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scarlet-sky4 · 2 years

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The Queen of Hades [Hades!Baekhyun]

AU: Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone Genres: Romance, Supernatural Pairing: Hades!Baekhyun x Persephone!OC Prompts: “even death has a heart.” ―markus zusak “will you love me? even with my dark side?” ―kelly clarkson Total word count: 10k

AN: I wrote this for a contest on Asianfanfics and wanted to share it here too!

Masterlist

At first glance, this Friday seemed as ordinary as any other day, but for Jieun, it would change everything. Her mundane life was about to get turned on its head—the dice had been cast and the wheel of fate set into motion.

The person she had been hiding from for most of her life was about to make his first move, and Jieun was blissfully unaware of the encounter awaiting her. She didn’t see the pair of onyx eyes watching her, and neither did she feel his presence. He blended in with the crowd of students inside the university building, inconspicuous like a mere shadow as he waited for the perfect moment to reveal himself.

The loud chime of a bell announced the end of Jieun’s last class of the week. She shoved her netbook in her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. It had been tiring to follow the professor’s long-winded explanations for hours. She was exhausted and all she wanted was to take a nap, preferably under a tree in the forest.

Jieun was the current reincarnation of Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. Thus, she was drawn to nature like a butterfly to a flower, feeling at ease when surrounded by her element. She had turned twenty-one recently, but despite her age, her mother Dahyun, the Goddess Demeter, seldom let her out of her sight.

Dahyun was cautious for a reason. Each reincarnation of Persephone was born with a curse, doomed to live in the Underworld with its ruler, the reincarnation of Hades. She was anxious about her future, refusing to spend the rest of her life in the realm of the dead with a heartless king. Therefore, she followed her mother’s advice, leading an ordinary life and blending in with people. She would do anything to assure Hades would never find her.

The young Goddess tucked a lock of her brown hair behind her ear and exited the lecture hall in a hurry, walking past many human students who had no clue about her true identity. Sadly, luck was not on her side. Instead of sneaking out undetected, her beloved fiancé, Youngjae, caught up with her. The demigod was infatuated with her, even going so far as to join her in her environmental science lectures although he chose a different major.

Dahyun had arranged the marriage about two months ago. It was a desperate attempt to prevent Hades from taking Jieun away. She refused to lose her only daughter to a God as vile as him. Therefore, she had chosen a demigod to become Jieun’s husband in his stead. Youngjae was the reincarnation of Theseus, a son of Poseidon, and in Dahyun’s eyes, he was the perfect match for Jieun.

Jieun herself didn’t know which option was worse; marrying a man she didn’t love or being confined to the Underworld forever. No matter which road fate would lead her down, she would be miserable at its end. It seemed like she was destined to be trapped like a bird in a cage. All she wanted was to spread her wings and fly—but freedom was unattainable to Persephone.

“Jieun, wait!” Youngjae called and caught up to her, adjusting to her fast steps.

Inwardly, she rolled her eyes but she showed none of her annoyance. Her fiancé played a key role in avoiding Hades, so she hesitated to voice her reluctance for the upcoming wedding. However, Youngjae’s domineering attitude often upset her.

“Yes?” she said and threw him a questioning glance.

“Will you go on a date with me this evening? I booked us a table at a restaurant,” he smiled.

She could hardly decline when he already made a reservation for them. Her heart sank in her chest. Deep down, she wanted to make up an excuse and do something else, but her mother wouldn’t be happy if she refused. So she didn’t.

“That’s… uh… great,” she smiled awkwardly. Youngjae noticed none of her reluctance. He never did.

“I will pick you up at seven,” he decided, and she found herself nodding, barely having processed his words.

For the remainder of the afternoon, she stayed in the library, finishing an essay that was due for one of her classes. She just about made it home in time to get ready, having waited until the very last moment. Her mother was ecstatic when she heard about the date, but Jieun struggled to mirror her enthusiasm. Nonetheless, she didn’t speak her mind. Dahyun wanted the best for her, and who was she to complain? Surely, Youngjae was the better choice compared to what awaited her with Hades’ reincarnation.

With this in mind, she forced herself to put on light makeup and made herself look presentable, donning an elegant knee-length dress in her favorite shade of green. It complimented her emerald eyes and brown hair. Knowing Youngjae, he would take her to one of the more expensive establishments in town. She didn’t want to embarrass herself by dressing too casually.

***

As expected, Youngjae’s restaurant of choice was on the expensive side. Its lavish decoration and golden chandeliers did little to raise her gloomy mood. However, she was mindful of her manners and made an effort to have a polite conversation with Youngjae.

They had known each other for about two months, but she considered him only an acquaintance and her distant attitude tended to irritate him sometimes. Thankfully, she didn’t have to contribute much to their conversation this evening since he rambled about a job offer he had received.

Jieun’s emerald eyes were fixed on her wine glass as he spoke, absentmindedly watching the red fluid slosh around when she dipped it. A strange sensation befell her. The hair on the back of her neck raised. She put her wine glass down, furrowing her brows. The atmosphere in the restaurant had shifted, grown heavy. The change was accompanied by a sense of ominous foreboding. Her mother’s warning rang in her head—she had to remain vigilant. Jieun’s eyes darted over the other guests in the restaurant, but none of them stood out to her.

“Jieun? Did you hear what I just said?” Youngjae muttered, voice sounding a bit sour.

“Sorry?”

“I have to make a quick phone call. Something important came up. I’ll be right back,” he repeated, and she nodded. Youngjae got up and walked towards the exit, leaving her alone for a moment.

The sensation of being watched overcame her again, but this time, it was stronger and layered with the promise of danger. There was no way she imagined it. Except for Youngjae and herself, she sensed no divine beings nearby… so where did this inexplicable sense of danger come from?

She rested her chin on her hand and glanced around until her gaze got stuck on someone she had never seen before. It seemed like he had appeared out of thin air, approaching her table with confident strides. He was dressed in black from head to toe, wearing ripped jeans and a dress shirt with the top buttons undone. When she glanced at his face, she was stunned. His eyes were the darkest she had ever seen—their onyx shade was deeply unsettling. Although she had never met him before, a sense of familiarity overcame her. His lips curled into a smug grin.

Not a second later, realization struck her like a lightning bolt. Her heart jumped. Cold dread gripped her. The handsome stranger took Youngjae’s seat without asking for permission.

“Hello, Persephone. I’ve been looking for you,” he smirked.

“Hades,” she hissed, her back going rigid. His aura was unmistakable, much colder than those of the Gods and Goddesses she was used to.

“Please call me Baekhyun. There’s no need for formalities,” he answered. “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

He cut right to the chase—was he so eager to rob her of her freedom? Hades really was a heartless God. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay composed on the outside. “I’m aware of your intentions, but I won’t surrender to you,” she countered icily, ignoring his outstretched hand. Every muscle in her body tensed. She would fight tooth and nail if she had to. “Leave me alone! I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“Calm down, petal. I won’t force you to join me if you don’t wish to,” he said and retracted his hand. In spite of her cold rejection, his arrogance prevailed. “You will fall for me soon enough.”

“I could never love someone like you.”

“I’ll prove you wrong,” he said, his confidence unwavering. “You will become my Queen. There is no point in fighting the inevitable.”

“I’m not like Persephone’s previous reincarnations,” she snapped. “Go back to the Underworld and bother someone else, Hades.”

His eyes flashed, reflecting the eternal golden flames of his realm. She was startled by the sight. His eyes were gorgeous. Their irises shimmered amber before fading back to their original onyx shade. The play of colors reminded her of the sunset. She had never seen anything like it on any other God.

“You’re a spitfire,” he remarked, his sharp lips curving up. “I like you, petal.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“If you tell me your true name, I might stop.”

“It’s Choi Jieun.” How could someone be this infuriating and yet unfairly attractive all at the same time? She clenched her fists, reining in her temper.

“Jieun,” he repeated, cocking his head. Strands of charcoal hair shadowed his face. “Why don’t we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” she asked warily.

Again, a peculiar fire sparked in his eyes. “If I can make you fall for me within the next four weeks, you will join me and become my Queen. If I don’t succeed, I will leave you be. I promise I won’t do anything you don’t agree with.”

To be completely honest, she was intrigued. He could have just opened a gate to the Underworld and abducted her like her mother always said he would. Instead, he offered her a fair deal. All he wanted was time—she had nothing to lose.

“You promise?” she asked.

Hades met her gleaming emerald eyes, took in her unsure expression. He didn’t like the apprehension hidden in her gaze. “Yes. I won’t break my word.”

“Then I agree to your deal,” she said, relaxing in her seat and smiling victoriously. “Don’t be a sore loser, Hades.”

His confident smirk made her falter. “You sound sure of yourself, but I won’t lose. I never have and I never will.”

Just at that moment, Youngjae returned. When he was a few steps away, he stopped and stared at Jieun and the stranger who boldly sat in his chair.

“Hades?” he spluttered in sheer disbelief.

Baekhyun scowled in annoyance, not happy about the unwanted interruption. He got up, wisps of black smoke leaking from his fingertips. Jieun blinked, her eyes widening. It appeared as if his clothing was made of pure darkness, warping and cloaking him in black—it hadn’t been like this a minute ago. She watched the strange phenomenon with morbid fascination. For the first time since they met, she sensed his absurdly powerful aura. He no longer hid it.

“And who might you be?” Baekhyun arched his brow, scrutinizing the demigod from head to toe.

“That’s Youngjae, my fiancé,” she explained.

“You don’t need a fiancé,” Baekhyun answered her without taking his furious eyes off of Youngjae. “Break the engagement off.”

“Forget it,” Youngjae snapped. “I won’t hand her over to you!”

“A demigod dares to oppose me? You are quite naïve,” he taunted, a haughty smile gracing his features. “I advise you to stay away from Jieun. It’s not wise to cross me.” The shadows swirling around his body flickered like flames, and Youngjae eyed them cautiously. He clenched his jaw, holding in a retort.

“We’ll meet again soon,” Baekhyun said as he captured Jieun’s gaze, “Petal.”

He left the restaurant without another word and walked into the night. Her gaze followed his black silhouette through the windows as it merged with the darkness. Jieun’s mind was made up—she wouldn’t lose to him. After all, it was impossible to fall in love with a heartless God.

Jieun never intended for Dahyun to find out about her encounter with Hades, but Youngjae didn’t keep his mouth shut. He called Jieun’s mother that same evening and told her everything, painting a sinister picture of Hades. It was no surprise Dahyun was overflowing with worry.

“Jieun! I told you to be careful!” she fussed. “How did he find you?”

“I don’t know. He appeared out of nowhere—I have no idea how he found me so suddenly.”

“You have to hide,” Dahyun urged. She put her hands on Jieun’s shoulders, beseechingly staring at her. “I don’t care where we have to take you, but that bastard won’t get his hands on you!”

“No. I won’t hide from him,” Jieun replied calmly, the very opposite of her frantic mother. “It’s not necessary.”

“Have you lost your mind?! He will trap you in the Underworld!”

“He won’t,” she answered, biting her lip. While she did not necessarily like him, she didn’t doubt his sincerity. “He promised he wouldn’t.”

“And you believed him?” Dahyun’s thoughts were written all over her face. “Hades would do anything to trick you. Don’t be foolish! You are the Goddess of Spring, do you have any idea what it would be like to be imprisoned in the Underworld? There are no seasons in Hades’ realm, it’s nothing more than a dead and barren land. You would be miserable.”

Jieun’s decision didn’t change. She knew what was at stake, and maybe she was foolish for tying her fate to a promise of Hades. But for some inexplicable reason, she was convinced she could put her faith in his words. He would never lie to her—she knew. How she knew remained a mystery. Maybe she had inherited this conviction from one of her previous reincarnations. And if this was the case, it had to be the truth.

“He’ll be your demise if we don’t act now! We must begin preparations for your wedding with Youngjae,” Dahyun decided.

Jieun’s heart clenched. She didn’t want to get married—now even less than before. Since there was a good chance she would not end up in Hades’ clutches, why agree to a loveless marriage? She didn’t return Youngjae’s feelings. She never would, but he was too blind to see it.

***

When the first rays of the morning sun broke through the clouds, Jieun was already awake. Her upset mind hadn’t allowed her to rest, thoughts circling her encounter with Hades and the peculiar deal he had proposed to her. She also felt bad about the dispute with her mother. Jieun loved her very much and disliked arguing with her.

To clear her mind, Jieun went for a walk. Since she lived at the edge of town, she was able to reach the forest within a few minutes. She walked straight into the greenery, the tree branches bowing respectfully and opening a path for her when she approached. The familiar smell of moss and wildflowers reached her nose. She smiled, gazing at the tree crowns where she spotted a few birds. Their cheerful chattering raised her spirits, and her heavy heart lightened. No matter how many times she came here, she would never tire of it. The Goddess of Spring shared a deep connection with all vegetation on the planet, and she enjoyed being as close to nature as possible.

Suddenly, the birds’ joyful songs died. Silence fell over the formerly vivacious forest. She sensed something odd, her body tensing up. Her jittery fingers curled around the edges of her jacket sleeves. She was no longer alone. When she looked over her shoulder, she noticed the shadowy silhouette of Hades between the trees. He studied her without speaking a word and approached her once she had noted his presence. She didn’t sense his frighteningly strong aura, merely saw wisps of smoke following in his wake.

“Hello, Jieun,” he said. His onyx eyes bore into her emerald ones. Something strange stirred in her chest, but she ignored it.

“What a pleasant surprise to meet you here,” she countered, tone dripping with sarcasm. “Awfully convenient. Are you stalking me?”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “No, I’m simply paying my favorite Goddess a visit.”

“You’re a smooth talker,” she snorted, disliking his exorbitant wording. He would have to try harder if he wanted to win her heart. Jieun preferred actions over words since they revealed more about a person’s intentions than words ever could.

“Are you here to flirt with me?”

“Among other things, yes. I told you I don’t plan on losing you.”

“You can’t lose someone who was never yours,” she retorted, her voice sharp as a knife. The poison in her gaze prompted him to stiffen slightly. “I know this is just a silly game to you, but I won’t be your toy. You can’t win, Hades.”

A hint of hurt crossed his face, but he hid it in a blink. “My name is Baekhyun. I would prefer you to use my real name and not my title as a God, Jieun.”

“I will call you Hades,” she insisted, “Because that’s who you are.”

Baekhyun’s onyx eyes dulled a little, enough to be noticeable. “I’m more than just the God of the Underworld. Tell me, Jieun, do you believe in the rumors about me? Is that why you’re so cold to me?”

“Well… I did,” she mumbled, pondering over his question for a moment. Some rumors painted a grim picture of him, and Jieun had to admit that most of them were nothing but lies. “So far, the rumors don’t seem truthful. You also haven’t abducted me as my mother told me you would.”

“That’s ridiculous,” he scoffed. “I want to win your heart and not scare you away.”

“Then please be honest with me.” The question tumbled over her lips before she knew it. “Why do you want me to become your Queen? Why are you so determined about it? I bet someone like you could have any other woman on the planet.”

“They could never compare to you, Jieun. I’ve been drawn to you from the moment I first saw you. Initially, I only searched for you out of curiosity, because I wanted to find out why my previous reincarnations always chose Persephone. But now I understand. We’re meant to be together—there is just no other way to describe it. When I’m close to you, I feel whole.”

His thoughtful expression disintegrated as a wicked smirk settled on his lips. “I’m in love with you, Jieun.”

She gazed at him with wide eyes, thinking she had misheard him. Hades’ boldness gave rise to an unwanted blush that spread over her cheeks. “But we barely know each other! I’m sure you’re saying this because of the curse,” she replied, putting her hands on her hips. “You don’t reallylove me. It’s not possible.”

The idea of Hades being in love with anyonebut himself was ludicrous. She couldn’t wrap her head around it, no matter how hard she tried—Hades had no heart.

“Curse?” he echoed, furrowing his brows. “What curse?”

He appeared bewildered, which she found strange. Shouldn’t he of all Gods be aware of Persephone’s curse? “You don’t know? My mother said every reincarnation of Persephone is born with a curse. It binds my life to Hades and the Underworld where I’m doomed to stay until I die.”

Baekhyun’s confidence melted away upon hearing her words. Anger and sadness dyed his alluring eyes fiery red. She was astonished by their sudden intensity. “Demeter calls our bond a curse? Does she despise me so much?” he uttered, sounding deeply upset. His gaze darted from the forest ground to Jieun. “Your mother is lying to you. There is no curse and there never has been. It’s not my intention to cause you harm.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I would never lie to you, petal,” he whispered and reached out his hand. She stilled and waited with bated breath as he closed the distance between them. His hand moved to her chin and tilted it up with astounding gentleness, making her realize something unexpected. Hades felt warm and alive.

“Please give me a chance,” he said. His gaze was haunting now that his confident façade was gone, uncovering more of his true self than he would have liked.

When she answered him, Jieun herself was surprised about her soft tone. “My trust needs to be earned. If you do love me, you have to prove it.”

***

During the days that followed, Jieun didn’t see Baekhyun anywhere, but she knew he was nearby. Someone had been leaving little gifts for her in the most obvious of places, and her secret admirer certainly wasn’t Youngjae…

When she entered the lecture hall that morning, she was met with another sweet surprise. A cup of coffee awaited her where she usually sat. It was from the Starbucks across the street, the scribble on it reading “Petal”. Jieun was torn between exasperation and amusement. Her eye darted through the lecture hall, scanned over the students without finding who she was looking for. He must have left right before she came since the coffee was still hot and steaming. She sat down and unpacked her netbook, getting ready for the lecture. As the professor began speaking, she eyed the cup and picked it up, bringing it to her lips. The pleasant flavor of coffee invaded her mouth, mixed with a hint of caramel. She dipped her head, smiling faintly. It tasted divine.

The next day, Jieun found a beautiful rose on her table. Its petals were of a sensual burgundy color and exuded a sweet scent. She touched it carefully, her lips twitching. He seemed to be familiar with the language of flowers, giving her an obvious hint about his apparent feelings for her. Roses of this particular color symbolized desire and passion, alluding to a deep bond.

Hades was serious about stealing her heart, and she wondered when he would show himself again. It seemed like he wanted to give her time, but for how long would his patience last?

The day after, the young Goddess came across one more present. This one was by far the most beautiful and thoughtful. Jieun was impressed. When she opened the black velvet box, she discovered a lovely hairpin adorned with delicate flowers. It was made of pearls and gemstones, sparkling in all colors of the rainbow when its embellishments caught the light. Her breath hitched.

What had he been thinking when he bought this for her?

She raised her head and searched for black hair and onyx eyes, but she was disappointed. He was not here. Jieun frowned. Did she actually want to meet him now? Hades somehow managed to rouse her curiosity, and despite the eerie warnings of her mother, she wanted to meet him again.

He made her wait for one more day before he showed himself. As it was common for him, he appeared out of nowhere when she least expected him to. Jieun was taking a walk through the local park, enjoying the sunny weather. She spotted him from far away, his dark frame standing out against the vibrant greenery surrounding them. Getting closer, she saw he was wearing casual clothing; jeans and a shirt. Even though his outfit was simple, he looked effortlessly attractive. A silver ring adorned his earlobe and caught her attention.

“Hades,” she said when he stopped in front of her. Both her expression and tone remained neutral—he didn’t need to know she had been secretly waiting for him…

He studied her searchingly, frowning since he didn’t find what he was looking for. “You’re not wearing the hairpin. Don’t you like it?”

“Thank you for your gift. It’s incredibly beautiful,” she answered politely, “But I didn’t feel like wearing it today.”

“You’re not making this easy for me. What do I have to do to prove myself, petal?” he exhaled, frustration seeping into his tone. “My feelings for you are genuine.”

Jieun searched his gaze for a sign of insincerity but found none. His flaming eyes brimmed with strong emotions, so desperate with longing. Nobody had ever looked at her like this. Why was her chest heavy all of a sudden? Could it be she had misjudged him? Perhaps Hades did have a heart. Maybe she had been too prejudiced to see it. Had the disturbing rumors about him clouded her judgment? So far, she had seen none of the cruel person he was believed to be. On the contrary.

She gave him a mysterious smile that stole his breath—she was gorgeous in every aspect, and her continuous refusal to be his drove him insane. Baekhyun’s time was running out, fading like sand in an hourglass, but he was determined to succeed. His four weeks were far from over.

“Maybe I will wear your gift tomorrow. You’ll only find out if you pay me a visit,” she said.

His astonishment turned into relief. At last, she was willing to give him a chance. “I’ll visit you every day if you want me to, petal.” When he leaned in and his hot breath caressed her lips, she was hit by a rush of exhilaration, drowning in his gorgeous eyes. “I would do anything for you, Jieun.”

“You’ve been distracted lately,” Youngjae remarked. The accusing glare accompanying his words made Jieun stiffen in the car seat. They were on the way home from a date he had talked her into, but she hadn’t been in the mood for it. Listening to his long-winded rambling about his achievements was tiring. He did it to impress her, but he accomplished the opposite. She thought he was too self-centered.

“I’m busy with projects for university,” she answered automatically, keeping her eyes on the road. Thus, she missed his scowl.

“Really? Ever since that bastard showed up, you’ve been acting strange. You should stay away from him. He’s no good for you.”

“But you are?” was what she wanted to retort, but she bit her tongue and kept it to herself. Dahyun wouldn’t appreciate it if she angered her fiancé, even if it was tempting. Jieun already felt guilty, and she didn’t want to make it worse—her mother had no idea she met Hades regularly, and she would be devastated if she found out.

In the past two weeks, Jieun had grown closer to Baekhyun. Once the ice had been broken, it had happened very fast. As he had promised, he visited her every day and made it seem like he met her by coincidence, but she knew he sought her out on purpose. Jieun didn’t mind. Speaking to him felt natural, as if they had known each other for years instead of just weeks. She no longer dreaded seeing him—the terrible rumors about him had turned out to be false. At this point, she was convinced her mother had lied about certain things in order to keep her away from him.

But Jieun couldn’t stay away, especially not after getting to know him. He was always honest and she trusted him. Never would he do anything against her will.

She looked forward to meeting him every day. Bickering with him was surprisingly fun, too. When he teased her, she teased him right back. They had developed an interesting dynamic, one she would miss when they would part ways. She often caught herself thinking about their ongoing bet. Baekhyun still had a week left to win her heart… but what would happen once it was up? Would he disappear from her life if she asked him to? Did she even want to say goodbye?

Jieun was conflicted by her budding feelings for him and her loyalty to her mother. She didn’t know what to do, and Youngjae’s overbearing presence didn’t make it any easier.

***

After the third week had ended, Dahyun’s suspicions and worries about her daughter kept mounting. She noticed a behavior change, and she knew her daughter made detours after university.

When Jieun returned home on Friday evening, her mother had a surprise in store for her. Dahyun had arranged another date with Youngjae, and Jieun was anything but thrilled about it. She told Dahyun she would rather spend the evening outside in the forest. Subsequently, her mother became angry, berating her until Jieun yielded up to her fate.

That’s how she ended up sitting opposite Youngjae in a restaurant, miserably staring at the menu. She didn’t have an appetite, feeling a little sick. He didn’t notice, not even when he observed her more closely. Something else drew his attention.

“Is your hairpin new? I don’t think I’ve seen it before,” Youngjae muttered, narrowing his eyes at her.

She touched the silver-white flowers adorning it, felt the tiny jewels embedded in their center. “It was a gift,” was all she said, wondering whether it would irk Youngjae to find out who it was from. Probably. Did she care? Not really.

“A gift from whom?” His tone was clipped, revealing the bitter jealousy raging within him.

“Hades,” she answered.

Youngjae’s fist hit the table. She flinched. “Persephone. Don’t you know what he will do to you when you let your guard down? The hairpin is hideous. Throw it away! I will buy you a new one tomorrow.”

“That’s not necessary. I like this one,” she replied, keeping her tone neutral.

“Are you deaf? I want you to remove it!”

The longer their conversation dragged on, the more she wanted to leave. Why bother arguing with this self-absorbed person when she could be somewhere else instead? Anger flaring, she became aware of something crucial.

If she didn’t take action soon, she would end up married to this man.

It was the last she wanted. Not even her loyalty to her mother could make her go through with this. Secretly, she had dreaded the impending wedding from the moment her mother had first mentioned it. She should have never agreed to it. Fortunately, Jieun could still break off the engagement. And she would. Dahyun had no right to control her life.

Youngjae’s bitter glower remained unnoticed by Jieun until he reached over the table and grabbed her hand, regaining her attention. “You can’t wear gifts from other men. Not while you’re engaged to me.”

He didn’t even grant her this tiny little piece of freedom. Why did everything always have to go his way? Why did he never consider her wishes? The last bits of her patience dissolved. She pulled her hand free from his grasp.

“You know what? I don’t want to marry you.”

His countenance slipped. Burning anger and disbelief sparked in his eyes. “Stop joking! This is not funny.”

“Please accept my decision.”

“It’s too late, you can’t back out! If Demeter finds out about—”

“Leave my mother out of this! It’s my choice and not hers,” she replied. “We don’t make a good match, Youngjae.” Her frustration increased. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to take her rejection in stride, but for him to act so erratically… It was unsettling.

“You can’t go,” he said warningly.

She got up and grabbed her purse, raising a challenging eyebrow. “Watch me.”

“Persephone,” he snarled. Fury erupted in his voice. She didn’t like his aggressive behavior—it was unnerving. “If you leave me, you will regret it.”

“How dare you threaten me!”

She was done with this man and left the restaurant in a hurry, fleeing into the night. Her heels clicked on the ground as she walked, turning her back on the establishment and her ex-fiancé. She curled her hands into fists, ignoring the chilly wind that caused her body to shiver. Whatever he had meant with his last words, she hoped she didn’t have to find out. She was distraught, her nausea worsening steadily.

Jieun didn’t know where she was going. This area was unfamiliar to her—but anything was better than staying with Youngjae. Swirling shadows manifested around her as she hurried through the night. She heaved a sigh, relaxing ever so slightly.

“I was hoping you would show up,” she said.

“You’re upset. Did something happen?” Baekhyun asked while he caught up to her. Exhaustion was written all over her face. Her cheeks were pale.

“I had an argument with Youngjae. We’re not engaged anymore,” she replied bluntly.

“Is that why you’re walking home alone at this hour?”

“Yes,” she said, her steps slowing until she stopped. The cold was uncomfortable, seeping into her limbs. She felt forlorn, and the tears pricking at her eyes were hard to hold back.

Baekhyun shrugged off his jacket and offered it to her. “Please take this. You’re trembling,” he muttered, brows furrowed in worry. She accepted it gratefully and put it on, sighing at the soothing warmth she was enveloped in.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His gorgeous onyx eyes gazed at her with concern.

“I… No, I’m not. I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “Everything is such a mess.”

He hated how desperate she looked—like she was about to fall apart. The sight made his heart clench. “Jieun,” he sighed and closed the distance in between them. With a careful reluctance she wasn’t used of him, he draped his arms around her smaller form and pulled her in. It was the first time he touched her like this, and she welcomed his comforting embrace.

“We’ll figure it out together. It’ll be alright.”

She melted in his gentle hold and leaned into his warm body, closing her eyes. Laying her head on his chest, she heard the beats of his heart loud and clear. The sound was calming.

“Thank you, Baekhyun.”

***

Since he was worried about her, Baekhyun checked in on Jieun in the morning, encountering her in her favorite place in the woods. She sat on the grass amidst the trees, her hand caressing a blossom and making it bloom with a gentle nudge. Her features softened when he joined her.

Again, she wore the hairpin he had gifted her, the gemstones sparkling on her dark brown hair. “It looks good on you,” he commented, gaze lingering on her.

“The person who gifted it to me has good taste,” she said playfully. “It’s very pretty.”

“You’re prettier,” he flirted and winked at her.

“So cheesy. Who would have thought the mighty Hades is a lousy flirt?”

“Ouch,” he said, pretending to be hurt. “You wound me, petal.”

Her giggling filled the woods, mixing with the chirps of the birds. She inched closer to him, and he opened his arms for her, inviting her to cuddle up to him. Jieun only hesitated for a second before she leaned her back against his chest and let him hold her. His pleasant cinnamon scent surrounded her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, placing his hands on her stomach. Snuggled up to him, she looked at the treetops, spotting blue patches of the sky far up above them. It was peaceful by Baekhyun’s side. She let out a content sigh.

“Are you feeling better today?” he asked while his hand brushed her silky hair.

“Yes. I was afraid last night because I’ve never gone against my mother’s wishes before. She will be disappointed in me when she finds out what I did, but she needs to accept my choice. If I refuse to marry Youngjae, there is nothing she can do about it,” Jieun explained, her eyes spotting a particularly colorful bird on a nearby branch.

“Jieun,” he began. She heard him swallow. “Have you thought about my proposal? Four weeks are almost over.”

“I know. Time has passed so quickly. I do like you, Baekhyun, but the Underworld seems like a scary place to live. I don’t know if I could stay there for the rest of my life, so I’m not sure what to do.”

“I see,” he murmured into her hair, breathing in its flowery scent. “Should I tell you more about my kingdom? It’s not scary, just different from what you’re used to. The rumors don’t do it justice.”

“I’d like to hear about it,” she smiled. “Please tell me more.”

But Baekhyun didn’t get a chance to. Disaster struck before he could open his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash. It was his only warning. Every muscle in his body tensed. He acted on impulse, angling his body to shield her.

A glowing arrow shot through the air. It buried itself in his back. Pain exploded in his body, consumed him. He groaned, cursed when he realized it was one of Apollo’s arrows. Shimmering light coursed through his veins like poison, burning him from the inside.

“Baekhyun!” Jieun cried and supported his slumping body, cradling him to her chest. She pulled the arrow out immediately—but it was too late. The damage was already done. Hades was made of utter darkness. Light was his kryptonite, the only thing that could ever hurt him.

Jieun’s eyes frantically scanned the trees for the person who had shot the arrow. Her heart pounded in her chest—and nearly stopped when she saw a familiar face. “Youngjae! What have you done?” she screamed, her frenzied voice making the birds take flight.

Youngjae left the shadows of the trees, glaring at Baekhyun’s fallen form with contempt. “I’m setting you free. If he’s dead, his curse can’t affect you any longer.”

Resentment and dread grew within her. “You’re insane! There is no curse!” she snapped, glaring daggers at him when he dared to take a step closer. She held Baekhyun protectively. Her distress set the plants into motion. Tree branches reached out to Youngjae in an attempt to keep him away and thorn bushes sprouted from the earth, sheltering the Goddess of Spring.

Her thoughts raced in panic and fear. Baekhyun was shivering, turning pale as the light destroyed the very matter he was made up of. She watched him wilting away in front of her eyes.

“Don’t die,” she begged. “Stay with me, Baekhyun!”

His lips moved but he didn’t make a sound, contorting his features in pain. Slowly, his eyes closed. If she didn’t do anything, the light would consume him. She had to extinguish it—and there was only one way to do it. Jieun needed to bring him to the Underworld.

She was incapable of opening the gates to the Underworld herself, but she knew of another way to reach Hades’ realm. It was dangerous and it would seal her fate, but it was much better than losing him. Jieun used her divine powers to summon a pomegranate, cupping it in her hands. Her eyes watered and her fingers shook. Eating the seeds of this fruit would irreversibly change her life.

“Don’t! If you eat that, you’ll be ruined!” Youngjae shouted in horror and struggled to reach her, but the thorn bushes blocked his way. “Leave him and come with me! He will be reincarnated sooner or later anyway. It doesn’t matter if he dies.”

“He’s important to me! I won’t let this happen to him,” she said and swallowed the pomegranate seeds.

Instantly, the ground beneath her quaked and the earth split open. A rift emerged where she kneeled. Smoke rose towards the sky as shadows greedily reached out to take her. She glared at them and cradled Baekhyun’s limp body. Her determination to save him was stronger than her fear. Coldness overwhelmed her when she sank into the whirling shadows. The blue sky above her disappeared. She was swallowed whole.

Jieun awoke in a foreign place. She lay on the ground and gazed up at the sky, squinting her eyes at its dark violet hue. The events of the past minutes returned to her in an instant. She panicked, sitting up abruptly. Where was—?

“Calm down, I’m right here,” Baekhyun said. She discovered him next to her, shoulders sagging in relief.

“Y-You almost died,” she sputtered and started to fuss over him. “How is your injury? Does anything hurt?” He was pale, but he didn’t seem to be in pain anymore. Black shadows danced over his body, embracing him and smothering the light that had burned him.

“I’m fine now, but if you hadn’t brought me here, I would have died. You saved me,” he answered, gaze serious yet grateful.

“No, you saved me! Why did you protect me? You should have—”

“I should have what? Let you get hurt?!” His expression said more than a thousand words. He looked offended at the mere idea, and his steely eyes shut her up. “I don’t care what happens to me as long as you’re safe.”

This was one of the rare moments that rendered Jieun speechless. A rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks. He held her gaze, eyes narrowed and jaw tense. “Baekhyun,” she whispered, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. Please don’t be reckless with your life.”

“I would be reincarnated if I died.”

“But your memories of this life would be lost. It wouldn’t be the same,” she frowned and stared at their connected hands. His was slightly bigger than hers, enveloping it tenderly.

Baekhyun was silent for a few heartbeats. “It sounds like you would miss me,” he mumbled. “I’m surprised you would go so far as to eat pomegranate seeds to reach the Underworld. Didn’t you know what would happen to you?”

“Of course I knew, but saving you was more important,” she said and furrowed her brows. “You told me the Underworld is not a bad place and I decided to trust you since you’ve never lied to me.”

Her eyes roamed over her surroundings with newfound interest, taking in the unfamiliar scenery. The colors were less vibrant than what she was used to but other than that, it didn’t look much different from the mortal world. “It’s really not as dark and gloomy as people say,” she commented, her curiosity sparked.

The smile curving his lips made him look proud, content with her opinion of his kingdom. “I’ll show you around, petal. There’s a lot to see, and I’m sure you’ll like it!”

Jieun wanted to answer him, but she was interrupted by an ominous noise. A growl rumbled through the silence. The ground shook. She shot Baekhyun an alarmed look, but he wasn’t bothered. On the contrary, he seemed amused.

“Ah, I knew he would show himself soon,” he chuckled. “He must be curious about you!”

Jieun’s jaw dropped when she found the reason for his amusement. It was a gigantic monster. The charcoal beast had three heads and a body the size of a truck. His paws could undoubtedly crush her. Reddish eyes stared her down as the creature opened his three mouths, showing his jagged teeth.

“That’s Cerberus, my puppy. I think he likes you.” Baekhyun’s nonchalance would have been comical had it not been for the enormous monster standing in front of her.

“You mean he likes to eat me,” she deadpanned.

“No, I’m serious. He definitely likes you, look!”

Jieun stared up at the guard dog and watched his demeanor change. He barked and lowered his three heads, his tongues lolling out. It made Cerberus look a little less like a murderous beast and a tad more like a (gigantic) pet.

She trusted Baekhyun’s judgment. Seeing how calm he was, she gathered her courage and introduced herself to his “puppy”. She reached out her hand and touched the silky black fur of his paw. It was soft, smelling of ash and fire.

“Hello, Cerberus. Nice to meet you.” She gazed up at his three heads, unsure which one she should address—Baekhyun’s pet was something else. Jieun was flabbergasted when Cerberus wagged his tail and barked at her. He showed his affection by bopping her with his huge snout, leaving slobber on her clothes.

