isleofavalon | [OPEN][May Catch-all]

[...Oh. Makes sense then. He nods.]

You only have one king? For us, it changes. Right now, I am the king of all and before that, it was my brother.

Three kings, in fact... but Zeus places himself over the other two due to his victory in a conflict with those who ruled before him.

[He does wonder if Zeus would ever hand that power off to someone else. Would he be able to let go of his arrogance?]

He has sons, as do the other two. But the power isn't necessarily hereditary.

How do you get anything done with three kings?

[He imagines his own family...if it had been him and Osiris ruling together then he doesn't think he would have ever agreed about anything back then.]

[Zagreus chuckles, and he's quickly learning that he really likes seeing Thanatos flush like that, but he relents, holding onto that hand in his just as readily.]

Don't mind my cheekiness, Than. I'm just...so thoroughly pleased, that's all. I think I may feel a bit giddy, to be honest with you. We'd better hurry before I say something else just as harebrained.

[Thanatos chuckles. It's not a sound often heard from him, but the question is so... fitting that he can't help but be amused.]

The Olympians rarely get anything done at all. They fight amongst themselves and occasionally turn their attention towards mortals, normally in order to torment them.

I can think of a way or two to shut you up, if you do. [Thanatos muses, slanting his gaze down to the prince and allowing a very subtle smile to pull at his lips.

Yes, he knows exactly what he's saying. Relative shyness about intimacy aside he isn't entirely ignorant of it, and... well, maybe he wants to fluster the prince a little in return for the blush the other had already provoked on him.]

Shall we hurry home?

It isn't your job to care for them?

[In his world, that's his job. There are problems but they're between the gods. Mortals are different, they are people who need help and cannot run themselves. That is why the gods exist, that is why they worship the gods.

Set rolls his eyes.]

Gods who need to turn to mortals for entertainment are idiots. Entertainment is a small concern.

Not my job, specifically. I see to them after they die, and they have no need of me before then.

[Thanatos has no temples, no songs are sang for him and no prayers spoken save for those that ask him not to come near. He's used to it and wouldn't wish for the attention of mortals - it often seems to be more trouble than it's worth.]

An Olympian god or goddess might extend their hand to aid a mortal they favour. Or they might as easily inflict a terrible punishment on one who slights them. [He shrugs and speaks simply, as if this is just... how things are.] I never claimed that they were all intelligent. Even the wisest of them are sometimes prone to impulsive behaviour.

I guess in my world it is similar enough although we govern the humans and make sure they don't end up killing themselves. They aren't good at staying alive.

[Which is kind of unfair to say since Set has definitely killed more than a few on his own.]

Though humans worship us for our favor. As if they think it makes any difference. It doesn't at all. But I can't say I mind their gifts. [You don't just turn a gift away.

But what Thanatos says interests him.] Then you are like Anubis. He is here and told me that is his job, guiding the souls to the afterlife. Though he was born in the future. Apparently my sister's child. [And it isn't Anubis but Horus but Set doesn't know that quite yet.]

[Zagreus' brows lift in surprise, and some amazement, to hear such a thing out of Thanatos, of all people. The prince is absolutely not shy when it comes to the, er...more intimate parts of a relationship, but with Than, everything is different. It all feels new all over again.

So Death gets his wish, as Zag's face flushes a bit. Even so, mischief sneaks into his little grin.]

Ah, well, if those ways are as pleasant as what we've been doing here so far, maybe I should say harebrained things more often.

[He is more than ready to get back and pick up where they just left off, and he has to suppress the urge to do something silly like offer to race Thanatos back to the inn. (He learned long ago that racing Death anywhere is just asking for him to teleport to the finish line the instant he starts running. It's truly unfair.

He also has to suppress the urge to just start kissing Than again right here and now. But he wants privacy, and Zagreus is inclined to give it to him. Preferably as quickly as possible.

So he just nods.]

Let's go.

[He nods slightly in agreement.]

The mortals worship for the favour of the gods in Greece as well. Though--

[And here he lets out a soft huff of almost-amusement. He rarely speaks so frankly of how things operate back home, because most of the time it has nothing to do with him. Despite being a god himself, he doesn't associate with many others.]

They show no such deference to me. I am respected and feared, at best.

[And hated, at worst.]

Mortals are careful to not draw my attention.

I wasn't aware you were making an effort not to.

[From anyone else, that kind of comment on Zagreus' tendency to say 'harebrained things' might have sounded like an insult. Even from Thanatos, until recently, such a thing might have sounded like an insult. But now, the words come out immeasurably fond and with a gentle smile that softens the edges of his features for a moment.

Though he has a vested interest in getting back indoors as quickly as possible given what they've been discussing, he'll still enjoy the walk back.

So he gives the hand in his a light tug and starts heading back towards the softly twinkling lights of Camelot, his mind suddenly buzzing with what has been proposed and... what he might do.]

You should know-- though I'm sure you would expect... I'm not experienced in such matters.

[Set relates to this. Of course he has done no favors of his own. Just because he was called a beast did not mean he had to behave like he was a beast. Even he knew that now.]

