Chapter Text
Zagreus loved pretty things.
When he was younger, it was easier to curb this urge by collecting the rare precious gem stone his father would accidentally drop, or by staring into Nyx’s hair. It was an urge not many knew about, and he honestly couldn’t blame them- the prince, who loved to argue and shout and fight, loves beauty? Did Aphrodite send a curse or something?
Zagreus didn’t care whether people knew about it or not, except there was a certain… consequence to this behavior. A certain obsessive consequence. One that, at a certain point, had the potential to destroy everything he held dear.
The first time it happened was when he was younger, at the start of adolescence. He had found a diamond his father had made in the shape of some animal- Zagreus didn’t know which one, only that it was an animal thanks to Than’s help- and decided it needed to stay with him every second, every day. He took it with him everywhere, staring at the way the colors shifted in the light for hours. It got so bad he would spend days in a trance, quietly staring at the diamond and ignoring the outside world.
It only stopped when even his father noticed what he was doing, the House having been relatively quiet for a week at that point due to Zagreus’ fixation. That was probably the last memory Zagreus had of his father genuinely caring for him, gently plucking the diamond out of his hands to replace it with a gem that didn’t hold the same charm as the diamond, yet satisfied him nonetheless.
That was, perhaps, the most innocent case. Thankfully, after a nearly violent one took place involving a shade and several piles of gold, he became Achilles’ student and learned how to control himself, and it had been many years since he had felt the stirrings to obsess, fixate, immortalize . Truthfully, he was quite happy to not feel them that often; while they weren’t upsetting emotions (they often left him the most peaceful he had ever felt), they tended to lead him into a direction that he’d rather not follow, thank you very much.
But they had returned with a vengeance, and on quite possibly the worst possible subject: Thanatos.
His olive skin, paired with shortish hair the color of stars and eyes the color of nectar. The way his voice sounded when he spoke Zagreus’ name like he was a higher being than Chaos. How soft his skin was when they would briefly brush each other as they fought, his body a whirlwind of subtle raw power and magic.
In short, Thanatos was beautiful. And oh, did Zagreus love beautiful things.
Currently, the two were competing in Elysium, Zagreus dishing out damage with Varantha as the god of death killed with a snap of his fingers. It was a stunning day in paradise, the blue-green hues accented by the occasional (peaceful) butterfly. And yet, despite the acres of gorgeous nature around him, he could only keep his eyes on his best friend.
There was a certain finality in death, the prince decided as he absentmindedly killed another Splitter, that attracted him. Maybe it was the timelessness of the concept, or the universal truth mortals feared so much- Death approaches, no matter what. The bell will ring, regardless of what happens, and Death will come, scythe in hand to reap the field of souls. It was powerful, a concept unmatched in terms of logic and thought, and divine.
Zagreus loved it. Zagreus loved him .
He knew it was bad. He knew his relationship with Than was on thin ice, close to breaking with one wrong move. But how could he resist? Than was gentle, kind, hardworking, strong, beautiful. Zagreus wanted to take him far away and lock him up, seal his body in gold so he could be remembered forever and ever and be worshipped forever and ever because Than was beautiful and beautiful things deserved to be worshipped forever and ever-
Oh gods, Zagreus thought to himself. What am I going to do now?
“Zag?” Than frowned worriedly and Zagreus scrambled to reply, too caught up in his thoughts to pay attention.
“Yes?”
“Are you okay? You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine, don’t worry. The hydra got me a little too good.” Zagreus hoped his smile didn’t betray the panic he felt as the obsession he tried so hard to lock away grew bigger when the other god looked even less convinced. He mentally sighed in bliss, feeling Than’s gaze focused on him and only him.
“If you’re quite sure, I guess.” Thanatos turned, prepared to shift away. “Work calls. I must leave.”
“Wait!” The son of Hades panicked, reaching out and clutching the other’s hand. Thanatos started, turning around to look at his best friend with wide eyes. Zagreus wilted at his gaze, struggling to reply. “W-will I see you again soon?”
Thanatos relaxed, relieved that it wasn’t anything too serious. “Hopefully, yes. Now, if you will excuse me.” He shifted away, leaving his customary centaur heart behind.
Zagreus sighed, staring at his hand as the warmth of the other god slowly started to leave him, “Cheers, mate.” Dear gods, he was whipped.
It was only a few hours later, after being beaten by that damn king again and winding up back at zero, that Zagreus was confronted with those feelings again. Thanatos was delivering a report to his father, who was actually looking somewhat pleased with his worker (and wasn’t that a concept, Zagreus thought humorously). Than hadn’t noticed him yet, too engrossed in looking at reading something off of a piece of parchment. Zagreus immediately noticed the way his face was settled into a somewhat indifferent expression, just enough to show respect to the King of the Underworld to get away with it. Zagreus was too caught up in the way his pale eyelashes brushed against his face as he read off of the parchment to notice Hypnos’ commentary on his latest death.
“Wow, beaten again by the champion, I’m sure you’ll get him soon. A small stab wound to the heart, ouch. Think you can get me an autograph?” Hypnos smiled lazily at the prince, the smile slowly fading the longer the prince ignored him. “Uh, hello?”
Zagreus blinked, shaking himself out of his stupor. “Ah, yes, of course, I’ll get it,” he mumbled distractedly. He walked away, a faint blush staining his features.
Hypnos, who was used to it at this point, looked toward the direction Zagreus was focused on, only seeing his brother still talking to the king. An idea went off in his head and he narrowed his eyes, a scheming look to his face. “I wonder…”