#zagreus & reader

[crsssie]

every time i look at you, i keep turning red

word count: 7.0k || inspo: The Dismemberment of Zagreus

warnings: nsfw, smut

summary: shade or not shade? minor goddess or goddess?

Past the gates of Hades and the river Styx, Elysium sits. An endless paradise of homes and greenery in a seemingly desolate land. It was always Zagreus' third stop. He hadn't paid much attention there, Asphodel previously wearing him out. Zagreus wonders not much about the land itself. The prince needed to get past it, avoiding traps he's lived through too many times to count and fighting past foes. He stops occasionally at safe spaces of people he's talked to and always leaves nectar behind as he knows he's going to return. He never makes it that far into the temple. It takes trials through hell and back to escape. It takes time, he finds. So sometimes, he rests in the fields, in a place he knows is far away from whatever traps of death within the realm of Hades himself may await him. A place where no dirt can cut into his skin and damage it.

It was a strange place. The shades wound him, though they didn't pierce the skin of the shades. Skin? The body. The souls, perhaps. The realm of Elysium was never meant to reside in as a godling for long. Though, he had seen multiple souls retain their human form here. It was amusing to him. It had been the closest he had ever been to talking to living people. He wonders if there are any new ones. It was weary, meeting the same people over and over again in the realm. He seldom sees people end up here anymore.

A sigh slips past his lips as he lays down in the green.

He resides in a paradise built for only the best of the best; people whom the gods favored heavily. Since the first three times he had visited his mother, he hadn't stopped to breathe in order to get back up. He fought, raced, and hurled in order to get to where he needed to be. He had to see his mother once more. She hadn't returned with him, and he had unanswered questions he needed answers to. Yet, as he finished with Asphodel, he supposes a quick rest in the grass could not kill him. Well, he wasn't exactly alive either. And, if failed, he would simply return to where he started. It was a cycle he had grown used to, though he fought tooth and nail to make it upward each time.

Zagreus is not expecting to meet someone new on the fourth.

He spots you in the distance, white chiton draping over your shoulders, wrapping snugly around your figure.

A young maiden. You looked no older than him.

He wonders by whom you were favored, but he pauses at the sight of the familiar color. It seemed you had received a blessing in the form of your hair. The streaks of color remind him of his own mother, and he wonders just what you've done to please the Queen of the Underworld so much. You don't notice his stare, but you notice the sword stuck to the dirt, reaching to pull one out of the ground. He wonders if you'll get cut by one. His eyes trail over your hands, and he takes note of how rough your hands seemed to be. They resemble those of his mother's. Perhaps you had been a farmer who worshipped his mother especially much.

The blade doesn't cut you, but you fail to pull it out. He watches newfound determination paint over your features, and his lips part at the sight. You pull the weapon out in two tugs, falling onto the ground as you do. The red on the surface of the blade cracks into green as you pry the sword out with your bare hands. Zagreus can only observe in a mixture of fear and awe. You, a dainty maiden, had pried a weapon out of the sod as though it were a pomegranate. You sat there, staring at the craftsmanship, enthralled by its beauty as he were enthralled with yours. You hear him shuffle, and he leans back into the grass.

Zagreus doesn't understand why you don't approach him nor run away, but he takes it as a greeting. He might see you more often. Perhaps he'll see you on his next quest upward. When he hears you shuffle out of range, he stands up, the wounds on his body healed to some extent. His exhaustion is rested, and he sets off to meet his mother again. Perhaps he'd ask her about you. It was strange to see hair that reminded him so much of his own mother. He wondered if the color had the same texture as his mother's. Ah, but it wouldn't be so kind to compare you to his mother, now would it? Perhaps he missed his mother. That's why he had stayed a little longer to pay attention to you. It would leave him with his next death. There was no other reason.

When Zagreus reaches the surface, his mother shakes her head at his questions. She had no favored child. There must've been something wrong. Perhaps he had seen things while hurt from battle. As Zagreus falls back into the Styx, he wonders if you really had been a desperate hallucination. It had been years since his father had ruled anyone into Elysium. If not blessed, then what was it? Perhaps you had done something during the time that you were alive.

You were a mortal goddess. One of healing, he supposes. He closes his eyes and hears someone shuffle toward him, pressing cold hands onto his skin, and a cooling sensation flowing through his body. When he opens his eyes again, the figure is gone, the wounds on his body mended. There's no ache in his body, and he notices the ambrosia left next to him. It was strange. Had you really been a goddess, you wouldn't be able to die. Perhaps you had fallen out of worship and grown forgotten by the people who once served you.

Zagreus keeps the ambrosia in his pockets. Maybe he'll give you one once he returns.

The fifth time he lies in the field, he doesn't have as many wounds, but he closes his eyes anyways. Perhaps he could catch you. When he feels as though he's waiting an eternity, he hears the grass rustle. Once the footsteps stop next to him, he grabs the hand that's pressed to his back. "Got you," He smiles. You struggle in his grip, and he can feel you grow warmer. "I won't hurt you," He sits up, keeping your wrist in his hand, taking note of how dainty you were compared to him. Your wrist seems small in comparison to his hand.

You blink at him owlishly, fear visible in your eyes. "Prince. M-my apologies. I didn't want to wake you, though I was worried the wounds would cause problems if left alone. Please don't send me to Tartarus..."

Zagreus sputters. "I assure you, fair maiden, that is not the case. I simply wanted to meet my savior. Perhaps you are a godling as I?"

You shake your head. "I am not. The blessing of Apollo's healing was simply placed on me. I am but a minor deity compared to the Olympians."

"So you fell out of worship?" Zagreus loosens his grip on your wrist. You don't seem like you'll leave if he does.

"No," You shake your head. "My mortal body was destroyed in a fit of rage from my father... My prince, how is it that you're able to touch me? I thought shades could not be touched."

"Elysium is a little different from such rules," He mumbles. "Thank you, for the ambrosia, fair maiden."

"It was but something expected," You mumble, standing back up. "My apologies for holding you back, my prince. I heard you are on your way to Olympus."

"That's not entirely correct," He stands up with you, towering over you almost. "But thank you for your healing, fair goddess."

"The Olympians wouldn't be happy with that title you call me," You mumble shyly as he presses a kiss to your hand. "Go on, my prince. May you continue on your journey with the blessing of a minor deity such as I."

Zagreus smiles gently. "I thank you for the blessing, little goddess."

Zagreus climbs back to the overworld for the fifth time.

On the sixth, he has no injury. He's growing better at climbing, yet he still stops by the meadow where you reside. He wants to see you again. Of the few shades that could touch him, he seemed to like you the best. Your fingers were cool against his skin, and he liked the way you warmed when he complimented you. He likes the way you turn dark from his touch. You were tiny compared to him. He was already short compared to both his parents, but you were even smaller. It seemed you were an even lesser goddess compared to him. He liked the feeling of your hand in his. Ah. He'd have to ask mother what that feeling was. His chest was warmer than the gates of the underworld.

"Lovely maiden," Zagreus presses your hand to his cheek, relishing in the cold of your fingers. You feel divine on his skin. As though Nyx herself had blessed you, your skin was cold as his foster mother's. He liked the feeling of your skin on his.

"My prince," you mumble. "What time is this? I feel as though you've climbed for centuries by now."

"Maiden," He whispers. "That is simply because there is no morning here."

"Ah," you mumble. "The days feel long, even in a paradise such as Elysium."

"I can see that," Zagreus smiles. "Well, I shall be on my way now."

"Yes, my prince," You bow. "Please stay safe. May the blessings of a minor deity as I assist you along the way."

"Thank you, little goddess," He presses your fingers to his lips. "I shall see you in my next run."

Zagreus finds himself heavily wounded on his seventh run. His mother had told him to consider talking to his father properly, and he had fallen dead to the overworld again. Ah, he had forgotten to inquire about the warmth from you. He recalls the words of his mentor, though, wondering if that was how his father felt around his mother. Would he have to move you forcibly to his room? No. That would make him the same as his father. He wouldn't like it.

Neither of you speak while he's injured, and you press your palm to his skin. The cold that spreads through his abdomen stings, though it brings him comfort as well. He has grown used to the cold from your hands, and he wonders if you could press it to his hands to heal them as well. Calluses and rough patches of skin from handling weapons have long plagued his fingers and palms. It was a strange feeling, though it has grown to be welcomed. There is something about your touch specifically. His hand reaches for your face as you start pulling away.

"Goddess," He mumbles, pressing his fingers to your cheek.

"Tis your seventh run, yes?" You mumble, leaning into his touch.

"Yes," He breathes, his breath catching in his throat.

"How many more, my prince?"

"I don't know," he presses his thumb on your bottom lip, swiping across it. Your lip seems small compared to his thumb, he can only imagine how small you would be compared to his hands once he lifts you. Ah. No. He couldn't afford such thoughts. He had barely known you, yet he held such affection for you. Perhaps you had treated him just as you treated everyone else. He didn't know a dead heart could race so fast. "Until my mother returns." He purses his lips. "Though it will only be temporary rest. I don't feel as though I belong here, you see."

"Mm," you hum gently, lashes fluttering to get a better look at the prince. "I'm sure you'd have fun, my prince."

"I do," He smiles. "And I get to see you, my fair goddess, each time."

"How flirtatious of you, prince," You mumble, skin warm again.

"Only with you, my fair goddess," He smiles. "This is for you to take," He places a bottle of ambrosia in your hands. "Until I meet you next time, goddess."

Your skin warms from his ministrations. "May the blessings of a minor goddess as myself keep you safe on your journey."

"A kiss, perhaps?" He smiles, cocking his head to the side gently. "If you don't desire it, then it is fine."

"If the prince desires it," you mumble, using his shoulder as leverage to pull yourself to his cheek. You press your lips to his neck for a moment, and Zagreus finds his skin growing red. He turns to stare at you, the blush visible on his skin. You stare up at him, doe-eyed and smiling. "Then I shall fulfill it."

Zagreus wants to defile you.

The thought comes up suddenly as he stares down at you, and his heart shakes erratically in his chest. Maybe it wasn't a heart. Perhaps it was the blood rushing to his head. Yet, as he watches you fulfill whatever he desired, he couldn't help but wonder if you'd give yourself to him. His hand reaches for your lip again, brushing the bottom lip. You stare at him, staring quietly. Ah. He's been staring for too long. Hopefully, you don't mind it.

"My apologies, little goddess," Zagreus lets go of your face gently. "I shall be on my way."

"May the blessings of a minor goddess as I protect you along the way," You bow, and Zagreus heads out to his mother again.

Zagreus pauses while in the colosseum, a recurring thought plaguing his mind. It would be nice to find you after the fights, though he would have to return again. He wonders how far your healing properties can go. Perhaps he could find you once he climbs the next time. He still needed to convince his mother to return to the underworld with him. Once he does such, he'd be able to leave much easier. His father being distracted would also permit him to spend more time with you while he climbed to the surface. Perhaps he could somehow convince his mother to let you roam around the underworld with him while he traveled upward. A companion along his way would be nice. You could heal him when he needed it as well. He'll talk with mother on the matter.

While on the surface, his mother follows him with more questions. Zagreus wonders if it would be possible to remain on the surface for longer. Perhaps he'd build up an immunity to the sun, and he'd be able to stay out for longer. He should bring you up sometime. Though, it seems you didn't exactly die, so you'd undoubtedly be capable of escaping from the underworld. His father would be greatly angered at such a thought. Letting a goddess that fell out of worship escape the underworld? How foolish of a thought.

"My prince," You stare at him as he steps toward you.

"Goddess," He smiles. "I've come to seek advice, since you seem to have seen more than I."

"A lie," You hum. "But let us see if I shall be of assistance to you."

"My father's chambers," Zagreus swallows, and he pauses. Should he be telling you of such a vulnerable room? No. Even if he were to keep it a secret, he wouldn't know the answer until his mother responded to him. "Do you know of the former queen? My mother?"

"The goddess Persephone?" You tilt your head. "It had been a legend, as many of the people believed you were the son of Nyx, but I suppose you wouldn't be escaping to leave if your mother were here."

"So you do know," He mumbles. "My father has a portrait of my mother hung up in his room, still. After so many years."

You tilt your head to hear more.

"I do not understand why."

"It is love," You smile. "For one does not go so far or so to keep a fragment of someone unless they are in love."

"Is that so," Zagreus mumbles. "Would you like to meet mother?"

"My body is supposedly bound to Elysian," You smile. "Unless the prince was considering abducting me?"

"I do not see why not," He shrugs. "Tis tradition in this house." He smiles cheekily. "As my father had abducted my mother."

"But you do not love me," You watch him as he presses the back of your hand to your lips. "As your father loves your mother."

"I would move you to the office of Hades myself if I could," Zagreus nods, and you press two fingers to his head.

"May the blessings of a minor goddess as I keep you safe on your journey once more," You bow as he steps off.

"Ah," He turns around. "Before I forget." He steps over to you, handing you a bottle of ambrosia. "Would you be willing to move to my chambers if I could move you?"

"We shall talk about that once the chance of such an event occurs," You smile, and Zagreus watches the faux wind brush your hair.

"Of course. Thank you, little goddess," He returns to the arena once more.

In such a way, he supposes Asterius and Theseus have grown tired of his attempts at escaping, though they go no easier on him than they always have. The metal of his weapons clashes against theirs, and he does wonder if his proposal to you could ever go beyond a fleeting thought. Though, as he defeats the heroes once more, he stands and stares at the drops. Perhaps he could bring that up once his mother returns. His father's mood might soften if that were to occur. But alas, pointless thoughts are worth nothing until they follow through.

Zagreus talks to his mother, questioning as to why his father would even begin to keep a portrait of his mother with him. His mother's response is the same as yours, and he pauses at the realization. His mother seems to catch on, and he curses himself as he falls to the river Styx again. He's wasting his time thinking about you while on the surface. His mother is considering it, sure, but gods, he's about ready to steal you for himself. He's sure you'd look much prettier under the sun. He's nearly jealous of your worshippers. Though, he wonders how a foolish thought as such could even plague his mind.

"I have been told," You start, fiddling with your fingers. "That this is not your ninth run, but perhaps your hundredth, my prince."

"That is an overstatement," He hums. "I have lost count as death is not new to me."

"It would seem so," You mumble. "For death is foreign to me."

"You had not passed?"

"The sleep reincarnate had quite the time trying to find my name," You smile. "Hades himself had to welcome me into Elysium since he could not send me back to the overworld."

"Would you like to join me?" He traces circles on your hand. "Since you are not bound there."

"I will be of no help in the arena with Asterius and Theseus. I shall simply wait for your next climb." You shake your head.

"No warrior experience?" He finds it almost baffling. "None?"

"I have fought," You swallow. "But I do not enjoy it, my prince."

"I see," He mumbles, staring at your robes. "Then I shall come find you in my next run."

"I see," You smile. "Please convey my words to your mother. I feel as though the underworld misses their queen, my prince."

"I see," He nods.

"May the blessing of a minor goddess as I," You grab his hand, pressing your lips to his knuckles. "keep you safe on your journey once more, my prince."

Persephone entertains the idea of possibly returning to the underworld. The last words she leaves Zagreus with make his heart flutter at the possibility of his mother returning home with him. He's elated. Once he does, he's sure he'll be able to have her meet you and possibly move you around with him. The idea brings a smile to his face as he talks to Hypnos. The sleep incarnate grimaces and sends him on his way, napping once more as a result. Zagreus doesn't understand why his heart races as he opens his arms for you.

