'They were fairly similar in some aspects, but I could definitely see why Opis had told me that Hypnos was like the sun to Thanatos' moon...'
Spindrift Blue Barricades
I adjusted my backless, nude-coloured dress as I waited for Opis to open the door to Thanatos' chamber. Thanatos had set it out for tonight and I had the feeling I knew why- it was scandalously form-fitting.
I felt my heart beat faster as the old man smiled and said; "You look beautiful, my lady. My lord will be very pleased with your choice."
I smiled gently and said a soft 'thanks'. I hope Thanatos did appreciate it- it's not like it was actually my choice... But granted, I did want to impress him- and this dress would certainly do the trick.
I was nervous and my hands were sweaty; not only because I was about to meet Thanatos' brother, but also because I was about to see him. It's only been a day since I'd last seen Thanatos, since we'd agreed to keep our distance from each other just to be cautious, but already I could feel my skin prick with anticipation at the thought of his red eyes staring intensely down at me.
I breathed in deeply and steadied myself as Opis put his hand on the handle.
With some force, as the door was rather heavy, Opis swung it open and I stepped through.
The long, oak table was made up with candles, silverware and dark red napkins. Along the side stood piles of food and drinks, and on the other side the fire raged in the hearth.
I clasped my hands in front of my dress as two dark figures at the end of the table stood up and placed their tumblers on the table.
My heart stilled to a soft hum as our eyes met across the room.
He was as handsome as ever- his black attire showing off his muscled built and his black hair combed back, leaving a few unruly strands hanging by his forehead. I was dazed as he walked towards me; those red eyes full of longing.
I gulped as I tried to control myself- remembering to think of his twin, and how we weren't alone.
Thanatos trailed his eyes down my form in approval. He licked his lips and quickly cleared his throat. I froze as his hand found its way onto the small of my back and led me forward towards the figure bathed in the light from the fire.
"Aurora, this is my brother- Hypnos."
I smiled politely at the man in front of me, but as he walked closer, I felt my eyes widen.
Well, they both definitely got the ungodly handsome gene in the family.
Fuck me.
Hypnos was the same height as Thanatos, but his build was a bit less muscular, but still impressive. They didn't look like twins, to be honest, but I could see the resemblance in some ways. They both had sharp, intense eyes- Thanatos' a deep red and Hypnos' eyes were a dark orange. I'd never thought I'd see a man with red eyes, never mind orange either.
They were surreal and calculating.
Hypnos' face was more angular, but he had the same hard jaw line as his brother. Hypnos face looked younger in a way, but more angelic. His dirty blond hair was longish and parted over to the one side. His skin was slightly lighter than his brothers, but they were both extremely tanned.
"Hypnos- this is Aurora, Hecate's successor."
I nodded my head; "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Hypnos stared down at me with cool eyes, but then a small, aloof smile formed on his face; "The pleasure is all mine."
His voice was just as deep as his brothers, but lacked Thanatos' intimidating quality. His was quite ominous though...
"My brother has told me much about you..." Hypnos said as he turned to sit down.
I shot Thanatos a look of warning as he pushed out the chair for me to sit on. He smiled slyly- reassuring me that he didn't spill our little secret. I smiled back at Hypnos; who was taking a sip from his glass.
"All good I hope?"
Thanatos snickered softly and seated himself at the head of the table, between the two of us as we sat on either side of him.
Hypnos laughed softly and leaned back in his chair; his grey attire appearing darker in the candlelight. "Naturally... How are you enjoying the palace, Aurora?"
I could tell Hypnos was far more mannered than his brother, but I had the feeling he wasn't as charming. He seemed more reserved and less inclined to social gatherings.
"It's wonderful. It was quite the adjustment, but I'm more than used to it by now."
"A drink, Aurora?" Thanatos asked as he poured himself more whiskey. I nodded and smiled politely- it was strange being in the same room with him and not being able to touch him; "White wine, please."
Thanatos indicated to Silas, his servant, to fetch me my drink.
Hypnos spoke up again, his smile cool and indifferent; "How is the training coming along?"
"Very well, thank you." I said as Silas poured me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. "It took some time to find my magic, but as soon as we did, the training came naturally. Of course, I can't take all the credit- Conrad and Al-"
"Yes!" Thanatos spoke up, interrupting me before I could speak further. "Of course you can take credit. You're a natural."
I eyed him. That was strange.
Hypnos smiled; "And my brother hasn't given you any trouble, has he? He can be so relentless..."
Thanatos and I both laughed, but it sounded so false we might as well have told him about us to save ourselves the embarrassment. Hypnos keen eyes scanned our faces as he took a sip of his bourbon.
"He's been very... kind." I said as I tried to drown myself in my glass; avoiding Thanatos eyes and trying not to blush too deeply.
"Well, that doesn't sound like you at all." Hypnos said as he shot Thanatos a sly smile. "Are you ill, brother dear?"
Thanatos chuckled as he leaned back to rest his arm on the chair's back; "I can be hospitable when the need arises."
"And I'm sure the need has arisen quite often..."
I tried not to choke on my wine. The two brothers stared at me as I placed my glass down and smiled. This was beyond embarrassing. I'm sure they were used to talking about their sex-lives, but I certainly wasn't- and not in front of family. Not that we've had sex- oh, gods! Does he think we have?
"So Aurora- Thanatos tells me you have a slight issue."
I pursed my lips; "Unfortunately, yes."
"Well, it's a good thing I came then." Hypnos said dryly.
Thanatos turned his eyes to me, sending shivers down my spine; "I'm sure you know that Hypnos is the god of sleep- he'll be able to help us- you- with your nightmare problem. And there might be a way to figure out what Hecate wants with you and to get more information on the killer."
I nodded.