“I told you he likes you!” Baekhyun grinned.

“I think I like him too,” she laughed.

***

Jieun spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with her new home. Since she had eaten the pomegranate seeds, she had irreversibly bound herself to Hades and could not leave the Underworld for long periods of time. So she thought she might as well take a closer look at the realm of the dead, and Baekhyun showed her around, taking her to his residence. From the outside, it resembled a traditional Greek temple, but the rooms inside appeared as they did in any modern house Jieun was used to.

Regardless of her initial reluctance to enter the Underworld, she didn’t regret eating the pomegranate seeds. Merely looking at Baekhyun, seeing the honest joy in his expression, made it all worth it. She didn’t know when exactly it had happened, but she had fallen for him. She was hopelessly in love with the ruler of the Underworld. Thus, Jieun had lost their bet, but she didn’t mind losing if it meant she could be with him.

The Goddess of Spring adjusted well to her new home, leaving flowers in her wake wherever she went. The garden behind the residence had become her favorite place to visit, especially when Baekhyun accompanied her.

He was eager to show her the most famous spots in his realm, and she was excited to find out that the Underworld was nowhere near as gloomy as it was rumored to be. It was a world where the souls of the dead found their final resting place, calm and peaceful.

During the first week of her stay, Baekhyun took her to Elysium and the Asphodel Fields. When she asked him about it, he also showed her the Styx, a majestic river separating the world of the dead from the living. However, he was reluctant to let her go near Tartarus, so she just got a glimpse of it since he deemed it too dangerous. Hidden in the deepest pits of the Underworld, it housed the evilest of souls and served as a prison for the Titans. After hearing about it, she decided she would rather explore other areas her new home had to offer.

Sometimes, when Baekhyun was busy, she was visited by Cerberus who liked to follow her around. The large guard dog had gotten attached to her and loved receiving cuddles. She found this quite humorous, considering how small she was compared to him. Even though her hands were tiny next to his paws, he enjoyed being petted by her.

Today, Baekhyun traveled to the river Styx to take care of an urgent matter, and when he returned, it was late in the afternoon. Since he hadn’t seen Jieun in hours, he went looking for her, having an idea of where she could be. She must be working on the pretty garden she had created this week. Every day, it became brighter, filled with more and more exotic plants and flowers of all colors.

Baekhyun entered the sheltered garden, amazed at what he saw. He had been right; she had worked on her little haven today as well. Her divine powers had given life to a large cherry tree that held its branches over the other plants in the garden. A smile settled on his lips as he admired her work and the attention to detail. Even the smallest and most delicate flowers had found a place in her garden, growing near the walls that shielded it from outsiders.

As his gaze drifted around, Baekhyun found her. The smile on his lips grew. She was asleep, sitting on the lush green grass and leaning against Cerberus’ large body. The massive guard dog kept an eye on her, two of his heads resting on his paws while the third turned in Baekhyun’s direction.

“Did you take care of her while I was gone, big boy?” he grinned and patted the dog’s side. Cerberus barked in response. Baekhyun crouched in front of Jieun. She was so tired she didn’t even stir when he carefully picked her up, her head rolling on his shoulder. His Goddess had to be exhausted from all the work she had done today. Cerberus whined in protest when Baekhyun carried her sleeping form towards the house.

“Calm down,” he chuckled. “You’ll get more than enough chances to spend time with her in the future. Now go back to your job—you’re slacking off.” His tone was sharp, making it clear it was an order, and Cerberus obeyed. He got up and returned to the entrance of the Underworld to guard it.

In the meantime, Baekhyun brought Jieun inside the house where he laid her on the bed, covering her with a blanket so she could sleep comfortably. Before he left, he lingered for a moment, his fond gaze taking in her relaxed features. She seemed content in her new home—he couldn’t have hoped for more.

It wasn’t until two days later that Jieun approached him with a special wish. She knew she couldn’t leave the Underworld without his help, so she hoped he would do her a favor.

“I want to visit my mother. She needs to know I’m safe,” she said, a worried frown darkening her features. “We argued the last time we spoke, and I want to set things right between us.”

“I’ll open a portal for you,” he agreed. He wasn’t so selfish as to deny her wish. If she wanted to visit her mother, he would let her.

“Thank you,” she smiled and stood on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

He froze in surprise, almost forgetting to answer her. “I’ll be waiting for you,” he muttered.

His hand caressed her head, letting her go in slow motion. He watched her leaving with conflict raging in his heart. Baekhyun knew she valued her freedom, and who was he to take it from her? If he had earned her affection, she would return soon. With her departure, spring left the Underworld. The plants she had created with so much love died and Baekhyun’s heart sank like a stone.

***

As soon as Jieun had returned to the mortal world, she rushed to her former home. Dahyun was close to tears when she laid eyes on her daughter who had been missing for weeks. She opened her arms and hugged her, burying her face in her hair.

“Jieun, you’re safe,” she whispered. “I was so worried when I heard what happened.”

“Did Youngjae tell you…?”

Dahyun’s expression became icy. “No, I spoke to Zeus and Apollo. They told me he stole one of Apollo’s light arrows and tried to murder Hades while you were with him. Youngjae endangered your life with his actions—what if he hit you instead of Hades? You would have died!” she muttered, her voice breaking in anger. “Zeus has punished him for his deed. Trying to kill a God is a sin, so he has been stripped of his powers as a demigod and lives on as a mere mortal. He won’t come near you again, Jieun.”

Hearing this was a relief, as it also meant he could not hurt Baekhyun or herself. Losing their powers was one of the worst punishments a divine being could face. Jieun would be lying if she said she felt sorry for Youngjae—her blood boiled whenever she remembered Baekhyun’s injury. The Goddess of Spring was not one to take revenge, but perhaps this time she would have, had Youngjae not been punished already.

“How have you been? Why have you decided to go with Hades?”

“Because I love him,” Jieun confessed. “He is not a bad person, not at all. If you knew him, you would agree with me. The Underworld is not a bad place either. I’m happy with my decision and I don’t regret anything.”

“Are you really happy?” Dahyun studied her daughter’s expression. She was met with an honest smile—Jieun was practically glowing. Had she ever seen her daughter so content?

“Yes,” Jieun confirmed.

“I see. Maybe this is for the best—Youngjae was not the right choice for you. I’m sorry, Jieun. I wanted to keep you safe and happy, but I achieved the opposite,” Dahyun admitted. “It seems like I have to let you go at last. I’m glad you found happiness, even if it’s in an unlikely place.”

“I promise I will visit you as often as I can! And I want to introduce you to Baekhyun as well.”

“I’d like to meet him soon,” Dahyun answered, giving her daughter a wistful smile.

***

When the wilted flowers in the garden came back to life, Baekhyun knew Jieun had returned. She hadn’t even been gone for a day. Cerberus safely guided her to their residence where Baekhyun awaited her. A wide grin brightened her expression once she spotted him. She ran up to him and jumped right in his arms, almost knocking him down.

“I take it your visit went well?” he chuckled.

“Yes! Everything has been settled,” she nodded. Her conversation with her mother had lifted a burden off her shoulders—she felt much better now.

“You returned sooner than expected.”

She avoided his prying gaze, a blush growing on her cheeks, coloring them pink. “I… missed you.”

His heart leaped. He couldn’t hold back a victorious smirk, overflowing with confidence. “How adorable.”

“No teasing, Baek,” she pouted, biting her lower lip. The action caught his attention and his gaze dropped to her mouth where it lingered. He licked his lip. A lustful red hue overtook his onyx irises.

“If you keep looking at me like this, I’ll kiss you. Don’t tempt me, petal,” he uttered huskily. The low sound of his voice was irresistible—how in the world had she rejected this man over a month ago? She must have been insane. The flush on her cheeks darkened and her heart thundered in her chest. Baekhyun was tantalizing. His deep voice and his seductive words ignited her desire for him.

She was under his spell, her gaze fixed on his stunning features. His charcoal hair framed his eyes. They held an entrancing fiery glow that left her breathless. She was captivated by him and in this brief moment, she forgot everything around them.

His fingertips brushed over her cheek, leaving a tingly feeling behind. Red eyes flickered to her lips once more and something in them changed. Jieun didn’t know what it was, couldn’t describe it. He leaned even closer. When his hot breath fanned over her sensitive lips, her knees became weak and her patience ran out.

“Kiss me,” she demanded, snaking her arms around his neck.

Baekhyun tightened his embrace and splayed his hands on her back. He crashed his lips on hers. Their first kiss was urgent and intense, conveying his yearning for her. He had waited so long for this moment, and he poured all of his love into their kiss. Jieun enjoyed every second of it. He tasted like cinnamon and fire; an intoxicating mix that clouded her mind. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, feeling his lips move on hers. The butterflies in her stomach took flight. A sense of pure bliss overcame her, making her smile. She loved him so much it was almost painful.

Baekhyun left a few feathery kisses on her swollen lips before he leaned his forehead against hers. “Jieun,” he whispered, cupping her cheeks with his warm hands. He was so close she saw tiny amber specks in his onyx eyes, losing herself within their depths. “Will you be my Queen?”

“Yes,” she said. A rosy hue dusted her cheeks. “I love you, Baekhyun.”

“I love you too.”

“I know,” she giggled, glowing with happiness. “You’ve reminded me quite often.”

“Because you’re stubborn and didn’t believe me at first, but I won our bet in the end,” he smirked.

“Fair and square,” she laughed. He seemed very proud of himself and radiated smugness, but Jieun couldn’t unsee the evident glimmer of joy in his eyes. Right at this moment, Hades must have been the happiest person in the entire Underworld.

“I’m glad you gave me a chance, Jieun. It means the world to me.”

“I grew up hearing nothing but lies about you… about us,” she said. “Your persistence and kindness are what made me see the truth. You’re an amazing person, Baekhyun. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”

The colors of the sunset shimmered in his eyes. They glowed with pure affection. “Thank you, my Queen.”

Author’s Note: That’s it! I hope you liked this oneshot. Please leave some feedback 💖🥰

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smallraindrops-blog · 3 years

Text

To Have and To hold

Hypnos x female!reader

Word count: 900

Summary: Power can drive even a god to maddess.

Warning:War, dead people and children, Ares ( let be real, that guy is a warning all on his own) kissing and sexual themes, no beta

A/N: This is a part of the Marriage AU. You can find the first arc in the tags.

This is a time skip, Persephone has returned. Hypnos and y/n are still not fully together, like early stage dating If that makes sense. Next part is in the works. It will take longer since I am also working on requests as well.

I hope you enjoy it!

The war had turned into some ugly and brutal nightmare as it neared the end. The few talks between Hypnos and Thanatos that you were able to eavesdrop on made your gut twisted.

You rolled the scroll up with a sigh, not able to focus. Your eyes went back to the bag of melomakarona or honey cookies as Hypnos called them. Attached to the bag, a note from your husband with apologies for not being able to stop by or even really talk to you for the last few weeks.

And with the amount of new dead to care for, Hypnos had been busy. You wondered if he was even able to work on his godly duties in the meantime.

You felt so foolish. You had requested Hypnos to let you and him have a courting period, even if you were already married. You had wanted to take it slow, to really know the god who was your husband.

Now what has seemed like in matters of months, the world above you had gone mad. It truly felt like they were trying to send everyone and everything to their doom.

And you felt like a silly little girl who wanted flowers.

You rubbed your eyes, and with guilt weighing on your shoulders, called it a night (or morning, it was impossible to tell.). You picked up your things, including the bag of cookies and was about to leave when the door opened to reveal Hypnos, exhausted and sullen.

You dropped everything on the table and hurried to him. He floated in and met you in a hug.

You buried your face in his shoulder, and just held on. For several minutes, neither one of you said anything.

He gave you a small squeeze before he pulled away. "I cannot tell you how badly I needed that." He smiled and your heart twisted.

You reached up and held his face between your hands to study him. His permanent dark circles had gotten worse and his normally bright eyes had become dull with the lack of rest. "Oh Hypnos." You muttered, your thumbs rubbing his face.

Hypnos closed his eyes and sighed. "I wish I was coming to tell you that it is finally over but it looks like it might be ongoing for a little longer."

You shook your head. "Goodness. Are they finally giving you a break?" You asked hopefully. You could get him to get some sleep and food in him before he had to start again.

"No, love. I'm afraid not." Hypnos covered your hands with his own. "I just came to check on you. Are you heading to your chambers?"

"I was but nevermind, I can still get some work done." You replied, some tea should wake you up.

"No. I want you to get some rest. Darkness knows we will need someone who still has energy afterwards to get the house back in order because it isn't going to be me."

Hypnos pulled your hands down and held them in his own hands. He pressed a kiss on both and you blushed at how carefully he held your hands.

"Gather your things, I can take you to your chambers before I am needed back." Hypnos all but ordered. You thought about arguing back but the exhaustion in his face held your tongue.

"Have a cookie." You shoved the bag to his face. He blinked before laughing, "Didn't I give these cookies to you?"

You smiled, "Yes and you should have some." Hypnos opened the bag as you closed up the library. He hummed happily as he chewed, and immediately popped another one in.

"Have you received any more news?" You asked hopefully, walking down the hallway while he floated next to you.

"Just the normal horrible stuff that humans are doing to each other." Hypnos said. "I know I've joked about having them all die so I don't have to keep working but now they actually seem trying."

You raised a brow, "Wouldn't that mean you won't be able to do the thing you like? Helping humans sleep?"

"That right, no one else will bother me ever again and I can just sleep. Forever." His happy tone made you laugh despite yourself.

He chewed another cookie, "You know it's nothing to worry about right? This stuff just happens sometimes."

You gave him a doubtful look, you knew he was holding back the more ugly details. "I know but the amount of people coming, that's unusual isn't it?" You bit your lip, "Isn't there anything I can help with?"

You sighed when Hypnos shook his head.

"It is unusual but enough about that horrible stuff, I need my mind taken off of it for a bit. Tell me about your day." Hypnos held out a cookie for you.

You took the cookie, pouting little a bit at least you could help him forget a bit.

💤

*Hypnos' pov*

He should have expected the line waiting for him to get back but he still groaned at the amount of shades waiting for him.

The only reason Hades hadn't ripped his head off for leaving his post was because of Queen Persephone. Both of their heads were bent close, looking over the scroll Charon delivered for Hermes.

Hypnos pulled his quills out and gestured to a shade to step forward.

Even with Dusa and some of the worker shades' help, there were still far too many humans waiting.

He could hear some of the children crying, some with their families but more without. Normally, he and Dusa didn't talk or even like the other that much, Hypnos admitted to himself, but the grimaces they shared made him soften just a bit.

This just made him more sure in his decision not to have Y/N help with this mess that Ares created. She was already too kind for her own good and the crying children and grief-sick humans would break her heart.

The farther he could keep Y/N away from this, the better.

#hypnos x reader #hypnos x female!reader #marriage au #hades hypnos

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pinky-the-elephant-room · 4 years

Text

Messenger

AN: This is my prompt for @liliesoftherain and I’s server April prompt. I thought I would do a Greek Gods with Japanese fusion. I haven’t edited it thoroughly just yet, I will do it later when I have time.I cut this prompt short cause I had a whole ass plot figured out before Final weeks hit then I was too late to finish on time and so I’m posting it as is. I still hope you guys enjoy it though <3. Read rest of the prompts: HERE

Warning: Contains explicit sex and smut. Read at your own discretion.

Gods & Godesses:

Aizawa- Hades

Keroberosu- Cerberus. It’s now a three headed cat cause I said so.

Haru- Another “potential reader” Persephone. Her name means Spring.

Shikaku- Basically an OC who is suppose to be Demetor. Her name means Harvest.

Hawks- Hermes.

Endeavor/Todoroki- Zeus

Hadajuban- a white layer worn underneath a kimono

------------------------------------

The Messenger God known as such to mortals, nicknamed Hawks by fellow gods, and Keigo Takami among his closest companion, smiled indulgently as he tried not to show his irritation. He really couldn’t be mad at the Spring Goddess as she ran around trying to gather her necessities to leave the underworld, she was too wholesome. Her childish sunny smiles and giggles echoed throughout the desolate world as she ran.

She abruptly stopped in the middle of her packing.

“Shouta, do you think I can take some pomegranates with me?” she asked the dour god eagerly.

The God of the Underworld paused in his playtime with Keroberosu, the three-headed cat.

“I don’t care, but you better hurry up. It’s rude to keep people waiting,” Shouta said as he spared a glance at Keigo before he resumed playing with his cat.

Keigo raised an eyebrow at Aizawa. When people picture the God of the Dead, they certainly don’t expect a man like him. Many times, Keigo made the trip down here and he spotted the God sleeping on a makeshift futon, while souls passed through. Though, Aizawa certainly resembled the part with the appearance of being half-dead with baggy eyes.

Keigo didn’t make the trip here often before the debacle. But, now with seasonal change, Haru was ordered to return to her mother so that spring and crops would flourish again. Though humans all suspected Aizawa kidnapped her when in reality the Goddess had wandered into the underworld, and Aizawa wasn’t bothered enough to order her to go home. Keigo suspected that Shukaku or the Goddess of Harvest had spread the tale of kidnapping and rape to her priests who in turn spread it throughout the lands. After all, she was the only Goddess who regularly had contact with the mortals.

Keigo turned to observe Aizawa as he lured Keroberosu with a toy and the black feline excitedly chased the bait.

Yet, what was suspicious in all of this was how quickly Aizawa had married Haru. While delivering messages between Todoroki, Shukaku, and Aizawa, in that short amount of time they had gotten married, consummated it, and Haru had even eaten seeds of the underworld. Preventing the Goddess from returning the surface world for 6 months. Clearly, the man cared far more about his interloper than he let on at the beginning.

“I’m finished!” she announced cheerfully. Keigo sighed with relief. Finally. He was anxious to go.

Aizawa petted Keroberosu one last time before he turned around to face them both. He approached Haru and caressed her cheeks.

“I will see you later,” he rasped quietly to his wife. Haru, in turn, smiled gently.

“Try to get some sleep while I’m gone ok?”

Aizawa grunted and kissed her forehead.

Keigo looked away from the intimate scene as his heart clenched with jealousy. The easy affection between the Gods was something to be cherished not torn away in their world of immortals.

The Spring Goddess skipped happily to Keigo.

“Ready?” he asked.

She grinned and nodded as she held up the basket of goods for the trip home.

Keigo gathered the Goddess in his arms as his red wings sprawled out from behind. He flapped them a few times.

He could feel the harsh glare from Aizawa, Keigo couldn’t help but smirk. He carefully maneuvered Haru and bridal carried her. The glare seemed to intensify like Aizawa wanted to rip his soul out and cast it into Tarutarosu. Keigo sweatdropped and flew off before Aizawa could comment. Haru screamed out her goodbyes as she twisted around to wave to her husband.

Hours later Keigo let down Haru in the shrine of Shukaku that was her home.

‘This is my chance.’ He thought.

Shukaku didn’t like any Gods to linger around her dwellings or shrines. Her wrath was worth fearing especially since her daughter had gotten married, she was even more short-tempered. However, he noticed how for a few hours she would be distracted by the arrival of Haru, caring for her daughter.

He gave a salute to the young Goddess before he flew off. Just in time too as Shukaku barreled to her daughter and gave her a tight hug.

He encircled the temple a few times before he spotted her. He made his way to the temple and landed on top of it, to get a perfect bird’s eye view of the worshippers who were making their tributes. Keigo felt his heart skip a beat as he finally spotted Y/N. She was a bewitching human. He had noticed her a while ago when making a delivery to Shukaku who had noticed his wandering eye and shoved him away in a hurry. So, a few days after that encounter, Keigo had disguised himself as a peddling old man to get a glimpse at Y/N who would take care of the incoming devotees.

She wasn’t perfect, her skin too tan evident of her farming origins. Her clothes too torn and shabby, but her smile and gentleness as she accompanied the disguised Keigo enchanted him. The swell of her breasts took his breath away when she bent down to offer him a meager meal of bread and potatoes. She was at first another peasant that hung around the shrines before the priests took advantage of her youth and put her to use. The priests themselves were too busy appeasing the Harvest Goddess to deal with the hungry and the poor.

Yet, all he wanted to do was adorn her in silk and riches. Why didn’t anyone steal her away was a mystery. Didn’t anyone else not notice the beauty behind the dirt-covered fingers and peasant clothing?

Ever since that day, Keigo would whisk away after delivering Haru to her mother to catch a glimpse of his beauty. He watched for hours as she worked in the shrine before finally, she headed home for the day. However, Keigo knew he couldn’t just watch anymore, his desire to possess her overwhelmed him. He had to have her and soon. Keigo smirked, he knew exactly how to do go that, and he flew off to make the appropriate preparations.

A few days later, Keigo straightened up his extravagant yukata as he kept a close eye on his entourage that was accompanying him. All of them were nymphs ordered to participate in this charade by him. This was necessary he can’t have Y/N’s family suspect him for even a second. The neighboring villagers gathered around to watch the wealthy man in his riches make his way through the slums. They had reached their destination and with inhumane finesse, Keigo lept off the horse, made his way to the bowing man who’s home they had stopped in front of.

“My lord. How may I help you?” the peasant asked as he bent low.

“You are Y/N’s father, aren’t you?” Keigo asked despite already knowing.

The peasant looked up in surprise before looking down in a hurry.

“Y-yes, I’m her father. Is she alright? Or has she done something to offend you, my lord?”

Keigo shook his head.

“I have something to offer you. Let’s talk inside.” Keigo conveyed with this head towards their shabby shack of a house.

Y/N’s father shook himself and quickly made his way inside with Keigo following close behind him.

Keigo fought hard to keep the frown off his face as he looked around the surrounding. His beloved Y/N grew up in such a dwelling when clearly, she should have been a queen.

Y/N’s father offered him a seat and even some drinks and food to the rich man who just refused.

“I’ll cut to the chase. I want to ask for Y/N’s hand.”

The peasant gasped incredulously.

“My lord, I cannot accept that offer. She is in Shukaku-sama’s service. I can’t with good conscious deprive of her duties,” he begged.

Keigo smirked. “Oh yes. The Goddess that still starves your family despite your devotion. Remind me how many of your crops survived this year? Or do you and your wife still starve yourself every night so that Y/N and her siblings can have something to eat?”

Y/N’s father looked away in shame.

Keigo seized the opportunity, seeing the peasant’s weakness. “Give her to me. I’ll adorn her like she deserves. She will sleep every night with a full belly. All the children that are blessed to Y/N and her future generation after won’t ever starve.”

The peasant was now shaking, just a little more.

“Even you. As Y/N’s immediate family will it not be her husband’s duty to take care of them? I will make sure all your children prosper. Though, I cannot make your crops grow. I can give you gold to buy all the food you will ever desire.”

Y/N father’s felt his heartache at the dilemma. For far too long the family has been struggling with meager rations and crops.

“I have to ask since she is my eldest daughter. Will you treat her with the respect a wife deserves? You won’t cast her aside, will you?”

Keigo felt his inwards burn with fury and felt the need to bury his claws and talons into this mortal. Even throw some of his sharpened feathers to turn him into minced meat. He forced himself to calm down as he breathed a deep breath through his nose.

“Of course not. I have made a journey all the way down here to ask for her hand from her father. I wouldn’t do that for a woman I was just going to set aside.” Keigo reassured the mortal.

Y/N’s father wiped the tears that welled up and solemnly nodded.

Keigo felt the first genuine smile since he came here threatening to creep upon his face and he became serious once more.

“Get her ready in a week. I will send supplies to make sure she’s ready for the journey,” Keigo said as he made to leave the shack.

Y/N’s father interrupted, “but my lord what will I tell her?”

Keigo shrugged and let a small smile bloom on his face. “Tell her she’s going to become a bride.”

With that, he hurriedly made to leave the slums that rank of animal feces, tracked mud and dirt everywhere. Keigo gathered his entourage as he made his way back to his temple that was worshipped by his cult. There he celebrated his win with a cup of sake.

“To Y/N and I’s future! May she forever remain lovely and exquisite as she does now.” He toasted brilliantly before drinking his sake.

Wedding

Keigo couldn’t help but sneak peeks at his bride. He was right she looked impeccable in the bridal clothes he had provided. Y/N was clearly nervous as her hands shook and she also snuck peeks at her husband. Keigo would flash warm smiles to her each time she did. Y/N would quickly turn away as she blushed.

With the wedding party settling down, Keigo was anxious to get Y/N alone. It had been hours of festivities as minor deities and nymphs visited disguised as humans. Y/N’s family, of course, wasn’t allowed to attend, instead, she had said her goodbyes in the morning before she was whisked away for preparations.

No, what his attention was currently focused on is discerning the secrets underneath the kimono of his lovely wife. When the last guest had retired to their home, Keigo helped his wife up. He took her to the room in his temple that would be their shared room. The futon was laid out along with some sake. Keigo quickly put away the sake as he didn’t want Y/N to get too drunk to enjoy their night.

He offered her his hand as he brought Y/N closer to him.

“Did your mother explain about your duties to your lord husband?” he whispered huskily in her ear as he toyed with the obi of her kimono.

Y/N’s breath hitched as she felt his warm breath sending goosebumps throughout her body.

“S-she did. She also told me that it would hurt,” Y/N whimpered out.

Keigo let out a chuckle.

“Y/N, I’m going to make you so delirious with pleasure you won’t feel a thing,” he promised as he undid the knot on her obi and took off her kimono.

The white layer underneath showcased just a bit of Y/N’s curves that he ached for so many days to touch and hold.

Keigo grabbed her face as he softly kissed her and coaxed Y/N to respond. Slowly and reluctantly she did as he subtly taught her the art of kissing. While she was busy, Keigo let his hands wander getting the hadajuban off her body. He slid the robe off and let it flutter down onto the tatami.

He pushed her down to the futon, still kissing her as she let out quiet, reluctant moans that Keigo cherished. He made his way to her neck, leaving behind marks showing his claim on her. Kissing the tops of her breasts, he caressed her thighs that had her keening for more. She grabbed his shoulders and tightened her hold on him, not knowing what she needed at that moment. Luckily for Y/N, Keigo's favorite type of lover to have were virgins. He loved the way they got all excited and needy from a few touches, he knew exactly what she needed.

He removed his own kimono before switching positions with Y/N to settle her on top of him. Y/N blushed as she felt her husband’s member hot against her juncture. She balanced herself by putting her hands on his chest and tried to get off.

Keigo grabbed her waist before she could.

“Stay. This way it will hurt less.”

Y/N started breathing erratically as he started to pluck her nipples and grinded against his hand when he checked her readiness. He could feel her virginal barrier still intact.

“I-I’m not sure what to do,” she confessed as she looked anywhere but at her husband.

When Y/N felt him shaking, she looked down to see him chuckling.

She felt his hands tightened around her hips. “I have you so don’t worry,” he reassured. “Though, you should probably start by putting my cock inside.”

Y/N spluttered at his straightforwardness and felt her face get even hotter. Keigo smirked, delighted she could be undone by a word, though by the time he’s through with her he’s going debauch her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t even look him in the eye for weeks.

Keigo reminded her to start by thrusting and grinding below her. Y/N whimpered in return as the contact sparked tingles through her core. She hesitantly grabbed his member, the temperature, and hardness of which perplexed her. Keigo exhaled, trying to remain in control as he watched the mortal he was obsessed with, fulfill his wildest fantasies.

She couched her hips nearer so that her entrance she was so intimately familiar with lined up and slowly sank onto his cock. Her breath hitched as he stretched her out so wonderfully, giving a pleasure that she had only felt through her fingers. Yet, her fingers couldn’t compare to the fullness that his cock inspired. The strange sensations of his ridges also provided extra stimulus.

Keigo held her steady as Y/N let his member in and out several times before finally letting him in deeper. Y/N licked her lips in nervousness as he was only a few inches in and the rest of him still to go. She hesitated before changing her mind and was about to withdraw. Keigo seeing Y/N’s second-guessing herself when she had made such good progress, made him impatient. He tried to wait he really did, but sometimes even an immortal can be tempted by earthly pleasures. He thrusted in fully, as he ripped through her hymen and filled her to the brim. Y/N choked out a gasp at the slight pain, but mostly pleasure as her body slumped forward.

“Come on wife show me what you can do,” he said as he nudged her to move.

Y/N straightened up and moved her hips. At first, her rhythm was all off and she kept her thrusts short and uneven. Still, she gained more and more confidence as she found what she liked and fulfilled her needs. Soon her body naturally started doing a wave of sorts as her hips rose and fell on his cock. Y/N gasped and moaned as sweat started dripping from her forehead and down her body. Keigo reached up and licked the salty moisture before it disappeared into the valley of her breasts.

She was truly a magnificent sight as Y/N evolved from a peasant girl into a God’s woman right before his eyes.

Y/N finally finding the rapture she was looking, sped up, and starting actively bouncing. Unable to keep his hands to himself, Keigo held the bouncing globes in his hands as he swirled his tongue and suckled. That proved to be too much for Y/N as she let out broken groans and clenched her eyes shut. The sensations exploded and overwhelmed her mind as Keigo helped her ride it out from below. She collapsed on top of him as her body rested.

Keigo helped her move to the side and spooned her from behind. He grinded into her back, his cock still pulsing with need. Moving Y/N’s hair out of the, he kissed her neck a few times before plunging his cock back into her. Keeping her flushed against his body as he had his hand over her waist to keep her still as his thrusts rocked her body back and forth.

She concealed her screams into her futon as he set about a harsh pace, faster than the one she had been used to. He stealthily trailed his hand down to her pussy. Her clit was well lubricated due to the moisture that gushed out each time he pulled out and slammed back in. Feeling himself get close, Keigo started rubbing her clit frantically, wanting to feel her walls squeeze him and greedily suck his seed into her womb.

Y/N despite muffling her sounds, got louder and louder, screeching as she came once again. Keigo groaned and nestled his face into her shoulder as he released his cum into her. Y/N groggily felt herself being tucked in beside him and a blanket soon covered them both before she drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later Y/N was hastily woken from her rest for the third time that night as Keigo took her over and over. As she keeled over from yet another orgasm, she blearily looked at her blonde husband who was panting above her and swore she saw his eyes turn gold and red wings erupt from his back.

#bnha prompts #mha prompts #bnha smut #mha smut #hawks x reader #hawks x you #hawks x oc #keigo takami #keigo imagine #takami keigo #keigo x reader #bnha au #bnha x reader #bnha imagines #bnha greek au

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stormyblue90 · 4 years

Text

Blessed by the Gods

A little oneshot featuring Kassandra and Brasidas and the birth of their first child

Tagging some Kassidas fans: @j3nnt @cafekat91 @frolickingangels @crimsonsun1030 @cogitoire @alethiometry

Warning: Childbirth mention. I know some people are uncomfortable with that sooo...

Otherwise, pure fluff. Also PHOIBE LIVES AU! May write another oneshot to tie into this...not sure yet...

Anxiety filled Brasidas' heart and mind as he paced, it only continued to grow since dawn. He and Kassandra had been expecting their first child and she'd gone into labor just before the first rays of Helios crept over the horizon. Quickly shrugging on a chiton he raced out of the house to wake the midwife and Myrrine.

Once they arrived at his home the old crone of a midwife immediately pushed him out as he tried to head inside. Told him to wait like all the other expectant fathers saying "men had no place" in such a situation. Brasidas tried to convince her, but the woman wouldn't have it. She had a stubbornness to rival most hardened Spartan warriors. Seeing this was a battle he unfortunately could not win, he was forced to stay outside and instead left to make offerings and pray to both Artemis and Hera for a safe delivery and healthy child. Afterwards heading to the training grounds to help train the young Spartan boys there, anything to keep his worries at bay.

However the distractions could only work so long, and other instructors took over, seeing how distracted he was. Brasidas desperately wanted to be by his wife's side in such a trying time. Hours had gone by and it was nearly midday. Kassandra's water had yet to break when he brought back the midwife and her mother, so he wasn't sure how long she would have to suffer.

"Worried about your wife and child?" an old voice said, bringing his anxious mind back to the present.

An elderly man, greatly resembling Brasidas with silvery hair walked over, accompanied by Kassandra's father, Nikolaos.

"Pater? Yes, no matter what I do I can't seem to shake off such thoughts." Brasidas answered. "I've made offerings to both Hera and Artemis that everything goes smoothly, and keep muttering prayers to them."

"Ah I was the same that snowy evening you were born as well." the man, Tellis replied.

"I believe I remember, you couldn't sit still and you were so impatient to return home and made several offerings." Nikolaos added. "Sadly I was away from Sparta the day Kassandra was born, but thankfully I was here for Alexios."

"And you were even worse than I was!" Tellis replied. "Do not worry my son, Kassandra is strong, as will your child be I'm sure of it."

Brasidas nodded, he knew Kassandra was exceptionally strong and undoubtedly so would their child, carrying on the powerful bloodline of Leonidas; however it still didn't quell his fears.

"I only wish I could be at her side. However the midwife wouldn't have it, said it was no place for a man."

"Ah yes, that sounds familiar. Short with pale green eyes?" Tellis asked.

"Y-yes, how did you-"

"Because I remember her. Doris was a young assistant to the midwife who brought YOU into the world. Said the same thing to me. Stubborn then, and more so now."

"That would explain her comment about 'helping bring me into the world so she could just as easily send me to Hades' as she shoved me out of the doorway."

The two older men shared a laugh at that. In truth were anxiously waiting as well, both about to become grandfathers, but still not as worried as Brasidas.

"Phoibe!" Myrrine called out, standing by her now exhausted daughter.

The young girl from Kephallonia, now a teenager and adopted by Myrrine, ran into the room. "Yes? Is it over? Am I an aunt now? Is it a boy or a girl?" she questioned excitedly.

"Yes yes it's over, now quickly go, find Brasidas, tell him everyone's fine and he can return."

Phoibe nodded, and glanced at the midwife and her assistants, busy cleaning, caring for Kassandra, and swaddling the newborns. Quickly she took off to find the general.

She sprinted down the streets of Sparta, Ikaros flying overhead. Phoibe had a few ideas where he might be and she already checked some, her next destination was the training grounds. She did however stop briefly on the way to confirm if any had seen him, and they did say they saw him head that direction.

Once she arrived she asked the soldiers if Brasidas was there and that she had an urgent message for him. Sure enough he was there and Phoibe ran towards the place he was said to be, ignoring the young boys who either called out to her or began to show off. Phoibe only rolled her eyes and their obnoxious displays. How many times did she have to tell them, she wasn't interested in boys; instead it was a few Spartan girls who caught her eye.

Finally she found him, speaking with Nikolaos and who she assumed was Brasidas' own father, judging by their close resemblance.

"B-Brasidas!" she called out, trying to catch her breath as she stopped, leaning over with her hands on her knees.

"Phoibe! Is everything alright? Kassandra! The baby, are they-"

Phoibe stood up and nodded, a huge smile on her face. "Yes! She's fine. They're ALL fine. You can come back now!"

All? Brasidas' eyes widened as he realized what she meant. Tellis and Nikolaos looking to each other, small knowing smirks on their faces.

"Better hurry back home then." Tellis told him as Brasidas glanced towards him, as if wanting confirmation he heard Phoibe right.

Immediately he ran back home, nearly stumbling either on his own feet or from other people in the streets. The crisp autumn air rushing across his skin. No matter how fast he ran he just couldn't return home fast enough. His mind racing with so many thoughts, even more than before now.