You crash into his chest gently, sighing gently at the feeling of his arms around you. Zagreus thinks you're a little cold, but it's a welcome contrast to his warm skin. His fingers press against your back, and you smile softly. It doesn't reach your eyes, but your body relaxes in his touch, and Zagreus can't help but wonder if something had occurred for you to touch him so willingly. He lets you rest on his chest, and he presses his fingers to the back of your neck. You squirm at the sensation, and he smiles. "Did you miss me, little goddess?"

"Yes," You mumble. "You took time this run, you see, my prince."

"My apologies," He presses a kiss to your hair, and you giggle.

"How was seeing your mother?" You peel yourself from him, lashes fluttering up at him.

"It was nice," He hums, letting go of you. "Are you still willing to reside with me in the main castle?"

"Perhaps once you accomplish your goal on the surface of the earth," You tap his chest mindlessly. "Will the queen return?"

"Perhaps," He closes his eyes, pulling your palm to his cheek. "Will you meet her with me this time?"

"Perhaps," You mumble. "Though, I can not return to the surface with you. It will be of no help."

"I do not mind bringing luggage with me," He lifts you from the ground, grinning as you yelp. You sit on his right shoulder as he rushes to the arena. "If you do not wish to fight, then there is no need for you to."

"I can fight," You swallow, the blade on your thigh.

"But you do not like it," He hums, pulling you to the side. "Just watch me and heal from the sidelines. Please, little goddess." He brushes your hair to the side, and your breath catches in your throat.

"If that is what you will, my prince." You mumble as he carries you off to the arena. A part of you were terrified of Hades's booming voice as the first time, yet Zagreus' arms keep you secure. He couldn't pass with you around. You hadn't passed away, and the healing you provided raised his defenses. You prayed that he would survive with you as luggage. The mere thought of having to battle on your own terrified you. The sight of blood was already a tightrope to walk on.

Your prince fights valiantly, the battle long engrained into his muscles, and he finishes his job with precision. The blood on his skin does not belong to him, but rather his opponents, and the good shade cheers. Your fingers drum against your skin nervously as the gate to the Temple of the Styx opens. The prince offers you his hand, and you follow him. You fear for your life. There were rumors that the gate to the surface was guarded by Lord Hades himself, and you did not wish to meet the god again.

Zagreus passes with you on his shoulder, and he finds that you are much lighter than he thinks. It was as though your bones could break at any moment. He didn't like it, though he was glad you hadn't complained about how quickly he was rushing through. He wanted to meet his mother. Perhaps he'd get his father's blessing along the way, though, he would most likely attempt to send you back to Elysium. He wouldn't let him. It wasn't any more of an act of defiance compared to escaping to meet his mother.

Zagreus reaches the gates to the surface with you still on his shoulder, and his father pauses at the sight. His son has a shade on his shoulder, and he contemplates letting his son out even at all. Though, he recognized the shade. It wasn't a shade, it had been a goddess who had just floated down the River Styx. He supposes letting him go would not hurt, though it would definitely cause a hit to the reputation of the underworld.

"Zagreus," Hades' voice bellows. "What is with the shade?"

"She is not a shade," Zagreus swallows, and he presses his hand to your trembling thigh. "She is a goddess."

"Goddess or not," The king of the underworld roars. "I can not let her escape."

"I am taking her to meet mother," Zagreus grumbles. "If you do not let me pass, we will fight as we always have."

You avert your eyes from the King, and Zagreus' grip on you assures you of your safety. You had not thought he would be so honest with his words. The heat creeps up your cheeks, and you attempt to tune out the King and Prince's conversation. You can feel the heat from frustration radiating off of his body, and you press your palm to the back of the prince's neck. You hope that'll calm him down to some extent. It works, and the prince starts negotiating. The heat at the gate lowers, and you whimper as Zagreus finally rushes out with you.

The overworld is much colder than the underworld. You had forgotten it was near winter, and you tap the prince for him to let you down.

"I promised father to bring you back," He mumbles, holding onto your hand instead. "So you must stay attached to me."

"Of course, my prince," You mumble, stepping onto the grass. "How long do you have?"

"Until I pass," He smiles. "You must return from the styx with me, though."

"I can return through the gates," You follow him as he rushes through the hill to his mother's abode. The snow crunches under your feet, and you glance at the burnt grass from Zagreus' feet. You hadn't paid much attention to the prince, yet it came as a surprise that his feet left ashes in the green. Perhaps his mother had cast a spell in her garden? You try not to think much as the prince leads you to his mother's home. You were undeniably a little worried for meeting the queen of the underworld.

"Mother," Zagreus lets go of your hand, and you stand there, glancing around the garden.

You space out for much of the conversation, rocking on your heels, staring around at the overworld. It has not changed much. You wonder how your people are doing, though they are far from the gates of the underworld. Your eyes linger at the edge of the cliff, and Zagreus' voice cuts you out of your trance. "Mother, this is a minor goddess that ended up in the river Styx," Zagreus pulls you to his mother, warm hands on your shoulder as you smile awkwardly.

"It's... a pleasure to meet you, goddess," You bow.

"Well, there are no need for formalities as such," The goddess smiles. "I remember you. I had visited your temple once."

"I am honored, your highness," You bow in embarrassment. "That you had received the help of a minor goddess as I."

"There is no minor nor major," The queen helps you up, and she smiles. "For we all take care of people."

You flush with embarrassment. "Thank you, my queen."

Your skin warms as the two of them help you onto Charon's boat, and you listen curiously to the sounds of Orpheus and Euridice. The boat rocks rhythmically as you stare at the passing scenery. The green of Elysium is familiar to you, though the lands of Asphodel and Tartarus are foreign to your eyes. You note the screams, and you stare almost longingly at the ever-fading sunlight. Zagreus takes note of it, though he wonders if there were ever a chance you could remain in the overworld. Both of you know that is just foolish wishing.

As the boat stops at the gates of Hell itself, you pause to stare at the gates. They're a terrifying height to you, and as the queen of the underworld herself bellows for the opening of the gates. Zagreus squeezes your shoulder assuringly as he presses his palm to your back. You trail through the gates, next to the prince, swallowing unconsciously as Hades greets his wife and son. You reach for Zagreus' hand instinctually, shaking slightly as his hand clasps you. He rubs gentle circles on the back of your hand as you space out, thinking about your home in Elysium. Though, it seems as though Zagreus does not wish for you to return. Even as you return to the main hall with him, Zagreus does not let go of your hand.

"Goddess," He mumbles. "We shall be throwing a banquet for the olympians. Would you like to join?"

"There is no need," You mumble. "When shall I be returning to Elysium?"

"Do you wish to return to early?" The prince whispers sadly, and you whimper.

"I am worried that Lord Hades will grow angry," You try and explain yourself.

"If he does not, will you stay with me?"

"If it is my prince's will," You avert your eyes, and the prince smiles.

"Then by royal order, you are to stay next to me at all times."

"Even while my prince escapes?" You fiddle with your fingers, letting go of his hand.

"Even while I escape," He presses his hand to your hair and runs it down your back. "You are to stay with me."

"Yes, my prince," You don't know how to feel about it. Though, it seems to be an issue that only you worry about. The preparations for the party are done by Lady Persephone and you, adjusting the tablecloth and food. You help pick the wines, the queen herself growing the grapes, and the underworld quickly hurries to vitalize. It feels very alive, a place that seemed to be no more than death itself. You had never seen Hades work so much on things other than dealing with shades. You're almost impressed.

Zagreus helps his mother adjust the tables in the dining room, and the amount of preparation that goes into the welcoming of the Olympians is baffling. You help around when you can, organizing plates and tasting the food. Zagreus stops you from having a sip of ambrosia while preparing. You bat your lashes at him, and he shakes his head. "There is alcohol mixed into it, fair goddess." You listen, setting it onto the table as he rushes off to help his mother. You smile at the two; after all, he was a mother's boy. You wonder if you had parents of your own, but you brush the thought off. It did not matter.

Once the party ends, you don't complain as you clean up with the other servants, and you don't complain as you wash dishes in River Styx. You find it amusing that you were washing dishes in the river of the dead. The boon of Lady Persephone herself keeps you from decaying, and Zagreus helps you out, drying tableware as you finish the last of the mess. The rest of the castle is restored, and you collapse onto Zagreus' recliner, exhaustion worming through your body. You curl in the cushions, the exhaustion knocking you out. You could worry about other things later once you wake up.

The prince of the underworld steps back into his room, frowning when he couldn't find you after you rushed off to the kitchen. He wonders if you had been sent back to Elysium or attempted to flee. After all, you had looked sad when you boarded the boat to return. He's glad that isn't the case when he finds you on his bed. Your chest rises and falls, the fabric of your chiton barely doing anything to cover your body. It slides down your shoulder, and Zagreus bites his tongue as he shifts it back up your shoulder, covering you. He lifts you from the recliner, placing you in bed gently, as if scared you would break from his touch. Your skin is cool against his as he wraps his arms around you hesitantly, and he closes his eyes. It had been a while since he had fallen asleep.

You wake to warmth pressed against your back and a sweaty body. You don't recall Zagreus' room being so hot. Was Tartarus burning all of a sudden? Perhaps Asphodel had overflowed once more. Yet, as your eyes open and you stretch your arms, you find that you're in the arms of the prince, his head pressed into your shoulder. You pause mid-stretch, and you lower your arms, shuffling to face him. The sheets rustle as you press your ear to his chest, eyes closing again at the sound of his heart. Huh. You didn't know dead people had heartbeats in the underworld.

Zagreus wakes again, sighing at the coolness of your skin. He glances at your new position, and he lies there, staring up at the ceiling. His mind wanders as you lie on him, and he brushes your hair to the side. You look pretty in his arms, and you were all his. You stir in your rest, and you blink drowsily at the male. "Zag?"

"Good morning, goddess," He smiles. "Did you rest well?"

"Very much so," You mumble, tapping his chest gently. His eyes meet yours, and his lips pull into a grin. You look dazzling. He moves his hand to your cheek, tracing the bags of your eyes. Your lips part, leaning into his touch. You contemplate your words for a moment, the prince hanging on the apprehension. Your next words cause his smile to broaden."May... I have a kiss?"

"Yes, goddess," He whispers, lowering himself to press one to your lips lovingly. You wrap your arms around his neck, whimpering at the heat from his hands. His eyes stay half-lidded, and his tongue swipes your bottom lip. You part your lips, letting him press his tongue to yours, sticking closer to him. Zagreus leans further into you, heart ringing in his ears. He whimpers as you move your hands to press to his chest, and he pulls away, the coolness of your skin burning his. He pants, staring at you through his lashes. "What's wrong?"

"I want more," You whimper, squirming as he presses his hands to your waist. Zagreus' face lights up. You seldom asked for more. You must be tired, his pretty goddess. He'll take care of you properly. Anything for you, after all. He pulls the blanket from your shoulders and lifts you into his lap.

"On top or on the bottom, darling," He mumbles, and you reach for his wrist.

"Bottom, please, Zag."

The prince spreads you on the bed, pulling your thighs apart as you ease into the pillows. You chew your bottom lip nervously as he presses his fingers into your legs. You grow embarrassed from his actions, skin flushing.

"Don't do that," You whisper.

"What's wrong?"

"It's embarrassing," You hide your face, and the prince smiles.

"There is no embarrassment," He pulls you to his face by the thigh, and he presses a kiss to the inside of your leg. "You are the lover of the prince of the underworld. There is no shame in a place as this." He lifts the cloth from your legs, scrunching it up. "I'll make sure that you are aware of this, goddess." His fingers trace the outer lip of your labia, thumb meeting your clit to get you wet. You grip the sheets, desperate to cum not squirm. Zagreus is making it increasingly hard for you, your breath quickening as he slides a finger into you. Your thighs squirm to close, and he uses his arms to keep you open. Your struggling falls on deaf ears. He stares in curiosity at the way you coat his fingers. "You're gorgeous, darling." He mumbles, kissing your clit gently. You flush with embarrassment.

"That's embarrassing," You whine again.

"I told you, darling," Zagreus presses his lips to your pussy, pulling his fingers out to keep your legs apart forcibly. "There is no embarrassment to being my lover." He can't see you, but he drinks in the sounds you make as he goes down on you. The room fills up with your gasps, and he moans lightly as your fingers thread through his hair. He presses his tongue flat again, and you whimper as he bites on your clit. You're not sure what happens next, but as the prince goes back down on you in a blur, your legs are tightening around his head, your orgasm crashing down on you. Your lips part, a silent sob slipping past your lips as Zagreus pulls from you. He swipes his fingers across his chin, collecting the slick from your cunt.

"Still embarrassed?," His face drops, and he leans into your face.

You whimper. "N-no."

"Do you want to go all the way?" He stares at the mess on the sheets, and you whimper.

"Yes," You whisper. "I... feel as though I've made you wait long enough."

"Do not think that you are required to satisfy me," He whispers, staring into your eyes. "Never. This is about your comfort."

"I am sure, my prince," You mumble, fingers pressing onto his chest again.

Zagreus pulls his robes to the side, and he gives you one last stare, only pulling you to him as you nod. You're nervous, understandably so, and the prince eases into you, lashes fluttering to stare at you while you stare at where he was sliding into you. He's glad you're wet enough, and he pauses once he's inside of you, rubbing comforting circles onto your waist as you reach for his hand. He entwines his fingers with yours, letting you play with his fingers as you adjust to his size.

You're full. You feel yourself filled to the brim, stretched beyond how you've ever felt with your fingers alone. You fiddle with the prince's hand, the heat from his body warming yours. You wrap your arms around his neck to feel closer to him, and he leans onto you, hands caging you to keep his body weight off of you. You take the moment to stare at his arms and pecs, biting your bottom lip as he shifts himself in you. You exhale, curling upward to his collar, biting quietly. The prince cocks his neck to the side to give you more access, and you bite down, the male moaning. You suck quietly. You wonder if you could ask him to play with his chest another day. He might think it's too much for the first time.

Your lips let go of his neck, and you lower yourself back onto the mattress. "You can move now, my prince."

Zagreus moves slowly, worried that he would break you if he were to move roughly. You can feel him with every drag, sweating. "You're, hah, so dazzling, goddess," The male moans, hissing at the feeling of your nails rake down his skin. You whimper as he drags himself inside of you again, and your eyes are glazed over with tears. Zagreus finds that you look divine like this. The mixture of sweat and spit on the two of you causes your skin to glisten, and his half-lidded eyes flick over your body. You look ethereal. Ah, not even the skies of the overworld could rival your beauty. He can't believe he gets to have you like this.

You gasp and writhe under him, broken sobs cracking out of your throat as he thrusts into your repeatedly. You feel his sweat build up under your nails, yet you don't mind. Every inch of your body is on fire, and you whimper at how full you feel. You feel every inch of him drag through you at each thrust, and your toes curl behind him. It's drunkening. Your body is a mess from him, the cum staining his sheets, yet Zagreus doesn't stop. Your arms fall above your head, Zagreus entwining his hand with one of yours. You feel embarrassed, trying to muffle your voice in his pillows. "Zag... Zag... Ah, Zahg" You gasp as he presses his chest to yours, forcing your eyes to meet his. "I'm going to... hah... cum... please..."

Zagreus presses a kiss to your collar, his thumb moving down to meet your clit. You were calling his name so sweetly, how could he not comply? Your back hits the bedding again, nails digging into his shoulders. You moan and babble incoherently as he speeds up, and you cry as your orgasm hits. It jolts down your spine, your pussy clenching on him, causing the prince to curse on your skin, fucking you through your orgasm. You cry from the overstimulation, and the prince strings apologies into your ears as he chases his own orgasm. "Zahg... nn," You cry. "It feels weird... a-ah," Zagreus presses his lips to yours, finally feeling himself cum as your nails dig back into his skin. He doesn't think much as he forces himself into you deeper so that his cum stays, and you finally relax onto the pillows, tear stains visible on your cheeks.

