it didn’t…

As the door of the Underworld opened, your Father gave you a hug.

“Be brave.” He whispered

“For I am but one more grain of sand among the many.” You whispered back.

Anubis held for a second longer, not wanting to let you go but with one last squeeze, he did.

He took a step back, and watched you walk through the door. You gave him one last glance backwards as the doors closed shut.

~

Queen Persephone had a simple grace to her movement. She reminded you of a farmer’s wife, hardworking and intimately familiar with the seasons. However her eyes were the most pure green you have ever seen, not even the purest of jades could match it.

She smiled at you warmly and you took an immediate liking to her.

“Daughter of Anubis, welcome to House of Hades.” Queen Persephone greeted, clasp your hands between hers.

“Queen Persephone, thank you so much for welcoming me to your lovely home.” You told her. “I never realized how amazing it would be.”

Queen Persephone smiled, “I’m glad the boat ride agreed with you.” She took your arm in hers as she walked you through the entrance. “I must admit, I do wish you could have seen Asphodel in its prime.”

“Asphodel was that place with magma, correct?” You asked. You couldn’t help but look at the walls and the paintings, it was so different from your own home. Your eye caught on a picture of Queen Persephone sitting down with another god standing behind her, his jet black hair messy and his smile soft. His hands rested on her shoulders as they both looked at the viewer.

“That would be my son, Prince Zagreus. You will meet him and my husband, Lord Hades later.” Queen Persephone said, smiling warmly at the artwork. Even in her face, you could see the love she had for her son.

“I’m looking forward to it.” You said and you meant it.

Maybe there was a chance for your home after all.

~

However your first impression of Lord Hades and Prince Zagrues was less than… Fortune.

“Are you serious?” A male voice came from behind the door. “And you just-“

“I won’t tolerate this disrespect, boy.” Another male voice nearly shook the hallway you were in. You stared at the door, surprised at the sheer volume. The power of the voice could rival Set himself.

The other voice, the boy if you had to guess, just laughed, “And what if we don’t help them, how long before the-“

“Excuse me.” Queen Persephone said, her mouth tight.  You simply nodded, glad the mask covered any nervousness you might have shown. You stayed where you were as Queen Persephone pushed past the door.

Only when you were alone did you let your shoulders slump, maybe you had gotten your hope up too soon.

Then the door slammed open, and it took you a moment to realize that you were looking at Prince Zagreus. The painting didn’t do him justice, you realized. You didn’t expect his shoulders to be so broad or the strength in his form.

He stared at you, no doubt put off by the mask you thought with a twist of your mouth.

“Your Highness.” You replied coolly.

He blinked his mismatched eyes, odd even for a god, and opened his mouth to say something when Lord Hades placed a hand on his shoulder. Zagreus’ mouth snapped shut and he pulled away from his father.

You knew Lord Hades would be huge, Hermes had warned you about him and of his temper. Not all the warnings in the world could have prepared you.

“Daughter of Anubis.” Lord Hades greeted you politely as you shook hands with him.“I trust your trip was pleasant.”

“It was. I didn’t realize how unique every level of the underworld was. You must have put a lot of work into it.” You said.

“And this is my son, Prince Zagrues.” Queen Persephone pushed him forward and he offered up a smile, making him look boyishly sweet. “Yes, it’s truly nice to meet you, I don’t think we ever had a goddess from Egypt before.”

“I would hope not.” You said politely. Prince Zagreus looked ready to ask you another question when Lord Hades spoke up.

“I’m sure you would like a chance to rest after such a long trip, Lady Y/N.” Lord Hades looked down at his son. “Show her where she will be staying, and mind your manners, boy.”

Prince Zagreus gave a quick eye roll, an act so brazen you almost didn’t think it happened. He took a step forward with a smile, “Please, let me show you your room.”

~

Later when alone in a bedchamber, you pulled the mask off and stared down at it. You rubbed your thumb along the muzzle with a sigh. You rested your forehead on the jackal’s temple.

Please, please you thought to yourself, let this be the right decision.

~

So far, everything was going well. You and Queen Persephone got along amazingly well and even Lord Hades seemed accepting of your presence. Lady Nyx understood what you were trying to do and all of her sons were willing to go along with it.

It was all coming together and the chokehold that Ammit had over the gods and goddesses can end.

You stood on the cliff, looking over the beauty of Elysium. It really could rival Sekhet-Aaru in beauty, and you wished you could take your mask to feel the breeze.

This place will be well suited for your people, families could make a home here until they were ready for rebirth and no longer fear the bite of Ammit.

Yes, this will do nicely.

“Is there a place like this in your underworld?” Prince Zagreus asked, standing several paces away. You turned away from Elysium, and toward it’s prince. Prince Zagreus was an unusual creature. He reminded you more of a mortal warrior, almost too humble to be a god.

“Yes, we call it Sekhet-Aaru.” You rejoined him from the cliff. Prince Zagreus gave a bemused smile, and tried to repeat it.

You laughed a little bit, “Sekhet-Aaru.” You sounded it out for him, amused at his frustration. It took several more tries before he got it.

“It is also known as Field of Reeds if that will be easier for you.” You said, looking back at Elysium. “If I may ask where are the homes of the shades that rest here? In ours, there are countless.”

Now that you think of it, you don’t think you have seen a single child in all of Elysium.

“Homes?” Prince Zagreus with a frown and you returned the frown even though you knew he couldn’t see it.

“Yes, home. The dwelling which your people live in, just like you.” You told him, a growing pit in your stomach.

“Oh.” Prince Zagreus said, titling his head. “They don’t have homes, they have no need for it.”

“What?” You said flatly. No, that can’t be right.

Prince Zagreus raised an eyebrow, “Well, they have rest areas and the markets so they should be fine.”

You laughed, “No, these were humans and they are even after death.” You waved a hand, “You can’t tell me that you thought this was normal.”

Prince Zagreus crossed his arms, “And your Field of Reed has that? Because from I heard that Ammit-“

“Don’t.” You warned softly. “You don’t understand the first thing about your duties as an afterlife god, now do you?”

He scoffed, “I understand it perfectly well, do you?”

You stared at him for a moment, then took a step toward him and when he didn’t back down, you took another step. It felt almost too intimate to stand this close to another person when you only been this close to other family members.

“Where are the children? The farmers? The craftsmen?” You asked gently. Prince Zagreus blinked, not expecting the question. You continued, “If even children and their families are not worth all this,” and you waved toward the false beauty. “Then who is?”

“The greatest of the Greek heroes and warriors.” He said, and you saw something that looked like shame, “The others are in Asphodel.”

You gasped, “In the fire?”

And he nodded.

For long heartbeats, you said nothing. He and you stared at each other and you swallowed. Faintly, you were aware of your ears ringing. Prince Zagreus reached up and placed his hands, warm and rough, on your shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this would upset-“

You pushed his hands off and took several steps away from him. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. For a moment, all you could see was Ammit’s grinning mouth as she swallowed souls after souls and not even your father could get her to stop.

The great devourer and hell itself, Ammit takes all and leaves nothing in her path.

“Lady Y/N?” Prince Zagreus’ voice was soft, gentle unlike before and you suddenly hated him for trying to be kind to you when there were children living in the flames.

“Take me back to my room.” You ordered hoarsely.

~

It must have been a full day since you left your room.

A shade left a tray of food in your room as custom since you were supposed to only eat alone or with close family or with a lover.

You couldn’t touch a single morsel.

You sat in the bath, staring at the rafters. How had this gone so terribly wrong?

Surely your Father must not know about this. From what your father spoke, only Tartarus was for evil souls, too corrupt. He must have not known about Asphodel.

You sunk deeper into the warm waters, and tried to think what to do. Coming to the Greeks had been the last resort and they have failed their people. Ordinary souls shouldn’t be barred from paradise, especially not the little ones who never had a chance.

You refused to go home as a failure. You will bring salvation no matter the cost.

But what to do?

Eventually you got out of the bath, and put on a simple linen dress, not brothing to put your jewelry or even the mask on.

You paced as you mentally wrote a letter to your father, trying to think what to say.

‘Dear beloved Father,

I have failed you and all of Egypt.

Love, your daughter.’

You laughed unhappily, it was better than crying.

At the sound of crashing and footsteps, you looked up in confusion to your doors. Then Prince Zagreus busted though, waving off the shade guarding your bedchamber.

He saw you and stopped in place. He stared at you, a slight smile forming. “Oh. So that's what you look like.”

You blinked, and your hand reached up to your face, expecting the hard coldness of the jackal but touched soft, warm flesh instead.

Your cheeks flushed and you rushed over to the mask and quickly placed it on. Then you wirled back to him and he took some steps backward. Good. he should be scared, you thought, stomping over and shoving him in the chest repeatedly. He held up his hands but you only shoved harder.

“My father would have killed you twice over if he knew what you just did, you utter fool!” You hissed. Zagreus, because you certainly weren’t going to call him a prince after this, grabbed your wrists and held them carefully.

You seriously gave thought about kicking him.

“First off, ow.” He said, “I know I shouldn’t have come in like that but I don’t understand what the big deal is. It's not like I saw anything-“

“The big deal? You saw my face! It is an honor to share one’s face. You might as well walk in on me in the bath.” You snapped. You pulled your hands away with a huff, “Only my parents or a lover are allowed to see my face, and you are neither.”

“Ah.” He said softly. “I didn’t know. Not an excuse obviously. My apologies, I shouldn't have come in here without your permission. I just thought…”

You sighed, crossing your arms. “Why are you here, Zagreus?”

Zagreus reached out then dropped his hand, “I was worried about you. After our talk the other day, I haven’t seen you. And everyday since your arrival, you were always doing something. So I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Between the careful look he gave and his gentle tone, something in you softened. You cursed yourself, this is why you could never take over your Father’s position. It was why you felt safe behind the mask, it hid any weakness you had and now you  felt exposed in front of this god even with it on.

A blush warmed your cheeks and you tried to shove the memory away of his smile.

“It’s quite alright, your highness.” You told him, feeling very tired all of the sudden.

“Zagreus.” He corrected you and he gave you that boyishly sweet smile again. “I finally got you to use my name, and not my title. Admittedly not the way I wanted but I would like to keep it that way.”

You said nothing for a long moment. Then you gave a nod.

“Alright, Zagreus.”

~

You made a personal visit to Asphodel with Zagreus by your side, quiet as the heat built. Even the heat of it was hotter than your own home. The coolness of your mask wasn’t much help.

Zagreus got out first, and held a hand out to you.

You lifted the skirt of your dress with one hand as placed your other hand in Zagreus’. You tried not to think how easily his hand enveloped yours.

You carefully stepped off the boat, glad you wore sandals at the least. You turned to Charon who stared down at you, he reminded you of your father in a way. Quiet and solemn and you couldn’t help the fondness you felt for him.

“Thank you master Charon.” You said simply and he groaned with a nod. With that he pushed his boat onward.

There was a crowd of shades, tucked away in a cave from the worst of the magma. Your heart tightens but you leave them alone.

“How did this happen? Was it always this?” You asked, walking besides Zagreus.

Zagreus was quiet for a moment then shook his head. “No. From what my mother told me, it used to be a field of these flowers called Asphodel, thus the name and trees too.”

He waved a hand toward the bubbling magma, “Then one day something happened with the River Phlegethon. And it overtook the land.”

“No one knows why?”  You asked, allowing Zagreus to guide you around a puddle of magma. His hand on your back for just a moment, steady even in the heat.

“No. I tried to ask my father but not even he knows the causes of it or so he says. When it first happened, they tried to build dams but it always overtook it eventually.” Zagreus said.

You fell quiet, slowly making your way through Asphodel.

This isn’t what you wanted for your people but it would be better than to suffer oblivion at Ammit’s hands.

“Is it true that Ammit just went mad one day?” Zagreus said when you and him reached the end of Asphodel.

You stood in the doorway, taking one last look at Asphodel. You tried to imagine what it looked like before Phlegethon overtook the land.

“No. I think she was always mad. My father is getting older, and the endless judgments weigh heavy on him. And one day…” You stopped, swallowed down the knot that formed in your throat.

You turned to him with your arms crossed, head bow. “One day, there was a child. Children have never lived long enough for their hearts to weigh them down usually. This child was just like the others and they passed the weighting of the heart. When my father picked up their heart to return it to the child, Ammit stole the heart from him and swallowed it whole.”

“Oh gods.” Zagreus whispered. You felt his hand on your arm but you didn’t look up at him. If you did, you might start crying.

“My father and Lord Thoth tried to stop her but every soul that came across was devoured mindlessly. Lord Osiris was able to close off Sekhet-Aaru before she got in. But every day since, any souls that die will perish to her, no matter how light their heart is.”

You took a breath, “This isn’t what I wanted for my people but it will be better than Ammit. Anything would be.”

Zagreus was quiet the whole way back home. When you and him were to part for the evening, he caught your hand gently in his.

“What is ours is yours.” He said.

~

‘Dear Beloved Father,

The Greeks had agreed to open their underworld to ours. They have been very kind to me during my stay here. Lord Hades, Queen Persephone and their son Prince Zagreus agreed to do everything in their powers to help.

I trust you and Lord Hermes already have a plan for what to do. I will stand by as I await your next orders.

Love, your daughter.’

~

“You’re being a fool, you weren’t supposed to let this happen. I trusted you with one job and you were to tell her they would get no help from us.” Lord Hades’ voice was loud in the hallway.

You didn’t mean to overhear, you were on your way to the library but you turned around and walked down the hallway you heard his voice again.

“And this is madness! I already lost control of the Phlegethon river.” Lord Hades yelled.

You stopped short, and tried to listen in. It was shameful to spy on your host but when it came to your people, there was no limit to how low you were willing to go. Especially since you just learned there might be no help coming.

“If no one minds me saying so, is it really that crazy?” It took a moment but that was Hypnos’ voice, “They are strong. Their morals and ours already share so much thanks to Alexander the Great. It won’t be that different.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, he is right.” Thanatos said.

“And Ammit won’t stop. Father, if what Y/N told me is true, Ammit will just eat everything until there is nothing left.” Zagreus said harshly. Even from where you stood, you could hear the desperation in his voice.

“He’s right.” Queen Persephone said much more calmly.

“Maybe it’s time to let the rivers meet again,” Lady Nyx said. “We have let them stuffer long enough.”

Silence filled the hallway and you almost left, fearing you would be found out. But then Queen Persephone spoke, “ After all, once Ammit eats her way through their underworld, what will stop her from coming to this one? And she will come for us, Hades. And for the Norse and Roman gods and so on.”

More silence.

“We need a plan.” Zagreus said.

~

It had been nearly a week.

You have yet to get a letter back from your Father.

You tried to comfort yourself by telling yourself that he must be busy getting their people ready.

~

“I found out why the Phlegethon river overflowed.” Zagreus said softly. You looked from the maps of the Greek underworld, blinking your tired eyes. One thing you weren’t warned about was much harder reading was with a mask on.

“Oh?” You said, voice rough from the lack of use.

You had taken up a corner spot in their library, maps spread out on the table as you tried to work out where you were going to place all of your people. Zagreus had joined you between his runs, helping point places where he knew they could settle in. He had told you the plan and at least, you had something while you waited for your Father.

“It was in love with the river Styx.” Zagures said, his eyes firmly on the maps. “They were trying to reach each other but my father was able to stop it.”

You glanced toward him. “But why would he?” Something in the air changed,a tension that had been building since the first day.

“Because my father thought they would destroy the underworld.” Zagreus finished. He marked an ‘x’ on part of the map, writing in Hyra next to it. You studied his fingers, they looked like a warrior’s hand, broad and rough.

“Yet it happened anyway.” You said with a sigh. You looked back at the maps, your people’s only hope.

Between the nervousness from the lack of letters from your Father, the headache that slowly formed behind your eyes and how the candlelight framed Zagreus’ face, you made a very foolish decision.

“Zagreus, are you hungry?” You watched his face carefully.

“Oh, yes.” Zagreus blinked, “I will have a shade get your food and let you eat alone-“

“I’m sorry.” You said quietly, “I meant to ask, would you like to join me for dinner?”

Zagreus said nothing as he looked at you, and you wondered if he was imaging your face.

“If you don’t want to-“ you started but he took your hand, gentle like you were made something fragile, something cherished.

“I would like that very much.” Zagreus said, his thumb brushing along your skin.

You blushed at the tender smile he gave you.

~

When you bare your face to him, he sighed like a man who finally got a drink of water. He reached up, cupping your face between his hands. Hands that you had grown familiar with and your cheeks warmed at his touch.

“You’re beautiful.” He whispered, close enough to kiss. “I thought I’ve seen beauty before but I was wrong.”

Somehow your blush got even worse and you pressed your cheek into his palm. You never had anyone look at you the way Zagreus did. You tried to form words but every time you looked at his face, at the amazed tenderness of it, you lost your thoughts.

“May I kiss you?” It was a gentle request but you heard the undercurrent of want, of need under it.

You curled a hand in his tunic, “You may.”

His lips caught yours, dipping your head back to deepen the kiss. You and him moved together in the kiss, slow at first but it quickly grew desperate.

You broke the kiss first, gasping slightly. Almost immediately, you and him returned to each other.

For now, nothing else matters but you and him.

~

Unknowingly to you, before Zagreus had returned to you, he found where his father had kept the rivers from meeting.

He would set right to what his father had done wrong.

With his sword, he slammed into the barrier again and again. Until it cracked like glass then shattered into a bright light.

Zagreus huffed, his sword resting his shoulders. He thought of you as he watched the two rivers find each other. He didn’t know what to make of you when he first laid eyes on you, you were nothing else he ever knew. You still were a mystery to him and he found himself only getting in deeper.

