#hypnos headcanons

Hypnos

A lonely god who rules over sleep and dreams, and ushers the death to their rightful places. Fingers spinning on their own as he gifts humanity a little paradise. Affectionate, while being pushed away. Loyal, to everyone he gifted a part of his soul to and unbelievably patient as soon as the right conditions have been met. A chthonic god of the old time against a lowly mortal. O he would worship them, if only they would promise to do the same. Let him lavish them in all the gifts he and his realm have to offer.

They will never leave him dreaming alone again.

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

Even though, it had become normal to him at this point, Hypnos could not deny how giddy he felt whenever you actually leaned into his touch. He was used to you simply slumping – courtesy of him putting you to sleep. But this! This was something entirely different. He pulls you even closer, trying to nuzzle at your hair, and sighs. This is the best thing ever! You realize sooner or later that Hypnos always tries to have a hand on you. Touching your arm, holding onto your sleeve like a child, playing with your fingers. In some way, he is always touching you. On his moodier days, he will just grab you – around your waist, or clasping your arm tightening his hold whenever you try to wriggle away. When he doesn´t play with you like that – distracted, making sure that you are still here – he has the the tendency to drape himself over you. Resting his chin on your head, while he hugs you closer to him. He and his cape completely dwarfing you. If you complain, he will instead pull you into his lap, daintily crossing his legs in the air, as he hovers and adjusting you. It´s nice. At least it can be. He also leans against you. All the time. For such a wispy thing, he can actually be quite heavy. When you complain to him about it, he apologizes. But soon he will unbalance you instead. Pulling you in, for you to lean against him. You gave up at one point. Got used to your weight not being entirely carried by yourself. You will ignore how he blushes and giggles. What else can you do?

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

It is not the first time that you cried because of them – Hypnos knows that. Still, he will make sure that it will be the last time. Your sobs heaving through you, as anguish seems to roll over you. You nearly tear your blankets – desperate to find something you can hold onto – as you keep crying. Heaving. Breath short. Whimpering, as tears simply won´t stop falling. Hypnos does not watch you suffer like this for long – even though you are still beautiful, even like this – before he offers his blessing to you. Your face goes slack, as your breath slows and your tears stop. Your dreams will be comforting and soft now. They on the other hand will not feel nearly as safe as you do right now, when they find themselves in his domain. Hypnos is not a physical god. He does not enjoy the smell of blood or the feeling of it on his hands. Instead, he will do what he does best. He will let his victims dream. Nightmares will haunt their every step. They won´t find any rest with him. His revenge is slow and careful. The dreams he haunts them, spun from their deepest fears, will send them reeling. Afraid to close their eyes. Avoiding him, even though they do not even know it is him they fear. He sends their hearts racing and their thoughts spinning. It will not take long before his brother will visit them after another frightful night.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

His cadence is cute, sweet – it makes you sick. His grin only widens, when you glare at him. Hypnos words are casually cruel. Cutting through your confidence with ease, while they don´t even seem to take any effort out of him. Another cruel joke escapes him with a saccharine giggle and he waits. Expecting your response – you can´t tell if he waits for you to laugh or to cry. You try to give him neither. He never stops. Whenever you fight the constant lethargy off that dogs your every step since you knew him, he mocks you for it. You fall harder and harder every time. His remarks grow sharper and his jokes become even more cruel. Taunting. Mocking. Unaware? You can´t tell. Another taunt. Another condescending smirk. He belittles you. His grin as bright and sharp as always. His voice painfully cheerful. He doesn´t know, does he? His sharp grin, that widens when you flinch tells you otherwise. When the next cruel joke on your expense lands, you respond. You laugh or cry. You can´t tell.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

It comes slowly, that is the only reason you don´t panic immediately. You don´t know that it is happening. But you feel exhausted, tired, drowsy, half-asleep. At this point, you couldn´t even panic any more even if you wanted. You are fast asleep before you can complain. Falling back into his arms – both metaphorical and quite literal – as he pulls you closer to him. Hypnos hums slowly. He loves you like this. Completely under his command. Your sleep and your dreams are his domain – his to dole out, his to soothe you with. „Mine, mine, mine“ He sings it lowly to himself, giggling, even though he knows that no one can hear him. He lets his hands wander while you sleep. Gently tracing your shape, slipping his fingers below your clothes. Caressing. Almost like a lover would – he is your husband after all. He ca not resist to press kisses upon your face and upon your mouth. For just a moment, he slips his tongue inside – allows himself to lick your teeth, before pulling away to lick and kiss his way down your neck. It is hard for him to pull away from you. Maybe next time. When you awake again, you´re more annoyed with him than afraid. You grouse and curse, as you try to push him away. It is amusing to him, the face you pull when he cheerfully tells you „Sounds like someone needs a nap!“ You both know that he´s warning you. It would be nice, wouldn´t it. For you to be always with him. It would be so easy too. Just a simple kiss, a little intent. O the wish alone would suffice for him to pull you under. Sleep Incarnate could keep you asleep forever. Your mind and body forever in his grasp under his guidance. He tells you as much. You pale. He chuckles.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

He keeps prattling on. You have stopped actively listening to him a while ago. His words just white noise, that is soothing. You enjoy how his voice waivers and breaks. The high pitch and the shakiness. It´s ridiculous how sleepy, this voice can make you. You yawn, and let your body go completely limp. Your weight is easily caught by him. He is not surprised – only a slight giggle disturbs his voiced stream of consciousness – as he resumes flitting from one story to the next. Hypnos is gentle as tucks you closer to him. His hands soft and fluttering around you, as spreads his cloak, tucking you into its folds, and letting himself melt closer to you. He gently cards his fingers through your hair. You sink deeper into him, into his capable hands, as he soothes you. Lazily beckons you to close your eyes and let him lead. Though you wake with a start, when he suddenly goes quiet. When you look up at him, he is looking straight ahead. Looking at nothing. His eyes wildly flickering from side to side. Unseeing. Wide and glassy. It frightens you. When he open his mouth again, his voice is slow. No inflection, that just leaps from word to word. There is nothing at all. He isn´t giddy. He isn´t playful. Just empty. He talks about how cold Nyx can be, about how his masters temper is easily roused. But mostly he talks about how cruel his twin is without even realizing. You don´t even know, when you start to weep for him. Tears running down your cheeks, and you try to reach out for him, but before you´re even can he catches your hand. His smile is gentle and fragile. With a low coo Hypnos wipes the tears from your face, as he starts to babble again. Like nothing happened. He soothes you, with his voice, his emotions. Wild and cheery. And it works.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

