More sentimental rubbish from me, I'm afraid.
Kissing Hephaestion was like tasting cool clear wine at twilight.
The touch of his lips lingered on Alexander's, stilling his soul and hinting at magic, evoking memories of summer forested nights in Macedonia where dryads and nereids walked, far from the relentless Egyptian sun.
Alexander drew back from Hephaestion's lips, opened his eyes and smiled at Hephaestion. He sat down on the blue-draped divan an arm's length from Hephaestion to drink in the sight of him.
Hephaestion was reclining against an armful of cushions on the divan, his head and shoulders profiled against the burning blue of the Egyptian sky, huge oblongs of which rose up behind the giant sandstone columns of the shaded balcony onto which this palatial room opened. Beyond the balcony, the Egyptian heat stood like an invisible wall through which shimmered the distant view of whitewashed and brightly painted temples, palm trees and the ever-present Nile.
The balcony faced north and this shaded room with its high ceiling and marble floor was comparatively cool. A giant Nubian slave in a linen kilt stood beside the divan, waving a palm-leaf fan and creating a gentle breeze. On the other side of the room, against the blue walls painted with white lotus flowers and long-beaked ibis birds, stood two dark-haired Egyptians on either side of a table bearing water and dates.
Hephaestion was wearing a cool white robe, open to the waist and edged with Egyptian symbols of life embroidered in red and black. The smile with which he had greeted Alexander faded, leaving his beautiful face calm and thoughtful as he surveyed Alexander. Doubtless it had something to do with the scattering of scrolls and letters surrounding him on the divan. He, like Alexander, had been catching up with the correspondence which had accumulated during their six week trip through the desert to the oracle at Siwah. Alexander had gotten bored and had abandoned his letters in search of some refreshing company.
"What?" he asked with a soft smile at Hephaestion's continued thoughtfulness.
Hephaestion's blue eyes, as clear as the freshest water, gazed at Alexander. "I had a visitor today," he said in a slightly bemused voice.
"Oh?"
"Yes. A very handsome young man, a Greek named Aristion."
"And?"
"And I cannot make up my mind if he was trying to seduce me or not."
Laughter bubbled from Alexander's throat. "What did he want?" he asked. "Not," he added hastily, seeing the touch of affront passing over Hephaestion's face, "that seducing you isn't an end in itself, but complete strangers are likely to have an ulterior motive."
"He was a boy, Alexander. He couldn't have been above twenty."
"A whole four years younger than you and I," Alexander teased, reclining back onto the divan on his elbow and dislodging several letters onto the floor.
"I don't know if he knew what he was doing," Hephaestion mused. "He kept gazing at me with these big, innocent eyes as though he totally trusted and surrendered himself to me. As though he were opening up his whole soul to me."
"And why is that so terrible?" Alexander asked, his free hand finding its way onto Hephaestion's ankle.
Hephaestion's eyes met Alexander's solemnly. "Demosthenes sent him."
"Demosthenes?" Alexander went cold at the Athenian orator's name, his hand stilling. The man was rabidly anti-Macedonian and had vilified Philip and Alexander repeatedly. He had taken Persian gold to stir up trouble against them. "Was it an assassination attempt?"
"No."
"Are you sure? What better way to weaken me than to destroy you?"
"No," Hephaestion said, his confidence unshaken. "He brought letters, but he was sent to gain my favour. He was a bribe, Alexander, sent to sweeten me and get me to persuade you that Demosthenes is a reformed character and has seen the error of his ways in denouncing you."
"Fat chance of that. Only last year he tried to get the Athenians to join Sparta's revolt against me."
"But the Athenians didn't listen to him," Hephaestion said. "Again."
"That has more to do with Athens' hatred of Sparta than it does with their loathing of me."
"Or their fear of you."
"Well, yes," Alexander said, suddenly finding Hephaestion's ankle very interesting. "The Athenians don't want their beautiful city destroyed like Thebes."
"Shame," Hephaestion said with a smile, causing Alexander to raise his eyes to him, "that the Athenians have never realised that neither you, or Philip, ever wanted to destroy Athens."
"They have too much to offer," Alexander said, circling his forefinger around Hephaestion's anklebone. "We would indeed be the barbarians they think us if we destroyed so much culture."
"Yet for all their superiority and learning, their minds can still dwell in the gutter. Demosthenes obviously thinks I am nothing but your boy toy."
"Aren't you?" Alexander said, raising his eyes with a wicked grin at Hephaestion.
There was silence from Hephaestion. He looked at Alexander without expression.
His grin fading, Alexander eyed Hephaestion apprehensively. "You know I didn't mean that the way it came out."
"No."
"The whole world knows we are lovers," Alexander said, raising himself up and unhitching himself from where he was kneeling on his robe, "and that I would give you whatever you asked for. But you never ask. Obviously Demosthenes sent the boy to you thinking you would offer him to me."
"Did he?" Hephaestion said flatly. He didn't sound convinced.
Alexander crawled on his hands and knees beside Hephaestion towards the head of the divan. There was an ominous crackle of parchment from beneath his knee.