"Sorry, darling," He mumbles, pressing a kiss to your cheek, licking the salt curiously. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," You whimper as he pulls out. "I'm fine. Thank you, my prince."

"Rest again, my goddess." He mumbles, kissing your forehead. "I shall take care of you."

"I'm sorry," Your eyes shut. "My prince."

"There is nothing for you to apologize for," He pulls the covers over you once more, and you drift off.

[trappolia]

how sweet it would be to wear the consort's crown─ zagreus certainly thinks so when he sees the laurels wrapped around your head. the prince of the underworld had never thought of formally taking a consort of his own, seeing how megaera and thanatos both have too much work to ever consider settling down as the prince's consort. all three of them agree, however, that you are the most suitable of zagreus' lovers to bear the mantle of his consort. you're the loveliest thing, haunting the halls of his father's palace in your resplendence, greeting your lovers with a sweet kiss and the most darling smile when they finally return from work. in his father's miserable abode, zagreus finds that its much easier to cope when you are his sanctuary. nights where all four of you are present are rare, but so much sweeter when you lovers envelop you from either side, and you fall asleep to the tired murmurs of megaera as thanatos and zagreus argue over who is taking too much of you in their embrace.

[demigoddessqueens]

I've been replaying Hades recently and Zagreus is just *chef's kiss*

Imagine Zagreus actually makes it to Dionysus's realm and hits it off with Nymph!Reader? 👀 (I feel like Dionysus would be the best/worst wingman ever lol. "Hey, sweet Nymph, my man Zagreus here thinks you're pretty great! You guys should talk. Just give me a shout if you need more drinks, or a room, or a third--")

Yes!!! Zagreua is just the best boy!! 💕

Masterlist 12

You are surprised that the Underworld’s royal heir is at such a scene but you don’t mind

He is quite easy on the eyes and keeps looking over in your direction, shooting you flirty looks

Dionysus is in his domain admiring you both and wants to set this plan into motion

“Zagreus, be a dear and go talk to them. I would hate to let such a party be a waste.”

“My beloved, loyal nymph, I know you better than any and you are not as shy as you play to be. Show the godling a good time.”

Wine loosens your lips, inhibitions and you and Zag look around each other

The rosy cheeks and shy looks darting back and forth just make him too irresistible

He tries to be the gentleman the Underworld raised him as but when you finally manage a kiss, he’d rather forget all formalities

[konenichi]

The amount of fanart I'm going to make when Hades II finally comes out from early access, until then, ENJOY SOME ZAGREUS

[mongeroffanfics]

Zagreus SFW and NSFW alphabets ♥️, for my friend @ember1224

≿———————— ❈ ————————≾

SFW alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Zagreus is extremely affectionate to his friends, as we see in the game, he offers you as much nectar as you’ll accept, and once you stop accepting nectar he’s giving you Ambrosia until you demand he stops.

Zagreus also shows his affection by standing close to you, or having a hand on your shoulder as you walk together.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Oh if you’re his best friend you’re going to get so much gossip.

He will tell you anything and everything- Achilles and Patroclus have a small argument? You know every detail before even Hermes does. Charon was caught being affectionate to Hermes? You’re helping him spread the news across the house.

You’d undoubtably meet him by being a servant to the house, someone he’s known for a long time and already has a small bond with.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Zagreus adores cuddling, he cuddles by literally yanking you into his lap, putting his head on your shoulder while he yaps about his day/night. He’s so giddy about it, arms loosely around you as he holds a new book of legends and myths that he’s had edited and he’s reading it to you.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Zagreus is absolutely down to settle down with a partner, the only bad part is he’s very uh… well he has no culinary skills and his ‘cleaning’ is mostly shoving clothes under his bed and into whatever crevices he can find.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Zagreus would definitely be far more polite than most when it comes to breaking up. He’d probably bring you into his room and apologize, comforting that it wasn’t your fault but he’s just no longer interested in you. He’d still be down to be best friends, but if you didn’t want to be he’d understand completely.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Zagreus, as we all know, is impulsive as FUCK. He’d be down to get married if you even show a little attraction back to him. He will commit if he thinks you’ll commit.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He’s uh.. he’s a little dense, but that’s ok. He’s not the most emotionally gentle guy out there, I mean, have you seen how his dad deals with everything?

Nonetheless, he’s very physically gentle, he knows his own strength very well and he (somewhat) knows when to use it.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Zagreus adores hugs, he will yank you into a bone crushing (not literally) hug every time he sees you, grinning like an idiot.

Zagreus will hug you every time he sees you, even if he only saw you a few minutes ago, you will not escape the hugs from the Prince of the underworld.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He says “I love you” very quickly, right as he confesses, actually. Every morning he will wake you up with praises, kisses all along your shoulder and neck, and him mumbling “I love you” against your skin.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Zagreus will only get jealous if you’re getting ‘too’ close with someone he knows, then he’ll basically turn into a ‘big scary dog’ and hover over your shoulder pouting.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Zagreus��� kisses are soft, but quick, usually on your forehead before he goes off on a run and literally jumps out his window.

He loves when you kiss the palms of his hands, just adoring the scars on them.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Please don’t let him around kids, he doesn’t know what to do. The way his dad treated him is his ONLY reference- he will hand them Stygious and try to teach them how to use it if he’s unsupervised.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings are spent in bed- he will not get up. Good luck leaving his bed if you’re there, he’s holding you hostage until his dad comes in there and shouts at him to get up because he’s late for his duties.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are spent cuddled up against each other, him somewhat flopped on you as he reads the Iliad (one of his favorite stories as it’s about Achilles) to you until you both fall asleep and the book falls to the ground.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Zagreus won’t be super quick to reveal things about himself, but every time he talks he mentions some little thing about himself. He honestly focused more on trying to understand you, rather than trying to vent about himself and all of his trauma.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Zagreus has decent patience, but if you do something royally idiotic you’re getting an annoyed interrogation from Zagreus. I think the only way to truly piss him off would be to hurt someone dear to him or break something important.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He remembers random details about you, whatever his brain considers interesting. He remembers your important details along with when you first became friends, to the last time he saw you interacting with a random shade. But he won’t remember your birthday- for some strange reason.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

His favorite moment is when he first gave you ambrosia, how you put your hands over your mouth and stared in shock at the bottle he was handing you. You were so, so flattered and shocked that Zagreus cared enough to give it to you.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Zagreus is extremely protective of his friends, and he’d absolutely protect you against everything he could. He’d do the same with all of his friends- and he’d honestly laugh if you tried protecting him back. He understands that you care about him, but believe me, he’s far stronger than you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

As much effort as he can possibly use, he’s going to Elysium, beating Theseus’ ass into the ground, and bringing you back some fine ambrosia for you to drink in celebration- and if you like fish then he’s beating the shit out of his dad and bringing back a fish from Greece.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He has a bad habit of just yoinking some of your gold. He’s gotten so used to sparring with Charon after stealing from him, that hes started unconsciously pick pocketing stray coins whenever he sees them.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not at all concerned- he’s already the underworlds biggest nuisance and the biggest pain in his dad’s ass. Any worries about his appearance is long gone.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

I think Zagreus would definitely feel lonely without you, I mean he knows plenty of shades, but each of them takes up space in his heart. He’d definitely feel a part of him missing, and would undoubtably search for you.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Zagreus has a diary with little notes on everyone he’s met, usually it has things that they like and little interesting facts about them written down so he knows what to get them.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn’t like someone who lies for no reason- it just tells him you can’t be trusted with anything. He can tell a lie immediately, and will probably tell you not to lie to him because he likes to trust his friends, but if you keep doing it he will cut you off completely.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Insomniac king- he almost never sleeps, but when he does it’s the heaviest sleep ever and he will sleep for a day and a half if he’s not woken up. You’ll find him curled up in his blankets, face down in his pillows and chances are he still has his clothes on.

NSFW alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Zagreus is so sweet after sex, giving you sips of nectar as he bathes you, gently massaging your sore muscles. He’s a gentleman, albeit a somewhat clueless one. He takes care of you and even tucks you snuggle into his bed before he dares to care for himself.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Zagreus’ favorite part of himself is his hands- they’re strong and durable, after all. He uses them to hold you close as he fucks you, or even to gently tug your hair. He will absolutely melt if you kiss along his callouses and compliment the scars on his palms.

His favorite part of you? That has to be your lips, he loves how they trail along his scars, or leave gentle marks along his immortal skin. He also loves feeling your soft lips against his own, it’s almost enough to make him moan.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Zagreus’ loves cumming down your throat, feeling your throat constricting around his cock and milking all of the cum out of it. Breathless praises would leave his mouth as he loosely holds you there.

His second favorite place to cum is between your thighs, not necessarily in your pussy (if you’re female) or in your ass (if you’re either gender), but he likes seeing the white liquid staining them and slowly dripping down onto the bed/couch.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

I can’t really see Zagreys having a dirty secret, if I’m being honest :P

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Zagreus is not the most experienced man in the world, considering how I think he’s only ever been with Meg, but that taught him a lot. He… well he somewhat knows what he’s doing, but he’s a quick learner and can improvise on the spot.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

His favorite position is the lotus position, with him slightly reclining back in a chair in his room , arms around your waist, your legs and arms wrapped around him as he gently fucks into you.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Zagreus is not the most serious person in the world- I mean he won’t just be a complete dumbass during sex, but he is absolutely not stoic and serious during sex. He’s definitely the kind of guy to lightly joke around during sex.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Zagreus is not well groomed, at least not until after you get together. He has some thick hair down there, but he’s drummed it down quite a bit. The hair along his crotch is dark, like his hair, and slightly curly.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Zagreus is so sweet, generally he has one hand cupping your jaw, making your eyes stay on his own as he praises you and asks if you’re alright. He is the definition of attentive, even the slightest show of discomfort and he will stop to check on you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Zagreus doesn’t really give himself the time to jack off, but if he’s been on a particularly long run, once he’s cleared a room he’ll start jacking himself off to hold himself over until you can be in his arms again.

All in all, Zagreus doesn’t masturbate often, but if he gets impatient for you he will.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Zagreus has a mirror kink, he loves holding you close while he glances into a mirror across from him, watching himself fuck you, watching your face if you’re turned away from him, or just eyeing all the marks his nails have left across your back and sides.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Zagreus will only do it in his room- he loves you, he really does- but he’s not going to fuck you anywhere but his room. It’s completely out of his comfort zone to have sex outside of his room.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

He gets turned on by the simplest things, you could be brushing his hair and say some simple compliment and he’d have a hard on, if anything the sweeter the compliment or comment is, the more horny he gets.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He will not share, he will not hurt you and he absolutely won’t do it anywhere but his room. Zagreus has boundaries and if you push them, or try to push them, he’d be turned off pretty quickly.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Zagreus loves receiving Oral, he will do almost anything for a quick blowjob from you, but if you want oral you’ll have to guide him through it. He’s a quick learner, and honestly adores the taste of you- and might (will) become addicted.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Zagreus lets you control the pace most days, if you want it fast and rough he’s holding you close and fucking you until your throats gone raw from moaning.

If you want it slow and sensual, he’s going to murmur how much he loves you into your ear and slowly roll his hips against your own.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

The quickie king, always willing to give you a quick fuck before going on another run, always making sure to at least clean you up before leaving.

Quickies happen at least four times a week, if not more.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Zagreus needs quite a bit of convincing to take risks during sex, as he’s very content to just coddle your smaller frame as he fucks you. Needles to say if you do risk something and he doesn’t like it, risks are off the table for a while.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Zagreus is a god, he could last for days if he tried hard enough, he can last for a decent amount of time each round. On average he’ll go for two or three rounds, just so you stay conscious and thinking while he fucks you.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Zagreus owns a few dildos and plugs, all gifts from his uncles (he will never use them, he does not trust them), but they’re locked away in a safe and you will have to let him watch you boil them for literal days before he willingly uses them.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Zagreus will be in a teasing mood about half the time, playfully slowing down whenever you’re on the brink- or just stopping and going on a run to make sure you’re ready for him later.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Zagreus is not exactly loud, but he’s very vocal. Hes grunting in your ear, gasping whenever he’s about to cum and if you’re lucky, he might start whimpering in your ear.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Zagreus is honestly embarrassed about any mention of you being his mate, or any conversation about sex. He does not want to talk to his dad or uncles about his sex life and he would love if they stopped asking about it.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Zagreus is almost seven inches long, and slightly tapered towards his tip. His cock is almost a pale orangish red at the tip, giving off a little heat. Hes about two inches wide.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

He has a very high sex drive, willing to go whenever you are. He always craves your body against your own, wanting nothing more than to have you in his arms and your body pressed against his own.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He takes at least two hours to fall asleep, just because he wants to take care of you and make sure you’re perfectly taken care of before he even thinks about cleaning himself up to go to bed.

Im gonna be honest i got really tired like halfway through the NSFW half, but i really enjoyed making this :)

Hades is up next

[avokadda]

Rest in the Fields of Mourning

Every time I see these statues, I can't stop thinking that it's Zagreus and Y/N 😭😭😭😭

[xjulixred45x]

Yandere Poly ThanZagMeg

I'm TIRED of the lack of content of these three togheter, SO i'm fixing that myself!

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: neutral

Warnings: yandere behaviors, slight stalking tendencies, isolation, overprotection, some persecution, hyper-agretion, threats of violence(not towards Reader), unhealty mindset, the three of them are yandere, so the triple the trouble. Some Fluff.

• UFFF…YOU’RE FUCKED

• Okay, it’s not quite like that, but honestly, reader should prepare for a WILD ride if these three together are their Yandere. But let’s start at the beginning.

• I imagine that for these three to be interested in someone romantically, it would have to be someone that ALL THREE see on a daily basis, precisely so that a connection can be generated.

• Let’s say that reader is a shade. A mortal who lived beyond the underworld, but their life ended abruptly. Now they try to enjoy the afterlife.

• Reader’s family was probably Hades worshipers, so when they died, they received pseudo-special treatment, giving them a job to do in Hades’ house.

• Probably the first one to meet reader, for obvious reasons, is Thanatos, not only because he is the one who harvests their soul, but because, as reader, them is given multiple jobs, sometimes Than has to supervise. which, while initially a pain, is a nice break from constantly going after humans.

• We all know Than is a top-notch workaholic, so he gives Reader pretty harsh corrections when he sees them doing a poor job, or scolds them if he sees them taking breaks outside of the hour.

• Reader's other Shades for having to put up with Thanatos's grumpy attitude, it's a shame to have to deal with that even in death.

• Even Than ends up overhearing Reader talking to other Shades who say the same thing, that they should ask for another position, that Thanatos clearly terrifies them, etc.

• And honestly, Than didn't think Reader was scared of him, yes, he can be intimidating, but come on, they're already in the underworld. What could be worse than that? (the man tries to pretend he's not offended).

• What's truly surprising, though, is that Reader defends Thanatos, saying that he has a good work ethic, that while he's strict he does so with good intentions, and that while he can be a bit harsh, he's a good man-god? Whatever.

• From here on, at least, Thanatos starts to treat Reader less roughly. Which leads to them meeting a certain person.

• Zagreus!

• Zag probably met Reader in passing when they were talking to Thanatos, and when he goes to greet him, Than introduces them as a new worker at the Hades house.