The smile on his face is a tense thing. He knows that it wraps his face. It also tends to look more like an ugly wince, than a kind and understanding smile. You keep screaming. You have not even stopped in the last few minutes to breathe – or at least it seems so. Hypnos knows himself – and his own expressions – well enough, to be aware that he looks more delighted whenever the master of the house scolds him, than whatever his face is doing while you are screeching. His patience for the noise is quickly dwindling, as he can´t bear it any longer. It finally snaps, when you try to move further away from him – trying to get to the entrance of his home while looking at him. Hypnos smile tightens and he raises an eyebrow. You ignore this silent warning of his, and keep moving. Still screaming. Still trying to fight something, you never had a chance of winning. With a tired sigh, he flicks his fingers in your direction. Hypnos knows his work, and its no challenge for him to pull you under. To subdue you and quench your anger. You look surprised at this. Eyes wide. Terrified. Terror rolls of you in waves, before you suddenly grow lax. He does not put any effort into catching you. Letting you drop on a bed of poppies. His hands are already weaving. Pulling together strands, that will teach this lesson he wants to impart on you. Freedom – away from him: That is a dream he will not let you have. Under his hands it will become your worst nightmare. Hypnos is willing – and more than capable – to stomp out this hope, before it can even develop. He knows he is. He looks up. Absentminded counting the cracks on the ceiling, before he hefts you up to lay you to rest among the pile of pillows that makes up his bed. He hates this fight with you. Hates the way you whimper in your sleep. Hates the way you shiver and pant. Terrified. Plagued by a nightmare. But he can not deny that he loves the way you reach for him. Hypnos lets himself be pulled in. Intertwining his fingers with yours. His dreams hard at work to ensure, that you fighting him, will never happen again.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

He sees you how try to run from him again. Try to slip past him, as he tends to his duties. His back turned to you. Hypnos loudly clicks his tongue and you freeze. For a moment you are still, staring at him like a caught rabbit. He simply waves his hand, asking you to come to him, as he softly starts to explain his work. You are shaking – obvious in your fear. He ignores it. It will fade. „You know, you don´t have to be my partner, my spouse, my equal.“ He also ignores how hopeful you suddenly look. „The way you act, it seems you merely want to be my lover. Mine to hunt down and play with until you break“ The hope on your face is gone – Hypnos notes, faintly amused. He does not really listen as you try to verbally backtrack. He knows how to nod along and hum in all the right places. „I can treat you like my lover. Gift you eternal sleep. Forever under my domain.“ Hypnos stops to look at you „Or you could stop trying to run from me, and let me be your husband. Devoted to you.“ His grin is not nice, he knows. Too sharp. „Your decision!“ You are awfully pale, but he does not mind, as you come to stand beside him to watch him work.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Pink poppies started to haunt your every step. It took you a while, but when the realization kicked in, so did your fear. This is the work a god. You know it is. It´s something cute. Something that brings you joy, which tells you that this isn´t the anger of a god. It is something so much worse. It´s a god who adores you. A god that fell in love with you. And it scares you. It terrifies you. You know what usually happens to the mortals that the gods adore. Not heroes but mortals like you. Someone completely insignificant except for the god they unknowingly enticed. People like you were assaulted, stolen and killed. The love of a god is something to fear. You don´t know where you can hide, to where you can run. You don´t even know who you would be running from. Though the poppies and the lethargy, that just won´t leave you – the drowsiness you can´t get rid of – clue you in. He is relentless, when he shows himself to you. Ashen skin and golden eyes. Undeniably chthonic and hovering – just there. Wild white curls fluttering, even though there is no breeze. Still something carries his voice across to you, nothing more than a whisper „I love you“. It´s a dream. You know, that he is not really with you, but you are in his domain anyway. Everything is hazy, fleeting, and he is there. He haunts you every time you close your eyes. And you know he won´t leave. He won´t let you be. The smell of poppies surrounds you when you wake. Beckoning you back into his arms, but you fight it. Pull yourself out of bed, even though your bones feel heavy. You stumble and sway, and it isn´t long, that you can refuse his call. You sleep. The next time you wake, the smell of poppies is not the only thing that surrounds you. You are bedded upon them, and when you right yourself, for once you don´t feel tired. An ashen hand sneaks around you and pulls you back down. When you turn, you only see golden eyes. His voice wavers, his inflection is strange. „You and me, beloved. For an eternity“ Your stomach drops. The hand that patted your cheek is undeniably clawed. You suddenly know why he is the twin of death. You want to wake up, but know that this god in front of you has not caught you in his domain – just in his home. You are already awake. And he smiles at you – sharp and sweet – and you are terrified.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Whenever Hypnos thinks of the future it is nothing more than a fleeting dream. He can never quite catch more than a faint impression, before it flees his hands again. His sister do not like it, when he comes around asking questions, when they have not called for him. He knows this, and yet he still weaves himself a dream, and they sigh, but use his threads regardless. He knows. He can feel it. Hypnos longs to feel connected to someone. He wants to hold someone. Brush against another's hand absentminded. Kisses soft as a butterfly´s wing exchanged. Whispers and sighs wafting through the air like secrets. With you, he knows he found that someone. To sit next to, to adore. Simply being with you, as time passes. When you slip into one of his dreams, he wants to be the one to hold your hand. Hypnos never wants you to feel lonely, when you travel through the lands he built for you. He wants to guide you, and to feel your hand in his own, when he follows you into your dreams. Never alone. Always traversing his domain, his lands, together. Reassured. Belonging. He wants to hold you tightly. Weave another dream, with your voice whispering into his ears. Hypnos for the first time, in what feels like eternity, has found something that can be solely his and he wants to keep you and be kept by you. An unit. Inseparable. Hold and be held. That is all, he asked of his sisters and with you, they have delivered him this gift.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

