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“No, let him stay, if that’s what he wants. What does it matter? He’s technically allowed within these halls, but he must know he isn’t welcome anymore.”
Meg had always been on the crueler side of things, Zagreus knew that. Yet, when he found Thanatos and Meg talking, both of whom he had been trying to get closer to, he wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction. Perhaps, he misunderstood them talking to him again. He thought things were getting better, but that had been a mistake on his part. Turns out he good at making mistakes.
He hadn’t known that he wouldn’t be able to stay away. Hadn’t known being on the surface would kill him outright, that he was cursed to the Underworld just as his father. Hot, little feet would never be welcomed on the soft grass of the world above, it seemed. Though, he kept trying. Not only to get his mother back but to get the resources he needed to fix the things he had broken — from the lounge to his broken relationships.
It took some time, but his mother did end up coming home. Zagreus couldn’t have given up when she and his father said to quit. It just couldn’t end that way, and it didn’t! The ride on Charon’s boat had been one of the most amazing moments of his life, and it led to something new. A job he didn’t entirely hate, to “test” the security of the Underworld. He had other little jobs to do here and there. Not necessities, but Zagreus wanted to help people. He wanted to get closer to his family and to help Nyx reacquaint with hers. He wanted to get Achilles and Patroclus back together, same with Orpheus and Eurydice. He even wanted to help Sisyphus.
Though, some of these actions were selfish. He had selfishly wanted all the way to the surface to find his mother, to experience the outside world as everyone else had at some point. He selfishly wanted to fix things for the people he hurt by trying to leave. And yet she put it all into perspective with a few simple words. And they had stung worse than any lash from her whip.
He’s technically allowed within these halls, but he must know he isn’t welcome anymore.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t just stop there. Not when he still had things to atone for, people to comfort. Zagreus eventually had done what he had meant to do. The people he loved had their connections with others mended, and everyone seemed happy. He would see Achilles and Patroclus in Elysium talking and smiling. For a while, Zagreus had never thought that he would see the shade smile, and yet, as soon as he was reunited with Achilles things seemed to get better. He knew that humans would usually only love one person in life, and it seemed as if theirs was strong enough to last through death as well.
With Achilles gone — and Orpheus at times as well — the House grew empty and small it seemed. He knew it wasn’t Nyx’s doing, but his own. Walls built around himself, as he recalled quite often that he wasn’t welcomed. So he focused on work. Time spent where shades were trying to kill him was better than where he wasn’t wanted at all. He found that Asphodel eventually became his favorite stop. It was away from the furies, too out of reach from the surface, and he got to learn music. Seeing Orpheus and Eurydice together never ceased to make him smile. Oh, their music together was so beautiful. He wanted to invite them to the House to perform. They would teach him how to play, and though his voice was even rustier than his lyre playing, he was getting better at even that.
Though it wasn’t like it mattered, he had no one to play for. He hadn’t even felt the need to play for himself. He started avoiding the passages to his friends — or, shades he would like to call friends. He had caused such a mess with things, he didn’t deserve their kind offerings and understanding. He just simply wasn’t welcomed anymore. He had hurt people, and the actions he took to patch those up just simply made it all even. There was nothing more he could give to make it better.
Sooner than he would have hoped, there was nothing left to do. There was the feast, the Great Story his mother had told, connections built, and times where even he was given gifts. The only thing he hadn’t done was finish the Pact of Punishment. As much as he wanted to, it was rather difficult, and he couldn’t manage it without the right help. Though, he wasn’t too worried about that. Besides that done, everyone seemed happy, even Megaera and Thanatos. They were all dating, kind of. He loved them, but…
He must know he isn’t welcome anymore.
He really doubted they loved him back.
They slept together a few times, though that seemed to be it. Killing Meg wasn’t something he enjoyed doing, and with Than their time together was always so fleeting. And before he knew it, he felt stuck. It felt as if the Styx had flooded, surrounding him, making it hard to move, to fight, to breathe. The words — her words — were a plague in his mind like a curse. He wanted so desperately to forget them, to just think of her smile, her teasing, her occasional gentleness. Though, that really was reserved for very few situations.
Gods didn’t get sick. At least, he really didn’t think they did. He had never heard of a god getting sick, and when he mentioned it hypothetically to Achilles the shade said he had never heard of such a thing either. So what was wrong then? Everything was supposed to be fixed and yet he couldn’t find comfort in that. No one said it was fixed. No one said it was okay. No one said that they wanted him around. He didn’t know if he still wasn’t welcomed.