A goddess willing to do anything to save her people, her family. He closed his eyes, he just hoped it worked out because he knew your heart, too big and too kind for its own good, would break if it didn’t.

~

You stood on barren grounds and stared out at the land. What once had been covered in magma was now hardened ground but more shades than you ever saw were walking about.

Two children darted past you, screaming with laughter. Even with the stress of the last few weeks, you smiled at their joy even with the mask on.

Lord Hades stood next to his son, staring at Phlegethon. The river still took a good amount of space but it was controlled now. If you could see far enough, you could see where there was a pool of magma for the Bone Hyra.

Lord Hades only sighed, and glanced at his son. “You’re a fool, boy. But maybe so am I.” With that he left you and Zagreus alone among the shades.

You looked across the land, there was still much to be done but it was a start. No doubt Queen Persephone will be able to help restore this place.

He smiled at you and you felt that he knew you returned his smile back.

Later, Zagreus pressed a kiss against your forehead, your nose, both of your cheeks and finally your mouth.

You laughed against his lips, heart ready to burst from love.

“You should have told me.” You said, resting your head on his chest. His heartbeat was smoothing in the dark.

“I wasn’t sure it would work.” Zagreus said, running a hand through your hair. You closed your eyes, “It's you, Zagreus. Of course, it would work.”

He just chuckled before pressing another kiss against your brow.

~

Finally a letter had arrived but it wasn’t your fathers.

‘Dear Daughter of Anubis,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. Fear not, for your Father still lives but you need to stay where you are. Your father will rest easy knowing you are safe and out Ammit’s reach.

Ammit only grows stronger and I fear I won’t be able to hold her back much longer. Lord Hermes and the others had started the first half of the plans and I trust our people will be welcomed.

Be safe. Be strong.

Lord Osiris’

You tore your mask off, letting it roll on the bed and covered your eyes. Tears burned even though you tried to hold it back.

The letters said your father was alive but you felt so foolish for just sitting around and waiting while he suffered.

You didn’t hear Zagreus come in. He didn’t ask what was wrong, just held you as you tried to pull yourself back together.

If you ever saw Ammit again, you will personally wired her jaw shut yourself.

~

You stood with bated breath as you waited for the first sign of Zagreus along with lord Hermes and the countless shades.

Queen Persephone and her countless shades had already been working on restoring Asphodel back to its former glory.

The grass was just soft as Elysium and soon flowers will fill the fields.

“You should be proud.” Queen Persephone said with a smile. You turned to her, your mask covering up your confusion.

“Queen Persephone, I hardly did anything.” You told her with a shake of your head.

“I know for a fact you and your father choose not to listen to your fellow gods. You choose to seek help. Many won’t, far too prideful.” She said, and you saw something passed over her face before she smiled again.

“And I think without your help, it would have taken much longer to restore Asphodel.” She finished.

You nodded, not willing to argue with Queen Persephone.

Then you heard it, you turned and clapped your hands together. Lord Hermes, bright as the sun, led Charon’s boat along with many smaller boats behind him to the land. The first you saw was your Father, tall and strong even the injuries you can see on him form.

You hurried over, “Father!”

He turned and opened his arms wide. You almost leaped in them and you were glad the mask hid your foolish tears. Thanks to the fates, he was alright. He squeezed you as the shades moved pass, muttering and pointing at their new home.

“You were brave, my daughter.” He placed a hand on top of the jackal mask as he pulled away. “I will tell you later what to come but for now, let us enjoy this.”

You nodded, and Queen Persephone took your Father along with her, head bowed together as they spoke. Then lastly Zagreus stepped off the boat, and he gave you that boyish sweet smile.

“Hey.” He said quietly. “I missed you.”

“Welcome home.” You said just quietly. “I missed you too.”

He offered his arm and you took it.

Welcome home indeed.

[smallraindrops-blog]

Heya its Lilith again!!! The Phoenix one you did was AMAZING!!!! I Love how well written zagreus was and the situation Reader was in! If you have time and the want to do so, could you write this other idea I have for Zagreus? Its a zagreus x. S/o Dragon reader who has a human form mainly but one day Hades makes reader fight Zagreus with him. And one thing to note when reader is in dragon form is her mindset isn't there and its just animal instincts? I wonder how Zagreus would react to that and what would happen. Again, remember to hydrate and rest!!!!!

Cast Me To The Wind

Zagreus x female!reader

Word count: 5k

Warnings: Reader in chains for some of the parts, talk of death, curse words, implied sexual intimacy, implied non-sexual intimacy, kissings, no beta.

Notes:

Hiya Lilith! Thank you so much for being so, so patient! I hope this lives up to the first story and got close to what you wanted.  And the same goes for you, drink water and get some rest!

It will help to have some knowledge of the Titanomachy but if you don’t know, basically Zeus and his brothers killed their parents and took control. And if you know a lot about it, please know I am playing fast and loose with it.

Last thing, I left out the colors of the scales because I wanted the reader to be whatever color they wanted to be.

Again thank you for giving me this request and I hope you enjoy it!

You heard him before you saw him, his footsteps slow even as his heart raced.

The creature called out, still moving toward you

But the name he used meant nothing.

There are two kinds of death.

One of the body.

And.

One of the self.

~

“Do you need help?”

You looked toward the voice, pausing the wheelbarrow that was filled with sacks of food, as you met Prince Zagreus’ mismatched eyes. Your chains, both on your wrist, rattled loudly in the empty hallways, cold even against your heated flesh.

His mismatched eyes made him an oddity even among the gods, even with his almost mortal appearance.

But what made him stand out was his friendliness.

At least you knew what he wanted others to think.

You gave him a mocking smile, showing your fangs. You knew your strength was close to the gods themselves, only your chains held you back. But you knew better than to fight, You may be another servant of the House but that didn’t mean you were a fool.

“No but thank you, your highness.” You replied.  You pushed onward to the kitchen, uncaring of the hurt look on Zagreus’ face.  Gods were arrogant beings and troublesome to boot. The less you had to talk to any of them, the better.

Prince Zagreus stared at you for a few heartbeats before he followed you, he walked side by side without saying anything.  You glanced at him and he flashed you a boyish grin making you roll your eyes.

Another issue you had with the gods, they were beautiful and they knew it.

You almost made it to the kitchen before Zagreus spoke up, “May I ask you something?”

You gave the cook a wave as you parked the wheelbarrow. Two of the cook’s employees came over and started to unload the wheelbarrow. You turned to him, meeting his eyes again. You wondered if your eyes unnerved him, bright with narrow pupils.

If it did, Prince Zagreus didn’t show it.

“I supposed, your highness.”  You replied, a little bit curious of what the prince could ask you.

“You’re Typhon’s youngest daughter right?“ Prince Zagreus asked. You took a breath. “Yes. What of it, your highness?”

“Why did you join him against Lord Zeus? I mean-“ Prince Zagreus stopped when he saw your glare.

“Your highness.” Your tone was sharp, and you almost didn’t realize your hands curled into fists, your nails digging into your palms. Even the seal that Lord Hades burned into your chest, trapping you in your human form; you could feel fire burn inside you. “I am saying this politely as I can, that is not your business. Now do you require anything else from me?”

Prince Zagreus blinked before he shook his head, his hair falling forward. “No, forgive me for my insolence.”

You turned back to the now empty wheelbarrow, “You are forgiven.” You didn’t mean it, Prince Zagreus’ question was just another insult from the gods.

As you pushed the wheelbarrow away from the kitchen and Prince Zagreus, your chains rattled with every step you took.

You tried not to think of your father, Zeus’ hand on his neck and squeezing the life of him.  Or how you were too weakened to help him.

You took a breath and let it out. You desperately wished you could taste smoke or even let out a small puff of fire.

But nothing came.

~

Fire burned inside of you, hotter than anything Asphodel could create.

You heard that creature again, his careful footsteps and his pounding heart.

You thought you had made him perish with your flames.

No matter.  All will fall before you.

You stretched out your neck, fire rushing it’s way up with smoke coming out between fangs.

You roared, louder than the Hydra ever could, shaking the underworld itself.

~

Tartarus carried a coldness that cut to the bone. Even with your dragon born flesh, the cold was harsh but the dead didn’t seem to feel it.

The new resting area was brightly lit with the running water, smoothing in the quiet room.

You waited for the House Contractor to finish up the walkthrough. the shades’ chatting washed over you. You were covered in dust and you might kill someone for a bath. You glanced toward your arms, studying the familiar patches of scales that Hades’ magic couldn’t hide.

“Prince Zagreus ordered this himself, you know.” A shade muttered and despite yourself, you found yourself listening in.

The other shade leaded closer, “I know, it’s because of those escape attempts. I heard it because he wants to join the gods.”

You rolled your eyes, of course the prince would want to spend his days partying and tormenting any unlucky mortal.

The first shade shook their head, “I heard it was because he is looking for someone.”

“Who?” The second shade asked.

The House Contractor made a shushing noise as they returned.  “I won’t tolerate this gossiping about the prince.” They sent off the chatty shades and looked toward you. You meet their stare, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I'm supposed to wait for a fury to come get you." The shade muttered nervously.

You nodded, mouth twisting in distaste. You hoped it was Megaera, as long as you were quiet and obeyed, she didn't use her whip. Her sisters on the other hand…

The House Contractor opened their mouth to say something when the doors opened again.  You and the shade turned to look over and you blinked in surprise to see Prince Zagreus emerged.

"Oh! It's you." Prince Zagreus beamed, even with the bruises on his face and body.

"Your highness, pardon us. We're waiting for a fury sister to come for the servant." The House Contractor bowed as they spoke.

Prince Zagreus just nodded, "I can take over, my good House Contractor."

The shade jerked upward in surprise. Your mouth tightens, not liking where this is going.

Prince Zagreus waved off any protest the shade had. With one last nervous glance toward you, the House Contractor left.

You crossed your arms wearily as he came closer, his sword resting on his shoulder. You forgot that he was a warrior himself, his sword gleamed in the light as if mocking you. If you had your tail in this form, it would have been lashing the ground.

"Your highness." You said, eyes narrowed.  Prince Zagreus stared down at your chains with a frown. "Did they always make you work with those on? "

You shifted and the chains rattle with the movement. "Of course your highness. "

Prince Zagreus' eyes flicked to your wrists, bruised and rubbed raw. "I will see what I can do to get those off of you." He promised, his eyes met yours.

"Good luck, your father was responsible for these." You lifted your hands up in a shrug, making the chain rattled loudly on purpose.

You thought it would dissuade Price Zagreus but his jaw only tightened in  determination.

Maybe the prince would prove you wrong.

~

Something in your memories tugged at you.

A voice, a gentle touch.

A kiss against your forehead.

Something important.

Something was missing.

~

Prince Zagreus had made it past the Hydra, just one of your many, many siblings.

You should be angry for your fallen sibling but Hydra never stayed down for long and you don't doubt they will be ready next time.

So when he had returned to the house, you thought he might gloat to you about it as gods do.

But he surprised you.

Prince Zagreus grinned as he held up a silver key.

You stared, trying to find the trick. All gods were tricksters and you wished you didn't feel the hope lifting in your chest.

"I was able to get you a new deal." He said as he held his hand out, waiting for you to come closer.

You stared down at the hand, but you didn't move forward.

"What the catch?" You asked, eyes narrowed as you looked at his face, looking for the lie.

"No catch. I promise. I'm not my father." Prince Zagreus said.

You looked back at his hand, and warily held your hands up. Gently he held your forearms as he unlocked the chains. Chains loudly fell on the ground and you rubbed your wrist with a sigh. You couldn’t remember how long you wore those horrible things.

"There you go. How does that feel?" Prince Zagreus asked softly.

You swallowed, you don't know why Prince Zagreus showed you any mercy.

"Better. Much better." You said, just as softly. "But why me, your highness? I'm not the only one."

"Zagreus." He corrected you with a small grin. Your eyebrows went up but you said nothing.

"And…" Zagreus shifted on his feet, bright in the dim hallway. It was odd, he may be a god but right now he was acting more like a nervous boy.  "I think the mark was punishment enough."

You tried to think what to say. You thought you knew who Zagreus was, just another callous god but as you studied his face, you were forced to admit to yourself you didn’t know him at all.

“Your father won’t be pleased.” You warned gently. He nodded, unafraid. The way Zagreus held himself, tall and sure made your heart fluttered. And feared for him.

“I know.”  Zagreus said.

You couldn’t help him, not against his father or anything. Your powers had been locked away and it had been so long, you weren’t even sure if you remembered how to use them.

But you could do this for him. You ran a hand down on your arm, over your glossy scales. You bit down your lip, hissing as you yanked a single scale out.

Zagreus yelped, his hands moving to stop you. You grabbed his wrist, surprised that he could move faster than you realize. You and Zagreus stared each other down as you lowered his hand closer to yours. You placed the scale in his palm and let him go.

Zagreus stared down at the scale, it’s edge was bloody. He used his thumb to wipe off the blood as he looked back at you. His face was serious as if he knew how priceless your gift was.

“Use this if you wish. It will give you better defense.” You nodded toward it. Slowly Zagreus smiled, “Thank you.”

Something warm grew in your chest but it wasn’t your familiar flame.

~

You woke up.

There were no heartbeats, no footsteps but you could have swore you heard something.

You laid your head back down, wings tucked against you.

You puffed out some fire but not even your flames could warm you.

~

Afterwards, Zagreus seemed to find you no matter what job you were doing that day. Even when you were working with Sisyphus, helping Dusa or cleaning up after Cerberus.

You smeared a layer of paste and stacked another brick in the wall. Nothing will get between Cerberus and his treats as the cook had learned. You could hear the cook talking angrily to themselves even from the kitchen, their mallet slamming loudly on the meat.

“Oh wow, Hypnos wasn’t kidding.” Zagreus said from behind you. You turned your head and saw the sheepish grin on his face. You pointed the sharp end of the trowel at him, eyes narrowed. “You caused this. If you hadn't hid his treat in the kitchen, I wouldn't be here.”

Zagreus laughed as he got closer, and picked up a brick. “You’re right. Here let me help.”

You frowned, watching him kneel down next to you. “Do you know how to even fix a hole?”

Zagreus scoffed, waving a hand. “Surely, it shouldn't be that hard to fix.” He placed the brick in the wall with a satisfied grin.

“You forgot the paste.” You pointed out, smirking at Zagreus’ pout. You fixed the brink and prepped the next spot. “Here, now put a brick on it.”

He obeyed and the work admittedly went much faster even with his inexperience. You puffed as you stood, back cracking. Zagreus followed, “Thank you by the way.”

You grabbed the tools, “What are you thanking me for? It's my job.”

“Cerberus is my responsibility though. Could I buy you a drink or a meal to make up for this?” Zagreus nodded toward the lounge.

“I don’t imagine your father or lady Nyx would appreciate you spending time or money on the servants. Dusa has already been warned off from talking to you." You told him.

Zagreus' mismatched eyes widened before narrowing. He leaned closer, "Who told Dusa she couldn't talk to me?" You leaned back a little, surprised at the anger in his tone.

But you have heard the loud arguments he had with his father, so maybe you shouldn't be.

"Lady Nyx, I believe. But you didn't hear that from me." You said. You watched him, fascinated by his sharp anger. It felt like the first real look past the polite, charming prince that everyone else saw.

Zagreus nodded, more to himself than to you. "I see. I'm going to buy you lunch or dinner or whatever meal time it is as my thanks."

Zagreus held up his hand to stop your protest, "I insist. If anyone makes a fuss, let me know."

You just nodded, "Alright."

Later, when alone in the room shared by you and some of the other servents, you thought about everything. You thought a lot.

You didn't trust him, not yet but something in the back of your mind, in your guts told you that you could.

You huffed, wishing smoke or flames would come out.

You missed your family, of the wide skies and endless land to explore. Of the food and shops.

You missed not being trapped in one form.

You missed a lot of things.

~

Zagreus waved you forward and you followed him, looking around the training room.

“What exactly did you want to show me, Zagrues?” You asked. Zagreus placed a hand on your back, “We’re almost there. Tell me, have you seen Tartarus from high above?”

“I can’t say I have, Zagreus.” You said. Your fingers curled, and you wondered if… if maybe you might be able to see where your Father was kept. You swallowed, trying to stay calm.

You blinked at the studden darkness, a faint green glow was the only light source.  Zagreus kept his hand on you, guiding you toward the chiff.  He placed a hand on your shoulder, “Be careful.”

You gasped, you didn't know how big Tartarus was, the maze stretched out far as the eye could see. Zagreus pointed at something in the distance, an orange light so faint you would have missed if he didn’t show you where to look.

“That is where Tartarus ends and Asphodel starts, after that Elysium then freedom.” Zagreus whispered.

“Have you seen it? The doors?” Your eyes darted across the landscape, hoping for some kind of clue.

“No. Not yet, I still have to beat Theseus and Asterius.” Zagreus gumbled and you chuckled despite yourself.

Then you saw it. The faint cracks along the walls, your father’s claws marks. So Hydra had been right, Zeus had put your father under Tartarus itself. And well out of your reach.

You grabbed Zagreus’s chin and moved his head downward, pointing to the marks. You let go when you heard his gasp, he saw the same claws marks.

“You asked me once why I helped my father.” You spoke up. Zagreus kept his hand on your shoulder, grounding you. And you didn’t want to admit how thankful you were for that.

“I did.” Zagreus’ tone was wary, “You don’t have to talk about it. I was inappropriate before.”

“I want to.” You interrupted with a hand wave.

“My Father.” You stopped, trying to find the words. Zagreus just waited patiently, his thumb rubbing soothing lines.  You wanted to lean into it, into his warmth but you didn’t. You weren’t ready. Not yet.

