Chapter Text
When Zagreus gets back to the House, he finds Hypnos at his usual workplace, fast asleep. When Zagreus hesitantly approaches him, trying to find words to explain that he wants him to come teach an otherworldly cosmic entity to sleep, the guy doesn’t even stir.
Zag just stands there, watching his friend’s peaceful face. Hypnos always looks kind of young; Zagreus finds it kind of hard to believe that he and Thanatos are twins - but sleeping, he looks almost like a child, innocent and vulnerable. Zagreus touches his shoulder carefully, hesitantly, but promptly retreats. He doesn’t want to wake him.
In fact, he realizes he doesn’t want to involve Hypnos at all.
What if the Empty decides they want the peacefulness of his sleep all for themself? Zagreus won’t be able to do anything about it. What if Jack’s spell fails again? It won’t be just Zag’s life at stake; his own life he can risk. He can’t risk his friend’s.
He’ll have to find another way.
He tries to seek out Castiel, in hopes of getting a piece of advice, but the Shade, once again, is nowhere to be seen. Probably for the best; Zag is so close to getting Castiel out; if the Shade finds out how close they got, and then Zagreus fails at the very last moment, the disappointment will be way too painful. It’s better to wait until everything is done, Zagreus muses. If Castiel had any more advice about the Empty, he would have offered it already, anyway.
Zagreus grabs a fish tart from the kitchen and retreats to his room. He needs to think.
---
Some hours later — whatever, no one can tell what time it is down here — Thanatos finds him still in his room, buried under a pile of blankets. Fresh brilliant ideas on how to deal with the Empty without involving Hypnos do not come, so Zagreus distracts himself with a particularly engaging book. Just because he can. An hour or two won’t make much of a difference, anyway.
Thanatos gently takes the book from Zag’s hands and puts it on the pillow. “So, I take it, your visit to the Empty didn’t go well?” He asks.
The soft consolatory kiss he gives Zagreus is so sweet and gentle that Zag briefly considers pretending to be more upset than he actually is.
“It went great,” he confesses eventually, but not before he gets Than to climb under the blankets with him. The distraction is even better than the book; Zag wishes he could stay this way forever.
Still, he does have stuff to do. A couple of worlds to save.
“Oh, did it?” Than asks. “Is that why you’re hiding over here, so engaged in a book of poetry? I know for a fact that you’ve known all the verses by heart since you were a mere child. Because you read it every time you’re upset.”
Zag grabs his book and hugs it to his chest. “So what, I love it. It makes me feel better!”
Thanatos smiles. “I know. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Just— can you tell me what’s wrong? Maybe I can help? If it’s not the Empty, what is it?”
Zagreus tells him, of course he does.
“Wait, let me get this straight,” Than says after Zag finishes talking. “You discovered a way to help Castiel, and not only is it easy, fast and effective, but it also frees a lot of other beings who have been trapped in that terrible place. And you say you want to give up on all of it because you, what, don’t want to wake my brother?”
Well, maybe Zagreus wasn’t very coherent in his explanation.
“I don’t want to put him in danger,” he mumbles so quietly he barely hears it himself.
“Danger?” Than frowns. “What do you mean? What are you not telling me?”
Not telling him? “Nothing! You know everything! He’s your brother, I’d never lie to you about him!”
Than frown gets deeper, just a little. “Why do you think he’d be in danger, then?”
“You saw how the Empty is! What if they like him too much? He’s got the one thing they want, what if they decide to keep him? What if I can’t stop them from holding him there? What if he stays in the Empty, forever, and there’s nothing I can do to help?”
“Zag. Zag, stop it, it’s okay,” Than tells him, “it’s all right. You’re overthinking.”
Is he? Zagreus looks at Than. Than smiles. Actually really smiles, not a sad smile or a mocking one, just a real relieved smile. It’s nothing if not persuasive.
“You’re overthinking it,” he says again. “I got you out, remember?”
Zagreus nods. But what if—
“I got you out, and it wasn’t even hard. And it would be even easier with Hypnos. He’s my twin. I can sense him, in a way. I can find him anywhere, get him out of any mess. I’ve done it before, remember?”