Finally, finally he made it back home. The midwife, Doris, who had shooed him out of his own house earlier stood at the doorway. She tossed a damp towel to him, hitting him in the face with it.

"Clean yourself up first young man!" she commanded, clicking her tongue, "You're covered in dirt and sweat and I will not have anyone so filthy hold a newborn!"

Begrudgingly he did as the old crone asked, wiping off the sweat and dirt that covered him. He already knew not to argue with this woman. Once she seemed satisfied, she nodded in approval and let him inside.

"She's been moved back into the bedroom." she said.

Brasidas quickly made his way to their room, heart still pounding from both his run and nervousness. He saw Kassandra, the most exhausted he'd ever seen her, hair disheveled and dark circles rimmed her eyes from a lack of sleep. She was laying in bed, propped up by several pillows, a wrapped white bundle in her arms, cooing softly. Myrrine was by her side, but back turned to him. It looked as if she was holding something as well.

Brasidas let out a nervous breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Myrrine quickly turned to face him and she and Kassandra both looked towards him, huge smiles on their faces. It was then his suspicions were confirmed.

His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened when he saw Myrrine hold a second bundle, this one wrapped in a red blanket. A second baby, twins! He and Kassandra had twins!

"Brasidas!" Kassandra called out, her voice so tired but so joyful as well. "Twins! Can you believe it?"

He walked over feeling as is if his smile reached from ear to ear.

"Time to meet your Pater little lamb!" Myrrine said to newborn in her arms as she stood up, gently handing the red bundle to him, making sure he supported them properly.

"Meet your daughter. Kassandra holds your son." she told him.

"Chaire little one." He whispered, gently stroking the newborn's face. "Pater's here."

Brasidas felt tears of joy prick his eyes as he held his daughter and sat next to his wife on the bed. Not just twins, but both a daughter and son, he hadn't felt so blessed since Kassandra agreed to marry him.

"Now I know why it felt like they were training for the Olympics whenever they kicked. And why everyone said I was bigger than other pregnant mothers..." Kassandra said.

Brasidas laughed softly, "Yes, carrying twins certainly explains everything. I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Kassandra replied. "It still feels like a dream and I'll wake up back on Kephallonia.

It was still too soon to tell who the babies looked more like, him or Kassandra. Only time would tell, but it didn't matter who they resembled, he was just happy both were strong and healthy. For now the twins looked identical, pink, and soft. Though it did appear both shared his eye color since their eyes appeared too light to have Kassandra's rich, dark brown.

Brasidas lifted the swaddled newborn, giving her a soft kiss on top of her head, already covered in thick wisps of dark hair, as was her brother's. She wiggled, reaching one arm out of the blanket. It was then he noticed something peculiar.

On the inside of her upper arm, looked to be a birthmark. As he looked closer, he noticed it resembled an eagle in shape. Fitting given Kassandra's famous title.

"Kassandra, look there." He said, gesturing to the mark.

"It... looks like an eagle." She commented. "The Fates clearly have a sense of humor."

"Or she takes after her grandmother." Myrrine added, she too had been born with birthmarks on her arm resembling the stars of Aquila.

"She's not the only one." Kassandra replied as she shifted the blanket around the baby in her arms, revealing the back of his left shoulder.

The little boy also had markings, but instead of an eagle, the marks seemed to make up the constellation of Leo.

"The lion constellation." Brasidas said. "It seems the Fates DO have a sense of humor. Perhaps it's a sign we should name him after your grandfather."

Kassandra laughed as she wrapped her son back up. "Perhaps you're right." Gently she placed a kiss on his head. "Leonidas."

"And our daughter? Like you she seems to bear the eagle of Zeus. he asked.

Kassandra thought for a moment, "Hmm... Perhaps... Zenais?" she offered. "It appears we have been blessed by the Gods."

"Zenais." Brasidas repeated, mulling over the possible choice for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "Alright, Zenais and Leonidas." He leaned over, kissing Kassandra's temple, whispering "I love you, ALL of you."

#Assassins Creed Odyssey #Kassandra #Brasidas #Kassidas #my writing #PHOIBE LIVES!!!#Absolute fluff #Told ya a nice cute fluff fic was coming after the angsty one #Assassins Creed

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druid-for-hire · 5 years

Photo

new Hadestown au, ICARUS!ORPHEUS, wherein orpheus is not the world’s greatest musician but rather the world’s greatest inventor/mechanic/tinkerer. his creations are wondrous and beautiful and a miracle. Orpheus his mission is to create something that will repair the world--take what’s broken, make it whole.

Orpheus is still very much an artist--only his art in this AU is visual instead of auditory. and he’s still poor! not everything he makes is immediately useful for survival and y’know, hardly anyone has the money to buy things, and he has a propensity to just. give things away, especially the smaller trinkets he makes. and they take a Long Time to make. so he still works at hermes’ bar

SO!!!

this orpheus is body pain solidarity KDSKFJH

he has a fucked up back from all the heavy lifting he does around the workshop, being hunched over while he works on stuff, and being stuck in weird positions for extended periods of time when he’s working on machines and whatever, especially the bigger ones

also he’s got a wrist brace

he has a set of gear he wears a lot especially when he’s in his workshop

1) his wing pack! he built it himself and he’s proud. the pack was also made to help with his back problems. he doesn’t wear his mechanic gear when he’s working at the bar, but sometimes he’ll leave the wings on because back hurty. also, following w icarus, the wings are kept smooth & together and waterproofed w wax, kinda like a gloss. he reapplies every so often

2) his goggles! every part about the design is impractical (the red lenses and the beak) but i like them. they protect his eyes from flying bits and sparks and sawdust etc. when he’s working and wind when he’s flying

3) his boots! they’re sturdy workin’ boots, and have a talon function to clasp onto and lift things up. especially useful for moving bigger things around the workshop, up to higher levels and what have you, and he gets to flit around the whole space with minimal usage of ladders. (yes, they’re inspired by Vulture’s boots from Spider-Man: Homecoming)

(ALSO. the model of his wings are white crow wings, bc of the myth of Coronis)

because in greek mythology, crows started out white and had beautiful voices and the reason they turned black and got croaky calls is because a crow had to tell Apollo that his lover, Coronis, left him to marry a mortal

and Apollo got so upset he burned the crow and then burned Coronis to death, or burned the crow and then turned Coronis into a crow, depending on the version

(thanks to @princessponies81 for helping me figure this bit out)

so there are some... parallels here

also, IIRC crow wings are elliptical-type wings, meaning they’re good for a lot of control and maneuverability in tight spaces. good for the workshop

also he makes automata too! he has this little mockingbird to help him around the workshop. lots of calls for lots of signals, like how a car will have diff beep signals for low gas or parking brake on or door left open or key left in etc... little bird can measure and alert for lots of things

he’s also less noodle-y than canon orpheus because of how much he uses his arms and legs doing lifting, work, and flying

he’s not like. Built or anything. but hes got some strength to him

he doesn’t just make really good machines either; he’s absolutely as skilled in fine, delicate things as much as the big pieces—he sees the details himself, has to make it himself, he’s as skilled in silversmithy or goldsmithy as he is in mechanics, and i imagine he has skills in metallurgy too. maybe even a bit of glassblowing? just for piece assembly. all his pieces will fit most perfectly if he makes them himself

things like the Silver Swan automaton (i’d link a video but external links are illegal on tumblr)

also... i don’t know if they manage to get married this time, but they at least get the wedding bands

lover, tell me, if you can--who’s gonna make the wedding bands?

@supercantaloupe: the river gonna give us the wedding bands -- he draws the mineral, the stones from the silt, and crafts them himself

SO, he charms eurydice with one (or many) of his dazzling creations that also have usages in practicality and survival

as is the youzhe, she leaves when he gets to obsessive with working on something, holed up in his workshop instead of like. Surviving the winter

they last longer into the winter this time though because again, he does have a couple of machines good for tiding over the winter and surviving, and eurydice can operate them. but he’s too caught up with creating something to fix the world to repair them when they break down

when he leaves, he leaves his mockingbird to take care of his workshop while he’s gone. make sure there’s not leaks or fires, etc., keep everything in working order

the trip to hadestown still takes a long time, but less time than in canon, given that orpheus gets there on a pair of wings, though he gets grounded plenty of times due to bad weather. plus, his wings aren’t really meant for long-distance

so in the end the time still matches up; the events underground still happen on the onset of proper spring

he sails over the wall of the Styx on his wings, but it’s a feat easier said than done; it really is high and wide, just... hundreds of feet tall, and i headcanon that the “wall” is in fact seven layers of fortification because some myths say the River Styx wraps around the underworld seven times

and he is not a high altitude flier

uhhhhhhhhh blah blah something something ... i’m not clear on all the details but here are a few things:

orpheus gets the shit kicked out of him in Papers as usual and the fates hold his wings over him instead of his guitar

i have no idea how If It’s True goes

SOMEWHERE there’s Hey Little Songbird II (thank you to @supercantaloupe for authoring this idea);

it's Hades to Orpheus this time. Ironic, as he sings and flies, a real songbird.

and orpheus, that inspired inventor, that mechanic, that engineer, blessed by Hephaestus himself, being tempted to stay. It's a marvel of engineering, those factories. But they're rough around the edges, dirty, inefficient, unrefined. Imagine all the work he could do. Imagine how grand it would be, with just his help. And imagine how much fun it would be to fix it all!

but since he's fallen in love - and lost her once already - he has to pause and think. it's too good to be true, isn't it? Is it true? Can he really stay here forever, with parts and tools and endless projects worthy of his skill and attention - at least, without her?

ok back to me writing stuffs

there is no Epic I / Epic II / Epic III; the titles are now Trial I / Trial II / Trial III, like trial runs of prototypes, and on the third one it has a double meaning as a trial of judgement

Trial III goes as such:

(and thank you to @ferretteeth for this)

Hades orders him to build. An impressive invention in turn for his life – a chance he gives only because his wife is smitten with interest.

Orpheus gets three days and no more, and when he is finally ordered to come before the throne of basalt and steel he brings his invention. And Hades gives a curt, mocking laugh, because all Orpheus has in his hands is a simple box of bronze, cheap and adorably human.

He almost orders for Orpheus' death the moment he sees it, but then the boy lifts the lid and reveals a mechanical flower. Petals made out of metal rusted rosy, nectar of flecks of fool's gold.

Delicate and beautiful; extremely finely spun, as if the metal were only woven fibers. It is as soft as any silk.

"Where did you get that," the king snaps in a hurry. "How did you know–"

And then, with the twist of a key, the invention reveals to be a music box and long lost chords fill the Underworld.

(i originally had the idea that he builds a planetarium that replicates the summer above, a caught snippet of the thing that hades could never make on a large scale. a beautiful thing with flowers that blossomed and played the old song as hades brushed his hands across them, sun above. but i figured it’s probably more in line with the sensibilities of Hadestown if orpheus had created something less... grand)

so eurydice and orpheus are granted their chance to leave.

i’m not sure what the test is, because he’s got to fly out with eurydice clutched in his talons, and i want him to be as much a victim of his doubt as in canon

but he has to follow this flight path with absolute perfection, down to the flap. you fly too high, the flames of hadestown will catch him. he flies too low, the flames of hadestown will catch her.

i think, in his paranoia, he flies too high, and his wings catch fire

his wings are on fire--his arms are strapped in to them. he’s burning up. he’s burning.

he’s slowing down in his ascent. in a moment, he knows that if they’re going to make it, it’ll only be one of them, and... he’s not going to drop eurydice. he can’t do that to her.

when his wings can no longer climb, he throws her the final distance to the surface. she turns around and reaches desperately for him, but he’s too far away.

he falls. a comet.

he breaks.

the fact is, he dies

but he dies in hadestown. so now he’s just... well, one, no chance of going back aboveground. two, now he’s... sitting at the bottom of that long climb, broken and in pain, surrounded by the charred skeleton of his wings, broken and burned feathers, drips of melted oil and wax, and blood

he’s... there for a long time, just suffering, before someone comes to see if they made it out, and finds him at the bottom

hades sees this as an opportunity to bring him back, let him heal, and put him onto projects, perhaps “to get your mind off of it all,” but. orpheus doesn’t want to work. he doesn’t want to do anything

thanks to supercanteloupe again for co-authoring this section:

Hades says he'll squander his god given talents to just sit around all day but Orpheus won't listen

hades has just zero fucking clue how to deal with a depressed human

"have I not given him all he could want, metal, tools, a workbench? Bed, bread, fire? Strength in his bones? And yet he refuses still? The boy must be mad," he cries, angry

@s-aint-elmo: "i got a new mechanist"

“you ruined a perfectly good talented young man is what you did. look at him, he's got depression"

persephone herself is a mess (less so after Trial III) but she has at least some sense—she is more in touch with mortals than him, spending time with them up on the surface and throwing revels, but also greeting those who lost their lovers/sisters/brothers/mothers/fathers in the winter before

persephone encouraging orpheus to build, not for her sake or for Hades', but for his own. little flowers, little birds, wind up toys and music boxes. something to keep him going

s-aint-elmo: she brings him pressed flowers from the surface, little trinkets, tokens of the green. orpheus only lets the first few wilt and rot at the corner of his table.

flowers bloom until they rot and fall apart

it's a sad, painful reminder

he eventually has the resolve to rebuild his wing pack—better this time, because really, he feels crippled without them after living w em for so long

edit: (and the feathers are black, a la the crow myth)

when hades first sees him like, passing by w wings on his back, he turns to persephone like “what have you been saying to him?” “only what he needs to hear, husband”

he has a great fear of actually getting off the ground at first, though

he’ll perch at the edge of a rooftop, but... doesn’t move. it’s a leap of faith he doesn’t feel like he can take

he always saw air as just a medium to move through, that it would support him, as easy as swimming

now he sees straight through it to the ground

he has burn scars across the entire back of his arms, hands, and fingers

it’s a reminder every time he gets to working

rough patchy skin. calloused fingers from work

big sigh

eurydice goes home.

there is the empty shell of his workshop. his many machines and trinkets and tools and his hundreds of unfinisheds and thousands of scraps of plans, and… his bird left to care for the shop after god knows how many weeks or months.

it flies down and greets her, some string of whistles and beeps she only half understands. then it asks for orpheus

she tells it that he fell; he’s not coming back, it’s too late

the bird sticks by her from there on out, the last “living” remnant of her lover, besides his shell of a workshop

ok i haven’t thought farther than this, please have fun with this au i think it’s a new favorite alongside Unswayed AU & Apartments AU

#icarus orpheus au #hadestown #hadestown au #hadestown fanart #my art

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alien-rainbow · 3 years

Text

By Your Side Until My Death(9/?)

Chapter 9: The World We Made

Available on AO3

Princess Artemis, the eldest daughter of the kingdom of Olympus is to be married to her childhood nightmare. In a land where anything remotely magical is banned, Zoë fears for her and Ladon's life but knows that she could never leave the princess's side if she tried. Magical beings, a forbidden romance, family secrets, and safety for magic all wait beyond the kingdom's borders.

- 3rd person, will be completed eventually, teen, not completed, Zartemis

READ PLEASE. Okay, so there was a lot of background going on in this chapter.

Cohorts: These are like the cabins, there are 20 of them for the 20 cabins in the PJO series, I decided to use greek names and move some people around if they are Romans. The only time I used Roman names is if the greek counterpart was part of the royal family.

Praetors: Two people who are elected from any of the twenty cabins and are (presidential system) like the president.

Centurions: These are like the vice presidents, but there are a lot of them. They can make decisions but need the approval of both of the Praetors but if 75% of the Centurions want an action to be taken, they can go forward without Praetor's approval. But Chiron can put a stop to anything he believes is really bad but for the most part, he just guides and observes.

Normal People are just called campers and each Cohort has a cabin that corresponds with gods and their skills. If you want the full list of Cohorts/Cabins and their god/skills, look at the endnotes (There is more explanation in the chapter too)

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Annabeth with the help of Will and commentary from Nico gave the girls a quick tour of the camp. The first stop was the big house where the leaders met to talk. The leaders consisted of one immortal, a centaur named Chiron, and a group of twenty centurions that represented the twenty different cohorts, and two elected praetors from any of the twenty centurions. The centurions were divided based on skill and dominant traits, and in some cases who you were born to.

Percy for example was one of the only members in cohort three, the cohort of water. People that lived in the cabin were closely related to Poseidon, the immortal of seas, or water nymphs, or were incredibly good when it came to any water activity.

Annabeth was a mortal who was incredibly good at changing any form of magic and was in Cohort 6, where the children of Minerva usually went. They were known for Strategic thinking and Leadership, Annabeth was the centurion. Nico is a child of Hades, the immortal Death, The Underground, and Darkness, and is the centurion of Cohort 13. His younger sister Hazle was the only other occupant of Cohort 13.

Will pointed to a solid gold cabin, which seemed to either reflect the sun or was glowing itself. Cohort 7 was for children born to Helios, the immortal of Day. Healing was another large part of Will's Cohort. Will told them that he was a few generations removed but was a descendent of Helios.

"So you have solar powers?" Athena asked after Will finished talking about his Cohort.

"I'm honestly a better healer but I can heal and control light," Will said smiling bright enough to rival the sun itself.

"He also glows," Nico said smirking at the puppy-eyed glare Will sent his way.

"That's not important," Will shoot back at the smaller boy.

"He's the best medic we have," Annabeth said trying to get the conversation back on topic. The two continued to quietly bicker but there was no real heat.

"So how long has Jason been here for?" Thalia asked out of the blue looking away from the two boys over to Annabeth.

"He's been here since he was a toddler, why?" Annabeth asked confused.

"His surname isn't by any chance Grace?" Thalia asked quickly. Nico stopped his conversation and turned to look intensely at Thalia. Artemis, just like Annabeth was confused by the woman's question. She knew that Thalia had a little brother who was said to have died in a wolf attack but besides that had no family that she cared about.

"Why do you want to know?" Nico said before Annabeth could answer.

"I don't see why you need to know?" Thalia said narrowing her eyes at the shorter boy. Before another fight could be started Annabeth jumped in to supply Thalia with her answer.

"Yes, his full name is Jason Grace," Annabeth said still looking confused but trying to stop an oncoming storm.

"Where is he now? Can I see him?" Thalia's voice was shrill and urgent.

"Probably at the arena sparring with Percy, and I guess so?" Will offered to take them while Nico stated that he would be coming with them. Reyna opted to go with Thalia saying that they would meet up later that night. With that, the four hurried off towards the arena.

"What was that about?" Annabeth asked after the group had disappeared from sight.

"I don't know..." Artemis said turning to Zoë who shrugged. Annabeth then continued on with the tour as if nothing had happened. She showed them the climbing wall which was cover in lava. The amphitheater where the campers met at night for a sing-along, campfire, and a variety of other things. The stables held more Asseros' and a few unmagical horses, and pegasi. They then walked past the cabins, each held one Cohort and a number of campers. They ended their trip by walking past the armory then heading to the arena.

They entered the opened roofed area to see Thalia and Jason stabbing at each other. Nico, Will, Percy, and the feather girl sat on the sides watching them spare. Thalia had her long golden spear out, her shield sat on one of the benches next to her brown leather bag. Jason on the other hand was fighting her with a golden gladius.

The three walked over to the group that was already sitting to watch the two dance around each other.

"What did we miss?" Artemis asked sitting down next to Reyna who turned to her with a sarcastic smile.

"Nothing much, except that Jason is Thalia's presumed dead little brother. And they are both the children of Jupiter, the immortal of the sky. But besides that, not much." Artemis and Zoë both gave out shocked reactions before turning to watch the two reunited siblings spar.

The match ended with Thalia disarming her brother and a golden spear pointed at his chest.

"I win," Thalia said grinning at her brother.

"My turn!" Percy yelled grabbing a bronze sword running up to the spot where Thalia had just stood.

"Water first," Jason said grabbing a cantine and drinking the water that poured from it. He then walked over to the blond positioning himself lower to the ground getting ready to go again.

"Bro... what if we had a homoerotic sword fight..." Percy said smiling like an idiot before striking, they exchanged a few blows before backing away giving the other time to think. "jk, jk," Percy said referring back to his earlier comment. The two exchanged a few more swings before Percy spook once again, "...Unless?" The ravenett struck once more causing Jason to get knocked to the floor.

"I am literally the straightest person here," Nico said shaking his head at the Percys comment.

"What do you mean by that?" Artemis asked. The elder princess was confused at their language, straight? homoerotic? And why no one else found it strange that the two boys were acting playfully romantic towards each other.

"By what?" Nico asked looking at her instead of the stone floor.

"Straight?" Artemis asked her cheeks burning as the others looked at her like this was a ridiculous question.

"Straight is another word for someone who likes the opposite gender," Annabeth explained.

"Are you implying that males can love other males? And females other females?" Athena asked astonished at the information.

"While yea, there's nothing wrong with loving who you want to love," Will said softly. "I mean Nico's my boyfriend," He said smiling and gesturing to the boy next to him. A blush covered the pale boy's cheeks as he mumbled something about 'Significant annoyance.'

"Really?" Zoë and Reyna said simultaneously.

"Yea, and don't let anyone ever tell you differently," Nico said his eyes darkening "Because they are wrong."

Artemis felt a weight lift from her that she never knew she was carrying. She had never been interested in being intimate with any male. The thought of marrying any man and having his children make Artemis sick. The news that this wasn't a bad thing, that she could love a female, a girl! It made her happier than she could say. Zoë, Reyna, and Thalia wore a similar expression. Athena just looked thoughtful and happily surprised.

Artemis turned to look at Zoë and smiled at the older girl, for some reason her aunt's words from the day before came back to her, "So who is it? I also know the face of heartbreak, whether you know it or not. " Artemis remembered telling her aunt that she loved no one, only for her aunt to ask her if she was sure. Then before her aunt could say who she believed her heart belonged to, Hermes had interrupted. Artemis wished now more than anything that she had gotten to hear her aunt's last words before they fleed.

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WHAT COHORT##BY BIRTH##TRAITS AND/OR POWERS##CENTURIONS##OTHER STUFF

Cohort 1: (Jupiter) Sky and Justice [Jason] Cohort 2: (Juno) Family and Unity [OC] Cohort 3: (Posiden) Sea and Freespirt [Percy] Cohort 4: (Demeter) Earth and Stability [Katie] Cohort 5: (Mars) War and Physical strength [Clarisse] Cohort 6: (Minerva) Strategic thinking and Leadership [Annabeth] Cohort 7: (Helios) Day and Healing [Will] {Apollo is his name in both Romand and Greek, I did what I could} Cohort 8: (Diana) Moon and Independence [Bianca] Cohort 9: (Vulcan) Medal and Inventions [Leo] Cohort 10: (Venus) Munlipltiveness and Indisisviness [Piper] Cohort 11: (Mercury) Trickery and Stealth [Connor] Cohort 12: (Bacchus) Madness and Facetious [Pollux] Cohort 13: (Hades) Death, The Underground and Night [Nico] Cohort 14: (Iris) Messenger and Color [Butch] Cohort 15: (Hypnos) Dreams and Self-preservation [Clovis] Cohort 16: (Nemesis) Balance and Vengeance [OC] Cohort 17: (Nike) Pride and Victory [Holly and Laurel] {They refused to pick one} Cohort 18: (Hebe) Forgiveness and Childress [Paolo] Cohort 19: (Tyche) Good Luck and Balance [Chiara] Cohort 20: (Hecate) Magic and thoughtful [Lou Ellen]

Praetors: Frank and Hazle

#zartemis #zoë nightshade #artemis #fanfic #fanfiction #fantasy AU #fantasy #magic #royalty au #ao3 fanfic #notes ao3 #read on ao3 #Nico di Angelo #percy jackson #jason grace

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eviesmyspiritanimal · 5 years

Text

Daddy’s Little Girl

Summary: Mal's got a huge problem. She desperately needs Evie, but she and the boys are not available. Mal's not going to talk to Ben about this, so she has to cope by herself. Until someone special comes to talk to her. Hades and Mal father/daughter feels and Bal.

Mal had to find Evie. That was all that was in her brain in that moment. She had to find Evie before she shut down completely. Her sister would know what to say to make her feel better. She would know in what direction to send her.

Mal hurried up the driveway of Evie’s home, rushing to the front door as quickly as she could run. Mal attempted to open the door, but to her shock, she couldn’t get it to open. She then proceeded to furiously knock on the front door, increasingly freaking out as Evie never answered it.

After a moment, Mal finally remembered that Evie, Jay, and Carlos had left for the University of Auradon to tour it and the town for the weekend. Mal had wanted to go with them, but she hadn’t been feeling well for the past few days and she thought it would be best to wait it out and go with Evie some other week. She knew the bluenette would eagerly go with her to the university even after Evie had already been.

However, that certainly put a wrench into her plans. Evie, Jay, and Carlos weren’t there. Her three top confidants were not there to help her with this enormous problem. And she couldn’t talk to Ben about it.

There was no way Mal was going to talk to Ben about this. He would surely hate her for it. He wouldn’t take the news well at all. They had never talked about it before, and he had certainly never broached the subject himself.

So Mal headed for the one spot that had become her safe haven at her and Ben’s castle- the roof. She needed to think, and her place was the best place to do it.

Before too long, she had made her way to the castle and was ascending the stairs that led to the uppermost level before the roof. Her and Ben’s bedroom was there, and she really hoped that she wouldn’t run into him.

However, as her rotten luck would have it, he was just entering their bedroom when she rushed up the stairs.

“Mal! Hey, I was wondering where you got off to,” Ben started to say to her, approaching quickly. Mal’s eyes widened and she jumped to the side quickly, desperately attempting to avoid his grasp.

“Mal? Mal?!” She could hear him worriedly calling from behind her. Without hesitation, Mal just ran up the small set of steps around the corner that went up to her balcony on the roof. She could hear Ben running after her, but she didn’t turn around.

As soon as she burst through the door at the top, she locked it from the outside. After all, Ben had designed it that way so she could have private time when she needed it. Mal stepped forward, slowing down for the first time that she had found out the news.

She just stared at the beauty of the sunset before her and allowed herself to take it all in. Mal barely registered her husband’s anxious knocking on the door.

After a moment, however, everything came crashing down on her once more and she allowed herself to burst into tears.

“Mal?! Are you okay?!” Mal shook her head in silent negation, burying her face in her knees as she sobbed messily and threw all attempts at being dignified to the wind.

Ben tried the door several more times, but he eventually gave up and left. She quieted and listened to his retreating footsteps as she carefully wiped at the ever-cascading waterfall of tears.

She couldn’t believe that this had actually happened. Of course, it was bound to, given what the situation was. But Mal just didn’t know what she was going to do. What would Ben do? She wasn’t prepared for this. Mal had absolutely no experience with this… situation… and absolutely no example to follow.

Mal sniffed hard, staring at the redness of the sky as she reached into her pocket for her phone.

She needed to talk to someone who would understand. It wasn’t as good as her sister actually being here, but maybe she could beg her into coming back early and perhaps as soon as that very night. Evie drove like a bat out of nowhere and got road rage even worse than Mal herself. The three had taken her car, so she’d most assuredly get them back faster than the Fairy Godmother could say Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Especially in the face of Mal’s emergency.

Just as she started to dial Evie’s number, however, she heard a different sort of knock. It most certainly wasn’t Ben with that freaking-out-banging-the-door-down, so she couldn’t help but wonder who was on the other side of the door.

“Mal? You okay? It’s Dad,” Mal clearly picked up Hades’ voice as he raised it slightly so she could more easily hear him.

Needless to say, Mal was a bit shocked. She had almost forgotten her dad was living there at the castle with her, Ben, and Ben’s parents. At Mal’s request, Ben, with a remarkably small amount of hesitance, had prepared Hades a room in the castle.

Of course, he had also made rooms for Evie, Jay, and Carlos as well, despite the fact that Evie already had a house. He made one for Evie because the two girls sometimes just wanted time with each other that was reminiscent of their time in the dorms together. Granted, in due time, Mal and Evie would hopefully be sharing a room once again at the University of Auradon, but that would be three months later.

Mal couldn’t help but berate herself for not remembering her dad was in the castle. But she guessed she hadn’t been herself this evening ever since she had found out the news.

“I’m fine,” Mal stubbornly replied, trying and miserably failing to keep her distress out of her voice.

“Uh-huh, and I’m a blue-haired princess,” Hades replied smartly, and Mal groaned. Unfortunately for her, he knew she was lying. She had really hoped that she sounded convincing enough.

“So are you going to let me in, or do I have to break down the door?” he inquired, and Mal could almost see his arms cross over his chest with an eyebrow raise.

Mal looked down wistfully at her phone. Evie wasn’t here, and even her with her infamous driving would not get her there immediately. Mal needed to talk to someone. Someone that was not Ben, but also someone she could trust.

It was going to be really awkward talking to her dad about a thing like this, though, and she really wished that she could just ask him to leave, despite her internal turmoil. However, she knew that he was most likely not bluffing with his tearing down the door comment.

So, after a sigh, she put her phone in her pocket and slowly ambled over to the door. Mal gingerly unlocked it and let out a breath as she mentally prepared herself for the conversation.

“Technically, it’s letting you out, because in case you haven’t noticed, I’m on the roof,” Mal told him as she opened the door, attempting to have something akin to her usual to say. He smirked at her, rolling his eyes and she offered a soft, half-hearted smile in return.

All of his snark immediately disappeared when he saw the look on her face, and he shut the door behind him carefully, proceeding without hesitation to lock it back.

“What’s going on?” he questioned, looking at her with a so foreign yet familiar fondness in his eyes. Mal looked down at her shoes and turned on her heel silently, walking over to the railing that was facing the quickly fading sunset.

She leaned against it, watching the horizon’s shift in colors. Mal listened as Hades walked up from behind her and joined her.

“Dad… I’m pregnant,” Mal murmured, keeping her eyes on the sky and avoiding his gaze that she practically heard snap over to her form.

“Really?” he finally asked with his voice low and his tone unreadable.

“Yes,” Mal confirmed, feeling the well of tears returning to her.

“Mal, that’s wonderful news,” Hades told her quietly and Mal could hear the unadulterated sincerity in his statement. But somehow it managed to simply upset her more.

As more and more tears slipped down her face, she felt Hades drawing closer to her.

“Mal? Baby, come here,” she was immediately pulled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. That was when the dam completely broke and she truly and deeply broke into a sobbing mess.

“You’re okay, baby girl. It’s okay,” she heard her dad whisper lowly as he held her tightly against him, his arms wrapped around her in a comfortingly protective embrace. Mal clung to his middle tightly, not realizing how much she had needed a father until just now.

“I didn’t plan for this to happen,” Mal’s voice broke, a sob making its way into her voice. He just squeezed her gently and comfortingly and Mal melted into him more.

“I know,” Hades whispered, resting his chin on her head as he spoke.

“He won’t love me anymore, Dad. He won’t. I don’t think he wants kids yet. He’s never said anything about them,” Mal cried, burying her face into Hades’ shirt in an attempt to get away from everything that was bugging her.

“Baby, if he’s never said anything about it, how do you know he doesn’t want it?” Hades asked her as he rubbed her back soothingly.

“I don’t know. I’m just terrified of losing him,” Mal confessed. “This is fragile. Our relationship is fragile. It always has been.”

“You don’t know that,” he told Mal and kept his voice firm but gentle all the same. “The best I’ve understood from that boy is that he loves you dearly. Honey, he married you. I’m pretty sure he knew that was going to come with a baby or two along the way,” he lightly told her.

“I’m scared. I don’t want anything to happen to this life that I have now. What if he wants me to get rid of the baby? I won’t, Dad, I won’t do it. Not now, not ever,” Mal hysterically explained, her brain racing in circles frantically.

“Nobody’s asking you to get rid of it. No one will ask you to get rid of it, and if they do, they can come to me,” Hades firmly told her, and despite her insecurities, Mal couldn’t help but believe every word that he said. “Besides, no one does that. Not here. These are a bunch of goody-goodies that wouldn’t ever dream of something horrid like that.”

For a while longer, they just stood there together. He stroked her back carefully and she fisted the fabric of his coat, trying to hold back any more tears.

Despite the fact that she had wanted to come to Evie first, Mal was very glad that she had come to her father in the end. It was so nice to be cared for by a parent. Someone that made her feel physically and mentally safe.

It was not that she didn’t feel safe with Jay, Carlos, or Evie. Evie was one of the most comforting people that Mal had ever had in her life. She could always depend on her and Evie always made her feel loved and warm. And Jay made her feel physically safe.

But something about her dad made her feel even safer. He towered over her and he could somehow envelop every inch of her into his big, heat-radiating body. And she could feel his pride and love for her coming off in waves. She could also feel that very much fatherly protectiveness emanating heavily. Every thump of his heartbeat seemed to promise immediate and painful death to whoever made the horrid decision to hurt his baby.

Mal finally sighed and spoke, knowing that she had to face the facts sooner or later.

“Do you think I should talk to him about it?” Mal mumbled from her place pressed against his chest, very much dreading his answer because she knew exactly what it would be. He sighed and loosened his hold on her slightly.

“Yeah. You can’t keep it a secret forever, after all,” Hades spoke.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Mal chuckled lightly, letting go of her father and shaking her head as she glanced up at the stars that seemed to have apparated from nowhere.

Hades just laughed quietly at her comment, and she could sense the relief pouring off of him in waves.

“Yeah, well, pretty soon that baby’s going to start showing itself, so you might as well warn ol’ Benny-Boo. Y’know, before he makes some stupid comment about you getting fat or something, and I’ve got to steal his soul and bury his body in the backyard of his own castle,” he nonchalantly explained. Mal couldn’t help but giggle. Hades glanced over at the sound and he got a mischievous look in his eye as he continued.

“Wouldn’t that be a shame? Murdered in your own castle and laid to rest in your own backyard? Seriously, that would have to be the biggest embarrassment ever. Beauty and the Beast would have to disown him so he wouldn’t stain the family name,” Hades joked, and Mal was full-on laughing at that point. She leaned her head on his shoulder as she attempted to overcome her mirth, and she noted the pleased grin on his face at her happiness as he wrapped an arm around her.

When she had finally calmed, Mal looked up at the towering man next to her, smiling and feeling so much better than she had before.

“I… I love you, Dad,” Mal told him with only a small pause.

It was hard expressing her feelings toward him. She hadn’t completely learned everything about him, but she had quickly learned to love him. It was strange for Mal to suddenly take to someone like she had. She was generally a very untrusting soul when it came to anyone outside of Evie, Carlos, Jay, and Ben, and she certainly withheld her love from anyone outside of those four people unless she had adjusted to them for a long time.

But with Hades, she could see in his eyes how much he cared. In those awkward movements and mannerisms, she could see and feel the love he had for her. Mal wasn’t one for words, and she could see exactly where she had gotten it from. Her father expressed his emotions through his actions, and what he was trying to convey to her came through as clearly as could be, despite the fact that it was some sort of mysterious code to other people.

“I love you, too, baby girl,” he replied, squeezing her gently in that special emphasis that only he had.

Mal closed her eyes, just allowing herself to enjoy his presence there with her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Ben?” Mal hesitantly called, and the king immediately raised his gaze from his anxious pacing by the staircase. Her and Hades were descending the steps, both of them looking mostly content, and Ben couldn’t help but sigh in pure unadulterated relief.