“My Father was good to us. To his wife and all of his children. Goodness knows there were many of us.” You started. “He adored my mother, he would have given her the universe if she asked him.”

You sighed, you still remembered how close your family used to be. “He was more firm with my older siblings but I was the youngest and one of the few girls so he spoiled me.” You laughed a little and Zagreus gave a smile at your laugh.

“They call us monsters yet the Olympians played with mortals' lives as well. At least we only hurt them when they threaten us.” Your mouth twisted as you met his eyes. “I’m not saying what we did was right, it wasn’t. But at least we know that now, the Olympians never learned.”

“Is that why your family went against the gods?” Zagreus was quiet.

"No. You know what happened during the Titanomachy, don't you?" You turned to face him, holding his gaze.

"Only what I was able to find. I know it started with Cronus and his greed." Zagreus said, meeting your eyes unflinchingly.

“Then you know we didn’t go against them, we just wanted to end the cycle.It started long before us, with the Titans and their children never learned from their parents’ mistakes.” You said bitterly, looking back over to the claw marks. “My only mistake was trying to help my father. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I’m sorry.” Zagreus said. He sounded like he meant it but you only sighed from the sudden rush of exhaustion. He placed both hands on your shoulders, prompting you to look at him.  The way he looked at you reminded you so much of how your Father looked at your Mother.

You took a deep breath as you looked away, Zagreus had no reason to look at you like that.

You cross your arms. “Tell me something, Zagreus. Why do you want to get out so badly?”

He stiffened, “I want to see my family on Olympus.”

You raised an eyebrow, "Really? You know what they've done. Do you think they will be any different from your father?"

Zagreus said nothing, his mouth tight. You narrowed your eyes, "Or maybe you aren't being honest with me."

Zagreus flitched. You shook your head with a scoff, "Unbelievable."

You took another step away when Zagreus grabbed your elbow, his hand gentle. You glanced down at his hand, then at him.

“I can’t tell you, not yet.” Zagreus was quiet, his eyes darted toward the training room nervously. You frowned, studying his face.

“Zagreus, any secrets you have are safe with me. I have plenty myself.” You said, keeping your voice low. He said nothing for a moment, before he tugged you back to him.

Zagreus kept his hand on your elbow, “I’m looking for my mother. She left when I was born and I never got to know why.”

You frowned, “I thought Lady Nyx was your mother.”  Zagreus shook his head,  “A lie. I think she thought it would be easier on me. She is helping me now, though.”

“And you trust that Lady Nyx isn’t lying to you again?” You said.

“I do.” He replied.

He was too trusting, too quick to forgive and too quick to give up his secrets. You wanted to tell him but you knew you weren’t much better, not when it came to him.

“Alright. If there is anything I can do, you come to me.” You said.

Zagreus’ shoulders slumps, “Thank you.” He said as he gave your arm a small squeeze.

“Thank you.”

~

The creature had gotten smarter.

His heartbeat still raced when he saw you but he kept his breathing steady now. And he had gotten faster.

You roared as you missed again. You slammed your foot down and snapped you jaw when he got close.

You could see his sword but for whatever reason, he never raised it against you.

You screeched as he darted away and out of your reach.

Your roar followed him, shaking his very core.

~

Yet again Zagreus surprised you.

You stared down at the perfectly round bottle of nectar Zagreus placed in your hands, his fingers brushed against for a moment before he stepped away. He rocked on his heels, grinning at your surprise stare.

“I-i. Zagreus.” You said. You sounded like a fool and you knew your cheeks were warming up.

“Just a thank you. I promise. Your scale has been helpful during my battles.” Zagreus said as he pushed his hair out his face. His eyes darted away from you, and you knew he was lying.

Maybe… maybe this will be okay. Your family was gone, shattered apart evermore.

There were no more expectations, no duty and you already lost all your honor.

“Thank you for your gift.” You said softly as you smiled at him.

Zagreus smiled back.

~

You heard the heartbeat again.

With a roar, you rose from the pit, your claws breaking the ground as you pulled yourself up.

You heard him call out, his panic badly hidden.

A memory of warm, rough hands brushing against your scales, of whispers in the dark between gentle touches.

But quickly as it came, it was gone.

All that was left was flames.

~

“Can I ask you something?” Zagreus asked softly. You rolled on your back, and looked at him. You were in one his tunic, too big on you without a belt and it exposed even more of your scales on your shoulder and chest. Zagreus couldn’t seem to help himself, brushing gentle fingers on the steam of where scales met human flesh.

“About?” You raised an eyebrow. He propped himself on his elbow, leaning over you a bit.

“What is it like to breathe fire?” Zagreus paused touching you and you huffed and arched into his hands. He chuckled as he resumed caressing you.

You stared at the ceiling, trying to think how to describe it. It felt like trying to explain how to think or breathe when it just happens.

“It doesn't hurt.” You started. You met his mismatched eyes, they suited him you thought idly. “When I want to breathe fire, I don’t even have to call for it. It just…comes for me. I can feel the heat, how it moves upward in my body, even the smoke too.”

You reached up and touched his stomach, “It starts here. Deep and boiling, and when I want it it moves.” You moved your hand up to his chest, fingers spread over his flesh.

"If I want to build it up, I just hold it here until it gets almost too much."  Your hand moved up to his throat, brushing against Adam's apple. "And here, I just open my mouth then fire." You waved a hand before dropping it back on the bed.

Zagreus leaned down, cupping your chin and your eyes fluttered shut as his mouth pressed against yours.

Everything else fell away and all that existed was you and him.

~

“I’m almost there.” He whispered softly, his head on your lap. “I just need to get past my father.”  He looked up at you, a frown on his face. He grabbed your hand, and held it in his.

“I will come back for you.” He promised, pressing a kiss against your hand.

You shushed him as you cupped his cheek.

“When you get out, you don’t turn back. Not for me, not for anyone. Understand?” You whispered.

He said nothing in response.

~

The shades kept glancing back at you nervously but every time you met their eyes, they quickly looked away. They were normally so chatty. And normally the House Contractor was with all three of you.

Something was off.

They guided you though the Temple of Styx. You looked around, the whole place could rival Tartarus for how miserable it looked.

When you made it to the last set of doors, one of the shades turned around to speak to you.

“Lord Hades is waiting for you inside.” They stumbled over their words quickly. The other shade nodded.

You took a breath, cursing yourself for being foolish to come along with their orders. Nothing good will come from this.

Zagreus flashed in your mind, and you squeezed your eyes. Whatever happens, you will make sure Zagreus will be okay.

You pushed past the doors and Lord Hades stood there strong and tall. Behind him, was the entrance to the surface. You heard the doors slammed shut, like a final note in a war song. You straightened your shoulders as you walked closer to him, your eyes never left his face.

After all, what does a doomed soul have left to fear?

“Lord Hades.” You said.

Lord Hades merely stared you down. He may be Zagreus’ father but they were nothing alike. Zagreus was kind and thoughtful. Lord Hades was never those things, not even to his own child.

“Tell me something.” Lord Hades ordered, holding his hand behind him. “When my worthless son removed your chains, what did he say?”

You froze, not expecting a question. Where was he going with this? You bit your cheek, trying to figure out why Lord Hades would care.

“Prince Zagreus said.” You paused yet Lord Hades didn’t yell, he merely stood there, like a patient teacher.

Asshole you thought viciously.

“He said the mark was punishment enough.” You said, words almost lost in the stillness of Temple of Styx.  A knot formed in your throat and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t swallow past it.

The smile he gave you was a cruel one. Before you could even say anything else, your mark on your chest started to burn.

You hissed as you pressed a hand over it. The pain almost made you double over, stealing any air you may have.

“I think for once my son and I are in total agreement.”  His voice was the last thing you heard before the darkness consumed you.

Zagreus. Zagreus. Zagreus.

~

“Listen to me!” The creature’s voice was familiar, ringing in your mind. A memory flashed in your mind, a faint sound of warm laughter and a hand on your shoulders.

You let go a burst of flames in the direction of the voice.

And missed.

You shook your head as your ears flapped in annoyance. You tried to listen for the sound of fast footsteps and a pounding heartbeat.

“I am going to kill my father.” You heard the creature mutter to himself, and you let out a steam of flame.

The creature was able to duck out of the way.  You snapped your jaws as he got closer before dashing off.

“Love, please. Listen to me. It's me, Zagreus.” The creature cried out as he ducked out of the way of your flames.

“I’m not going to fight you!” He yelled. You huffed black smoke between your teeth, your eyes watched his shadow, trying to guess where he would dart to next.

You perk your ears up, trying to find the creature.

Zagreus.

You shook your head hard, trying to shake the voice off. You were hunting and you wanted that creature gone.

Zagreus.

~

“I’m not mad at you.” You said as you looked back at Zagreus.  You parked the wheelbarrow and turned to him. “Why would I be?”

“I fought and took down the Bone Hydra, aren’t they one of your kin?” Zagreus got closer to you, almost blocking you in.

“If I know Hydra, and I do, they enjoy the challenge.” You gave him a small push on his shoulders, grinning “You’re worried about nothing.”

Zagreus caught your hand, his hand was warm against your. His face was serious, “I don’t want to hurt your family.”

You gave his hand a squeeze, “But they will hurt you. They have to, you know. They are like Dusa, like me and we all have a job to do. And it is a much better fate to be kill by you than to suffer at your father’s hands”

Zagreus closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

You leaned over and hugged him. “Don’t be.”

You looked over his shoulder to one of the many candles. You saw the flame die out and tried not to feel like you just saw a bad omen.

~

There were two heartbeats this time but one set of footsteps.

“Are you sure about this?” Higher pitched but still male.

“I don’t know what else to do. My father won’t tell me how to fix it.  At least she won’t be in pain this way.” The creature. Zagreus.

You moved quickly, claws digging into the stone. You let out a gust of flames as your wings flapped.

You heard a squawk come from the smaller, floating one. You charged in their direction, your mouth open wide. He lifted a hand, a faint white haze then…

Then blackness.

~

You couldn’t open your eyes, heavy with sleep even as your mind became aware. You almost sunk back into the darkness, sweet as a lullaby.

But you heard a noise come from next to you, a familiar tone.

You forced your eyes open, squinting at the faint candlelight. You moved a hand to rub your eyes, then you stopped when you saw a human hand.  You stared down at the hand, and slowly curled your fingers. The light caught on your scales and you saw where the scales fused into human flesh.

You were back in your human form.  You sat up, making a blanket pool in your lap. You knew this bedroom. You were safe.

“Oh thanks gods, you’re awake.” Arms wrapped around you, pulling you against a warm chest. His hand cupped the back of your head as he pressed a kiss against your temple.

Instinctively you returned the hug. You closed your eyes, so grateful to be back, to be safe again.

Zagreus.

You buried your face in his neck, and just held on.

“Thank you.” You muttered against his skin. “Thank you.”

[smallraindrops-blog]

Heya! Im Lilith and I wanted to send you a writing request for Zagreus of that's cool with you? The premise being Zagreus discovering. Future s/o fem reader is a being that isn't a god but isn't mortal either that has the power of light? I wonder how he would react along with him falling for them? Sorry of that's really confusing and you don't have to if you don't want to, just remember to drink some water and rest!!!

Shine Your Way

Zagreus x female!reader.

Word count: 4.2

Warnings: some kissing, brief mentions of blood, fighting, birth. No beta

A/N: Heya Litith, first off thank you so much for your patience! I wanted to make sure I got the prompt right. I hope you like it! And thanks for the reminder for water and rest.  The same goes for you, okay? Your prompt was a light to me in this crazy time. 💜

For context: I found out that Phoenix were not only red and orange but were thought to be a purple reddish bird. And I like the idea of names having powers, so that’s kinda of stuff show up in the fic.

~

Once, there was a kind and naive Phoenix. She was your mother.

What came wasn’t her fault but she was the cause.  Her only mistake was falling in love with a mortal.

Your birth came with a prophecy, one whispered in your mother’s ear as she held on to you, bloody and wailing on her chest.

A light in the dark but one that will never be seen by mortal eyes.

~

You were in the middle of tidying up the cave that had been your home since you were young. With a cloth, you dusted off the small bookcase you had built.  Asphodel may burn but you found asylum in here, even if dark and damp.

But even now, you couldn’t help noticing how empty it was with just you here.

But the cave was your home now and forevermore. You had carefully saved up and made everything you needed for a home. A bed and a pile of blankets along with colorful tapestries to cover up the walls, all handmade by your own hands.

You only had a pot for cooking but usually the stew or pom porridge you made were enough for you.

You hummed a song to yourself as you kept cleaning, it was a simple lullaby your mother used to sing to you when you heard a scream.

A faint scream that was growing louder.

You frowned and looked toward the opening of your cave. It sounded like the screaming was getting closer somehow.

You only took a step forward when something huge flew in your home and you cried out before slapping your hands over your mouth. Your veil slipped a little from your scare, showing more of your face than normal but you were in too much shock to notice.

The body rolled and rolled before it stopped just inches from your feet and you stared down at the dark hair man. His face on the ground and all you saw was his broad shoulders and there was blood dripping from his head. He did nothing, smoke trailing upward from his skin and for a moment, you were sure he wasn’t breathing.

But then he jerked awake and groaned, “Okay, so Lernie got a really good throwing arm, who knew?”

He propped himself on his arms, his bloody head moved toward your bare feet. You saw him blinked before slowly turning his head to look at your face. His mismatched eyes- and you never seen eyes like those before- stared at your face, his mouth open to say something but he snapped his mouth shut upon seeing your face.

The man before you seemed unconcerned of the blood dripping from his face as you and he stared each other down.  Slowly he rose up, his hands palms out as if to show you he wasn't a threat but You stumbled backward, not willing to risk it.

You grabbed your broom and held it in front of you, ready to smack him if he got closer. His eyes darted around the cave, taking in your home before they landed on you. Only then did you realize that your veil had silp back and used one hand to tug it back in place.

You tighten your grip, “There is nothing worth stealing, unless you have an unusual fondness for soup. So be gone.”

His lips went up a small grin, “My apologies, Lady. I didn’t mean to come barging into your lovely home.”

You said nothing, just glared at him and his polite tone. He gave a small bow, his eyes still on your face. “My name is Zagreus, may I have yours?”

You frowned, something about the name rang a bell but you couldn’t place it for the life of you.

“No, you may not.” You said but you relaxed just a little bit. If he was going to attack, he already would have. You eyed the blood dripping from his head, lining the disappointed look on his face.

For a brief moment, you felt a twitch of guilt.  But a name would only give him power over you.

So you turned around and picked out three items for him to pick out, in effort to smooth your own guilt. You never liked seeing another person in pain, even an unwelcome guest.

You hesitated over the last item, but he didn’t have your name and it would only be good for one time.

“Here, Zagreus. You may have your pick of these.”

You offered a healing bowl of soup, an pom of power and lastly a phoenix feather. The last one caught his mismatched eyes, and how could it not.  The feather was a deep shining purple with a faint red tint but what it’s real beauty was the faint golden glow around it.

“What is this?” Zagreus asked softly, his hand hovered over it as if scared he would break it upon a single touch.

“A phoenix feather.” You said, watching him carefully. “Use this and it will create a light that will blind your foes.”

Zagreus met your gaze, and you took a sharp intake of breath. His face was solemn, his eyes bright with something you couldn’t name.

You tore your eyes away, a blush on your cheeks like you were some foolish maiden. You talked, in hopes of forgetting what happened.“It is only good for one time.  And it won’t take care of your wounds.”

You gave him a pointed stare at his head. He reached up to touch it and flinched when he found the wound. He stared at his bloody fingertips in confusion, “Ah.” He said.

“Ah.” You repeated, amused despite yourself. You took pity on him and pushed the bowl forward along with the feather.

“Just this once.” You told him.

~

It was only when you had gone to the marketplace a few days later that you learnt who Zagreus was. You tugged the veil more over your face, wanting to be unseen as much as possible.

A single shade with a loud voice stood on a boulder, to stand above the common shades. The House of Hades signet on it’s shoulder as it pulled a scroll out. You almost didn’t stay to listen once you got the loaf of bread from the shopkeeper.

“Prince Zagreus had started another escape attempt.” The shade projected to the crowds of shades, starting up more chatting and murmurs. You froze, staring at the shade.

No. No, that bleeding, mismatched eyes man and the prince couldn’t be the same person surely. His smile flashed into your mind, how he watched you move with those unusual eyes…

“The Bone Hydra had stopped him last time but Lord Hades is still seeking for more to help stop the prince in his madness.” The shade paused dramatically, “Whoever can send the prince back to the house will be rewarded handsomely.”

There was more talk among the shades and several of the bigger shades came forward to the announcer shade.

You tighten your veil around yourself, and hurried away from the crowd. It wasn’t your business, you told yourself, you have no reasons to think Zag- The Prince will return.

But you couldn’t stop the concern from forming a knot in your throat.

~

You didn’t expect Zagreus no- Prince Zagreus to return ever again but he stood at the opening of your home, a nervous smile on his face. This time he wasn’t covered in blood nor smoke coming off him.

You were surprised at how friendly he appeared to be, even with skulls that adorn his shoulder. Before they had been just as bloody as he was but now the white skulls glowed in the light of Asphodel.

Like this he almost looked like a prince, it was only the boyishly nervous smile that made him look approachable.

“May I come in?” Zagreus waited for your response but you heard the hopeful tone he had. You crossed your arms, “I suppose. But only for a little bit.”

You went back to the stew as Zagreus walked in. You stirred the pot a few more times before he got close enough for you to get a good look at him. You placed the wooden spoon in its resting place as you turned to him.