Getting Hypnos out of a magma pool (or six) when they were kids is hardly the same as saving him from a sleep-deprived cosmic entity. Zag tells Than as much.
“No, not the same, it’s actually easier,” Than says. “He won’t be in this universe. I’ll feel the pull to get to him, all the time until he’s back. And it’s significantly less hot out there.” He smiles again.
Zagreus knows he should feel more relieved than he does. “Okay,” he says. “But can we try to look for another way, anyway? I’m sure there should be one that doesn’t put Hypnos in danger.”
“Zag. I’m telling you. Hypnos is not in danger of anything other than sleeping through the entire experience others would find amazing. He’ll get to save the world, he’ll be over the moon!”
That’s true. Hypnos will probably talk about it for decades after, longer even if Than spares a praise or two. Zagreus nods.
“So, when are you two going?” Than asks.
“I’ll have to talk to Hypnos. Whenever he’s ready,” Zag says. Even as he says it, he discovers a strange thing: he really, really wants for Hypnos to not be ready. He wishes he refuses to go. He wants—
“What is it?” Than asks. “More arguments on how my brother is in danger?”
Zag shakes his head. “This will close the door between dimensions forever, won’t it?” he asks.
Than gives him a long look. “I’m not sure. Probably. That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?”
“The point is getting Castiel back home, his presence here damages the fabric of the universe,” Zag says. He doesn’t really understand it, but that’s what Chaos said.
“Oh.” Than says.
“What?”
“You’re going to miss them. Castiel, and his friends in that strange place.” That’s not really a question.
“I think I already miss them,” Zagreus admits. “I don’t have all that many friends. You, Hypnos, Dusa, maybe Meg sometimes— I’m really trying to make friends with the Olympians, but—” he isn’t sure they will like him very much when they discover he’s not really planning to join them up there.
Than hugs him tighter and kisses his forehead. “I’m sorry,” he says. “They must be really nice people if you like them so much.”
Zag hasn’t met many people who aren’t nice. His father, of course. Meg’s sisters, occasionally. Theseus, certainly. Everyone else he knows is nice.
He thinks of the day Dean and Sam took him to the surface and showed him the lake. Of the way pizza and beer taste; he thinks he might even miss the nasty sensation beer leaves on his tongue. He thinks of the way Castiel listens without interrupting, the way Dean interrupts when he gets impatient, and the way Jack and Sam are kind of in-between, each in their own way. The Empty is angry and unkind, at times, but Zagreus thinks he’s going to miss them, too, just a little. They’re hurt; they might get kinder when they get more sleep. He wishes he could see that.
Then he thinks of the look on Castiel’s face when he learned about Dean’s thoughtless (or, probably, way too overthought, is that even a word) words. He thinks of how, despite all the pain they caused him, he still wants to get back to his family. He thinks of how Dean is obviously willing to give anything, everything, to make sure Castiel is alive and well; Dean needs at least a chance to make things right with Castiel, and the Shade deserves that, too. Jack needs his father back, and Sam probably misses his friend much more than Zagreus would ever miss any one of them.
“They’re nice,” he says at last. “I’m going to miss them very much. But your mother would be very disappointed in me if I don’t do this right now.”
Than smiles. “She’ll also be very proud when you succeed.”
Zagreus pulls Than into another kiss and then puts all of his newfound determination to good use: getting up from under those blankets.
---
Hypnos is overjoyed.
“You want my help?” He asks for what feels like the tenth time. “My help? To save the world?”
“As long as you don’t get yourself killed in the process,” Thanatos mumbles.
“Aww,” Hypnos says, even more excited. “You care about me!”
“I have work to do,” Than says, and vanishes, leaving Zagreus to explain the entire thing.
Hypnos manages to stay awake through the entire explanation. At least, Zag is pretty sure he does; he nods at all the appropriate moments and even reassures Zagreus that Nyx’s mirror should work for both of them no problem; that’s a bit of a relief.
