Chapter Text
Martin Blackwood loved love.
This made sense, of course, since he was the god of love. Centuries ago he had been known by the people as Aphrodite and he had been at the center of myth and legend with the other gods of Olympus. Now he took the name Martin Blackwood as his own, pulling it from the Earth below and holding it close to him, treasuring the opportunity to name himself. All of the gods had taken new names as the years progressed, though he wasn’t certain that any held them as dearly as Martin held his. Perhaps it’s because he never resonated with the name Aphrodite or perhaps because it was him shedding the last remnants of his mother and truly becoming himself.
For all that Martin loved love, he didn’t necessarily covet it for himself. Don’t get him wrong, of course he wanted love for himself. That didn’t necessarily mean he was seeking any forms of relationship, though. He had friends, this was true, but spent most of his time taking care of the relationships of the people on Earth. It got to a point where he hadn’t seen any of his friends in well over a month but had been to seven weddings, three speed dating events, and one memorable college quiz bowl event spreading love wherever he went.
Knowing how reclusive he had become and knowing what he knew about the other gods, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him when he found Elias– formerly Zeus– on his doorstep the evening after the quiz bowl.
“Elias,” Martin greeted dryly, wanting nothing more than to slam the door in the king of the gods’ face. Judging by the look on his face, Elias knew this. “How can I help you?”
Elias gestured to the open door, clearly trying to invite himself in. Martin turned around, rolling his eyes, and gestured for Elias to follow him to his small kitchen table at the back of his home on Olympus. He sat across from Elias, silently trying to convey that he was tired and was hoping this would be as easy and painless as possible, two things that Elias wasn’t known for. Still, the king of the gods took the hint and started speaking. “I think you'll find, Martin, this visit is more about me helping you .”
He barely restrained the urge to roll his eyes again. “And what , exactly, do you mean by that , Elias?”
“You’ve been unwed for quite some time, Martin. In fact, you’ve had few relationships beyond friendships and even those have been sparse,” Elias stated matter of factly. Apprehension started to make its way up Martin’s spine as he waited for Elias to continue. “While there is no policy on Olympus stating that the Olympian gods must be married, it is… Unusual to find the god of love so detached from the world. Obviously no one is going to force you to marry–”
“But?” Martin asked, cutting Elias off before he could obfuscate anymore.
Elias, for his part, seemed almost regretful of his actions. “ But some of the gods have taken notice. One god in particular is looking to take you as a consort and I’m sorry to say that if you don’t have a proper excuse, you will be unable to turn him down.”
That caused Martin’s blood to turn cold. Consortship wasn’t uncommon on Olympus; while most of the Olympian gods hadn’t taken consorts, Martin knew many minor gods and nymphs who had taken consorts in their marriage. Sometimes it was a sexual thing, sometimes a more romantic thing, it varied from person to person. Polyamory was fairly common, though having multiple spouses often seemed like too much hassle when consortship was an option. Of all the gods on Olympus, Martin only knew of one group where all three were spouses rather than a married pair and a consort– Tim, Sasha, and Gerry, though Tim was always one to defy rules and expectations. Martin had never been interested in consortship for similar reasons that he had never taken a husband: he didn’t have time to form a relationship with someone. There were far too many people on Earth who he wished to help for him to take part in the games of consortship.
“And who, exactly, is trying to take me as a consort without discussing it with me first?” It was rare that Martin didn’t know about someone’s intentions to start a relationship but it did happen on occasion. He paid far less attention to the happenings on Olympus than he did on the world below so it made sense that this would escape his radar though it did trouble him that it involved him and he didn’t know.
“That would be my husband,” Elias said blandly, clearly trying and failing to fight off annoyance at the matter. “Peter has expressed interest in taking you as a consort in our marriage and I am inclined to allow this to happen should you not wed.”
There were many things that Martin could say about Peter Lukas. The god of the sea had an unusual fascination with Martin since they first met, saying something cryptic about how ‘lonely’ he seemed, as though the thought of Martin’s loneliness fascinated the other god. To put it bluntly, Martin thought Peter was a creep and wanted nothing to do with him. Every interaction they had left Martin feeling hollowed out and tired, discomfort laced through his entire body as Peter tried his best to get under Martin’s skin. The sea god was always cordial, a fake cheer in his voice that didn’t quite match everything Martin knew about his personality. If it had been anyone else thinking of taking Martin as a consort, he might have considered; it would be easier than finding a husband, after all, and Martin wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea of an arrangement if it meant the rest of Olympus would stop looking at him as if he didn’t understand his area of expertise simply because he was single. The fact that it was Peter…
Martin couldn’t allow that to happen.
