With Blood shall come Desire (MxM)

☽ Chapter Twenty Two ☾

𝕾ilthos stood up and nodded again towards the human. The redhead was glad to finally leave this house for a few hours. As a god, he wasn't used to stay in the same place for days. No matter what, he felt trapped and imprisoned. The redhead opened their front door, still unsure, but as soon as the cool night air tickled in his nose, he was glad to have come up with this idea. The streets were almost empty, most people were already home. Compared to the busy nightlife of London this coastal town was slow and peaceful. He had learned to love the small rituals of this place on Earth. The early birds and the constant soft noises of the waves crashing against the cliffs. The fisherman leaving early in the morning, when its still dark, to have an advantage against Londoners' larger fishing boats. The strange British accent that changed from town to town. And the cold rain which, due to the location of the town, seemed to only come at night.

Aristaeus inhaled deeply the cold air, little clouds dancing before his lips. He was still putting on his coat. "Xyliath, this feels good.", he whispered and was right by Silthos' side, ready to protect him if anything happens. Gods, he was falling too deeply into this endless cave of emotions.

They quietly walked through the streets, the moon being their only light, surprisingly no clouds covering the night sky. The night's jewell was still not fully blooming. "Feels good to be outside, doesn't it?", Aristaeus asked after a while, their steps echoing in the silence of the town.

"Yes, I have never been living like this before... Time went by so slowly. I felt trapped, I hated it." Silthos spotted a sign on a house whose windows revealed warm light from inside, indicating a bar. Some mortals were still sitting at tables, talking with each other while sipping from beer. "Drinks on me, darling." Hopefully, the alcohol would hit a bit on the god of blood and war, so he would accept the plan of Silthos. The redhead already knew that Aristaeus would protest against it as soon as he proposed it.

In the five days the young god had been thinking a lot. Sometimes Aristaeus had to call him three times by his name so he would break free from his mind and respond. Silthos knew his fate and the impossibility of escaping it, so a thought had started to grow in his mind, poisoning it - why not make use of his destiny? Like a tumour the thought started to eat from his cells and grew immensely, only to expand and satisfy its hunger. Perhaps I hold the power to quell this conflict, before any bloodshed can be done. Perhaps I can sacrifice myself, akin to Xyliath. To be a hero just like my great-grandmother.

Aristaeus chuckled and opened the door for him. He was very much in the mood for a drink. The bar was a calm place, compared to the bars in London. Sailors were sitting around tables and telling each other stories of monsters and gods. "A whiskey and a glass of wine." Aristaeus now knew what type of drink Silthos preferred and came back with the beverages.

Silthos raised an eyebrow and blinked at Aristaeus with a smile on the lips. "You have a sharp eye... remembering such things." It actually warmed the heart of the god of love and desire a little, realising how much he must be on the mind of the other god. He felt seen and cared for. Their drinks arrived and Silthos raised his glass like their first time drinking together: "To the gods-", he stopped himself and shook his head, "to us. Thank you for being my companion." Silthos was honest with his words. The time they spent together was full of events and twists which he hadn't fully processed yet. But no matter what happened, Aristaeus remained at his side, protecting him and listening to his words. Not because of his powers, but because he was Silthos. At least that was what the god deeply hoped for. It was the first time in all his eternal life that he wished so much to be truly liked by someone.

Aristaeus smiled and softly clinked their glasses. "To us."

It felt good to hear this. Aristaeus felt appreciated and now he knew that he had done the right thing. It really has been quite an interesting path. "I'm grateful to you too, Silthos. Thank you for touching my heart, when no one was able to do it." He could only thank the god of love and desire for bringing back his most valuable belongings.

Silthos took a sip from the wine and then examined the red liquid in the glass, grinning. "If you are searching for the right time for a love confession that would be it." As fast as the edges of his lips lifted as fast they dropped again. His eyes turned serious and he lifted his head to lock eyes with the other god. "Aristaeus. You know we have to attempt the fight."

Aristaeus nodded and looked into the bright eyes of the god. "I know. The fight is not what I'm scared of."

Fear. That was something he never experienced before. And now won't be the time to start it. "Silthos.", he whispered calmly, his gaze softening around the man. "I know that Destiny's prophecy is never wrong, but please... If there is a chance of you surviving this in the end. Take it." Aristaeus wanted to say more, but the words seemed to have left him.

Silthos took another sip of the red liquid, a bigger one, and sighed. "It's Destiny... I don't think I can run from it." He bit his lip and looked into the dark eyes of Aristaeus. "But I know as my lovely protector you will lend me as much time as you can. However..." He put the glass down on the table and elegantly stroked over the cheek of Aristaeus. "... don't kill yourself doing so. As much as I love kissing your heart... it won't start pounding once the sword of Xyliath pierces through it." The redhead tried to give the other god the most charming smile he ever gave someone. "When it pierces through me... I would be glad if you try to kiss my heart to wake me up again. It would be a lovely death." The word death felt weird in every god's mouth. It had something sharp and bitter, like a poisoned blade. Death has been an impossibility since the Blood War and Xyliath's sacrifice. The flaming blade of Xyliath has been the only exception. All gods were living in eternity, so ending it could be both - heaven and hell. Eternity was both - a blessing and a curse. Silthos was still a young existence, but his eternity didn't matter to him at this moment at all. What mattered was Earth, it was humanity. How would they end up without him?

Aristaeus had been asking himself the same question. What would happen with humanity after the god of love and desire perished from this world? Would they become the same heartless monsters he had been and would all that was worth living for just disappear? Living would become an act of pure despair. The god wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let something like this happen. Aristaeus smiled softly, still feeling Silthos' hand on his cheek. "Your wish is my command, dear.", he rasped and put down his glass. The god didn't know what would happen to his heart after life slipped out of Silthos and he didn't want to know.

"Aristaeus... your eyes can't lie, I know that you probably would love to lock me into tower until it will be over." This was the moment, he should let him know of his plan. "I thought about this a lot... and Destiny's vision might have wanted to tell us that I can-"

The bell of the door was ringing - someone entered the bar and Aristaeus immediately felt the godly presence.

"It seems like someone has a message for us..."

Silthos sighed loudly and emptied his glass of wine. "We are having a moment here!" He turned around, resting his head on his hand and raising an eyebrow. The redhead seemed calm on the outside, but inside chaos and fear had the upper hand. He knew that Aristaeus would fight them, but this wasn't like fighting mortals. These were deities which couldn't be killed, only harmed.

Aristaeus smelled her strong perfume and immediately knew who it was. Syrena. The goddess of fortune and luck walked towards them with salacious eyes. "Good evening, gentlemen." She threw a wink in Aristaeus' direction. The good of war and blood was very reluctant to admit that he had shared his bed with Syrena once. But that didn't matter anymore, because they were both on opposing sides now. "It took some time to find you both. Nice town you chose. Small, unobtrusive, dull. Your little human was the one that finally showed us where to look."

Vincent wasn't at fault. He couldn't have known that he was being followed.

"Now, Silthos, I'm so sorry for interrupting your lovely session, but I have a message for you that you might want to hear." Her gaze grew more serious as she pulled out a black flower. A black bearded iris called 'Before the Storm'. In the world of immortals this little existence functioned as a symbol for a request for a battle. They were being called to fight. And they had no choice but to accept.