Work Text:
It didn’t take much to set off Zagreus when he was in littlespace, the wrong words or tone could cause an instant breakdown and his lovers and caregivers often struggled to calm him down. Not that Achilles and Patroclus were incapable of comforting him, it’s just the amount of time it took for him to settle was much longer than usual. Sometimes a thought or dream could send him into that dark mindset of feeling unsafe and scared even when he was with his partners.
A particularly bad run had left him upset and frustrated as he found Pat’s glade in Elysium, letting himself into the small home where he correctly assumed the shade would be. To his surprise, Achilles was there as well, he must have gotten off shift just a short time before Zagreus left to attempt his underworld escape for the nth time. The couple were happy to see him, but their faces turned to concern when they saw his downturned expression.
“Lad, welcome in, are you feeling alright?” Achilles asked as he came to the prince’s side, placing a hand on his back and leading him to the couch. “You look unwell.”
Zagreus shook his head, he felt awful, his bones ached and his stomach swirled with anxiety that made him feel ill. He wanted to be taken care of, find a place that was safe and loving and luckily Achilles and Patroclus’ home was one of those for him. It didn’t mean his feelings would disappear immediately, though.
“Is there anything I can fetch you, a kiss of Styx? Hydralite?” Patroclus piped up from the kitchen where he was tending to a harvest of fresh vegetables and fish caught from the river.
Zagreus shook his head once more with a reply, “Not sick like that.”
The two men seemed to understand more now, and Pat came to join his two loves after finishing up his work in the kitchen. He noticed the young god was carrying Antos with him, the chthonic companion he and Achilles had given him after they were reunited. The way he held onto the plush toy was a little more intense than usual, as if he was scared of somebody taking it from him.
“Are you feeling a bit little, Zagreus?” He questioned, voice gentle as he didn’t want to startle the boy. As expected, the prince nodded, but a set of fresh tears had begun to appear in his eyes. “Oh, sweet boy, come here.”
Zagreus fell into Patroclus’ arms, holding Antos close to his chest as he began to cry. He was so tired of pretending to be strong and tough and big when he felt so helpless and small. The pressure of not disappointing everyone, of making a good impression for his mother each time he saw her, the painful reminder of his broken family each time he emerged from the Styx. Each run could be more painful than the last, the constant failed attempts weighing him down. He just needed to let it all go, to get everything out and be comforted by his caregivers.
Achilles leaned in closer to rest against Zagreus’ back, which helped the prince feel more safe and secure with both men surrounding him. He couldn’t help but hear his father’s words still ringing in his head from the many times he’d belittled him while trying to escape, bringing up the old memories of when life was more miserable than it was now. He had been younger back then, before Achilles came along to start training him properly when his father gave up, he felt closer to those years than the present.
He was so grateful for his Achilles, not just for his teaching but for everything he had given to him, he stood in as a parental figure when he felt he truly had none. And now, Patroclus and Achilles both were taking care of him, loving him, holding him while he wept over his horrific past. Even though his body trembled and the tears continued to pour from his eyes, he knew they had him, he knew they would rush to his side whenever he needed them.
“Is there anything in particular that made you feel upset, love?” Achilles asked, rubbing a hand down the god’s back. He felt Zagreus’ head shake more than he saw it, but he recognized the answer nonetheless. “That’s alright then.”
After a good few minutes of having his face buried in Patroclus’ chest, Zagreus slowly peeled himself away from the shade and twisted over to be in the same position but with his other partner instead. Achilles shushed him as he settled into his arms, hoping to provide enough comfort that the boy would calm down enough to stop crying. Patroclus stood up from the couch to retrieve something he thought might be useful, promising, “I’ll be back in just one moment.”
Achilles couldn’t tell if the boy in his lap began to cry more due to Pat leaving, as his tears were so constant, still it made him feel guilty that he couldn’t do anything to help. Thankfully, the other shade returned just as quickly as he left with a heavy and soft blanket that had quite a bit of weight to it. The couple used it often themselves when they were struggling with memories of the war and unpleasant times during their life, and hopefully it would help Zagreus as it had them.