Hypnos watches you. Some part of him is always tuned in to you. Keeping watch. You are o so fragile. Terribly mortal. And so he looks out for you. Clings to you – calls out for you – so he can stay with you. No one approaches you. Not with the way you look. Sick, tired – deep purple marks have made their home around your eyes. But sometimes he will catch the edge of a fleeting dream from you. About that shepherds boy with the bright smile, about that bakers daughter with the beautiful voice. His smile isn´t that bright when it slowly turns brittle, as he starts to jump at every little shadow. Her voice isn´t that beautiful, when it shakes with heaviness, breaking every time she opens her mouth. They beg him for help. He doesn´t. You don´t notice – or he rather hopes – you don´t care. No mortal will match him. He knows, as he clamours for your next fleeting dream. Letting their smile become sharper like his. Their skin paler like his. Their voice closer to his own. When he brings you home on the other hand, he guards you fiercely. Hypnos snaps at his brothers to stay far away. He is your newly wedded husband, and he will make sure that you can get used to everything in peace – or so help him! It is his job as your spouse to take care of you, and for him that includes making sure that you fall in love with him. Hypnos can´t deal with these distractions on top of everything else going on. While he doubts you would fall for Charon – considering that only few people can actually understand him – Thanatos is a whole other problem. He will have to exercise his patience to meet you, because Hypnos won´t relent. He was far too often second choice to his twin. He will make sure that this won´t happen with you!

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Hypnos has draped himself over you again. He is not really heavy, especially considering his size. At least not at the moment. You know that he is levitating again. Taking care to support most of his weight by himself so that he doesn´t burden you too badly. After all you collapsed under him more than once already. He is babbling non-sense. Jumping from one topic to the next, without any sense. At least it seems that way to you. Maybe there is some sort of connection for him. If he wasn´t sounding so chipper, you would have thought that he was sleep talking. This also wouldn´t be the first time that it happened. But something about the way he clings, the way some of his comments sting make you believe that he is wide awake. His smile hides something sinister. Something – you are pretty sure at least – you would have never noticed, if he hadn´t outright threatened you several times by now. He stops again. One of his pauses, that seem to linger. They allow heavy and dreadful thoughts to creep into your mind again. The quiet gives you too much time to contemplate, you fear. Quietly, you stroke his arm that has been laid across your chest. Hypnos lets out a confused grunt, before he stutters back to talking. An awfully mean quip about one of his brothers, startles a laugh out of you. You will never learn to expect these. The longer Hypnos chatters on, the more settled you become. When you slip into dreams, his voice slowly putters out, before he finally grows quiet. You don´t hear the tired sigh, or feel the grin he presses to your neck. Only silence surrounds you, blanketing you both, as he relishes in the quiet.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

Hypnos starts with what he knows best. He shows you his most important craft – his beautiful domain. He courts you with the dreams he starts to fashion for you. Every single one hand-picked by the one who weaves them in the first place. He doesn´t leave anything to chance or your own imagination any more. He builds you palaces, stories, and worlds. Delighted by your laughter and the way your eyes glow with emotion. He is careful and yet ruthless. He knows your every desire. Your dreams crafted to fulfil them. He fulfils them, and it couldn´t be more satisfying. When you crave a lover in your dreams, he will gladly offer himself. Kissing you, loving you – that is no hardship for him. When you crave someone to confide in, he will lend his ear. Listening attentively, keeping your secrets close to his chest. When you crave someone who could be the other half of your soul, well, he is already there. When you wake up, there is a bright red poppy laying next to you. The wind must have carried inside, you think, as you simply sweep it up. Not even thinking twice about it. Or that the window was closed when you fell asleep.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

It´s the warmth of his smile that lures people in. The grin that he practised in front of the mirror without anyone knowing. The quilt around his shoulders that lets people assume that he is a lot shorter than he actually his. He towers over most people, but laid back into his quilted coat that hardly seems to be the case. Even you fell into that trap. You forgot the ache in your neck from looking up at him, when you saw how small and soft he looked tucked into the same blanket he carefully tucks around you. His hands move in the same lazy manner when he weaves. It doesn´t matter what he is weaving. A pleasant stroll through the gardens. A prophetic dream. A gift from a god. A chase, that ends with a monster rendering you limb from limb. You can never tell, what he is creating. His hands always move in the same manner. Mild-mannered is what you would call Hypnos, if you hadn´t seen how his face sometimes tightens. A cruel glint to his eyes that he waves away. You also dismissed it. It didn´t fit his lackadaisical manner in the first place. His voice wavers, while he moves in a rather sedated manner. He doesn´t need to run. Hypnos never needed to chase after the ones he wants to hurt. He simply has to wait. Sooner or later, they will yield to his tender mercy anyway. In dreams, it is always a challenge to defend, to attack. Whatever he wants to happen, will happen. He is sharp and ruthless. Full of edges that cut. Hypnos is more than aware of this. He covers his sharp edges with a vapid smile and a wavering voice. With jokes and quips, that let others simply roll their eyes at him. He hides in a quilted cloak, and lazy movements. But Hypnos weaved every single dream, that was delivered. Every one of them.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

You would have never thought you would find yourself in a situation like this. A chthonic god turning the corner, the red skirt of his whipping around, and he floats away in a frenzy. The shout that had ended your one-sided screaming match with him, still echoing in your ears. I wish you would leave me alone! You never thought, he would actually turn around and leave. You stare at the spot where he had been. He had simply puffed up. His golden eyes swimming with tears, turned around and left. You shake your head slowly. In the end, you don´t even notice it at first. Hours pass and you don´t even feel drowsy – something that hasn´t happened in what feels like ages. For once you truly feel awake. But then more time passes. Your awake for one day – then two. On the third you already regret it all. You hear voices that aren´t there, see shapes that don´t make any sense. The waking world slowly turns into a living breathing nightmare to you. And then it hits you. He left you alone. He pulled away from you in all forms. He followed your wish. It doesn´t elate you this time. It takes surprisingly little, before you kneel at his feet – head pressed to the ground. The third day hasn´t even ended. You beg him to soothe you, to bless you. You beg him for his blessing – like the god he is and the mortal you are. You´re crying. When a gentle hand pets your hair, you look up. Weeping. You came here kneeling like his worshipper. In your moment of need you turned towards him with tears in your eyes and he just smiled at your apologies – at your begging. He pulls you gently up by your arms. Lowers you into his lap, as he reclines in the air, and simply presses a soft kiss upon your brow, as you collapse. You ignore his grin, as you finally are allowed to sleep again.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