It does, indeed, work for Hypnos just as well as it does for Zagreus. Zagreus makes sure to top him off on Death Defiances, just in case, and, no matter how much Hypnos whines that he really, really likes the bow, he makes him pick up the shield. There’s no way he misses a single opportunity to prevent his friend from getting hurt.
---
It’s Zag’s fault, a little bit: he got slightly distracted by the wretches and left Hypnos to his devices for probably a minute. In his defence, he sort of believed Hypnos’s theoretical knowledge of the Underworld would translate into practical slightly better than it actually did.
As it is, Hypnos loses his first Death Defiance to a Spike Trap, in the very first chamber of their journey.
“Have you tried not standing there when the spikes come out?” Zagreus can’t help but say. It’s not that he wants to get back at Hypnos for all of his helpful advice, it’s just— he does. A little bit.
“I have!” Hypnos complains, obviously oblivious to the pun Zag was trying to make. “I got distracted!”
Good thing Nyx’s mirror worked for both of them. They stacked up on Death Defiances there, and Hypnos still has a couple to spare. They’ll buy more when they can.
He pulls Hypnos out of a Dart Trap at the very last moment, only to land on his ass into a landmine himself. It doesn’t cost him much health, but Hypnos laughs with the cheer worthy of a person who never made a single misstep in his life.
“Is that all the gratitude I’m getting for saving your ass?” Zagreus complains, while shattering the last of the Brimstones with his sword.
Hypnos salutes him with the shield. He’s not even holding it right.
---
“So, I’ve figured it all out,” Jack says when they reach his Boon. “Just get everyone out, and I’ll sort the rest. The people on Dean’s list will come through with you, and the rest will go to Purgatory for now.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Zag agrees.
---
“Is she always this bad?” Hypnos asks him after they’ve passed Meg. Surprisingly, they survived Tartarus.
“Oh, no,” Zag answers truthfully. “She has a soft spot for you. We got off easily.”
“Ouch.”
“I’m considering taking you with me every time. Just to pass Meg, if nothing else.”
“Please, don’t!” Hypnos yelps, but quickly amends, “It’s not that I’m not enjoying this. But I’m sure you can handle it just fine, and I don’t want to take any fun away from you.”
“I bet you don’t,” Zag says. “Here, drink up,” he points to the fountain. “I’ll go browse what your brother has for us in the Well.”
They barely have the coin for a Death Defiance for Hypnos, but Zag buys it, anyway. Better safe than sorry.
Good thing he did, he discovers shortly after, fishing Hypnos out of a lava pool. The guy fell asleep. Right there in the lava. Two Death Defiances, gone before Zag even realised what was happening.
After that, all the way through Asphodel, Zag makes a point of finding Hypnos a bench to doze off on, before engaging the enemies. The shield makes for a poor blanket, but at least, protects the sleeping god from an odd projectile or two.
Meg is not the only lady with a soft spot for Hypnos. Euridice is overjoyed for having another guest to sample her cooking. Hypnos overindulges quite a bit, and sleeps even faster after that - all through the journey on the Barge of the Dead he doesn’t wake up once, not even through the loudest of explosions.
Hypnos doesn’t seem to even have noticed Lernie, sleeping all the way through the battle, but as soon as they’re out in Elysium, he seems—
It’s like he’s a completely different person.
In the very first fight of the realm, he stands behind Zagreus as he disposes of some wretches, and for a second there Zagreus thinks he’s hiding behind his back- but then he hears a loud thud, and turns around.
His companion slammed one of the shielded wretches with his own shield, on the head, and knocked it out. Not quite killed just yet, but he’s getting there. Zagreus watches, fascinated, as Hypnos disposes of the enemy, and then another one, and another one. They aren’t the hardest foes to kill, granted, and Hypnos is handling them surprisingly well, and looks more confident with every next one.
Zagreus almost misses a hit from behind - that’s how enthralled he is with the sudden change. He’s not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he gets to work, too, covering his friend’s back.
“You’ve done great,” Zag praises when they’ve cleared the room in record time.
“Did I?” Hypnos asks. “I’m not sure I’m doing it right.”
