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One. Two. Three.
Coins clinked evenly, methodically as Charon counted his earnings for the day. His shop had been rather busy due to Zagreus’ various attempts to bust out of the Underworld, unfortunately all ending with him in the River Styx rather than on the surface. He would make it up there…eventually. He was sure of it.
Four. Five. Six.
He was in his vault, also known as his private living quarters or, as some might simply call it, his ‘bedroom.’ The walls were lined with shelves filled with his treasures, all unique in their own right, whereas shimmering piles of gold, exotic pottery filled with jewels and luxurious fabrics sat upon the floor in large piles. There was a method to his madness when it came to his organization, similar to that of legendary dragons with their hoards. And, as any collector such as himself would do, Charon frequently took stock of his precious belongings.
Seven. Eight. Nine.
Though his most cherished treasure was not currently here, instead away on business.
Charon sighed. Damn Zeus and his empty tokens of love occupying his little treasure's time.
Ten. Eleven. Twelve.
It was as he counted his earnings that he found himself reminiscing about his treasure — his lover, Hermes. The messenger of the gods, god of various sectors of life that ranged wildly from commerce to fertility. It had been many a century since he had first encountered his little golden messenger, freshly recruited to help his younger brother guide the souls of the dead to the Underworld so he could ferry them to their new…homes. Dwellings.
Prisons.
Charon shrugged. Shades had many names for the Underworld, and each Shade had their own destination. But he didn’t care to think about them right now.
Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.
No, he cared to think about his love, his little bird. Over the countless experiences they had shared, the unlikely pair had formed a lasting friendship that soon morphed to love unlike anything Charon had ever experienced. No one had ever dared to court the boatman of the Underworld in his entire existence, many fearful of him instead, and yet this golden ray of sunshine from Olympus had managed to worm his way into his heart...and even more unbelievable, he had wormed his way into his. Truly, the Fates had been kind.
Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen.
Gifts were exchanged, feelings were expressed. A language of love, unique to them only, was formed between them and shared intimately. The boatman found himself enjoying the everyday more, feeling refreshed by the precious god that brought both the expected and unexpected into their daily schedules. He found himself taking more breaks, enjoying new experiences and indulging himself in many more...pleasures.
Spacing out for a long moment, the boatman almost lost track of his counting, imagining one of their last encounters. The ache still lingered, pleasant in its own sense. Dressed as he was, some of the marks from that particular encounter could be faintly seen upon his bare neck.
Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-one.
Alone in his vault, Charon wore these marks openly on display, whether as badges of honor or maybe to serve as a temptation for more action, only he would know. Regardless, he was in rare form — his outer cloak, mantle and hat were carefully laid out on his bed, deeper in the vault. He wore an ionic chiton with fabric that could have been woven from the night sky itself, dark as it pooled at his feet and effortlessly flowed behind him with each movement. Golden embellishments along the hem and sleeve openings brought a sophisticated yet simple opulence to his attire that paired beautifully with the golden zoster that cinched the billowing fabric at his waist.
Hermes had called him beautiful.
The boatmen would forever deny the blush that dusted his ashen skin at the thought.
Twenty-two—
Pausing as a sound from deeper in the vault caught his attention, his counting ceased.
There was no flap of wings, no current of wind signaling the arrival of his dear messenger god. No others dared to enter his vault without invitation…
Leaving him to come to the conclusion that this was someone uninvited, maybe a pest—
Pausing his footsteps as a soft whimper could be heard, the boatman found himself...confused.
Incredibly and utterly confused.
His confusion only proceeded to mount as he moved deeper into the vault, following the source of the noises to the last place he wished to be surprised.
His bed.
Violet eyes fell upon a lump that had formed under his cloak, wriggling in a way that garnered both curiosity and general aversion. What had managed to break into his private quarters, and how dare it nestle underneath his clothing, not to mention on his bed?
Those thoughts quickly faded as he moved the cloak aside, exposing a very new, very unique and very real problem.
There, upon the plush, purple linens that adorned his bed, lay a baby.
She was small, like that of a human newborn, with tan skin and short wisps of silver curls atop her head. There was a radiance to her that was familiar, so familiar—
Charon’s gaze flickered to his hat as it moved slightly, another small whimper being heard. Picking up his hat exposed his second problem.
Another child. This one a boy, with ashen skin very much like his own and wavy, platinum hair atop his head.
But that wasn’t what caught his eye the most.
No, it was the set of small wings atop his head that truly earned pause, coupled with an identical pair at his ankles. Glancing between the two babies with a reeling mind and slack jaw, there was only one possibility as to whose children these were.
Charon never called upon his lover so quickly, fingers stroking the plume that he kept on a golden cord around his neck.
In a golden shimmer and a burst of wind, the messenger god appeared with a bright smile.
“Hello there, my dear associate! Missed me so much that you calle—“ In a rare moment of pause, Hermes' gaze fell upon the infants. “Well, it seems you have your hands full right now!”
