WARNING: There is nothing graphic in this particular chapter, but if you don't like or want to read Hades/Hermes, I recommend turning back now. ;)


"Don't tear me down for all I need

Make my heart a better place

Give me something I can believe

Don't tear me down

You've opened a door now; don't let it close."

-Within Temptation, All I need


It wasn't long after that when he lost all rational thought. His brain ceased to function, all of his actions ruled by his most primal instincts. He was dimly aware that his head had fallen back and at some point, he had shut his eyes…the messenger's lips were on his neck, leaving open mouth kisses, nibbling, sucking…

"What is going on?" a deadly voice asked.

Hades knew that voice, and it was the last thing he wanted to hear. From the sharp gasp that Hermes drew in, the king deduced that he had also identified the speaker. With reluctance, he forced himself to look over the messenger's shoulder and meet the stormy eyes of his younger brother.

"Zeus," he greeted shortly. "What an unwelcome surprise."

"You were late for our meeting, so I went looking for you," Zeus said, his voice dangerously soft. "Little did I expect to find you assaulting my son."

"Assaulting?" Hades said with a snort. His hands were still on Hermes' waist, and he could feel the rigidity of the messenger's muscles. "I assure you I did no such thing. As I recall, there was absolutely no resistance involved."

"Really?" Zeus scoffed, and now that he had gotten over his initial shock, Hades could see the temper that his brother was so well known for beginning to reveal itself. "I fail to think of any other reason why one of my sons would choose to attach himself to a dried-up old god who prefers the company of the dead to his own family!"

Hades was fully prepared to shoot back an equally scathing remark, but to his surprise, Hermes beat him to it. Spinning around in midair, the furious messenger faced down his father. "It's not any of your business who I attach myself to or why!" he snapped. "You might be in charge of a lot of things, but my love life is not one of them."

Zeus's mouth fell open in shock, and Hades was quite sure that he had never thought his quick-witted, cheerful, happy-go-lucky son would turn on him in such a manner. "Hermes…"

"If you were really as wise as everyone seems to think you are, you would already know that I'm the one who has been chasing him. Not the other way around." Hermes' words were sharp and left no room for questions. "In fact, he's done his best to push me away at every turn. I wouldn't let him. So if you want to blame somebody for what you just saw, blame me, but leave him alone."

Hades let go of the messenger's waist and crossed his arms. "I hope you know that I most certainly don't need you to defend my honor," he drawled with a raised eyebrow. "I'm more than capable of doing so on my own."

He wasn't going to let the ridiculous messenger see that he might actually be touched. Just a little bit. Absolutely not.

Hermes, once again displaying his ability to go from self-righteous fury to playful cheekiness, shot Hades a wink over his shoulder. "I know you can. Doesn't mean I can't do it for you every now and then."

Hades gave a long-suffering sigh while inwardly enjoying the sight of his brother's gobsmacked expression.

"Hades?! Really, Son?" Zeus said incredulously.

"It's not as though I'm professing my undying love for Medusa," Hermes said, and he was beginning to sound exasperated. "Father, I'm centuries old. I think I can make my own decisions when it comes to my personal life."

"And being that I'm even older than you are, I assure you that I most definitely can," Hades said to Zeus with a smirk.

Zeus looked like he wanted to continue arguing, but one look at his son's firm expression and Hades' amused eyes was enough to make him sigh reluctantly. Hades heard the messenger exhale slowly.

"I trust that this relationship will not interfere with either of your duties," the king said sharply.

"Of course not," Hermes agreed quickly just as Hades scoffed "Relationship?"

Zeus's cold blue eyes landed on his older brother, and Hades was uncomfortably reminded of the older king's fierce power and unpredictable personality. "If you ever hurt my son…"

"Of course I won't hurt the brat," Hades snapped. "If I was so inclined, it would have been when he broke several bottles of my most precious wine."

"…or allow him to come to harm…"

"Oh yes," Hades said sarcastically. "I lent him my Helm in the middle of a war because I'm so anxious for him to be hurt. That makes a great deal of sense, brother."

"That was completely unnecessary, by the way," Hermes muttered. "I would have been fine."

"That's extremely doubtful," Hades replied without looking at him. "Your sword skills are abysmal."

Ignoring the messenger's indignant squawk, Hades looked his brother directly in the eye. "I will never purposefully hurt him," he promised quietly. "You have my word."

Zeus gave a curt nod and shot his son one last disbelieving look before disappearing in a bright flash of light.

Hades and Hermes were left to stare at each other in uncomfortable silence. Not for the first or probably the last time, Hades found himself wondering how all of this had happened. Staring at the herald's young and handsome face made him remember his own less-than-perfect appearance. Zeus was right. He was a dried-up old god.

"You're less than a hundred years older than I am," the messenger's blunt voice cut through his dark thoughts, "and I think we both know a hundred years is nothing when you consider how old we actually are."

"That doesn't seem possible," Hades muttered. "You look so young. And how in the name of Zeus did you know what I was thinking?"

"Call it intuition," Hermes said with a smirk, and Hades thought he could get used to that particular expression; the flash of white teeth, the saucy glint in those intelligent green eyes, the way his eyebrows quirked just so. "The point is, I'm not some innocent child."

"I never thought you were 'innocent'," Hades sighed, and he was surprised when he felt a pang at the thought of Hermes with his many…many…lovers.