He draped the blanket over the prince - and subsequently, Achilles too - tucking it up around his shoulders so it wouldn’t slide off. This caught Zagreus’ attention, and he turned his head with a puzzled look on his face as he observed the new object. He never had felt a blanket like this before back at the house, it was softer than anything he owned, and the comforting weight was beginning to relax him to the bone already. It helped with his breathing too, evening out his shuddering breaths as well as quieting his sobs to much softer whines. He gave into the relaxation, feeling as though Hypnos had put a spell on him like he used to when they were both much younger.
“There we are…” Patroclus whispered as he came to sit by Achilles once more, petting Zagreus’ hair and gently removing the laurel crown he wore. He set it off to the side where it would be safe, then continued to gently massage the prince’s scalp and smooth down his hair.
The longer they stayed like this, the more Zagreus calmed down, his tears fully dissipated and breathing slow and deep. His eyes were drooping closed the more he received such gentle attention, and the two shades did not plan on stopping anytime soon. He looked like he would fall asleep at any moment but he spoke with slurred words before allowing himself to rest, “Thanks ‘Chilles... ‘n Pat .”
“Of course,” they both replied near simultaneously, followed up by Achilles, “We’ll do anything for our prince.”
Zagreus nodded, but he thought a bit longer as he petted Antos’ head under the blanket, “What ‘bout Antos too?”
He seemed very concerned whether his partners would give the same attention to one of his favorite stuffed animals, and they assured him with a laugh that they would. “Yes, Antos as well,” Patroclus added.
“Mm,” the god hummed, finally letting his eyes close, satisfied with their answers. It was only a matter of minutes before he drifted to sleep, simply exhausted from his fit of tears and soothed by the two people he loved most. Thankfully, his dreams were sweet and mild, he would have to give his appreciation to Hypnos when he returned to the house for that.
The rest was welcomed by his body and he woke up after a few hours feeling refreshed and much happier than before. Still rather small though, he took to idly playing with Antos as he noticed Achilles was dozing under his weight, and he wasn’t about to disturb such a peaceful sleep. Patroclus wasn’t where he had been when he fell asleep, and Zagreus’ curiosity could only be contained for so long in his littlespace.
He moved as carefully as he could, sliding off of Achilles’ lap and tucking the blanket over him to make up for the loss of his body heat. He didn’t appear to be awake, so Zagreus continued on with Antos in hand to find Patroclus, mumbling to the ant about where the shade might be if he wasn’t inside the house. Antos had a special power though, to allow Patroclus and Achilles to know where their boy was whenever he called upon them, surely it could work the opposite way as well, right?
He held the toy up to his face and looked at his adorable glass eyes, smiling before asking “Can y’ help me find Pat?”
Then, as if a force was guiding him, he found himself walking out to the garden where Patroclus sat by the river. He giggled and ran to where his partner sat, excitedly bouncing into the grass and holding out Antos like he was a prize, “Pat! Antos can find you!! I was wakin’ up but you weren’t there so I asked him to help an’ he pulled me over here!”
Patroclus smiled and welcomed his lad to sit with him in the grass, wrapping an arm around him, “Did he now? Remind me not to play hide and seek with him then, otherwise he might be cheating.”
“But Antos would love hide ‘n seek!” Zagreus exclaimed, hugging the plush to his chest. “You gotta play with him one time pleeaasseee, he has t’ show you he can play good! An’ if we don’t seek together then he prolly won’t use his power to find you cause it has to be me to ask him first.”
“Hmm, you make a compelling argument, and what a cute face to say no to,” the shade gestured to the god first, “And Antos is very cute too.”
The compliment made him giggle again, and he only laughed more as Patroclus pulled him into his lap to kiss all over his face, tickling him with butterfly kisses. He squirmed but didn’t make an effort to get away from his partner, letting the onslaught of affection continue while he laughed until his stomach began to feel sore.
“Having fun without me?” The commotion had woken Achilles, who appeared in the garden just as Patroclus was done with his kiss attack.
“Come and join us, my heart,” the other man offered, smiling to his lover while Zagreus nodded in agreement.
“We hafta play hide ‘n seek with Antos later so he can prove he won’t cheat! You should play too, ‘Chilles.”
Achilles laughed, amused at the little prince’s antics with his toy, but he was more than happy to play along and let Zagreus have his fun with his caregivers. The day-night was spent happily playing around the glade, hiding behind the pots and statues and chasing after one another until they tired themselves out once more. Anytime spent together was time well spent.