• We already know that Zagreus enjoys keeping a good relationship with everyone in the house (except his father), plus he's very happy that Thanatos finally has something of a friend!

• When Thanatos eventually gets back to his routine, that's when Zagreus becomes more predominant in Reader's life, wanting to befriend this new person of interest to Than.

• Zagreus is much more talkative than Thanatos, more sociable, so it is not difficult for him to approach them, even if the reader may be somewhat unaccustomed after spending so much time with Than (who barely spoke).

• Zagreus wants to know as much about Reader as possible (as long as that's okay obviously), what things are like for mortals, their customs, their tastes, things like that.

• Zagreus tells Reader all about his outings, when he goes to see his mother, the mythological figures he's met and faced, etc. He likes to see the expressions of amazement and wonder Reader has when she listens to him narrate.

• He tells Reader when he starts to develop feelings for Meg (a girl who used to be his ex-girlfriend, but they seem to be patching things up) and Than, and in general Reader is nothing but supportive, happy for all of them.

• (they even gets to learn some stories about young Than and Zag)

• It's easier to befriend Zagreus than Than. Although now that Reader has both of them as friends, things start to get a little stifling.

• Now, every time Zagreus comes back from one of his runs, he goes straight to Reader. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, if it didn't take up all of Reader's time, to the point where sometimes they neglects their daily tasks and ends up getting scolded by Nyx.

• And yes, it's not so bad to do that a couple of times, but it's almost all the time.

• And it's worse when Thanatos joins in. Out of nowhere his work ethic goes out the window and he tells Reader that “they deserve a break” and that “Nyx will understand if they takes a day off” (HE KNOWS WELL THAT SHE DOESN'T)

• Reader has tried to talk to both of them about it, but that only results in them not talking to him for a day or two, and going back to the same thing. It's a cycle.

• This got to the point where Reader tried to hide from Zagreus when he came back from his escapades, so that they wouldn't be dragged out of work. Sometimes it worked, and other times... it didn't.

• On one occasion, Reader decided to take advantage of their break to go get something to drink at the cantina in Hades' house, they needed it.

• And when they sat down, a woman approached them to make small talk. They had seen her talk to Dusa a couple of times, so they didn't care much. They really needed to vent.

• They both talked for a while, Reader telling her about this recent “mishap” with their friends, about how they felt about it, that, although they loved--LIKE them and appreciated their friendship, They didn't want to lose this position in the house, etc.

• The woman seemed to understand the situation, but in a different way than Reader did... out of nowhere they felt in danger.

• When Reader properly introduced themself (realizing that they didn't know her name), they felt their blood run cold when the woman said simply, and with a mischievous smile.

• “Megaera, but those idiots call me Meg”

• Blood and darkness.

• Reader excused themself and tried to go back to work normally, hell, they even went to an area of the house they wasn't even allowed to clean (the files) just because they knew it was the only safe place for those three.

• And yet, thet felt like they were drilling holes into the back of their neck, watching them tremble in fear…

• Reader accidentally ended up falling asleep in the Archives. They was lucky that a Shade woke them up before Lord Hades arrived (and even luckier that Zagreus wasn’t a morning person).

• However, that was as far as their luck went. The next few weeks were based on Zagreus, Thanatos, and Meg cornering them to “spend time together,” and now that they had one of the Furies with them, Reader didn’t even dare show displeasure, too scared of what would happen if they refused.

• Now, to be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that they were practically forcing Reader into these dates, they would be genuinely enjoyable interactions. Things like seeing Zagreus fight Theseus in the Colosseum, or fighting Meg, the Matches with Thanatos, the different parts of the underworld besides Tartarus…

• Zagreus was sweet, trying to make them feel comfortable and happy (as much as he could at least), bringing them nice things he found on his escapes (some weren't even bought, they were things he found that reminded him of them) and he was the most openly affectionate. In any other circumstance, they would feel safe with him.

• Thanatos was more about actions than words, giving simple gifts that said a lot, stepping in when Zag and Meg were going overboard, being the most aware and considerate of all. Even if it was a little scary knowing he was involved in all this.

• Meg was hard to read at first, she seemed so rough and strong that reader was initially convinced that she had probably only joined this mess for Zag and Than, hoping to find, perhaps, an ally in her.

• What they didn't take into account was that Meg had her own kind of fascination for them, a more passionate, more primitive, more violent one. It was like a predator's interest in its prey, always looking at it with curious and intense eyes.

• This goes on for several days, with a strange forced relationship with the three, with reader praying that they'll get tired of them soon so that they can go on with the rest of their afterlife in peace.

• They had taken the job so they wouldn't go crazy with nothing to do in the afterlife, but this is the closest thing to it.

• Still, reader tried to carry on as best they could, until Nyx asked them one day, out of the blue, to clean Zagreus' room.

• Oh no.

• They knew, they knew that if they entered that room they would devour them alive, they would force them to choose that life.

• Reader tried to negotiate with Nyx in vain, telling them that either they did what she told them, or they could leave Hades' house.

• And Reader only did what their body had been begging them for months.

• they ran straight to the exit of the house, even bumping into some Shades on their way, it doesn't matter, they had to get out of there.

• They didn't even notice that Nyx was shouting something when they went through the door.

• Not to them, but to Zagreus, Thanatos and Megaera.

• The chase was short, after all, Zagreus knew the whole underworld like the back of his hand, it didn't take him two minutes to have Reader over his shoulder, and later. In his room.

• It was something simple, they would accept the three of them, they wouldn't have to work again, they wouldn't lose his position in the house of Hades, they would have every need met, but most importantly, they would only have eyes for them.

• Or else…

• If we go to the “relationship” itself, it's fucking chaotic.

• Dealing with the three of them separately is already a mess, but together? Good luck having time alone now.

• Zag, Than and Meg sleep with Reader in the middle (Than and Meg on the sides, Zag hugging them), it's lovingly suffocating, and there's no way to get out without one of them noticing and following Reader like a hawk (they sometimes think they're stealthy and don't realize they're being followed. How cute).

• As compensation for losing their jobs, the three of them try to give Reader hobbies and activities to do in his free time, Than usually brings books, Meg takes them out for walks with Dusa and they talk about the latest gossip, Zag remodels their bedrooms a bit so they have space to do things like painting, writing, whatever they want!

• There are days when Reader can leave the bedrooms, there are other days when they can’t, and they has to stay there until one of their “lovers” comes (meanwhile, sometimes Skelly chats them up and tries to cheer them up – this is better than being in Tartarus! right?)

• Among them they also want to improve the relationship that Reader has with each one, as I said, Zagreus likes to tell about the times when Thanatos has helped him get out of the underworld, his misadventures when they were young, etc. She also likes to brag about Meg, how despite everything that happened with her sisters she is still a woman of unbreakable character, how strong she is, etc.

• Meg is brutally honest, she tells the reader that Zagreus can sometimes seem a bit arrogant, but that he definitely loves them with all his heart, and that he only has to ask him and he will do everything to make them happy. Than is a grumpy god, yes, but he is loyal, loyal to his family, loyal to his principles, and now loyal to them, and that you should not doubt that he will do everything possible to keep them safe.

• Than, as we know, is more about actions than words, but he tries to improve that to benefit his partners. He tells the reader how the relationship between the three began, how things were with Zagreus before they arrived, and how they improved afterwards. Let them improve their lives as you improved ours, he says.

• It's a conflicting situation for the reader, on the one hand, they doesn't hate any of them, in fact, in many ways, they likes them, but at the same time they's so terrified of the consequences of upsetting two gods and an Eriny, that sometimes that affection is overshadowed by paranoia.

• Than, Zag and Meg know they make a strong impression, they know they shouldn't have done what they did, but worry (and jealousy) was eating them alive, it's better this way, so they can take better care of them.

• At least they try to appease their new lover's paranoia, going on more everyday and simple dates, giving them reassuring talks, assuring them that they not only see them as an equal, but that they won't do anything to them if they wants to give constructive criticism to improve their relationship (and therefore, make them happier in the their new life!), etc.

• They are overprotective, but they are aware of what they do.

• Because of this, they are also good at showing their friendlier side to the reader, and leaving their bloodthirsty side for all the people who kept them away from them for so long. Maybe breaking a couple of legs, a few cuts with the whip or the sword, letting them die by bleeding or by the scythe, whichever comes first.

• At least they have the decency to keep that side hidden from their lover's sight, they can't let them see that now, not when they is finally accepting them back.

• A charming, terrifying and intoxicating Polyamory.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[written-with-blue-ink]

Hey, what are your thoughts on how Zagreus would gain a crush on the reader? Just pure fluff please

Yeah, no prob hon! Since you didn't specify, I'm gonna do headcanons!

Zagreus X GN!Reader

He probably first saw you right before he went on his killing spree throughout the Greek Underworld, like every other shade who entered the House of Hades: waiting for a decree from his father.

I love Zag but he isn't the perceptive type. Many souls come through the Throne Room daily, an uncountable number that has to go through admissions, paperwork, etc.

The first time he ran into you though, he caught sight of someone at the entrance struggling to get used to the fire and smoke that Asphodel is engulfed in.

Being the gentleman his father didn't raise him to be, he offered to help you find a better place to make your space.

Taking one of the rafts together was weird for you to say the least. There is really only space for one so he pulled you close, making both of you blush in embarrassment.

I mean, a mortal soul holding onto the chest of the God of Blood and Rebirth? How sweet!

You have to admit, him fighting was brilliant and attractive. He was strong, graceful, and tried his damnedest to protect you (even though you are already dead and can't really get hurt)

About two stops later he introduces you to Euridyce, who is more than happy to take you in like a mother bird protecting her nest.

Zagreus' affection for you mostly grew over time with consistent visits to Euridyce's humble abode

The little things that came out of the three of you talking, you break out of your shell really.

Your laughter and wittiness with both him and Euridyce are major things.

Bandaging up a wound or giving some small drachma to help afford items at Charon's shop.

Your pep-talks and advice when it comes to strategy in the upper levels.

These small gestures of kindness mean the world to someone like Zagreus who didn't have a caring parent or many friends.

He brings little gifts for you too, especially when Persephone returns

Pressed flowers or little things he knicked from the palace for you to use.

He's not ready to tell his feelings yet but he just enjoys the moments he spends with you.

[trippygalaxy]

Zagreus' Nicknames For You!

First x reader thing I'm making for Hades, and I wanted to do something small to get comfortable with this new fandom sooo nicknames headcanon it is! I hope you enjoy it!

Pairing: Zagreus x GN! Reader Warnings: NOT BETA READ!! (sorry for spelling errors!), suggestive language? its not meant to be--, Word count: 500+

Little Minx

A nickname said with mirth in his voice and a playful glare that holds nothing but love.

You, among with many others in the House, like to teasingly poke at the Prince's buttons with playful jabs and taunting comments. But you are one of the few that holds no true malice behind your words and makes a point to check in on him to see if these comments bother him.

He greatly appreciates your concerns and semi constant check ins, it makes him feel seen in a way he hasn't yet really experienced--

But he wouldn't call you his little minx if you weren't a little gremlin! Oh no no, you are by far the most mischievous soul he'll ever meet!! Your quick witted quips, your sly smirks and knowing looks as you press each of his buttons (with love, of course!), all of these factors are what got him to coin your title!

Zagreus may roll his eyes and send some playful jabs back, but he loves having a partner that can match his energy!! And he can't help but find it so cute when you snark him in that mirthful tone of yours!

Jewel

A nickname cooed into your hair, a wide smile clear in his loving tone. A nickname that comes bursting from his chest as he sees your darling form.

You shine brighter than any gem embedded in his fathers rings, the light that bounces off of you only adds to the breathtaking form of yours. You, to Zagreus, are one of the most beautiful jewels he had the honor to lay his eyes upon.

To the Prince, you are the most precious thing he has ever found!

Maybe thats the romantic in him, but he truly believes that you are worth every coin under the sun and ever uncut gem beneath the surface. He may doubt how someone as brilliant as you could ever stand next to someone as dull as him, but he is quick to push those worries aside when he sees the way you smile at him.

The man, as soon as he rises from the Styx, will look for you in the halls of the house, and you can bet that if he catches a glimpse of you he will be hurrying to your side and calling for you without a hint of shame in his tone.

He loves his Jewel, and he'll try to voice it ever chance he gets!

Nectar

A nickname whispered into the nape of your neck, batted breaths fanning across your collarbone as he clings to you.

Oh this boy...When he isn't trying to 'escape' the labyrinth that is the Underworld (or..dying), he is in your arms and is making himself right at home in your warm embrace!!

You've gained the nickname from...well...You hold a sweetness to you unlike anything he's ever experienced in the Underworld! He would gladly drown in you if it meant he could experience you again and again.

This nickname isnt as widely known, like Jewel, and nor is it used so sparingly like Minx! The nickname is used for the few quiet moments you two share together, its said with so much tenderness -as if you'd shatter like a glass bottle if Zagreus spoke it in any other way- you melt every time he says it.

These quiet moments tend to be with you two laying down, legs tangled with the others and embracing eachothers warmth and love.

Taglist: @birb-boyo @tomsishere @faroreskiss (Uhh...thats it i think?)

[idontknowwhatimdoinglol]

I have a request: hades (boz) x goddess reader, cute moment during the reader's pregnancy. Where Hades, Melinoe and Zagreu feel the baby kick

Hades x pregnant reader (baby)

--

You lounged on a small bench in Hades castle, resting a hand on your stomach as you watched Zagreus and Melinoe play on the room's balcony. after a few minutes of peace hades walked in behind you, coming over with a warm smile and placing a kiss on your lips. "how are you today my love?" he asked, taking a seat at the end of the bench, resting a large hand on your stomach. "I'm alright, although our darling child has been quite active today." you smile, sitting up a bit more. hades' expression brightened at this, feeling around your stomach to feel a kick from your unborn child, when he finally felt that tiny push against his hand his smile widened in pure joy feeling over the spot once more in hopes of feeling another. "children come here" he asks softly, the both of you watching with small smiles as Zagreus and Melinoe run to your sides. "what is it, father?" Zagreus asks, looking up at Hades with bright eyes. hades doesn't answer but simply guides your son's hand to your stomach. chuckling as Zagreus jumps from another kick. "that's your baby sibling" you smile happily, stroking Zagreus's hair. "I want to feel too!" Melinoe exclaims excitedly, running her hand over your stomach hoping to feel a kick too. this time it took a few moments but she to felt the small bump from her future sibling. "I felt it! I felt it!" she cheers happily. you smile at her before speaking. "when this little one is born you'll have the chance to be a big sister just like Zagreus is your older brother" you point out, making your daughter gleam with joy. "I hope it's a girl, I want a baby sister," Melinoe says with hope, crawling onto the bench to sit on her father's lap. "well I want a brother" Zagreus states, crossing his arms as he sticks his tongue out at his sister. you and Hades both laugh at this, enjoying the playful banter of your children. "now now both of you, no matter what the baby is we will love it just as much." hades says, taking Zagreus into his lap as well. "your father is right, no matter what happens we will always be a family." you smile softly, enjoying the precious moment with your husband and children.

[thepigeonhasapen]

Okay! Could I request Zagreus, Megaera and Thanatos (separate) with a gn romantic shade reader who loves watching them fight and is like their cheerleader? Like, for example, they'll watch Zagreus while he's attempting to escape, watch Megaera fight Zagreus off, and watch Thanatos clear rooms with Zagreus?

They kind of just sit at the sidelines / hide behind something and occasionally throw a thumbs up and peek their head out like :D

With A Cheerleader Reader, Megaera, Thanatos, Zagreus

(Here you go, hope you like it!)