Unwelcome in his home and forbidden above, he had to figure something out. The weight surrounding him even made feeling difficult at times like his senses were muddled. He’d do what he could, then. The one thing that was left. His job. He figured he might as well do it right, it had been a while since he had a challenge, actually. He returned his gifts from the mirror and added every aspect of the Pact he could.
He wasn’t afraid of Death. The one place he felt welcome was in the Styx. After all, their waters flooded into him even now.
He heard Skelly comment on him jumping up through the levels the way he did, but the young God said nothing in return. Besides, he couldn’t hear him well anyway. He just went through the motions, quiet this time.
And for the first time, before he made it to the last level of Tartarus, he found himself wishing it wasn’t Meg.
“Zagreus?”
Damn.
The fury stood before him, her whip lowering while she took in the sight of him. Usually, she was ready to fight, more so than he always was. This time, she hesitated. She opened her mouth to speak, but Zagreus didn’t let her. He was the first to attack this time, something in him unwilling to hear what she had to say. He had a feeling he knew what it was going to be, too.
She was going to be concerned for him, and the crack of her whip and the clanging of his shield were much easier to process. If she was talking, he couldn’t hear her anymore. Not over her help and all the noise. It was almost comforting, even if his body ached at the end.
He won, though it took longer and he was more beat up than usual. In Asphodel, he couldn’t bring himself to sail by Eurydice. In Elysium, he couldn’t face Patroclus. He just couldn’t. He just… wanted to hurt. He didn’t want their help, or worse, their concern.
Eventually, he made it to the surface, barely alive when he breathed in the chilled air. His body hurt, but he was grateful for it. He was at least feeling something. When his father eventually turned to face him, the last thing the young godling expected to see was the great Hades seem speechless. He just stood there, as Meg had done, taking in the sight of him. He could barely stand.
“Well? Aren’t you going to say something as you usually do so we can get on with this?” Zagreus asked, his chest tight. At least he knew his father more or less couldn’t stand him. There was always consistency when it came to him.
“You plan on fighting me like this, Boy? You can barely hold that shield up,” the god grunted, making no move to draw his spear or take off his cloak. “Last I checked you were only at level fifteen. So why do it like this?”
“Well, it’s not like anyone else trying to get out of here will have the Mirror’s blessings, the god’s aid, or your mercy,” Zagreus muttered, his knees trembling while he struggled to stand. He had to keep trying, though. He didn’t want to be sent back to the house just yet. He wasn’t ready. Not ready to see Meg or Than or anyone. He just wanted to figure out his place, where he would feel welcomed.
Hades hummed, facing the river again. “Perhaps you’re taking the Pact’s title too seriously. As much trouble as you’ve caused… I can tell when a soul is trying to punish themselves, Boy, er, Zagreus,” the god spoke, looking back at his son who was sitting and leaning against one of the stones that littered the clearing. Not dead, but too weak to do much of anything. “Though, I suppose now you’ve made it very clear that our security systems are safe,” he grunted, moving over to the tiny god, his son.
Zagreus would have laughed at watching the man sit next to him if he wasn’t focusing on staying conscious. It felt like Hypnos was after him now more than the Styx were. “I thought… we were going to fight,” Zagreus quipped, his answer being his father taking off his cloak only to drape it over the smaller figure. “Well… that was unexpected,” the young god muttered, but he couldn’t bring himself to complain over the warmth the cloak brought him. “If you keep this up, I might actually start to believe you care about me.”
“I do care about you,” the serious voice replied, the older god staring out at the snow-covered clearing, eyeing the trees and the little river. Zagreus searched his face for some sort of deception, but he couldn’t find any. “I know that I… struggle, with being a father. After the Fates said I would never have an heir, I never expected to have one. I also didn’t have the greatest example,” Hades explained, sighing after a moment. “Though, I don’t believe you did all this because of my poor parenting,” the god looked down at his son, raising an eyebrow.
Zagreus couldn’t help a laugh at that before groaning in pain. Ah, yes, he definitely managed to break a rib. “I must admit, I hadn’t really prepared myself for a heart to heart. Especially not with you, no offense,” he sighed, looking forward before up at his father. “You’re not going to kill me till I talk, aren’t you?” His only answer was a mild glare, and Zagreus groaned in response. “I suppose… you’re right… in a way… about the punishment thing.”
“And just what do you deserve to be punished over? I haven’t noticed any more messes than usual as of late.”