He is weaving again. Twisting his fingers through the air, as dreams slowly come to life under his careful eyes. You watch him and with a faint terror, one that accompanies you for a long time, you realize that some of these shapes seem almost familiar. Like you should know them by now. His voice is soft, while his grin and eyes are sharp – just for a moment but long enough for you to notice. He whispers as he explains your dreams to you. Twisting the threat of them through his fingers, curling it around his own. Your sleeping mind nothing more than a breakable string in his hands. It belongs to him. You can see it clearly and for a just moment he lets you know it too. You consider raging against him. But his eyes flash cruelly towards you. And his voice turns into a hiss as he reminds you what lays outside his home. You can hear the river Lethe ringing in your ears, when he shuffles over to you. Drops down on his knees and pulls you down with him. He hugs you close and nuzzles into your hair before his hands go back to his work and he soothes you with his drowsy voice, simply mumbling about the dead he shepherded into their places. Your dreams spin around his fingers as he keeps weaving and you know that there will no way to escape. Not in death. And not in sleep.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Hypnos watched quietly as you laid your head down. His dreams – all his little gifts to you – slowly sinking into your mind, as you loose yourself in his grasp. He sighs happily. Burrows down deeper in his cape as he simply looks at you. The gentle rise of your chest. The quiet snuffling and stuttering of your voice. The way your limbs suddenly spasm every now and again. The twisting and shuffling. The beating of your heart – undeniably loud in his ears – that beats a heavy rhythm. One that he cannot deny brings you closer to death with every beat. He shudders, his face wet with tears – he does not know when he started to cry – as he scrambles towards you. Your heavy heart still beats a heavy rhythm. His hand snatch you, his fingers nearly burrowing into you. You nearly wake – his dreams dissipating – before he wraps new strings into your mind and simply pulls. You fall with him. The smell of poppies everywhere, as he slowly calms again. He sighs for a moment – annoyed with himself – before he simply tucks you into his blankets. He hums when he throws his coat over you. Floating in his space, he simply resumes to watch you, and suddenly the beating of your heart does not seem that heavy any more. But why would it? You are already in the underworld now. And Hypnos? He has all the time he could ever need now to watch you – to guard and love you – as you twist around again. Still dreaming peacefully, having now woken once.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

You consider killing yourself – either drinking one of Hypnos opiates so that your body had to give out or trying to drown you in the river outside – but the way he simply watches you, stops you. There is no urgency to him – not that there ever truly is – but he seems calm. His smile amused. He stretches slowly reaching for a bottle and holding out it for you. He waves it slightly towards you, „My strongest. A drop mixed into wine is enough to sedate a group of men.“ It´s obvious to both of you, that drinking this undiluted would kill you. Quickly. Maybe even painless. His grin only widens. You look away. It´s not like death would save you from him either. No, you only would be stuck in the underworld even more securely. Maybe you will find the courage to make the journey back above one day. Maybe one of the gods will take mercy on you and send some great hero to save you from this place. Unlikely. But it´s a possibility. Death would only turn you into another shade and you doubt that this god would act any differently around you. No, you are pretty sure, that Hypnos would simply continue with his routine of fussing over you, as if nothing had happened. You sigh. Tired. You observe your husband in his weaving. Dreams fluttering around his fingers, as he slowly breathes life into them. Shaping them. It gives you a headache trying to figure out what exactly he is doing, when he makes his dreams. It doesn´t resemble any craft you saw above. But it seems to take some concentration. Quickly and quietly you stand up. Now or never, you think to yourself. The poppies covering the cave floor mute your steps, as you near the way out. The questioning hum, tells you that you drew his attention. But when you break out into a run, something already hits you in the back. For him, it only took a flick of his fingers to catch you in one of his dreams. You stumble back. So, so tired. But as you fall, strong arms catch you, as he lowers you back to the bed of poppies. It surprises you, that you don´t fall immediately into sleep. Instead your mind putters around the edges of awareness, as he starts to pet you. „You know“, the laughter is barely hidden in his voice, „no one will come for you.“ He sighs. „Though mother wants to meet you. She wants to meet the one, that makes her son so happy, she said“ Hypnos leans down to kiss you. Sweet and short. But he lingers. „I´m trying so hard. They won´t help you. I have done everything to make sure of it, you know? My brother and Lord Hades value a diligent worker, so I became one and credited you for this change. My mother wanted a dutiful son. You made me one, didn´t you?“ He kisses you again. „Mother Nyx says so. Not even Lord Zeus would fight her, you know?“ Hypnos giggles. Delighted. Amused. You know that he won. The next time, he presses a kiss to your lips, you try to reciprocate. Sleep claims you, before you can figure out what this glean in his eyes means now.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Sometimes Hypnos looks at you and wonders if he should feel guilty for stealing you, but then he sees you smile in your sleep and the thought vanishes again. He can´t feel guilty for what he did. Not when he was rewarded so generously. Every day with you feels like a gift to him. It makes him wonder, if this is what his sisters had planned for him all along. He doesn´t know what the string looks like they have spun for you. If you were destined to suffer or live a long and happy life. It doesn´t matter any more. He won´t let it. On the other hand, it could also be that his sisters had spun your thread for him alone. That the fates had put you into his path. A present for their brother. He chuckles to himself. As if! They would never care about him like that. To spin such perfection solely for him. He keeps pondering your fate for a while longer but gives up all soon. Hypnos doesn´t really care. It´s not part of his domains, nor part of his job. Who truly knows what your fate was? His sisters. Obviously. But considering they haven´t started angrily knocking at his door yet, demanding that you will be returned to the surface, it doesn´t matter. He sighs content to watch you for a while longer. It truly seems that you were the one for him after all. Lazily spinning dreams between his fingers, before he blows them away. He knows they will arrive, where they are needed. How could he ever feel guilty about this? This peace. This quiet love. He could never.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

He is alone. But that is nothing new. At first, only denied affection by his mother. Then his brothers followed, and at last the rest of the underworld. Hypnos is used to sleep away his day, to throw himself fully into his realm and into his work. Strands of dreams twirling across his fingers, as he gently guides shade after shade – poor dead souls caught in eternal sleep – towards their places. Of course he watched your dream. He weaved, knitted and knotted them together for you. Just like he does for everyone. The sudden emotions that came over him – he won´t blame anyone for them, least of all Eros. He is sure, that they came from his own mind. After all, he always adored affection itself, so how was he supposed to refuse, when it sparked in his own chest. And of course he needed you then, couldn´t bear to see you fall into the hands of one of his brothers, who had already deserted him. Couldn´t refuse the call – the want to steal you away. He adores you. Hypnos wants to endear himself to you, and now he has all the time he could ever need. He wants to watch you, reside by your side, guard you when you are at your most vulnerable. You just have to be together. That is all it will take. He wants for you to soothe his fears and if you do? He would do anything you could ever want for you. Tend to your every need. Spin the nicest dreams. It is so very little that he demands from you, so why don´t you just stop fighting for now. Simply close your eyes, and dream a little dream. He made it. Just for you.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

