With Blood shall come Desire (MxM)

☽ Chapter Two ☾

𝕾ilthos stared back at Aristaeus with his glowing red eyes. He couldn't even charm this man, how on earth should he work with him then?
He had to break eye contact as he felt the hand of his grandfather on his shoulder. It was a hard grip and Silthos shortly bit his lip to not comment on it. "Don't disappoint me.", was all Aurelius breathed against his ear before letting go of him. His breath slightly burned his skin, leaving a red mark for some seconds, and Silthos clearly heard the warning in his voice. His grandfather had always been harsh with him, but this time destiny really lay in his hands. He couldn't fuck it up. Silthos' sister turned towards him. "It's best if you make a plan with Aristaeus that no other god knows. We still don't know for sure the true thief... even though grandfather seems so convinced about it. But what we do know is, that the god or goddess came in eternal darkness... the last solar eclipse. A solar eclipse... known to weaken grandfather and suppress his powers to a certain extent. The person also seemed to know the room, the architecture, every step was thought through.
My vision... seems somehow locked. It feels like I'm walking through thick mist and some voice is trying to tempt me in the wrong direction. Someone or something truly powerful is playing with me." She took the hand of her brother. "Good luck in the human world... I was never down there... but I'm sure it will be quite the experience."
Silthos nodded at her with a warm smile and pressed her hand gently. He then started to search for the god of blood and war and could have rolled his eyes as he noticed Aristaeus had already left the room. Silthos quickly tried to catch up with the man, chasing after the head of black hair he still saw on the horizon. They needed to work together and somehow get along.

Aristaeus calmly walked down the stairs and put on his hat again. It was a little windy so he held it shortly. The god wondered what good would come from this alliance and if he even wanted them to succeed.
Silthos's steps echoed from the walls and made him sigh. He didn't really slow down nor waited for the man to catch up with him. Did he want to work with Silthos? Not really. He wasn't keen on having such weight on his shoulders. The other gods would destroy him if anything happened to Silthos. But did he want to have the anger of Destiny on him? Not really either. So he accepted what was easier. This alliance shouldn't take long anyway as he knew his way around in the human world. And he liked being there. Seeing humans kill each other was the most amusing thing of all. The god would gladly join them in their massacres but that would cause too much chaos and Aristaeus didn't like getting his clothes dirty.

"Could you please slow down a little?", the god of desire asked, a little annoyed by the whole situation. He had trouble walking down the stairs with his long skirt. The heavy wind opened his braid and his Red hair openly flattered in the air. He looked down at the god of blood and war with a strong gaze. "You were in the human world before right?" At least this could be a great advantage for him.

Aristaeus turned towards him and looked up. He put one foot on the step above and then braced his hand on his thigh. Silthos's hair flying in the wind kind of reminded him of blood escaping a man's body. "I have. Yes.", and Aristaeus was strongly suspecting that Silthos hadn't. "Alright, since your sister has chosen me as your protector and helping hand I will do my job. But what I won't do is try to get close. This is a strictly professional relationship, alright?" He looked at him seriously. "So don't even try to romance me with your powers."

Silthos looked down at him sharply, his eyes glowing like the rare event of a red moon. "Strictly professional."
The redhead took some steps further down until he stood right before him. "You seem to be special. I don't use my powers actively. I can't control my charme. It just happens. You seem to be somehow resistant." He raised an eyebrow. "Or are you secretly in love with me and just great at hiding it?"

Aristaeus looked at him unimpressed and slowly pulled out a cigarette from the inner pocket of his grey coat. "No, Silthos, I am not." The god lit up the cigarette and put it between his teeth, before continuing to walk down. Breaking the stone inside his chest would be an impossible task, even for Silthos. "Love is not something that I do. So don't worry, you are safe from me." Now he had to grin slightly and turned to look at him. "Or was it something you hoped for?"

Silthos gritted his teeth and tried to remain calm. The weird smell of the cigarette tickled his nose and he stared at it. "Did you give the humans the idea of smoking literal death into their lungs? Which poisons the body from within?" He ignored his other question completely. Silthos may be the god of love and desire, but never loved or desired anyone.
Aristaeus's grin looked wolfishly. "Thank you, sweetheart. That is a really nice compliment. I wish I had, but they did it all on their own"«

They finally made it down the stairs. From there they had the perfect view over a human city in all its glory. It would probably be for the best if the gods kept their presence low. No one knew where the moon god was and bringing attention to themselves would most likely ruin everything.

Silthos watched the humans. He rarely did, even though it was the usual task to do. But once he dared to look at humans lustful desires, a shiver ran down his spine. Without meaning to, he broke through people's assumed privacy of their own thoughts. He read their most intimate desires like an open book. And these were not always comprehensible to the redhead. And love? Love often ended in endless pain, destroying the body from the inside. Love could hurt more than any physical pain that ever existed. Nevertheless, Silthos appreciated watching the beginning of love. And in case of a true love, he would watch it for centuries and never get bored.

"This is such a bad idea...", Silthos murmured and sighed. He had to change clothes and somehow cover his unusual bright red hair. "I will have to change clothes... and we need a decent plan on how to stay low and get information." The god of love and desire started unbuttoning his shirt.

Aristaeus turned away from him and folded his arms. "Do you think undressing right here is a good idea?", he said over his shoulder and sighed.
"I know some people on earth that could probably be helpful. We'll have to pay them a visit."
Silthos just continued undressing his upper body. "Undressing may always be a good idea. What, is the brutal god too nervous to even look?" He carefully folded the clothes and put them on the stairs. The god of love and desire could change his appearance quickly and as often as possible. But the clothes he was wearing would disappear. So he often undressed before changing if he liked the clothes. It took him a long time planning for an outfit and the possibilities were endless. He was also very picky. Silthos took the last steps down and now stood beside Aristaeus. The redhead was suddenly dressed in a fully black suit with a long big coat which was scratching the ground. A dark hood was covering his red hair. The outfit was more timely, but he still would stand out to the humans as a very wealthy man.

"I'm being polite. Nothing else." Aristaeus turned to look again and was impressed, even though he knew that it would get attention. "For someone who has never been in the human world, you sure know how to dress.", he admitted.
Aristaeus then took a step forward, coming closer to the edge. He eyed a lonely alley where they could land unseen. "Take my arm. Or else we'll land in different places." He offered him his arm and looked at the man patiently.

Silthos stared at it for some time. "I'm controlling one of the strongest emotions humans ever will have. Of course, I should know a tiny bit about them.", he said, almost a bit defensive but still took the arm of Aristaeus. Again, the smell of blood and smoke started to tickle in his nose and then landed on his tongue. Silthos would have to get used to this scent until they part ways again.