“Hrrooooaaaahhh.” Charon gestured to the two children, cutting straight to the point of why he had called him. “Heeeooooohhhh.”
“Yes, I do see these two babbling babies. They’re hard to miss!” Humming, he flitted away briefly before returning with two swaths of cloth. “Now, so forgive me for doing this, but they need to be properly clothed.”
Right. They were naked. Huffing a deep sigh, Charon watched as Hermes effortlessly bundled the pair before scooping up the little girl. He proceeded to float on his back, the girl cradled against his chest as he patted her little back.
“Not my first rodeo, and while unexpected, I don’t mind this outcome in the least! Though I suppose I should have warned you a bit more —“ Hermes shrugged, gesturing to himself. “God of fertility, kids, and y’know, we haven’t exactly been abstaining from our sexual endeavors, if you catch my drift—“
“Haaaaaaaaahhh!” Charon groaned, carefully picking up the boy to cradle in his arms. With his size, the child seemed positively tiny.
“Not in front of the children? Well, suppose you’re right.” Hermes snorted, gazing down at the little girl on his chest. “You know, it’s a coincidence how they’re Gemini! Twins under a twin sign.”
Charon shot his lover a flat look, unsure of what he was speaking of and hoping that the look alone conveyed that sentiment. The boy in his arms had begun to stir, much to his mild alarm. How long had it been since he had held or cared for his infant brothers, when they had just been born? Far, far too long.
“Y’know, Gemini!” Hermes gestured up, to where a giant mural of stars adorned Charon’s ceiling. “If you connect that cluster of stars there, it forms the star sign Gemini, one of the zodiac signs that humans use.”
Zodiac? Star signs? Smoke idly drifted from Charon’s open maw before he finally managed a reply.
“….haaa?”
“My dear associate, I’m surprised I have not told you about this human invention yet! Made many, many years ago now, and I find it to be rather fascinating.” Shifting so it looked like he was sitting in the air, he brought the little girl to be cradled over his heart. “It’s a system made that aligns to ones’ birthday and tends to come with a variety of characteristics associated with it. These two little bundles of joy —“ He gestured to the pair. “Happen to be born in the star sign of Gemini, also known as the twin star! Very ironic, I must say.”
The winged messenger went off on a tangent, explaining the meanings behind the signs and how the humans associated with them. As always, Charon listened to him, though his attention was clearly divided as the boy in his arms yawned and opened his eyes.
Violet, just like his own.
“You see, I find this whole system to be fascinating, but I cannot quite decide on what sign suits me best.” Hermes continued, sighing dramatically as he bounced the small girl. “What with my birthday being celebrated on the fourth of each month and all. You see, I have the characteristics of a Leo, but Pisces are also rather creative. Do you see my dilemma?”
Staring with a blank expression at the man who Charon deemed his life-long partner, smoke lightly trailed from his open maw. Truly, this was the least of their worries right now.
“Hnnnghhhh haaaahhhh hoooo.”
“Yes, I am aware these are our children.”
“Hraaaa??? Urrrrgghhh.”
“Of course I am happy about this. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Slumping down onto the edge of the bed, Charon finally took a moment to gaze down upon the boy in his arms. So very much like himself, and yet also like his dear messenger with little wings atop his head and adorning his ankles. It was amazing how the child was just so…perfect. Truly, their children were perfect.
“Yoohoo, papa.” Hermes sing-songed, garnering Charon’s attention once more. The girl had been adjusted in his arms so that she could look directly at Charon, her amber eyes sleepy and yet full of curiosity. “Isn’t she cute?”
Charon groaned a soft approval, his dead heart melting as a sweet smile spread on the girls’ face at the noise. All gums, no teeth — it was a truly precious sight. His gaze fell to the boy once more, where he traced a finger along his marshmallow cheek and earned a sleepy yawn in return. How could they not fear him? Did they truly and simply just…recognize him as their father?
He didn’t realize how he had been unconsciously yearning for this to happen in his life until he had been blessed with it.
“Charon,” Settling beside him, Hermes’ voice was much softer, calmer. He wore a warm smile on his face that made Charon want to melt into a puddle, one that was reserved for him and him alone. “They’re beautiful, truly. The Fates have been very kind to us.”
“Hraaah.” Leaning into his lover, Charon trailed a gentle finger along one of the little wings atop the boys’ head. “Hrrrmmm?”
“Ah, ah, ah, my dear.” Hermes hummed, turning his head to kiss his cheek. “I think you should have the honor of naming them, since you found them first.”
“Hmm….” The boatman hummed, carefully tracing along each child’s face as if he were memorizing their features. “Hrrrrgggg.” He finally relented as he pointed to the girl, finger then drifting to the boy. “Haaaaaa.”
“Elysium and Erebus?” A smile bloomed on Herme’s face, lighting up the room. “Little Elys and Ere? Why, I think you’ve chosen wonderfully, my dear.”
Chuckling softly, Charon pressed a kiss to Hermes’ temple.
Life was about to get much more interesting.