However, from behind Mal, Hades was giving him that terrifying look that seemed almost like he was sizing up his prey before going in for the kill. Ben swallowed hard, shifted his gaze away from Hades quickly. Ben couldn’t help but wonder if he had done something to hurt Mal. Something that would invoke the explosive anger of her father.

But he was confused when he saw the look on Mal’s face. She appeared nervous and there was a hint of excitement in her gaze as she stepped down onto the floor of the hall, crossing over to Ben.

“I need to tell you something,” the faerie before him began, and Ben found himself terrified. He had no idea what was about to come out of her mouth.

She took his hands carefully and he squeezed hers comfortingly in return. After a long breath and a glance at Hades, Mal finally met his eyes and spoke again.

“I’m pregnant, Ben.”

The king’s mind immediately went blank as soon as she spoke those words. His eyes widened comically as he glanced down at her stomach. Several times he shifted his gaze between her and her abdomen, and he absent-mindedly noted how she looked more and more concerned each time.

But then it finally dawned upon him. Mal was going to have a baby, and he was going to be a dad.

“You’re going to have a baby?!” he practically squealed as he stared into her eyes with a big grin. She nodded, some of her confidence coming back to her as he grew increasingly thrilled.

“You’re going to have a BABY?!” Mal was now laughing and Ben scooped her up into a hug and hopped in circles, her legs dangling off the floor as they excitedly jumped around.

When he finally put her down, they were both nearly breathless. Mal had a ridiculously wide smile on her face.

“I’m going to be a dad!” Ben exclaimed before leaning in to kiss his wife. But before he could get too into it, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“And I’m going to be a granddad of a lot more children if you two keep that mess up,” Hades deadpanned. Mal pulled away from Ben with a laugh, holding out her hand for her dad to join the embrace.

He looked a bit taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered, rolling his eyes and hugging his daughter. He avoided Ben, but he wrapped one arm around Mal, leaning against her fondly.

Ben wasted no time in wrapping his arms around both of them and he immediately felt Hades stiffen under his hold.

Before Ben knew it, Hades had leaned his head so that his mouth was next to Ben’s ear as he spoke.

“Florian, you treat my baby and grandbaby, right, you feel me?” Ben felt him alright. He very plainly felt the threat tainting Hades’ every word and the tightening of his fistful of Ben’s shirt.

Ben subtly nodded in response, absently wondering how Mal’s father had found out his middle name.

Mal had them both sweetly wrapped in her embrace, none the wiser to Hades’ menacing whisper, and Ben smiled down at her. He loved his Queen. Even if her dad did scare the living daylights out of him.

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plusultrabitchez · 5 years

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Rooms On Fire Chapter 26: Rehearsal Dinner

(All the lemon y’all)

Hitoshi paced around the first floor with Hades on his heels. You were supposed to be home any minute and he couldn't wait to see you. Your arrival time kept getting delayed due to traffic and other circumstances out of your control. The original plan was for you to arrive in the morning so you and Hitoshi could go have brunch, come back home for some much-needed sex, then head out to the rehearsal dinner. However, life had other plans.

The plan you two had come up with required you to arrive 3 hours ago, but due to a mix up with the car service and traffic, you only had time to get home, grab your bags and head to the wedding venue. The wedding was being held at a beautiful private estate about 45 minutes outside the city complete with mansion, gardens, horse stables, the whole shebang. Midoriya being the #1 hero certainly gave him the hookups.

Hitoshi had brought down all your luggage and had it waiting in the car. You had to send him a list of things to pack for you since you were running so late. The two of you had to leave in 30 minutes and Hitoshi was getting antsy. He knew once you arrived at the estate it would be nonstop wedding prep until the rehearsal dinner then you two would be out like a light then the wedding chaos the next day. He needed you.

Your car finally pulled up and Hitoshi rushed outside to greet you with Hades in tow. You smiled from ear to ear as you leaped out of the car and into Hitoshi's arms. "Hey, tiger." You said nuzzling your face into his neck.

"Hey, gorgeous." Hitoshi replied holding you tightly. You were wearing a flowy black sundress that was low in the front and back with spaghetti straps. Hitoshi smirked as he hooked his finger under one of the straps and trailed his finger down. "I like this."

You smirked back and bit your lip. "Yeah?"

"Mmmhmm." Hitoshi licked his lips. You looked fucking delicious and he couldn't wait to taste you.

"I think you'll like it even more when you see what I'm wearing underneath it." You paused to thank the driver as he unloaded your suitcase from the trunk and drove off. You turned back to Hitoshi with lust filled eyes. "Or what I'm not wearing underneath it."

Hitoshi growled and picked you up to throw you over his shoulder. You giggled uncontrollably. "Wait! Hitoshi! My suitcase!"

"Ugh! Fine!" He groaned setting you down on the steps and handed you Hades leash. You kneeled down to smother your furbaby with affection while Hitoshi ran to the curb and got your suitcase. The three of you went inside and closed the door. "Was he good for you?" You asked unhooking Hades's leash from his collar.

Hitoshi gulped as he replayed the clusterfuck of losing him yesterday. "Yup perfect."

"Really? That's great! I was worried but-" You were cut off by Hitoshi kissing you. It was passionate, needy, and made you feel dizzy. He scooped you up in his arms, carried you into the kitchen and set you on the counter. His hands pulled your straps off your shoulders and pulled down your dress to reveal your breasts which he grabbed roughly as you continued your hungry kisses. You tongue slipped into his mouth and tangled with his as he played and lightly pinched your nipples. "Fuck Toshi." You gasped.

He smirked against your lips. "You want more?" He panted as his hands squeezed your thighs over your dress. You bit your lip as you looked up at him with need in your eyes and nodded. "Please Hitoshi." You whined as you pulled up your dress and spread your legs. You weren't wearing any underwear and your core was already soaked. "Please touch me."

Hitoshi groaned as the sight of you made him painfully hard. "Fuck! You're so fucking cute when you beg for me." He undid his pants and pushed them down.

The sight of his rock hard cock springing from his pants made your mouth water. "Mmmm." You hummed and licked your lips as you drank in the sight of him. How did you get so lucky? You reached out to grab his cock but he grabbed your wrist and pinned it to the counter. "Hitoshiiii why?" You whined.

"Because gorgeous, it's been a while since I've fucked you. I need to get your warmed up if you're going to be able to take my cock." He growled in your ear before diving between your legs. He moaned as he tongue plunged into your core and slowly licked up your folds until gently sucking on your clit, relishing your sweet taste. He slowly stroked himself while he went to work on you.

Your hands tangled in his hair as your eyes rolled back. Fuck he was good at eating you out. "Hitoshi! Holy shit! Mmm just like that." You moaned as he continued the pattern. "Fuck you're so amazing." You panted as a blissful smile graced your face. Hitoshi looked up at you smiling and moaning as he worked on you and felt his ego inflate. This was one of his favorite views. You writhing in pleasure while he was buried between your thighs.

"Fuck baby I'm going to cum." You whined as you neared your climax. Just a few more strokes from Hitoshi's tongue and you were done for.

"(Y/N)!" Ochako's voice rang through the townhouse from the front door.

"Fuck!" Hitoshi sprung up to his feet to pull his pants back up which was difficult to do with his giant erection in the way. You frantically pulled your top back up and threw the skirt of your dress back down.

"You didn't lock the door?!" You angrily whispered to Hitoshi.

"I thought you did!" He whispered back just as angry and frustrated. His pants were not cooperating. He let out a frustrated groan as he stomps down the hall to the bathroom so Ochako wouldn't witness his massive hard-on.

You hopped off the counter and straightened your dress before greeting Ochako as she rounded the corner. "Hey Ochako!" You squeaked out.

"Oh my god! Thank god you're home!" She rushed over and pulled you into a hug. "Things are hitting the fan and Deku got pulled into a mission and it's going later than planned and I need moral support and help with all the last minute stuff." You hugged her back and stroked her hair. "It's okay! I got you. What do you need help with?"

Hitoshi was in the bathroom trying to will his boner away but it wasn't working. He really didn't want to jack off in the bathroom with a guest around the corner. "If she could've just waited like 15 fucking minutes." He quietly grumbled.

"I'm freaking out (Y/N)! It was Deku's job to confirm arrival times with all the vendors and make sure they have good directions and..." She went on for another 10 minutes about everything that needed to be done. You soon started taking notes, her nervous energy rubbing off on you.

A grumpy Hitoshi joined the two of you after about 15 minutes with his hands buried in his pockets and a scowl on his face. "We need to leave soon." He grumbled.

"Can I ride with you guys? I have to leave the car behind for Deku." Ochako asked nervously as she twirled her hair.

Hitoshi sighed. "Sure." He answered flatly.

"Great! You guys are the best! I took a cab here so we can leave right away! I'll go put my stuff in the car!" She cheered before prancing off.

"There goes any hope for road head." Hitoshi groaned.

You chuckled. "I'm sorry Toshiiiii." You wrapped your arms around his neck and stood on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Once we get to the estate you can have your way with me."

Hitoshi smirked and smacked your ass hard and gave it a firm squeeze. You gasped at the impact and bit your lip. "I want you on your knees for me." He growled in your ear.

You looked up at him with sultry eyes and opened your mouth and let your tongue hang out just a bit. It was enough to make him crazy. His lips captured yours in a fervent kiss. You both had so much pent up want you felt like you were going to burst. Hitoshi wrapped his arms around your waist and his hands grabbed your ass roughly and squeeze.

"Okay guys! I'm ready to go!"Ochako announced. The two of you exploded apart like two teenagers that were caught making out on the couch. Neither one of you could wait until you were alone.

The drive was spent with both you and Ochako in the back seat while Hitoshi drove. You both were on the phone the entire 45-minute drive confirming arrival times with vendors and making sure they had all the information they needed. Hitoshi couldn't listen to music or even hold your hand. Needless to say, he was getting grumpier by the minute. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that some of his closest friends were getting married and that the next two days were about them. He needed to suck it up.

They pulled up to the estate and you all unloaded your bags and the event coordinator gave you three the keys to your rooms. "Meet me up front in 15!" Ochako called out as she walked down the hall to her room.

"I can make do with that. Can you gorgeous?" He whispered gruffly into your ear. His voice made your core soaking wet just on its own. "Still want me on my knees?" You whispered back sweetly. Hitoshi laughed and took your hand and the two of you hurried to your room. You stood behind him as he unlocked the door. His black shirt was snug on his muscular body and his jeans made his ass look amazing. You licked your lips as you hugged him from behind and snaked your hand down to grab his dick through his pants. "Oh, you're already hard for me." You cooed as you palmed his ever growing bulge. Your mouth watered at the idea of his cock down your throat.

Hitoshi unlocked the door, tossed the bags in, slammed and locked the door behind you. You were already undoing his belt and ripped it out of his belt loops. Hitoshi grinned as he caught the belt before you could toss it to the side. "Should I use this on you so you can't sit down this weekend?" He growled as he grabbed your ass hard. The thought of him using the belt made your wetness drip down your thighs.

Hitoshi saw the needy and hazy look in your eyes and smiled. "Maybe later tonight then. Right now you have a job to do." He put his hands on your shoulders and pushed you to your knees. Your mouth hung open, practically drooling for him as he lowered his pants. Hitoshi's hands tangled in your hair and you took a breath knowing he was about to fuck your face. You looked up at him, mouth agape, tongue slightly hanging out, drooling over his massive cock that was inches from your mouth and dripping with pre cum. "Fuck I love you." He breathed out.

BANG BANG BANG!

"Fuck!" You and Hitoshi yelled as there was frantic banging on the door. Hitoshi once again disappeared into the bathroom with a massive hard on.

It had been 4 hours since you arrived at the estate and the entirety of it was spent with Ochako making sure everything was perfect for the rehearsal dinner later that night and the wedding the next day. Hitoshi was helping best he could, but he really had no idea what he was doing so he just acted as an assistant to you and Ochako.

Relief washed over both of you when the other groomsmen and bridesmaids started to arrive along with other family members. The rehearsal was only 20 minutes away and you had to go get changed. You wanted Hitoshi to come with you in hopes of a quickie, but he was busy herding all the groomsmen to their rooms and getting them ready.

You quickly changed into a little black dress and some simple black heels. It was your most conservative dress that you owned. It was still snug and showed off your figure, but it had short sleeves and stopped at your knees. You didn't want to show a bunch of skin at the rehearsal and wanted to keep it classy best you could. You left your room and headed towards the main hall where the rest of the wedding party was meeting up before the rehearsal.

You turned the corner and saw a tired looking Hitoshi. Well, more tired than usual. "Hey Tiger." You said smiling at him. Hitoshi's look softened greatly when he saw you. "You look beautiful." He said bringing you into a hug and kissed your forehead. "Thank you. You on you're way to change?" You asked hugging him back. "Yeah. Izuku is finally here so he, Iida and Todoroki are holding down the fort for a few minutes while I change." "God are the rest of the guys being that unwieldy?" You asked with a chuckle. Hitoshi scoffed. "Yeah and they just found out Bakugou can't make it to the wedding so Midoriya is bummed about that and there's something wrong with the cake apparently." You groaned and pinched the bridge of your nose. "Fuck me." Hitoshi smirked. "I've been trying." You laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You go get changed. I'll go help put out this fire." You smacked his ass before heading to the main hall with the others.

The main hall was utter chaos. Midoriya was trying to calm down Ochako who was about to have a full blown panic attack. "Sweetie! What's wrong?" You asked running over to her. She looked up you with tears in her eyes. "The delivery truck with the cake got into an accident. The driver and employees are fine, thank goodness, but the cake..." She started crying. Midoriya held her shoulders and gently shushed her. "The cake was destroyed." He said. "Fuuuuck." You breathed. You racked your mind for a solution and found one. "Gimme 10." You said and got out your phone.

You came back 10 minutes later and Hitoshi was back and changed into his suit. He was assisting Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki is trying to calm down a now sobbing Ochako while the rest of the wedding party looked on in nervousness. "Kubo help." Todoroki said once he spotted you. There was the sound of desperation in his voice. "Ochako! Sugar! Baby! Honey! It's okay. I took care of it." You said rushing over. The men gladly let you take her since they had no idea how to help her feel better. "I called my dad. He's baking now. He'll be here bright and early tomorrow with a cake. And knowing my dad it'll blow your socks off." Ochako stopped crying and sniffled. "It'll be the vanilla with chocolate hazelnut buttercream?" She asked. "Yup! And his decorating skills are amazing so I bet you won't even be able to tell it's home made." Ochako gave you a smile and wiped her tears. "Thank you (Y/N)!" "Alright assholes! Let's get this rehearsal done with so we can eat yeah?" Everyone cheered in agreement before making their way to the courtyard.

Once the rehearsal was over everyone went indoors to have dinner and drinks. You and Hitoshi had been exchanging needy glances the entire time. Only a couple more hours until you could tear into each other. Until Hitoshi came up behind you. "Meet me in the back hallway in 5 minutes." He whispered and pinched your ass. You bit your lips and giggled as he walked off, glancing back for a moment to give you a cocky smirk and a wink. You waited a few minutes as instructed and chatted with the girls before excusing yourself. You went down the hallway and looked around for your boyfriend. "Hitoshi?" You called out quietly. You gasped as a hand grabbed yours and pulled you into a empty coat closet. Hitoshi's lips were immediately melding with yours and his hands all over you.

You giggled into the kiss. "A coat closet? Really? Wouldn't it be easier to sneak away to our room?" You asked as Hitoshi's hands ran up your thighs and pushed up your dress. "Yeah but this is more fun. We haven't had a quickie in a while." He said as he hooked his arms under your legs and lifted you up, pinning you against the wall.

"Mmm fuck Tiger." You moaned as bulge rubbed against your clothed core. You grabbed onto his shoulders as he leaned you against the wall to undo his pants and push them down enough to free his cock. He pushed your panties to the side and lined himself up to your slick entrance. He grinned and teased your slit with the tip of his cock making you whimper. "Fuck Hitoshi, just fuck me." "Don't have to asked me twice gorgeous." He pushed into you agonizingly slow. His hungry eyes glued to yours the whole time. Your hands gripped his jacket, twisting the fabric as he bottomed out into you. Your heart was racing and you eyes started to roll back as he stretched you. You had missed this amazingly full feeling.

Hitoshi gently kissed your jaw down to your neck as he awaited your go ahead for him to move. "Fuck baby how are you always so tight?" He groaned as he felt your walls clench around him. No one ever made him feel as good as you did. You let out a breathless giggle and kissed him sweetly before nodding, signaling that you were ready. He slowly started to move in and out of you. Almost all the way out before slowly bottoming out in your hot core again.

You bit your tongue as it took all your efforts not to scream his name as he fucked you deliciously slow. His hands grabbed your ass to hold you in place while he thrust into you. His eyes were filled with desire and he smirked as he watched your face contort. He loved making you feel this good. "You're so beautiful." He cooed as he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You smiled lovingly at him with a flushed face. "I love you Hitoshi." You said through heavy breaths. "I love you too." He leaned in and kissed you passionately. Even though you were in a coat closet supposed to be having a quickie, he was making love to you. How lucky were you?

Well not that lucky since Ochako's voice calling out for you echoed through the hallway outside. "Noooo." You whined as tears of frustration welled up in your eyes. Hitoshi stopped his movements and sighed. "We probably should've gone to our room." You were choking back tears now. You just wanted to be properly fucked by your amazing boyfriend who you had missed terribly.

He slowly pulled out of you and a few tears escaped, missing the full feeling and the sweet moment you were having. Hitoshi pulled his pants back up and did his best to tuck away his boner for the upteenth time that day. You sniffled as you straightened your dress and smoothed your hair.

"Hey." He said quietly putting a finger under your chin and tilting your head up to look at him. He smiled sweetly at you. "It'll be okay. We'll have tonight once everyone passes out. We'll pick this back up I promise." He gently kisses away the tears on your cheeks before kissing your forehead.

You had managed to sneak out of the closet and play it off as if you were just in the bathroom when you greeted Ochako. She needed help fixing her makeup and didn't trust any of the other girls to help her.

After you helped Ochako freshen up, dinner was finally served and you all sat down for your meal. You were starving and the food was delicious. All of you were able to catch up a bit and have a few glasses of wine. Kaminari was telling everyone of this really cute girl he met and had been on a few dates with. Todoroki was busy with running the agency he took over from his dad. You all filled him in on your Vegas trip which made him chuckle. "Speaking of which, have you guys set up the pole yet?" Sero teased. You laughed and Hitoshi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not yet, been a little busy."

After about 2 hours you were all ready to go to bed. Ochako ran over the schedule for the next day one more time and have everyone a copy before everyone said their goodnights.

"(Y/N)? Can you come to my room for a few minutes? I just want to make sure I have everything ready for tomorrow." You smiled softly and nodded. "Of course sweetie." "Hey Hitoshi, can you help me do the same?" Midoriya asked. "Sure thing." Hitoshi replied. You both went your separate ways and made sure everything was there and ready to go. "Are you nervous?" You asked Ochako who was combing her hair. "No, I'm just excited." She beamed. You smiled. "That's awesome. I'm so happy for you two. I'm so honored that I get to be with you tomorrow on your special day." "Me too! You're a great friend. I know you and Shinsou have been wanting alone time since you just got back from that mission, but here you both are helping me and Deku and never complaining once. You guys are the best." You chuckled. "Anything for you two." The two of you said goodnight and you left for your room.

You walked to your room to be met by Hitoshi arriving at the same time. He smirked at you as he loosens his tie. "Hey gorgeous." "Heya Tiger." You bit your lip as you checked him out. He looked so handsome in his suit and the look he was giving you made you weak in the knees. Hitoshi unlocked the door and gestured for you to go inside and smacked your ass when you passed him. Your core was already soaked in anticipation. You knew he wasn't going to waste any time with you. He calmly put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doorknob and closed the door.

The light was dim in the room, just the moonlight coming in through the sheer curtains. Your heart started to race and slipped off your panties as he locked the regular and privacy lock on the door. "Come here." He said in a low voice as he turned to face you. He smirked as he watched walk over to him and undid his belt and then his pants. You bit your lip as he pushed them down freeing his painfully hard cock.

He grabbed you, lifted you up, pinned you against the wall and plunged his cock into your soaking core causing you to cry out. Your fingers tangled in his wild locks as he bottomed out into you hard. A pang of pain shot through your body as he hit your back walls. "Oh fuck you're so big." You moaned. Hitoshi grinned and bit your ear lobe. "I can't decided if I want you to be able to walk tomorrow." He said before thrusting into you hard and deep again. You felt your core tighten around him. "Fuck Toshi." You moaned. You needed to be able to walk for the wedding tomorrow, but you wanted him to have his way with you.

Hitoshi stared you down with hungry eyes. "Fuck it." He growls before grabbing the collar of your dress and ripping it to reveal your black lace bra. You gasped at his action. He was always go gentle and tender with you that you often forgot how strong Hitoshi was. With your dress now halfway torn and bunched around your waist Hitoshi licked his lips at the sight of you. He relished the feeling of pulling out of you slowly to slam back into you hard. Each time making you cry out a little louder. He continued his thrusts and reached behind you to unhook your bra and threw it aside.

He adjusted his grip on you to move you into the Olympus position. "Hitoshi, oh my god." You moaned as he sucked on your left nipple he continued to pound into you. "Fuck Toshi, you're gonna make me cum!" You whimpered as you felt the knot in your stomach about to snap.

"Do it. Come on my cock baby." He growled as he quickened his pace. He brought your nipple back into his mouth and swirled his tongue around your erect bud and sucked hard. Your eyes rolled back and your walls clenched around him as you came hard. "Ah! Hitosh-Oh my god!" You yelled as your juices soaked him. "Fuck baby." He moaned and released himself into you. His hot cum filling you felt heavenly. You felt it seeping out of you has you clung to him and road out your high.

He held you close and kissed you hard. His tongue son tangling with yours. He wiggled out of his shirt and tie and kicked off his pants and carried you over to the bed and laid you both down. He was still inside you and still hard. You sucked on his tongue before biting it gently. He moaned as his fingers tangled in your hair. He kept pulling you closer and closer as you exchanged hungry kisses. His cock throbbed inside of you which made you let out a needy moan. "Are you ready for round two gorgeous?" He asked running his fingers down your soaked slit.

You nodded before arching your back and gripping the sheets as he continued to run circles around your clit. He smirked love watching you squirm. He pulled out of you, ripped your dress off the rest of the way and flipped you over on your stomach, your combined juices spilling out of you and dripping down onto you clit. "Fuck that's hot." He groaned before spanking you.

You yelped when his hand made contact with your ass, but smiled and bit your lip. He grinned knowing you loved to be spanked. You lifted up your backside to him, now being on your knees bent over in front of him and wiggled your ass in front of him. WHACK Hitoshi's hand came down hard again on your backside causing you to moan. You could feel the sting where his hand came into contact with your skin. WHACK "Ah! Mmm Toshi." You moaned and stuck out your ass more. Hitoshi bit his lip and a red hand mark formed on your soft skin and cum was still dripping from your core.

"Holy fuck how did I manage to get with someone so fucking sexy." He groaned as he pumped two fingers into you. Your moan turned into a giggle. "I ask myself that all the time about you." Hitoshi chuckled and removed his fingers from you before bending over you and giving you a quick kiss. "Guess we both lucked out huh?" You smiled and nodded. "I guess we did."

He smiled and smacked your ass again making you gasp and bite your lip. He got on his knees behind you and pulled you into the concubine position and plunged back into you.

"Hitoshi!" You moaned as he started to pound into you. His cock hitting your spot with each thrust. He reach down and gathered up your hair, wrapped it around his wrist and tugged. "Ah! Mmm oh my god." You whined. WHACK You called out again and gripped the sheets hard. Hitoshi was animalistic. He gently rubbed where he spanked you only to spank you again, harder this time. You jolted forward, but were held in place when he tugged your hair and pulled you back down on his cock.

"Holy fuck Hitoshi." You yelled, not caring who heard you. Hitoshi smirked as he looked down and watched his cock slide in and out of you while he fucked you. Bright red hand marks covered your perfectly plump ass. The room filled with your moans and whines and the sound of his skin slapping against yours with each thrust. The sight before him was going to make him cum. He took two fingers and reached between your legs and got them soaked. You gasped knowing what he was about to do.

He rubbed your clit a few times, bringing you painfully close to orgasm, before bringing his dripping wet fingers and slipping them into your other hole. "Ahhh!" You screamed and had to bury your face in the sheets. Hitoshi's cock pounding your pussy and his fingers pumping in your ass made you cum on the spot. Your juices squirted out of you as you screamed with pleasure and soaked Hitoshi's cock. "Fuck yeah (Y/N)! That's my girl!" He pushes into you as far as he could hitting your back walls and cuming inside you again.

You were both panting and sweating as you road out your highs for a second time. You were used to tearing into each other whenever you spent time away, but the tension was building up all day making the two of you explode with sexual energy and passion. Hitoshi removed his fingers and cock from you and sat down on his feet to gather his strength. You felt your pussy gaping and dripping down your legs before you rolled over onto your back.

Hitoshi smirked softly as he admired you sprawled out on the bed, the moon illuminating you flushed body, your long locks all over the place. He crawled on top of you and kissed you deeply. His fingers caressing your face before tangling in your hair. He enveloped your bottom lip while you enveloped his top before his tongue slipped in between your lips to tangle with yours. It was slow and loving and gave you butterflies. He sighed happily when the kiss broken and nuzzled his face onto yours. "I love you. So fucking much." "I love you too Hitoshi. So fucking much." You cooed as you smiled from ear to ear.

Hitoshi kisses you jaw and down to your neck then your collarbone making you giggle. He smiled against your skin and gently hooked his arms under your legs and bringing them up until they were resting on his shoulders. He positioned himself at your entrance once more and slowly pushed into you. He was fucking you the first two rounds, now he was making love to you.

His thrusts were slow, deep, and gentle. He angled himself to slowly stroke your spot each time he bottomed out in you. He took his time with you, the entire time telling you how much he loved you. It was so beautiful it almost made you cry. You were both getting closer now. His pace started to pick up as he pumped into you a little harder. Your legs were almost behind your head as he leaned down onto you pounding your g spot. "Toshi! I'm gonna-AHHH!" Hitoshi moaned as you both finished at the same time. Your hands twisted in the sheets and you saw stars. Hitoshi gentle pulled out of you and collapsed by your side and brought you close to him. You felt his heart practically pounding out of his chest as he held you so close as if you would drift away if he left go.

You were overwhelmed with the love you felt for him. No one could ever make you feel this way. "Hitoshi, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." You said softly as you looked up at him. Hitoshi felt like his heart would burst. "You're the best thing to happen to me." He replied.

You held each other close and exchanged sweet kisses. Hitoshi started chuckling. "What?" You asked cracking a smile. "Nothing, I just feel bad for whoever has to change these sheets." You both just wheeze with laughter while wrapped in each other's arms.

#Rooms On Fire #shinsou x reader #shinsou hitoshi #bnha shinsou #mha shinsou #mha hitoshi #bnha hitoshi #hitoshi x reader #uraraka ochako #midoriya izuku #bnha #bnha oc #lemon #so much lemon #fluff #bnha fluff

56 notes · View notes

violetsmoak · 5 years

Text

Philtatos [6/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101543/chapters/47723155

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: During a patrol where Red Hood and Red Robin cross paths, Jason is infected with the blood of the Eros, the ancient God of Love, who informs them that they must track down his missing bow and arrows, or Jason will go slowly mad with an obsessive desire–for Tim. Though overwhelmed by the sudden attention being paid to him, Tim sets to work trying to solve the case, before Jason succumbs to madness. In the meantime, Jason discovers that there’s more than godlike powers at work here, as well as a legacy that reaches back through the sands of time.

Rating: Mature (for like one thing this chapter)

Beta Reader: None at the moment, but if anyone’s interested, message me through Tumblr.

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: #art #jealousy #reincarnation #secrets #undying love

Author's Note(s): Chapters are all still unbeta'ed, but I'm hoping that will soon be fixed :)

First Chapter

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Tim leaves the Cave and collects his bike and gear, preoccupied with conflicting thoughts.

On the one hand, he wants Jason spared as much discomfort as possible, but on the other, the possibility of him never waking up again makes his heart clench. Temporary or not, it’s still killing Jason, and there’s a reason why everyone is so reluctant to do that.

The fallout from his death the first time still haunts them all today. Still influences the Mission.

And either way, whether we use Diana’s cure or not, it all comes back to finding Eros’ arrows, right?

And speaking of Eros…

Tim returns to the Nest and the sight of the Olympian sprawled against his cot, completely naked and his own hand busily moving up and down his very erect dick.

“Oh my god what the hell,” Tim chokes, whirling around to avoid the sight.

“Fuck,” is the reply he gets, breathless and more irritated than anything else. “You…had to walk in now? Come back in…like…ten minutes.”

“I’m not leaving my own—” The distracting sound of heavy panting and the wet slide of skin on skin interrupt him. “I’m standing right here, stop it!”

“Not really much incentive,” Eros sniggers.

Tim scrambles over to his computer console, trying to block out the sounds, and punches in the code to activate the fire safety system. There’s a sputtering sound as the sprinkler in the ceiling sets off, followed by a shriek of surprise.

“What the hell, man?” Eros yelps, trying to scuttle away from the cold spray.

“Pants,” Tim bites out. “Now.”

“Okay, okay, geeze!”

There’s the rustle of jeans being dragged on, along with a great deal of cursing in more languages than Tim can recognize. Deeming it to be safe, Tim turns off the sprinkler and turns to face his unwanted houseguest, who’s glaring at him as if he wants to set him on fire.

“I can’t believe you did that. What happened to respecting guy-time?”

“There is no guy-time while you’re here,” Tim growls. “It’s enough I have to deal with your attitude, I’m not listening to sex noises. Or watching you get off.”

“Not something you’re into?” Eros questions. “I bet if I was 6’2” and with muscles like Thor, you’d be singing a different tune, darlin’.”

Don’t bet on it.

Eros’ personality aside, Tim’s never really had a taste for men. He considers himself open in terms of preferences, but until Jason, there’s never been any guy he’s ever thought about that way.

He clenches his fists.

Jason.

“Why didn’t you say anything about Stygian Sleep?” he demands, desperate to reroute this conversation pronto.

Eros snorts and rolls his eyes. “Of course someone brought that shit up. I’ll tell you why—because it’s a cure that’s as bad as the disease. Worse maybe.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean its price is steep and I didn’t think you’d be willing to pay it. I was saving time.”

“What did we say about not sharing all the information?” Tim snaps, and then pauses as something occurs to him. “Wait. Is that price the reason you couldn’t help your wife?”

It’s been confusing him, since Eros is supposedly a god; you’d think he’d be able to figure out a way to save the life of someone he supposedly loved.

“The Styx is older and more powerful than we are,” Eros replies, his entire demeanor shifting, as if to put distance between himself and the topic. “It has rules that make it pretty much impossible for a soul that’s been bound to it to leave. Only a soul that’s already returned from Hades can make that sacrifice…and it must be of equal value. Soul for soul, you see? God for god, mortal for mortal.”

Tim frowns.

“Put it this way—bodies are like this Zesti container,” the Olympian says, grabbing one of the many empty cans lining his table. “There’s only room for a certain amount of soul. No more.”

“And when Psyche was cursed, she was mortal,” Tim realizes; a beat later, “And you were a god.”

“Exactly.”

For the first time since they met, Tim feels a flicker of sympathy for the Olympian. It doesn’t make up for his generally irritating personality, but no one wants to lose someone they love. It’s especially hard when you know how to save them but are physically unable to do it.

Something else occurs to him.

“If we used the Stygian Sleep on Jason, there wouldn’t be anyone who could bring him back,” Tim realizes.

There’s no shortage of colleagues they know who have been dead, but no one with enough of a connection to Jason to willingly consign themselves to the death for him. And in the Family, the only one that’s actually been dead and come back (Dick doesn’t count, his heart only stopped for a few minutes) is Damian. And there’s no way Bruce, or anyone else, would let him make that sacrifice, even if he were so inclined.

“See?” Eros says. “I was sparing you the pain of a bad option.”

Tim rolls his eyes. “Somehow I doubt it was as altruistic as that.”

Which means they’re back to square one, with the only way to save Jason being finding Eros’ diviners.

There’s a hollow pain in Tim’s stomach. Jason’s in trouble because of him. If he hadn’t thrown himself in front of Tim to save him from the gunfire, he wouldn’t have gotten tagged with Eros’ blood.

On the heels of that is the feeling of disgust.

His harmless daydreams of Jason ever liking him in that way have been twisted in mutated into this.

So, Tim dutifully throws himself back into the investigation.

Video-chatting with everyone back at the Cave, they work together on cross-referencing areas where Eros’ robberies took place and the locations where he last sensed his bow.

For two days, it’s just endless sifting through data and ignoring Eros’ increasingly obnoxious behavior and trying not to think about Jason.

Then, at last, there’s a break in the case.

“All these places you robbed,” Tim begins, frowning at his digital murder-board. “They all correspond with instances of murder-suicides. The victims are always a couple that never showed any sign of domestic issues.” He had noticed them earlier in his investigation, but thought they were unrelated. “Wasn’t there something in the stories…your arrows, they can make people fall in love, but that’s not all they do.”

Eros blinks and then his eyes narrow. “The golden tipped ones make people fall in love. The lead-tipped ones make people hate each other with a bitter passion.”

“I’m going to run a search on the victims, see if there are any connections.”

“I can tell you right now there aren’t,” a mechanical voice interrupts, freezing Tim’s screen.

“Oracle,” Tim greets, not even surprised that she’s been listening in.

“Oracle?” Eros repeats. “What is it with you people and muddying the legacies of the great ones? Have you ever even been to Delphi?”

“The only link between the murder victims is they were all newly married,” the flat, digital voice continues, ignoring Eros. “If you widen the net to track murder-suicides during the past month, most of them occur in or around areas where Eros was looking for his bow and arrow. The interesting thing is, though, they all happened before Eros committed his robberies.”

“What?” Tim asks, confused.

“That’s probably what I was sensing,” Eros says, perking up. “If someone’s using the bow and arrow to incite hatred between lovers, that’s what I was drawn to. But if there were more than one death happening in the area, it’s no wonder I couldn’t get a strong trail. It’s like the scent was overlapping too much.”

“Which means whoever took your diviners not only knew what they were taking, but also from who. And how to throw you off their trail.”

Eros’ face is stormy.

“Still no clue who this could be?” Tim asks, and receives no answer in return. “Great. Very helpful. Do you even want to solve this case?”

Oracle interrupts whatever quip the Olympian has prepared. “Red Robin, you might want to return to the Cave.”

“What? Why?”

There’s a sinking sensation in his gut.

“Red Hood isn’t doing well. And Nightwing might be on the verge of convincing Batman that Wonder Woman’s solution is the only option.”

“What? No! I sent them the report of exactly why that’s a bad idea!” Tim snaps, already hurrying toward the garage.

“I know that,” Oracles replies, her voice switching from the screen to his comm. “But if you could see what Hood looks like right now…it might be a kinder end.”

“And what’s Hood’s opinion on this?”

“He’s…not exactly lucid at the moment.”

And now he feels like throwing up. He was sure they had more time! “I’ll be there in ten.”

“I’m blocking any incoming and outgoing transmissions from Wonder Woman, but at some point, they’re going to clue in to that fact. Drive fast.”