“What if I enter another consortship?” Martin said, thinking through his list of somewhat distant friends. It had been ages since he had actually seen any of them, but he trusted them enough to know they would take him as a consort if that would keep him from Peter’s grasp.
Elias, however, shook his head. “I’m afraid that because Peter declared intentions first, you would have to be married to avoid his request.”
This frustrated Martin. “That’s a ridiculous rule, Elias, and you know it. You’re the king of the gods, for Olympus sake, are you really telling me you can’t tweak things a little bit? Or are you just that afraid of what your husband would do if you did?”
“I don’t want you to be his consort anymore than you do, Martin,” Elias spat, anger rising in each word. “He’s doing it just to anger me, you must be able to see that. Which means if I change the rules, he’ll just do something else to attempt to get his way. I may be king, but even I know when to engage with the games of my husband and when not to. So I suggest you either start searching for a spouse or start preparing to move out of this home and into ours because those are your only options. You have thirty days, Martin. I suggest you start doing something about this.” Elias stormed out after that, allowing Martin’s door to slam shut, almost rattling the small cottage Martin had called home all these years.
He looked around the kitchen and living space, thinking of all the ways he had changed this space to make it his own. His mother had been a water nymph, always jealous that she bore an Olympian through her marriage to a minor god. That minor god abandoned Olympus all together when the Olympian gods rose to prominence, leaving Martin with a bitter mother who saw him as a reminder of a godly life she could never possess for herself. The day she returned to the sea, fading into sea foam in the world below, was the happiest day of Martin’s life. He moved out of the house by the water they had lived in, seeking refuge in this cottage just far enough from Olympus proper that he felt safe. Knowing that his only options were to give up his home and become Peter’s lonely consort or to take a husband and beg him to let them stay in the cottage broke whatever was remaining of Martin’s fragile heart.
Not wanting to stay here, sinking in despair, he headed out of the cottage and into the city, hoping that there were still people who would open their doors to him.
It turns out he needn’t have worried; Melanie opened the door before he could even knock, pulling him into a tight hug that he hadn’t at all expected from the war goddess. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Blackwood. You’re lucky I haven’t kicked down the door to your cottage looking for you.”
Melanie King was Martin’s oldest friend on Olympus. People always thought it was strange how well love and war got along, though they never minded the hushed whispers that seemed to be counting down the days until their inevitable wedding. They weren’t in love, not like that, though. Rather Martin and Melanie loved each other in the way only best friends could– knowing each other's secrets and sometimes arguing but making up easily and without the collective trauma that was often seen in sibling relationships. It had been far too long since Martin had made his way over to Melanie’s home in the city, unsure if he would be welcome after slipping away into his work, but clearly he didn’t have to worry about that at all. After she released him from the hug she punched him in the arm before dragging him inside and forcing him onto the couch. “Georgie! Martin’s here!”
Georgie Barker had once been known as Hestia, goddess of the hearth. She represented home and comfort and connection in a way that people also thought was ill matched to the goddess of war, but Martin could see the strings pulling them together from miles away. They balanced each other out while also pulling each other out of their shells, their souls dancing together visibly to Martin, causing a pang of longing to spark in his chest. With Georgie was the Admiral, a truly fluffy little monster of a cat who jumped directly into Martin’s lap as Georgie made her way to the couch, giving Martin’s hand a squeeze before sitting down. “It’s been a while since we saw you, Martin. Had to keep this one from going to kick your door in on a few occasions.”
There was something incredibly nice about how easily they slotted Martin back into their life when he showed up at their doorstep, casual touches and jokes like he had never disappeared to begin with. “I’m sorry about that. Work… Kind of got away from me,” Martin said sheepishly. It was more than just the work, he knew that, but he didn’t need to tell Melanie and Georgie that moments after arriving at their home out of nowhere. “I should’ve at least called to check in…”
Melanie, for her part, waved him off. “I appreciate the apology, Martin, but it’s unnecessary. We’ve been friends for long enough that I kind of have an idea how you get when something’s bothering you, knew you’d come here in your own time. Just had to be reminded of that by Georgie a few times.”
“You’re always welcome here, Martin, even if it’s been a while,” Georgie said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. “Now, is this just a quick catch up, or did something happen?”