He is watching, hands uselessly fluttering around, as he wonders if he should try to touch you right now. You are heaving. Sobs shaking through your entire body as you start keening. Your voice breaking, as you mourn something that can never be returned to you. Hypnos still dithers on the spot. One hesitant step forwards, only to move back again when you glare at him with wet eyes. When your gaze lowers again, he can feel himself relaxing. He had not even realized that he was afraid right now. His fingers twist and almost unconsciously he started weaving. He hates that he is the cause of your tears, but looking down at the strings he sees a solution putting itself together. His twisting becomes more purposeful, as he silently watches you. You are too busy to notice anything, but the way your chest contracts with another pained gasp. Your worries will be soothed with another spin, another flick. He always could craft dreams quickly. It will be a gift to you. Something to soothe. Something to charm you. To take your mind away from grief and lead it back into comfort. To make you forget. And when you sleep you can simply rely on him. He will be the one that tends to you. He will. He will. Promise.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

Hypnos is fussing. He knows it. You know it. The shades outside the cave know it! No matter what he does, he just can´t keep his hands still. You still haven´t awoken yet, after he brought you here. Another curious shade pokes its head into his home, but flinches back when he growls. You´re not hurt. He knows this. He feels how your mind is just peacefully settled between the palms of his hands. You´re just not ready to wake up yet. It makes him nervous. What could keep your mind so busy? Maybe something went wrong after all, and he just doesn´t know it. In his anxiety he starts to fluff up the blankets surrounding you again. It´s supposed to be something simply to keep his hands busy. He wonders if he should indulge in some of his opiates to calm down his irritated nerves as well. But it doesn´t work. He is still a nervous wreck. Later he will learn that it will take centuries for him to calm down around you. In that time, he will flutter around. Hands never staying still, as he fusses with your clothes and absentminded grooms your hair, pulling knots out with lazy fingers. Hypnos will prove to himself that is far more patient than he ever thought, when he burdens your abuse – a retaliation against him that no one can or should shame you for or they will have to fight him – with an understanding nod and gentle words. Your nerves are shot and you are usually even more uncertain and jittery than he is. He knows though, that his nerves are just from him never having someone, from the novelty of this relationship – yours on the other hand are from terror. It makes him gentle. He will stay nervous, when he introduces you to his family. He is proud to claim you as his spouse, and it brings him joy to play the role of a caring and soft husband for you. He treats you like the young spouse – compared to him – that you are. He is patient with you, even under the added stress of carrying the burden of introducing you to them. He whispers jokes and reassurances into your ear, when you flinch away from Thanatos cold eyes. You try to find the usual comfort in him, like he planned, and he gives it to you. He holds you up, when you face Nyx, even though his own knees feel weak around her. Softly, he translates, when you can´t understand Charon. „Must be hard to be suddenly married into a family like this, huh? Hah! I can tell you it´s not fun!“ It´s a whisper, like a secret he can only share with you. You stay close to him because you know that he never had been anything but gentle. Hypnos makes sure that his movements stay slow around you. Terribly obvious. He desperately tries to not startle around you. Keeping himself slow and sleepy, no matter what happens. Even if you try to run from him, he will simply flick his fingers out to catch you in his dreams, instead of bodily throwing you down. In your dreams he keeps courting you with beautiful crafted dreams. In your waking world he still carters to your every whim. He makes himself into something caring, as he tends to you. Hypnos becomes truly soothing to you – he had never been allowed to be. Always soothing, till you have no choice but to fall for him again and again.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

There is no way out of the underworld once you are there. You know this with an unwavering certainty, as you look around the cave you woke up in. Very few heroes ever managed to make the journey back to the surface. Absentminded you pat some of the poppies that made up your bed back down. You won´t delude yourself; You are not one of them. Could never be one of them. This is a not story where the hero returns back to his weeping mother. For a moment you wonder, if you could have avoided this fate, if only you had been more cautious while he approached you. But you didn´t know. You didn´t recognize the man that seemed to appear in every last dream of you as a god. Didn´t recognize the poppies that always bloomed around you for what they were. The danger, they truly presented. You just adored their colours. You never even thought of running. And now that you are here, you will never have the chance to run ever again. A distant humming slowly grows louder. You heard it before. In your dreams. It isn´t long before the man of your dreams comes to a standstill in front of you. He crouches down, his feet only now touching the ground to look at you. A red sleep mask keeps his white curls in check, and the scent of poppies only grows stronger when he reaches for you. „Did you sleep well, love?“ The pitch of his voice is more familiar to you than you would have liked. His smile is sharp, as his lazily track your every movement. You know this man. You also know what he wants. After all, a lot of your recent dreams featured this particular man as your lover. So you simply smile at him, lean into his touch, and agree with him. His smile only brightens, as he presses a simple kiss to your brow and sighs „I´m glad“ against your skin. He continues unprompted „Whatever you desire, tell me, and it shall be yours. Just stay here. With me. That is all I want“

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

Hypnos is a rather laid-back guy. At least he thinks so. He never severely curses someone and whenever he does put someone to sleep against their will it had been to help another person. So, he would say, that he is a rather gentle god. He doesn´t enjoy bloody vengeance and doesn´t dole out more than a few bad dreams, when he is bad-mouthed by mortals. It doesn´t even concur to him, you think, that he slowly drives you insane whenever he pouts. He pulls away from you. Unwilling to entertain you and bless you with his gifts. It means for you that you are not able to sleep. No matter what you try. You whimper, as your mind continues playing tricks on you. Your body close to giving out. Everything in you screams to rest, but Hypnos still pouts. You know that you can´t hold out much longer, so you try to appease him. The dreams that haunt you when you finally convince him to kiss you, are horrible. They make you far too aware that no matter how cuddly and soft Hypnos appears to you that he is still the god of sleep. That he is still god that half of your life belonged to, when you were mortal. Now, your whole life belongs to him. You wake up sobbing, reaching out for the only one that can help you. Hypnos indulges you like always. Draws you closer to him, as he wraps his coat around the both of you. Compared to your nightmares – which only show you what kind of horrors he could inflict upon you with ease – this is almost nice. It´s no hardship to kiss his cheek and lean against him more heavily. Especially with how delighted he giggles afterwards. Appeased for now.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