"Then what is it?" Hermes pressed, staring up at the taller god.

"You're so…" Hades hadn't had this much trouble getting words out in…well, ever.

Hermes tapped one foot against the marble floor, and Hades scowled at the impatient gesture before finally finishing through gritted teeth. "Attractive. You're very attractive."

Hermes raised an eyebrow in what was probably considered one of his trademark expressions. "You think so?"

"Don't you?" Hades shot back.

"I'm not that narcissistic," Hermes laughed, shrugging his cloak behind his shoulders. Hades rolled his eyes as the other god's perfectly formed upper body was revealed. "I'm usually overshadowed by my brothers."

Hades thought of Apollo and Ares, both tall, impossibly handsome, almost beautiful creations. Both lithe, skilled fighters; both talented at so many things. He could understand how Hermes might feel overshadowed. But then he gazed at the messenger, at his sleek hair, beautiful olive skin, strong jaw and slightly pointed chin. He thought of all the things this young god had accomplished in his life, of his cunning and undeniably brilliant mind. Where Ares and Apollo were cold and unflappable, their wily brother was charming and friendly. Perhaps too friendly, Hades thought with an inward snort.

"Ares is nothing but a brute and Apollo is too perfect," Hades said smoothly. ""But I've digressed. My point was that I don't understand how you can be attracted to me. I hardly compare to you or your brothers."

Hermes' eyebrows rose even higher, almost disappearing beneath his fringe of curly black hair. Then he let out a disbelieving laugh that instantly made Hades grind his teeth together. "You don't think you're attractive?"

"No," Hades snapped. "As a matter of fact, I don't."

Hermes' expression slowly morphed into a soft smile, and before the king knew what was happening, there were fingers combing their way through his long hair. Hades took a deep breath and fought the instinctive urge to duck away; he would have to get used to this.

He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes until Hermes' other hand touched his cheek. Rough fingertips trailed across his cheekbone, and warm breath washed over his lips. "Look at me," the messenger's voice, unnaturally gentle, said.

For once, Hades obeyed. He was met with the sight of Hermes only mere inches away from him, nearly pressing into his chest. His full lips formed into another smile, and he slowly ran a finger over the shadows beneath the king's dark eyes. "Are you scared, My Lord?" he murmured, and Hades was stuck with a memory of the first time Hermes had dared to get so close to him. That time, he had been scared. This time, he was completely honest when he whispered, "No."

The hand in his hair tightened, drawing him away from the long-ago memory. Now the herald's fingers were resting against his lips, a feather light touch that was barely there. Hades met his eyes, finding himself pulled into a never-ending ocean of swirling green and gold. "I think you're attractive," he heard, and the words sounded like they were coming from somewhere far away but he believed them.

Suddenly feeling off balance, he gripped the messenger's bare shoulders. The skin beneath his hands was warm and firm.

Was this why Hermes was among the most loved and trusted of the gods…his ability to make people feel as though they mattered? Or was it simply the fact that his mere presence was reassuring?

Suddenly Hermes stepped away from him in one graceful motion.

Hades blinked at him. "What?"

"I almost forgot!" the messenger exclaimed with a teasing smile.

"Forgot what?" Hades said with a scowl. He wasn't going to admit that he was missing the warmth of Hermes' firm body.

"That I had a message for you!"

"Can't it wait?" the king said impatiently.

"Nope," Hermes said, shaking his head. "It's very important."

"So important that you forgot," Hades muttered with a roll of his eyes. It was amazing how fast they had slipped back into their old routine of the annoying messenger and the grumpy king. "Well, go on then. Who is it from?"

"It's from Hermes," he said with a wide smile, "herald of Zeus, patron of travel and writing, best friend of thieves, master of deceit and persuasion, inventor of astronomy and so many other things."

"You're starting to sound like Apollo," Hades said, though there was a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Hermes ignored him. "He wishes to tell you, Hades, great King of the Underworld, lord of riches, fierce warrior, master of invisibility and shadows, that you are the most majestic person he has ever met. Your power is entrancing in such a manner that you captured his attention in a way that it has never been captured before. He is known to be flighty, but you are the only one who has ever made him want to stay home, simply because he wants to be close to you. He has made it one of his life's missions to make you smile as much as possible, because no matter what you think, you are mesmerizing. And I'll kill anyone who says otherwise," he finished rather viciously.

"That won't be necessary," Hades said, and now he wasn't bothering to hide his smile. The expression felt unnatural on his face. "I'm not exactly the most beloved of the gods. You would end up killing off half the population."

Hermes bared his teeth in a frightening smile. "So be it."

Hades shifted uncomfortably. He wondered if he would ever get used to someone defending him with such passion. Especially since he hardly needed defending.

"Do the two of you plan on standing there the rest of the day?" Apollo's irritated voice interrupted. "Can't you find somewhere else to bond?" He was standing behind Hermes wearing a disgruntled expression. His arms were crossed over his broad chest.

Hades wondered if he had been listening this entire time. "I'm sorry; are we bothering you?" the king drawled.

Apollo didn't respond, but Hades watched as his blue eyes flicked in Hermes' direction. His expression was unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"That was weird," Hermes commented.

Hades didn't answer. He was still watching the archer's retreating back, his dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he turned back to Hermes. "Care to join me for a walk?"


A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! :D Thank you for your reviews and support.