“...Something happened,” Martin admitted, guilt rising in his chest as he realized he had only come to Melanie and Georgie because he needed help. Neither of them seemed angry by this, though he still felt the need to apologize again. “But we should catch up first and–”
Melanie threw a pillow at him, causing the Admiral to meow in protest before settling back on Martin’s lap. “I know what you’re doing, Martin. You do not need to feel guilty for seeking us out after something happened to you. Yes, it’s been a while since we talked and yes, I do wish you would’ve said something instead of burying yourself in your work but I get it, okay? And I’ve done the same to you, so don’t you dare apologize.”
She had done the same to him, on just as many occasions as he could remember doing this to her. Both of them preferred to deflect rather than talk about their feelings sometimes, something that they always implored the other not to do while not taking that advice for themselves. There was a comfort in knowing how well Melanie knew him, and he smiled gratefully at her after that. “Thank you, Melanie. Catch up talk after this, I promise.”
“Or else I’ll find you and kick your door in,” Melanie said with a grin. “So, what happened?”
“Elias happened,” Martin muttered darkly. “Or, I guess, Peter happened. Apparently he wants to take me as a consort and Elias is doing nothing to stop it.”
“You can be our consort,” Melanie said, no hesitation. Georgie nodded beside her, looking at Martin with clear pity in her eyes. “If Elias asks, we’ll tell him that we’ve been looking for a consort as we’re thinking of starting a family and obviously we asked you since, well, everything. Problem solved.”
Affection burst in Martin’s chest at his friends’ offer. They really did love him, he felt it in every breath he took in their home. And he loved them, ever so dearly, so much that he almost forgot why that wouldn’t actually work as a solution. Almost.
“Elias is essentially saying that I can’t enter another consortship because Peter has first dibs,” Martin explained sadly. “Why this man gets first dibs over my life , I don’t fully understand but Elias has made it clear that only marriage will stop this and I only have thirty days to find a spouse.” Martin could tell the moment the idea entered Melanie’s head, shaking his head to stop her before she could speak. “We’re both gay, Melanie. In opposite directions. Elias would certainly find some made up rule to not allow me to enter your marriage as a husband.”
Melanie grumbled a little at that, sulking in her seat. “So what, you’re just supposed to find a husband in thirty days? You, the god of love, are supposed to instantly fall in love with someone or be forced into a loveless scenario where you have to live with Peter and Elias? At least Georgie and I love you!”
The force of Melanie’s words hit Martin square in the chest like an arrow he could see coming. It wasn’t painful, though, it was, well, lovely. It was warm and bright and felt a bit like a hug, fondness settling in his bones as he blinked back tears. “I love you both too. So very much,” he choked out, the first tear making its way down his face. Melanie and Georgie both stood up, wrapping Martin in a tight hug. “You two were the only people I could think to turn to for this. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I… I don’t want to be Peter’s consort.”
“You’re not going to have to be his consort,” Georgie soothed, squeezing Martin tighter. “I promise. We’re going to figure something out, okay?”
“I’m not above killing Elias, you know,” Melanie grumbled, causing Martin to laugh. “Don’t worry about it, alright? We’ve got thirty days to figure something out.”
They laid there for a while, Georgie and Melanie on either side of him, holding him close, while the Admiral purred steadily in Martin’s lap. Every now and then someone would speak up with an idea or with something Martin had missed in the time he was away. How Martin stayed away from friends like this for so long, he couldn’t tell you. It just felt easier, after the strain of everything, to fade to the background and work with those on Earth rather than risk being seen by people he didn’t want to on Olympus. But he let the people he did want to see slip away far too much. He couldn’t do that, not again.
“Martin!” Georgie said suddenly, pulling back from the cuddle pile and looking almost excited. “I have an idea!”
“We figured as much, love,” Melanie said with a snort, but she still looked fondly at Georgie. “Care to share with the class?”
Georgie walked away for a second, looking through drawers for something. Eventually she came back with a small scroll, Elias’s sigil on the side. She unfurled it, clearing her throat. “On the evening of the twenty-first day of the first month of summer, Olympus will be holding its annual solstice party.”
“‘Twenty-first day of the first month of summer’ the man took the name Elias but still doesn’t know what June is?” Melanie muttered.
“I’m not sure I’m following, Georgie. What’s so important about the solstice party?”
Georgie brandished the scroll again. “All of Olympus will be in attendance!”
“So?” Martin asked, still lost.
“ So you’re going to go to the party with us. We’re going to find you a husband.”