A following is annoying. They say pretty things in order to gain your favor but none of it means much. I did not have many but they prayed to me, as pointless as it was. A temple doesn't do much but exist.

[Set may be one of the few gods to say he didn't think being worshipped was all they made it out to be. But his followers had always spoken badly of Osiris and that was not what he ever wanted to hear. Trying to sleep with him had been just as bad of an offense.]

Mm. I agree.

[Thanatos had no temples and he had no need of them. They were a useless affectation and something that only seemed to be around to inflate the egos of those they were dedicated to.]

I don't care how the mortals see me. I come for them regardless of whether or not they show me respect.

We seem to agree on many things.

[And Set isn't used to that. Really, he's used to people listening to him and thinking he doesn't know what he's talking about. It was refreshing to have the opposite.]

I don't think there are many gods like you in my world.

[Zagreus laughs, just a hint of wonder sneaking into it. 'Giddy' was the right word, he thinks - when was the last time he could laugh so freely with Thanatos, or anyone, really? And when was the last time Thanatos felt that he could indulge his own sense of humor? Sure, it's at Zag's expense, but he can tell the difference between an insult and fond teasing. And the fact that this is the latter makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He elbows Death with a light nudge.]

I'll have you know that absolutely nothing I say is planned ahead of time, thank you very much!

[It's heartwarming, too, to see Thanatos walking with him instead of floating along. Not that Zagreus would have minded the floating at all, but this seems to be a deliberate gesture, a way to enjoy something simple together. Still, Zagreus isn't one to walk slowly even at his most relaxed, let alone when he's impatient to get back to the part where Thanatos is kissing him. So he sets a brisk pace.]

That's perfectly all right, Than. Everyone begins somewhere. And I consider it an honor to be the one to introduce you to it all.

[He makes a sound of amusement, folding his arms loosely.]

There aren't many gods like me in my world, either.

[That isn't a conceit - it's a simple truth. There were not many gods like Thanatos, ones who were so single-mindedly dedicated to their work that they were barely anything else. Thanatos had never existed to be anything but Death, and he had taken up his role knowing it was something he would never be free of.]

There are other gods of death, but they are not like me.

[It would be a surprise to many to find that the surly god of death in fact did have a sense of humour at all. Even his twin brother, the one who knew him best in all of creation, might be surprised to find it still existed. Maybe it's just that Zagreus brings it out in him, and it's so much easier to indulge such things here without the weight of his work and responsibility on his shoulders.

Despite Zagreus' quick steps it's easy enough to keep up with him. Thanatos' stride is far longer, after all, given he has a foot in height over the other god. He smiles faintly at the reassurance and squeezes his fingers around Zagreus' hand. Thanatos is not ignorant of how such things go, but when would he have ever had the time?

He's... excited, he thinks.]

There's no need to take it so seriously. [And he never thought a statement like that would come out of his mouth.] I just hope I don't... disappoint you.

[Set does not take it as conceit. He takes it as a simple blunt truth and doesn't think much else of it.]

How many gods of death does one need? [And Set does not mean this offensively. In his world, there is a god for everything. Yes, they patron over multiple things but it isn't like there will be another god of the desert. That is Set's domain and only his.]

[He chuckles a little at that. While it's acceptable that one might think only one would be needed, Thanatos has his hands more than full with his own particular aspect of it.

So he doesn't take offense, only shakes his head.]

There are several, dependant upon the aspect or manner of death. [Thanatos would be a far different person, he thinks, if he dealt with vengeance or murder for example.]

My sphere is that of gentle death. Though... that has been tested of late.

So...death that comes from old age? [In his world, death was not thought of like that. Not in such different ways. All that mattered was you had a proper burial so you could move to the afterlife.]

How is that being tested? Have you had to murder here? [Set just asks bluntly, not thinking much about how one just doesn't murder as much as he's done.]

No, not here. The war between the mortals in Greece has... blurred some of the lines. It makes it more difficult.

[The Greeks had their own burial rites and traditons too, but that held little sway over which god might come for them and where their soul might end up in the layers of Hades. Thanatos didn't fetch down those angry souls who died in battle, or at the hands of brutality.

Not usually, anyway.]

And not only from old age. In any way that doesn't cause the spirit anger or hatred. I try to keep away from the battlefields, though the God of War has always taken an infuriating amount of interest in me.

What about the god who handles death in other manners? Why can't he just take all those? It just sounds like work is being thrown onto you.

[But what does Set know? He has never been able to do what he's supposed to do, fight in war and live up to his name.]

Oh, it is. But... that's just the way of things. I can manage.

[He doesn't seem bothered either way. Even now, Thanatos is still fairly numb to the amount of work that had been piling up on him.]

It isn't something I need to think about here. That took some getting used to.

[Set can understand. Not with his work since for so long, he'd had nothing to do. His purpose not being met. But simply accepting things for how they are which just seems like something gods do. Other mortals haven't understood.]

I became king shortly before coming here. It feels...lazy to not be working on my kingdom at the moment.

[OPEN][May Catch-all]

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