"Mind. That's Aristotle's letter," Hephaestion said, rescuing it and throwing it onto the floor out of the way.
"Aristotle?" Alexander said as he raised his knee and made sure there wasn't anything else underneath him. "Why didn't I get one from him?"
"Probably because you haven't written to him. You can read it though. He obviously intends you to read it. Or else he thinks I have far greater influence over your decision-making than I do."
"Why? What's it about?" Alexander asked, reclining beside Hephaestion against the cushions.
"It's entitled 'On Kingship'. I think he's trying out some ideas on me."
"Such as?" Alexander asked, propping his head on his hand, his elbow on the cushions behind Hephaestion, his chest resting against Hephaestion's arm. His pupils were dilated as he gazed at Hephaestion's profile.
"Such as a king must not be susceptible to flattery, nor must he have favourites."
"Is a king not human? Must he be without friends or lovers to influence him?" Alexander unhooked his hand from under his cheek and reached out his forefinger to gently lift a tendril of Hephaestion's hair back over his shoulder.
Hephaestion turned his head slightly and eyed Alexander. "Nor must a king strive for aggrandisement or glorification. His aim must be for virtue and moderation in all things. He should be an exemplar of restraint and self-control for all men."
Alexander grinned, seeing the glint of amusement deep in Hephaestion's eyes. "How is that compatible with what he taught us about excelling in all things?"
Hephaestion gave in and grinned. "I have no idea."
Alexander stirred, knowing he was forgiven. He raised his arm and waved it at the Nubian. "Out," he said, waving expansively to include the two Egyptians.
As they left, closing the great doors behind them, he clambered behind Hephaestion, dislodging cushions to sit behind him, spreading his legs either side of Hephaestion as he wrapped his arms about him. He laid his head against the side of Hephaestion's.
"I know you correspond with philosophers, Aristotle and Isocrates, and now Demosthenes and all sorts of learned people who know how clever you are, much cleverer than I am. You are truly the ideal of a beautiful mind in a beautiful body, Hephaestion. Yet I blame no one for looking at you and just thinking of sex," he said quietly. With a smile, he turned his lips against Hephaestion's hair. "Even Demosthenes," he said against Hephaestion's ear. "When we were in Athens after Chareonea, I saw him watching you. He couldn't keep his eyes off you. He obviously hasn't forgotten the power of your beauty."
He drew back with a smile as Hephaestion turned his head to stare at him with astonishment.
"Odious man," Hephaestion said, rather embarrassed. "That was six years ago. How does he know that I have not become old and ugly?"
Alexander lay back against the cushions with a chuckle, one knee raised as he drew Hephaestion back to lie against his chest. "Because he only has to listen to the rumours to know that you're always at my side. And I am sure he has heard how the Persian ladies mistook you for me."
Hephaestion made an exasperated noise, his hair spreading over Alexander's bare chest as he moved. "The thing no one realises, Alexander," he said, "is that I walked into that tent at your side as your bodyguard, not as your friend or your lover."
"I know," Alexander said, his eyes closed as he kissed Hephaestion's hair, his hands resting on Hephaestion's arms.
"A eunuch or a woman can wield a dagger as well as a man, and all we'd heard up till then was hysterical wailing," Hephaestion said. "I didn't know what to expect."
"We were naïve," Alexander said quietly, moving his hands slowly up and down Hephaestion's arms. "We were just being ourselves and knew nothing of Persian etiquette."
Hephaestion craned his head around briefly to catch Alexander's eye. "You were very gracious, Alexander," he said, lowering his voice. "I am still mortified every time I think of what I did to you that day."
"There's no need," Alexander murmured, nuzzling Hephaestion's hair. His warm hand caressed Hephaestion's chest. "Women are always drawn to you, and I took you with me that day because I knew your presence would be the least likely to distress them. I wanted it to be a family affair: theirs and mine."
Alexander moved his hand down Hephaestion's ribs, over the lean muscle of his belly and his fingers brushed the curls that nestled there. Hephaestion murmured in pleasure, arched his back and turned around in Alexander's arms. With a smile he laid his hand on the back of Alexander's neck and raised his head to meet Alexander's lips.
"Are you about to prove Demosthenes right?" Hephaestion asked, his voice husky with pleasure, his lips almost touching Alexander's.
"I am," Alexander said, his voice throaty. His hand found its way underneath Hephaestion's robe and he stroked Hephaestion's thigh where it lay across his. He laid his warm hand on Hephaestion's firm round naked buttock. "Unless…"
"Nope," Hephaestion said with a grin. "I've already done the dominant male bit today."
A frown of incomprehension flitted across Alexander's face.
"I kissed Aristion," Hephaestion said his eyes dancing as he enjoyed the expression of dismay on Alexander face. "I didn't go any further than a kiss because I didn't really want to go where Demosthenes had already been before me, but Aristion was very compliant and would easily have submitted to me. And I thought he deserved some reward for his effort."
"Did you enjoy the kiss?" Alexander asked, trying to appear unconcerned as he drew his head back slightly.