🖤Megaera🖤

Meg hates it. It was bad enough that you know Zag is routinely kicking her ass, do you have to see it too?

Honestly, Meg likes to keep you at arm's length from her work. She doesn't want to push you away with the reality of what she does. She doesn't want you to know about some of the stuff she does during work hours.

Would much prefer if you just waited in the House and didn't bring any of this up. Actually, she'd prefer it if you didn't know at all but that ship has sailed.

Eventually you come to a compromise. You are allowed to soothe her ego after the fact and watch her spar with her sisters, but you are without a doubt NOT allowed to watch her get her ass kicked by Zagreus of all people.

💀Thanatos💀

Probably mentally compares you to his brother. Won't say it out loud but whenever you shout encouragements from the sidelines, he can't help but think of Hypnos.

Can't help but be embarrassed whenever Zagreus beats him. Death is literally his thing, how can he lose at a death contest?? Tends to get a little sore and closed-off if he loses in front of you, but just compliment him a bit and he'll forget all about his sullen mood pretty quickly.

Secretly adores it. Nobody ever wants to see death so Than preemptively enters interactions from a distant and closed-off space. Can't lose anything if you don't risk anything, right? He sometimes worries that you don't want him around, but your cheering soothes his anxieties.

Shyly admitted that he liked it once and adamantly refused to talk to you for like a week after. Man is allergic to vulnerability.

🔥Zagreus🔥

Loves it! It can feel lonely out there, just him against legions of the undead, and he appreciates your presence. Appreciates it whenever you call out warnings to him or compliment him on an impressive dodge.

Probably ends up dying a bit more than usual when you're around because he can't help but show off for you. You can tell him as many times as you want that you'd be impressed no matter what he did, but it doesn't matter. The only way Zag isn't putting on a little show for you is if he gets so into it that he forgets you're there.

There was one time in Elysium when he decided to turn around and blow you a kiss mid-battle because he thought he had a spare moment. He did not and Theseus straight up impaled him. Everyone involved refuses to let him live this down.

Makes sure that you know just how much your presence helps him. Your cheers spur him on and help him to keep going even when everything looks bleak. If you believe he can do it, then he'll give it one more try. He dedicates this next run to you! (Please don't make fun if him if he immediately dies.)

[ancientboyfriends]

Zag Introducing You to Cerberus (HCs)

Cerberus is one of the most important people in his life so it’s impertinent to Zagreus that you like him

Obviously, he understands if you’re a bit wary about the monstrously massive three-headed hellhound, but he’s giving you constant reassurance about it

Things like, “Oh, don’t worry, he only eats people with bad manners,” as a joke, and then quickly backtracking when he sees your face pale, telling you that he’s the sweetest dog

When you eventually do meet the hellhound, he’s very curious about you, and two of his heads start sniffing you at once, leaving you surrounded by the ticklish wet noses on all sides

Zagreus can’t help the smile on his face as he watches you laugh, and it only widens when you ask him to show you how to properly pet him

He’s also made up because now he has someone to help him make sure all three heads get scratched with none of them feeling left out

After spending a bit of time with him, Cerberus will be as excited to see you as he is to see Zag, quickly nuzzling you for attention

If you ever bring him something, like food from the kitchen or a bottle of Nectar or whatever, watch out for his slobbery tongues as he nudges you something in return

It means so much to Zag that Cerberus loves you and vice versa, because now it means he can spend time with both of you, and he loves that

When his father’s not at the desk (like in the middle of the night or something), he’d enjoy climbing onto Cerberus’ back and cuddling you (it’s like the world’s softest, fluffiest blanket)

He will be roping you into helping with Cerberus’ bath time, and good luck, because only one of his heads can tolerate the act of being washed

If you and Zag aren’t together yet when you meet Cerberus, the dog would absolutely be pushing you both closer to each other until you’re chest-to-chest; he’s a little shit like that

Overall, Zagreus will be absolutely made up that you and Cerberus get along, and it will only endear him to you even more

[trappolia]

── O, BRIDE OF THE UNDERWORLD

thanzagmeg. amongst the dead of the underworld, a reprise of a love story blooms.

Your mother-in-law once called you the beating heart of the Underworld.

It was a startling thing to hear from Persephone — she who had forsaken her mother's name to marry the God of the Underworld; she who the Earth weeps frozen tears for in her absence; she who has made a dark spring bloom here with just her presence.

The Underworld already has a heart of its own. It thrums with a steady, distant pulse, like the distant drum of a song for soldiers fallen in battle. It is in the shadows that move with purpose, and the chill of death of once warm bodies wandering the halls of the House of Hades and engaging in idle conversation about how they died as if they are merely discussing the weather.

The quiet hum of eternity.

You wonder if she simply sees a bit of herself in you. You were once a nymph of the grassy plains above before Death. Now you are a bride of the Underworld, who has founded a home in this realm of ink-black rivers and whispering shades, its gilded halls and blood-red roses, its ceaseless churn of souls. You walk these corridors not as a mere visitor, nor as one damned, but as something precious; as Persephone is.

Or maybe she simply thinks too much of you. Places you against the greater portrait of the Underworld and all its hellish circles. You have always seen yourself as something more minor, though no less significant. The portrait of a lover, rather than something belonging to the whole of the Underworld; Prince Zagreus’s consort, chosen and beloved.

And not only his.

The scent of laurel and iron is familiar when Megaera finds you first. She is leaning against a cold obsidian pillar where you turn a corner in the hall, caught in your daily wandering of the House of Hades. Her whip coils lazily around her hand, and you have felt the touch of those fingers too often to worry about what that hand is capable of against your beloved prince. You know Zagreus well enough to understand that even he takes some pleasure from their semi-daily spats.

Her golden eyes are alight with amusement when she catches you.

“Looking for someone?”

Her voice is smoke and steel, the kind of teasing only she can pull off — sharp enough to wound, sweet enough to make you crave more. It's a delicious rasp, one that pulls you in.

"I thought you were working," you say softly, meek even in your approach. Under Megaera's gaze, you feel like a deer caught in the headlights. It's a delicious feeling, like flames licking at your skin.

"Tisiphone is dealing with your fool of a husband, sweetling," she muses, reaching out to brush your hair out of your face. Her fingers drift, pinching your chin playfully. "Had it been me out there, Zag wouldn't be coming home in time for supper."

Before you can answer, a weight settles against your back, a touch cold as the space between stars. A hand, deathly pale yet soft in its tenderness, trails over your wrist before curling around your fingers. Megaera raises a brow as she lifts her gaze to the newcomer.

Thanatos does not need words. He never does. His presence alone speaks volumes — the weight of inevitability, of endings — pressing into you like the certainty of a final breath. And yet, there is warmth in him, one you have come to know intimately—a paradox of comfort in the arms of Death himself.

“Zagreus is coming,” he murmurs, voice quiet as the rustle of the Fields of Asphodel. “He was waylaid.”

“Waylaid,” Megaera echoes, smirking. “That’s one way to put it.”

You tilt your head up as you feel Thanatos shift, his golden eyes gleaming under the torchlight. He is beautiful in his quietude, just as Megaera is beautiful in her storm.

"Were you helping him again, Than?" you inquire.

It has been a long time since aiding the Prince of the Underworld in his escapades was seen as some form of treason by Hades. Even then, Thanatos still averts his gaze, his grey skin flushing with a dark shade like the murky waters.

"Helping is a generous term, dear," he mumbles.

Megaera snorts.

Their bickering is dry, almost entirely deadpan. There is none of that theatrical flair of Zagreus arguing with his father for eternities, but it is no less entertaining for you to watch. You've learned to take delight in the sharpness of their words, the furrow of their brows. In a way, it is strangely domestic.

You cannot help the little grin that tugs at your lips as you watch them in front of you. The laugh that tumbles out of your mouth is entirely accidental, and you squeak as two pairs of golden eyes snap to you.

"What are you laughing about, little flower?" Thanatos muses, his voice soft and utterly smitten.

"Isn't it obvious? They're laughing at you," Megaera scoffs, though it lacks in her usual malice.

Suddenly, the scent of wine and pomegranate blossoms floods your senses.

It comes before you even see him. You close your eyes, basking in the scent of it as if it were the spring that you have not felt in a lifetime. Beside you, Megaera and Thanatos fall silent.

Then, there he is: breathless, grinning, battered from the inevitable chaos that follows him everywhere, the floors of hell burning under his feet. His underworld-forged armor bears fresh scrapes, his knuckles bruised from the skirmish, but his smile—his smile is for you.

For all of you.

"There is your husband," Megaera drawls.

Zagreus is panting when he reaches you, still dripping in the blood from the River Styx. You have learned to disregard the viscera, delighting only in the way his hands reach—finding yours, Megaera's, brushing against Thanatos's in an unspoken promise.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Zagreus breathes. “Got a little distracted.”

"Distracted, he says," Thanatos deadpans.

Megaera rolls her eyes, but she lets him pull her closer. Thanatos sighs but does not resist the touch.

Death, treachery, rebirth; how odd for a maiden of the Earth to surround themself with. But you have learned like the goddess before you that love tends to find creatures like you in the strangest of places, like a stubborn dandelion blooming through the cracks of a cobblestone path.

You beam, lifting yourself up on your toes to press your lips against your husband's cheek, then your two other lovers. Their hands are cold like the touch of Death and unbearably warm like the flames of Asphodel, and you stand at the very center of it—something that was once warm and breathing and now is not; beloved in your death as you were in life.

"Shall we have our supper together now?" the bride of the Underworld asks.

And like any damned creature in love, the Underworld listens.

[love-toxin]

Zagreus & Thanatos Commission

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

Zag-re-us! Zag-re-us! Zag-re-us! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“M-My name is-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wh-What?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Z-Zag-” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But I-” 

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

“Special..?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Than hates how…virile I can be.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do not cum yet, Zagreus.” 

“I-I can't-!” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“As if.” 

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

[asaarii]

just some various works that will prob never get finished chars included (in order) aka you can see all of my phases

mark grayson (invincible) [1.3k]

heartseel kayn and phel w streamer (league) [1.8k]

sett (league) [1.7k]

zagreus (acc might finish lowk) (hades) [856]

genji shimada (overwatch) [1.5k]

iso (valorant) [1.1k]

yasuo (league) [1.5k]

Mark Grayson [1.3K]

If there was one benefit to the cowl, it would be being able to hide the look of confusion on your face when a familiar sonic boom thunders through the sky before crashing into buildings with little regard to the people within. The ground tremors from the sudden force, splintering at the apex of the collision into loose and jagged debris.

Your breath hitches when the first building falls, your legs moving faster than your mind as you leap from your post atop a building. Just barely, you manage to save a family from death’s waiting maw, screaming at the top of your lungs for everyone in the area to keep moving. Though your voice is altered significantly by the modulator, the evident urgency in your tone sends many running; clawing and crying for a chance at survival—one you’re not sure many will have.

You do your best to help, grappling between buildings to save who you could, and pushing down waves of regret whenever you were a few seconds too late.

It had been a normal patrol at the start, and you’d even considered turning in early due to the lack of activity. You rarely took patrols during the day as your powers were dampened significantly by the presence of the sun, but a few days ago Rex had requested you take his place while he helped Rae move into her new apartment.

(“Please,” he whines, gripping your shoulders, batting his lashes in a way that has you reeling back, shoving his face away with your hand. “I’ll get your favorite takeout whenever you want! Just do me this one solid, I swear.”

You turn to Mark, your boyfriend caught up in a conversation with Eve, unable to catch your pleading gaze. As if sensing your unease, he looks at you, eyes alight with curiosity as they flicker between you and Rex before he shrugs unhelpfully with a small smile.

Your eyes narrow as your tongue pushes against the inside of your cheek while you weigh your options. Against your better judgment, you spare one last glance to his pathetic, pleading face before ultimately giving in. “Fine,” you groan out reluctantly, pushing him fully off you only for him to crush you in a hug to which you return stiffly.

He deserved his moment of happiness, you suppose. You all do after everything that’s happened.

Rex pulls away from you, playfully slapping Mark on his shoulder before running off to tell Rae the good news. “Dude, you’re girlfriend is the best!” 

“I know,” Mark says proudly as he comes up behind you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, his lips pressing a feather-light kiss on the crown of your head. “C’mon, mom made your favorite.”

“Mark…” Your quiet murmur is picked up easily by his enhanced senses, your voice tinged with the slightest hint of hesitation.

He raises a hand before you can protest, pinching your cheek lightly. “Surely the Moon Knight can take just one night off, right?” 

You really could never say no to this man, could you? 

You flick his nose playfully, your scowl bearing no real heat as Khonshu’s voice echoes in your brain, likely arguing against going with Mark. But, for the first time in a while, you ignore the god, opting instead for a rare occasion of putting yourself first.

That was the first time in weeks you’d spent the night together, sharing your feelings and fears beneath his protective comforter while your insomnia took its hold, keeping your mind awake late into the hours of the night.

Luckily Mark had a few other ways to tire you out.)

Your muscles throb dully beneath your plated super suit in exertion, the white plates now stained a deep scarlet hue. You push forward, hands catching onto a flying car before it can crash into yet another building. The force drags you forward, but you manage to plant your feet and stop it just before it collides into the building which you now recognize as your favorite café. 

A win amidst a sea of losses.

At least, that’s what you try to tell yourself, eyes flickering between the dilapidated buildings and the multitude of corpses left behind by the unknown threat. That’s when you see it. The figure that floats above it all, his familiar red cape flowing with ominous grandeur.

You know that suit.

But his face isn’t the same as you remember.

“Mark…?” His name leaves your lips a breathless question, confusion and doubt growing in the pit of your stomach with each cautious step you take toward your boyfriend.

Something’s wrong. 

You feel it in the way his eyes snap to you without an ounce of recognition, cold behind his trademark goggles. And you most certainly feel it when his hand tightens around your throat before throwing you face-first into the asphalt. You make a choked noise at the feeling of your shoulder dislocating, the ground fracturing beneath you as a result of his strength.

It’s only then that you realize that the man above you isn’t your Mark, but an echo of what could’ve been. His hold on you is tight as he holds you up by the cape, scrutinizing every concerningly steady beat of your heart.

He leans closer, taking in the small details of your mask and suit, confusion settling on his face for the briefest of seconds before it returns to clinical stoicism, and he drops you unceremoniously onto the jagged ground. He clicks his tongue as you gasp for breath, glaring down at you with his lips pressed into a tight line.

You take the opportunity to muster the ability to kick him away from you, momentarily stunning him with your strength as he crashes into the café you’d just saved. The strangely dressed Mark reappears from the rubble with furrowed brows, brushing off stray dust from his suit. 

You don’t give him a chance to recover, pinning him to a wall by the cape with an ahnk before popping your shoulder into place. You stalk closer, truncheons in hand as the sun disappears behind the horizon line. The Mark before you follows your movements closely like a predator waiting to pounce.

His jaw ticks as his hand closes around the ahnk, no doubt feeling the sting of Khonshu’s wrath as it burns through his glove and skin. Regardless, he pulls it free from the wall, throwing it at you with newly renewed conviction. “Who are you?” Though his tone is detached, you pick up on the smallest inklings of curiosity.

You hate the similarity he bears to your Invincible down to the very intonation of his question. But you can’t falter—you will not falter; not as a defender of Earth, nor as Khonshu’s sole avatar. Rubble crumbles above as the false Invincible before you holds your gaze both of you silent as a moment passes with rising tension.

He’s in front of you before you can blink, his fist pulled back before he punches you hard enough to level a whole city block.