“Your Highness,You appear to be in good health.” You told him, glad to see only a few cuts on his arms. He gave you a surprise look, “Just Zagreus. I imagine busting into your home invalid the need for titles.”

You opened your mouth to disagree, you were raised as a lady and even in the underworld you still have manners. But Zagrues held a hand up, “Please. Just Zagreus. And I got you a gift.”

You blinked as he held out a perfectly round bottle with a simmering gold inside. Carefully you took it, your fingers running over the soft bow.  A gift of prized nectar, it was no small gift especially from a prince.

You looked up at Zagreus, his smile was friendly when he met your gaze. You slowly  returned the smile, “Thank you Pri- Zagreus.” You corrected yourself, if the prince wished for you to use his name so be it.

“Of course, thank you for everything even when I was unwelcomed before. You didn’t need to show such kindness to a stranger.” Zagreus shifted on his feet, bright as the magma of Asphodel.

“Nonsense, beside you wasn't the rudest guest I ever had.” You teased him.  Zagreus chuckled, “Glad to hear it.”

You offered him the three items again. To your surprise, he went for the feather again. He ran a gentle and slow finger along the edge, his mismatched eyes studied the feather like one would over a prized flower, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

You blushed, and tugged at your veil to hide your embarrassment. He smiled at you, “Thank you.”

“Of course, Zagreus. And thank you again for your gift.” You told him. You saw him off, giving him a wave before returning to the cave.

You stared at the bottle of nectar, and sighed to yourself. You were being a foolish girl.

It was a gift of gratitude, nothing more.

~

Like before, Zagreus waited by your home but this time he had an eagerness he didn’t have before or maybe you just didn’t notice.

You waved him in, busy with a new tapestry spread on your table, it was still in the process of being made. You already knew this one you would hide away. You don’t think the prince’s likeness or the sheer size of the Hydra would be caught by your hands but something in you wanted to try.

You put down your tools and stood, your back grateful for the break.

His gaze went to the tapestries and he went over to the one opposite wall of you. You knew which one caught his attention, a small phoenix being swallowed alive by flames of what should have been its rebirth but it was the last flames it will ever feel.

His back was toward you, and your eyes studied him. He wasn’t the tallest man you ever saw but there was strength in his form, a solidness that stood out against the careful details of the tapestries.

In a moment of foolishness you will curse yourself for later, alone in your bed and mother’s warning looming over your head, you walked over to him. He glanced toward you, watching you in silence as you joined him.

You didn’t meet his gaze as you held up a palm, your words soft.“I must admit the light in here doesn’t allow one to fully appreciate the details.”

You took a breath and just like that, like a rose blooming in the early morning sunlight, a light formed in your palm.

Zagreus gapsed, a hand reached to you before dropping his hand down. His eyes weren’t on the tapestry, but on you. On the light in your hand, almost white with an odd shots of colors dancing along the edge.

“How are you…” Zagreus trailed off, his eyes teamed away from the light to look at your face. His amazement made you blushed even up your ears.

“I was born with this.” You told him and held the light closer to the tapestry and he leaned forward to get a better look.  Under the phoenix, meadows that were full of colorful flowers. You swallowed down a familiar feeling of grief, You pushed it away, and just moved the light around so Zagreus could see it better. The golden thread sparkled whenever your light passed over.

Zagreus said nothing for a long moment, soaking in the artwork before him. He turned to you, that serious look on his face again. The same one when you first offered him a phoenix feather.

“You’re not a god or a mortal.” He said simply. His quiet voice was loud in the cave and you took a slow breath.

“No. I’m not, Prince Zagreus.” You closed your hand, extinguishing the light. You turned to him, face to face and studied him. You gave him a small smile, “Now I believe you have places to be. Come along now, and feel free to pick whatever you wish.”

He picked the feather again.

~

“How do you make these?” Zagreus asked, his mismatched eyes studying one of the tapestries.  The tapestry that caught his eyes this time was one of Asphodel, before the River Phlegethon had overran the meadows. You had put as many of the flowers as you could but it still didn’t come close to the gentle beauty now long gone.

“With a loom.” You replied, eyeing it. Once you get done with the current tapestry, you might try again to get Asphodel right again. The memories of the meadows were fading from your memories, and you didn’t know how many more chances you would get before it faded completely.

“These could rival some of the paintings my father commissioned.” Zagreus turned to you. He watched you moving around your small kitchen, if one could call it that, getting the soup ready.

He had become a regular visitor, often bringing nectar or even new threads for your tapestries.  And you had taken up feeding him, it was the only other thing you could do to help him.

This time he had brought you another bottle of nectar, the fifth one. You placed it with the others, tucked away safely and out of sight. If you looked at them when he was gone, that was your business.

You heard him move closer but jumped when you saw how close he got. You could easily reach out and touch him. You gave a disapproving glance, trying to slow your own heartbeat.

He gave you a cheeky grin, “Did I scare you?”

You pointed the wooden spoon at him, “You didn’t. Now shoo, I won’t give you anything if you make me burn my dinner.”

Zagreus chuckled warmly, moving the wooden spoon away from his face with a finger. “Not even a goodbye?” Zagreus asked, learning closer to you. He placed a hand on the kitchen table, almost blocking you in. His tone was quiet, his mismatched eyes bright and mischievous.

“Especially not.” You warned but a smile tugged at your mouth. you gave him a firm poke. “Now go sit down, and wait for dinner.”

Zagreus laughed as he moved away, and you told yourself that your heart wasn’t racing.

~

You knew the moment when Zagreus had reached the Bone Hydra. And your heart stopped for a moment when you heard the roar.

The Bone Hydra’s roar was becoming a regular sound in Asphodel. You watched the small rocks rolled off from the cave walls, the roar reached even you now.  The Bone Hydra’s rage at the boldness of Prince Zagreus would be known by all.

You left the scroll on your bed and walked toward the opening of your home. You saw the Hydra, far away from the safety of your cave. The terrifying beast seemed huge even from where you stood.

You closed your eyes and muttered a prayer for the prince’s safety for anyone who would listen. And watched the battle with your heart in your throat.

You only breathed a sigh of relief when the Hydra’s form shattered into brilliant lights.

With your hand over your heart, you returned to your home. You formed a light in your hand, and thought of your mother again. Of her warnings.

Never give another your name. No matter how kind they are. They all leave in the end.

~

“Could I see you do it again?” Zagreus held his hand up, “that light?”  His bowl of porridge sat in front of half- eaten on the kitchen table. He just watched you quietly, as if ready for you to say no.

You stopped working on your latest tapestry, the one with Zagreus and the Bone Hydra battling. Thankfully the prince was well-mannered and hadn't taken a peek, you weren’t sure what to tell him if he saw. You looked toward Zagreus, his face was calm but you saw the faint hope in his eyes.

Wordlessly you stood and walked over to him, you held your hand out and breathed slowly. The light formed, leaping from your palm as if it wanted to greet Zagreus itself. He stood and watched the light dance in your palm. Brief colors danced along the orb.

He moved and stood in front of you, his mismatched eyes wide in amazement.just like the first time he saw it.

Zagreus moved his hand up and cupped your hand with his palm, holding your hand up. You took a sharp breath, not brave enough to meet his eyes. You just let him hold your hand up as the light moved around, brushing sweetly against his fingertips before darting away.

“I have never seen anything like this.” Zagreus said. You saw his smile in the hall-second you were able to look at him. You were grateful for the veil that helped hide your face and your blush.

This was almost too close, too intimate but you found you couldn’t pull away, didn’t want to pull away.

“It is pretty useful but the most I could do in a battle was blind the others, before fleeing.” You laughed. “But at least I’m never in the dark.”

“Wait. Shades have tried to fight you?” His voice went cold, sharp like the sword he carried. And you looked up at him, the veil tipping back enough that you knew he could see your face. You never heard his voice change like before.

“Not in a while.” You said. His fingers curled around your hand but he kept his hold gentle.  Zagreus stayed silent for several heartbeats. Then he let go of your hand.

You found yourself missing the warmth but said nothing. You stopped the light on your palm with some mild disappointment, no one else had ever wanted to see your power before and there was a part of you that wanted Zagreus close.

Zagreus silently dug through his pouch, his brow furrowed in anger.

You hesitated but reached out to touch his bare shoulder, “Forgive me I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He looked up at you, his face still serious. “You did nothing wrong. Ah, here it is.” He pulled out a signet with the mark of Hades on it. He took your hand and placed it gently in your palm.

“Zagreus- I can’t- this isn’t mine.” You stuttered, even the weight of the signet seemed to be too much for you. He pushed your fingers over the signet, covering your hand with both of his.

“But it is mine. And I decide who gets it. I want you to have it.” Zagreus leaned close, a hairbreadth away from you. You just nodded and Zagreus smiled slowly, “Good. If you ever need me, just call for me. And I will come. Promise me you will use it.”

“Alright. I promise.” You whispered, your heart pounding. You were sure he could see your blush, hear your heartbeats but he was a gentleman, a true prince and moved away.

“I have to go.” He said and you heard the regret in his voice.

“I know.” You replied. “Thank you Zagreus.”

Later you turned the signets over and over your hands. You closed your eyes, and thought about how his hands felt against yours. How he looked at you, like you were something priceless.

You thought of the heartbreak your mother stuffered. And wondered if you were doomed to the same fate of loving someone who will only leave you in the end.

~

One day, something changed.

“I got close, I saw the doors of the underworld.” He said, his face pale in the dark. You just smiled, trying to comfort him and yourself. “I know you’ll get out someday, Zagreus.”

You left him for a moment and returned with a feather, the brightest one you had.

Zagreus caught your hand when you handed him the phoenix feather.

You gasped and looked up at him. You tried not think how small your hand was in his hand, how much rougher and warmer they felt against your skin.

Zagreus held your hand gently, keeping the feather safe between yours and his hand. You knew you could pull away and step back if you wanted to, his hand was so, so gentle around yours.

“May I ask you something, Lady?” He asked softly. That serious look on his face again, his mismatched eyes studied your face. You suspected he wanted to pushed the veil away from your face but his manners kept him from doing so.

“You may, Prince Zagreus.” You said, using his formal title as a warning. As a reminder of his place and yours.  He gave you a small, warm smile, and your heart fluttered.

“What are you?” He whispered. You said nothing, just stared at him. But he just stood there, holding your hand like he had all the time in the world. With the faint candlelights, and the seriousness of his face, he looked like a prince for the first time since he landed in your home.

“I think you know, Zagreus.” You whispered. You wanted to yank back, to shove him away because how dare he? How dare he come into your home, befriend you and make you feel things you haven’t before? How dare he look at you with such fondnesses. With such love.

“I do. A phoenix.” He responded, still quiet. “But I don’t even have a name to call you by. To remember you by.”

You bit your lip and stared down at the feather. You thought of your mother again and wanted to laugh, you really were her daughter. But if he wanted more, he would have to give something in return you thought.

“Why are you trying to leave?” Your eyes shot up to him, and in a moment of boldness, you pushed the veil totally off your face. Honestly you thought he would’ve dropped your hand, just as unwilling as you were to open up. Zagreus blinked, his fingers twitched against your hand.

He stared at you as his other hand reached up. He caressed your cheek, making you take a sharp breath.

But then he surprised you. “I’m looking for my mother.” Zagreus said, his eyes darted away from you, his face pained. “I need to know why she left when I was born.”

You stared, unable to form words. Your chest ached for him at that moment.

And you knew it was too late for you. That he didn’t know it yet but he had you, all of you.

You knew he would wait for you to come to him. And you could make him wait even longer, you could make him wait for untold centuries to give him a response and he would, for you.

But you didn’t want to. You wanted to hear your name again, you wondered how Zagreus would say it.

You needed to know.

You leaned over to him, your lips brushing against his cheek and whispered your name against his ear.

He repeated it, in reverence, lovingly.

Like a prayer.

~

You remembered when you heard Zagreus, prince of the underworld and son of Hades, had finally got out.

You weeped both in shame for not being more happy for Zagreus and for your own broken heart.

But just as you knew Zagreus would wait for you, you would do the same for him. Even if you knew it was unlikely he would return.

~

It was a quiet day when you heard a faint hello from the opening of your cave.

You gasped when you saw him again, standing at the opening of the cave. You thought you would never see him again.

You dropped your tools as he entered the cave, a slight grin on his face.  You stood up and slowly moved toward him, tears burning your eyes.

You met halfway and he held you, warm and solid and he was actually here. You sobbed as you tighten your arms around him. You felt a hand on your head as Zagreus muttered comforting words to you.

He just said your name again and again like his personal prayer. He pressed a kiss against your veil. You tugged the veil off and he cupped your cheek.

“I came back.” Zagreus said finally, and you sniffed laughing a little from the sheer overwhelming emotion.

“You did.” You agreed. You pulled back but stayed in his arms, “I didn’t think you would.”

Zagreus pressed his forehead against yours, “I know.”

You and him held on to each other, hearts lighter for the first time in forever.

“Will you show me the light again?” He asked softly. You met his beautiful, mismatched eyes and held up your palm.

“Always.”

[smallraindrops-blog]

Masterpost of all fanfiction

Requests: close

Hello, I am a simp.

These are my writings. Please note some will nsfw. I will make sure to put any warnings on the fic.

The NSFW blog (18+ Only)

Commissions

KO-FI

rules:

No headcanons (I‘ve done these in the past, but it had taken time away from writing fics which is the main thing I want to work on.)

Please note, I don’t mind questions. ask me anything and everything.

Fanfiction under the read more

Fandom: Hades

Hypnos X Reader

Oneshots

Send Me Away With A Kiss (Gn!reader, Yandere!Hypnos)

It's Not Easy Having yourself A Good Time (Gn!reader)

Cold Night Cuddles (Gn!reader)

And Don't Call Me Shirley (gn!reader)

In Sickness And In Health (gn!reader)

Fool Me Once (male!reader)

Don't Let Go (gn!reader)

Two parters

Made To Break (gn!Reader, Yandere!Hypnos)

A Road To Somewhere (male!reader)

AUs

Oh my god, they were roommates! (Male!reader)

Sweatshirt

Worry

Stream

Wake Me From This Dreaming(Male!reader)

Masterpost

Marriage AU (female!reader)

Masterpost

Hypnos X Zagreus

Call It Calamity

Hypnos x Pasithea

Find Me In Your Dreams

Zagreus x reader

Shine Your Way (Female!reader)

Cast Me To The Wind (Female!reader)

If Love Had A Name (GN!reader)

The Weight Of A Heart (female!reader)

Where We Will Begin Again (female!reader)

Zagreus x Thanatos

Find Me In The Sunshine (Fem!Zagreus)

Thanatos x Male!reader

We All Fall Down (at NSFW Alt)

Achilles x Patroclus x reader

Covered in Stardust

Gen/no pairing

Melinoe

The Path Chosen

Unseen Footprints

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death

Stede x Ed

Damn The Light

Fandom: The Sandman

Morpheus x GN!Reader

Fallen Sand (Part two)

Fandom: TMNT

Let’s Start at The Rainbow (2012, April X Karai)

Fandom: Moon Knight

Steven Grant x male!reader

Moonlit Drops

Moonlight Serenade

Fandom: Trigun (2023)

A Judas Kiss

[smallraindrops-blog]

Find Me In The Sunshine

Word counts: 2.2

Reader!Female!Zagreus x Thanatos

Warnings: kissing, abuse from parents, implied sexual intimacy, no beta.

Notes: Hey @kitty-chan33 I just want to say thanks for waiting, and I hope this is what you were wanting. I mean for these to be read as moments between in game interactions if that makes sense.

Thank you for showing the picture of your kitty, make sure to tell them they are a very good kitty and pet them for me. ❤️ ❤️

Enjoy

If you didn’t know better, you would have thought Elysium was the surface with its soft grass and gentle calm, gods knows it was beautiful enough.

Even with all the fallen heroes trying to kill you.

You swing your sword just as Sir Achilles taught you, far more kinder and patient than your father ever was. When one of the shades shattered into brilliant light, you couldn’t help but tossed your head back in laughter.

This was the most you ever felt alive.

Soon no more being the next lady of the house, getting ready for marriage to some god. No more of obeying your father’s orders, you were going to be free and feel the sun on your skin.

But mostly importantly you were going to find your mother, no matter who stood in your way.

Even Thanatos.

You were panting when the fight ended and you went over the count in your head, you realized that Thanatos had gotten more than you. Again. You blew your hair out your face and made your way over to him.

His golden eyes, cool and sharp, watched you. You had to shoved away the warm flush in your gut. It was mostly out of habit from over the years, telling yourself you didn’t notice him.

“You’re getting better.” Thanatos said mildly but you heard his pleased tone. His smug tone.

You scoffed, “Enjoy it while it lasts, Than. It won't be much longer until I’m winning all the time.”

A faint smile tugged at his lip. “I will see you later, Princess.” And before you could say anything else, he vanished.

You sighed, “Later Than.”

The doorways appeared but you stared at them, lost in thought.

You thought back to the talk, the one where Thanatos had asked you what he was to you. His voice low, almost desperate to hear your answer. As if you were the one who held the key to the universe.

Friend for sure, especially since he was risking his duties and your Father’s trust to help you. You had been sure he would have dragged you back to Lord Hades, uncaring of why you needed to leave.

He had always placed higher value on obeying and honoring one’s parents, one following the rules. There was an order to his world and you knew he preferred it.

Yet he helped you again and again.

You thought back to the butterfly, tucked away in your pocket. You couldn’t help but reach to feel its wings, soft against your fingertips.

You shook your head, your eyes re-focused on the doors. You’ll have time to think about this later, right now you were on a mission.

~

You grew up hiding behind Lady Nyx’s skirt, peeking around her at whoever was talking. Even as a young child you tried to stay out of your father’s eyesight, fearing being yelled at yet again.

