Stardust tears (Zagreus x Hypnos)• Hades

Chapter 5 | help

Hypnos hadn't been up to Olympus in eons, not since a certain incident that shook him up as a godling. But the circumstances were dire and Nyx had whisked him off to see the goddess of love as soon as she could, her domain up on Olympus was a beautiful temple of roses, pearls and beauty supplies. Motifs from the sea which she was born from, love imagery all over and a sweet aroma in the air.

Hypnos sat before the much bigger god who held his head in her hands to examine him. He was only getting paler and more sickly looking as the days went by.

"Oh you poor thing... you don't look too happy at all..." the goddess said.

"I feel awful... please tell me there's something to can do" Hypnos replied.

"I'm afraid the most I can do is hold off the effects for a little longer. I understand it's a tricky situation, you need some more time Hm? I can do that. But it won't last forever, you need to make a decision eventually"

"I know... I'm just... overwhelmed"

Aphrodite had only seen a handful of hanahaki cases before, and luckily they were all cured successfully and swiftly. It was a rarer disease to catch, caused by a certain set of circumstances.

"Please hold off the effects as much as you can Lady Aphrodite, we need some time until we can figure out what to do" Nyx asked.

"I'll do my best, I promise" she replied.

Aphrodite wasn't just the goddess of romantic love, she was the goddess of all love. She could tell just how worried the night herself was for her son sleep. The mothers love was practically radiating off her, it saddened Aphrodite to see how much stress the two were under.

"My power can slow down the growth of the roots, it'll give you some more time. May I ask though, who is the lucky god? Maybe I can help out?" She asked.

Hypnos seemed hesitant, but he was talking to the goddess of love. If anyone could help him, it was her.

"Zagreus..." He admitted.

"Oh! The young prince, I've talked to him a few times while offering my boons. Quite the gorgeous boy isn't he? It's his bonds with Megaera and your brother that's worrying you isn't it?" She asked.

Hypnos nodded, it was that damn flirtationship Zagreus had that made him so hesitant to say anything. It was looking like the rowdy prince had eyes for others, which made Hypnos rather scared to admit his feelings in case he was rejected. He wasn't expecting it to ever go this far into hanahaki though...

"Well from what I know it seems to be mainly banter between him and Megaera, as for your twin... I honestly can't say I'm sorry. Thanatos is quite the broody type it's hard to read him at times. Zagreus seems to be a bit perplexed at what exactly the relationship is himself" Aphrodite explained.

It didn't surprise him that Than was seen by the other gods as broody, he was really. Always very standoffish and work focused, never really taking the time to stop and chat or be open and vulnerable with anyone.

"I could perhaps push Zagreus in the right direction?"

"No! I don't want to force him into anything..." Hypnos protested.

"Oh honey I won't cast a love spell on him or anything, just make him think of you more so he can sort out his feelings for you. Then he can talk to you about it and you can figure out where to go from here" Aphrodite assured.

"Hypnos I think that's a good idea, you two need to address things more than ever right now" Nyx added.

While he was a bit nervous about it, it seemed like the best option at the moment. So he agreed, nodding to express it.

"Alright I'll talk to him next time he's out ransacking the underworld. Now, I'll do what I can about those roots" Aphrodite said.

She placed her hands over Hypnos' chest, using her power to slow the growth of the roots as much as she could. A glow went from her hands into Hypnos' chest and he felt he could breathe a little easier. While his throat was still sore from all the coughing and gagging, and he still had a headache, the nausea eased up and he could breathe a bit better.

"That will hold things off for a few more mortal weeks. Think about things Hypnos, for your love and your life" she said.

"Thank you... next time you sleep I'll bless you with wonderful dreams" he replied.

"Aw, Nyx you have such a sweet boy"

Nyx smiled, stroking her sons hair.

"I do, I really do" she said.

The whole situation had her feeling a bit bad about how harsh she may have been trying to push him out of the nest too fast. The incident that happened when he was a godling made him very timid and dependent on her. He was just scared, unsure of the world. Maybe she should have eased him into independence a bit slower so he handled it better. And maybe their relationship wouldn't have been as rocky.

But if there one bright side to this scary situation, it had bought them together again. It has strengthened the bond again. Hypnos knew he could rely on his mother, and Nyx knew she'd always love her son.

When they arrived back in the underworld, Nyx wanted Hypnos to rest some more and take the elixir she'd had Charon fetch for her. So she had the chef mix it in with a sweet warm drink to mask the bitter taste that would just make Hypnos' fragile system feel more nauseous.

"Thank you, chef. And thank you for keeping quiet about this" Hypnos said, pushing the empty glass back across the counter.

The shade nodded, just hoping he'd be ok. Shades didn't really speak per se, they whispered to each other at times but they mainly communicated through expression and action. Only some shades formed into the human like ones like Achillies did. Mainly those who were rather important or famous in their life. The others took on the ghost like forms of the chef, the house contractor and Zagreus' good shade.

Although the communication was limited, the gods always understood what they were saying.

Hypnos always quite liked the chef, they made a very yummy hot chocolate. Something Hypnos liked to drink before knocking himself into a coma to work in the dream realm.

Nyx helped Hypnos stay steady on his feet (even if they were floating off the ground) and they began to head back to his chambers so he could rest. He was just starting to relax a little when he heard a very familiar sound that made his blood run cold.

Ga-dong.

It was Thanatos.