The ride is a blur to Tim, whose thoughts race without registering anything beyond a desperate disbelief.

Think! There’s got to be something we can do, something we missed.

As he weaves in and out of the traffic on the bridge to Bristol, he goes over every interaction he’s had with or about Eros and his abilities. Anything that was said, no matter how seemingly insignificant or unrelated.

One idea needles at him, a shadow of an inkling…

He doesn’t bother with the roundabout route this time, tearing into the Cave’s parking area and barely parking the bike before he’s hurrying toward the containment unit. Bruce isn’t there, which is a good sign—he must still be trying to get a hold of Diana; if he were ready to carry out any action for Jason, he would be here with him.

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t!” Tim orders, striding forward.

“Tim,” Dick says, getting up from the chair he’s been occupying beside the unit. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He ignores him, eyes drawn immediately to Jason. The older man is sitting curled in a ball at one end of the glass cage, surrounded by books and papers that look like they’ve been thrown in a fit of rage. He presses the heels of his hands against his temples, and Tim can see the bags under his eyes from here. And the angry red welt around his wrists and neck, like he’s been scratching into his skin.

Tim’s heart lurches.

“I didn’t know he was doing this bad,” he whispers.

Dick sighs. “He hasn’t slept in two days, and we can’t sedate him after what Diana said. It’s like he’s going through withdrawal—fever sweats, hallucinations, throwing up. Which isn’t great because he hasn’t been eating, either.”

And on top of that, he’s probably feeling trapped in that claustrophobic cell.

“He’s deteriorating right in front of us.”

“I know. We’re trying to contact Diana, but—”

“No. Not that. That is not an option.”

“Tim—”

“It would kill him, Dick! There’s no waking him up from it!”

“This is killing him, too! Wouldn’t you rather he didn’t suffer anymore?”

Tim’s fists curl into balls and he glances back at Jason.

He knows he;s is fighting. Bruce’s training and whatever he learned from the League is probably keeping him tethered—even if it’s only looselytethered now—but that’s only a stopgap. Jason looks like he’s on the brink of bashing his head against the glass until he knocks himself unconscious.

The mental image makes Tim recoil.

Jason’s in pain and it’s my fault.

He needs to help him, needs to do something, even if it means tamping down his own inconvenient feelings and letting Jason do…whatever he needs to.

Tim will do it; if it means giving Jason more time, he’ll do it.

Even if the idea of it makes him nauseous because right now Jason isn’t in his right mind and when they fix him, he’s going to hate Tim. But then…he’s hated him before, so at least Tim will know what to expect. And maybe if he’s careful about it…

Something Eros said about the nature of desire comes back to him then, and he considers it alongside what he knows about Jason.

He can’t take it anymore.

Tim strides to the door of the containment unit, ready to input the code. Dick blocks his way.

“You can’t!”

“I have an idea.”

“Then tell me what it is, and I’ll do it.”

“You can’t do anything right now,” Tim replies with a sad smile. “Just trust me, okay?”

Dick is still conflicted, but after a beat, he steps out of the way.

Tim opens the door to the containment area and slips inside, letting it close behind him. Slowly, he approaches Jason, almost the same way he might a wounded animal, moving slowly so as not to spook him.

Jason is shaking his head, backing away from him, and murmuring something to himself. Something foreign sounding, like a grounding chant; swear beads on his forehead.

His eyes are clenched shut, as if he’s trying not to see—either Tim or whatever hallucination has been plaguing him.

“Jason,” Tim says quietly. No response. “Jason, look at me.” Clear blue eyes snap open, locking with Tim’s. “I need you to focus on me, okay? And, uh, don’t punch me.”

He can see the difficulty Jason is having with comprehending right now, but he’s lucid enough to flinch away when Tim reaches for him.

“Tim!” Bruce barks somewhere in the distance, having finally made his appearance.

He ignores him and seeks out Jason’s hand, wrapping his hand around it. Or trying to; the other man’s hand feels huge compared to his.

He gives a fully body shudder at the contact, and then he’s clasping back at Tim as if he’s his lifeline. Something is at war in his eyes, that bit of sanity that tells him Jason’s still there.

“Philtatos,” he whispers, and Tim shivers at the way the strange word rings like a verbal caress.

Tim’s thumb automatically swipes across Jason’s wrist, and skin to skin like this he can feel the frantic beat of his pulse. Too fast for someone that’s been sitting still.

“You’re going to be okay,” Tim tells him. “Remember your training. Just breathe…and focus. Hold as tight as you need to.”

Jason’s breath shudders in a way that suggests he trying to comply.

Tim isn’t sure how long they stay like that, him crouched in front of Jason just holding his hand and murmuring calming words. But at some point, Jason begins to look visibly better. His pulse is returning to normal, the cold sweat on his face is beginning to cool and his breathing evens out.

“What…” Jason begins, eyes unfocused in their exhaustion. “Tim…?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“…shouldn’t be. I might…”

“You won’t,” Tim insists, confident. “It’s like what Eros said when we met him, remember? Desire is not just about…physical attraction. That’s not what you’re fixating on right now, is it?”

Jason shakes his head, slow, though his eyes don’t leave Tim’s face.

And I know what skin hunger looks like, Tim doesn’t add.

Before becoming a Wayne, before Dick and Alfred and Bruce and Steph—no on ever touched Tim in kindness or just casually because they wanted to. He was so touch-starved that for the longest time he flinched whenever Dick tried to hug him, even as he craved it more than anything.

He had been so worried about it seeming creepy to want to be held or hugged by his former mentor that it was, he’d let himself believe he wasn’t worth it. It’s a thought that occasionally comes back to him even now. And Jason…

Well, he wasn’t just starving for food when he was living with an abusive father and a drug addicted mother.

“Fuck, babybird, I’m so tired,” Jason murmurs, and there’s something in his voice like he’s asking permission. Tim feels a grating burn at the back of his throat and a swoop in his stomach.

“Go to sleep,” he says quietly. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

And utterly uncharacteristic of him, Jason listens. He lets Tim lead him back to his cot and sit him down, their hands still clasped, and almost the moment he closes his eyes, he’s passed out.

There’s a lingering heavy silence.

Tim takes one last moment to make sure Jason’s asleep and not about to wake again anytime soon, and in a more level voice remarks, “Could you guys stop gawking like this is a side show?”

Outside the glass, Alfred and Dick watch with bemused expressions; for Bruce, it’s disapproval.

“Uh, Tim?” Dick asks, clearly uncomfortable. “Explain?”

“It’s something Eros said. And Cassie, too,” Tim explains, settling back against the wall beside the cot. He keeps his fingers threaded between Jason’s. “This infection, it capitalizes on feelings that are already there, right? With Jason, his instinct when it comes to physical desire…it’s probably not a sex thing. Not with his background. But there is a touch component; having physical contact with another person—in this case, the object of his fixation.”

Alfred appears impressed. “How could you be sure of that?”

“I…wasn’t.”

But his theories are usually correct, so it balances out, he thinks. Dick and Bruce look like they disagree, though.

“Tim, this was foolish,” Bruce lectures, looming as best he can from the other side of the glass. “This might have gone very differently.”

“But it didn’t. I might not be great reading people, but except for you, I don’t think anyone ever bothered to learn about Jason the way I did.”

“He has a point,” Dick agrees carefully. “He was a persistent little stalker.”

There’s a degree of fondness in the statement.

Tim scowls at him and continues. “Besides, like I said, I know the look.”

Bruce doesn’t seem convinced.

“This is only a temporary solution,” he points out. “It won’t work forever.”

“But it will work for now,” Tim insists. “That’s what matters.”

And there’s really no more arguments against it.

⁂

Of course, Jason complains about it when he wakes up.

“I’m going to lose all my street cred,” he grumbles, shoveling a plate of Alfred’s oatmeal into his mouth with his left hand. The fingers of his right remain interlocked with Tim’s.

Tim makes to pull away. “I can stop—”

“I didn’t say that,” Jason interrupts, tightening his hold on Tim’s hand. He knows Tim has no intention of following through with the thread, but that doesn’t make it easier to look him in the eye.

Since waking up with Tim by his side, Jason’s condition has improved drastically. The color is back in his skin, and he’s entirely lucid if Tim is sitting within his personal space. And, of course, his appetite for actual food as returned.

It doesn’t completely quell the gnawing hunger, but he knows that’s not a physical hunger. There’s not much anyone can do about that until the damned arrows are found.

“I think you’ll eventually be okay to leave the containment for short periods,” Tim tells him, looking thoughtful. “At least if I stay in close quarters.”

“Out of the question,” Bruce interrupts; he’s been looming in the corner with a glare since before Jason woke up.

Oddly enough, I don’t think it’s directed at me this time.

“Definitely not a good idea, Timmy,” Dick adds.

“Why? He deserves to shower in peace and eat and groom and act like a normal human being instead of a quarantine patient,” Tim points out. “It’s not like he’s contagious.”

And, yes, Jason could definitely go for a goddamn shower; the grit on his skin has grit. But almost as soon as he has the thought, another image appears in his mind.

“You planning to shower with me, babybird?” he asks, voice tense as he tries to joke it off, because Tim couldn’t possible mean—?

“What? No!” Tim’s cheeks darken. “I think after another hour or so, you should be alright with light or no contact. And once we reach that point, I can probably sit outside the bathroom or something. If I’m within reach it should be okay. We can test it out.”

“Just what I always wanted, to be a science experiment…”

“No,” Bruce says again. “He might attempt to make a run for it or lash out and hurt someone. You in particular, Tim.”

“It is the whole reason I agreed to come here,” Jason concedes.

“And do you have any intention of going away again?” Tim shoots back, and frowns at Bruce. “At least not voluntarily. Also, the idea of him harming anyone is unlikely, he only reached out for Matt because he was disoriented and mistook him for me.”

“Who?”

“The kid from the alley,” Tim clarifies.

Jason’s stomach churns. “That doesn’t excuse what I almost did.”

“He was fine. He was a little shaken up, but I made sure he knows it wasn’t you. That you’re not like that,” Tim assures him, and refocuses on Bruce again. “There’s no one here he can do that with because he knows us all. If that weren’t the case, he would probably have gotten upset at the fact Damian’s been here for the past hour.”

In the shadows, Damian scoffs at being caught. “It’s not like I was hiding.”

And Tim…has a point there. Not sure if it’s because he’s sitting here with me or not, but now that I think about it, the past two days I couldn’t care less about Damian being here.

That’s actually a relief. So he’s not going to become a creeper to anyone that passably resembles Tim. Just Tim.

Okay, maybe relief isn’t the right word.

“As for trying to hurt me, I doubt he’d be capable of doing that in his current state,” Tim concludes. “Besides, I know how to defend myself. The fact that you don’t think I can do that much is a bit insulting.”

Jason can’t help the snort of laughter at that. He always likes when people other than him stand up to Bruce, but it’s somehow better that it’s Tim.

“If I might also point out,” Alfred speaks up. “It has been a rather long while since Master Jason has been able to enjoy a dinner at a table. With other people in attendance.”

Bruce doesn’t respond beyond exhaling through his nose.

“And that’s it, B,” Dick says, trying for levity. “Alfred’s spoken.”

Bruce doesn’t seem amused, either by the situation or the fact he’s lost the argument. Nor can he pursue it, because a notification pops up on the Batcomputer that Firefly is making a nuisance of himself again.

Which is how an hour later, Jason finds himself showered (fastest shower in his life while Tim waited outside the door), wearing fresh clothing (how the hell does Alfred always have clothes in his size around?) and sitting in the library with Tim, who’s doing something clever on his tablet.

“I figure you’d prefer not to be in the Cave unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Tim tells him, not looking at him.

“And I have taken the liberty of returning all of the materials you requested earlier,” Alfred adds, walking in with an armful of books. “I should hope you treat them with a mite more respect this time though.”

“Sorry, Alf,” Jason winces.

“Never mind that, Master Jason. Extenuating circumstances, and all that.”

He departs again.

“Anyhow, you can keep looking into whatever you were doing before,” Tim goes on, still not meeting his gaze. “It’s a good idea. Not all information on the subject has been digitized, so it isn’t searchable. I’ve got remote access to my system and the Cave from here, so I can keep working without having to leave you alone.”

“Right. Because you’ve got no choice but to be my babysitter.”

He tries to dial down the bitterness there, but Tim detects it easily. Finally, he glances up; his expression is surprised, and strangely soft.

“Being here is my choice. Or didn’t you notice the glares B was sending me all night?”

“Yeah, but he always looks like that. That could be about anything.”

“True, but in this case it’s because I have an issue with you getting dosed with some Olympian Death Kool-Aid.”

Tim had explained about the Stygian Sleep when Jason woke up and was trying to understand why they were holding hands. “Better that than me doing something I’d regret.”

“And I say what I said before—give it time.”

Jason scowls. “It’s not fair for you to use you against me right now.”

“If it means putting off the possibility of you dying, it’s totally fair. Besides, in this family, you know no one is above manipulation. Least of all me.”

“Why do you even care?” Jason wants to know. “After everything I’ve done to you?”

Tim shrugs, eyes darting away again.

“I don’t want Bruce and Dick and Alfred going through it again,” he mumbles, returning his attention to the tablet. “Losing you again. It…wasn’t pretty.”

Which Jason’s heard before, but he’s never exactly been willing to hear the specifics. He wonders if Tim decided to tell him this time, if he’d listen.

They lapse into silence then, both drawn into their respective avenues of research. Thankfully Tim’s theory about Jason’s affliction has proven true, and he seems to be regaining some control over himself.

Jason recalls what Eros said, about his condition depending on how far Tim was willing to go for him. He’s not entirely sold on the idea—there have to be limits, of course—but he won’t argue that it’s nice to be able to focus on something other than Tim for a few hours.

Just as long as he’s within easy reach.

By the early hours of the morning, though, Jason has grown bored.

“We’ve been at this for hours,” he grumbles, rubbing at his eyes.

“Uh-huh.”

He shoots a look at Tim, who’s frowning over his tablet and clearly didn’t hear him, and rolls his eyes.

He wants to have this whole mess sorted out, of course, but right now it doesn’t look like it’s going to be finished for a while.

They need a break.

Tim needs a break, or he’s going to pass out.

“Time to take a breather, babybird,” he declares a good ten minutes later, after debating with himself about how much of this is his regular concern and how much is Eros-induced mollycoddling.

“We don’t have time for breaks.”

“Right now, we do. And you’ll be able to think better if you get some air and come back with a new perspective. Never know when you might get an idea from something random.” Tim still doesn’t appear very enthusiastic, and so Jason tries another tack. “It’ll make me feel better at least, I feel like I’ve got ants in my brain.”

Which is what convinces Tim; Jason feels only a little guilty about that, figuring it’s for the greater good.

No one is above manipulation, right?

“Go sit in the family room and queue something up on TV,” he orders, something like enthusiasm manifesting in his stomach. “Casablanca or whatever.”

Tim makes a face. “You really think that’s the best movie idea for right now?”

He considers, then winces.

“Good point. Fine, choose whatever. Something with car crashes and explosions and shit. I’m gonna grab provisions.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“It’s downstairs, not navigating Gotham’s sewer system,” Jason retorts.

“Okay…” But Tim still looks doubtful.

Which Jason remembers the reason for once he’s in the kitchen making coffee.

Alfred won’t let him cook, insists on whipping up a tray of sandwiches because he doesn’t trust anyone in this house to make healthy food choices. Normally Jason would argue the point, because he eats just fine thank you very much, but his thoughts are straying back to Tim, and the fact he’s not here.

And if he glances at his phone every so often, finger hovering over the Contact button for Tim, well…he can’t do anything about that, can he?

At last, Jason heads for the family room, carrying a tray of coffee and tea.

“I’ve got the drinks, and Alfred said he’s going to bring up the rest of the—”

He freezes when he discovers the room is not occupied with just Tim. Dick is sprawled beside him on the couch—close! Too close!—while Damian hunches over his sketchpad in the corner, Titus and Pennyworth curled beside him, looking mutinous as ever.

“Bruce is still out on patrol. Gordon needed him for something, so he suggested we head back here and check on you,” Dick answers the question that wasn’t asked.

‘Suggested’ my ass.

Unsaid is the knowledge that if anyone has a chance of taking Jason down if he loses it, even if it’s just stalling him until Bruce gets there, Dick and Damian have the best chance.

He can’t even argue the point.

Scowling, Jason wanders over to the end table beside the couch and puts down the tray before handing Tim his coffee. The younger man takes it, sniffs and makes a perplexed face. “How’d you know that’s how I take my coffee?”

“Hell if I know, apparently it’s something I noticed,” Jason mutters as he finishes steeping his tea.

“Aw, Little Wing, don’t I get any?”

“Fuck off and get it yourself,” Jason snaps, still testy about how close Dick is sitting to Tim.

He knows that Dick has no interest in Tim that way, and vice versa, and that he’s just here to protect everyone. But the older man is also the one everyone likes best. Tim already likes him better than Jason, which puts a bad taste in his mouth and—

And he’s getting lost in his thoughts.

“Move,” Jason tells him. “That’s my spot.”

“You can’t have a spot. You don’t even live here.”

“Neither do you.”

“I’m here more often than you are.”

“That’s irrelevant. It was my spot when I lived here but you were too busy being elsewhere and an asshole, so I guess you wouldn’t know that.”

“I can move,” Tim pipes up quietly.

“Or Jaybird could just sit over here beside me,” Dick suggests innocently

Jason is not gritting his teeth. “No thanks. Your ego’s already suffocating me from over here, I don’t need the added burden of your cologne.”

“Guess you’re sitting on the floor then.”

Tim huffs. “If this is an issue, we can just go back to work. We really should be—”

“No, this is supposed to be a break,” Jason interrupts and glares at the older man, “and he’s ruining it.”

God, he sounds like a child. Tim must think so too, because he stands up and points to the space he was occupying. “Sit.”

“No, I don’t—”

“Jason, if you don’t sit, I’m going back to work.”

Which translates to Jason going back to work, since he’ll inevitable end up loitering wherever Tim goes. So, he scowls, and throws himself down in Tim’s spot, arms crossed and glaring at Dick, who watches the whole thing with a wary look on his face.

That gets blocked when Tim sits between them and shoots them both an irritated glare. “Are we good now?”

Not really, Jason thinks but doesn’t say, because Dick is still too close to Tim. A beat later, something occurs to him, and he smirks.

He stretches out, wrapping his arm around the back of the couch. Not touching Tim, or his shoulder, but there’s a heavy implication of hands offfrom his body language. Dick’s eyebrows are in danger of disappearing into his hair, and there’s worry now written in his eyes, but Jason ignores it.

He’s the one who even made this an issue.

Tim, meanwhile, sits very still, his cheeks stained red. Jason shifts with sudden guilt.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, considering pulling his arm back. “I can sit on the floor if—”

“No, it’s fine,” Tim cuts him off, crossing his arms tight against his body. “Now are we watching, or what?”

“You people are ridiculous,” Damian informs them, having watched the whole interchange with mild derision.

“Your face is ridiculous,” Jason shoots back and tries to concentrate on the television screen.

Which is more difficult than he expects.

The movie is boring. Worse, it’s predictable. He makes a mental note to never let Tim choose the movie ever again, at least until he gets some taste.

Early on, he loses interest in the formulaic plot and static characters, instead occupying himself with studying Tim out of the corner of his eye. The kid really isn’t that bad looking, for someone who lives on coffee and microwave dinners. His lashes are longer than he’s seen on most men, and his cheekbones are sharp without making his face look pinched. There’s also the curve of his mouth, where it’s not really smiling, but quirking upward in dry amusement.

It works well with the snark, Jason muses as his eyes grow heavier.

He drifts off, the family room fading away, dim light and tinny sound from the television blurring end ebbing, until it’s gone and he’s no longer there.

He’s in a large chamber, warmed by the dry breeze that winds through the open concept room. The walls are decorated with rich, colourful frescoes, and the floor with meticulous mosaic.

He leans over a wooden table, frowning down at piles of vellum and papyrus. There are discarded styli and other design tools lying across the sheets of military maneuvers and maps. The nearest one shows a hastily sketched city plan of roads and buildings; the one with the most notations reads Вιβλιοθήκη but it barely registers for him.

His attention is instead on the man seated across the room.

It’s Tim—because, of course it is—and he has a stylus stuck behind his ear while he uses another to etch something into a wax tablet. He’s also chuckling and shaking his head.

“You’re the one who wanted to stop here and found another city. What is this, the fourth one?”

“Fifth,” Jason corrects, though he knows Tim is just teasing him. “And it’s all planned now. Someone else can do the heavy lifting. Dinocrates is champing at the bit to get to work.” He shoves at the maps in front of him in frustration. “And I have things to do! You know that bastard Darius is holed up across the Euphrates trying to dictate to me?”

“He knows he’s losing, he’s just trying to cling to some semblance of power.”

“Exactly!”

“That doesn’t mean you should be impatient. Think it through—you’ll regret it if you just rush in. Remember what happened last time? You sliced a relic of the gods in half.”

“I was fulfilling a prophecy.”

“You were vandalizing public property. Call it what it is.”

“They threw me a parade.”

“Because they’re superstitious old goats.”

Jason crosses his arms. “You’re questioning my gods-given destiny to rule all of Asia. I could have your tongue for that.”

“You already have my tongue,” Tim says dryly. “Among other things.”

Though his face remains solemn, his eyes dance with irreverence and a heat that has Jason licking his lips and suddenly wanting to do something about that smile.

Which is when there’s a sound of approaching footsteps beyond the chamber. Tim looks down quickly, attention back to his etchings, and Jason draws himself up with an air of irritation that isn’t completely false; he hates interruptions.

A man wearing something like a linen caftan darts forward and bows.

“Your majesty, the sculptor Lyssipos has arrived.”

“Send him in,” he replies, a bit of the irritation waning.

A minute later, an older man appears, graying hair and beard oiled into curls; behind him, two darker-skinned men follow, carrying a large crate between them. From the way the old man snaps at them it’s obvious they are slaves.

“Your majesty, as always, you look to be in the prime of health!” the old man says; he has a smile like a salesman.

“Conquering the world agrees with me,” Jason answers in dry amusement. “What brings you so long from your workspace?”

“The piece you commissioned is ready.”

He makes a gesture to the men, who are quick to open the top of the wooden box and bring out a two-foot bust. It has been painted lightly with color, less garish than most artists prefer, closer to realistic. The face and shoulders rising from the marble are stocky, nose straight and locks of hair painstakingly hewn from the stone.

“I spent much longer on this than any other before it, majesty, and believe you will be pleased, though I would be humbled to know your thoughts on it.”

“I don’t know,” Jason chuckles as the men place it on the crate, and turns to Tim. “’Wife’, what do I think of it?”

Tim rolls his eyes, and both ignore the scandalized expressions from everyone in the room not privy to their dynamic. He lays his tools gently aside and wanders over to circle the bust with a critical eye. It is some time before he speaks.

“Master Lysippus has done well to hide that receding hairline you’re so worried about.”

Jason scowls, running a hand through his hair—it’s longer in the back than he’s used to—but the expression doesn’t remain long. He’s too busy studying Tim as he continued to evaluate the sculpture. Jason likes the way he wrinkles his brow and the set of his mouth.

Tim traces the statue’s eyelids and cheekbones with a finger, then brushes across the curved lips almost lovingly. Jason is reminded of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, and rather hopes Tim isn’t about to embrace a piece of stone in his place.

“It is graceful, elegant and has good symmetry,” Tim pronounces at long last, and Lysippus preens. “Although I have to admit, for being the work of the only sculptor the king has ever trusted with his likeness…it doesn’t look a thing like him.”

The earns a sharp gasp, and the old man looks as if he has just been struck. The slaves’ eyes flick toward one another, and no one seems to know what to say to that.

Irritation flares in his chest and Jason feels the inclination to snarl, until he notices the teasing in Tim’s eyes.

That little shit…

“My liegeman is simply enjoying a joke at my expense,” Jason informs the old man. “The piece is perfect. A true artistic marvel, as expected.” He reaches for a piece of vellum and scribbles a hasty note, ignoring Tim’s pained expression at the informal proceedings, and then uses his personal seal to legitimize it. “Take this to Harpalus, Machatas’ son. He oversees the treasury and will see to your needs.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Now, I’ll say farewell, as I must have some words with philalexandros here about inappropriate humor.”

“Your majesty,” the men echo, and soon Jason is alone with Tim once more.

He grimaces at him. “Do you see what you did? They’re scandalized by your irreverence.”

“Maybe, but you like that about me, and that’s all that matters,” Tim replies, approaching.

“Yes, but no one else is supposed to know that. I’m meant to be the god-king—remember that cynical philosopher in Corinth? He insisted I’m ruled by your thighs.”

“Hm,” Tim considers. “Aren’t you?”

“Rather the opposite,” Jason grins, drawing close to the shorter man. “I seem to recall you having a few choice things to say about my thighs.” He tips a finger beneath his chin. “Come, let’s take this somewhere else.”

“Why?” Tim teases. “Are you afraid your double is watching?”

Jason’s eyes flit to the lifeless stone irises of the statue, and shudders. “Well, now I am…”

He bends closer to Tim, and can feel his breath on his face—

Jason jolts awake to discover he’s nodded off against Tim’s shoulder—no, worse; he’s practically curled into him, face in the crook of his neck.

Tim is sitting rigid, neck and cheeks radiating warmth, though he’s staring carefully ahead of him. Jason hurriedly shoves himself away. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Tim croaks.

Dick is watching the whole thing with evident concern his eyes. “You were talking in your sleep.”

“Shit. What did I say?” He doesn’t remember everything from his dream, but he’s pretty sure at the end there he was making some kind of innuendo.

“No idea.”

“It sounded like Greek,” Damian says, glancing up from his sketching. “Not any dialect I’m familiar with, though.”

“Oh. Good.” Jason swallows. “Also, what the hell?”

From everyone else’s expressions, they’re wondering the same thing.

⁂⁂⁂

Next Chapter

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shadowthief78 · 4 years

Text

Broken Promises [Orpheus!Suga x Eurydice!Reader]

The long-promised Suga/Reader piece is complete. you all have no idea how many changes this thing went through.

In case you don’t know, Orpheus was a legendary musician. Eurydice, his wife, died and Orpheus missed her so much he went to the Underworld to try and bring her back to life.

Title: Broken Promises

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Major Character Death

Fandom: Haikyuu

Relationships: Sugawara Koushi/Reader, Sugawara Koushi & Reader

Characters: Sugawara Koushi, Reader, You, Kageyama Tobio

Additional Tags: Angst, Heavy Angst, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alernate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive

Words: 1229

Read on my Ao3

Read on my Wattpad

Do not repost!

The moment your eyes met his, time stopped.

Mothers, matchmakers.

You both know this is a set-up, another one for him, as he’;s turned down countless lovers already.

What makes you expect any different? Surely all the others felt the same.

He asks your name.

It sounds like music on his lips.

Head filled with ringing, you can hardly speak.

He’s so much more handsome than the rumors had said.

He spends the rest of the evening with you.

You can hear the giggling and sighs of your parents planning the wedding already.

He talks to you, sings to you, spends days away from his admirers to watch you, holds you hands with his own.

He loves you.

You take long walks together, look at the stars, trade kisses like breaths.

You adore him.

Your parents agree to marriage, smiling while the two of you stare at each other, too lost and lovesick to care about the teasing.

He worships you.

Although you try to arrange a quiet ceremony, somehow, the whole town turns up to watch and hear you now-husband’s music.

He doesn’t take his eyes off you, not once through the entire day.

“Til death do us part,” He whispers, pressing his forehead against yours. “I will wait for you forever, even if it means delaying Charon’s raft.”

He was almost prophetic.

You elope on a break, away from the crowds to enjoy the peace and quiet.

The small inn is tucked away in the warm foothills. The owner promises a room for the next few nights, and complete secrecy.

You leave to explore together while the sun is still up.

“Come back safe!” The innkeeper calls after you.

Blue eyes, black hair, nervous twitching. “Marry me!” The young man in front of you shouts.

You are already married - honeymooning, in fact, on the coast of Greece.

You scream and run away.

Your beloved waits patiently for you - you, who wanted a walk. You, who promised to be back safely.

You don’t notice the snake until it’s too late.

You, who broke your promise.

“Suga!”

You can’t see him - where is he? How far did you run?

Is that him?

No, only the wind in the trees.

Is that him?

No, only the trickling of a brook.

Then that must be him.

Yes, but you don’t live long enough to see.

You die alone, quietly, in the middle of a sun-drenched meadow. Nobody stops for you, not even Thanos, who scoops up your soul and hurries away.

His screams are heartbreaking. You had been at the temple just yesterday morning, and now - already gone?

The bank of the Acheron river is reminiscent of a painful loss, something sharp buried under layers of time.

What did I forget?

The river of pain mirrors your own. You, who swore yourself to another for the rest of your life.

Who knew it would be only a day?

“Lord Charon,” You say.

Am I dead? I can’t be. Where is Suga?

An old, old man nods. He holds out a hand for your coin.

I swore to delay Charon for him.

“I can’t,” you say. “I’m waiting.”

But you find yourself on his raft regardless.

Lost souls at Cocytus beg to take your place.

You would, but Suga is not there. If you step off, you will never see him again.

That’s the only piece of knowledge that keeps you still.

You want to leap off and swim across the river, drag yourself back to life.

The river swirls around the raft. Faces of lament move within its currents, pleading for reprieve.

You add to its waters with your tears.

“Lord Hades,” Your husband kneels at the feet of a death-dark throne, hair blinding in the gloom of the dead. He pleads for your life, just one more chance.

“Very well,” the lord of the dead says. “But you must prove your love is strong enough to bring them back. Step out of my kingdom and let the doors close behind you; only then may you look back and see if you have succeeded or not.”

Thank you, my lord, my lady.

You melt out of the shadows and follow his voice - even hoarse from mourning, it is the sweetest sound you’ve ever heard.

When we return, I will make you a glass of wine full of the sweetest honey to soothe your throat and never leave again, I swear.

His hair is unkept, his clothes wrinkled and stained with dirt.

Oh, my love. What have you gone through for me?

The passage to the sun is short, the waiting agonizing. His voice falters, then stops, as he stares out the mouth of the cave.

It’s only four steps.

Baked desert stares back, reflecting heat into the air. But the dank of the Underworld lingers still in the shadows. You can feel the cool rock, taste the dust, hear yourself breathe shallowly for the first time in what feels like eons.

The dead have no need for air.

Deliriously hot sun waits not four steps away, the feverish buzzing of cicadas an ever-present noise.

Go, please. I am with you.

“Anything,” he says, “To show you are here. A breeze, a noise, anything.”

I’m sorry, my love. I cannot. I am only a shade. Please, just four steps. I’ll take them with you.

Nothing.

He turns.

No!

“No,” He breathes.

I was here. I could have come back.

You see his face, his eyes, horrified that you are here. You were here. So close, yet so far.

It was only four steps.

Your hands touch each other for a second and you see a flare of irrational hope in his eyes that dies as soon as you pass through him.

It’s not your fault.

He reaches for your fading form again, steps into the shadows. “Four steps. Just four more steps. Please.” He begs to empty air.

“No!”

No.

Before you vanish, you manage a breeze. Soft, comforting.

Fear not. I will wait for you forever, if I must.

He screams again.

If the first cry was heartbreaking, this is beyond words. He had the fates to blame the first time, now it is nothing but his own weakness that stopped you from being together.

He remains at the entrance to the Underworld, pounding on the ground til his hands are bruised and bloody and his back is drenched in sweat.

Smite me, lord Hades, I dare you. Kill me, please.

He begs for death. Life has no meaning away from you. He picks up his lyre and calls to him the desert-dwellers, taunting the snakes and scorpions to bite him.

They refuse.

Blades glance off his skin. Animals will not harm him. Water will not enter his lungs. He curses the ruler of the dead, demands an explanation.

They love you too much to let you die.

Him, or his music?

Why?

He spends his days wandering through the forest where you met your end, calling out for you in song.

I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.

The pity of the gods leads a group of maenads, in wine-crazed frenzy, descend on him and demand a happy tune.

He can’t. His happiness died with you. His happiness is you.

They threaten to rip him apart if he doesn’t obey.

Please. I long for death.

They do.

Thank you.

#my writing stuff #sugawara koushi #x reader #fanfiction #haikyuu!!#ao3

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they-call-me-hades · 4 years

Text

{Cinderella AU} Night and Day

CHAPTER THREE

The manor of the estate, though it housed few people was actually quite a big home. Some rooms were closed off due to the bills it racked up and the spending habits of it’s occupants but none the less Gabriel expected all of them to be cleaned spotless each and every day.

Kit let out a sigh as he peered over the list and then looked at Honey who stood with quite a few cleaning supplies of her own as did Crowley.

“Right, I’ll take the top floor, Crowley you’ve got the third floor, Honey ground floor and we’ll meet up on the second and get to work on the bedrooms and hopefully avoid Drake’s bath all together agreed?” Kit asked when neither of the other two argued they split up each taking a broom and a bucket.

Kit started with dusting all the tops, lamps and other things around bringing up a cloud of dust that he knew would settle on everything else. Next he stripped the beds (though all they’d done is collect the dust) and threw them down the stairs onto Crowley’s floor they’d both kick them down to the next floor and end the day with helping Honey with laundry and mending.

Of course there were other interruptions, Constantly hearing a bell ring and calls through the pipes for Kit to go do something or other. It was always Kit having to run down the different flights of stairs and fetch the tea, clean up a mess, among anything else his brothers and father could think of really, Honey would sometimes take over for him and so would Crowley in attempts to make life easier. Kit honestly didn’t know why they stayed there, Gabriel paid them next to nothing and was verbally abusive to all of them so why did they stay?

Kit made his way to the top floor for the billionth time that day only to find Honey was already on her hands and knees scrubbing

“Thought we were meeting on the second floor?” Kit asked frowning as she looked up at him “Did the second floor, Crowley is starting the wash grab a scrub and start at the other end of the hall and then we’ll go down and you’re going to have lunch.” Honey told him it wasn’t an option to argue with her, Kit knew there were several occasions that he probably would have died of starvation of Honey and Crowley weren’t constantly harassing him to take care of himself. On the plus side, if they kept going at the pace they were they were going to finish the days chores by lunch! Sure there were other things that needed to be done like cooking and laundry but that didn’t mean anything.

“Crowley left a section of the garden for you to attend to as well, your mothers roses prefer you over him.” Honey said

Kit’s mother had grown the most beautiful roses in all of the kingdom, they were Kit’s most prized possessions in the whole world Crowley never touched them because he knew it was Kit’s favorite thing, it still made him feel connected to her. Kit smiled and shook his head a little they were the only people who made Gabriel and his hell of a home bearable.

Kit’s assumptions ahd been right, by lunch time all there was left to do was prepare lunch and Honey refused to let him help and shooed him out to the garden before Gabriel could call him on another request. Walking among the lush green garden that had only grown brighter with Crowley’s peculiar care methods was wonderfully relaxing, It melted away the stress of his home, seeing this garden no one would ever have known the chaos that was inside.

Kit grabbed the watering can and began his work with the roses by rusted black metal fence that Kit and Crowley used to play on, ironically pretending to escape prison with some of the other boys who had grown up at the estate chasing after them and pretending to try and catch them before they did.

