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Thanatos dons his boots before he grabs his bag, the thermos of pom porridge from Eurydice’ cafe already snug inside as he pulls on his black rain slicker over his sweater.
The moon is full in the sky, so bright it’s like sunshine, and Thanatos wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Chthonics have run this lighthouse for generations, they all know exactly the times they need to run the big bulb to guide ships home carefully.
And Thanatos knows exactly when he’s supposed to run down to the dock.
First day of every week, unless one of them was busy (which was more often then either of them would like to admit) when the moon was rising.
His boots thudded against the wood as he dashed to the end of the dock, so fast he could have teleported, sitting down so his feet hung off the edge. Now, to wait.
He didn’t have to wait long, golden eyes zeroing in on the glimmer of reds, oranges, and yellows that glowed like a bonfire on the beach.
Breaking the surface is a merman, and Thanatos can’t help but smile.
“Hey Than! I got here as fast as I could!” The merman has red fins that spike out from his head almost as much as his black hair does, a string of multicolored kelp in his hair to match his tail of fire.
“You’re right on time, Zag,” Thanatos leans down as Zagreus propels himself out of the water to gently kiss him on the lips. He’s always dripping wet, and he does his best to not drip all over Thanatos’ jeans.
“Oh! Before I forget,” Zagreus is wearing a pouch around his waist, and he digs inside for a second, “I got you a gift.”
“Zagreus, you really don’t have to,” Thanatos said rather sternly, but he’s smiling. He has an entire shelf of the oddities that Zagreus has given him, everything from the biggest shell he’s ever seen, to old glass buoys from fishing vessels all the way in Japan.
“You know I did,” Zagreus deposited something in Thanatos’ hand.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, Zag,” Thanatos holds up the little necklace. It’s golden, and the charm is a red carved tail… wait, “Zagreus, is this made out of your scales??”
“Sure is!! They’re like gemstones,” Zagreus is beaming as Thanatos puts on the necklace, letting it sit atop his clothes.
“You didn’t have to pluck them, did you?”
“No, no, I just molted,” Zagreus assured him. They both knew from childhood experience that scraped scales hurt, “I contracted this little piece to be made with them.”
“I love it,” Thanatos means it, from the bottom of his heart, “I have some of your favorite food, too.”
“Pom porridge??” Zagreus’ eyes light up even brighter (one red and black, the other green, and oddly human).
“Eurydice made a fresh batch,” Thanatos handed him the thermos and a spoon.
“Tell me what you’ve been up to while I eat!” Zagreus said with a spoonful already halfway to his mouth.
They’ve been doing this since they were children. Zagreus was still young enough to stay close to shore, and Thanatos had been small enough to slip away from his mother to go play in the tide pools.
He had spotted Zagreus as he darted between the rocks, and foolishly went right in after him, small limbs suddenly realizing he was hardly prepared to swim in the ocean.
But Zagreus had safely dragged him to shore before anything could happen, little face pressed up to Thanatos’ demanding he be ok, and they had more or less been friends ever since.
Now, both had responsibilities, obligations to their parents (Zagreus was a skilled hunter, as well as protecting his waters from overzealous sailors, and Thanatos ran the lighthouse) but they still made time for each other, every single time.
It was Thanatos who had made the first move, technically.
They had been swimming offshore in the summer, and Zagreus had dove down to grab a huge vase that had fallen into the ocean. He held his prize like a trophy, and Thanatos had just been so taken with how happy he looked.
Thanatos had then spent the next minute panicking internally that he might have ruined everything, until Zagreus had kissed him back, his tail wrapping around Thanatos.
Ever since then, they had always, always met up, making sure they knew exactly when to expect each other.
Zagreus had never been late, until now.
Thanatos found himself worrying at the pendant he now wore all the time, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger, staring out into the distance. He had been sitting out for so long his back had gone stiff, hurting when he cracked it.
He knew he should go to bed… staring out into the sea wasn’t doing anyone any favors.
Thanatos had his hood pulled up against the rain the next day. He didn't go inside until Charon came to get him.
The next day he brought a blanket out with him, at least it wasn’t raining anymore.
“He fell outside out there??” Hypnos said from the house, face smushed up against the glass. Charon grunted in reply.
“What a weirdo. Think I should get him?”
Charon shrugged.
Hypnos went out to get him, a puffy red jacket pulled close to his body.
“Than, bro, get up,” Hypnos nudged his twin with his foot. He had fallen asleep on the dock, which was definitely not comfortable, “Please?”
“Leave me be, Hypnos.”
“Nah, come inside before you catch something. Can’t wait like a wife who’s husband is at sea if you catch pneumonia and die.”
That got Thanatos up, grumbling.
It's on the fourth night that Thanatos finally, finally catches a glimpse of that fiery red he’s been waiting for.
He sucks in a breath as Zagreus surfaces, scrambling forward on the dock.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Than,” Zagreus’ voice is hoarse, and he looks like an utter mess. Part of his temple fins are gone, and there’s a dull glaze to his eyes, not to mention the slimy bandages on his arm. And that's only what Thanatos can see!
“God lord, Zag, what happened to you?! Wait here, I’m coming down to you,” Thanatos is already moving, running to the side of the dock where the beach is, jumping down and landing in soft sand.
Zagreus paddles to meet him, essentially beaching himself on an outcropping of rocks that Thanatos sits down in so he’s settled in the man’s lap.
“Poachers, they found us while hunting…” Zagreus looks so, so tired, “We didn’t lose anyone, but I got caught in a net, they tried to haul me up like a great big fish.”
Thanatos clenches his hand into a fist, pulling him even closer, “That’s horrible…” it's so much more than that, but it’s all he can manage.
“Luckily Achilles was there, or I would have been a goner,” Zagreus laughs but there’s not much humor to it, his tail lazily stirring up the water, “He was so mad I thought he was going to capsize the boat.”
“He should have,” Thanatos spat with unbecoming vitriol.
“They were saying how they’d make a fortune off of me,” Zagreus is holding tight to Thanatos’ arms so he won’t go anywhere, “merpeople are in high demand.”
Thanatos’ blood ran cold at that and he buried his face in Zagreus’ hair, “Are you going to be alright?”
“Yeah, yeah I definitely will be. All bandaged up and I can swim just fine. It was a struggle just to get away for long enough to see you.”
“I wish I could do more to help you…” Thanatos mumbled into Zagreus’ scalp.
“You being here is more than enough,” Zagreus responded automatically, and they both know it’s true. He’ll always be here for Zagreus, sitting out on the dock and staring into the water.