There was Hypnos, who was quick to play with you even when you woke him up from a deep sleep. His cheerful grin made one appear on your face every single time. You just didn’t like it when he made you take nap time though even if he did tell the best bedtime stories.

There was the quiet and kind Sir Achilles, and often you wished you could call him father instead. His hands were gentle as he showed how to hold the weapon, his voice and resolve were steady as oak and you loved him just for that alone.

But one god always made your fingers curl into Mother Nyx’s skirts, a nervous pit in your stomach.

Thanatos. It was rare for you to see him, he was always busy working and he only seemed to talk to your father. So you stayed away at first, sure he would yell at you at the first chance he got.

But he proved you wrong once.

It was an honest mistake even if you knew your father wouldn’t see it like that. Tears burned your eyes as you stared down at the spilled juice and food. You got on your knees, your shaky hands hovered over the mess. And you couldn’t bear to hear his yelling again, so loud and harsh that your ears would be ringing for hours afterwards.

“Princess?” A soft voice came from behind you and you jerked around, tears spilling from your mismatched eyes. You knew must look like a sight, a princess dressed in her finery and crying over spilled food.

Thanatos loomed as he always did, his eyes narrowed as he studied you and the ground. At the mess you made because you were just a foolish little girl.

“It was an accident! I just tripped and- and…” You sobbed breathlessly and you felt like the small child you were, hopeless and foolish just like your father said you were. Then he lowered himself on one knee next to you, his face soft in a way you never seen before.

He reached over and with his thumb, wiped your tears off one cheek then the other. You sniffed in an unladylike way, staring at him but he only spoke to you in a soft voice.

“There is no use in crying over spilled milk, your highness.” Thanatos said, his voice calm. Quiet and so unliked your fathers. Then he glanced away from you, “Shade, let Dusa know there is a mess that needs to be cleaned.”

“You won’t tell my father?” You whispered, unable to stop your cheeks from flushing.

The god looked back at you, his eyes bright and golden in the light. You blinked slowly, feeling like you were seeing him for the first time.

Your heart fluttered in your chest because this kindness was the real Thanatos, not the almost mindless god that only seemed to listen to your father.

Where even Mother Nyx would sigh and mutter how he needed to flow down.

“I promise I won’t, your highness.” He said and even if you feared him before, you believed him. So you gave him a weak smile, hoping it would be enough.

He smiled back.

~

You gasped as you felt your father’s spear buried into your chest and broke out of you, its bloody tips almost touching the ground. You could hear your blood droplets hit the snow under you.

You stared up at his cruel eyes, his lips twisted into a disgust sneer. Your hands wrapped around the spear, trying to yank it out with no use. You wanted to cry, to sob at his cruelness.

You were so close. And your tears spilled, cooled against your heated cheeks.

You never even knew snow was a thing until you took your first steps out the underworld. You didn’t know something so pure could exist. What else was waiting for you past those doors?

In a single heartbeat, you thought of Thanatos, of how his white hair fell in front of his eyes when he looked down at you. Of faint his smile was the few rare times you managed to get him to smile at you. How his hands felt on your cheeks.

You imagined reaching out and touching his hair, It would be so much softer than the cold and wet snow under your burning feet. Would he smile at you then, a true smile? Would he hold you in his arms?

“I hate you.” You spat out, blood spilling past your lips. Lord Hades only laughed as the river styx reached up and took you back. Their small hands were so unlike Thanatos, his faint smile and watchful eyes.

You wished it was Thanatos who greeted you.

~

“Tell me, what is it like up there?” You asked him once, grabbing his cloak in a feeble attempt to stop him from leaving.

Thanatos stared down at you, his eyebrows going up in surprise. Maybe any other time, he would have left but there was something about the stillness of an empty battlefield in Elysium that made it feel like you and him were the only two beings to actually exist in this place.

“I felt the snow. It was so cold against my skin, but it was so pretty even as it glittered under my father’s flames.” Your voice was soft, only wanting Thanatos to hear the words.

“Just tell me one thing. Please.” You begged. “I know you told me once I will see for myself when I get there but…”

You swallowed, “I just need to hear about something up there. Please.”

“You highness, Princess.” Thanatos paused. “Sometimes I wish I had the talents of Apollo or Hephaestus, but I don’t.”

You blinked at him then with a guilty nod, you let go of his cloak only for him to grab your hand. Only then did you realize how much smaller your hand was in his, his fingers easily wrapping around your hand.

Then he brought your hand up to his lips, his golden eyes staring into yours. “I can tell you that when you see the sky and you will, I promise you that. It will take your breath away. If you think the snow is beautiful, wait until you see the ocean. Wait until you hear the first birdsongs of the morning. Wait until you see your first sunrise.”

He pressed a kiss against your knuckles, “I know I can’t ask this of you, but when you see your first sunrise, think of me won’t you?”

You swallowed, “Thanatos. Of course you can ask me that. I-i you could ask me anything.”

“But I can’t ask you to stay, can I?” He said quietly. His golden eyes watching you and if it wasn’t for your desperate need for answers, to know why your mother left you alone with a cruel father, you might have told him he could.

You pulled your hand away, guilt and shame twisting your chest. You said nothing as you looked away.

Thanatos only sighed, as if he was expecting this. It made the knife, the guilt stab its way deeper into your chest.

You opened your mouth to apologize but he was already gone.

~

“Even if I get up there, I will come back.” You told him when you saw him again, caging him in so he can’t run away. You held his golden gaze, no more fear or guilt. Thanatos stared down at you like you had gone mad and with blood dropping from your form, your hair in a mess; you were sure you looked like a mad mess.

Good, you thought almost crazily, see what you and everyone else had drove me to, Thanatos.

“I will come back for you, Thanatos. I don’t care if you don’t believe me, I will.” You said with gritted teeth, your mismatched eyes never leaving his.

With that you were the one to leave instead of Thanatos, your head held up high.

When you saw your first sunrise… The busts of pink, orange and red chasing the dark blue away. You felt tears in your eyes, hugging yourself as a cold breeze drafted by.

you thought of Thanatos, of gentle lips against your knuckles . You wondered if he ever thought of you when he saw the sunrise.

~

You found her. Your mother.

You had her green eye then you realized later, the same smile. The same messy hair.

She was beautiful even as she wept, holding you tightly. You held her just as tightly, crying just as loudly.

Your mother held you in a way no else ever did.

Between the tears, you and Persephone talked. You told her of the underworld and she of the world above. You and her walked arm in arm in her garden, her slim fingers pointing out the different plants, herbs and vegetables.

“I’ll teach you, don’t you worry.” Persephone told you, and you smiled. Later, your fingers in the dirt and the sun warm on your back, you couldn’t stop smiling even as you felt your body weaken. The faint sound of birdsong found you and thought of him again.

When you were ripped from her arms, the warm, coppery taste of the river Styx overflowing in your mouth; You thought of Thanatos and you hoped he would be happy for you.

For a moment, you thought you felt his arms around you, bring you back home.

~

When you woke up, still bloody from Styx, you pulled your hair loose from its usual style.

You found some ribbons, black and green and you recreated your mother’s braid. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you feel like you were looking at an adult for the first time.

You smiled, running gentle fingers along your dark hair.

It was you.

~

Later, much later.

His hand - so much warmer and so much bigger than yours- on your bare hip, your legs still shaky as he pressed kisses along your neck to your cheek. His other hand found your chin and moved your face toward his, his mouth finding you in a gentle kiss.

“When I saw my first sunrise, I thought of you.” You told him quietly against his lips. Your fingers tangle into his soft white hair. He said nothing for a long moment, his hand squeezing your hips.

“Was it everything you imagined?” He said quietly.

You smiled, “It was so much more. Next time, come with me. I want to watch the next one with you.” His hand left your hip, running over your stomach then up your chest, his hand over your heartbeat.

Your heart pounded and you prayed he wouldn’t turn you away. He kisses your cheek, nose brushing against your flesh.

“Alright, I will follow you.” He whispered.

You smiled, “And I will return to you.”

[smallraindrops-blog]

Because tomorrow I'll be nothing

Word count: 5.8k

Rating: M

Hypnos x Male!reader (mutual pining), brief Automedon x reader, Achilles x Patroclus, background Zagreus/Meg/Thanatos

Warning (for the whole series):

family issues, bullying, medical issues, death (none the main characters or reader), underage drug use, relationship with Ocs, angst, sexual content, language, cops, therapy, mentions of other pairings, Toxic/unhealthy relationships (not with Hypnos) no beta

A/N: hello! Sorry about the wait! Real life got kinda rough for a bit and I was struggling with my writing a bit. Still kinda am tbh.

I hope yall like it!

I am taking requests for this story and in general. I also have another Zagreus x female!reader I am working on.

Thanks for the love guys.

Masterlist

Both Hypnos and Thanatos had told you hospitals had a weird smell.

Thanatos scowled as he tried to explain, “It smells like old medicine, like…”

“Like it’s too clean.” Hypnos finished, his golden eyes dull as he looked away from you.

That was a few weeks ago and you thought it was deeply unfair that Hypnos was already back in the hospital.

You wrinkled your nose as the sliding door opened for you and Patroclus. You were in agreement about the smell. The lobby was huge with a round desk in the middle.

Patroclus took your hand and you followed him, holding on to Hypnos’ gift. You were eight years old, a big boy and didn’t need the comfort of stuffed animals. But maybe Hypnos did. You looked down the sheep’s black eyes and even you found yourself smoothed a little bit from the softness.

You hoped it would help.

“Alright, thank you.” Patroclus told the soft spoken lady and began walking again. When you were with him in the elevator, you spoke up. “I don’t like this place.”

Patroclus looked down toward you, a slight smile on his face. “No one does, love.” He patted your head, “Hypnos and his mother will be very happy to see you.”

You nodded, your eyes looking up at the posters. Eventually in too white hallways, and too many doors to count, you arrived at Hypnos’ room.

The room was dark, the blinds closed and you didn’t even see Hypnos at first.

Nyx was quiet, and you noticed her eyes, normally lined neatly with black wings and purple eyeshadow, were smeared and the white of her eyes were red.

Thanatos sat in a chair, his golden eyes on the machines. He only gave you and Patroclus a small wave.  His golden eyes were just as red and puffy.  Charon loomed by the window, his hand curled against his mouth. He didn’t look at you or Patroclus.

Nyx smiled weakly as she stood and moved away from the bed, only then did you see Hypnos.

You swallowed, his skin was washed out and his eyes looked bruised even when closed. You saw lines attached to his arms and to the breathing mask on his face, which went from clear to white over and over as his small chest rose and fell.

Patroclus hugged Nyx, murmuring comforting words. You heard a small sob from Nyx, but not even that was able to tear your eyes away from Hypnos. While the adults whispered to each other about pneumonia, bipap and oxygen levels over the beeping of machines, you forced yourself to walk closer on legs that felt like jelly.

You knew what you were looking at but you couldn’t understand, every time you tried to think about words they used, it slipped away from you.  Those words didn’t suit Hypnos, whose bright golden eyes could rival the sun.

With hands that shook, you placed the stuffed sheep next to his side carefully, worried you could hurt him.

You looked back at his face, waiting for a response, for his eyes to open, for anything.

But no response came.

~

Winter break had finally arrived and so did the snow.

Even Patroclus had taken the day off from the doctor's office. You got to sleep in late for once. Your room, the whole house in fact, was mostly quiet.

You could hear Achilles working getting the fireplace going and you knew Patroclus was probably working on a pot roast or stew that will sit in the slow cooker for the whole day.

But winter break meant more than just time off from school. It was time to kick your training into high gear, you forced yourself out your warm bed and peeked out the window blinds.

The roads and sidewalks still haven't been cleared off yet and from what you tell from the dark clouds, more snow was to come. Which means you were using the home gym for today.

Your phone went off with a text on your bedside and you grabbed your phone along with a workout pants.

‘Does Snowpiercer sound familiar?’ Hypnos texted.

Your eyebrows went up, you didn't think Hypnos would like such a depressing movie. ‘Yeah, I saw it. I didn’t know you liked such movies.’ You replied as you got dressed. You saw the iPod and pulled it off the charger.  The screen cracked but the wheel still worked.

You scroll the music list, whoever the owner was, they liked everything from musicals to bands you never heard of. After a few minutes, You found some good, fast music to work with.

You made it to the gym when Hypnos texted you again.

‘I like everything. I got the film club to watch it but they missed the point but you know whatever, nothing matters but the baby eating.'

You laughed. 'To be fair, babies are delicious.'

'Omg.' Hypnos texted back.

'But yeah, the caste system was fucked. I thought the anti-capitalist thing worked pretty well with baby eating.'  You replied, wishing you had something smarter to say.

You heard Achilles come in, and you shoved your phone away before he saw it. "Hey Pops."

"Hey, kiddo. Have you started the warm ups?"

"Nah. I'm about to." You said. But Achilles shook his head and pointed over the benches. "Wait, let me talk to you about something.'

"I haven't done anything." You muttered as you sat down.

Achilles shot you a disbelieving look and you tried to give him an innocent look back. Judging by the eye roll your father gave you, you failed.

"Tell me, have you found a college you like?" Achilles asked, crossing his arms and looking down at you. You glanced down at your shoes, noticing how ratty they were getting.

At least now you know why he wanted to talk to you. Not to spend time with his kid or even talk about something that wasn't about college or sports.

You shrugged, "Dunno. Still don't know what I want to major in. I don't like any of that school stuff."

Achilles frowned, "What about that medical sport class you're doing?"

"I'm basically a babysitter for the juniors and sophomores." You grumbled.

"Of course." Achilles paused, "You know your major won't define what you will do, I mean. Remember what the recruiters have been saying, they all think you got what it takes to go pro."

You shrugged, "Yeah I guess."

Achilles frowned, “You guess? Son, you and I both know your kind of talent doesn’t come around often. I mean, you have already beaten some of my old records.”

You said nothing. So what if you could throw a ball a little better than other people. Your mind flashed to Hypnos and the basketball game. How even just moving your body came naturally to you in ways other people couldn’t do.

How Hypnos teased you about being the sport guy.

“Just use this break from school to really think about what college you want to go to. And don’t worry about your major, the first two years are all basics anyway. You know we will support whatever you want to do.” Achilles said. You almost said, and what if I don’t want to go pro? But you bit back the words, you didn’t know what else you could do.

You weren’t clever like Hypnos or good with people like Zagrues was.

“Yeah, yeah okay. I will. I promise.” You said. Achilles reached over and gave you a hug, “Good lad.  Just come to me or Patroclus if you have any questions or need help alright?”

“Okay. I will.” You lied.

When you were alone, your phone buzzed. Only out of habit, you picked it up and looked at the message and huffed out a laugh.

‘You know what, I’m going to make you watch Mean Girls.’ Hypnos texted.

‘Never seen it, how did you go from baby-eating to high school drama?’ You texted back.

‘Just wait, it’s really not that different.’

You raised a brow, and shook your head in amusement.

At least you knew you could count on Hypnos’ quirks to lighten your mood.

~

It was the second week when Automedon had finally had enough and called you.

“You’re taking me out tonight.” Automedon ordered on the phone call. You huffed, still half wake.

Your parents were still in bed, and you were sneaking around the kitchen for an early morning first breakfast before going back to your bed. The overcast skies made the house cool and gray, perfect for napping.

“Where to?” You asked, pulling out a box of cereal along with milk. You heard him sigh in annoyance, but you ignored it in favor of taking a bite of cereal. With the bowl in your hand, you sat on the counter since neither of your parents were there to kick you off.

“Babe. I told you before.” Automedon said and he was using that tone again, the quietly disappointed one. You flinched a little from the guilt but only took another bite.

"Can't we do something else besides a party?" You swallowed. You already knew the answer but you asked anyway. Whether it was because you hoped that he might agree for once or out of pettiness you weren't sure.

'Like what?" Automedon snapped and you rolled your eyes. There was the anger you knew was boiling under Automedon's calm voice.

"I dunno, we can stay in and watch some old movies." You said. "Like, I know you never seen-"

Automedon cut you off, "No. I swear to-" you heard him pull away with a sharp intake of breath.

"Okay, fine. Just forget I said anything." You closed your eyes, already tired from talking to him.

"You know I just wanted to spend time with you." Automedon said.

"How is going to a party with like three dozen drunk people spending time with me?" You asked as you stared down the bowl of cereal. You dumped it out in the sink, no longer hungry.

"Because I will be there with you." Automedon softened his voice, and you sighed.

Normally you would push the argument even more, pointing out that Automedon would ditch you once he got enough shots in him. You and him would go back and forward to the point of yelling, until either you broke up again or have angry sex or both.

You just didn't have it in you anymore to even care.

"Fine. What time?" You pitched your nose, trying to think of what lie to say to your parents.

"Ten." He paused. "You could at least sound more excited since we haven't really had time to handout." Automedon said quietly.

"I am. I am babe, I just needed to know the time." You said reflexively, still pitching your nose.

"Okay." Automedon said, his tone doubtful. "Love you."

"Love you too." You said, the lie was a quick and easy one.

Your boyfriend hung up the phone, and you sat in silence.

You only moved when Patroclus found you on the counter again.

"If you are going to be in the kitchen, you might as well be useful. Go get the potatoes and peel them, I'm making hash browns and eggs." Patroclus yawned. You obeyed, going to get the bag. You dump the potatoes in the skin and begin the process of cleaning and peeling.

The smell of coffee filled the kitchen as Patroclus puttered about. He turned on the little beat up radio and holiday music filled the air.

"Dad sleeping in?" You asked, placing the peeled potatoes on the other side of the skin.