How had such fond memories been formed in a place that was now just a living hell? There were many times that Kit had thought of running away, climbing over that fence just like the only times running and never looking back. But the estate had always meant so much to his mother, some day he was going to inherit it he just had to get married first. It was difficult to find someone you loved when you never left though so Kit was fairly convinced he was going to be working for Gabriel for the rest of his miserable life.

As we all know, fate has much different plans though.

~*~

Hades rode along the dirt path through the trees, Felicity sat on the horse in front of him as they trotted through the trees they were far from the castle and much farther than the little princess had been before now.

“Papa where are we going?” Felicity asked now dressed in blue dress Hades himself wore a rather flowy white shirt and brown leather vest, not looking like the prince he was in hopes that they wouldn’t be seen or bothered though Felicity still looked the little princess she was a much happier one now.

“There is a lovely meadow filled with wild flowers deep in these woods that your mother and I used to visit, I thought you’d like to see it” Hades told her and from the way she lit up and looked so wonderfully excited he knew that he had thought right. They trotted along until Hades saw something shift in the woods and pulled the reigns gently to halt the horse. everything was so dead silent as he looked around were they perhaps being followed? It could always be a bird or perhaps a squirrel but....well Hades knew with his luck it wasn’t any of those things.

“Stay here my little dear and don’t make a sound.” Hades told her softly he kissed her head before he climbed down and drew his sword walking off the path a short was, Felicity watched worriedly as he stepped closer and closer to where her father had seen the shape go. Hades approached and quickly moved the brush aside to reveal.....a doe. A lovely little doe grazing in the grass and he sighed relieved before he turned to leave and stepped on a stick causing it to snap. THe doe perked up, spotted Hades and took off running past him and then nearly into the horse.

The horse panicked rearing up and making Felicity have to grab the reigns before like a shot the horse took off up the path and Hades felt the twist of dread and horror in his gut “Felicity!!” he yelled chasing after on foot, what else could he do? that horse had the most important person in the world to him! “Stop that horse!!” he shouted uselessly after all there was no one around to hear him.

~*~

Kit had just finished the garden when Vlad revealed that he was going to be going to a friends house, he politely asked Kit if he could prepare his horse for him and Kit agreed going to the stable and getting Vlad’s horse all made up and ready before he heard shouting out in the distance, who in their right mind was way out here? Kit looked out the window as he heard rushing hooves and a small shriek from the horses rider and he went a ghostly shade of white realizing that it was a runaway horse! Kit didn’t even remember climbing onto Achilles but none the less he was suddenly chasing after the horse on Achilles, catching up to the magnificent horse fast as he just saw the shade of blue and he hurried to the horses side and saw the tiniest passenger aboard her, the little ones eyes were clenched shut and she trembled with fear, Kit reached out on his horse and quickly seized the others reigns and pulled on both his and the other horse causing them both to slow down, at first the other horse screeched and jumped a bit as Kit climbed down from Achilles and held his arms up trying to soothe the spooked horse until he had calmed down and kit was stroking his nose gently and cooing soothing words and when he was certain the horse was calm he moved on to it’s tiny rider who still clung and trembled with tears flowing down her cheeks and Kit could only give a gentle smile

“Hey,” he said softly and she looked up at him panicked as he held out his arms

“It’s alright, it’s all over you can come down now.” He assured her Felicity blinked away tears for a moment before she slowly sat up and swung her leg over still shaking as she slid down, Kit caught her and immediately felt her go from clinging to the horse and crying, to clinging to him and crying. Kit was alarmed at first he was never really good with children but he couldn’t be so cruel as to turn this one away either. He just offered a small smile and held her close cooing softly to her as he rubbed her back and assured she was alright.

That was when a man came running along the road, no doubt the little ones care taker and instantly Kit’s soft smile turned into a full on glare as he eyed the man

“What the hell is wrong with you letting a child ride off by herself?! you know she could have been hurt!” Kit shouted probably just his adrenaline still running the other man was totally baffled but returned the glare

“I didn’t let her do anything! a deer ran out while i was investigating and spooked the horse, I’m not a wolf who can just run and catch up!!” Hades yelled back as Felicity peeked out and Hades remembered that she was actually there and he was relieved that she was safe and seemed unharmed his temper cooling as he remembered she didn’t like shouting and looked at the beautiful stranger

“I’m sorry, Thank you for saving my little girl.” Hades said he held his arms out and Kit passed her off Felicity had stopped trembling at this point but she still clung to Hades and looked up at him

“Hi papa,” she said softly before she looked at Kit then “Thank you,” she said and Kit couldn’t help but grin, she was a cute kid, at least she seemed polite as well. Kit smiled and reached out ruffling her hair “Just be careful next time alright?” he asked before he looked up at her father, gosh he was beautiful from his dark hair to his beautiful dark eyes and his....wait.

Kit suddenly found himself laughing a little as he noticed more about this situation

“I’m sorry did you actually try to catch a rampaging horse on foot?” Kit asked eyeing the man who was now covered in mud and leaves from trying to chase after them. Hades let out an irritated huff

“Well what else was I supposed to do? Sprout wings and fly?” Hades asked and Kit just burst into laughter again the idea of the man just chasing after him was probably one of the funniest things Kit had seen all day. Hades scowled and shook his head a little bit before he set Felicity down Kit just looked at him before he noted Felicity was distracted hurrying back down the road towards the estate that was until he realized that some of the flowers had grown over the fence and obviously the little dear was distracted by such vibrant colors.

“Felicity don’t run off I just got you back.” Hades told her as he followed after her Kit followed them towing the two horses behind him. Hades looked at Kit and smiled

“Thank you, I’m so sorry she’s just....a bit distracted.”

“Well with a father as distracting as you are can you blame her?” Kit asked quirking a brow and he had to say he did enjoy the slight shade of pink that coated the other’s cheeks at the compliment Kit put the horses in the stable before he went to rejoin them in the garden and Kit held his hand out to the other

“Kit Marlowe, it’s nice to meet you.” Kit said Hades was surprised usually people were falling all over him by now but....well this man didn’t seem to recognize him at all

“Uh Hades, and this is Felicity.” Hades said as he watched her with a careful eye as Felicity wandered through the rows of vibrant flowers that grew for quite a while “Are you a gardener then?” hades asked he wondered if this was the gardner that perhaps Aziraphale had kissed at the “Coming out” party but he remembered him having vibrant red hair rather than lovely blonde curls it was absolutely stunning seeing him he almost reminded Kit of his Persephone.

“Would you...would you perhaps want to join us for lunch?” Hades asked him “as a thank you, you did save my little girl after all”

Kit blushed a bit, it would be wonderful to go but...what if someone here needed him “I...can’t I have to work eventually and-” “No he doesn’t!” Crowley called Kit jumped a mile out of his skin not realizing that the ginger had come out to see who the little fiend going through the garden was “No he has the rest of the afternoon off and he’ll be happy to go with you” Crowley told Hades a shit eating grin written all across his face as Kit glared his face going redder

Hades ignored it and chuckled “Fantastic, we have plenty of food we were just going up to a meadow up in the woods I used to frequent as a youngster.” hades said Kit had to bite his lip and even then he snorted a little bit

“Youngster?” Kit asked him bursting into giggles “How old are you exactly?”

Hades rolled his eyes and groaned he really had been spending far to much time with his brother.

#cinderella au #DO NOT REBLOG #unless you're anna

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faveficarchive · 5 years

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The Search For Amphipolis: Part 4

By Bat Morda

Pairing: Mel/Janice, Xena/Gabrielle

Rating: Explicit

Synopsis: Mel and Janice head to Amphipolis on a secret mission to save Xena, Gabrielle, the Amazon Nation, and the world.

Personal Note: If you haven’t seen Hackers(1995), the epilogue might be a little out of left field for you. I H I G H L Y recommend watching it; 10/10. There’s also some clear author inserts among the early fandom writers, which is both hilarious and expected. Hilarious because I can see in my mind’s eye the IRC channel/forum chat as Bat Morda brainstorms with her circle on this story. Expected because honestly there are so many uber!fics out there that are literally exclusively author inserts and group fics. The homage to Bat’s friends here is great, though, as well as the homage to Hackers.

In a way, the understanding I reached with Cyrene was prophetic. While I made one or two more attempts to maintain some sort of bond with my birth-family, each time it seemed more tenuous and fragile. The summer I broke my leg was the final blow, both mentally and physically.

It took many years to realize it, but ultimately the rape wasn't the worst part of that fateful visit to Potidea. No, the wound that cut much deeper and took the longest to heal was the betrayal of my family. Erasmus violated my body, but the others, they violated my soul. For a time, I wondered if I'd ever be able to see any of them again. Nothing positive came from the rejection of my own flesh and blood. At least something positive came from the rape; Lyceus.

Xena and I felt such devotion to our children. I didn't see how any one could divorce themselves emotionally from their own offspring. One day I said as much to Cyrene. The silence that met my ears brought tears to my eyes instantly.

"I'm so sorry, mother," I said, turning around.

"It's alright, Gabrielle," she finally reassured me. "But I'm here to tell you it can happen. While I don't think the actions of your family was warranted, I had my own reasons for letting Xena go."

I nodded, rushing over for a hug. "I wonder what I'll say should I ever see them again," I wondered aloud from the warmth of her embrace.

"That is for your heart to decide, little one," she whispered back.

That day came sooner than I might have expected. It was our first family trip to Thebes. It had been ages since Hercules or Iolas had seen the children, and we decided they were old enough for the trip. While we'd visited the Amazons from time to time since Lyceus' birth, this was different. For one, it was our last trip with Argo, and I'm glad the children had a chance to see what life on the road had been like for me and Xena.

Xe was seven, and like her grandmother in almost every way. She was fearless, precocious and stubborn. Handling responsibilities seemed second nature to her. As soon as she came to live with us, she'd adopted Argo as her own personal charge. I'd watch for hours as Xena taught her how to handle and care for the mare. Now, the only input Xena seemed to have was lifting things that were, for now, too heavy for the child.

Lyceus was a different story. Argo, or Ego, as he called her, made him nervous, and he'd only ride the mare in the company of someone else. I didn't blame him. He was only five, so what if Xe was riding alone by then? Lyceus was a talker, I don't think that surprised anyone, but he was also a listener, and to my occasional embarrassment, he remembered everything.

The children enjoyed our time on the road. Sleeping with us under the stars was a novelty, and they made a game of finding pictures in the bright patterns. Both pitched in with camp chores. Xena taught both to hunt, although I never really developed the stomach for that task. I taught both children to cook, and over time even my lover picked up a few things.

There is nothing quite like the sight of a big city through the eyes of a child. I don't think I ever forgot the squeals of delight that came from Xe and Ly as they sat together astride Argo as Xena and I approached Thebes. It was all so new to them. While Amphipolis is not a small town by any stretch of the imagination, it was one they were used to. They knew almost everyone and considered all of the Inn's regular patrons assorted uncles and aunts.

With Cyrene's Inn in mind, our first stop was to a purveyor of exotic beverages. There would be Hades to pay if we came home with out a cask or two of Cyrene's favorite port. Daxen's Obsession was the only tavern that carried it.

"Xena, if you can take care of this, I'll take the children over there," I suggested nodding in the direction of stalls selling a variety of fabrics. "They need some new clothes."

"I suppose they spend enough time in taverns at home," she agreed, helping Lyceus climb down from Argo.

"We could get some sweet meats," Xe offered helpfully.

"And candy," Ly supplied.

Xena grinned at the two faces gazing at her hopefully. "You'll have to work on mama for that one," she said giving each child a warm hug and a kiss. "I'll meet you over there as soon as I finish here."

"Hurry, Na," Xe suggested.

"Love you Nana," Ly added.

"Where did they learn this stuff?" Xena asked me with feigned embarrassment.

"Only from the best," I replied, puffing up with pride. "Don't take all day, Xena, I love you too."

She smiled wryly before giving me a quick kiss and disappearing into Daxen's tavern. My mission clear, I took Lyceus' hand in my left and grabbed my staff with my right. Xe held Ly's other hand and three of us were on our way.

"I'd like blue," Lyceus chatted as we crossed the square.

"I want black," Xe added.

"Anything but green," they both chimed in unison. I don't know what it was, but both children hated the color green. Xena found it terribly amusing, but it only served to puzzle me. It was a shame though. Lyceus had hair that was more blond than mine, but still had copper highlights. He would have looked quite handsome in green. Xe's choice was no surprise. She tried to emulate Xena whenever she could. More than once I'd seen her cutting off the flow of blood to a doll's brain when it needed the surgery of restuffing.

As I'd hoped, the dry goods dealer had a wonderful selection of cloth. I was able to find several colors for the children, as well as pick out something for Xena. I didn't often get the chance to surprise my love, and I indulged myself whenever the opportunity presented itself.

At Ly and Xe's constant prodding we headed over to the area where racks of meat strips were smoking over a low fire. "We'll have a clear view of the tavern from our new location," Xe pointed out helpfully. I was counting out my dinars to get a treat for the children when Ly tugged at Xe's hand. They'd developed the habit of only turning to Xena or myself when they couldn't handle a problem on their own. I well knew I'd eventually have to deal with obsolescence, but with children ages seven and five, it was a little earlier than I expected.

"Why is that lady staring at mama?" Lyceus asked his sister.

"I don't know," she replied.

Picking up Lyceus, I asked him directly. "Who is staring at mama?"

With all the discretion of a five year old, he stuck his arm straight out and pointed to a pregnant woman nearby. "She is."

I had to do a double take. Then I realized that the pregnant woman was Lila. She looked ready to flee when I called to her. Realizing she'd been spotted she froze. Sweet meats purchased, the three of us walked over.

"Gabrielle," she said quietly.

"Lila," I replied, noting the advanced stage of her pregnancy. "When are you due?"

"Three weeks," she said taking a seat on an available bench.

"Who are you?" Lyceus asked curious.

Lila smiled at him, so I decided I might as well do introductions. "This is my sister Lila."

"Who's children are you watching?" Lila asked, plainly enough.

I bristled at that, but quickly reminded myself it had been my choice not to inform my parents or sister of my pregnancy.

"They're mine," I explained, watching her eyes widen in surprise. "This is Lyceus, and this is Xena." The children nodded and smiled, looking at her extended belly curiously.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle," she said in a rush. "I didn't know you married." I was trying to think up a suitable retort when Lila's mouth dropped open in wonder.

"Everything okay?" Xena asked softly from behind me.

The children turned around in surprise, not having heard her walk up either. "Na!" Lyceus shouted and leapt into her waiting arms.

"But how?" Lila wondered aloud, staring at little Xena and Lyceus in amazement.

"I have many skills," my lover replied flatly, turning to go.

***

Seven years later we received word that Perdicus' father had died. As the widow of his oldest son I was, naturally, expected to attend the services. Since Argo was no longer with us, we packed our belongings onto Idgie, Argo's successor, and as a family made the trip.

We attended the ritual fire apart from the other mourners. I'd always liked Hector, he was a very kind man. Xena quietly sang a hymn for the ears of her family alone. I saw mother and father standing with Lila and Erasmus and their child. Lila, I noted, was pregnant again. I made a point to keep Xena as far away from Erasmus as possible. Understandably, the anger was still there. I felt it too. We'd already explained to Lyceus who his father was and what the circumstances of his conception had been. I had hoped to wait until he was older, but he came in with all sorts of questions one day about why Xena and he didn't look more alike. We decided that if he was old enough to ask the questions, he was old enough to hear the answers. Little Xena knew about her parentage, it had never been a mystery. Still, it was hard for her to hear that she and Lyceus didn't share blood since they were so close.

After the funeral fires burned low, we decided to get a bit to eat before heading out of town. To my surprise, father sought us out. We were eating our meal in silence, well aware of the curious and hostile stares that were cast in our direction. This was not new to the children. On occasion they'd been taunted or teased and knew that after some persuading from Xena, they'd be apologized to and left alone. This time one farmer in particular was a little drunker and louder than the others.

"How do you think she did that?" he muttered to his friend.

Both Xenas leveled their steely blue gaze in his direction.

"I mean the girl is a spitting image, and the boy looks just like the bard," he continued with a laugh.

Xena was about to stand, only to find fourteen year old Xe already on her feet and walking toward the group of inebriated farmers. We all tensed, watching our child calmly walk into trouble.

They abruptly quieted when they realized the subject of their comments was in their midst. "Is there something you'd like to know about my family?" she asked sensibly.

The drunk man didn't back down. "Yeah, how did the Warrior Princess sire you?"

Xe flashed a grin. "Because she's more of a man than you'll ever be and twice the woman you'll ever have. She has many skills." The farmer slammed his drink down on the counter and was about to stand when Xe grabbed his ear, keeping him in his seat. "I'd think very carefully if I were you," she said conversationally, looking at the whole group. "Is Xena of Amphipolis someone you really want to anger?" They all looked nervously over to my lover who sat with her arms crossed, beaming with pride at our daughter. They slowly shook their heads. "Good," she continued with a nod to her grandmother. "But I wasn't talking about her."

"She's a smart lady." A new voice I recognized as my father's came from the tavern doorway. "Any affront to Gabrielle, or her family can be taken up with me." He sternly looked at the men as he walked over to Xe. "May I join you at your table?" he asked softly.

Xe looked at us for an accepting nod, then led father to our table. He'd aged a lot in the past dozen years, it hurt me see him so old.

He didn't take a seat, only stood there looking at me. It took a while, but I noticed tears in his eyes. "Gabrielle, can you forgive a foolish old man? I was wrong. I thought you weren't the daughter I'd tried to raise, but seeing you at the funeral and now, with your children..." he stammered, looking for the right words. Taking a breath he began again. "I know you didn't learn it from me, but somewhere you learned the important things, and you've raised fine children. I wasn't there for you... when it happened. I'll carry that regret with me to my own fire. I just want you to know I'm proud of what you've become. Of who you are."

I couldn't keep my own tears back as I cried in my father's arms. He was the last person in the world I would have expected to try to reconcile with me, and he surprised me beyond words. We spent three or four hours with him in that tavern. He got to know Xe and Ly, and I know that meant a lot to him. Xena was happy for me, and I was beyond happiness. I had something back I thought I'd lost forever. My father had returned.

Chapter 8: Hereditary Heroes

Mel carefully climbed down the rock face, forcing herself not to look at the crashing surf below. At one point she slipped, and would have fallen into the pounding waters were it not for the vise like grip she had on the rope, her lifeline. After what seemed like an eternity, she saw the outer rim of the cave opening. Moving like a spider along the slick stone, she finally positioned herself to drop down to into the cave mouth. She landed lightly on her feet, not making a sound. She clung to the shadows and was surprised to see another man besides Byron in the cave. Before she could move, he spoke. The familiarity of his voice kept her riveted in place.

"Byron, old boy," Tildus offered cheerfully. "You're cheating."

"What are you doing here?" the Egyptologist screamed, his voice taking on a hysterical feminine edge.

"I'm watching, as required by the ancient texts," Tildus replied. His eyes traveled upward as he scanned the ceiling of the cave. "You know the insect thing isn't allowed," he said with mild reproach.

"And just what to you plan to do about it?" Byron asked, cocky.

Tildus grinned, and lightly blew a puff of air toward the ceiling. Byron watched, amused, until he noticed the bats that covered the cave ceiling waking up. One by one, then in groups, they descended from their sleeping perches as they began to swoop down and consume the insect feast that carpeted the floor of their cave. The flapping of leathery wings could be heard in the far tunnels of the cave as more bats continued to wake.

"If you're going to beat Janice," Tildus scolded the seething man. "You're going to have to do it on your own."

"You'll pay for this, Hephaestus!" Byron growled menacingly.

"We shall see," the elderly man allowed with a smile.

Without another word, Byron turned and picked the six shooter up off the cave floor. Gun in hand he headed back toward the tunnel, towards Janice Covington.

"No!" Mel shouted as she ran from the concealing shadows.

Calmly, Byron turned, aimed the gun at her head and fired.

Mel blinked, expecting to feel the sting of lead as life fled from her body. After a moment, realizing that she was still very much alive, she opened her eyes. There, floating mere inches from her forehead, was a stationary bullet.

"Come, come, Velasca," Tildus chided as he walked over to Mel and plucked the bullet from where it levitated. "You made an agreement with Callisto, remember? You leave Xena and her descendants alone, and in turn she leaves Gabrielle and her progeny to you. Don't renege, it's bad form."

With a fuming scowl, Byron turned and continued back to the tunnel once again. Mel was about to race after him when a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her where she stood. "No, child," Tildus said softly. "The battle with Ares was yours, this one is hers. Let her fulfill her destiny."

"But she'll die," Mel sobbed. Imploringly, she gazed into the face of the kindly old man. "Don't let her die."

Sadly, Tildus shook his head. "I'm sorry, Melinda, but that isn't for me to decide. Janice will live or die based on her own actions. Still, she doesn't strike me as the sort finished with life, now does she?" Mel nodded in reluctant agreement.

Mel Pappas was not the only one in the cave who had difficulty with Tildus' instructions. Argo crept from the cover of the bolder where she'd been hiding to slink toward the back of the cave. "Not so fast," Tildus continued with mild reproach. "You've done your part too, Argo, this last isn't for you." With a guilty expression, the dog returned to the cave mouth and sat at Mel's side.

"She'll be okay," Mel assured the dog, hoping with every fiber of her being she was right.

Janice heard the unusual sounds just as she felt a light weight settle on her thigh. She opened her unswollen eye and, after a moment focused on a tiny bat picking a centipede off of her leg. An instant later, it took flight with its meal. Staring in amazement, she looked around as bats everywhere went after the tide of insects. More landed on her, gently touching down, grabbing a bug, then taking flight. With a renewed sense of hope she shook the sleep from her mind and with determination borne out of that hope leaned forward for the torch. Before pain claimed her anew, she had to get this done.

"Got any last words?" Byron's voice taunted from down the tunnel. He was getting close Janice realized. It was now or never. She cried out as the pain of movement surged up through her body. Bending her broken leg, she reached the torch, lighting the dynamite fuse just as the sputtering flame went out and Byron's form appeared down the tunnel.

His eyes went wide at the sight of the sputtering fuse, then wider still as the stone sarcophagus started to tip. Put off balance by Janice's lunge for the flame, it rocked slightly, then tipped off its ledge, sliding down the track like a bobsled. "Oh shit!" Janice gasped as she realized what she'd done. She originally moved the coffin onto the track so she could haul it to the cave mouth before blowing up the contents. Riding it down was hardly her plan.

Byron looked equally surprised as Janice sped towards him. There wasn't anywhere to go in the narrow tunnel. Before being able to fire a single shot, he was knocked into the coffin on top of Janice.

Neither passenger had time to get their bearings. The tunnel twisted and turned, the ride bumpy in places where the tracks had disappeared completely. Still, it was steep enough, and the sarcophagus smooth enough, that nothing short of hitting a wall would stop its progress. Hitting the last descending slope, they picked up speed and sped into the mouth of the main cave.

In an instant the sarcophagus appeared at one end of the cave, each passenger struggling for balance, the next moment they were shooting out the cave mouth, flying through sky over the brilliant blue ocean below.

"Oh my God!" Mel screamed and took off out of the cave mouth, climbing down as fast as she could.

Argo tried to follow, but was stopped by Tildus' hand around her bandanna. "This is not for you to see," he said gently, picking up the ninety-five pound dog in one arm and climbing up the cliff to the top.

Janice regained her wits as the cold air hit her in the face like a slap. She grabbed the gun from Byron's hand and threw it away from the airborne coffin. He struggled, clearly disoriented. Grabbing for another stick of dynamite, she lit another fuse from the now almost expired one. "Hold this," she screamed at Byron. Then, with a shove she rolled her body out of the falling tomb.

"Wha..." he stammered, confused. He looked at his hands to see what Janice had given him.

As soon as his eyes registered the lit stick of dynamite, it exploded. He didn't have time to scream. Janice felt the impact of the explosion as she plummeted to the ocean floor one hundred feet below. She doubted she'd live, but at least she took Xena, Gabrielle and Velasca with her. As the blue of the Aegean Sea rushed up to greet her, she instinctively stretched her body out into a dive position. Seconds later she hit the water with tremendous force.

Mel watched as the sarcophagus soared over the ocean. Pausing for an instant in its arc, it angled downward and fell. Janice's form could be clearly seen launching away from the stone coffin seconds before the whole thing blew up. The rapid sound of explosions, one after the other rang in her ears as dust and rock rained down into the sea.

Mel had made her way part way down the cliff face. Standing on an outcrop perhaps fifty feet above the water, it took a moment for her to spot Janice's body. There wasn't much in the way of debris, but the lingering smoke made vision difficult. Without stopping to consider the safety of her actions, Mel leapt from the cliff. The water was a cold shock as it rushed up around her, making her clothes heavy and cumbersome.

"Janice!" Mel shouted looking around frantically for her lover. From her vantage point it was impossible to see the archeologist. Mel listened intently for any response, but was rewarded with only the sounds of water lapping against her body. Not deterred, quickly discarded her heavy boots then swam with powerful strokes in the direction she'd last seen her love.

Janice hit the water hard, its stinging chill alerting her mind even as the impact made her leg scream in agony. She felt the pressure on her ears increase painfully as her body continued downward, propelled by its hundred-foot fall. Angling her body slightly, she used what momentum she could to carry her back to the surface.

With lungs burning from exertion, she finally broke the water's surface, expelling spent air and taking in fresh oxygen greedily. The clear air made her head swim. She felt dizzy, exhausted, spent and giddy all at once. "So what if I die right now?" she thought. "I kept my word to my ancestors." She readied herself to slip below the surface one last time, absently regretting the need to leave Mel and Argo.

"Oh, no you don't," a stern voice said as a strong arm reached around her chest.

"Mel?" Janice asked groggily as she tried to open her eyes. Was she dreaming?

"Damn right it's me. With all the trouble I went to get y'all housebroken, I'm not about to let you drown," Mel replied as she carefully kept Janice's head above water. Inwardly she cringed. Janice was a mess. Her eye was still swollen and she had several bug bites. Her hand hung limp at her side, severely burned. Peering into the clear water, Mel could also see the bloodied disfigurement of her left shin. She was bleeding profusely and the Southerner wondered how long before the blood attracted any variety of ocean predators.

"I'm tired, Mel," Janice whispered. "Really tired."

"Well, you can't give up yet," Mel urged. "I love you, Janice. Me and Argo need you, you're not leaving us without a fight."

"Kiss me," Janice breathed, barely audible.

"Now is a funny time to get friendly," Mel said gently before tenderly claiming soft lips with her own. At the contact she could feel Janice's body relax in her grip as she slowly slipped away.

"Love you, Melinda," she whispered softly before closing her eyes once more.

Mel fought against the urge to panic when she noted the shallow movement of her lover's continued breathing. She was alive for now, but wouldn't be much longer if she didn't get out of the cold salt water. Treading water for both of them, she held Janice tightly, determined to keep her lover alive, by sheer force of will if necessary.

She didn't know how long she'd been treading water, continuing to kick her strong legs in spite of the exhaustion and cramping of her muscles. She heard an odd noise that didn't match the sounds of the sea. Distracted, she looked around, breaking out a huge grin as she saw the familiar hull of The Charmer approaching.

***

The final trip I made to Potidea was for the funeral of my father. Once again the four of us made the trip. Lyceus was sixteen, the only thing that surpassed his good looks was the gentleness of his heart. Xe was eighteen and resembled Xena more every day. In a way Cyrene got her wish and was able to envision a Xena and Lyceus without Cortese's raid on Amphipolis. Lila had a total of four children, two boys and two girls. Erasmus was no longer in the picture. I didn't know all the details, but understood that he'd been a troubled soul since they married. Like Meleager, he took to drink to wash away what ever pain he suffered, only serving to create more. Lila told me she was pregnant for the third time when he took off for good.

We were at mother's house. I was surprised she'd invited us over after the lighting of the funeral pyre, but accepted nonetheless. Lyceus and Xe were immediately adopted by Lila's two eldest, Daphne and Ulysses, and taken outside to play. I swear she named her son that just to annoy me. As for the other two, they were twins; a boy and a girl. Lila tried to balance them on her lap as I helped mother prepare dinner. I felt so bad for my sister. It was bad enough what she'd had to endure with Erasmus, what we'd all had to endure. But to be left, two months before giving birth to twins, then facing the monumental task of raising four children alone...life was not going to be easy for my sister.

Xena came in from tending to Idgie, and noting Lila's distress, offered to take one of the babies. Shyly, Lila handed the girl over, since the boy was finishing up his latest meal.

"What's her name?" Xena asked as she shifted the child in her arms. I smiled to myself. Xena was an expert with children and it showed.

"Gabrielle," Lila answered softly. My eyes shot over to my sister in wonder.

Xena only smiled. Without taking her eyes from the infant's face she smiled. "Well, hello then Gabrielle," she said.

"This is Xenos," Lila announced as she handed me the other infant. Now it was my turn to grin as Xena looked over, amazed.

"Lila, you didn't have to do that," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"It was your father's idea," mother said as she brought a steaming roast to the table. "Lila has a chance raising her children to undo a lot of mistakes we've both made," mother explained.

"I don't want to lose sight of that," Lila finished.

"It was your father's final wish," mother finished.

The only thing that prevented me from crying my eyes out was Xe and Ly bursting through the door, each with a small child clinging to their back. I don't know how, but both children inherited my appetite.

"Dinner ready?" Lyceus asked.

"We're starved," Xe added with a chorus of laughter from Daphne and Ulysses.

Shortly after returning to Amphipolis we were paid a visit by Xenan Gabris Phantes, my Centaur nephew. Ares was on the move to the north. He spoke hurriedly about the battle for the first age.

"Slow down," I finally asked. "What battle?"

"The Oracle," he replied, rushed. "Mother said to mention the Oracle's predictions. The old myths." He looked at Xena imploringly. "I came because I can run faster than any of the Amazons. Mother said that you would understand."

"I do," Xena assured them.

"Well, I don't," I interjected.

"Gabrielle," Xena said gently turning to look at me. "I told you before about the oracle that made the predictions about mother." I nodded. I'd heard those stories several times, and had even written them down. "The oracle also told her of a battle that would be fought in three different ages. I have to go fight Ares..."

"Then what?" I interrupted. "Our children will have to fight him? Xena, we need you here."

"Shhhh," she said placing gentle fingers on my mouth. "It'll be okay. I know I'm needed here, which is why I have every intention of coming back. I have to do this. Trust me, my heart."

There wasn't much I could do. Xena's mind was made up and that was final. Did I mention she can be stubborn? I managed to persuade her to take a satchel of my scrolls for luck. It was going to be a long trip and it would give her some distraction all those nights until the inevitable. The month that we waited for her return was the longest I'd ever endured. She did come back though. Exhausted, bruised and bleeding, but came back she did. The children were asleep, as was Cyrene. I was up writing, waiting as I had been each night. The door opened silently, but I felt the breeze and the presence that made my pulse race. "Xena," I whispered as I ran to her.

"I'm home, Gabrielle," she said, wrapping me in those wonderful strong arms. "For good." It took a moment to realize what she'd just said. Then I noticed that her sword and chakram were missing. "They're gone, Gabrielle," she explained. "As are your scrolls. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Xena," I assured her. "I can always write more. You're back and that's all that matters. Is there anything you can't do?" I wondered aloud.

"Making you happy, Gabrielle, is the only goal I've got left," she replied with a kiss.

Xena did make me happy. And I her, for many, many years. Eventually we lost Cyrene, which was hard, but our family continued to thrive in spite of our loss. Lyceus was the first of our children to marry. He met a poet who'd studied under the great Sappho and was smitten from the moment she'd entered the Inn. He was seventeen at the time and it took him three years to convince her to have him. Xe was another matter. For a time it seemed unlikely that she would marry or commit to anyone for longer than a season or two. For several years it seemed as if her interest didn't extend beyond women. There wasn't an attractive woman who came through Amphipolis that our entire family didn't appreciate. After breaking the hearts of both sexes for so long, I think even Xe began to wonder if she'd ever meet her match. Naturally, as Fate would have it, she did. She was won over by a young philosopher. They'd argue for hours about philosophy and ethics. Finally, she agreed to marry him. As she said, put up with him on a permanent basis. Xena and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Lyceus and his wife had two children, Lila and Cyrene. Xe and her husband had a son, Marcus. We enjoyed our grandchildren immensely, even though technically Marcus was Xena's great-grandson. We were sorry that Cyrene never had the opportunity to enjoy them, but sadly, that is how life works sometimes. To my surprise, Lyceus kept in contact with my birth family. While I'd essentially come to an understanding with mother and Lila, the closeness that had existed before was irretrievable. On his own, Ly forged a new bond with his aunt and grandmother, occasionally taking his family to Potidea for visits.

Sadly, as the Fates command, life can not endure forever. My world came crashing in around me on a bright summer morning. After more than six decades Xena could still leave me breathless and sated. To the very end we were fiercely in love with each other. Living with a passion that could not be curbed, we indulged ourselves and each other as often as our aging bodies would allow. Xena told me she wanted to go for a ride. "Gabrielle, you ignite me," she said. "I've got to do something with this pent up energy or I'll wear you out."

"I'd like to see you try," I replied with a grin.

Still the day was warm, and she was feeling her oats, so I kissed her good-bye and wished her a nice ride.

"You know I love you more each day, don't you?" she asked, as she mounted the roan stallion.

"As I do you, my heart," I replied. "Be careful."

Around noon, Lyceus and Xe went to look for their Na. She'd not come back yet and I was a little worried. Xe's expression when she returned was all I needed to see. With an anguished cry I ran outside as Lyceus was lowering Xena's body from his horse. Both children were sobbing, but I scarcely noticed as I cradled my love in my arms one last time.

Later, when the grieving had begun, something that would take until my own death to finish, Lyceus explained what had happened.

"The roan threw a shoe and stumbled," he said his voice raw from sobbing. "They were on a steep incline, and the horse fell. Na broke her neck when she was thrown. She didn't feel a thing." I nodded absently. At least I had that.

Xena was put to rest in a sarcophagus between Lyceus and Cyrene. I contacted the Amazons and explained why I would not be committing her body to the fire they'd wanted so many years ago.

"Gabrielle," Ephiny said gently. "We don't want you to. Now that the battle of the first age has happened, it changes things." Although I was hurting beyond belief at my loss, I listened attentively as Ephiny relayed the last of the Amazon legends I would need to know.

I lived eight years after Xena left. They weren't bad years, but too much of me was missing to fully enjoy them. I continued to live at the Inn. Lyceus had taken over running it. While I loved Xe dearly, it was harder to see her than my son. She was so like her grandmother. She looked then as Xena did in her prime. Her voice, the smile...I had to remind myself that it wasn't Xena.

I continued to write some. When I'd decided I'd penned my last tale, I had the scrolls carefully wrapped and sent to Solari. I knew she'd take good care of them. My own children already knew my stories, they wouldn't need them on parchment. When my last day arrived, I knew it was so. I didn't feel particularly bad, I just felt ready. In a way, I was looking forward to crossing over, to being reunited with my love. Since my health had been slipping, the children came by each day to visit. As the Amazons had asked, I sent for them as well when I knew my time was near. They kept a respectful distance, providing what support they could for my family. I kissed each grandchild goodbye before saying my final farewells to Xe and Lyceus. "I'm proud of you both," I told them, "and love you with all my heart. You've learned, and passed on the important things. A greater gift you could not have given Xena and me." The blue of Xe's eyes was the last thing I saw on this earth, until I saw the blue eyes beyond.