You brace for impact, just barely finding time to raise your arms before you’re sent flying back. Had the sun still been up, you would’ve been nothing more than another stain on the concrete, even if only for a few moments, but all you feel is the blinding pain in your arms and back as you’re sent flying through a multitude of crumbled buildings.

It doesn’t take long for your bones to mend, but it takes even less time for the caped imposter to find you, appearing in a heartstopping gust of wind a few meters away from you.

“It’s rude to not answer when someone asks you something.” His arms remain crossed across his chest as he stares down at you from his place in the air. Next thing you know, glass shards dig into your back as he throws you by the ankle into another building.

So much for answering his question.

HEARTSTEEL with Streamer!Reader [1.8K]

kayn: 

always comes in at the most random times. which can lead to a mixed bag or reactions ranging from a victory kiss to a scream of terror from the depths of your soul

most likely does it on purpose too because he’s a bitch like that.

could not give any less of a fuck if people knew you were together or not

sure pr is always on his ass but blah balah ablaha 

you’re his partner and he’d be damned if he didn’t show you off to both your fans and his.

(he does reign himself in when yone steps in, though. holy shit that man is scary when he wants to be.)

Your headset sits heavy on your head, a sponsored brand you find yourself mentally critiquing as you focus on the game before you. A bead of sweat drips from your brow, a fruit of your concentration while your hands remain shaking and clammy on your controller.

The sound a heartbeat echoes distantly, though whether it’s your own or a game mechanic, you don’t quite know.You don’t notice a shadow shifting behind you or your chat trying to warn you, having muted it in order to focus solely on the game.

Arms curl around your chair as you turn down an infamous hallway, each creaking step of the rotting planks below your character sending a jolt of fear down your spine. Kayn watches behind your oblivious figure, trying to find the perfect moment to execute.

Unlike you, who wanted to go in completely blind, he’d watched numerous gameplays in order to pinpoint each jumpscare. Sure, he’d caught some flack from Yone during practices, but the thought of your reactions was too good of an opportunity to pass up. 

It doesn’t take long for a familiar door to come into view, followed shortly by a series of quick-time events. 

The ghost of his touch trails up your arm, yet you remain wholly unaware due to the stress of every new event. His hand removes one of your headphones, breath warming the cusp of your ear just as the final event appears on screen.

“Boo.”

Your sudden jolt causes you to hit the wrong button, successfully triggering a rather brutal jumpscare. As you jump back in pure fear, your controller flies from your hand, connecting squarely with your boyfriend’s nose.

The next few moments are pure chaos, with you screaming about an intruder in your house and Kayn keeled over in an attempt to stop the blood. 

When you finally come to your senses, you’re shocked to find that your so-called intruder is actually your boyfriend, finally home from an extensive tour around Valoran following the success of Heartsteel’s latest album: STORMSURGE.

“Shieda?!” You’re quick to make your way to his side, panic rising in place of your previous fear. Blood pools in his cupped palms as he rushes out of the room with you trailing close behind whilst you apologize profusely.

Your poor, poor viewers are left with a view of an empty chair and an open door on your facecam while the death screen lingers on your monitor. Though muffled, they can hear snippets of the interaction transpiring between you and the rockstar from down the hall.

“Tip your head—forward not back, dumbass!” 

“Fuck! Why’d you throw the controller so hard.”

“I was scared! And you weren’t supposed to be home until tomorrow…”

“Was s’posed to be a surprise.” There’s clear fondness in his tone despite the nasally sound of him pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I didn’t even hear you open the door.” You’re rubbing his back in soothing, trying your best not to wince at the copious amount of blood staining your sink.

“Well you also didn’t hear me leaning on your chair.” There’s a pause as Kayn sighs before mumbling a low, “I shadow traveled anyway,” uncaught by your otherwise sensitive mic.

It gets really hard to stay annoyed by his little prank when he looks like a kicked puppy. Even from this angle, you can see the small jut in his lip as he pouts, scowling slightly from the pain of his injured nose.

“M’sorry,” he apologizes after you bandage his thankfully unbroken nose. You can only chuckle as you clean his face and hands free of any blood, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry too. I overreacted.”

“Nah,” he shakes his head, leading the two of you back to your studio, “never apologize for feeling scared.”

Your chat rejoices at your return, half consoling Kayn and half making fun of him for being taken out in such a hilariously stupid way. He discreetly flips them a middle finger while you settle back in your seat, quickly closing the horror game in favor of a more lighthearted multiplayer. You miss the way he smiles when you respond to chat, though your perceptive viewers see the way his heterochromatic eyes shine in your dim lighting.

They see a downbad loverboy instead of the coldhearted rockstar face he offers the rest of the world.

yeah… sometimes he games with you, but he insisted to have his own controller and setup

if you look closely in the very right corner of your face cam, you can see the edge of his monitor peeking through; a candid shot of you the lockscreen

to tell the difference, he says

bullshit

sometimes he barges in without even knowing your streaming, already ranting about something that pissed him off

you always mute, ready to listen and offer advice on whatever he needs

he’s a mod when he’s not physically with you, banning any freaks who think they have a chance with you

he loves you and loves that you’re so confident in yourself, but your safety will always be your top priority

aphelios: 

he’s with you every step of the way

he was your first supporter, after all

usually, he sits just out of frame and if you listen closely, you can hear a few of his mixes in the background when you speak

or he’s your camera man whenever you’re filming something outside the comfort of your home

there are also times he appears as a figure in your door—an ominous shadow, standing there menacingly for moments at a time before disappearing down the hall

this has led to a multitude of conspiracies about your apartment being haunted by a tall, lanky ghost

he finds it funny

you do not—okay it’s a little funny trying to suppress your smile as you dismiss your viewer’s concerns

your chat has grown a bit suspicious of your odd behavior, but you always brush it off as them being paranoid

you both finally decide to introduce him properly after you reached a particularly big follower goal

The camera blinks a bright red as your stream comes to life, a slew of comments come flooding in your chat, congratulating you for finally reaching the goal you’d been striving for for quite a while. 

“Hey, guys! Welcome to my 500k follower special.” You wave at the camera, clapping your hands together while your eyes quickly scan the comments. “Thank you, ๑pinpinipi for the ten dollar dono! Yeah, as you guys can see, we’re gonna be baking today.”

๑getdiffed: we?? hmmmmm very very suspicious…

๑colon3: not rlly…but they’re doing the staring thing again

๑fardeded: IM SO EXCITED JBGJBONLNMK IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS STREABM FOREVERRRR

“Haha, I’m happy to see the enthusiasm, fard! Glad to know you’re still with us after all these years. Today, as many of you have guessed, I have a special little helper in the kitchen today—well, not exactly little, but you get the point.” You nod to the empty space beside you, encouraging the blue-haired male to join you in front of the camera. 

He steps closer hesitantly, but stands tall with a soft nudge of your shoulder. Anything to see you smile.

๑willMYseed: NO FUCKING WAY IS THAT APHELIOS

๑colon3: WHAT THE HELLL

๑getdiffed: I KNEW THEY WERE SEEING SOMEONE BUT HOLY SHIT I DIDNT THINKNIT WAS HIM

๑fardeded: its all making sense now. i KNEW the music in the bg of someof their streams was familiar I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS THE COMPOSITION FOR STORMSURGE

๑averagegodling: who in the world is aphelios

๑averagegodling: WAIT HE’S THAT GUY FROM HEARTSTEEL???? :[user]_wtf:

๑ily[user]: gn. ive lost. 

๑averagegodling: bros acting like they had a chance w [user] :skull:

You let out a boisterous laugh, leaning on your lover for support as your legs buckle beneath you. He holds you, smiling down at you gently as helps you back up.

“Sorry,” you wave a dismissive hand, “sorry, you guys are just too funny—fuck, what were we making again, Phel?”

He smirks as he whispers the dish in your ear, making sure to cover the mic clipped to your shirt to ensure that only you could hear his voice. His eyes stare dead into the camera, his hand lovingly stroking down your arm with the full intention to stake his claim.

“Right! Thanks, love,” you kiss his cheek absentmindedly before turning back to the camera, “we’re making yakgwa! It’s one of Phel’s favorites.”

๑willMYseed: WRITE THAT DOWN GUYS YAKGWA IS ONE OF APHELIOS’ FAVORITE FOODS

๑colon3: good googly moogly dID YOU SEE THAT SMIRK

๑fardeded: we get it king, they’re yours:[user]_sob]

Aphelios bends down, allowing you to pin his hair up with the gaudiest clip you could borrow from Alune without much protest, even allowing you to leave a lingering kiss on his freshly exposed forehead. With a roll of his eyes and a ruffle of your hair as payback, the two of you set to work in order to make the fried dessert.

It doesn’t take long to discern which of the two twins holds the culinary expertise. 

(Hint, it isn’t Aphelios.)

He’s squinting at the iPad placed between the two of you. There’s a cute furrow in his brows you’ve only seen when he was making music. It’s rare to see him so concentrated on something other than his craft.

What you didn’t know is that he’s only like this because it was you who asked. Had it been Sett, Ezreal, or, god forbid, Kayn asking him to do this, he would’ve rolled his eyes and pushed Alune their way and called it a day. But it isn’t. It’s you; the person he’d tear down the moon itself for if it meant seeing you smile one last time.

“…Phel?”

He turns to you, slit brow raised in silent question.

“Does this flour look off to you?” You tilt the bowl toward him and he leans closer only to blanch at the odd concoction stirred within the bowl.

Oh. Haha. He was wondering where he misplaced K’sante’s protein powder. Silly him. Without much thought, he takes the bowl, chucking it in the sink with a quick text to Alune to pick up some wheat flour.

Oops?

๑PrideOfNazumah has donated $15: hey :)) could you check if aphelios has some birthday cake flavored protein powder left :)) both sett and i seem to have run out :)) no pressure :))

Sett [1.7K]

The world was cruel, often uncaring of those it brought punishment upon. Mothers, children, fathers, and lovers; nobody was safe from the ever-winding threads that wove history together, creating an ugly amalgamation of wars, famine, and ruination.

Regardless, you do your best to create a safe place in the world for your son, even if it’s difficult for the two of you to see eye to eye on most occasions. He has his father’s stubbornness, bearing the same crinkle in his nose whenever he bears the fangs he had inherited from you right back at you. Though, perhaps the worst thing he’d gotten from his father was his venom-laced tongue which spewed poison that hurt your heart more than any blade.

You never once blamed him, though.

You were the reason papa wasn’t around anymore. You were the reason he had to move to the outskirts of Navori away from everything he grew up with. You were the reason he had nothing. You reason your child—your own flesh and blood—despised your very existence. 

Your fault.

Your fault!

It was all your fault!

Yet you took it all in stride. Still smiling and greeting him every morning with a gentle kiss to the forehead that he reels away from. Still tidying his uniform despite his protests, and still walking him to school even if he refuses to walk anywhere near you. It’s all worth seeing the smile that lights up his face when he catches sight of his friends in the schoolyard, completely disregarding the bidding of good luck you offer him.

Every day you smile to yourself as you turn your heel, breathing deeply in hopes of finding a job as funds are beginning to dwindle and the thought of selling your body sends a shiver down your spine.

You’d done it before, though, and ironically it was actually how you met your son’s father. The you of the past would have been quick to hop on the idea as it paid well and was relatively simple, but you could never make the mistake of falling in love with a client ever again.

Friends had warned you, truly they tried to help, but you didn’t heed their words. Their pleas for your well-being fell deaf in comparison to how your heart initially beat upon first forming a connection with the man. He was kind, gentle, and handsome to boot, but the flags—both green and red—were tinted by rose lenses as you found yourself falling a bit too hard too fast.

Maybe if you’d been a bit more preceptive you would have seen the glaring signs, like how his previously warm touches became cold, or how he smiled less when the two of you met up, or how his once soothing words began to make you doubt yourself and your worth little by little. Maybe then, you wouldn’t have been so shocked by his venomous words when you’d told him about the pregnancy. 

You’ll never forget the look of raw anger and disgust that crossed his face as he clicked his tongue and stormed off with the excuse of cooling off. Your parents offered little support in the ordeal, ashamed of you for earning your keep in such an unkempt manner and getting pregnant so early on in life as a result of it. At least you had your friends to pour your burdens out to, or at least you used to, until you turned tail and fled the province, unable to look your parents in the eyes, or bear the scorn imposed upon you by your supposed lover.

Before you can delve too deep into the painful memories, you bring yourself back to reality, nodding kindly at your interviewer who gives you an unimpressed look in return.

She’s human, you note; her nails are trimmed short in comparison to your razor-sharp claws that fiddle restlessly in your lap, her ears are at the side of her head and bear skin unlike the fuzzy ones at the top of your head, and also unlike your own, hers don’t betray your emotions with a downward tilt. Her eyes travel between you and your resume, and you can’t help but feel scrutinized under her predatory stare.

Ironic, isn’t it? 

Vastaya are typically known to be far stronger than the average human, bearing magic that most could only dream to hold that’s usually bolstered by their animal-like attributes. Yet here you were, cowering before a human who bears not a flicker of magic trickling through her veins. You do your best to shrink into yourself, eyes flickering anywhere but on her as a result.

The gaze of your interviewer softens a near-unnoticeable amount as she gnaws the inside of her cheek and once more, she glances at your resume. “Look,” she starts, quiet and slow as if to not startle an already frightened animal, “I don’t believe our business is the best place for you.” She can’t help but wince when you deflate, forcing yourself to pull through despite the harsh sting of being rejected by yet another job.

“It’s just…” She struggles to find the words, “Our business deals primarily with business transport, and it says here that you’re a single parent, right?” You can only muster a weak nod in response, desperately attempting to hear her out through the torrent of thoughts in your mind. She grabs your hand from across the table, rubbing soothing circles into your palm with her thumb.

It’s far beyond the boundaries of a normal interview, but she can’t help but empathize with you and your clear anguish. “You wouldn’t want to leave your son alone, would you? Most in our line of work don’t return from the first job, and I don’t think you want to imagine your son without you. So please, if not for you, then for your son, find another place of work.”

Her words do little to comfort you, but you nod along anyway, simply wanting to leave the vicinity as quickly as possible. However, just as you think she’s finally finished with her long-winded rejection, she fishes into her loose-fitting hanfu, pulling out a small slip of paper resembling a talisman. 

“Here,” she states, pushing the paper into your hand. You come to realize that it’s a coupon for a free meal. As if feeling your confusion, your interviewer laughs lightly, a stark contrast to her cold persona mere moments prior. “For your troubles and a testament to your good luck in the future.”

You can’t help but stare at the coupon when you exit the building. It’s got a cute little design in the corner reminiscent of the badgers back in your home province and the black characters seemed to be hand-inked with love and care. You smile down at it, running your hand across the dried ink before pocketing the slip.

The sky is darkened slightly by the time you reach the entrance of the school. Towering whipwillow trees arch into a beautiful gate connected to an even larger tree that serves as the base of the school. It’s difficult not to admire such a work of art, cultivated through years of dedication to the act of magic. 

However, every beauty comes with its own mars.

Holes and burn marks litter the tree from the Noxian invasion a few years back. Though most had been repurposed into open classrooms, they still serve as a reminder of the past and a sign to all that all that was once broken can be crafted into something beautiful.

In your moment of admiration towards the school, you nearly miss your son scurry past you, eager to go home and hole himself away in his room away from you. Luckily, you’re quick to catch him, much to his disdain. He shakes your hand off his arm, and you smile lovingly at him despite the added weight to your already heavy heart.

