Chapter Text
“Do you always hide your wings, Lord Sleep?” Ever since Ares had seen Hypnos put the King of the gods to sleep, he had been intrigued with the little god. Being a war god, battles and blood were his life, and he enjoyed the pleasure of sleeping after long battles. Most gods did not require sleep, but it was always energising and good for the soul. One night after a particularly unpleasant dream, he had tried to call out for the little god to speak with him, and it worked. He had found it impressive that it was so easy for Sleep to communicate with anyone he so desired through his realm. It had been a long time since then, and a bond had grown between the two. He was sure Sleep had his other consorts in this dreamland, but he did not mind, and instead basked in the attention of the bubbly chthonic god. He was a beautiful opposite of himself. Soft skin without the edge of muscle, tall and slender, graceful in his movements, and powerful. Ares couldn't so much as move or breathe in Hypnos’ realm if they so desired. Chthonic gods were incredible, and this one often did not seem to realise his own power. They were currently lounging together on a bed of pillows, Ares running fingers through the god’s cloudy hair.
The question had caught Hypnos off guard and he stiffened up a bit. “Hide my wings? I… I do, yes. They get in the way and serve painful reminders of my past. Though I can always feel them.” Ares pulled Hypnos closer under his chin, waiting for him to continue.
“I once lost a wing,” Sleep said, reaching his hand over his shoulder where the base of his wing was. “It grew back, but the memory remains.”
Ares let out a low hum. “My father?”
Hypnos nodded and closed his eyes, seeing the memory replay in his mind.
Ares continued to mess with the god’s hair until he let out a sigh. “Ah, I’m sorry my Lord, but it seems the waking world requires my presence. Will I see you again, my angel?”
Hypnos sat up until he was straddling Ares and smiled, placing a hand on War’s cheek. “Of course! You think I sit around and sleep all day for nothing? You know how to reach me.”
Ares' vision faded to black, and as he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the feeling of bloodlust in the air and the smell of blood. With that and the pleasant dream he had now woken from he grinned. What a beautiful day indeed.
_____
Hypnos had a family, but he couldn’t say that it had ever felt like what a true family should be. Even when he was a child, it had all seemed so practised. Every hug and kiss, every act of kindness, even the gifts he had received were not a singular experience. All children of Nyx had experienced the same care. Like an experiment.
Nyx was calm, calculated. Thanatos had turned out almost the same. Even when Nyx had gone to Zeus to get revenge for what had happened to him, it had been out of her hurt pride. He was left to heal on his own.
Hypnos had more emotions than half of his siblings combined could feel. He theorised that it was because he was more in touch with mortals than them. Every night he saw through their eyes and into their dreams. He saw gods’ deepest secrets, monsters’ many regrets, mortals’ greatest fears, and creatures' pathetic desires. His realm was close to all-knowing. Beings cannot lie to themselves in their unconsciousness.
Maybe that is why he started to reach out to beings in his realm? He remembered befriending a mortal long long ago. She had been his first priestess and built a small temple for him. The temple she built remained even to this day, well cared for. His only temple. Her predecessors still worshipped him, and he blessed each with restful nights and sweet dreams. He barely remembered the woman’s face anymore, but the impression had stayed close to him. He was a young god at the time, and she had shown the godling how mortal mothers might care for their children. He also remembers cursing the town with sleeplessness after she had been murdered by her neighbours for being a witch. Only her family had been spared from his wrath. It had not been fair.
Mortals died and would eventually be taken by Death. Once or twice, he collected a lover’s soul himself. He used to seek them out after death, but after a long time, a shade’s memories started to soften on the edges. They just were not the same. It hurt to see them. Regardless, he would greet them and grant them his blessing in person before sending them off.
Sleep stopped taking as many mortals as lovers from then on. With each time he fell in love with a mortal, he found himself clinging on more and more. When he inevitably lost them, it seemed they always took a piece of his immortal heart with them. It hurt too much. Aphrodite had taken pity on him and welcomed him into her dreams occasionally to provide some comfort. Then, there was Dionysus who would often blackout from drunkenness. They had fun together, and as a thank you, Hypnos would dull the god’s hangover once the god awoke. Ares, too, enjoyed his visits with a strange obsession. Hypnos crafted him the most terrible monsters. Pasithea was another such goddess who allowed him to visit her dreams, and she knew most of his secrets. He visited many gods as they passed through his realm. Each had their place and role in his heart. Hypnos snickered to himself, wondering if any of them knew they were not the only one he visited. There was no way they would mention knowing a minor Chthonic deity. He was probably one of their secrets, as were they his secret.
That was it though. Dreams were dreams. The marks left on him in the dream world would not carry over to the real world, and gods forgot dreams just like mortals. It was lonely in the waking world. No warm arms around him, and no one to greet him when he arrived from his realm.
Hypnos awoke to the quiet sounds of the Styx and the mumblings of shades around him. There was an ache left in his chest after leaving Ares’ dream. Maybe there was someone out there with a pleasant dream he could visit later. Or he could make one? Both options sounded pleasant. He sat up in his duvet and floated there, greeting some of the shades and making sure all their information matched what was on his list. A splash later and Zagreus appeared in front of him.
“Hey mate! How's it going?
“Oh! Just fine! Took a good nap earlier. Say, how about you take a nap, too! I can promise good dreams!”
The prince chuckled, “Thanks for the offer Hypnos. I’ll tell you if I ever feel like sleeping.”
Zagreus so rarely sleeps nowadays. They used to be much closer. When Zagreus was little, Nyx would ask him to take him for naps, and he’d show him all sorts of things. Zagreus would tell him ‘important classified secrets’ like where he hid Hades’ favourite pen, and they’d come up with ways to mess with his twin. Hypnos smiled and got back to work. Although the prince hardly spoke to him anymore, reasons like those were why Hypnos had complied when Zagreus asked him to put the House of Hades to sleep. He had no idea it would have led to this.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Thanatos greet Zagreus with a hug. The two had grown close ever since Zagreus had tried to escape. Thanatos would not even glance at him nowadays, much less let his twin hug or touch him. It was… unfair. He blinked rapidly and looked back at his list. He wanted the ache in his chest to go away and looking at the two lovers wasn’t helping.