He isn’t, not really, but he’s efficient enough, and Zagreus tells him as much.
“What am I doing wrong?” Hypnos asks.
Zagreus shows him the correct grip on the shield and a couple of moves. He’d rather Hypnos had listened when they had the chance to practice with Skelly, but better late than never.
“Try to stay close to me, keep your back to mine,” he instructs. “It’s safer that way.”
“Got it!” Hypnos promises.
He really has. The next room is empty even faster than the first one.
“Why do they sound like cats?” Hypnos asks during the third fight. “They aren’t supposed to be cats, I don’t think.”
“Who sounds like what?” Zag asks. He has no idea what he’s talking about.
“Those little chariots. They mew. Like cats. Listen.”
The chariots wheeze.
“Hear?” Hypnos says. “Cats!”
Zagreus thinks he knows what a ‘cat’ is. It’s an animal humans keep as pets. He thinks he saw one at the bunker- ah. No. That was a dog.
“I’ve never seen a cat,” he says.
“Neither have I,” Hypnos admits. “But sometimes humans dream of them, and I can see them in their dreams. That’s what they sound sometimes.”
Pretty soon the cat-sounding chariots are no more.
Thanatos, when he arrives a few chambers later, is impressed. “I see you’re a fast learner, brother,” he says.
“Just doing my best,” Hypnos replies, going for nonchalance, but still visibly bursting with pride. “Zagreus is a very good teacher!”
“Oh, is he?” Thanatos sounds offensively doubtful.
Zagreus could demand some respect, but opts for letting the brothers bond at his expense. It’s a rare occurrence, the two of them talking so freely, and Zag’s pride can take a hit or two for that.
---
“I can see you have brought a friend this time!” Asterius booms.
“Eh, hi,” Hypnos says, suddenly cowering with obvious embarrassment. “I’m Hypnos! It is a pleasure to meet you! I’m your biggest fan!”
Zagreus begins to suspect the reason for the sudden interest in martial arts.
“Ah, Hypnos,” the Minotaus says. “I have heard about you! Did you come here to offer me a fair fight?”
“As fair as can be, considering,” Zag mutters.
He steps aside, anyway. If Hypnos wants to try and impress his celebrity crush, who is Zagreus to stand in the way? He doesn’t join in until an express invitation, which doesn’t come until Hypnos loses a Death Defiance. That appears to be enough for the Minotaur to decide Hypnos has proven his worth.
Together Zag and Hypnos deal with Asterius with surprising ease, to utter satisfaction to all parties involved. “While still weaker than your friend, you do show a lot of promise,” the Minotaur tells Hypnos. “I’m glad to have made your acquaintance. I shall see you again soon.”
Hypnos barely masters something barely resembling an agreement. Zagreus does his best to keep a straight face.
Lucky for them, they find Patroclus two chambers later. They get Hypnos the Kiss of Styx, and Zagreus breathes a bit easier.
That is, until they get to the final chamber, and, inevitably, Theseus.
The asshole has the audacity to accuse Zagreus of cheating for bringing a friend with him. “Look at the monster, Asterius!” He says. “He’s so terrified of facing us on his own, he has brought a companion! Such dishonorable cowardness! It shall not help you, monster!”
“Don’t spare them another thought, my king,” Asterius says, “for they are unworthy of it.”
Zagreus is sure he can hear his friend’s heart break.
For that alone, he discharges the Colt straight into the asshole’s face. For once, it works.
Hypnos barely needs any help dealing with Asterius this time. “You are...swiftly improving,” the Munotaur says as he dies, and just like that, Hypnos is back to his usual cheerful self.
They reach the gates with a good amount of Death Defiances between them. Zagreus is proud to say he barely hesitates before moving on — and if he grabs Hypnos’s hand probably a little bit too tight, that’s nobody’s business.
---
Unlike the previous times, Zagreus doesn’t have to yell to get the Empty’s attention. Quite the contrary; when he arrives to the place, still holding on to his friend’s hand for dear life (he isn’t letting go, thank you very much), his double is right there, waiting for him.
“Do you have news for me?” They ask without a greeting.