"Oh yes," Hephaestion said, enjoying himself as he watched Alexander squirm. "Definitely one of the best kissers I've ever met. No wonder Demosthenes sent him to me."
"And how many lovers have you had that you're such an expert on kissing?" Alexander asked with derision.
"Oh, dozens," Hephaestion said airily.
"Liar."
"You're jealous," Hephaestion said brightly.
"Am not."
"Are too. You would be jealous too if you knew all the people I've kissed. I've kissed Cleitus, Ptolemy, Perdiccas, I even kissed Philotas once, just to annoy him," Hephaestion said, warming to his subject.
"You never kissed Cleitus!" Alexander accused, interrupting what promised to be a long list.
"Well, technically, no," Hephaestion said. "He kissed me: once when I was fifteen and he was very drunk, and he cornered me once when I was about seventeen."
A memory passed over Hephaestion's face as he lay across Alexander's chest.
Suddenly Alexander decided he'd had enough of this and, hooking his arm under Hephaestion's thigh, tipped him onto his back on the divan. Kneeling between Hephaestion's thighs, he paused to make sure Hephaestion wasn't going anywhere, then he stripped off his robe over his head and flung it way. He knelt there for a moment as Hephaestion grinned up at his muscular nakedness.
Sliding his hands up Hephaestion's legs, Alexander raised Hephaestion's robe, pushing it up to his belly as he lay down, his hips between Hephaestion's thighs, flesh against flesh. He lay with his breast against Hephaestion's bare breast and kissed Hephaestion's neck as Hephaestion's hand moved up his back.
"Alexander," Hephaestion said, sounding like a small boy who was trying to prolong the moment when he had to go to bed by asking questions, instead of sounding like an intoxicated lover.
"Stop talking," Alexander said, his mouth against Hephaestion's collarbone. "I'm trying to seduce you." His hand on Hephaestion's hip, Alexander tightened his buttocks and pressed his groin upwards against Hephaestion's.
Hephaestion made a sound and drew his pelvis back from Alexander's. "Alexander, about this god business," he said, rather breathlessly.
"What god business?" Alexander said thickly, raising his head as he propped himself on his elbow to stare down at Hephaestion, his thick hair hanging down around his dark eyes. Close to losing his reason, it took him a moment to realise what Hephaestion meant. "Hephaestion, I never said I was a god."
"No, but..." Hephaestion said, his clear eyes like a splash of cold water in Alexander's face.
"Hephaestion, I'm not ready to talk to anyone yet about what the oracle at Siwah said to me," Alexander said as he stared down at the smooth skin of Hephaestion's chest, pained that Hephaestion should ask him. "It's too… too difficult."
"I know. But I'm not talking about Siwah."
Alexander raised his eyes quickly to Hephaestion's, puzzled.
"Alexander, when you are crowned Pharaoh of Egypt, you will quite literally become a god. Their Pharaohs are divine," Hephaestion said quickly. "If their god Amon-Ra is really Zeus under another name, you will become a facet of Zeus. Not just his son, but Zeus himself."
Alexander stared at Hephaestion, at a loss where to begin to comprehend such an idea.
"What will become of me?" Hephaestion said very quietly.
Alexander said nothing, continuing to stare at Hephaestion. A change came over Hephaestion's face and he said quickly, "If you have sex with me, Alexander, I could be frazzled by your godly essence."
"You're joking," Alexander said.
"I'm deadly serious, Alexander," Hephaestion said. "By the time you've finished with me, I could quite literally be toast. Look at Semele, Dionysus' mother. Zeus burnt her to a cinder."
"She was presumptuous," Alexander said, his eyes indrawn with thought. "And it will make no difference to us."
"But you will go places where I cannot follow," Hephaestion said, looking up at Alexander with eyes as blue and vast as the sky, eyes which began to burn as fiercely as the Egyptian sky which overarched the desert where men walked as he stared up at Alexander. "But I will follow you, Alexander," he said. "I will follow you through the blood and dust, even when I can no longer see your face. Even after death I will follow you, even if I am in the depths of Hades and you are seated on Mount Olympus among the blessed gods, I will rise up and follow you."
"And I will place you among the stars, so that all may see you shine," Alexander said, his heart in his throat as he smoothed his hand over Hephaestion's cheek and hair.
"I should love to hear the stars sing," Hephaestion said softly. "Do you think it's cold up there?"
A chuckle forced its way past the constriction in Alexander's throat. He kissed Hephaestion's lips to keep him quiet. "Shut up," he said, and set to work to kiss him in earnest as Hephaestion's lips opened to greet him and Hephaestion's hands rose to take possession of Alexander's head and heart.
I couldn't find the reference but I think the hero cult which Alexander established for Hephaestion lasted for several hundred years.
Hephaestion was not Athenian, but in 334BC about three years before this story, a certain Amyntor son of Demetrios and his descendants were granted Athenian citizenship. There is no proof that this was Hephaestion's father, although it might explain why Demosthenes chose Hephaestion to intercede with Alexander for him.