Chapter 9: New Beginnings

"Is she alright?" a gentle Southern voice asked, the worried edge unmistakable.

"Yes, Mel," another voice replied patiently. "Same as yesterday. She's been through a lot. She'll wake up when she's ready."

"Mel?" Janice gasped weakly, her throat dry and tight.

"Janice, you're awake," the Southerner replied, relieved.

"Maybe," Janice whispered as she thought about opening her eyes. Then, feeling a vaguely familiar, softness against the skin of her breast, she opened her eyes and looked down. She was back on board the Lovely Lunacy, nestled in a bed and wrapped in black satin sheets.

"I thought those might wake you up," Mel teased with a knowing gleam in her eye.

"How did I get here?" Janice asked, taking in the faces of the concerned Amazons gathered around the bed. "Where's Ar..." Before she could get the dog's name past her lips the Golden Retriever/Alsatian jumped up on the bed. Janice flinched, expecting the jolt of the bed to hurt her broken leg. Looking down, she could clearly see a cast outlined by the satin. She checked her hand, noting that it was bandaged as well. "What happened?"

"You pulled it off, that's what happened," Emily said, beaming from the foot of the bed. "Xena and Gabrielle are ashes as they should be, and Velasca, or rather Byron, is no more. We found chunks of him floating all over the place.

"Small chunks," Quest added for clarification.

Mel frowned at the grisly tone the conversation had taken. "The Charmer came and picked us up. Quest and the others managed to fend off Leesto's thugs."

"Picked us up?" Janice asked confused.

"You should have seen it," Tory continued, picking up the story. "After you hit the water, Mel jumps off this fifty foot cliff after you. I saw it with the binoculars. Once we got rid of Leesto's thugs we came right over."

"Yeah," Stacey added. "Debby fixed your leg and wrapped up your hand. You've been unconscious for two days."

"How did Argo get here?" the archeologist asked, finally beginning to wake up.

"That's the strange part," Emily replied. "Someone had delivered her to the crew of the Lunacy. She had our coordinates tucked into her bandanna. They arrived only a couple of hours after we picked you and Mel out of the water."

Mel looked over at Emily, her surprise evident. "You didn't tell me that. Did y'all get a description of whoever it was who dropped her off?"

The blond woman nodded. "The Captain said it was an old guy with glasses."

Mel smiled, sending a silent thank you to Tildus. "What about Leesto?" Janice asked.

"She was picked up at the top of the cliff. She's in custody, in connection with the Athens museum theft," Kit supplied, passing Janice a glass of water.

"I doubt it'll stick, but I'm glad she's out of the way for now," the archeologist replied thoughtfully. "What about the marbles?"

"From the temple frieze?" Mel asked to clarify. "Why, they're only the most recent amazing discovery of one, Dr. Janice Covington. The authorities have secured the sight and I'm sure teams will be assembled in no time to retrieve them."

"That might not be so good, Mel," Janice warned.

"Why ever not?"

"Because the sarcophagus lid is still in the cave. When word gets out I destroyed the remains..."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Emily assured her. "After all, none of us saw you blow up the coffin. Did we, Tory?" she asked, looking at the younger Amazon.

"See it? Why, no, of course not. It isn't your fault, Dr. Covington, if you discovered the cave but the remains were already gone."

For the first time in a long while, Janice smiled, a relaxed grin that threatened to stay on her face for days.

Later, when Janice had convinced everyone that she was indeed on the mend, she and Mel were left alone in their cabin. Propped up against Mel's side, her head resting against a soft breast with Argo curled up at her feet, Janice Covington was the picture of contentment.

"They'd like us to stay in the vicinity for a day or two, to make sure you're okay," Mel explained, stroking Janice's hair softly.

"Fine by me," Janice agreed with a sigh. "Now that the crisis is over, it'd be nice to spend some time with the family. Maybe I'll even find the time to get seasick."

"I can hardly wait," Mel replied snuggling closer and resting her chin on top of Janice's head. "But I'm glad you think seeing family is a good idea. I was thinking..."

"Yes?" Janice asked rolling over. Her left leg was clumsy but after a couple of tries she got it out of the way. With Mel stretched out beneath her, she rested her head on the Southerner's chest, sighing with contentment at the sound of the familiar heartbeat.

"I was thinking that for summer break," Mel continued, lightly touching her lover's back, "we might meet some more relatives, head to Scotland, perhaps?"

"The MacGabbers?" Janice asked, her left hand roaming over familiar skin.

"Exactly," Mel agreed.

"Good, because I've been thinking, too," Janice continued. "I don't think the scrolls we found are all of them. Who knows, maybe we'll find something new in Scotland." Janice continued her ministrations, nipping at soft flesh beneath Mel's satin slip.

"Ah, Janice, what do you think you're doing?" she asked concerned.

"You mean you can't tell?" Janice replied, stunned.

"What about your leg?' her lover inquired gently.

"I've got news for you, Mel, I don't use my leg for that. Having my right hand bandaged is going to be a problem, but I'm willing to improvise."

"You're incorrigible, Janice Covington," Mel breathed, her voice throaty and warm. "And I hope to God you stay that way for a long, long time."

"With you, Melinda Pappas, I don't doubt it," Janice replied claiming hungry lips. Passion ebbed and flowed as two hearts beat in tandem. Souls bound together beyond the confines of time and space pulsated with the devotion of their union. With a love to rival that of their ancestors before them, Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas were connected, as they would remain forever.

Epilogue: The Year 2042

Xero smiled as her fingers moved across the sensory input pad. Arctic blue eyes watched lines of data scrolling across the top and bottom of her screen. It was a new security protocol by Hybrid Systems Inc. Running an absent hand through her long black hair, she studied the data carefully. Xero was at work. Paid to compromise and steal intellectual property, Xero was one of the best in the business. At age twenty eight, she already had fifteen years experience as a professional hacker, a nettie, cyber thief, and virtual thug. Watching the two data streams simultaneously, she keyed the sequence to launch one of her own encryption programs. It would take a few moments to insinuate itself within the data stream, so Xero reached for her glass of water and took a long decadent sip.

There was nothing quite like the taste of natural water, and Xero sighed as the cool liquid spilled down her throat. Sadly, she knew that her bottle was almost empty. It had been a gift from her roommate and occasional business partner after a tricky job well done. Never taking her eyes from the screen she saw the green flash as her program launched into operation. Xero proceeded with the next phase of her theft. After defining her search parameters, she let the retrieval program go and checked its progress with her watch as well as the on screen chronometer.

As the seconds ticked down something at the top of the screen caught her eye. Almost imperceptible, there had been a slight lag in the data reading across the security field. Keeping her input strokes on the sensory pad consistent, Xero keyed the sequence to her personal trace/counterseek program. It was doubtful she'd been tapped by a syscop; it'd never happened before. But Xero knew all too well that there was a first time for everything.

There it was again, someone was definitely on her channel observing. Carefully, she continued her work. So far she could only be hit with snooping charges since she hadn't downloaded any data, yet. Keeping a steady hand she relaxed. If it was local security, they might just think she was with an MIS company or an overworked employee doing routine maintenance. Her cyber-retriever flashed orange, it had the data. She could set it aside to download later, or continue with her theft. She was spared the decision when the watching entity made it's presence known.

Nice work Xero, the greeting flashed on her screen, gold text on a black background. Automatically Xero keyed the sequence to launch a tracer program.

Who are you? she replied, stalling for time.

An admirer, possibly an employer, came the immediate response.

Xero's blue eyes flashed in surprise. The tracer error message was unmistakable. Whoever was at the other end of the data line had heavy duty encryption. She read a few lines into the error subroutine and froze. The encryption had syscop data nodes. She'd been spotted by a net cop.

As you've no doubt discovered by now, I've got syscop access, the message flashed. But I'm not interested in arresting you. Xero, I need your help. My keyword is Amphipolis. I'll meet you at--

Xero launched her scrambler and cut the connection cutting off the data stream mid flow. Letting out a controlled breath, she launched her sanitation program and shut down the system. It was possible if she'd been tapped, she'd also been given a worm. Virtual tapeworms were an effective tool cybercops used to identify the hardware used in the theft and compromise of intellectual property. A tiny data code, it was impossible to find unless you knew what to look for, but when activated could shut down entire systems as well as forward transcripts of all net activity to the authorities.

"Hey, Xero. I'm back," Bat called from the doorway. Xero could hear the distinctive sound of groceries being put away as various cupboards were opened and closed.

"Bat, get in here," she called, "I've got a job for you."

"What's the problem?" Bat asked, navigating the various cables and link lines that littered the floor of the tiny living room.

"I just got tapped by a syscop. I need your eye to check out the system," Xero said with a glance to the woman who had taken a seat next to her.

The most unusual thing about Bat was a black eye patch worn over her left eye. The result of a botched lens implant job, she'd decided on practicality over vanity. She'd gone to a gray market surgeon for a mechanical eye. Revolting to look at, it gave her an edge hacking. In a business where every edge counted, this was a decided advantage. "A syscop?" Bat echoed, impressed. "No shit. Must've been a good one."

"Not that good, I spotted them," Xero replied. "I hope you didn't have any plans tonight. I need you to go through my system, check for tapeworms. I still need to get this job done, cop or no cop."

Bat nodded, understanding. She had no illusions about her role under Xero's roof. She worked for the enigmatic woman, simple as that. Until her debt was paid off, Xero, for all intents and purposes, owned her. "No problem. Like I've ever got a date," she muttered. "Why don't you give me some space. If I'm going to disassemble the system, you'll only be in the way. Go down to the 'Horn. Get something to eat, relax - get laid."

Xero watched as Bat pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. Already she could see the shorter woman planning which backup systems to use, what tools she'd need. "I thought that was what you were for?" she shot back good-naturedly.

Bat frowned. "What? I don't kick you out of my bed the two or three times you end up there drunk, and now I'm gay? Spare me."

"You didn't have any complaints at the time..." Xero stopped herself. She knew exactly why the other woman hadn't complained. Bat was afraid of her. As one of the few former corporate systems managers, Bat had a price on her head. People who worked corporate and then got out didn't have long life expectancies. That was, in fact, how they'd met. On a rainy night, with two corporate security thugs at her heels, Bat had wandered into the Saddlehorn Pub & Grill. Desperate for a cover, she'd foolishly made a play for Xero and ended up in an entirely new line of work. Since then, she'd enjoyed the protection of Xero's association, but also responded to the taller woman's demands unflinchingly. "Sorry," Xero mumbled, thinking she may have pushed the other woman too far.

"Shit, don't worry about it," Bat replied with a grin. "You know our deal. I worry about your hardware, you take care of your own software, so for chrissakes, go get some, will ya? You've been edgy as hell all week." Xero grinned at that. The other woman got up and began to set up some diagnostic equipment. "Xero," she continued as she worked, "I'd consider you a friend if I thought for a millisecond that you had any. This thing has obviously gotten you spooked. So take the night off and chill. Say hi to everyone at the 'Horn for me and by the time you get back, this rig will be running in top form." Xero nodded, grabbing her leather jacket from the couch.

"Here," Bat said, picking up a small mobile communications unit. "Take the mobie." From a compartment on the bottom she extracted two tiny ear pieces. "Wear the wire, and if I've got any questions, I'll let you know."

"Sure," Xero agreed, slipping the tiny receiver into her ear.

"Oh, and do me a favor, will ya?" Bat finished as Xero headed for the door. "If you see some good looking Bobs tonight, for god's sake get their number. It's been so long since I've had a guy, I'm forgetting what being straight is all about."

"I'll see what I can do," Xero replied with a grin, pocketing the mobie unit and clipping the tiny phone to her jacket.

The Saddlehorn was unique even though it was only one of several hangouts frequented by hackers. Versus was a well known hacker bar as was Fire Circle, but they didn't have the mystique of the 'Horn. The Saddlehorn Pub & Grill was exclusive. The word was out that only the invited and initiated could congregate there, those who ignored the warning usually found corrupted net accounts soon after an unwelcome visit. The clientele was also exclusively women, not that it was a lesbian hacker bar per se, although at first blush that was what most people assumed. The usual crowd of hackers also included those buyers who would procure their services. Only the most serious and determined buyers ended up at the 'Horn. Simply put, it was the place adopted by the best of the best. Even the managers of other bars spent time at the 'Horn. If you were a woman and good on the nets, you had to be there.

It wasn't an easy place to find, but Xero knew the route by heart. The 'Horn was more of a home for her than her apartment. Nodding to the bouncer, Bandit, she stepped through the door. The security light glowed green. She wasn't packing any weapons. Several unfortunate incidents with flamethrowers had made the precautions necessary, but Bandit did her job with unobtrusive efficiency. Quickly, her eyes adjusted to the dim light. The ancient battered saddle that hung over the bar was bathed in soft blue light today, reflecting the mood of the patrons gathered. It was a little on the early side, only nine thirty. The lights would be changed over to red when the prowlers were out. A place to relax, make business deals, have a decent meal and cruise, the 'Horn was something different to everyone.

Xero made her way to a table in the back. Lady Delirium and Addict, the bartenders nodded and sent the Pirate over to take her order. "A little early for you isn't it, Xero?" Pirate Ska Mayhem asked conversationally.

"I'll have a beer, make it a Buckner. Maybe dinner later, ask me then," Xero replied as she looked around. The small dance floor was vacant. Several women played darts at one end of the room. Credit codes exchanged hands after a decisive throw won the game. At a corner booth, Wordee sat with several other women. She recognized MaryD, but the other two she couldn't place.

"Where's your sidekick?" Ska asked, putting a dark bottle down in front of Xero.

"Working," Xero answered as she keyed in her payment and a tip. "Who's the newbies?"

"Just that, newbies. Both after Wordee, the one on the right is a potential employer, the one on the left is a suitor." After a moment's reflection she continued, "I guess it's your fault."

"How do you figure?" Xero asked, taking a sip of the smooth beer.

"You nailed Bat, one of the few straight women who hang out here. That makes it hard on the rest of 'em. Not that I'm going to cry them any rivers anytime soon."

"I heard that," Lani remarked from a table behind Xero's. "Pirate's picking on the straight chicks again," she continued, only louder this time.

"Oh, look who's talking," Ska shot back sarcastically.

All eyes turned to a table in the center of the room. Blue, the Arbitrator who had been trying to enjoy a peaceful dinner with Jenbob, was suddenly the center of attention. "So make her buy the straight chicks a drink," she finally decided. Sentence passed, everyone returned to their individual business.

"There go my tips for tonight," Ska muttered wandering off.

Xero enjoyed her beer. Left alone to observe the interactions around her, she felt herself finally unwind. The big winner at darts, Trillbaby, bought the next round for the house. Halfway through her second beer, the receiver in her ear clicked on.

"I've got something for you, can you talk?" Bat's disembodied voice asked softly in her ear.

"Yeah, what do you have," Xero asked after another sip.

"I'm off the nets, running a closed loop system to check out your files. You've got a tapeworm all right, but it isn't a tracker."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she sent over a shitload of files, but nothing to track you. It's all stuff so you can get ahold of her. She may be a psycho."

"How do you know she’s a she?" Xero wondered.

"That's what I'm telling you. She sent over personnel files; all kinds of shit. Her name is Rielle MacGab, I've got a picture - she's cute...I mean if you're interested in women, that sort of thing."

"I get your point, Bat, go on," Xero pressed.

"According to this, she's a syscop for the Archives Corp. But she's on a leave of absence. She had a medical leave a couple of months ago, now she's just taking vacation." Xero could picture Bat as she went through the files. Shoes off, curled up on the couch fidgeting with a pen in one hand. She was talking fast. That meant she was scanning files as she spoke, struggling to keep up with her mechanical eye.

"So why do you think she's a psycho?" Xero asked.

"All this other stuff she sent you. Xero, buddy, she must have been waiting for you to log into that data stream. She was watching you the whole time. She's downloaded a book, The Adventure of a Lifetime, a Memoir by Melinda Pappas. Provided links to a television database for an old '90s show, her own records and the message that you tried to cut off. Be careful, Xero, she's planning to meet you at the 'Horn."

"You unlocked all this with the keyword Amphipolis?" Xero asked, scanning the inhabitants of the club once again.

"Yeah, just like her greeting said. I'm running a buffer system, so I'm not worried about getting zapped. But it was just a simple keyword. No traps or homing beacons. If this picture is an accurate one, you're looking for a twenty six year old red head with green eyes and," she paused to read further "according to her psych files, a sunny disposition." Xero didn't answer right away and Bat laughed. "Yeah, I know. Just your type. Still, why not have a go? The 'Horn regulars are too intimidated to actually sleep with you. Did I mention you being annoyingly tense all week?"

"If that's all the news you've got," Xero cut her off. "Why don't you reassemble the system and get it back on the nets. Put all this new stuff on an isolated drive and I'll look at it later."

"Okay, will do," Bat assured the hacker. "Logging off now."

The 'Horn was beginning to fill up as more women came in after their mid-day shifts. Few of the women who frequented the place had regular jobs, but a number of hackers kept regular hours too. Especially the women who worked for hacking companies. They had shifts and benefits like legitimate workers. Xero considered ordering dinner when a tense hush settled around the club. A couple of men, Bobs as they were known at the 'Horn, stepped through the security markers and were making their way to the bar. Both were tall, about Xero's height and good looking. Their sun bleached hair and bronzed skin screamed 'surfer'.

Xero noticed Lady Delirium step away from Addict, who was pouring drinks for the Bobs. Retrieving the mobie unit from her pocket, she keyed in the secured frequency and turned on her communications unit.

"Bobs at the 'Horn, Shadow. See what you can do." Lady Delirium said quietly.

"They been here before?" Xero asked quietly.

"Xero, that you?" Lady D asked as she looked over. Seeing the dark haired woman's affirming nod, she continued. "No, they're newbies, not trolls. They just told Addict that they're in construction and retrofit. They're here on vacation. Too tan to be hackers."

"I'm in their net accounts now," Shadow offered.

"Then take it easy on them, Shadow," Xero asked. "When you screw with their files, don't mess 'em up too bad."

"Bat send you out to find her dates?" Shadow asked with a wry laugh.

"Yeah, so give 'em her locator file. Then they'll know who to contact to clean up the mess."

"Okay, will do," Shadow agreed. "They should be out of there as soon as they try to pay."

As if on cue, one of the men looked up alarmed as he swiped his account card through the reader a second time. The other man tried his card but with the same lack of success. Both men left abruptly when they'd logged on to their accounts only to find garbled text instead of account information. Once they were out the door and down the block, their drinks were raffled off, the two women who won raising their glasses in silent toast to their now absent benefactors.

Bat carefully adjusted her baseball cap before connecting the final system wire to the net brainbox. If a trap or other aggressive program had slipped past her careful examination, this was often enough to trigger it. She held her breath for a couple seconds, and when nothing happened she readjusted her hat and relaxed. No matter how many years went by, every system connection took her back to the day five years ago when she'd earned the name Bat and lost an eye in the process. She should have seen the trap but didn't. As a result her client's brain box blew up in her face, damaging the lens of her left eye beyond repair. Convinced she'd be blind, her friends started calling her 'Bat'. Her eye recovered, with the aid of a mechanical replacement, but the name stuck anyway.

System initialized, she keyed in Xero's general use account. If someone was after her boss, logging into the system as herself would serve little purpose. She started with routine housekeeping. Xero's preferences were pretty straightforward, and Bat knew the subroutines as if they were her own. She logged in the day's messages and took note of the net account balances. Everything was in order there as well.

Satisfied that the system was operating as it should, she launched the program that would fling her onto the nets. Cruising Xero's regular haunts, she began to notice a few familiar faces, identified by their screen icons, as well as several new ones. She'd cloaked Xero's own icon, making her invisible to the other passersby unless they were using a high-end detection program. Even then, the detector would only be able to tell that another entity was logged on, not that it was Xero. Unfortunately, such programs caused more trouble than they were worth while hacking, so they were only used for sightseeing or other legitimate net business only.

Things were slow, but Bat noted that it was still early. She was about to make her way to the node for the 'Horn when she was stopped by a greeting.

We meet again, Xero, the message said.

"Holy shit," Bat gasped, her good eye wide in surprise staring at the screen.

Or should I say, Xena? the message continued.

"It's her psycho," Bat whispered as she touched the control of her mobie unit. "Xero, you there?" she asked, worried. There was no response. Either Xero was on another channel, or the mobile communications system had been jammed. Bat glanced back at the screen. The message was waiting for a response. "What would Xero say?" she wondered. She'd been spotted and tagged, it was no good to try to pretend otherwise. Finally she keyed in her response. Who the fuck is Xena?

Could it be that you don't know yet? This gets better all the time, the message flashed, red letters on black. I'm going to enjoy killing you, Xena, I only hope it's as good for you as it will be for me.

Who are you? Bat asked, trying to fight her growing fear, and losing.

I'm sorry, it's been such a long time. Xena, my dear, my name is Ares.

Xero decided it was time to leave. There wouldn't be anything happening here for her tonight. She pushed away from her table, and stood as a third Buckner was put down in front of her. The hacker looked up into lovely green eyes she'd never seen before. "Mind if I buy you a drink?" a soft voice asked.

Towering over the shorter woman, Xero smiled. It could only be the syscop Bat had warned her about. Strawberry blond, petite, beautiful. Her one-eyed associate did have a gift for understatement. Xero wrapped her long fingers around the neck of the beer bottle. "You don't mind if I take it with me?" she asked. Beautiful as this woman was, she was still a syscop.

A smaller hand wrapped around her own, holding the bottle onto the table. "As a matter of fact, I do," the young woman said evenly. "When I buy a beautiful woman a drink, I expect her to finish it in my company."

Xero flashed her a grin, displaying a mouthful of perfect white teeth. There might be something here worth the risk after all, she decided. "That's rather butch of you," she commented sitting down again. The other woman took the seat opposite her and let go of her hand but didn't say anything. "Use that line a lot do you?" Xero asked, after taking a sip of the beer.

"On occasion," the other woman replied with false bravado. Xero laughed and the other woman frowned. "I say something funny?"

"You don't lie very well," the hacker replied. "No, I'd bet a bottle of spring water that I'm the first woman you've hit on in a bar. Isn't that so, Rielle?"

Her companion looked at the table as her cheeks flushed crimson before making eye contact again. "I'm glad you took the time to look at my files at least," she finally said, changing the subject. "Xero, I need to talk to you."

"Too bad, I don't talk to syscops," the older woman replied flatly.

"Can I buy you dinner? Give me that much time at least?" Rielle asked.

"Fine," Xero replied with an artful shrug. She nodded to the Pirate who came over to take her order. "Kitchen have fresh produce?" she asked.

Ska blinked, naturally grown fruits and vegetables were very expensive delicacies. "Yeah, some," she replied.

"I'll have a salad with the works," Xero requested.

"For two," Rielle added, handing over her account card.

When the waitress was gone she turned to her companion once again. "Xero, I'm going to tell you a story, you're going to think its fantastic, but I want you to hear me out anyway."

"Until I'm done eating, I'm all yours," she replied.

Feeling warm, Xena? The message on the screen taunted.

Bat tried again in vain to break eye contact with the data code that scrolled past her eyes at blinding speed. If she'd had two natural eyes, all she'd see was a mesmerizing blur, unfortunately with her mechanical eye she could make out some of what she was reading. The repetitive, hypnotic code was sending signals to her body. Her brain, unable to filter out the harmful instructions, could only wait and experience the body's self destruction. Like subliminal advertising on steroids, Bat was helpless against the onslaught of information. Sweating and dizzy, she guessed her fever must be well over one hundred three degrees by now.

I'm not Xena, she finally managed to send.

Sure you are, the message came back. You just don't remember yet. I really didn't know the battle for the third age would be this easy. Even Melinda Pappas was more of a challenge than you. So, wanna race?

Bat's heart started beating faster, her heated blood pulsing through her system. Then her lungs collapsed, cutting off her air as the hacker tried desperately not to panic. If she was going to die, as now seemed likely, she wanted someone to know why and how. Eyes still riveted on the scrolling text, in the periphery of her vision she could see the isolated drive sitting on top of the brainbox. After yanking a wire from an unused diagnostic unit, she plugged the drive in and keyed in a record sequence. Just then her chest expanded, air finally filling her lungs. The racing of her pulse continued. Whatever was killing her intended to do it slowly.

You don't know how long I've waited for this, Xena. I've had thousands of years to plot your destruction. I never doubted that as long as I got to you before that irritating blond did, I'd have you. I hope you're able to fully appreciate what you could have had all those millennia ago, when a simple 'yes' from you would have given you immortality.

Feeling something wet on her leg, the hacker noted that her hands had broken out in blisters that were popping soon after forming. Clear plasma ran down her hands onto the input pad and finally and dripping on her thigh. Her eminent death looking messy, Bat took the battered baseball cap off her head and tossed it aside. A remembrance of her mother who had died in the Plague, she wasn't about to let her own demise ruin Mickey Mouse.

Her lungs collapsed again, this time she hoped for good. Her vision changed and she absently noticed it was from her natural eye giving out. The moisture and soft tissues burned. Were it not for her implant, she'd be blissfully blind.

Well, Xena, it's been fun. Give my regards to Callisto, Velasca and Hades when you see them.

She could smell charring flesh now and would have screamed had she been able to get the air, to do so. Instead she winced as she felt her heart finally explode in her chest cavity. After that, everything slowed down until life itself mercifully ended.

"Let me get this straight," Xero said dubiously. "You're saying this bar was originally funded by the Pappas Foundation. That saddle hanging over there bought at the big auction the Smithsonian had when their funding was cut?" Rielle nodded and let the other woman continue. "And this Melinda Pappas fought the battle of the second age." Rielle nodded again. "And I'm related to her, how?" Xero asked.

"That's just it. You aren't," Rielle explained. "Melinda Pappas was related to Xena and Janice Covington was related to Gabrielle. You and I are the reincarnated souls of Xena and Gabrielle."

"That's right," Xero amended, not believing a word of it. "Which one am I again?"

"You're Xena," Rielle said loosing her patience.

"Of course, the 'X's, I should have known. Okay, I'm Xena and I'm going to fight the battle of the third age. Against who?"

"Against Ares," the syscop continued clearly annoyed. "And believe me, if you don't start taking this a bit more seriously, you're going to loose."

"Well I wouldn't want that," Xero shot back with a smirk.

"Didn't you read any of the material I sent over?" Rielle asked. "I was hoping it'd jog your memory."

"You've said that Xena and Gabrielle were lovers," Xero offered. "Don't you think that would jog my memory?"

An unreadable look crossed the younger woman's face. "I'm willing to try anything," she said quietly.

"Well, don't make it sound like such a chore," Xero shot back miffed.

"It's not that, Xero, it's just that obviously I can remember things at this point that you can't." She shook her head sadly. "It'd be a lot different for me than for you, I suspect."

Xero was tempted to tell the young woman to forget the whole thing and just leave. Still, there was something about her company she found intriguing and wasn't ready to part ways just yet. If nothing else, she could take the woman home and let the terrified newbie off the hook then. "Fine then," Xero said as she stood. "Let's go."

All eyes in the Saddlehorn Pub & Grill watched the newbie leave with Xero. The only puzzling thing was why she didn't appear pleased about it.

"So when did you first realize that you were the reincarnated essence of an Ancient Amphipolean Bard?" Xero asked as they stepped off the lift at her floor.

"Potidea, Gabrielle was from Potidea," Rielle corrected her.

"Whatever."

"I started having vivid dreams a couple of months ago. Unusual at first, but they wouldn't go away. Then I started to do some research. The more I learned, the more things fit into place," the syscop explained as they walked down the hall to the older woman's apartment.

"I still don't see how it's possible to be reincarnated from a television show," Xero insisted.

"Not from a show, you big dumb hacker," she snapped. "The show was based on a collection of scrolls Janice Covington discovered in 1942, then later in 1961. The '42 Scrolls were hidden away until the '90s when they were used for the show."

Xero nodded as she ran her thumb over the door's ID patch. It unlocked and upon opening it her senses were immediately assaulted by the acrid smell of burnt hair and flesh. "What the fuck!" she gasped and ran inside.

Bat, or rather her charred remains, rigidly sat on the couch. Small tendrils of smoke still drifted off of her body. A flaming sword could clearly be seen rotating on the screen in front of her with the words Goodbye Xena below them. A green light was blinking on the portable drive indicating that it had just been backed up.

"That's Ares' symbol," Rielle said, pointing to the screen.

"What happened to her?" Xero whispered realizing her roommate was beyond dead. "She's grounded," the hacker noted the grounding wire trailing from band wrapped around the dead woman's wrist. "How could she have been zapped?"

"That is what I'm trying to explain," Rielle said softly. "Ares must have thought she was you, or he's just practicing. Xero, this is a god we're talking about. He's powerful."

Xero turned to her companion, her blue eyes flashing in sorrow and anger. "So now you're a Fundie?" she demanded. "Did you orchestrate this?" she growled as she advanced on the smaller woman. Wisely, Rielle backed up. "Rig the equipment? A syscop who works for Archive Corporation, maybe, is that it?" Backed against the wall, Rielle looked up into the face of her aggressor. She was much shorter than the hacker, her head only reaching just past the taller woman's shoulder. Craning her neck back she tried to remain calm as cold blue eyes bore into her. "I'll ask one more time, 'cop. Are you or are you not a bounty hunter?"

"Xero, you know I'm not," she said carefully. "You can see for yourself she's still smoking. She's only been dead a matter of minutes. I was with you. Do you honestly think I could construct a remote program that your friend wouldn't be able to disable?"

"She wasn't my friend," Xero muttered turning away.

Rielle looked again from the charred body to the woman who once was Xena. "What was she then?" she asked quietly.

"A good acquaintance," Xero answered with a shrug.

Walking over to where the taller woman stood, she put a comforting hand on her arm. "Even so, it isn't safe for you to stay here. Even if you don't believe what I've told you about Ares, surely a corpse in your apartment isn't something a hacker would care to explain, now is it?" Rielle asked seriously. "Why don't you come to my place. You can crash there tonight. Maybe in the morning you'll listen to some of what I have to say."

Xero nodded absently. The syscop was right. Bat's body would have to be tended to and there were too many unanswered questions for her to remain. She'd probably be implicated in the murder, although the authorities didn't worry too much about the death of a hacker. She would find whoever it was who did this, syscop or no syscop. Shaking her head, Xero grabbed a small bag and began to collect a few things.

First she picked up her portable system. After that she picked up the isolated drive that had been blinking. She grabbed a second pair of jeans and a shirt and some loose credit slips. When she'd added her wallet and mini discs, she was ready to go. "I should take Argo," she said as an afterthought.

"Argo?" Rielle asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, Bat's iguana."

The syscop looked at the dead woman in wonder. Could she have been mistaken and contacted the wrong one? "This woman has a pet named Argo?" she asked to be sure. "Where did she get the name?"

"I don't know," Xero replied with a shrug as she headed for the bedroom that led off from the main living room. "I think she said she heard me mumble it in my sleep." She returned several minutes later with a large bright green reptile perched on her shoulder. The animal's body was about forty centimeters long, Rielle guessed, with a tail almost as long. "I don't know why, but Bat had a soft spot for lost causes," Xero explained as she put a container of food into her pocket.

"Is that why she lived with you?" Rielle asked.

Xero glared at her. "She lived with me because she worked for me. She put in long hours keeping my rig in shape. Besides, here she had some measure of protection against corporate thugs." Xero looked once again at the dead woman's body. "Apparently it wasn't enough." She made her way towards the door when she paused at the couch. Picking up Bat's antique baseball hat, she put it on and smiled sadly. "I'm going to find the thugs that did this," she whispered. "And when I do, they won't end up looking half as good as you." Cold blue eyes taking a final sweep around the small apartment, Xero realized that there was nothing else she needed, nothing else she could take with her. "Let's go," she muttered tightly to her companion.

"Here we are," Rielle said as she pushed open the heavy front door to her apartment. Xero already impressed by the prime location of the building. She was speechless at the spaciousness of the dwelling.

"How many people live here?" she asked, putting her heavy bag down on the overstuffed couch.

"I live alone," Rielle answered.

"I didn't know syscops did so well," Xero quipped, trying to mask her amazement. No one lived alone save the extremely wealthy. The fact that she only lived with one person spoke volumes about how well she did as a hacker.

"Yeah, well it belonged to my parents," Rielle explained, answering Xero's unasked question. "They both died a few years ago. The flat was already paid for."

Xero nodded and looked around. The place even had windows. Unable to resist, she strolled over and looked outside. At night the city lights sparkled brightly, making the South California skyline pulsate with glowing beauty. "Would you like something to drink?" Rielle called from the kitchen.

"Sure," Xero called back. "Whatever you've got." After moments spent in rapt fascination at the window, she was joined by the syscop.

"You mentioned spring water earlier, so I thought this would be okay," Rielle explained, handing her a glass of iced water.

"You seem to have everything here," Xero commented after long sip.

"I guess," Rielle replied, uncomfortable. "But I stand to lose it all. Everyone stands to lose everything if you don't get your memory back and battle Ares."

"Are we on that again?" Xero asked, exasperated. "Look, kid. If this is a clever line you're using to get me in the sack, trust me you're trying way too hard."

"Is that what you think this is about? Fucking you?" Rielle stormed away from the window. "Xena must have looked long and hard to fine the densest, dumbest... most clueless body she could. Your friend is sitting burned to a crisp on your couch and you think I'm making a pass at you?"

"I'd be careful if I were you," Xero growled. "I'm in no mood to be taunted by some spoiled syscop who thinks she's bringing in the catch of the day. You don't play this game very well do you, Rielle? You pick me up in a dyke bar, give me this bullshit about past lives, throw in New Age Fundie crap with the god Ares and tell me I'm going to suddenly remember being a reformed warlord from Amphipolis!" As she turned she winced. Argo, losing his balance from her shoulder grabbed with a foreclaw, sharp nails digging into her exposed skin above the collar of the leather jacket.

"Here," Rielle offered moving to take the lizard from the taller woman's shoulder. "Why don't we put Argo down." Gently as she could, she put the big reptile down on the floor. The lizard was heavier than he looked.

"Thanks," Xero muttered.

"I'm sorry," Rielle replied. "Why don't you take some time. I'm sure there's someone you should notify about your fri... associate's death. I wish you'd trust me, but I realize that you think you can't. Still, I have to tell you that I've no intention of arresting you or turning you in. You're welcome to stay; the couch is yours. Make yourself at home. We can talk more about Xena and the other stuff in the morning." She turned away and walked toward the bedroom. "If you were serious about what you said earlier," she added turning back around. "About needing to jog your memory, I'll be in here."

Xero watched her go. The other woman made it clear that she was up for sex but didn't want it. No matter, Xero decided, she wasn't in the mood anyway. She wandered into the kitchen, opening up cupboards until she found a small bowl. She poured some of the spring water from her glass into the bowl and put it on the floor near the lizard. Pulling out her mobie unit, she keyed in the satellite codes for maximum encryption and called the 'Horn.