Even before Hypnos made the conscious decision to steal you away from your mortal life, he had already started to carve out a place for you at his side. He pulled some of his more playful and sentient dreams aside, and whispered to them about his future spouse. When he saw his brothers again, he carefully mentioned your name in relation to his. It was with a new bravery he stepped into his mothers path to give her the news of his marriage. Hypnos makes sure that you are already known to the people – to the gods – that surround him. He sends out dreams to mortals of you at his side. It will be the reason that people will depict you with him on vases and in poems. Everyone that comes into contact with him, will soon know of his love to you. It´s a whisper full of love that he will gift to you, that will be the cause of something far greater. As your husband – maybe even lover soon – it is part of his gift to make you into a god. One that works close to him. Taking charge of some of the dreams he knitted together and even weaving some of your own that he will bring to mortals begging for their blessing. Slowly he chips away at your mortal soul till only the divine is left – till all that is remembered is not the fragile mortal that you were, but the god that you became at his side. You become a god that cannot be separated from Hypnos any more. Always loved by him, always found by his side. You are his godly spouse and he makes sure that this is known to everyone that will cross his path. It doesn´t matter if they are willing to listen to him or not, he will tell them regardless.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

Hypnos knew that he needed to have you, when he saw you for the first time. Worried, he patted over his body – afraid that he might have been it by an arrow of Eros – but couldn´t fight anything. He fell hard and fast, and quickly assured himself with feelings all of his own. At first he tries to be patient. To court and play with you. But before he could even truly begin to sweep you of your feet, he was reminded of your mortality. Blood. Red and sticky, welling up between your fingers. You ignored it – lowly cursing under your breath – as you kept working. For you this was nothing worth mentioning, a small annoyance. For him, it felt like his world just shattered apart. Hypnos snatches you soon after. He steals you away from your life. Breaks your mortal shackles and hordes you to himself. He hides you away at home, where you will become untouched by time for as long as he lives. His brother will not come for you here. Afterwards, he slows down. He pulls his coat tighter around your shoulders, as you sleep. Burrowed deeply into his nest of blankets. He fusses with them, trying to accommodate you in every shape and form. He watches you. The last traces of anxiety slowly draining from him. He is your husband from now. The thought almost makes him giddy. Instead he just lowers himself to the ground and quietly traces your face with his fingertips. He sighs. Content. Hypnos can´t even remember the last time he felt truly peaceful. He is sure that you will share a future with each other. Smiling he pulls his hand back. He can´t wait to actually get to know you. Maybe you won´t feel the same as him, but he has all the time he could ever wish for now.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Thanatos:

✧ Your modest, mortal life hadn’t been too grandiose; you worked as a humble physician, tending to your village in ways of medication and treatment, everything between minor procedures and check ups.

     ✧ In your line of work, death was no stranger. It wasn’t very frequent that patients died in your care, but when they did -- whether it was a life lost to infection, injury, or illness -- they were only in extreme cases. (Needless to say, Thanatos had made all those visits to your practice)

✧ In the beginning, he'd refrained from any involvement in your life -- only watching over the soul whose allotted time was running out before reaping them, then departing. 

✧ But one day, he’d watched you fighting to keep your patient alive. Tears streaming down your face as you did everything in your power to stabilize the boy. His parchment read, ‘name; Nicos, age; 10, cause of death; injury by stampede’. 

     ✧ He knew that he’d have no other choice but to take the boy’s soul -- living with those irreversible damages would be a worse outcome.

✧ After that, he began to notice things he never did before. 

     ✧ The care you put in to making your patients comfortable before they passed. How you went above and beyond caring for them, and giving preventative measures to prolong their life (though he’d still be there to take the soul regardless, he’d watched as you did your best to preserve their life). All of it showed how limitless your strength was.

✧ “He’s.. doing fine. The boy.” You heard a voice one day, an unfamiliar one. You turn around from the bookshelf you stand before, holding a journal and a vial of ointment. 

     ✧ “Excuse me?” You blink, asking the stranger softly, taking in his features. He wasn’t from the village, you were aware of that. The village rarely had travelers passing through, and given this man’s robes and garments, you weren’t quite sure he was an ordinary man.

          ✧ “Nicos. He’s doing well.” The man wields his scythe, gently shifting its weight from one hand to the other. Your eyes widen as it dawns on you. “Than..atos?” Correctly identifying him, he seems to give a small bow of his head.

               ✧ You do as any sane person would, in the presence of a god; you drop everything in your hands and take a step back. You had enough reason to believe him -- after all, you knew everyone in this village, and Nicos had passed months before his arrival. There was no way he’d have known.

               ✧ “Are you... Is it my time?” You ask, leaving Thanatos a bit puzzled. “Are you here to collect my soul?” You repeat, and the understanding visually clicks in Thanatos, and he chuckles, shaking his head. Of course, you’d believe he’d come for your soul, as he’d only ever appeared before humans who have met their time. “Then... What is it you’ve come for?”

               ✧ You’d asked the million dollar question. Why had he even appeared before you? What was it that drew him out like this? “I... Can’t tell you myself. I just came to tell you, he’s doing well.” And with a toll of a bell, he’d disappeared. No word of goodbye, no mention of ever coming back.

               ✧ Reflecting on what had just happened; The God of Death himself had come into your home, just to tell you that Nicos was alright. It warmed your heart to take comfort in that, knowing that he was no longer in pain.

               ✧ Sitting on the situation a little longer, and judging by that little bit of information, it finally dawned on you that he was there, personally, for that event, and that he’d thought of you enough to reassure you.

✧ Due to his work, Thanatos makes frequent trips to the surface. 

✧ Frequent trips to the surface, meant frequent visits (where he could, of course. Lord Hades would have his head if he didn’t prioritize his job).

✧ At first, he refrained from any sort of involvement in your life -- he’d come for his job, and nothing more. But now he seeks you out. He’ll stop by to check in, or even just to see your face. And one thing differs now, when he comes to reap the soul’s whose allotted time had run out.

     ✧ “Take good care of them, Thanatos.” You’d smile softly as you place a coin over your patient’s mouth, voicing your little prayer to him. You said this each time, too, and it made him think you could see him.