“I heard you were doing well in your classes. Why don’t we celebrate with a meal? I know a place you may like.” That was wrong, you didn’t even know if the teahouse was safe to bring a child. Regardless, your proposition was met with nothing but cold silence, causing your smile to falter slightly. Swallowing your pain, you guide your son through the active streets of Navori, sticking to well-lit streets and occasionally asking stall owners for directions while simultaneously purchasing ingredients for later with the little money you have on you.

Eventually, you and your son find yourself in front of a quaint teahouse, the same little badger etched into the sign above the entrance. When you push open the flaps, you’re immediately welcomed by a warm aura and the scent of fresh food. 

A Vastayan woman is quick to greet you. Her ears seem naturally downcast, her lilac hair mostly held back by a band on her lower back, though a small portion is held together by twine next to her face.

“Welcome,” she greets, showing off her fanged smile that exudes the same homely aura as the rest of the establishment. “I don’t believe we’ve met before, are you new to Navori?” She guides both you and your son to the front, and it’s then you realize that the teahouse is practically empty. Guilt begins to seep in at the thought of catching this woman right before closing.

“Huh? Oh, yes, we just moved recently.” Your answer elicits a soft hum from the woman as she pours you and your son cups of tea.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself then.” After she places the cups down, she brings one of her clawed hands to her chest, “I am Ginora, owner of this little teahouse.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ginora. Ah, where are my manners? I’m [Name], and this is my son, Kuon.” You place your hand proudly on your son’s shoulder, only to have him shrug it off with a grumble. You’re quick to hide your wince with a strained smile as the two of you take the menus from the kind restaurant owner. 

“The pleasure’s all mine,” she smiles before perking up when she sees you struggling to choose something. “Would you like some recommendations?”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

Ginora is kind; the type of woman you wish was your mother as well as the type of mother you hope you are to your son. She’s patient in the way she guides your son through the menu, who’s reluctantly polite to seemingly everyone but you.

“This is my son’s favorite.” She points to steamed pork buns on your son’s menu. Something in your brain clicks; it make sense that she’s a mother with her infinite patience and calming presence

Zagreus [856]

“What was he like?” Melinoë’s soft voice draws your attention away from the cauldron. It simmers quietly as you turn to look at her, the light of the eternal flame illuminating her already ethereal face.

You blink dumbly for a moment, trying to process her question ever so slowly. Hecate’s laugh rumbles a few meters away, and you cast your questioning glance to the elder witch. She merely raises her hands in defense, returning to the new scroll she’d scouted out along her many travels. Right.

“My brother,” she finally clarifies after a beat of silence and one-sided communication between you and the headmistress. “What was Zagreus like?”

This wasn’t the first she’s asked about your husband, but it’s the first time you actually feel ready to share his memory. 

“He’s…” you pause for a moment, “he’s exactly how the tales regale.” A fondness glitters in your eyes as you step away from the cauldron, beckoning the younger spawn of Hades towards a table at the lounge. The shades are happy to serve you, offering only the nicest nectar provided by none other than Charon himself.

You take a sip, savoring the soothing taste of the golden liquid. Melinoë does the same, her eyes never once straying from your content expression.

“Zagreus was—is the oddest man to ever grace the Underworld.” Your chuckle is melancholic as you meet your sister-in-law’s two-toned gaze. Her eyes are the same shade of forest green and vermillion, though switched on opposing eyes. Unlike her brother’s carefree ones, they’re heavy, weighed down by a burden that should never be held by one person alone. God or otherwise.

Yet, even then, she holds the same stubborn determination the rest of her family seems to have, and you’d be damned not to help her in her goal.

“Have I ever told you how we met?” A swig of nectar forces down the bitter loneliness built over the century without the presence of your husband.

The younger goddess shakes her head and you chuckle, downing the rest of your drink with a small smile.

“Well…”

—

Filling in for Hermes as a messenger was not often a responsibility placed on your shoulders, but when the speedy god pled to you to make this one, itty-bitty delivery, you couldn’t say no.

He leaves you in one of Elysium’s vast fields with a pouch of…something and instructions to do nothing but “wait until he appears”.

“Who?” You quirk a brow, unamused by your friend’s vagueness.

Hermes only grins with an equally ominous: “You’ll know when you see him.” He readies himself to part, only to turn back to you one final time. “Oh! And if he asks, tell ‘em I was busy running an errand for the big boss, he’ll understand. Now, I know this is sudden and I swear on my life I’ll pay you back later, but looks like I’ve got to run! Take care of him, yeah?” All you feel is a gust of wind and the grass billowing at your legs before no trace of the messenger god is left behind.

Blast these gods and their stupid mind games.

Would it have killed him to at least give you a name?

You grumble obscenities that would have the most profane god fainting, kicking at the soft grass as you continue to wait idly. A few spirits of notable figures cross your path. They bow respectfully as they pass by you, unable to withhold their awe at the sight of your ethereal form.

“Thank the gods. Finally, some peace! Now, where is it…” A sudden voice cuts through your conversation with one of the shades. The owner ambles closer, huffing out a breath of relief as he sheathes his sword. The scent of ash reaches you before he does, and your nose twitches. There was a reason why you rarely ever ventured to the lower depths.

The man—the godling—stares. And stares. And stares…His pretty, heterochromatic gaze blinking slowly in confusion while his hand finds its way back to the hilt of his sword once again.

“You’re not Hermes.” 

That much is obvious.

Burning grass follows every step he takes, and it doesn’t take long for the blade to be pressed against the column of your neck. “You’re another blasted witch,” he seethes, contempt clear in the way the blade pierces through your skin, drawing only the smallest inkling of divine blood. Again, another obvious point. Where in Olympus was he going with this line of thought?

Suddenly, all the pieces come together and you want to smite Hermes all the more. 

Before you was the Zagreus, the notorious spawn of Hades whose presence has rippled throughout Olympus’ upper echelon due to his persistent climb to the surface. You’d heard of him in passing, though never found much of an interest in Olympus’ latest gossip hub.

There’s an awkward beat of silence before you recall Hermes’ request. It’s difficult trying to locate the pouch in your bag with the prince’s sword still pressed into your neck, but you do eventually manage, holding out the brown pouch as a peace offering in place of your neck

Genji Shimada [1.5K]

One of the first things he felt when he opened his eyes was anger. A red-hot inferno that scorched his core from the inside out. Next came the numbness in his limbs that once seared with an incomprehensible pain as they were cut down by his brother’s blade.

His brother.

The thought alone was enough to send him into another fit of anger, though unable to move due to his current predicament. He settles for glaring at the blindingly stark white wall of the unfamiliar room. It hurts to breathe—hurts to think. He tries to close his eyes in an attempt to find a semblance of peace in the darkness behind his eyelids.

However, just as he does so, the door leading to the hallway slides open. 

“I see that you’re awake, how are you feeling?”

He opens his eyes slowly, glare landing on a blonde woman who merely tilts her head questioningly. He can barely process her words, his mind slowly translating it to his mother tongue. He never was the best at English.

The slow blinks he sends her are enough to have the doctor clicking her tongue as she taps away at the holographic computer. A file pops up between the two. It’s his. It lists his name, age, birthplace, and even what schools he went to. Yet, what perturbed him was the picture associated with his file.

In essence, yes, it was him, there was no doubt.

But, something felt off. Like it wasn’t really him anymore.

As if feeling his stare, the blonde woman tears her gaze away from the screen. Pushing up her glasses, she minimizes the holographic screen before making her way over to his side, a bottle of water in hand.

“You seem thirsty, please, drink up.” She slowly tilts the water bottle past his parted lips. He accepts greedily, allowing the soothing liquid to quench his thirst.

“Angela Ziegler,” she starts, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips while she caps the water bottle. His look of confusion causes her to let out a small chuckle. “My name,” she clarifies.

The woman, Angela, returns to her swivel chair across the room, tapping through the seemingly unending files before landing on one in particular. “You’ve caused quite some trouble, Mr. Shimada.” Her hand cups her chin gently, glasses reflecting the bright blue light from the monitor.

“You’re quite fortunate that one of our agents found you when she did. Had she not…well you can guess what would have happened.”

Of course he does. He wasn’t exactly expecting to wake up.

The door slides open once again, revealing an injured soldier clutching at her arm with a grimace tugging harshly on her lips.

“Speak of the devil,” Angela murmurs with an amused huff. The soldier—you—raises a questioning brow at your trusted friend. She merely shrugs her shoulders, tilting her head slightly to the injured man on the hospital bed.

“Shit…I didn’t know you moved him in here.” You sound embarrassed, unwanting to meet the ninja’s harsh glare. Angela makes her way over to you with an odd-looking staff and a medkit, her lips are pulled into a smile, but you can see the concern swimming in her deep gaze. Genji watches from his place on the bed.

The blonde takes your arm, uncaring of the blood that cakes her hand after. She tells you to raise it and you wince.

“What happened,” her once veiled concern is now bleeding through her tone. Your expression pinches further at her prodding.

“Operation went south and Reyes sent me to you.”

She hums in understanding, already inspecting the wound, “But you have Dr. O'Deorain on standby, no?”

You click your tongue, eyes nearly rolling to the back of your head whilst she tightens the bandage. You hiss harshly, glare boring holes into Angela’s head, yet she remains unaffected. “I don’t trust her,” you snip curtly as if any mention of the redhead burns your tongue.

In a way, it did, that much Angela knew, which is why she never sends you away when you came to her.

“Oh, I have another reason for stopping by, too.”

This gets the doctor’s attention, causing her to look up from your arm with a raised brow.

“It’s a deal from Morrison and Reyes themselves regarding our little friend over there,” your chin jerks over to the bed-ridden Shimada. Your gaze is pitying as it drifts between his missing calves and arm. He does not take kindly to your blatant patronization, instead, his glare increases tenfold.

“Well, out with it.” Angela snaps your focus back onto her. Her foot taps rhythmically whilst she scrubs her hands clean at a nearby sink.

“They want him in Blackwatch. Says he’d be a good help for taking down the Shimada clan—”

“Have they seen him? Do they know he’s missing limbs? That he’s barely alive?” Her sudden outburst was to be expected, yet you remain unflinching under the scrutiny of her narrowed eyes. Her jaw is clenched, seemingly out of character in comparison to her usual persona.

With a clenched jaw, you attempt to move your arm, leaving her questions to hang tensely in the air. It hurts a lot, but you still continue to move it nonetheless. Angela grips your forearm harshly, stilling it, “Stop that, you’ll only hurt it more.”

The warning has you sighing, finally relieving your arm of its strain by allowing it to fall limply at your side.

“Cybernization.” Your voice was quiet and would have most likely been drowned out had the heart monitor been any louder. You knew Angela would disagree with this. Turning a man into a weapon wasn’t exactly humane, after all.

“What?”

“They want to turn him into a cyborg. Uh, with his consent, of course.” Your reassurance does little to placate her.

As you await her response, she lets out a defeated sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Don’t look at me. I’m not the one you need permission from.” Both of your gazes fall onto the silent man, who had yet to say a word since his awakening. Even while weakened and bed-bound, he still retains the ferocity and rage of a scorned man.

A stark contrast to the bleeding man you had found during the raid on the Shimada estate. You recall how his one remaining hand gripped tightly onto your uniform, his delirious gaze swirled with betrayal and rage as he faded in and out of consciousness.

Slowly, you shuffle over to him under Angela’s scrutiny. His eyes—the only part of his body he seems to be able to move freely—remain trained on you, judging each movement you make, from your careful steps to the nearly unnoticeable twitch of your fingers.

“Hello.” It felt like it had been years since you had last spoken Japanese when in reality it had only been a week.

He seems shocked to have his mother tongue fall from your lips, but that fleeting look leaves as quickly as it arrived. While he doesn’t ward you away, he isn’t accepting of your presence beside him.

You smile slightly as you introduce yourself, unbothered by his intense stare. “Do you know where you are, Mr. Shimada?”

He remains silent.

At this rate, your break would end before you’d be able to get any sort of reaction other than a glare. With thinning patience, you huff. First, the successful escape of Hanzo Shimada, and now the lack of response from his brother. 

This entire family truly was troublesome.

Always keep a calm head, your mentor’s words echo within your mind.

Breathe in.

“Mr. Shimada,” you start, the previous politeness you once held now replaced by the stern tone you used on duty. Angela clicks her tongue, rubbing her temple as she places her glasses on the desk.

“We,” you motion to yourself and the room around you, “are Overwatch. We want to help you, alright?”

With his anticipated lack of a response, you continue.

Breathe out.

“I’m sure you know of a man by the name of Shimada Hanzo, yes? The assumed head of the Shimada clan?”

This gets a rouse out of him. The withheld rage surfaces. Though unable to move much, his nostrils flare, his lips pulling into an animalistic snarl and nearly tears the delicate stitching done to his face.

“Where is he?” His voice is low, hoarse from lack of use and damaged vocal cords. Your hand clenches at your side under the heat of his feral glare. He sits impatiently, awaiting your response, akin to that of a ticking time bomb. Angela watches you from the corner of her eye, ready to step in should things go south.

“We don’t know,” you shake your head solemnly, “which is why we need your help locating him. Of course, your contributions won’t go unrequited. We will do everything in our power to accommodate to your… situation.”

At long last, his glare falters.

A dry, mirthless laugh falls from his cracked lips. “You speak as though I’ve already accepted your offer.” His head lolls back onto the crumpled sheets and flattened pillow of his hospital bed, defeat and fatigue etched into the creases of his frown. “But, I suppose I have no other choice.”

ISO [1.1K]

2XXX, FLORENCE, ITALY

“Grazie,” you smile kindly at the waiter who brings you your food, taking in the beautiful architecture of the city. It’s a shame that you can’t stay to enjoy the sights, so you do your best to enjoy what little downtime you have. 

After your light lunch, you find yourself wandering through the streets, occasionally stopping to window shop, partially to not rouse suspicion, and partially to gaze at the luxuries of the life you had lost long ago. With a shake of your head, you cast those thoughts away, focusing instead on the task at hand. 

A small, holographic map emerges from your bracer, marking your location with a white arrow, and the rendezvous point with a blinking red dot. Pushing through the throngs of people would have been a lot easier had you not been barred from using your abilities out in the open. Instead, you find yourself uncomfortably tucked into the corner of a bus with the smell of cigarettes emanating strongly from your seatmate.

Yeah, you’re definitely telling Brim that he can leave going undercover to someone else when you get back to HQ.

It doesn’t take long for your bus to reach your stop, or maybe you simply zoned out. Nevertheless, you quickly exit the bus, excusing yourself as you squeeze past the other passengers. The streets are long, winding, and confusing, but you manage to find yourself before where you need to be.

The Kingdom Corporation building stands out against its surroundings, its walls a sleek white in comparison to the dated and faded hues of the older buildings. 

You stare at it a moment, gaze furrowing into a sneer before you turn down a desolate alleyway. You loiter there for a while, swapping between the few selective apps you were allowed to have on your phone and messaging other agents with far more interesting assignments. Only when the sun completely sets and the streetlights flicker to life do you make your move. 

Under the cover of darkness, you scale up the wall’s shadow, perching on its tiled roof with practiced ease. The Kingdom building is, as expectedly, far brighter than its neighbors, proudly bolstering its prestige with the illuminated K on the front.

Scouring the building, your eyes land on its unguarded roof. With little effort, you find yourself on it in a blink, the only evidence of your presence being the persistent remnants of shadow that linger at your previous position.

“Get in, and get out. Simple enough,” you murmur to yourself, pulling your hands through the Kingdom labcoat you’d brought along and adjusting the collar.