"His back and knee are acting up." Patroclus said quietly. He held the blue mug that was your dad's, creamer and sugar had lightened it up to a pleasing cream color "Just let him get his rest. He will be up and bugging us in no time" He patted your arm and left to go give Achilles his coffee.

You swallowed and kept peeling. It had been years but every now and then especially in cold weather, Achilles couldn't get out of bed due to the pain.

It had been a freak training accident. It was a brand new pole and there shouldn’t have been no way for it to snap.

You still remembered the loud snap and for a moment, he was floating in the air, golden in the late afternoon light, before he dropped. And the horrified scream that ripped from Patroclus' mouth.

You dropped the peeler and took a deep breath. You squeezed your eyes shut and then opened them again.

It was fine. Everything was fine. You swallowed. It was fine.

After breakfast, you had stayed in your bedroom for most of the day, napping or playing what mobile game you had. You were sure that Patroclus knew you had a phone but for whatever reason had chosen to leave you to be.

Every time you went to check on Achilles, he had been sleeping and you left him to be, just glad he got a break from the pain.

You had been dozing when your phone had gotten a text, you yawned as you blinked at the text you got.

‘Zagreus is here, trying to drag Thanatos and me out for a snowball fight.’ Hypnos texted. ‘Beware.’

‘Don’t let him in the house next time.’ You texted back lazily. ‘You brought this on yourself.’

'I just told him that you wanted in. Be ready.’ Hypnos responded immediately.

You rolled on your back with a laugh. ‘So? I just won’t let him in.’

‘No, you won’t. But your parents will.’

You groaned, they would. 'Damn it.’

‘Game set and match.’ You tried to scowl but a grin won out. You could imagine the smirk Hypnos must be sporting right now.

You wondered if Hypnos was still his pjs, maybe tormenting his twin and mother with cartoons. Or maybe he was still in bed when Zagreus came in.

You felt your gut warmed at the thought of him sleep-warm and tried, it would be so easy to slide your hands up his soft stomach and chest. To hold his chin and make him look at you.

Would Hypnos shudder at your touch? Or maybe he would arch into it, just as hungry.  His golden eyes dark and on you as you bend down to taste him.

Then you got another text.

Automedon.

And you flinched, feeling guilty for thinking of another person you actually knew when  you had a boyfriend.

‘Babe! It's so cold out, I wish you were here. I can’t wait for tonight.’ Followed by a winking emoji. You rolled your eyes and texted a quick ‘Me too.’  A moment later you got a shot of a tasteful nude from him, and you could see the muscles in his thighs. Of him.

It didn’t spark anything in you, not lust, not love, just nothing. You quickly just texted back a devil emoji and tossed your phone on the bed.

It was becoming a problem. You always felt a pull towards Hypnos, even as children.

And You had a boyfriend, and you weren’t that kind of guy. You weren’t unfaithful, and you normally pushed away even thoughts of other people and you didn’t like being dishonest.

But right now, you knew you were toeing the line. You pitched the bridge of your nose, and went to take an shower.

Whoever you thought of in there was your own business.

~

The snow crunched under your feet, making you stop and look back at the house. Thankfully no lights turned on and you kept moving on, and climbed over the wooden fence.

You almost slipped on the sidewalk as you landed, but caught yourself in time. You kept an eye out for more ice patches as you walked from the house.

You made your way over to the park, looking for Zagreus' car, you heard a faint honk and saw him wave you over with a grin on his face.

You got in the passenger side, sighing in relief at the warmth. You froze when you saw Hypnos sitting in the back.

He laughed, and gave you a little wave. Zagreus grinned, "Don't tell anyone but I also busted Hypnos out. He‘s coming with us to the party."

"If it's cool with you." Hypnos tugged his hoodie strings, a nervous smile on his face.

You nodded, "Yeah dude."  Hypnos relaxed a little, still playing with the white strings. Zagreus pulled out of the parking lot, trying to find something that wasn't holiday music.

You gave Zagreus the address to your boyfriend's house and turned around to face Hypnos. He rose an white eyebrow, his phone in his hand.

You smirked, "Have you been to one of Didionysus' parties?"

"Nope. Not cool enough usually." Hypnos grinned a little as he shook his head. His white curls bounced with the movement.

"Just stay away from the homemade punch and you will be fine." You told him as you moved back to your seat. "Zagreus still can't drink fruit juice after his first time."

Zagreus gagged, "Don't remind me. Who puts three bottles of everclear in hawaiian punch?"

"Dionysus." You replied as Hypnos laughed quietly.

Zagreus pulled up to Automedon's house, white mansion-like with bushes lining the pathway.

You hated his house, it felt too big and too empty whenever you were inside. You shot him a text and waited.

Zagreus leaned over you and gave the house a lookover. "This looks like a clone of my house." His tone was light but you knew him well enough that he didn't like it either.

Achilles and Patroclus had worked hard to make their home warm and welcoming, especially since they had unofficially adopted so many kids. Zagreus, Hypnos and his brothers along Meg.

Zagreus' house was dark and always had the blinds closed. Automedon's home was light but there was a coldness to it.

Automedon came out, not bothering to be quiet and gave you a wave as he got in. You turned around to greet him and he pressed a loud kiss against your lips, his fingers curled into the collar of your shirt.

You didn't notice Hypnos quickly looking at his phone, or Zagreus‘ eye roll.

You broke the kiss first, trying not to grimace and went back to starting ahead. You resisted the urge to wipe your mouth.

"Hypnos! I haven't seen you in a while. I didn't know you guys were hanging out again." Automedon smiled, his dark eyes on Hypnos who returned the smile a bit nervously.

"Oh yeah, you know how Zagreus is. He likes to get everyone together." Hypnos shrugged, his eyes darted to the front and you met his brief glance in the rearview mirror before Hypnos looked back down on his phone.

Automedon hummed in agreement, a pause filling the car.

You crossed your arms and tried not to stare at the pair behind you. You never thought about it but  Automedon and Hypnos couldn't be more different. Not just in  their looks but Automedon looked ready to be a model where Hypnos looked more…

Real, more solid in a way you didn’t notice before.

Sometimes you still had to be reminded he wasn’t as small or fragile as he was during childhood.

Thankfully Zagreus took control, and for the rest of the drive he and the others talked about something going on with the drama club.

You could hear the party half a block away, a street full of rich people's houses, too big and some even with fountains in the center of their driveway. You rolled your eyes, your family had money but your parents never felt the need to flash it.

Zagreus and Automedon both laughed at some joke you missed as they pulled up. There were people mulling in the front yard, drinks in hands and the house looked packed. You could even feel the music from inside the car, and you could already feel the headache forming. You stepped out into the cold air, your breath coming out in white puffs.

Automedon grabbed your arm with his, “See? I told you it would be fun.” Automedon dragged you toward the crowd. You just grimaced, praying it will be over soon.

~

Once Hypnos texted you at two in the morning, waking you up. It was a picture of a stuffed sheep, old and well loved. It looked familiar and you frowned, not understanding why Hypnos texted you a picture of an stuffed animal.

‘Do you remember giving me Monie?’ Hypnos texted followed by another text. ‘It was that one year I had a really bad case of pneumonia.’

Suddenly the memories rushed back, and you swallowed. You didn’t realize Hypnos had kept the toy. Something about Hypnos keeping the sheep made something inside of you grow warmer, softer.

‘Yeah. Pa had helped me pick it out. Why?’ You texted back.

‘No reason. I didn't know it was you who gave me Monie.’

A moment later, ‘Just wanted to say thank you.’

~

It only took an hour for Automedon to leave you on a random sofa among unfamiliar faces. You took a sip of your beer, scrolling on your phone.  After a few moments, you turned your head around to look for your boyfriend. You saw Automedon on the other side of the room but he was still standing on his own as he chatted among a group of people.

Automedon wasn’t too drunk. Yet.

“Oh thank gods, finally someone I know.”

You looked up at his voice immediately knowing it would be Hypnos. Even with the dim lighting, you could tell how bright his golden eyes were. He sat down next to you, relief on his face.

He waved toward the crowd, “I don’t think any of these people even go to our school.”

You nodded, unable to really look away from him. “Did you lose Zagreus?”

“He found Meg.” Hypnos replied with a small laugh, picking at the beer bottle’s label in his hand. It was still mostly full, you noted.

You laughed before you took another sip, ‘I keep telling him just to ask her out already.”

Hypnos nodded, his fingers still picking at the bottle. “You know Thanatos has a crush on Zag.”

You almost spat out your beer, “What?” You and Thanatos haven't talked in years. The idea that Thanatos, the stick in the mud and future valedictorian, liked your wild little brother made you frowned.

Hypnos smirked in amusement. “I'm there for all their ‘studying’ and it is painfully obvious.”

“Huh.” You just tried to process the information but Hypnos kept talking.  “It makes sense though.”

At your confused stare, he insisted, “It does! Zag is the only one who can get Than to chill. And you know what they say about opposite attracting.”

“What about Meg?” You asked, curious what else Hypnos had to say. Hypnos shrugged, “She will be good for both of them, I think.”

And then you understood, “Oh.” You said dumbly. “I didn’t think…”

Hypnos grinned, “Makes sense right?”

You rolled your eyes, you officially knew too much about Zagreus’s love life. You pointed a finger at him. “That’s enough about my brother’s love life.”

Hypnos held his hand with a wide smile. “Alright, alright.”

A comfortable silence grew between you and him even among the loud partygoers. Until a drunk couple fell on the sofa next to Hypnos, lips locked and moaning.

“Wow. Okay. Do you want to go outside or something?” Hypnos asked as he pressed closer to you to get away from the couple. You tried to not to think how close he was, even as you eyed the couple in disgust.

You placed your hand on his upper back to help push him up, “Yeah, come on.” You used your body to push through the crowd to the backyard, and held the door opened to let Hypnos out.

Even the now muffled sound of music followed you but at least it was better than before.

Hypnos leaned on the porch railing with a sigh, his eyes going toward the backyard.  You matched him, your beer dangling from your hand. Being on the second floor allowed you both the view of the backyard, bright and pure with freshly fallen snow.

But for the life of you, you couldn’t help but keep glancing toward Hypnos. Flushed from the party, his curls messy from the wind, he looked good. Really good.

“So I’m guessing this party was Automedon’s idea.” Hypnos took a sip of his beer, his nose wrinkling at the taste.  You took a sip of your lukewarm beer, “Yeah.” You much rather talk about anything else, you wanted to forget about everything else but the boy next to you.

“So tell me about this Mean Girls.” You said. Hypnos grinned, “Nope. I said you have to watch it so next time we hang out, I’ll bring the DVD.”

You tapped your beer in thought, “My parents have their date night next Friday, come over then.”

Hypnos perked up, “Yeah?”  And you nodded, smiling at the happy look on Hypnos‘ face. “Yeah.”

“Automedon can come along too.” Hypnos said quietly, his golden eyes peeked up at you and you felt heat crawling up your neck.

“Maybe, if he’s free.” You said. You sipped your drink, taking a bigger gulp this time. Hypnos did the same or he tried to. He coughed and rubbed his mouth with his sleeve, “I don’t know how people drink this stuff.” He groaned.

You laughed, “It's an acquired taste.” You handed your bottle over to him, “Here try this one.”

Hypnos took it after a moment and took a careful sip and gave a hum. “That one is a little better.” He said as he gave it back. His fingers brushed against yours, making you take a sharp breath.

You and his eyes met and for a moment, it felt like everything else fell away. Hypnos held your gaze, and he opened his mouth to say something when the porch’s door slammed open.

You turned around and blinked when you saw Automedon standing there, swaying with his hand on the door. He blinked, looked at you and Hypnos and slowly his eyes narrowed. It was only then that you realized how close you and Hypnos were standing together.

“Hi babe!” He slurred as he joined, stepping in between you and Hypnos. Hypnos took a drink from his beer as he took a step back. Automedon wrapped his arms around you, and turned his head to look at Hypnos.

“Hypnos.” Automedon said, “You don’t mind if I steal back my boyfriend, do you?”

You scowled down at him but before you could say anything, Hypnos gave a wave.

“Sure, have fun.” You watched him return to the crowd of people, and something about the door closing felt final, like whatever words Hypnos were going to say was lost forever.

“I don’t want to be alone with him.”  Automedon said, no longer slurring as much. His dark eyes stared you down but you met his stare just as harshly.

“He is my friend. I can do whatever I want.” You said. Automedon laughed, harsh in the quiet and he stepped away, crossing his arms. “I swear, it's like you don’t even like me anymore. You used to just wait for me, not run off to whatever or whoever caught your attention.”

You placed your beer on the table, mostly to take a moment to ground yourself, taking a deep breath. Something about this fight felt different and you watched Automedon lean his hip against the railing.

“What is going on with you?” Automedon waved a hand toward you, “You've been a total shut-in unless it involved breaking shit or spray painting.”

You scowled, “I do other shit, just because I don’t get shitface at parties doesn’t mean I don’t do stuff.”

Automedon rolled his eyes, “Just don’t, okay? I mean, you would take me out with you or do stuff with me and talk to me, but now I can’t even get a text from you with more than three words.” His voice cracked a little at the end and you were surprised to see actual hurt on his face.

The shame you felt was almost too much and you looked away from Automedon. There was nothing you could do. “I’m sorry.” You offered up but it sounded weak and pathetic in the winter air.

Automedon just sighed, and you stared down at your boots, feeling like the world’s biggest coward for letting this happen again, for letting it go on for so long. It had been easier to keep getting back with him and act like he was the cause of all your issues, but it wasn’t the truth. You knew that and it wasn’t fair to Automedon, who actually was trying to be a boyfriend.

Automedon didn’t deserve this. And you thought, hoped you didn’t either.

You swallowed and walked over to him, but didn’t reach out to touch him.

“I think this was a mistake.” You said. You heard a sharp intake of breath and Automedon slowly looked up at you. His mouth was parted slightly in shock and you grimaced in response.

Automedon was always the one who initiated the break up, every single one. This was the first time you ever did and you could see the mix of hurt and shock on his face.

“You’re right.” You continued, “I haven’t been involved, I don’t even text you first anymore. I think we should break up.”

Automedon laughed wetly, a sob breaking though. He rubbed his eyes, “Unbelievable. Here, right now?”

You shrugged, “You broke up with me during my games a couple times, Automedon. I think you even did on my birthday in tenth grade, right? This is nothing.”

Automedon huffed, a rueful smile on his lips. “You’re such a jerk you know that?” You said nothing, he wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Just tell me something. What does he have over me?”  Automedon said. He walked over to the table and picked up your beer. He stared down at the bottle before he chugged the rest of it.

You frowned, annoyed that Automedon was still playing this little game. A game you never understood and always lost. “What do you mean?”

Automedon placed the empty bottle on the table, and turned around to you.  “Hypnos. Don’t play the dumb jock thing with me, I know you better than that.”

“I said he was a friend. I mean hell, we grew up together.” You said, and Automedon laughed coldly with a shake of his head. “Right. You can’t be honest with me or yourself. Why is that?”

Automedon walked back to you and patted your cheek sharply. “I hope he is worth it, babe. Really I do.”

And that Automedon went back inside, and you stood out in the night, alone and quiet.

You stayed out of the cold for a few minutes longer, not ready to be in the same house as your ex. You sat down on the chair, feeling like you ran ten miles without stopping.

You should be feeling relief but all you knew was some odd sense of fear. You tried to shake it off, you just had a break up of course you were feeling off- balance.

You groaned and covered your face when you remembered you will have to be in the car with him after the party.

~

It was almost spring and you were now nine years old when you saw Hypnos again. Charon and Nyx brought the twins over, Nyx was thinner but there was a nervous relief in her face. As if she didn’t dare to hope that it was okay now.  It was the same one all the adults and Caron wore.

Thanatos held Hypnos’s hand the whole time even as Zagreus tried to get them to play some kind of game. Achilles eventually was able to talk Zagreus into doing some coloring books in the living room .You just sat next to Hypnos, letting him watch over your shoulders to the DS in your hand.

Sometimes he would ask questions but for the most part, he was quiet. Eventually he fell asleep on your shoulder.

You stayed still for the rest of the visit, even as your arm went numb.

~

Of course, someone called the cops.

Being outside you heard the sirens first. And you rushed back in,Hypnos was the first one you found. You grabbed his arm carefully, and began moving him with you. You heard him protest but you ignored it. “Where is Zagreus?” You asked.

Before Hypnos could respond, a feminine voice, Aphrodite you think -yelled out, “Cops! Some asshole called the cops!”

There was a beat of stillness. Then panic ensued.

You swore and pulled Hypnos closed to your side as people rushed about. You pushed though, trying to find a familiar stock of black hair.

But Zagreus was nowhere in sight. You bit your lip, trying to come up with a plan. But Hypnos took control and moved toward the back along with other partygoers.

You and Hypnos got out through the first floor backdoor and you immediately headed to the thick bushes and moved Hypnos behind them first before you followed.  You swore when you saw how little space there was and pulled Hypnos closer.

“Oh this is just a great hiding place. They will never look here. Like, have you seen any movies?” Hypnos hissed as you pressed him against your side as you sat down on the cold ground. He opened his mouth to continue scolding you but you covered his mouth with your hand.  You whispered against his ear, “Be quiet.”

The backdoor slammed open, and you heard the slow crunch of snow under boots. Hypnos went rigid, his fingers curled against your leg.  A flashlight shone out the backyard and you were grateful for the mess of footprints in the snow, making it impossible to find you.  Both of you watched the light move across the yard, hearts racing.

And after a few more minutes, the light left.

You waited, ears straining to hear anything but all you heard were the faint sounds of cops yelling at people to lay down on the ground.

Hypnos slumped against you, sighing in relief, his breath hot against your palm.