“I’ve got something much better,” Zagreys promises and waves their joined hands in front of their face. “This is Hypnos. He can help you sleep. Once and for all.”
“Hi, Hypnos,” the Empty says.
Hypnos shivers a little. “Hi,” he says. “You look a bit like Zagreus, don’t you?”
The Empty grins with Zag’s grin. “I have to look like someone, don’t I?”
Hypnos shrugs.
“So, you can help me sleep? So well that no one will wake me again?”
Hypnos hesitates a little. “Well, maybe not that well,” he says. “I’m not my brother, after all. I don’t do death, and sleep is a bit less permanent.”
“Which is why I’ve talked to Jack,” Zagreus chimes in before the Empty has the chance to get angry. “He says he can take the dead creatures from you, permanently.”
The Empty tilts their head and gives him a distrusting look. “How many of them? I think I can think of a list of a couple of hundred loudest—”
“All of them,” Zag tells them. “Each and every one.”
The expression on the Empty’s copied face is hard to read.
“I mean, unless you need some of them to not get bored, I guess, in which case we’ll need to talk to Jack again, to figure out which ones you want to keep and if he’s okay with that which—”
“No!” The empty says, perhaps a little too loudly. “No, I won’t need that. What do you want in return?”
“You know I want Castiel’s deal,” Zag reminds them. “That’s what this is all about, to begin with.”
“And what about Jack? What does he want from me?”
Zagreus isn’t sure how to answer that. “I’m pretty sure he wants Castiel, too. And some of the creatures you’re holding, I guess?..”
“And he would deal with the entire plethora of them just to get those ‘some’ creatures?”
“I guess?.. I mean, I don’t think he needs to sleep all the time. So, they won’t be as hurtful to him as they are to you, right? And also, I think he made a special place for them. A ‘purgatory’?”
The Empty nods. Suddenly they look very, very tired; more tired than Hypnos looks after an entire day of work. Zag thinks they probably would have argued more, if not for this painfully obvious exhaustion.
“Fine, then,” they say. “Where do you want them?”
“Just release them wherever,” Zag says, just like Jack told him. “Jack will do the rest.”
“They’ll be free as soon as I fall asleep. I hope your Winchester friends don’t mind crowds.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Zag says.
“So, what are you waiting for?” The Empty demands impatiently, looking at Hypnos. “I need sleep!”
Hypnos hesitates for a second.
“Can you, uh, I mean, is this the only face you can use?” He asks. “Can you maybe get another one? Not that I won’t help if you don’t, it’s just— can you?”
“But of course,” the Empty says. A moment — and instead of Zag’s twin there’s a copy of Hypnos himself, complete with Zag’s shield.
Hypnos shudders. “Any— other options? Please?”
The Empty grins with Hypnos’s lips and turns into Thanatos.
Hypnos chokes. “I hate to sound picky, but—”
“They’re messing with you, Hypnos,” Zag says. “Just ignore it.”
“Sure,” Hypnos says. He doesn’t sound very sure. “Let’s do this.” He takes a deep breath and doesn’t move an inch.
“Are all of you gods so picky?” The Empty says in Zag’s voice. While still wearing Than’s face; that’s more than a little disconcerting.
“Not really,” Zag replies. “He just doesn’t really like me. Or his brother.”
Hypnos glares.
“Fine, can we get on with it?” The Empty demands. “I’m tired.” Finally, they turn into a woman Zagreus has never met. “Chop-chop!”
The woman is shorter than Hypnos, and rather good-looking by a lot of standards. Zagreus is pretty sure anyone who isn’t Zag, Than or himself would do for Hypnos, though.
Hypnos takes a hesitant half-step and touches the Empty’s lips with his own. It’s not even a deep kiss, just a long one; lips on lips for a second, two, three, ten, a minute— the empty’s eyes close, slowly, and then as they’re about to fall Hypnos moves to try and catch them with his free arm— and they vanish.
There’s just Hypnos and Zagreus, and the dark emptiness around them.
Zagreus is still not letting go of his hand. Not an option until they’re free.