“Che ci fai qui da solo?” Someone grips your shoulder tightly, spinning you around to face them. You’re met with a masked Kingdom guard who, despite the mask adorned on his face, is clearly irked by your presence. “Sai che non ti è permesso stare qui.” 

A moment passes in silence as he studies you. He reaches his hand up to alert his unit but is stopped by a hand gripping his wrist. The guard jolts at the sensation, turning to face the perpetrator only to find…you? 

There isn’t much time to think as a fist collides squarely in the center of his abdomen, no doubt at least bruising a few internal organs, and with a strangled cough, he falls limp in your arms. You prop him against a nearby ledge, feeling yourself scowl at the sight before disappearing beneath the crack of the roof’s door in a shadowy wisp. You briskly jump between shadows, painstakingly combing through the building’s floors in order to find the opening you need. Impatience simmers beneath your skin as you traverse yet another long hallway with no leads.

The building’s interior is similar to its exterior, just as bright and empty, if not more so, each hallway seemingly more monotonous than the last. Well, at least the upper levels were. The lower levels, on the other hand, were dark, hidden easily by the corporation’s blinding front. 

You reach into your labcoat’s pocket, pulling out a candid shot of your prime suspect–Isabella Romano, one of Kingdom’s up-and-coming scientists as well as one of the lead researchers for the ever-elusive Project Landfall. With a groan of frustration, you find yourself running a hand down your face. However, just as you were about to call it quits and report to Brimstone that the mission was a bust, a soft voice chimes down the hall.

“Bene, bene. Spero di risentirla di nuovo presto.”

Bingo.

Your gaze finds her easily in the group of grunts she’s chosen to surround herself with, blinking behind her and allowing yourself to fall into the group’s collective shadow before anyone could take note of your presence. The ride is silent as the elevator slowly descends, though it is soon broken by the scientist’s phone ringing. She takes a deep breath before picking up, but from your position behind her, it’s difficult to tell who she’s answering to.

“Hello? Yes, this is Isabella,” she replies in English. “Yes, Project Landfall has been progressing smoothly on our end, but our location is less than ideal, unfortunately. Yes, I am aware of the, ah, incident in Norway, but I promise that this will not end up the same. No, we’re still working on preparations, but I will update you as soon as we’re ready to commence opening the portal. Thank you for your time, ma’am, we’ll be sure not to disappoint.” The elevator doors slide open just as Isabella hangs up, revealing a linear metal corridor with almost nowhere for you to hide.

You cling to the shadow of every crevice, tailing the unsuspecting group silently. The corridor isn’t very long, luckily, stopping at another set of metal doors that slide open with a metallic whirr. The room itself is very spacious, with at least fifteen monitors lined neatly against the furthest wall, where a group of at least four people hover around, speaking in hushed whispers while observing something you couldn’t see.

You slip between them, becoming tangible for only  a moment and grabbing the first manila folder you could find as you duck behind a supply crate. Your fingers are quick to comb through the files, thumbing through the multitude of useless reports before stopping at a sealed-away section with nothing but the Kingdom logo printed on the front. Footsteps near your hiding place, each step echoing louder than the ringing in your ears. 

Then they’re gone. 

Fuck it, you decide after a moment’s hesitation. 

Tearing off the seal, you’re greeted by manuscripts of all languages pertaining to Project Landfall, just as you’d anticipated. Even the recent radivore encounter at the abandoned Norweigan facility had been documented.

You had to give it to them, these people were nothing if not punctual.

Yasuo [1.5K]

It’s quiet; way too quiet.

Something’s off, you can feel it, but your hand quivers around the handle of your blade, unable to unsheath it. You hear your own heartbeat pound in your ears–a daunting reminder that you’re alone, at least, you hope you are.

The bush nearby rustles–the wind, you reason. A twig snaps in the distance–wildlife, you bargain with your crumbling resolve. Footsteps echo through the underbrush of the forest, growing closer before stopping before you.

By now, your eyes are shut tight, blade long abandoned at your side in favor of protecting your head with your arms.

“A Vastaya?” You hear the person mumble to themself before sighing in what seems to be relief. The sheathing of a blade reaches your ears. Slowly, you gingerly open your tear-rimmed eyes to take a look at the stranger.

He’s looking away, mumbling to himself while he combs a hand through his long, tousled hair. You take the chance to examine his figure. He bares a shoulder pad that seems like it would be more of a hindrance than a help, and his cloak is ripped, exposing his scarred, yet admittedly toned midriff.

You force your gaze to his face, watching as he strokes his five-o’clock shadow between his thumb and forefinger with a pinched brow. There’s a scar across his nose, though it doesn’t make him any less attractive. You ponder on how he got it. A fight? An accident, maybe?

He meets your stare, offering a small grin while raising his hands in the air. “I won’t hurt you,” he starts quietly as if you’d run if he spoke any louder, “promise.” When you don’t flee, he slowly lowers one of his hands to point to himself, taking note of the way you tense, your eyes falling to his sheathed blade.

“I am Yasuo. I mean you no harm, truly.” Though his words seem genuine, you can’t seem to shake the wariness gnawing at your gut.

“Why are you here?” Your voice quivers, hand reaching down to the hilt of your blade. Only the clinking of steel clashing with steel is heard before you land pathetically on your back–vulnerable and unarmed. Your sword lands near Yasuo’s feet with a dramatic thud.

Silence stretches over the two of you. It’s a tense silence; one that leaves your mouth dry despite your constant swallowing. It’s only when Yasuo sheathes his sword do you allow yourself to breathe again.

“I take it you aren’t one for visitors?” His half-joke is met with no answer, even as he begins to awkwardly chuckle to himself. He sighs for what seems to be the nth time in the span of twenty minutes.

He parts his lips to speak, running his tongue along the chapped skin as he tries to find the right words. “Look,” he starts, “I just need a place to rest for a week at most. Then I’ll be out of your hair, I swear.”

“A week?” 

“A week.” 

Now it’s your turn to sigh, weighing to pros and cons of bringing a stranger–a human, no less–to your home. Your mind begins to spin tales of all the horrid things that could happen if you were to take him in, followed by even more outlandish solutions.

All the while, Yasuo patiently waits, watching how your inhuman ears twitch and fold with every new thought that pops into your mind. When it appears that you’ve finally come to a consensus, he stands a little straighter, forcing down that small bout of anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

“A week,” you say with a resolution that shocks even you, “but no more.”

He offers a grateful smile, handing you your fallen sword before mindlessly following behind you as you begin the trek home.

“I never did catch it. Your name, I mean.” He brushes away a touchy branch with a small scowl, eyes glancing up to meet your hesitant pout. You opt to give him your name–to make it easier for the both of you, you reason.

He says your name, the syllables falling from his silver tongue like a beautiful melody. It sounds nice–hearing your name from the lips of someone after all these years of solitude.

“Yasuo.” His name slips from your tongue before you even have the chance of thinking to stop it. The said man turns to look at you, tilting his head slightly in a silent question.

“Forgive me,” you look away bashfully, “I’m not quite sure what came over me.”

Yasuo hums, leaving the rest of the trek to bask in a silence far more comfortable to the one prior.

—

By no means would you describe your home as grand or lavish. It was a quaint cottage with all the essentials and a flourishing garden around the back. Your companion lets out a low whistle, clearly impressed with what you had to offer.

“...Only a week, right?”

He nods, not once looking in your direction in favor of taking in the view of your house, “Only a week.”

You usher him inside, that last thread of tethered hesitance dissipating when he places his blade by the door.

You breathe a sigh of relief, placing your own blade by his to ward off any of his suspicions. By the time you enter the foyer, he’s sitting stiffly on your couch, eyes unfocused whilst he tries to take up as little room as possible.

“You can relax.” You don’t wait to see his reaction, moving to busy yourself in the kitchen, though your ears do pick up on the small breath he lets out and the creaking of his muscles when he lets his shoulders sag. You wince at the sound. Just how tense was he?

You mindlessly drone through making dinner, taking extra care to make portions big enough for your impromptu guest. You call him into the dining room after setting the table, taking your usual seat while allowing Yasuo to choose his own seat.

He picks a seat across from your own. With one final glance at him, you begin eating your own food, filling the otherwise awkward silence with the scraping of utensils. 

Hesitation flickers briefly across the wanderer’s face, and it isn’t until you shoot him a questioning glance does he gingerly place the now-cold food on his tongue. He chews in bites so slow and meticulous that you’re left to wonder if he actually enjoys it or if he’s fighting the urge to spit it out.

“It’s good,” he finally concludes. Your heart feels lighter from the statement, for some odd reason or another.

—

After showering the day’s stress away, it’s safe to say you’re shocked when you find Yasuo laying against the hardwood floor with nothing but a pillow beneath his head and an old blanket draped over his form. His shoulder pad sits forgotten in the corner next to your swords, glinting menacingly beneath the moonlight that peaks through the blinds.

He looks at peace with his eyes closed, chest rising and falling with each steady breath.

“Why are you here?” Tucked into the corner of the couch, you peer over the edge to look at him, voice barely above an inaudible whisper. He hears you, though, because of course, he does.

“I thought we’ve established this already. I just need a place to rest for a bit.”

You sigh, “That’s not what I meant. Why are you here–in this forest? It isn’t exactly hospitable to, uh, humans.” You stumble over your own words, fumbling with the hem of your sleeping gown.

“I’m here because I’m looking for something,” his tone matches your own; hushed and hesitant as if he’s spilling a deep secret to a close friend.

“Looking for something?” You parrot with a curious tilt of your head. He sits up, allowing the blanket to fall and reveal his nude upper half. For the sake of modesty, you focus your gaze on a loose thread on your couch, your ears downturned unconsciously from the embarrassment.

Yasuo watches your movements questioningly, chalking it up to the same fear you had earlier as he stretches his arm behind his head.

“I was…” he trails off, jaw tightening whilst his arms fall limply to his side, landing on the hardwood floors with a dull thud, “I was looking for a way to restore my honor.” His voice cracks at the end of his whispered statement, revealing a sliver of the man beneath his cool and composed bravado.

You hear the self-resentment that seeps deep into his tone–one that you yourself have grown accustomed to. After seeing him in such as disheveled state, you choose not to pry, offering only a soft hum. The silence that befalls the two of you is different than the previous ones.

No awkwardness. No fear. Only serenity.

You fall asleep on the couch that night, feeling far safer than you have in a long time.

–

The first two days pass by without notice. You go about your normal routine, taking care not to take in yet another hopeless wanderer. Yasuo, on the other hand, remains stationed at your humble abode, offering to care for your fauna while you’re out and about. Reluctantly, you agree, handing him a list of dos and don’ts before leaving for the market.

©asarii 2024 — do not copy, steal, repost, or translate any of my works on tumblr or any other site

[xjulixred45x]

Zagreus (Hades) x Albino! Mortal!Reader

Imagine that the reader is a mortal who lives (unknowingly) near the gates of the Underworld (perhaps near one of the temples in honor of Hades next to the Cocytus River), and not only that, but she was born with ALBINISM.

I mean, skin very sensitive to sunlight, eyes just as sensitive, hair without color, etc.

Thanks to this, she gained a certain reputation in her hometown, both good and bad, but the general consensus was that her "exotic" appearance would make a good trophy wife.

So the reader resorted to an old Greek custom, covering herself as much as possible with veils and cloth, not only to protect herself from the sun, but to give the illusion that she was married to someone important, someone her suitors were afraid of.

and it works, sort of, but unwanted attention one way or another appears, so she decides to take a break from the people at the temple in honor of Hades, knowing that no one would dare go there.

What she didn't expect was to have company at some point.

Let's say this is for when Persephone returns to the Underworld and Zagreus goes to the surface at first just to tend to his mother garden, but eventually wants to wander, which leads to him stumbling upon the temple to Hades.

which leads to him running into reader.

Even if he dies before talking to her, curiosity is quite powerful, Zagreus knows that his father has very little culture (and understands VERY well why) so seeing a mortal for the first time and on top of that one who adored his father ? unusual.

The next time he surfaces he goes directly to the temple, and there is the reader, taking care of the almost abandoned place a little.

Definitely both at first are a bit wary of each other, mainly reader to Zag because of her bad experiences with men, but once she sees that he is a friendly guy (I say "see" as a way of saying because with all the veils that she wears she doesn't see shit) starts having a conversation with him.

Zagreus thinks that Reader surely uses the veils as a way to cover herself from the cold at first, but since Demeter has softened towards mortals and better times are coming and Reader continues wearing veils, Zag is confused. Isn't she roasting in there?

At the same time, as reader also covers her eyes to protect them, She probably does not know or realize at the beginning that Zagreus is a god, simply because she does not see the need to remove the veil to find out what this friendly person looks like. although she definitely thinks it's strange that be disappears after a couple of hours out of nowhere. rude.

It takes several trips to the surface for both to open up, which causes both to begin to generate a certain playful dynamic taking advantage of the circumstances. It's something...tender.

Zagreus learns more about mortal customs and their history thanks to the reader, how they see the gods, how they differ, in general, it is something quite important for Zagreus, being more empathetic than his relatives, he wants to be aware of how the gods live, as well mortals. After all, without them the gods have no work, right?

Reader definitely didn't buy Zagreus about being the son of Hades at first, and it will take a little time for her to believe it, but I think the most important step for both of them would be to know why Reader is always covered and her condition.

Let's say that one day while being outside (reader in the shade and Zagreus in the sun) Zagreus accidentally pulled a bit of the reader's lower veil while playing and that generated a HORRIBLE burn on her arm, poor boy felt so guilty :(

Although it also helped him to start connecting the dots for him because she was always so covered, and he just started asking about her condition in order to help her.

The reader would tell him some basics of her condition and how it affected her life in many ways. Coming to the topic of suitors. and I imagined something like this:

"So you wear your veils to protect yourself from the sun?"

"not only that...women in my city usually cover themselves when they get married"

"(between berserk and heartbroken mode) are you...married?"

"Oh no! Gods no! It's just a move I made to protect myself from both the sun and the men who won't leave me alone!"

"Are they that bad? Do you think that will stop them for long?"

"The worst... and the more covered the woman is, the more powerful the husband is. What do you think these men think when they see a woman covered from head to toe?"

"that you must be married to the king of Olympus himself"

when the reader finally decides to show Zagreus her face and as you can see, boy is so ANXIOUS, because well, he was already quite in love with this girl just with her personality and her attitude, so being able to put a face to the name was simply exciting . And when she takes it off? he dies (figuratively).

And for her part, the reader is quite surprised to see that INDEED her recent friend not only has a strange divine aura but also fucking BURNING FEET and begins to believe his anecdotes much more 😅

Zagreus getting her Ambrosia 🥺 I have the hc that in normal living humans the ambrosia of Hades has a certain healing effect (as ambrosia had a rejuvenating effect in mythology) and perhaps thanks to this reader can walk in the sun without getting hurt.

Zagreus definitely dislikes reader's suitors as much (or even more) than she does. If she wants him to scare them, he'll be happy to do it :)

(It goes without saying, if the reader ends up in the Underworld suddenly, er, because of the suitors, Zagreus is DEFINITELY going to retaliate by giving them a direct step to Tartarus).

If reader could somehow go to the house of Hades (maybe for Charon) she would be SO HAPPY that finally there is no sun damaging her skin or stupid men harassing her, being able to move freely is so.. MAGICAL! Her joy is contagious to Zagreus, who had already gotten used to seeing her always confined by her clothes and veils, but this is not bad at all.

Overall, I think it's a cute concept😚

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

Soon i may or may not post something about Achilles! So, stay tuned.