Slowly you moved your hand off Hypnos and whispered, “Sorry.”

Hypnos whispered back, his golden eyes wide. “Does this happen a lot?” And you shook your head in response.  Dionysus had family in the police force and they never showed up before.

Hypnos didn’t move away and you stayed in place. You tried not to think about it, how warm and how solid he felt.

“Do you know if the others got out?” Hypnos asked, and you pulled out your phone. You pulled up his number and called him.

But you only got voicemail. So you tried again, and again until finally he picked up the phone.

"Zag, where-" you muttered, trying not to have the cops hear you.

“This is Officer Johnson. Can I ask who is calling?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

[smallraindrops-blog]

Could I possibly request the modern!son!au? Maybe with Y/N showing off a bit in his gym class and giving Hypnos tiny pointers?

Because tomorrow I'll be nothing

Because tomorrow I'll be nothing

Word count: 5k

Rating: M

Hypnos x Male!reader (mutual pining), brief Automedon x reader, Achilles x Patroclus

Warning (for the whole series):

family issues, bullying, medical issues, death (none the main characters or reader), drug use, relationship with Ocs, angst, sexual content, language, cops, therapy, mentions of other pairings.  No beta.

added warnings: Toxic/unhealthy relationships (not with Hypnos).

A/N: hello! Sorry about the wait! Real life came in like always. Just a head up, I don’t know anything about sports so everything about sports in the story will be via google.

I hope yall like it! I hope it lines up with what you were looking for. I am taking requests for this story, if you are one of the anon have sent a request for other stuff like the WMFD or the Zagreus x female!reader, I have seen those and working on them.

Thanks for the love guys.

Masterpost

~

It was a familiar story you got told again and again, especially when Achilles had more than two glasses of wine. But it was when you were thirteen and your classmates were starting to date, that time stuck out to you the most.

When Achilles told the story, his blue eyes would just watch Patroclus as if he couldn’t believe the man next to him was real. Patroclus would chuckle, embarrassed as his tipsy husband pressed a loving kiss against his forehead, holding him close.

You would just groan in disgust, but you would always find yourself listening to the story. The devotion, the pure love in Achilles’s words always made you quiet, the weight of it like a quilt.

“I still can’t believe I twisted my ankle by tripping over some beer bottles, and not training.”  Achilles would start the story, a sardonic grin on his lips. And Patroclus always muttered, “That frat house was a dump.”

Achilles laughed in agreement, warm as the sun and he pressed yet another kiss against Patroclus’s temple, “It was. But anyway, the next morning I could barely walk, my ankle had swelled up to the size of a mango so I had borrowed a walking stick from a friend, and hobbled my way over to the student nurse on campus and there he was. “

Patroclus laughed, “I still remembered how you stumbled in, you knocked over the stack of magazines. The actual nurse there almost kicked you out.”

“You looked so beautiful in that morning light with your hair up in that messy bun, and that disapproving frown you gave me.” Achilles rumbled lowly, brushing a stray hair from Patroclus’s face, forgetting his son was there. But Patroclus just rolled his eyes, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“And you looked like a drunk frat boy.” Patroclus chuckled, his hand on Achilles’ chest.  “A handsome hungover frat boy.” Achilles would correct him.

You moaned as you slumped your seat, your hands covering your face and wishing you could leave the dinner table. Achilles would then remember his child was there and laugh softly at your tormented face.

“I came by every day after that, trying to get your Pa’s attention.” Achilles would lean back a little, a small mercy for his embarrassed son. He looked at you, his blue eyes on yours. “I did everything, flowers, coffee, chocolate. Band tickets even! I was a broke college student, I couldn't afford that. I even faked some injuries to get him to talk to me. But you know what it took?”

Even you had to laugh at the indignated look on your father’s face, and Patroclus covered his smile with his hand.

“I had this dumb trick I would do for laugh, just normal juggling but I was good at it.  And we were at the same party but for some reason, someone bought figs and I noticed I actually had his attention for once so I tossed him one.”

Achilles leaned forward to you and slapped a hand on the table, “Figs, my lad, figs. It took me juggling some fruit no one eats to even get a smile from Patroclus.”

He looked over to his husband, a loving and proud look. “A wonderful, beautiful smile.”

Patroclus saw the twist of your mouth, the tipsiness of his husband and he took over. He pressed a kiss to Achilles’ cheek and stood, batting at his hands. He nodded toward you, “Clean up and you can have two hours of gaming but that's it.”

You didn’t even finish listening, you grabbed all the plates and rushed to the kitchen. You quickly worked though the dirty dishes, your parent’s twitterpatted story already fading from your memory.

Later, much later the memory will resurface in your mind as an older teen, as a young man and wonder if maybe you should have paid more attention.

~

“Alright, Y/N is in charge. Whenever he says, do it.” The gym teacher said, his eyes on his smartphone and You rolled your eyes.

You had taken the high school sport medicine internship as a credit thing and far so it had proven worthless.

Afterwards the gym teacher had slammed the door closed and the rest of the students had turned to look at you. You saw Hypnos and Dusa along with Meg’s sisters in the crowd.

You shrugged, “Free time.” And let the students work it out themselves. Some started up a game of basketball that you watched. Dusa showed an affinity for the ball and got almost every shot so far.  You remembered her, quiet but headstrong in her own way.

You made a note to pull her aside and see if she might play for the girls’ basketball team. Meg was on the team and wouldn’t turn away anyone you had sent to her, you were far more picky than most when it came to team-building and everyone knew it.

Hypnos came up to you, clearly uncomfortable with everything in the gym. He still wore the red hoodie even if it was against the gym rule but you weren’t a hard-ass like Theseus or Thanatos and the gym teacher had clearly stopped caring a long time ago.

He watched the students chase after the ball and shook his head. “I honestly don't know how any of you guys do it, just watching is making me tired.” Hypnos said. You glanced over to him, “Might help if you actually try playing.”

Hypnos wrinkled his nose at you, and you laughed, amused at the look of disgust Hypnos gave you. Hypnos waved a hand, “You’re the big sport star, shouldn’t you be showing us how to play ball?”

You rolled your eyes, but one of the students spoke up. “Hey, yeah. I bet I could beat you at basketball.” Alecto said, a grin on her face. You raised a brow at the ‘ooohs’ that followed, “Seriously, guys?”

“Sounds like someone scared!” Alecto laughed and tossed the ball to the girl, Dusa who had been making all the shots, who just flashed you a nervous smile.

“Alecto, just because you’re Meg’s sister doesn’t mean I won’t beat you down.” You warned, already feeling the call in your blood to go out and win.

Her smug grin is what pushed you over, never able to resist a challenge.  “Fine, one game. Alecto since you can’t keep your mouth shut, you get to be team captain.” You said, waving a hand towards two sophomores that you knew were trying out for the basketball teams. They quickly joined you along with a few others, just for a chance to play with you.

Dusa smiled, nervous but friendly at you and you returned the smile. If she shows up for the game against you, you will definitely have to have her on Meg’s team.

Hypnos had taken a seat, his golden eyes bright as he watched the teams formed. “Hypnos, keep the score. You can do that, yeah?” You called out.

Hypnos gave you a thumb up, “Alrightie!” He seemed amused, as if he knew you would be unable to resist joining in.

You rolled your eyes as you met Alecto in the middle of the court.

It was easy.

Achilles had told you once what it felt like when on the field before you started playing. It was like everything, all the noise all fell away and the only thing that existed was you, the goal and those that stood before you.

He was right, at least when it came to this.

You could feel his eyes on you but it wasn’t a hindrance. If anything, it drove you harder.

At the end your team won with more than several points ahead, you pulled Dusa to the side. She was smaller than you, even more so than Hypnos but she looked up at you with no bitterness.

“T-that was a good match!” Her hands came up nervously, her smile bright. You grinned in return, “It was. Dusa, tell me. Why hasn't Meg stolen you for her team yet?”

Dusa gasped, not expecting you to say that. “O-oh you know, I’m not very tall and I-“

You held up your hands, “It doesn’t matter. Not with the way I saw you taking those shots, I’ll talk to Meg and I want you to try out for the team, got it?”

Her red eyes stared at you as if not believing you or your words.  You leaned forward, “Dusa, I know we didn’t really get to hang out much but I know Meg won’t turn you away. Not if you really try.”

Dusa blinked, “I-i Okay! I will if you think I should!”

You sent her off with a wave, and went to place the ball back. Rest of the students had gone off to lockers to get ready for their next class.

“It was nice of you to let them get those last few shots in.” Hypnos spoke up from behind you, back in the school uniform and his red hoodie.

You faced him, meeting his golden eyes. He was still smaller than you, but it was different now. Where he had once been small and wobbly like a newborn owl, it had changed. He was gangly more like a deer that hadn't finished growing into their limps yet.

His lips curved into a smile, knowing and pleased. You shrugged, it was just him and you alone in the gym.

“I don’t know what you are talking about Hypnos, it seems like a fair game on both sides.” You said.

But Hypnos was right. You had back off so the other team got a chance to score. Dusa was doing her best, but Alecto wasn’t a leader and the team was falling apart unlike your team which had run like a well oiled machine under your leadership. But you weren’t about to admit that, especially since it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Hypnos chuckled, crossing his arms and rubbing them. You frowned, you haven’t realized how cold the gym had gotten with the lack of bodies in it.

“Oh yes, you definitely didn’t back off so Dusa wouldn't get discouraged.” Hypnos replied. He tilted his head, his eyes bright and his curls flopping in his face. Even in the ugly gym lighting, he seemed to call to you.

“Go to class, Hypnos.” You said softly. ‘Before I do something.’ But You didn’t say that and he just waved goodbye to you. Like he wasn’t some agent of chaos sent to drive you mad.

You sighed and went to get ready for the next group of students.

~

Megaera or Meg as you would come to know her, had changed everything when she joined the group.

Like before, Zagreus had been the one to bring her to the fold.

Thanatos and You had looked at each other, the baseball in your hand. It wasn’t that girls couldn’t play, it was more that you didn’t want any new people added. 

Meg hasn't taken to her high ponytail yet, but wore the french braid her mom gave her along with a too filly dress. Zagreus told you she was the same as you even if she didn't look like it.

But you knew better than to assume and tossed the baseball to Meg who caught it easily.

Thanatos blinked in surprise, his golden eyes watching her as she took a place on the mat. Zagreus did too, his eyes on the girl in front of you.

You groaned inwardly, not liking the change you already saw. You narrowed your eyes on her, you will have to see what she was worth on the field.

Hypnos met your glance, smiling at the scowl you had. He gave you a thumb up from his place on the bench, before returning to the thick book he started carrying around with him.

Meg was…

Meg was strong, a force of nature and she knew it.

But you won the game, dirt on your nose and a respect for how strong she was. You walked over to Meg who glared at you. You gave her a crooked grin, “You got a good arm.”

She watched you stick out a hand and after a moment took it. “You too.” She replied.

You shook hands.

~

You headed back to the gym, realizing during your baseball practice that you had left the phone Zagreus loaded you. You gumbled to yourself, tugging your jacket tighter. The school was cheap and had already turned off heaters the moment the last bell rang.

You bypassed the gym by the set of doors that went directly to the lockers and the teacher’s office. You spied the phone by the desk in the box of forgotten tech and went inside, thankfully the gym teacher never bothered to lock anything up. Even with all the uniforms, mascots, or the left behind technology.

You spied an iPod, old but you knew Achilles still had a charger for this model. Because your dad would get upset every time a new model got announced and would hoard all the old chargers. You and Patroclus had tried to explain planned obsolescence but that had only upset him even more.

You chuckled to yourself, and pocketed the iPod. Just until you get your normal phone back and then you will return it.

You walked out and heard the tell-tale sound of a ball striking the ground. You rolled your eyes and went over to the gym, to tell off whatever freshman who stuck around. It wasn’t unheard of the school locking students in.

“Dumb ball.” Hypnos’ voice drifted over to you. And your eyebrow went up, Hypnos hated anything with sports, why was he here?

You opened the gym door and saw him bounce the ball a few times, but you could tell he didn’t feel confident in how he stood, or the too tight hold on the ball.  Hypnos looked up at the basket, and with a final bounce, tried to shoot for it.

Only to miss by a wide margin, and the ball hit the wall and rolled over to you, and tapped your foot gently. You bend over to pick it up and look over to Hypnos. His arms crossed as he made his way over to you. His hoodie was zipped up and hood pulled over his head.

“Hey.” Hypnos dragged out the word, his smile not quite as cheerful as normal.

“Hey.” You returned the greeting without dragging out the word. “What are you still doing here?”

Hypnos shrugged, “Oh you know, just thought I would shoot some hoops.”

You grinned, “Any good?”

His golden eyes meet yours, “Oh I’m the best. No one could beat me.”

You bounced the ball, feeling the weight of it. “Up for a game?”

Hypnos blinked, before he looked away, his face unreadable. You frowned, “I’m sorry.” You moved closer, “I’m not very good at bantering.”

His eyes snapped back to you, and your mouth went dry at how sharp his gaze was. Then his mouth curled up into a familiar grin, “it’s okay, we can’t all be geniuses like me.”

You chuckled as you bounced the ball again, glad to see the smile on his face again. “Ouch, Hypnos.”

Hypnos sighed, biting his thumbnail. “I just- You make it look so easy you know? Like you were born to play any sports you wanted.”

He waved a hand around with a rueful laugh, “And some days I can’t get my body to move right. Or even breathe right.”

You didn’t expect honesty but you tried to think what to say. Hypnos’ health issues were well known, born small even for a premature baby on top of the medical issues Nyx had with pregnancy. You still remembered visiting him in the hospitals during childhood, with IVs in his arm and a breathing mask over his face.

And Hypnos almost ever talked about it. And honestly when you got older, and understood more, how easy it would have been to lose Hypnos for good, you were selfishly glad he didn’t talk about it.

“Let me show you some stuff.” You blurted out. “Give you some tips, it doesn't matter how good or bad you are, it just matters how you hold the ball.”

“Oh, no you don’t have to, just because of my self pity party-“ Hypnos tucked his hands in his pocket, his eyes wide as if he was a little afraid.  You dumped your backpack on the bench, uncaring of where it ended up.

“I insist.” You said, placing a hand on his shoulder and guided him to the middle of court. Hypnos just laughed, “Alrightie, you win. Like always.”

“Let me see how you hold the ball.” You handed the ball to him, “We will just keep it simple.”

Hypnos held the ball tightly between his hands, fingers digging into it. You shook your head, “You're definitely holding it too tight.”

Hypnos raised an eyebrow, “There a wrong way to hold a ball?”

“Yup. When you’re holding on to a basketball, you want your hands spread out.” You stood next to him, tapped his hand to make them spread out. You carefully gripped his wrist to move it to the right spot. You tried not to think how slim his wrist felt in your palm. “And you want to position your elbow inline with your shoulder, not under the ball, got it?”

“I-i guess so.” Hypnos said, his eyes on the ball. You moved behind him, “And you need the right stance.” You tapped his right foot with yours, “Start with your shooting foot just a little bit ahead of your non-dominant side. Since you’re right handed, that means the left is the non-dominant.”  You tapped his left foot, “and have this foot pointed out some.”

Hypnos nodded, quietly going along with your orders. You placed your hands on his shoulder and pressed down, “And bent your knees a bit.”

You stepped back, and Hypnos scowled at you, a blush on his cheeks. “I don’t think you know how to throw a ball.”

You scoffed, “You saw me play today. Now throw while using your wrist. And straighten your knees as you jump.” You crossed your arms and waited.

Hypnos took a deep breath, his golden eyes squinted at the basket and tossed the ball. It flew in the air, and bounced off the basket’s rim. Hypnos gasped, like he couldn't believe it happened. “What? No, I was so close.” And actually chased after the ball before you did.

You chuckled at the determined set of his jaw as he came back over, it was kinda charming how badly he wanted to do this thing that came so simple to you. “Let me try one time.”

You nodded, and stopped before for a moment to righten his grip on the ball and stepped back.

This time he made the basket, and Hypnos cheered. You gave him a slow clap, going after the ball. When you return, Hypnos practically leaped into your arms and gave you a hug.

You froze, and after a moment patted his lower back, unsure what to do. You weren’t blushing, you told yourself. “It's cool, man. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Hypnos pulled away, a bright grin on his face. “It was to me. I never would have made it without you.” He took the ball and bounced it, a little more sure of himself now.

“Do you think I could beat you?” He smirked at your eye roll.

Before you could respond, Hypnos’ phone went off, sharp and loud in the gym. He pulled the phone out and stared at the screen. “Its my brother, guess his student council meeting is done.”

“Hullo, my good brother. Jolly good day to you, sir.” Hypnos took on a horrible British accent, laughing at the groan Thanatos made over the phone.

You smirked, taking back the ball and putting it up.

Hypnos chatted a bit before he hung up. He sighed, “Thanks for the lesson, teach. But I gotta go.”

You nodded, “Go on, shoo.”

He beamed,“I do mean it. Thanks.”

You returned the grin, “Next time, we will do a match.”

~

You dropped off your bags and kicked off your shoes. “Dad, Pa. I’m home!”

You marched into the kitchen where you saw Patroclus, chopping at the bell peppers. His dark eyes found you and you went over to him with a grin. He gave you a quick one-armed hug, uncaring of how sweaty You were.

“How was school? Have you learned anything?” He asked.

“Horrible and not a single thing.” You told him, making him frown at you. You grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge and went to drink it before Achilles took it from you. "Glass, my lad. We are not animals."

He gave it back to you and you went to get  glass with a huff. Achilles turned around to leave the kitchen, stopping to give Patroclus a quick kiss.  At his back, you asked him,  "Am I still grounded?"

