Forever Yours

Chapter Fourteen

Ian looked over, a frown on his face. "Hello, Hypnos. Go away, Hypnos."

Hypnos made a fake gasping sound, grasping his chest as if he'd been shot. "Why, brother! I'd had thought you would want me to meet your bride! And so here I am, willing to say hello to the young maiden only to see she is sleeping upon the floor." He waved his hand towards Makaria, watching as her chest moved up and down. Bending his knees, he softly touched her cheek yet did not let his skin touch hers. Hypnos wore a long white skirt while a dark blue vest covered his chest, his feet were sandal-clad which made no sound on the marble floor.

"You can touch her, Hypnos," Ian said lazily. He stood up next to them, wiping his hands on his jeans. "She's a goddess... in her own right."

"Aye, she may be; but I am still the god of sleep and as such my powers work on everyone. Or do you forget, my brother?" Hypnos said, bringing up the actions of their younger days when they wanted to see if their powers worked on one another. Hypnos has gone first, lightly touching Thanátos before the young boy had fallen asleep. It was hours before he woke up and they didn't take the game any further. Hypnos's light colored irises stared back at Ian's dark ones. Standing, he moved away from the couple, taking in his surroundings. "Tartarus? Really, brother?"

Ian looked around at his brother's words, his frown growing deeper on his face. The temperature had gone back to the blazing inferno it had been before Typhon had showed up, fire burning while dirt and ash hung around the air. Some fell into Makaria's hair, mixing in with the dark strands. Ian's dark hair was quickly becoming the same color as his brothers, a light grey. The clanging of metal against metal sounded throughout the space, a pounding that was starting to give Ian a headache... or perhaps it was just everything happening around him. Why couldn't anything ever be easy? "C'mon, help me get her to the palace," he told Hypnos.

Hypnos nodded his head, light grey hair falling across his forehead. Even through they were twins, Ian being the oldest; the two looked nothing alike. They were as different as night and day. Hypnos had light grey colored hair, his indigo eyes a light contrast to Ian's dark blueberry. Ian was also the taller of the two, his frame more muscular than his brother's lanky one.

Their differences didn't stop at just their looks but their powers as well. While Ian had control over death, Hypnos specialized in sleep. Often the two worked together, to make sure the passing of a soul was easy and peaceful; however Hypnos hadn't seen his brother in quiet a while.

"And how do you suppose I do that, brother?" Hypnos asked, head tilted to the side while one eyebrow was raised in question. "Thanatos, I cannot touch the child."

"She's already sleeping," Ian commented. "All you will do is prolong her sleep. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Moving to pick up one of her arms, he frowned when Hypnos hadn't moved. "Hy, I need your help otherwise I'll have to leave her here and get Hades."

Hypnos flinched. It wasn't that he didn't like the god of the underworld, it was more he feared him. "Fine, but don't get angry at me if she doesn't wake up for a few days."

"It won't come to that."