I suppose Thanatos had told his brother everything. In a sense I was happy to finally have a solution to this, but I also felt quite nervous to have someone poking inside my head again. I'd just managed to get Thanatos out- and now his brother was going to try.
Great.
Although, I couldn't help but smile at Thanatos slip of words. He'd said 'us'. Was it that he finally saw us as a team?
"Thank you for taking the time. I'll be glad once it's all over."
I felt Thanatos' leg brush against mine and the fire sprang up in my stomach.
"No need to be so formal with me, Aurora. I'm not one of the high-and-mighty Olympian gods." His tone was dryer than the wine. It makes sense that their family, the Old Family as Alexus had called them, would be at odds with the ruling or royal family. Did Hypnos see eye-to-eye with the Olympians like Thanatos did?
I chuckled and relaxed my shoulders a bit. I replied in a dry tone of voice; "Good, because frankly; I'm a little tired of kissing ass."
The brothers laughed loudly; their tone magically similar. It was beautiful- too beautiful for two males to sound so much like angels when they were so far from heaven.
"They're all so ignorant about things, aren't they?" Hypnos said as he filled up his own glass and Thanatos'. Thanatos dismissed the servants to leave us to talk without fear of being heard.
I giggled; "And a bit eccentric."
Thanatos laughed; "It's the incest, I tell you."
We laughed and drank, and by the end of the evening we were all tipsy and the best of friends. Hypnos told me quite a few stories of when they were younger, and how Thanatos kept getting himself into trouble with Hades and how Poseidon always had to help him out of it.
From what I could decipher, the twins had grown up alongside the younger Olympians, like Apollo and Poseidon, and had spent time with the royal family and their own family as well. How confusing and strange must it have been to be in the middle of such a bizarre arrangement? I knew I had much to learn about their past, but already with what I knew, it was definitely unorthodox.
I heard stories about their adventures, their battles and I could easily see the love they had for one another. They were fairly similar in some aspects, but I could definitely see why Opis had told me that Hypnos was like the sun to Thanatos' moon. Hypnos kept his brother on the right path, but Thanatos was always there for his twin to lift his spirits and inject some fun into his life.
I could see the pure love too- both brothers looked up to one another. Hypnos looked to Thanatos for protection and strength, whereas Thanatos found his compassion and empathy with his twins.
They were a perfect match.
I felt a bit envious at their close bond, but by the end of the night, I felt much more included and right at home. Hypnos seemed to approve of me- even though no one brought up the fact that Thanatos and I had something going on. I was fairly sure Hypnos knew though. Especially the way Thanatos and I looked at each other, or how he would hang on my every word.
I think Hypnos was quite surprised, to be honest. I don't think he'd ever thought he'd see his brother act like this- tender and sweet.
We ended the night on a high- with a hilarious story of how Thanatos and Hypnos had accidently lost Hera's pet peacock when they were young and how they had to replace it with another one before Hera could notice.
"And she still thinks it's the same one!" Thanatos said as I laughed loudly- tears streaming down my face. Gods, they were so naughty!
Hypnos wiped a tear from his eye and finished his drink; "Well, I think I'll retire for the night."
"Your room is open." Thanatos said as he stood up, his whiskey still in his hand. I followed the men, patting down my dress as I stood. My stomach was so full of delicious food- I could barely move, but the laughter and wine certainly loosened me up a bit.
"Goodnight, Aurora. Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow so we can start." Hypnos winked as he gave me a tight hug. He smelt of bourbon and fresh rain. I smiled up at him and rubbed his arm.
"Thanks, and sleep well yourself."
He grinned and turned to his brother; "You off to bed too?"
Thanatos shrugged and looked to me; "I think I'll walk her to her room and then continue with some work."
"Still not sleeping? You know you'd feel a lot better if you did? You haven't slept for nearly twenty-five years- on and off, of course."
"Hypnos has a point." I said as I eyed Thanatos with a smirk. "Maybe you should try again?"
"Well, of course I've tried, I just... can't." Thanatos said sheepishly and gulped down the rest of his drink. Hypnos and I glanced at each other in silent understanding.
"Well, then join us tomorrow and I'll see what I can do." Hypnos said as he tapped his twin on the shoulder and smiled coolly. Thanatos rolled his eyes.
"Alright, fine. But I rather like being the epitome of 'no sleep for the wicked'."
I laughed as Hypnos rolled his eyes and bid us goodnight. I turned to Thanatos as the door closed.
We were alone. My heart picked up.
Suddenly, his strong arms were around me, and he was pressing me tightly against his chest.
I breathed in his minty scent and buried my head in the crook of his neck. His whisper was soft and husky; "Gods, I missed you."
I moaned inaudibly at his words. "I missed you too..."
Thanatos brought his head back to delicately kiss my lips. We pressed our faces together, not even caring about the kiss or moving our lips- just needing to feel the sensation of our lips touching.
My knees buckled as he whispered; "Stay."
I shook my head slowly; loving the feel of my mouth rubbing against his. "You know I can't."
Thanatos groaned and took a step back; pulling me with him- deeper into the dining hall. Deeper into temptation. "Just one more drink, and I'll let you leave."
"Let me leave?" I asked with a small smile on my face. His arms tightened around my bare back.
"If you haven't noticed- you're a bit trapped right now, angel..."
I giggled and turned my head as he nipped at my neck. His breath was hot and smelt of whiskey. I tried to push him away to tease him, but he pulled me in harder- his grip becoming more forceful. I loved it when he was like this- so domineering.
"Fine- one more drink."
"Now that's what I like to hear..." He let go slowly and pulled me with him to his room. I swallowed softly, knowing where this would lead.
I just hoped that Hypnos wasn't an early riser.
NEXT UPDATE- 26th of March, a bit earlier...