"Have four months passed without me noticing?" Achilles repiled.

"Yes." You said before drinking the orange juice.

Achilles laughed as he left the kitchen, "You are still grounded."

You scowled and poured another glass of orange juice. Patroclus just sighed, used to the back and forward.

"Go get clean up, dinner will be ready soon." Patroclus said, ready to also have you out of the kitchen.

You muttered an apology after you finished the last glass and was half way up the stairs when you heard a knock at the door.

“I got it!” You called out, returning to the front door. You opened it without checking  through the peephole and came face to face with Automedon. He crossed his arms, scowling at you. “Oh good, you’re alive. Or did you forget you have a boyfriend?”

“I thought we broke up.” You replied, honestly confused at what you did this time.

“Lad, who is at the door?” Achilles called out. You replied, “It's Automedon, I will be right back.”

You stepped out, closing the door and you met his glare. Even upset, Automedon looked good, tanned and lean. His dark eyes and curly hair always made you think of coffee before the creamer was put in.

“We didn’t break up. I was texting you but Zag said you lost your phone?” Automedon frowned.

“Grounded.” You shrugged, “You said you never wanted to see me again.”

This wasn’t exactly new, you and Automedon had been on and off since eight grade. Normally you did something, knowingly or unknowingly which upset Automedon which led to a fight and break up. It would last anywhere from a day to a few months.

This time it had been almost two full months.

He rolled his eyes at you, like you weren’t getting the point and grabbed your hand.  He tugged you closer and you went, even if you didn’t want to. He studied your face, his almost too perfect curls only moved slightly, staying out his face.

He cupped the back of your head and pulled you for a kiss, it was one that he always gave when he was ready to have you back, long and hungry.

You kissed back.

And you felt nothing.

Hypnos at the park, the way his foot dangled in the air, cheeks flushed from the cold and his golden eyes watched you amused. Of the smile you saw today, warm like he was actually happy you went easy on the other players.  How his wrist felt in your palm, his shoulders under your hands.

You pulled away, not exactly getting into like you normally did. For some reason, the usual lust didn’t spark, the one that made you forget everything else and made you agree to get back together.  It wasn’t like Hypnos was a new thing but your mind wasn’t letting up, Hypnos’ pleased smile overrode everything else.

Automedon noticed, his dark eyes narrowed. “Are you seeing someone else?” He asked, his tone careful. A warning.

You rolled your eyes, “No but I’m getting sick of this. It's tiring, babe. And honestly I'm getting pretty bored with it.”

It wasn’t the meanest thing you ever said but it might be up there. Automedon gasped and took a step back. You flinched at the hurt glare he gave you but you didn’t feel as guilty as you knew you should.

“Fine, so we won’t break up again. I'm done with the back and forward too, babe.” Automedon said. He smiled but it wasn’t a sweet one like his normal smile.

You sighed, “Fine. Whatever.”

Automedon pressed a kiss on your cheek, and whispered, "I missed you. Don't let someone else get in the way of us, alright?"

He stepped away, pulling out his car keys. “I want you to text me later.” Like it was just a normal conversation. For you and him, you guessed it was.

“Yeah, later.”

You didn’t bother to wait for him to drive off, stepping back into the house. You rubbed your eyes, well looked like you had a boyfriend again.  You should be happy about this, you reminded yourself especially with someone good looking as Automedon.

You jerked when you felt Patroclus’ hands on your shoulders. His face showed disapproval and the concern he felt. His dark eyes watched you, you alway felt like he saw too much of you, of your fuck-ups.

“Son, I’m sorry but I don’t like him for you. You never smile with him around.” Patroclus said. He looked back toward Achilles, who was waiting a little farther away in the living room, and came over. “Lad, are you sure about this?” His voice was gentle in a way you haven’t heard in a while.

You squeezed your eyes, you didn’t want to deal with this. Not right now. You shrugged them off and went up the stairs, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t listen in on everything I do!”

And slammed the bathroom door shut.

~

You were almost seven and it was a beautiful Sunday, the leaves were orange and red as they fell to the ground.  Nyx had a book opened in her lap, a wide brim sun hat on her dark hair.  And you bit into the ham and cheese sandwich she made, watching Zagreus try not to choke from eating too fast.

Zagreus took a last bite, shoving the last part of the sandwich into his mouth, making himself look like a chipmunk. He ran back to the swing set before he finished swallowing. Even Thanatos had to sigh at Zagreus but he ate quickly so he could rejoin him. Hypnos ate slowly, yawning between every couple bites.

Hypnos would be napping on the blanket before the trip to the park was over. Honestly, you might join him, the sun was warm and the park wasn’t busy at all.

Thanatos brushed the crumbs off and followed Zagreus, claiming the swing next to him. You blinked slowly, the breeze ruffling your hair.

“Thank you.” Hypnos whispered, the first real thing he had said all day. His bottom lip still had a cut on it but no longer bleed when he smiled.  Later when you were older, you would wonder how Hypnos used to be so quiet.

“No problem.” You replied simply as you took a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich Nyx made for the group.  You didn’t see her golden eyes flickered up, watching you and Hypnos. Or the small smile she had on her lips.

~

This time you were much more careful, checking everywhere for unwelcome guests before you slipped under the bridge, a backpack filled with new spray paint. Thank god for your parent’s weekly date night, you will have a few hours before you will need to be back and pretend that you’ve been studying.

Why your school thought you needed to understand how the Ancient Greek government worked was beyond you.

Even at sunset, the area was still pretty dark. Good, it will make it hard for anyone to see you.

You turned on the flashlight, nose wrinkled at the smell of dirty water. It was a new addition to the park, and the walls under it were smooth and clear, begging for something to be done with it.

You stared at the wall, waiting for something, an idea or emotion to spring forward. Nothing came. You rolled your eyes and dumped the bag on the ground, and sat on the dry part of the ground.

You leaned on the opposite wall, arms on your knees as you stared blankly ahead.

Maybe you could do something with the school mascot, hellhounds or as he was fondly named, Cerberus, on it, but it didn’t tug at you.

You were almost ready to call it a loss and head back.

Then your phone got a text. You dug your phone out and squinted at the brightness of your phone. Probably Automedon wanted your attention or something else, it's been about a week since the ‘reunion’ and you felt every minute of it.

'Hyia, I had to shake down Zaggy boy for your number, apparently you've been grounded?? Again?'

You blinked, confused. Your boyfriend didn't text you like this, no one did. He also rarely texted first, always pushing you to be the one to reach out.  Which you haven’t, quietly hoping it would be enough to Automedon break up with you again.

'Is the offer to hang out still up for grap?'

Hypnos. You took a sharp intake of breath, your chest tightened with emotions you didn’t want to name. You didn't expect the text to come. It's been weeks since the park, and you thought Hypnos changed his mind.

But it did.

You replied before you even thought about it.

'Yeah, the park sounds good? By the new bridge?'

‘Yes. Have you seen the movie Troll Hunter btw?” Hypnos replied, ‘Wait, don’t tell me. I will be there soon.’

You chuckled, at least there was something going right.

[smallraindrops-blog]

To Have And To Hold

Hypnos x female!reader

Word count: 2k

Part One

Warning:War, dead people and children, Ares ( let be real, that guy is a warning all on his own) kissing and sexual themes, no beta

The shade that came in the library was polite but clearly overwhelmed from their work. They handed over the letter quickly and gave a bow before hurrying out.

You pushed aside your own paperwork, "Lady Athena?" You asked out loud to no one but yourself. You typically only get letters from your sisters or parents.

You carefully opened it, a sense of dread unfolded in your chest.

'Dear Y/N.

I wish I was writing to you in better times. Unfortunately, I must keep this letter short. I'm in need of your help, desperately.

I can explain more when I see you. When you reach the surface, call for me.

Athena'

You ran out the library, uncaring about leaving scrolls on the tables.

You made it to the East wing and you glanced to Achilles, only to see empty space. You paused for a second then you heard it, crying and countless voices together begging and yelling.

What in the world...

"Silent!" Hades boomed and a harsh bark followed. The house quieted down, only soft sobs remained.

You walked in slowly and couldn't stop the gasp. You had never seen so many shades all in one place and you even saw some standing in the Styx.

You saw Achilles in front of Hades' desk, facing the crowd. His normally kind face was cold and his grip on the spear was tight.

Hades stood up, "Silent." He repeated. Queen Persephone and Zagreus stood next to Hades, both their faces unable to hide the worries they felt.

"Thanatos, please continue."

"Lord Ares has gone mad with war lust. Hermes nor I can keep up with the amount of dead. And as I speak, Ares and Eris are tearing through another city." Thanatos' tone was hard and flat.

You swallowed, unable to believe what you were hearing.

"What has Zeus done to step in?" Hades asked warily.

"He has yet to do so, lord Hades." Thanatos replied.

Hades opened his mouth but a shade broke past the group. "Please, you have to help us! They will follow us even in death, it won't ever stop!"

"Didn't I tell you to be silent!? And Ares can't come here, no matter how hard he tries."

The shade shook their head, "No, not him-" the other shades joined, all begging and more crying started.

"Be quiet, all of you!"

Zagreus spoke up, "Wait, we should hear them out, Father."

"No. We have bigger problems." Hades rubbed his forehead."Thanatos, give this letter to Hermes. The sooner we can put Ares and his friend down the better."

There was a moment of silence after Thanatos vanished.

You took a shaky breath, and looked around to find Hypnos. You heard him speak in his cheerful voice before you saw him, "Well, alrighty. That sure was something, huh? Line up! Come on everyone, and mind the little ones."

He wasn't in his usual spot but a little past Hades' desk along with Dusa and several workers shades. You walked over, "Hypnos."

He looked up at your voice, his eyes widened in alarm. He dropped the quill and paper he was holding. "How much of that did you see?" He whispered.

"Enough." You whispered back. "I got a letter from Athena, they need my help."

"What?" He asked in a strangled whisper. You showed him the letter. He read the letter once, his face blank.

You waited for a response, frowning at his unreadable face.

Then he folded up the letter calmly as he met your gaze, "No. Absolutely not. I will not allow you to go." He said softly.

"Hypnos!" You replied, no longer staying quiet. "You have no right to tell me what to do." You reached for the letter but he held it out of reach.

"Blood and Darkness." Hades cursed. "We do not need your marital disputes in the great hall especially now. Leave."

You flushed, realizing you could feel eyes on you. Hypnos grabbed your arm gently, "Oh of course, Lord Hades. Don't worry, I will be back shortly after I handle this." Hypnos said pleasantly, " What was the saying? Happy wife, happy life? But hey why am I telling you? You know all about that."

Hades glared down at the both of you and you desperately wished for a hole to swallow you whole.

Before you could apologize for Hypnos' lack of tact, he vanished you along with him.

You looked around, trying to push away the nausea. Thankfully he had chosen to reappear just outside of your bedchambers.

You turned on him, "For blood's sake what was that about Hypnos?"

"Can we talk in your chambers? Or the library, whichever one you want." He asked, sounding guilty.

Good, you thought viciously.

"Oh so I do get a say in something then? Or will you be 'handling' that too?" You snapped at him. You pushed out your door, not bothering to invite Hypnos in. You stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed.

Hypnos closed the door behind him quietly. "I'm sorry but Lady Athena will have to do without your help if it means you have to go to the surface. I cannot let you go up there."

"That is my decision, not yours." You shook your head. "I have to go."

"Didn't you hear how Ares has gone mad? That guy is crazy on a good day, let alone whatever is happening now." Even with the guilty look on his face, Hypnos shook his head. "You have never even seen a war, have you? It's not a pretty sight."

"We don't even know what she needs help with, I doubt I will be anywhere near a battlefield. She knows I'm not a warrior."

"The fact you have to even be on the surface is too much." Hypnos floated over to you but didn't touch you, his hands spread out. "War isn't predictable. One person's decision can cost other people's their lives, well beyond the battlefields. And it never ever ends up the way leaders plan for it to."

You stayed quiet, looking down at the ground. You couldn't get your mind off the letter even with Hypnos’ reasoning. Athena wouldn't ask for anything unless she truly needed it.

"Y/N, please look at me." Hypnos lifted your chin up, your eyes flicked toward his before you made yourself look away.

"I would give you anything if it made you happy, you know that." Hypnos spoke carefully. "You can help Lady Athena, I'm not saying you can't but you need to do it from here. There is no point in risking your safety."

Hypnos waited for you to respond only to sigh when you shook your head, too upset to speak.

"Send a letter to Athena, and I will help out too, love. Okay?" Hypnos' eyes studied your face.

"Can't you just come with me?" You asked, hating how your voice cracked at the end. "If you're so worried."

"No, I am needed here and I'm doubtful I would be a welcomed face." Hypnos gave a slight grin, "Besides, I already won the last war when I got you as my wife."

he looked at you so softly, it made you blush. You pulled away, you will not let Hypnos sweet talk you. “Oh, yes. Just remind me of another time I was mad at you. That will work out for you.”

“I-i just-“ Hypnos chuckled but he was clearly unamused. “Obviously I have a case of foot in mouth. Y/N, I just want you to be safe. Am I wrong to want my wife to be safe?”

You glared at him, “Well obviously not, Hypnos. Don’t play that game with me.”

Hypnos glared back, both of you silently glaring at each other. Hypnos broke first and rubbed his eyes with a frustrated sigh. You resisted the urge to walk over and smooth away the weight you could see on him.

When Hypnos looked back at you, you didn’t expect the serious look in his face, “Just promise me something.”

“What?” You watched him warily, not used to this reaction from him.

“You won’t try to leave without me. If- and that is a very big if by the way, we have to go up to help whoever, you won’t go where I can’t keep an eye on you.” Hypnos said, his golden eyes stayed on your face.

“I’m not a child, Hypnos.” You muttered.

“I know that. But you have never been in a war and I have and I know how ugly it gets. I hope I am overreacting, really I am.” Hypnos came closer again, “Just promise me. Please.”

“I-i but.. Fine. Okay, I promise.” You said. You glanced at Hypnos and upon seeing the relief on his face, you turned away, guilt

“Just… give me some alone time, okay?” You said, unable to hide how upset you were.

He was quiet for a few minutes. “Alright. I will have tonight’s dinner sent for you. I will check in on you later, okay?”

“Okay.” You agreed, staring at the wall. "Thank you."

Hypnos looked at you a moment, a hand reached up for a second before falling back down, before he left.

You pushed down the guilt you felt, Hypnos was the one in the wrong for not helping you.

You paced around the room, biting your lip nervously as you tried to think.

You couldn't take the path Zagreus does, and you weren't sure if he would or could help you. You didn't have a boat and from the looks of it Charon wouldn't have space anyway.

And Cerberus was…

You groaned and covered your face.

You were efficiently trapped, the realization caused the fading anger at Hypnos to come roaring back.

You sat down on the bed when a knock came. "Y/N? C-can I come in?" Dusa's voice was normally a welcomed thing but right now you don't think you can stomach being around others.

But it wasn't Dusa' fault you told yourself.

You opened the door and she floated in. "Are you okay? I kinda saw what happened in the hall."

You shook your head and explained everything. You reached for the letter only to remember that Hypnos still had it. "Blood and darkness Hypnos." you muttered. You couldn't believe he was treating you like a child.

Dusa was quiet for a few moments. "Well actually, I might know a way. It is the same way Queen Persephone took to return here. She doesn't have to travel the same way everyone else does."

Hope lifted in your chest. "Do you know if Cerberus would be there?"

"Far as I know, he wouldn't be near there since Queen Persephone is here." Dusa frowned with worry, "But you know how dangerous it is, right? Meg told me stories about the last war and the kind of people she had to punish for their acts during it."

"I have to go. My family could be at risk. Can you cover for me? Just a little bit."

Dusa stared at you. "Just promise me you will be careful okay? And if anyone asks, even Hypnos, I won't lie okay?"

You hugged her. "Thank you!"

"Just please be careful." Dusa muttered.

~~

The snow was still there, unmarked and soft. You took a breath, the sharp, freezing air hurt your lungs but it felt amazing.

You weren’t sure if the hallway Queen Persephone took would work for you but thankfully it had just been an unusually long and winding hallway.

When you got back, you were planning on telling Zegreus about it. Let's see Hades do anything about that.

You watched the snowfall, gentle and pure, with a sigh. You tugged your travel cloak tighter, the last time you wore this was during your wedding.

It wasn't the same place you and Hypnos had gotten married. But seeing the snow brought memories. Of the fear, of how you almost stumbled over your vows, how Hypnos' hand holding yours was the only warm thing you could feel. Of the nervous yet serious look on his face when you both said the final vow…

You shook your head, finding your resolve. You glanced back at the opening, guilt rising in you.

And hurt.

You thought Hypnos would understand, it was your family. He was normally so big on family, bending over backward for his own family. You thought he would support you. You swallow and with one last look back, you step out into the snow.

It took you a moment but with the deepest breath you could take, you called for Athena.

Almost immediately, a warm golden light filled the field.

Athena was just tall and golden as you remembered. She didn't smile but she took your hands in her own, "Thank you. I must admit I was worried you wouldn't come."

You decided not to mention your disagreement with Hypnos as you tried to give a comforting smile.

"Of course, I am more than happy to help. But I am a bit lost on what I could offer for you." You watched her sighed and moved away.

"What I am about to ask of you is no small favor. If you wish to have no part of this, I will understand." Athena said gravely.

You nodded. "Let me decide."

After she studied your face for a moment, Athena spoke.

[smallraindrops-blog]

Hello! Ran in to you and wondering if you able to make an au of Female! Zagreus! reader?

Everything is the same just Zagreus is a girl

Hello!

Just a quick question do you want it to be female! Zagreus x reader?