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Esther examined the surroundings of Hades’ house with great interest. Thanks to the pass she had received from Zagreus, she could finally explore this place along with the Underworld itself. It was incredibly unusual to see entire golden gardens, lakes of lava, or rivers of blood. She wanted to look at everything more closely—and maybe even touch it.
However, communication with the locals did not go very well. Many of them behaved, in the little star’s opinion, quite strangely. Some talked endlessly about themselves. Others complained about their lives and how much they suffered. And some even tried to catch Esther, mistaking her for an intruder. This was especially true of one individual—Megara—who, despite Zagreus’ words, still clearly disliked the new guest.
The girl turned into one of the corners of the corridor in search of the main hall. She had already been here far too long and probably ought to leave. It wouldn’t do to abuse Lord Hades’ hospitality. So Esther sped up a little—but the corridors, for some reason, didn’t seem to end.
She turned again and then froze, realizing she had entered an even longer hall. The little star turned around and flew back, choosing a different path—but there was another corridor there as well. Oh, Moirai, it seemed she was lost! What was she supposed to do? There were no shades around, and no signs either. She could simply fly upward, but then the ceiling would suffer—and afterward her head would ache terribly.
She was already about to make a sudden dash, using her powers to find an exit more quickly, when one of the doors in the corridor slowly opened. Beyond it, nothing could be seen except utter darkness.
“Esther. Please, come here.”
A quiet voice—Nyx’s—came from the room. The little star flinched, glanced around, then quickly adjusted her outfit and hair. Drawing in a breath, she slowly stepped inside, trying to take in the room.
The chamber looked like something from a dream. It was wrapped in darkness. All the walls were painted black, absorbing what little light there was. Cabinets and bookshelves stood in the corners. In the center was a large, round bed, and instead of a blanket it seemed to be covered in the cosmos itself.
Nyx sat by a vanity with a mirror, watching the guest closely. Around her lay various small jars and a brush tipped with dark violet pigment.
“Esther, I didn’t expect to see you in such a remote part of the house.”
The girl quickly bowed, blushing slightly.
“I–I’m sorry… I just got lost while exploring the house. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask Zagreus for a map.”
Nyx nodded with a smile.
“That’s hardly surprising. This place was built and expanded for so long that at some point it started to resemble a labyrinth.”
She sighed softly, tilting her head.
“Most likely, after the repairs following Chronos’ actions, it will become even larger—and more confusing.”
“I think you’re right, my lady,”
Esther replied, continuing to bow.
Nyx merely laughed inwardly, still watching her guest. Esther hesitated a little, then lifted her head and looked at the jars.
“Excuse me, Lady Nyx, but… what are those jars for?”
“These?”
The goddess gestured toward the jars on the table.
The girl nodded quickly, then lowered her head again in embarrassment. Nyx chuckled and ran her hand along the edges of the jars.
“This is lipstick—for me. Unfortunately, while we were imprisoned, all of my cosmetics deteriorated, so I need to find new ones.”
She looked back at Esther, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“And you will help me with that.”
Nyx beckoned with her hand.
“Come closer, child.”
The little star straightened up and carefully approached, speaking rapidly:
“Oh, I, um—I think I can give advice on which color would suit you. Yes, I think I can! I once helped a lady, and she told me about color theory. She also explained the properties of certain pigments depending on the materials—”
She was still talking when Nyx calmly applied one of the pigments to her lips with a brush. After adjusting it slightly, Nyx gently took Esther by the chin, leaned in, and kissed her on the cheek.
For a moment, Esther tried to process what had happened—then she flared bright red, blushing deeply and trying to say something quickly. Nyx, however, simply ran her finger over the smeared mark and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Doesn’t hold well. I’ll need another one.”
She pushed the used jar aside and wiped her lips with a handkerchief. Esther stared at her in shock.
“E-excuse me… what?”
the girl murmured quietly.
Nyx only smiled and opened the next jar. She took the brush, cleaned it of the previous pigment, and applied the new color to her lips. Once again, she took Esther by the chin and kissed her—slightly above the previous mark. Esther blushed even more, already beginning to mumble incoherently.
“Oh, this one smudges a bit. Not suitable either,”
Nyx said, examining the trace.
Esther flinched.
“W-wait, my lady, what are you—”
She tried to protest, but the goddess had already wiped the lipstick away and applied another shade. This time, she kissed a little lower, near the chin.
“And this color is far too pale,”
Nyx remarked, displeased, wrinkling her nose before looking at the remaining jars.
“But that’s all right. I’m sure we’ll find the perfect lipstick for me.”
After that, she continued the process. She applied pigment to her lips, kissed the flushed and embarrassed little star on an untouched spot of her face, then removed the lipstick for one reason or another. Esther could do nothing but blush and offer no resistance.
After many jars and many kisses, the goddess applied another shade.
“I think this one will do,”
she said, looking at Esther.
The girl—covered in lipstick marks—was sitting in Nyx’s lap. The goddess hummed thoughtfully and examined her face. The only untouched place was, perhaps—
Nyx narrowed her eyes, leaned in, and slowly kissed the little star on the neck. Esther shuddered and let out a quiet breath.
“Now it’s perfect,”
Nyx concluded with a satisfied smile, running her finger over the lipstick mark.
Esther only nodded shyly, trying to calm her racing heart. Noticing this, the goddess merely hummed and gently squeezed her waist.
“Though I think there are many other interesting ways to test my lipstick.”
With that, Nyx rose from her seat, causing the little star to quickly spring up and take flight.
“What? Huh? How? What?”
Esther blurted out rapidly, staring at her companion, still covered in lipstick marks.
Nyx only laughed softly and, taking her by the hand, led her toward the bed.
“Oh, don’t be afraid. Those methods are much better than the previous ones.”