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"What does it feel like to be prayed to?"
Thanatos hummed in response, staring up ahead towards the river Styx. Her waters seemed to flicker to a sudden stillness for a mere moment at the question, before continuing on as before.
He brought the bottle of nectar up to his lips. "Hm. Why do you ask?" The golden liquid spilled over the corner of his lips as he took a sip, and Zagreus fought back on his instincts to reach up and wipe it off with his thumb.
"Come on, Than," he shrugged his shoulders. "The only humans I really see, that aren't formless shades, are all warriors who have either wronged, or have been wronged by the Gods in some way or another. Even Achilles, who speaks of the Goddess Thetis at times, doesn't tell me much about prayers."
"I suppose it invokes bad memories for him. I doubt he prayed for much other than glory back when he was alive. I highly doubt he wants to relive those events." Zagreus grabs the bottle from his hands, feeling the leftover cold on the glass.
He takes a sip, the rim feels colder. "You didn't answer my question."
Thanatos floats down, setting his feet on the pristine ground below. He crosses his arms and then leans them against the railing, Zagreus can see that his eyes are turned towards him though, even past the wisps of white hair.
"I'm not commonly worshipped among mortals. They fear invoking me in any way will bring forth their demise. Overall, the back of my mind is silent."
Zagreus approaches, leaning against the banister as well, almost touching shoulders. He extends the nectar towards Thanatos, all the bubbles in the alcohol gone because of the heat. Thanatos accepts it with only a quick glance.
Their fingers brush together, and Zagreus pretends not to feel the buzzing of nerves in his stomach.
"They still call for me, sometimes." His lips glisten from the alcohol. "Though I wouldn't be able to tell you what it's like to be properly worshipped." Zagreus has an odd urge to offer him that experience. "Though their calls for me are more desperate than what most other Gods hear."
"What do you hear?"
Thanatos takes another sip, hands the bottle back to Zagreus. "Some avoid even mentioning my name, up there. Others... hm, well, they beg for my presence."
"I suppose your methods are preferable than whatever Keres does." Thanatos laughs at that, more of a chuckle than anything more, but Zagreus revels in it, especially when it's caused so unintentionally.
"No, our methods are the same." He turns and smiles at Zagreus, his golden eyes twinkling, the same way they used to when they were children and getting in some petty trouble. "The circumstances of our arrival is the only thing that differs between us."
His eyes flicker to Zagreus' hands and then back to his eyes, and before the Prince could utter a word- "Are you gonna drink that?"
"What?" He looks down to where he feels the warm glass beneath his fingers. "Oh, right, right!" When the warm liquid, and even warmer glass, hit his mouth, he feels almost disappointed. He hands it back before he even swallows.
He catches Than staring at his neck. He turns away.
A sudden cold sensation spreads over the back of his head, and it takes him way longer to overcome his sudden shock than he'd like to admit to realise that it's Than's hand combing through his hair. "What are you-" but Than doesn't let him turn his head.
"You asked how it feels." The other answers simply, though the undertone of teasing doesn't escape Zagreus this time. "I'm trying to show you."
His short nails gently scratch along Zag's scalp, tangling a few strands of hair along their way. Nigh freezing cold spreads across the entire back of his head and though his eyes close in enjoyment, his shoulders tense.
He feels Thanatos stepping closer, his cold breath ghosting over Zagreus' jaw. His hand lightly pulls at the hair and Zag holds in a gasp, clutching at the railing and unconsciously leaning back into the touch.
"It feels like this," Zagreus doesn't quite believe him, not when his breath brushing against his ear like that is sending a shiver down his whole spine. "At the back of your skull, a pleasant hum along with words of nothing but praise."
Zagreus wants to reach over and grab onto Thanatos for balance, but he can't untense his hand enough to let go. Than's other hand settles comfortable over his, thumb brushing against knuckles, trying to ease the locked ligaments.
He dares to steal a glance, and sees nothing short of a shine of pure mischief in Than's eyes as he leans in closer. "You know, for someone so restless, it's easy to get you to be so still. I think I'm starting to understand why Megaera adores doing this to you."
Even an elbow to the ribs doesn't prevent Thanatos from giggling. Zagreus takes a small step back, bringing his hand up to hide the very likely red of his face, though he soon starts laughing too.
"What's gotten into you today?"
Than leans down to pick up the nectar he must have at some point put down and takes another gulp of it. "Alcohol." This time, Zagreus brings himself to brush over the corner of Thanatos' lip to wipe at the spilled drink, letting his finger linger for a moment longer than it should.
Than grabs his wrist when he tries to pull away. "You're pleasant company when you're quiet," he says with such fondess that Zagreus doesn't even attempt to formulate some type of snarky remark back.
He steps closer though, standing on his toes and tilting Than's head to press their lips together, the not-so-faint taste of nectar doesn't feel as heavenly when his goal is to taste something, or well, someone, else.
The other's hand finds its way back to Zagreus' hair, firmly tangling in it, and yet gently pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. They briefly pull away for air they don't need, if only to look at the way each other looks.
Zagreus presses his lips to the hollow of Thanatos' throat, prolonging the contact to feel the other swallow. He hides his face against Than's shoulder, smiling into the skin of the God.
"You know... I think I'd like to experience that amount of whispered praise."