✧ He wasn’t sure when it began, but thoughts of seeing you as he carried out his job filled him with a warm, soft feeling.

Hypnos:

✧ In charge of the census of the dead, Hypnos was aware of how everyone dies; when they died, and where they end up in the Underworld.

     ✧ He found that his job became so ingrained in his being that, when he’d drift off at work, his dreams would take him to visions of the lives of some of the mortals he had met, or have yet the pleasure of meeting when they come to the underworld.

          ✧ Most of these dreams always tie back to a particular individual -- someone who seems to touch the lives of everyone they’ve ever met.

✧ At first, he’d just assumed that you’d met and knew everyone in the world, as the only common denominator throughout these dreams was you. But upon further evaluation of that statement, he had determined that was impossible.

     ✧ Next, he had to admit that perhaps he was drawn to you. Whether it was a connection the Fates mandated, or it was his subconscious actively seeking you out, he’d have these visions of your life, these interactions with the people in your life.

          ✧ An image of your smile, the depiction of an experience you had. You’d invaded his dreams, and eventually his thoughts.

✧ Being shackled to the House, and without the luxury that Thanatos or Zagreus have to go to the surface, Hypnos only has a very one-sided means of interacting with you; and though he doesn’t know you, he’s very drawn to you.

✧ It’s curious. As he’s seen all these snippets of your life, he feels he simultaneously knows everything about you, yet nothing about you at all. He could see these candid shots of your life, but he doesn’t know your dreams, your ambitions, or even the sound of your voice.

✧ With his thoughts always falling back to you, he’s a bit more spacey on the job, receiving reprimands from Hades more and more often, looks judgement from his brother, and looks of solemn understanding from his mother.

✧ Achilles teases him, recognizing traits of “a lovesick puppy”, but never really gets an answer on what that means (he might even observe Cerberus for a while to see if he can understand it a little more).

✧ He awaits enthusiastically, and a tad bittersweetly, for your eventual arrival to the Underworld, desiring nothing more than to meet you, and to hear your experiences of life on the surface.

⚠️Spoilers Ahead!! ⚠️

Zagreus:

✧ Most of your mortal life is spent in Persephone’s vibrant and luscious gardens.

     ✧ You lived not too far from her cottage, and you made frequent visits to her, bringing her goods and gifts from the market, and the words from all the gossipers of the town.

          ✧ As far as you knew, she was the only one who lived here, and she didn’t seem to have any family of her own. Taking care of her gardens seemed to be her passion, and to be honest you enjoyed her company. There was something about her, so lively and inviting, that made it hard to stay away for long.

✧ Trips to Persephone were always fragrant, delicious, and warm, despite the permanent snow in the region. Conversations over meals, fishing by the river, and of course time spent in the garden where you got to watch your toils bear great produce.

✧ One day, you return to the cottage, a basket of bass and trout resting on your hip as you walk. The plan was to make a profit selling them in town, and use the coin to get better tools for the garden and the kitchen.

     ✧ Though, on the way to the cottage, you notice scorched earth in the shape of a bare footprints. The trail leads up to the garden, where you find Persephone with a man you’ve never seen before. A man like you’ve never seen before.

          ✧ You watch on as Persephone embraces this ethereal form, whose skin is much like ash and moonstone. He looked beyond out of place, yet, something about him felt so familiar.

               ✧ Focused on the two before you, carelessly unaware of your surroundings, you snap a branch under your foot, alerting them of your presence. The stranger flinched, tensing as he pulls his guard up. He turns to meet your eyes, and whatever words you’d formed in your mind vanished.

               ✧ One red, one green -- his eyes bore into yours as you admire his. That electrifying moment of attraction ends in time with Persephone clearing her throat.

               ✧ No one needed to say anything for you to recognize he’d had the same energy as Persephone. You could deduct immediately that he was her son. But nonetheless, Persephone’s words broke the silence, “[Y/N], This is... my son. This is Zagreus.”

               ✧ “Zagreus..” You sit a moment, tasting his name as it falls from your tongue, and it was something about the way you said his name that drew a shiver up his spine.

               ✧ “[Y/N]... Have you been here the whole time? How much did you hear? Do the Olympians know of you, too?” His questions went miles a minute, but made no sense to you. “Why would the Olympians...? What, do you mean the Gods?” You ask, and Zagreus exchanged a look to his mother, recognizing his own mistake.

               ✧ However, he’d reached his limit in that moment, and Zagreus clutched his chest, stumbling. Immediately, you drop your basket in worry, and go over to help him maintain his balance. Persephone placed her hand on your shoulder, and you watched as his body faded away.

✧ It was then, between that day and the next visit Zagreus paid to the garden, that the whole truth was told to you. How Persephone was actually the daughter of Demeter, the cause of the perpetual snow, and Zagreus was her son with the God of the Underworld, Hades.

✧ Since the day he’d met you in his mother’s garden, his curiosity was piqued. 

     ✧ How long had you been visiting his mother? If you hadn’t known she was a Goddess of Olympus, what was it that drove you to help her? His heart beat faster with his recount of your eyes, your voice, your worry as he felt the tug of the Styx back to the Underworld.

✧ His mission remained escaping to see his mother again, and again, but he found himself hoping each time that you were there.

     ✧ To try the food that you’d make for him. To hear the newest rumor that was spreading around the town. To help around the garden, and see you glow with happiness as each of the plants met maturity. 

Thanatos:

✧ Stands magnificently between 6′ and 6′2

     ✧ Mostly because I don’t want to come up with a specific number, this is the shortest I see him being, and the tallest I see him being.

✧ For the most part, the height difference in the beginning doesn’t really affect him.

     ✧ He doesn’t really think much of it, as he’s used to people being shorter than him.

✧ It’s not until he takes notice that you’re much smaller even than Zagreus and Meg, who are already shorter than he is. 

✧ He’s acutely aware of your stature, after that, watching you work about the House, struggling to reach things, always looking up at everyone, and your feet dangling from any chair you sat on. 

✧ He’ll take things off a shelf, or place it there, if he sees you struggling with the height. As you both talk, he’s wondering in the back of his mind if it bothers you to crane your neck like that to see him.

✧ He does little things he can to help you with your plight.

     ✧ To clarify, he doesn’t think you’re helpless, as you’ve proven time and time again that you’re more than capable of a lot of things.