Wandering back to the window, she waited for the connection to link up. "IQ? This is Xero, put me through to Shadow." After a moment's pause she was connected. "Yeah, Shadow, it's Xero. Look, I've got bad news. Bat is dead. She was fried about an hour ago. I found her when I went home... No, I'm not there now. I'm... elsewhere. If she's got any family or anything, you need to let them know. I'm uploading the codes to my place. Security would just dump the body. She deserves better than that...Thanks, Shadow, I appreciate it. Keep my place secure if you can. I'm going to track down whoever did this. I might need to go back and get some things...Okay, I will. Thanks again." Feeling numb, she broke the connection and put the mobie away. She looked around the stylishly decorated apartment, then headed for the couch. If the syscop was set on taking her in, Xero decided it was one way to see how good the young woman really was. She took off her boots, casually tossing them under the low table near the couch. Next she removed her jacket. While she was at it, she pulled out the small container of food pellets and put a few down on the floor for the lizard. She also extracted her small hand held flame thrower from a concealed pocket and put it on the table as well. Finally she took off her hat. She gazed at the faded picture of a cartoon mouse for long minutes, reverently tracing its outline with her finger. Shaking off the pensive reflection, she put the hat on the table as well. She laid down, stretching her long legs, flame thrower concealed in her right hand. With that, and easy access to two knives, Xero realized that she was as safe as she could be under the circumstances. When she closed her eyes, sleep was almost instant.

***

Xero looked around disoriented. She was standing in a board room dressed in her jeans and t-shirt with nothing on her feet.

"So glad you could make it," a firm voice said in greeting.

Looking up, Xero was startled to see two women sitting behind a polished black table. Both were dressed in old fashioned tuxedos, one of them looked a lot like her, the other looked like Rielle, the syscop.

"I must be dreaming," Xero said trying to make sense of her surroundings.

"The hacker catches on fast," the strawberry-blond continued. "We decided on formal wear for our first meeting, I hope that's okay with you. I am Janice Covington, and the ravishing creature next to me is Melinda Pappas."

"It's nice to meet you, Xero," Melinda said with a Southern accent.

"I never dream," Xero stated bluntly, wondering why she wasn't simply waking up.

"Believe me, that's been a major problem for us," Janice replied. "Fact is, this isn't going to be fun. The stuff Rielle is telling you is true. If you can stop thinking with your libido and refrain from bullying her you might learn something. Why don't you try listening for a change?"

"I don't have to take this crap from you," Xero growled deciding she liked the syscop's look alike even less than the syscop.

"Actually , Xero you do," Janice replied with a grin.

"What she means," Mel interjected, "is that you have to sleep. Now that we've reached you, we're going to keep at it."

"Look kid," Janice continued. "Ares is on the move, he offed that friend of yours. With our help we're going to see to it that you blow his sorry ass to kingdom-come."

"Janice!" Mel implored at her companion's harsh language.

"Relax, Mel!" Janice soothed. "I'm just trying to get through to the Warrior Princess over here. Xena, we need you to remember. We're going to do whatever it takes to see that you do remember. We didn't risk life and limb to have you forfeit the battle of the third age."

"Battle of the third age?" Xero mumbled.

"Gods she's slow," Janice groaned in frustration.

"Janice, please!" Mel implored. "She's been through a lot. It was hard getting through to Gabrielle too if you remember. Give her some time to get her bearings, get to know Rielle. At least let her say goodbye to her friend."

"I don't have any friends," Xero replied automatically.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who made Xena look well adjusted," Janice quipped. After getting an icy glare from Mel she continued in a rush, "Alright, you've been through a lot. We won't get started right now. Rest up some, but start thinking. Search your feelings. You are more than you imagine. Get in touch with what's beyond you. We can't help you if you don't help us."

"Whaaa..." Xero looked around the dimly lit room. The lights had dimmed automatically with her inactivity. Something felt odd but she couldn't quite describe it. She checked her watch, she'd been asleep for three hours. Mildly surprised that the syscop had not in fact tried to arrest her, she sat up and stretched. Absently she considered that the young woman may have been telling the truth after all, far fetched as it sounded. Putting her weapons on the coffee table with the baseball hat, she silently walked over to the bedroom door.

Rielle was sleeping on her side, facing the door on the far side of the bed. Staying as far away as possible from me, no doubt. Xero considered. When she crossed the room and picked up the bed cover the other woman's eyes flew open with a start.

"What is it?" Rielle asked worried, frightened.

"Relax, Rielle. I'm not after your virtue. I think the couch is uncomfortable, it made me have a weird dream. I'm sleeping here," the hacker mumbled as she slid under the covers.

"Weird dream you say?" Rielle asked, the hint of a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah," Xero muttered. "These two women in tuxedos. It's nothing. Lemme sleep."

Rielle's smile broadened as she watched her companion slip into slumber. Realizing that things might just work out after all, the smile remained as she too drifted off to sleep.

The end.

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena/gabrielle #xena/gabrielle fanfiction #mel/janice #mel/janice fanfiction #mature #author: bat morda #fanfiction #femslash

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muses-darling · 5 years

Text

A SEDUCTION OF THE DARKSIDE - A STAR WARS AU - CH. 11 False Memories

Korriban......Korriban.....Korriban....

It had been like this for days, in the back of his mind when he was awake and at the forefront when he had lain down to go to sleep. No now it was weeks. He would wake up not in his bunk but the cock pit the coordinates or what he assumed was the coordinates for this Korriban typed in. Some nights they weren’t completely entered in but now for the last consecutive nights they had been. Alucard stood up from where the captain’s seat was deleting the changed coordinates and making himself a cup of caff. He knew what Korriban was, he had been there when he was a boy, but why he would feel the need to ever return to the place was beyond him. Sitting in the mess area of the ship he sipped the hot beverage and wondered if he could just never go to sleep again?

Korriban...Korriban...Korriban....

Jolting forward as the ship’s systems beeped at him. He pressed a few buttons and pulled back on the handle bringing them out of lightspeed as they entered the space above Korriban. They were here, and there was no getting out of it now as Sith starfighters flew over head blasting at them.

“IS THERE A REASON WE HAVE ENEMIES ALREADY FIRING AT US?” Layla called as she entered the gunner pit locking on one enemy and firing.

“I don’t know why but it seems we have gone to Korriban.” Alucard said but he knew he knew why they were here, it was him, something drew him here, and he had decided to follow it.

Honey slid into the seat beside him her eyes looking to Alucard with worry. “Not again.” She muttered softly.

“Not just again, this time I didn’t wake up until we were here,” Alucard said as they crashed through the atmosphere.

“Uh what do you mean again? What do you mean wake up?” Nikki asked sliding passed and catching the ladder climbing up to the gunner pit seeing that it was already manned by one of their newest crew mates. “Oh sorry Kaleb.”

“Not a problem.” Kaleb waved before shooting a starfighter down. “But I too want to know why there is a reason we are here.”

“Alucard talk.” Layla gritted out shooting a starfighter’s blast with her own disrupting it from hitting them.

“I’M A LITTLE BUSY!” Alucard said as he wrestled with the controls as they were sent spiraling towards the sands a torpedo hitting them just hard enough to knock out the piloting systems. “It’s gonna be bumpy! HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!”

The bottom of the ship caught some of the sand dunes slowing them but not stopping them as they bashed against more of the sand dunes before coming to a jolting metal shrieking stop.

________________________________________________________________

Hades stood in the distance talking to someone his face looking back in Kit’s direction for a moment then returning to the person he spoke to his head nodding for a moment before the transmission cut.

“Friends of yours?” Kit asked wrapping his arms around Hades from behind.

Hades turned him Kit’s arms. “With friends like these who would need enemies love,” Wrapping his arms around Kit he pressed kisses to the tender Jedi’s face.

“Had to be someone very important to call you from our bed.” Kit said looking up at Hades.

Hades smiled, “Important yes, but not so important that I cannot return to our bed.”

Kit reached up adjusting the cord around Hades’ neck the kyber crystal was a soft green. One from his previous lightsaber the brilliant red one around his neck was already softening to a white. “Then come back away with me my love to our bed.”

“Oh most assuredly.” Hades threaded his fingers though Kit’s perfect hair. He would return to their bed and hoped Kit would forgive him when he had to leave it again. He was needed on Korriban he was after all still the Sith Emperor, he could only hide away on Naboo for so long. His eyes drifted to the transmission pod one last time before disappearing with Kit to their marriage suit.

________________________________________________________________His wrists were bound in cuffs above his head, mouth dry, throat clung to itself with a sticky feeling that told him he was dehydrated. The door opened and Layla was shoved in against the wall in a cell opposite of him their Sith Captors leaving.

“So now that we are all here and you are awake, mind letting us in on what the fuck is going on?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Alucard said.

“Oh come on you two clearly know something we don’t or at least something.”

“Well our Father our shared Father is the Sith Emperor but that is hardly common knowledge. Well was the Sith Emperor, from what I hear Lord Hades has become the Emperor in dear Old Dad’s demise.”

Kaleb sighed, “Well that’s just great, they disappeared with Ben and Harper hours ago. I can only imagine the horrors the siblings are being subjected too.”

“Force sensitive?”

“Yeah, like their Mum.”

“Was she a Jedi or a Sith?”

“Jedi.”

“Then I hope they have her proclivity for the lightside.” Alucard said. “Because there is only one use force sensitives have for the sith.” Alucard’s eyes closed as he tried to think only to feel himself drifting away. He forced himself awake, “No.” He muttered and felt cold sweat forming his brow.

________________________________________________________________

Ignis descended down the ramp of his shuttle watching the Sith near him.

“My Emperor you were gone and in your absence the Empire has grown.”

“Then it is a relief to know that I don’t have to keep my eye upon you all at every moment.” Ignis smiled. “Now then where is he?”

“In the dungeons.”

“Good then bring him to me.”

“Do you? Think that wise my Emperor?”

Ignis gave it a moment before grabbing the man raising him from the ground and letting the lighting course from his hands through the force and the man’s body letting the remains fall as he looked to the ones who remained. “And do you think it wise to question your Emperor? Is this what is learned in my time of absence? Fetch the boy and bring him to me in the Throne room or I will kill you all till I find someone who will.” He still was a dark lord of the Sith the Emperor of the Eternal Sith Throne. He was not to be questioned...

“Yes my Emperor.” They bowed grovelling and hurrying off to where they had been ordered.

Once Ignis had gone Kit exited the spacecraft hurrying through the halls to find his friends. He had, had a most terrible vision and it had been from the young boy named Ben. He had to find them and anyone else who remained, and get them to safety. Hopefully his husband would understand?

________________________________________________________________

“Well this isn’t the welcome home I was expecting.”

“Perhaps because you aren’t welcome,” Ignis was sitting on the throne looking at the young man before him.

“Oh well if that is the case then send me an mine on my way and we will not make the mistake again.”

“I’ve thought of that, but as long as you are alive you are a threat to me, and all I hold dear.”

“This throne?”

“No,” Ignis shook his head leaning forward the Kyber crystal swinging forward. “There are far more precious things worth protecting.”

Alucard swallowed, ah so Ignis was the marrying type.”Like your husband?”

Ignis’ hand went to the Kyber Crystal, “Yes.” He said softly. “There are things worth far more than you in this world.” Ignis moved to stand striding towards Alucard. “Alucard or Clone number 01122103011804. Why yes there have been that many not all reach maturity after all the technology is only recently been available in the last millennium.” He moved passed Alucard brushing him with his shoulder dismissively.

“A clone? No I am his son,” Alucard said. “I have my own thoughts and dreams.”

“Oh yes, he thought it would be fun to see what it would be like to raise a clone of himself from a tender child state, he even made clones of his long dead half siblings, his sisters so you wouldn’t be alone. Then when the right time came he would simply take your body for his own.”

“Why?” Alucard asked him.

“Why?” Ignis turned and looked at him. “Isn’t it obvious? Immortality. to never have to truly fear aging again, to be able to accomplish everything in a never ending lifetime. What more could anyone want? Imagine the level of power one could hold.”

“I don’t want it.” Alucard said. “I don’t want to become him, I won’t.”

________________________________________________________________

Kit hurried through the temple searching out through the force to find Ben and his sister, There! Ahead! Moving up against the wall letting some guards go passed he waited some moments more sneaking off ahead he heard them..

“But if we don’t get out of here Harper, I just want you to know that I love you.” Ben said. “Not that I don’t think we won’t get out of here but I just.��

“We will Ben, I don’t know how but we can’t stop thinking that we won’t,” Harper’s voice was heard to say.

Kit listened for a moment before using the force on the door unlocking it.

“What was that?” Ben asked.

Kit entered and placed a finger to his lips. “Whatever happens I need you to stay silent.”

“You found us?” Ben said excitedly whispering. “Wait how did you? Are you in league with them? Oh right silent.” He closed his mouth.

Kit looked to their chains and brought up his lightsaber cutting them both lose leading them out of the cell. “Follow me.” They walked for a moment before he saw guards approaching and pushed both of them behind himself or at least he thought he had till he saw that only Ben was there, “Harper?”

Ben pointed.

Kit followed the direction gestured and watched as Harper took out both guards taking their weapons from them.

“What I’m not useless.” Harper snapped.

Kit nodded. “No one was ever going to suggest that.”

“Good.” She handed one to Ben.

Kit used the force to send both guards into the cell that Ben and Harper had been in. “Now where are the others being held?”

“Next detention block over.” Ben motioned.

“How do you know?” Harper quirked a brow at her brother.

“They said Detention block Besh this is detention block Aurek,” Ben said as if it were obvious.

Harper ruffled his hair. “You know I forget how good of a listener you can be.”

Kit grinned, “Come on and if we make it through this I’ll teach you both to use the force.”

“Do you mean it?” Ben asked wondering if it would be like last time the Jedi had promised.

Kit smiled. “I never meant to deny you in the first place.”

#Ch.11 A Seduction of the Darkside #SeaCoastCity SWAU #SW:ASD

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years

Text

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 106: Way Up High

David opened his eyes and immediately shot up into a seated position, as it all came crashing back to him.

"Snow…" he breathed, as he rushed to the bars and shook them.

"SNOW!" he cried.

"She's gone, brother," James said dejectedly and he turned to find most of his family in the cell with him, including Hades and Persephone.

"They got you both too?" he asked in confusion and they held up their wrists, showing him the odd black cuffs on their wrists.

"Frollo has been busy in his seclusion. He's used science to craft this device. It suppresses our magic," Hades explained, which floored David, though this was the same man that had created a way to nullify Midas' touch so he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised.

"And Snow?" he asked.

"Gone...he has her," Eli answered, looking deeply troubled. David turned back toward the bars and rattled them again.

"Doing that isn't going to make them magically break and open, genius," James said snidely.

"Oh, I'm sorry...my wife was just carried off by some demonic monster and rational thought isn't exactly in my wheelhouse right now!" David snapped back, as brothers got in each other's faces.

"Losing your mind doesn't save Snow," James growled back, but David pointed at him angrily.

"Don't tell me how I should be reacting to my wife being kidnapped by a madman, who is now half monster!" David shouted back, as Lancelot separated.

"You two coming to blows will solve nothing," he scolded them.

"Yes...it would be quite undignified from two supposed princes," Cora cooed, as she and Leopold appeared outside the cell.

"Where is my wife?" David demanded to know.

"Wife?" Leopold asked with scrutiny.

"You heard me...where is Snow?" David demanded to know and Leopold looked to Eli.

"You let her marry for love, against my advice, and now look at the predicament she is in," he scolded the younger King.

"As opposed to what? Marrying her off to some dirty old man that lusts after beautiful women less than half his age," Eli hissed, as he sided up next to David.

"And just because you were once betrothed to my sister long ago hardly means that you qualify to give me any advice, especially about my daughter," he added.

"All of this is irrelevant. We simply came to pay you a courtesy that you don't deserve," Cora stated coolly.

"You have all been slated for execution and King Arawn will have your sentences carried out at dusk," she announced, as she and Leopold turned to leave. David angrily shook the bars, before stepping back and he began to pace.

"I have to get us out of here...I have to find Snow," he lamented.

"Which will be impossible without my help," another voice said, as a woman in a black dress appeared.

"Regina…" Persephone said, as she went to the bars.

"Are you here to help us?" David asked. She smirked.

"For the right price," Regina responded. He rolled his eyes.

"And what is it that you want from us?" David asked.

"I want many things and if you can help me get those, then maybe we can do business," Regina replied, as she held up an apple.

"Right now, this apple may be what is needed to buy Snow some time, because right now, she's in the clutches of a madman that would think nothing of violating her," she said.

"I know! That's why I need to get out of here and find her!" David responded impatiently.

"Repeating the obvious will get you no where," she chided.

"Thank you...he's really bad about that," James complained.

"Shut up," David sniped at his twin. Persephone put her hand up.

"What do you need from us in order to save my daughter?" she asked.

"First...I need to get rid of my mother and her lecher of a husband," Regina replied.

"Isn't he your father?" James asked.

"No...he's not," she answered.

"So you know…" Hades stated. She nodded.

"I do," she confirmed.

"When you say...get rid of them, what exactly are we talking about? Because if you wanted to kill them, you would have done it already," Hades responded.

"Death is too good for my mother. I want her to suffer for killing Daniel," Regina stated.

"Well...there is Wonderland," Hades muttered.

"Normally I would say that no one deserves that, but this is Cora and Leopold we're talking about so that would work," Persephone agreed, as she turned back.

"We have an enchanted looking glass that is also a portal to Wonderland. You could banish them there and trust me, Wonderland is not for the faint of heart," she offered. Regina seemed intrigued.

"Is that the land of the mythical Jabberwocky and where food can change your size?" Regina questioned.

"One in the same. I can charge the Jabberwocky with the task of tormenting them. I had a hand in her creation, after all," Hades said.

"That's a start," Regina agreed.

"Okay...so how does an apple help the woman I love?" David asked anxiously. Regina smirked.

"It will put her under a sleeping curse once she bites into it," the almost Queen said gleefully.

"What?!" David exclaimed, but his family chided him and urged him to be quiet.

"You're going to put my wife under a sleeping curse?" he hissed in a hush whisper.

"Yes...and then the spell will whisk her away to a secluded place in the forest where she will await true love's kiss...from you," Regina stated.

"Why the theatrics?" Hades questioned and a familiar giggle followed his question.

"Because it's fun," Rumple answered.

"And those theatrics will serve as the final catalyst needed to allow Snow White and her Prince to lead the charge to finally dethrone King Arawn," he added. Regina nodded.

"You'll take your Kingdoms back," she said, gesturing to the twin brothers.

"And I'll have mine," Regina continued.

"And King Arawn?" James asked.

"I'll deal with him personally...after I challenge Zeus for his Throne and take it," Persephone announced, making Rumple giggle gleefully. Hades smirked.

"Then with a true Queen leading the Gods and King Arawn rotting in a prison cell, peace can reign," he added.

"There's just one more thing I require," Regina stated.

"What more could you want?" David asked. She smirked.

"A curse...a curse that I will cast and you will not interfere with," Regina replied.

"A curse…" Persephone said, horrified.

"You can't mean…" Hades continued and Rumple laughed again.

"Yes...the Dark Curse, but if you behave and cooperate, you can all have very good lives under the curse," he added.

"What is he talking about?" David questioned.

"We'll explain later. But without their help, we will be executed and Snow will be in the hands of that monster and his mad King," Hades stated.

"Then do we have a deal?" Rumple asked. Persephone pursed her lips.

"Deal...but you better hold up your end," she warned. He let out another high pitched giggle, as they shook hands.

"Don't worry dearie, your daughter will soon be Queen and she'll remain with her troo wuv under the curse," he promised.

"Well...I'll be off now to curse your wife," Regina goaded, as she disappeared in a puff of violet smoke.

"Are you going to get us out of here now or not?" Hades asked impatiently.

"Yes, yes...first thing is first though," Rumple said, as David disappeared and reappeared outside the cell.

"We need to get you ready for your big moment," the imp stated.

~*~

Snow worked tirelessly with a hairpin on the lock of her cell, but sighed and finally took a break. Her arms ached, as she had been working hours now on trying to pick the lock, but with no success.

"You must save your energy, beautiful Snow...that lock is enchanted and cannot be bypassed," Frollo chided, as she turned and found him staring at her through the bars.

"By the Gods...I didn't think it was possible, but I want you even more now than before," he leered, as he reached through the bars and Snow whimpered, as he put a bony hand around her slender neck, forcing her to look at him.

"Get your hands off me!" Snow growled.

"So very fair...lips so red…" he whispered, as he ran a thumb over her lips.

"I must have you…" he said, as he phased inside the cell and she cried out in fright, as he gripped her arms.

"I thought that no woman could ever tempt me again the way the lovely Esmeralda did. I thought none could be more forbidden than she," he continued.

"But my demon blood is called by yours," he added.

"I am not a demon, you psychopath!" Snow hissed, as she kneed him in the groin. He groaned and fell to his knees, as she rushed to the bars and shook them. But there was no escape.

"I will have you, Snow White!" Frollo growled, as he started to get up and panic began to overwhelm her at the thought of what he meant to do to her.

Suddenly, someone appeared outside the bars in a puff of violet smoke and she was astonished by who it was.

"Regina?" she asked in surprise.

"Hello Snow," she greeted simply.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Offering you a way out of...this," she said, as she looked distastefully at Frollo.

"Oh yes...please help me. He's insane," she pleaded.

"Take a bite of this and all your problems will be solved," Regina offered.

"An apple?" Snow asked in confusion, as Frollo got to his feet. Regina waved her hand and immobilized him with her magic, but noticed it was a struggle.

"I can't hold him long. This apple will leave a very bad taste in your mouth to say the least, but I can promise that one bite will take you far from here and the next time you open your eyes, you'll be looking up at your Charming prince," Regina stated.

"Really?" Snow asked skeptically.

"Truly...oh, and I'll be Queen while my mother will finally be out of my hair at last. It's a win-win for us both," she promised, as Snow stared at the piece of fruit.

"You need to hurry...I can't hold him much longer," Regina stated, as Frollo struggled to get free. Snow took a deep breath and took the apple, before biting into it. She felt herself choke and then unconsciousness overtook her, as she fell to the floor. And Frollo shouted in rage, as the Princess disappeared in a puff of smoke and out of his reach. Regina smirked and disappeared as well.

~*~

As she reappeared in the halls of the dungeon, she saw David double over in pain.

"What have you done? What have you done to Snow?" he cried.

"You feel it?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes!" he cried.

"Relax...she's under the sleeping curse now, but it's far better than what fate awaited her with Frollo," she assured.

"And now it's time," Rumple stated, as there was another puff of magic and when the smoke cleared, it revealed David, dressed in a princely red coat, complete with a white tunic, black leather pants, and boots.

"Now you look the part for your big moment," he stated, as Regina handed his mother's ring to him.

"Why did you take this from Snow?" he demanded to know.

"Because it's enchanted now and she's in the infinite forest. You'll need it to find her. The closer you get, the brighter it will glow," Rumple responded, as he waved his hand and the Prince disappeared.

"What about us?" James asked anxiously, as they heard guards coming.

"Hmm...yes, you all will have your own duties to tend to now. You two will need this," he said, as he handed Hades a potion that would free them from the magic suppressing cuffs. Then, with a wave of Rumple's hand, all of them, including the dwarves, disappeared.

The guards arrived and found empty cells when they did.

"They're gone...inform King Arawn at once!" one of the guards bellowed.

~*~

David reappeared in the middle of a forest and found a white horse awaiting him. The ring on his pinky glowed and he mounted the animal, before setting off in a hurried gallop to find his wife.

The dwarves appeared in the infinite forest and found themselves in a place surrounded by tall trees and a plethora of snowdrops.

"Where the hell are we?" Grumpy questioned.

"Look!" Doc called, as he drew their attention forward. And there, resting in a glass covered coffin, was a sleeping Snow White, dressed in a beautiful white gown. Snow began to fall from the sky, as the seven dwarves began their watch over their Princess.

~*~

Eli, James, and Lancelot appeared back at their camp, and called their small, misfit army to arms.

"Snow White has been put under a sleeping curse!" Lancelot announced, causing commotion to ripple through the ranks.

"As we speak, Prince David is racing through the infinite forest in search of her to awaken her with true love's kiss," he continued.

"King Arawn has cursed the Princess!" they heard some of the young recruits assume and they didn't correct them.

"It is time that King Arawn is dethroned permanently. Spread the word through the villages and let them know that we have the backing of the Gods! The Goddess Persephone will not let this one stand and she will lend her power to us to avenge our daughter!" Eli announced, as they dispersed to rally the people to arms.

"I hope this works," James muttered.

"It will...we must have faith," Lancelot stated.

~*~

Hades and Persephone appeared on Mount Olympus, spying Zeus on his Throne. Flanking that Throne was Deimos and his father Ares. Hephaestus observed nearby from his forge, while the others Gods began to appear, flanking Persephone with Hades. Demeter, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, and Phobos. Aphrodite joined Ares and her son, though she was horrified to see where her precious Phobos was.

"Phobos...what are you doing?" she questioned.

"Choosing the right side, mother…" he stated simply. Off to the side, Hera, Athena, and Hecate appeared, as they were unsurprisingly the neutral parties in all of this. Hera hated her husband, but stopped short of going against him so directly. And Athena always remained neutral, for she had already foretold the outcome and Hecate often remained neutral with her, ready to support her prophecies when they came true.

"You do not want to do this, Persephone…" Zeus warned.

"I assure you that I do…" she replied.

"You will all pay dearly for betraying me," he warned one more time.

"Or perhaps you fear what you know will come to pass...a new Order," Apollo announced, as magic exploded between the Gods and lit up the skies with brilliant colors and lightning.

~*~

David raced forth on his steed, urging the horse as fast as it could run. The ring was steadily getting brighter, as he rode along the dirt path and finally along the seaside road. Snow began to fall from the sky, just as he arrived in the alcove where his wife slept in a glass coffin of all things. Rumpelstiltskin had really employed all the necessary theatrics to make it an incredible story.

He dismounted his horse and rushed forth, where the dwarves kept watch.

"You really think this true love's kiss thing will work?" Grumpy asked gruffly.

"Do you doubt my love for Snow?" David countered with a steely gaze, which made the dwarf relent. No one could refute their love, unless they were just plain daft.

"Then I guess it would be stupid to say that you're too late," Grumpy added.

"It would," David agreed.

"Open it," he demanded, as he leaned down over her and pressed his lips to hers. A wave of rainbow colored magic swept over them all and then washed over the entire land in a brilliant display. Snow took a starved breath of air and looked up, seeing her husband smiling down at her.

"You...you found me," she said, as he helped her sit up.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"Truthfully, being carried off by a demon and the glass coffin gave me pause," she admitted. He chuckled and kissed her again, while caressing her cheek.

"Well, you never have to worry...for I will always find you," he promised, as he helped her to her feet and they strolled along the beach.

"So...what now?" she asked.

"Your mother has gone to challenge Zeus for his power. And your father is with my brother and Lancelot. They're rallying our troops," he replied.

"Then it's time...to take back the Kingdoms," she realized. He nodded, as he followed her gaze in the distance to the magnificent castles across the sea.

"Well, at least we will be doing this like we do everything...together," she said, as she kissed him again.

"Together," he confirmed.

"There is still the matter of the Chernabog though," she reminded.

"Your mother will win power and then she will be able to seal it away again," he said. She nodded and was hopeful that her mother would succeed.

"I love you Snow," he said. She smiled.

"I love you too, Charming," she replied, as their lips met passionately again.

"Come my darling...we'll lead the charge against Arawn's army," he said, as they mounted his horse and took off into the forest.

~*~

Persephone dodged Zeus' lightning bolts, as each one threatened to pummel her and her lavender magic slammed into him, as they engaged in a power struggle. The battle had raged for hours now and they were all weary. She wanted to yield, as every muscle in her body screamed in protest. But she couldn't. She wouldn't, for Snow's future rested upon what happened here. And for her daughter, son-in-law, and subsequently future grandchildren, she would win this day.

"Give it up already, Persephone...you cannot defeat me. The power of the sky is at my beck and call!" Zeus boasted, as lightning and thunder boomed angrily around them.

"Yet you abuse the power of the sky. It did not bestow its power to you so you could strike down those that disagree with you or punish humans for their mistakes! For grievances you yourself commit!" she accused.

"I am Supreme...they are peons, including your half breed spawn," he hissed.

"And once I am done with you, I will send Deimos to capture her and then she will suffer for your betrayal," he promised.

"Snow is innocent! If you keep going after the innocent, then you are not as righteous as you claim! Your evil ways will see that the power of the sky will cease to hear your call!" she announced. He smirked and held out his hand, commanding Hephaestus to give him yet another lightning bolt. The other God reluctantly obeyed, sending another bolt into his hand.

"I'd say the lightning still obeys my call and this one will be your end, Persephone," he called, as he threw the bolt directly at her.

~*~

Hades wearily battled the brute strength of Ares, as blood trickled down his face from the nick he had sustained from the other's blade.

"You never were much of a warrior, Uncle. Honestly, I never expected you to choose the wrong side though," Ares boasted, as he pummeled the other man to the ground. Hades rolled away from his blade and climbed to his feet again. Blue fire came alive in his hand and the tips of his hair, as he fired the attack at Ares, who batted his attack away.

"I'm going to enjoy sending you to one of your own rivers," Ares goaded, as he brought his sword up for the final strike, but he stopped, as they all witnessed a spectacle sight before them…

~*~

Persephone's eyes widened, as she saw the bolt coming straight toward her. She knew if she let it hit her, it would be over. But if she attempted to seize its power, than two things would happen, it would either end her or choose her. And so she stood tall and let the love she felt for her family give her the strength and courage she needed. She jumped up, reaching her hand up and there was an explosion as she made contact with the lightning bolt. Zeus smirked and eagerly waited for the smoke to clear, so he could see her charred body and watch his older brother crumble.

But when the smoke did clear, he frowned, as a figure stood there, glowing with silver light. Persephone's eyes glowed silver and he was horrified to see that his lightning bolt was in her hand. He seethed at that and turned to Hephaestus.

"Another lightning bolt!" he demanded, but the other God did not obey this time.

"I'm sorry...the lightning does not heed your call anymore," the man said in a low voice. His eyes widened and he looked back at Persephone, as she stood tall and looked at the lightning bolt in her hand.

"You did it…" Hades uttered in amazement.

"The sky has chosen a new champion," Athena announced.

"Hmmm...you've been dethroned it would seem," Hera said, not bothering to hide how pleased she was by that.

"N...no! This cannot be happening!" he raged, as he blasted her with a fireball, but she caught it in her hand and it fizzled to nothing.

"It's over brother...you've lost," Hades said smugly.

"And you're enjoying it," Zeus accused.

"Oh...immensely so," Hades confirmed.

"So what now? You kill me? You advocate against such, but you will end me. I never took you for a hypocrite, Persephone," Zeus goaded.

"No...you will live, because I am not like you. But I feel that there are many down on earth that may not be so kind," she replied, confusing him for a moment, as one of his own lightning bolts hit him. He screamed in terror, as he was cast out and plummeted to earth. Another lightning bolt hit Deimos and plunged him to the Earth as well. She prepared to sentence Ares and Aphrodite to the same fates, but they were on their knees in an instant, begging her to spare them.

"Please…" Ares pleaded.

"Our allegiance is to you," Aphrodite claimed.

"You had better not make me regret this...but for Phobos, I'll give you another chance," she declared.

"Thank you...my Queen. You will certainly be a welcome and benevolent ruler," Phobos stated, as they turned their attention down to Earth, where the disgraced Gods were finding out about their new fate.

~*~

Deimos and Zeus got to their feet and found that they felt very differently.

"What...what has she done to us?" Deimos demanded to know.

"She...she took our magic and our immortality!" Zeus cried. Both were horrified by their new, mortal existence and now knew what the new supreme Goddess meant by sentencing them to a fate worse than death…

~*~

King Arawn stared in horror, as his Empire began to collapse around him in a matter of hours. Once his most loyal soldiers had been defeated by Snow and Charming's ragtag band of misfits, that which included an actual werewolf, the rest of his army quickly deflected and abandoned his cause. He had forced many of them into his army and had not inspired the loyalty that Snow White seemed to inspire in her troops. His castle doors boomed, as they burst open. Snow and Charming, along with Prince James, Lancelot, and King Eli stood strong before him.

"This is not your palace, Your Majesty. It belongs to my father and we're here to take back what is ours," Snow announced.

"And will you still stand when Zeus comes to eradicate you, dear Snow?" Arawn challenged.

"Zeus no longer rules the skies," another voice said, as Persephone appeared with Hades beside her and held a lightning bolt in her hand as proof of her claim. King Arawn's eyes widened in surprise.

"You are under arrest for war crimes and genocide...Your Majesty," Eli announced smugly. There was no fleeing for him, as Lancelot was swift to restrain him and he was put in chains. This time, he was the one being led to the dungeon. Snow and David smiled at each other, as they hugged and he spun her around.

"We did it, my love," she whispered.

"We did...together," he said, as he held her close and they relished their long deserved victory together.

~*~

Leopold and Cora hurried through their palace carrying what belongings they could, as they attempted to make a get away. The tide had shifted and they had picked the wrong side. And with Persephone in control, Cora knew she would replace them with her insipid daughter.

"Regina...we must go! Snow and her wretched prince have taken the Kingdom!" Cora urged.

"King Arawn has been captured," Leopold added.

"Yes...I know. You've been replaced," Regina stated.

"Yes...it is likely that Persephone will put her daughter on our Throne," Cora said. But Regina smirked.

"No...you've both been replaced...by me," the younger woman stated, as her lips curled into a devious smirk.

"What?" Cora questioned.

"You...you freed them, didn't you?" she asked her daughter.

"I did," Regina confirmed.

"You...you betrayed us! Our own daughter!" Leopold cried in outrage.

"You are not my father," Regina stated, as Henry appeared behind them and pulled a sheet away from a looking glass for her.

"Now...you'll either walk through that looking glass to a realm you'll never return from...or I deliver you to Persephone's feet," she commanded.

"Regina...please don't do this," Cora pleaded.

"You ruined my life…" Regina growled.

"You killed Daniel and destroyed any chance at happiness I ever had!" she ranted.

"So now...turn about is fair play, mother. I banish you to a place where you will spend your days knowing nothing but what you fear most. Being powerless…" Regina stated.

"Regina please…" Cora pleaded, but her daughter gave her a violent shove and she was pushed through the looking glass.

"Follow her or Hades and King Eli will have you, as will Snow's husband. And I doubt you'll enjoy that. Go through that looking glass and you might have a fighting chance," Regina stated. Leopold, looking absolutely terrified, took the opportunity she was giving him and followed Cora through the looking glass.

~*~

"Wow...they won. And I mean really won this time," Emma said, as hope filled her voice. But the look on Athena's face was not one of optimism.

"What? This is good, right? Maybe this will be better, especially if there is still a curse," Emma said.

"My parents and I will stay together, even if we have different identities and they don't remember everything. And then...I'll still break the curse and possibly meet Neal…" she continued.

"I'm afraid it's not over Emma and it may not go the way it seems it will now," Athena said vaguely. Emma frowned and continued to watch. Based on what she knew about the time line, it was probable that her mother was already pregnant with her and just didn't know it yet. And that meant her time to make a decision was dwindling fast.

"I want to watch a bit longer, but if it goes bad...then I know what my decision will be," she decided gravely...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #AU #Rumbelle #Swanfire #HadesxPersephone #greek mythology meets farytales #romance #adventure #family #Dreaming out loud

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