✧ All in all, he’d be thoughtful with a shorter lover. I think your height endears him a bit, as well, and he leans on it as an excuse to help you around.

Hypnos:

✧ Slouches between 5′11 and 6′ (probably putting him at 6′-6′2 if you wanna)

     ✧ I don’t want to pin a specific number on him, either, but taking into consideration he’s his brother, I don’t see him to be extremely different than Thanatos in height.

✧ Absolutely ADORES this.

✧ Although he’s by no means on the short side, compared to many other gods he’s quite lithe, and the way he slouches as he floats gives the illusion he’s shorter than many others, including his own brother.

     ✧ He’s kinda aware he’s at a sizable disadvantage (pun intended).

✧ So when he’s with you, he feels all sorts of capable and useful. He could be there to help you with his bonus height, reaching things for you, or showing off his wider wing span by holding things open with enough room for you to pass under his arm.

✧ He might even try to show off by straightening his back once in a while.

     ✧ You’ve inspired him enough to work on his posture. Thanatos will have to remind himself to thank you later.

✧ Feels he must Protect at all Costs©®™

     ✧ He can’t help it, you’re so cute, and short, and actually smaller than he is, he has to dote on you.

Zagreus:

✧ A hot take: stands between 5′9 and 5′11.

     ✧ I know he’s referred to as “short one” by Asterius throughout the game, but I don’t think Zagreus would be any shorter than 5′9. Asterius is just absurdly tall.

✧ Following the same vein as Hypnos, he’s kinda used to being the runt, as his father constantly refers to him as “boy” and others do pick on his height being “rather short for a god”.

     ✧ In this case he might even get an ego boost if he’s that much taller than his lover. Doing anything he can, knowing he can show off to you.

✧ He would be more prone than the other two in thinking your height was equivalent to your frailty.

     ✧ He doesn’t mean it insultingly, but from what he knows of his own life and his own fights in getting out of the Underworld is that someone of your height might get easily trampled by the Wretches.

          ✧ Because of this, he’s very protective of you. He’d always make a mental note of where you are in a room if you’re not within arms reach of him.

✧ He’s definitely enamored with your height, and will call you nicknames that follow the direction of “little one” and things like that.

✧ He would absolutely be writing cute little notes for you and leaving them where he could for you to find

     ✧ You’d wake up with little notes beside the pillow where you sleep, or on the mirror where you get ready, and all of them are usually declarations and reminders of love. Others are inspirational and adorable in general.

✧ Hypnos namely has three kinds of overall love languages; quality time, physical touch, and words of affirmation.

✧ Quality Time™

     ✧ Doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s something as simple as him napping with you, or something as complex as cleaning or cooking or planning activities together

          ✧ Hypnos is fueled by, and constantly reminded of, this display of your desire to be with him. That you’ve chosen to be with him over doing anything else that you could do on your own -- or better yet, you’ve thought to include him in those things that you could be doing alone.

     ✧ It’s more meaningful and memorable to him to have you by his side doing trivial things. It helps him to understand you a little more, watching you, and being with you.

          ✧ He’s an inherently curious person, and no doubt would love to learn more about you, and what better way to do that than spend time with you, learning about what you like, what you’re passionate about, what you dislike.

          ✧ He’s noticeably different here, too -- he’s quieter when he’s with you, listening to you, not really interrupting you, and giving you his undivided attention.

✧ Physical Touch

     ✧ I can’t say this one loud enough. Any and all attention this boy gets, he will drink it up. I’d almost argue that he’s just as touch starved as Zagreus is...

          ✧ Running your hands through his hair is his number one melting point. Whether it’s while he’s drifting off to sleep, or your moving some of his wild curls from his face, the sensation is electrifying to him, and he’s practically addicted.

          ✧ He finds hand holding to be ABSOLUTELY adorable, and he’d come up with any excuse on Gaia’s green earth to hold your hand for any period of time.

          ✧ He’d slouch on you, or pull his cape over the both of you to cuddle a little, whether you’re in public or not. It’s the proximity, the warmth of your touch, the way he finds you so precious that he’s compelled to hold you close, as if to bring you as close to his heart as he could to feel you. 

✧ Words of Affirmation, Words of Affirmation, Words o--

     ✧ He would visibly m e l t at being told he did a great job, can you imagine? Watch all the bones in his body turn to jelly and the little hearts rise up from his being as he savors those words.

          ✧ Constantly being told “I love yous” and “you mean the world to me” just sends him soaring.

          ✧ It’s the combination of the words he’s always longed to hear, and the fact they’re coming from the person that means the most to him. He finds it easier to believe them, and they energize him. It’s incentive to do harder, to get more praise.

✧ Oh, he’s an absolute nervous wreck from the moment he saw your name appear on the census

     ✧ He frantically straightens himself out, not enough to alert Hades of something suspicious, but enough to collect Achilles’ attention from where he stood guard.

✧ Seeing you pull yourself from the Pool of Styx, he watches on as you pause a moment to really take in your surrounding. The House of Hades was truly grand, and he wasn’t surprised if it’s not at all what you’d imagined.

     ✧ But the wide range of emotions you show, from confusion, to surprise, to realization, to awe, to admiration, it drives home to him that you’re real, and that you’re really here, and that you’re so human to him. 

          ✧ Your eyes stop on Hypnos, and he swallows thickly, acutely aware of your gaze on him, especially since he can’t tell what you’re thinking.

          ✧ You finally make your way up to him, and he tenses -- a reflex that surprised even him, but every time he dreamed of you it was your life, your past. He’d never dreamed this current moment, and he didn’t really know what to do. He felt underprepared for what felt like was the most important moment of his life, and he didn’t even know why.

          ✧ His eyes go a bit wide, his breath hitches on an inhale as he takes in the sight of you. His previously pursed lips twitch before breaking into a wide smile, and he greets you with his airy, friendly, “Welcome to the House of Hades!”

          ✧ You smile back, just as radiantly, and he’s blinded for a moment, as if he’d just basked in the actual sun itself.

          ✧ Cue him trying to play it suave, and absolutely failing at it.

          ✧ “Oh, l-let me get you all signed in.” He says, fussing with his parchment and his quill as he pretends he hadn’t known your name, and directs you to where you need be in the house.

     ✧ Achilles watched with pure amusement upon the scene before him.

✧ And from that day on, Hypnos gets to see you every day, and doesn’t get any better. He remains a stuttery mess, yet still, he hasn’t told you that he knows who you are.