“Ah, Um… I suppose the things from before? Leaving without saying goodbye to friends, hurting people, driving Cerberus to tear up the lounge, almost starting a war,” the young godling explained. He hadn’t really said any of it out loud before, but it did hurt to hear it nonetheless — even by his own tongue.
“Ah,” came the only answer, and Zagreus found himself shifting to hold the cloak a little closer. It was warm and comforting, and almost everything he’d been looking for. “Zagreus, you’ve already paid your dues for those things, you understand that, don’t you?” the large being spoke up again, turning his head to look pointedly at his son like he was searching for something.
“How am I to know something that no one has said?” Zagreus muttered, closing his eyes. The pain he was in and the warmth from the cloak were starting to consume him. “Honestly… if people felt that way, wouldn’t… wouldn’t they have said?” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He was always trying to keep an open dialog with everyone just to be sure of where they were at — otherwise he wouldn’t know.
He heard his father start to speak, but he couldn’t parse out the words anymore. Soon enough the warmth from the cloak and the pain took over, engulfing him in the comforting embrace of darkness.
Though, as it turned out, that darkness was not the death he was used to. Instead of his father finishing him off and sending him home the faster way, his father took his son back home on Charon’s boat. Zagreus spent the entire ride passed out, only coming to what felt like days later. Only, being taken home on the boat and not death meant waking up hurt.
“Ah!” Zagreus gasped when he tried to sit up in bed, collapsing back down onto the soft mattress. He was warm, still wrapped up in his father’s cloak with the blanket over him. “Damn,” the prince panted, groaning. He could feel his rib still wasn’t quite right. He sat up with a grunt, trying to untangle himself before getting out of bed — only to promptly collapse on the floor. “Dammit!”
“You are far too stubborn for your own good.”
“Ah, Meg, uh… I didn’t see you come in,” the young god smiled on the floor, offering her his usual charming grin before she walked over to help him up. “Would you mind just… snapping my neck so I can heal?”
“Nope, we’re under orders not to let you die, you get to heal up from this the natural way,” Meg stated, though not unkindly while she got him back into bed.
“What? Why?”
“I believe his exact words were: You asked for this,” she hummed before actually tucking him in, hesitating for just a moment before reaching out and petting his black, messy hair back. “You know… If you just wanted a punishment, you could have talked to me. It’s kind of my job, and I’m pretty good at making sure the punishment fits the crime,” the fury pointed out before sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Well, I guess that’s fair. I suppose I didn’t really want to bother you. Not more than I already have anyway. You and Than… I hurt you both when I tried to leave. I know I did, so I just…,” the prince trailed off. He didn’t even know what he was trying to get at. His heart just ached.
“Zagreus,” Meg started, then shut her mouth in a firm line. “How about, we handle this when you get better? I’ll make sure it’s handled how it should have been handled in the first place. Think of it as a second chance,” she explained, gently placing a hand on his cheek. There was no need for roughness or distance when he looked so… pitiful.
“I suppose I haven’t been punished enough then?” Zagreus asked with a nervous chuckle before flinching and groaning.
“Well, you did hide all of those from us and went off doing something stupid to hurt yourself on purpose.”
“I… Well, you got me there, Megaera.”
“Mm… No more talking, get some rest. It’s only been a few hours, but it’ll take a day or two for this to heal naturally. We’re all taking shifts to make sure you don’t off yourself to get out of healing the old-fashioned way.”
“Shifts? Who?”
“What did I say about talking?” Meg scolded before sighing. “Me, Than, your mother, and Achilles. Not to mention Nyx is always watching, but having someone here to stop you is always good,” the fury pointed out before making herself comfortable at his side. “You’re basically grounded, so get used to this.”
Despite being forced to heal naturally — thank the gods he had some company at least — he wasn’t all that upset about the ordeal. If anything, while it may have sounded strange, he was looking forward to his punishment from Meg. He should have just gone to her in the first place, but he didn’t want to bother her. Not only that, but it didn’t feel right asking a favor from her in order for her to forgive him. He also wasn’t entirely sure if this would mean he was okay with Than, too.
Contrary to popular belief, Gods could get hurt, though the healing process was a lot faster. That being said, healing still hurts. He spent most of those two days restless, and every time he moved he would ache. Sleep was a good refuge, even if he didn’t need it. It seemed to put his “overseers” at ease when he wasn’t particularly fussed at being on bed rest. He only ever grunted or groaned at the pain before relaxing back into the mattress.
He also wasn’t going to complain about how whenever he made a pained sound Persephone was so quick to pet him and fuss. Neither got to experience this kind of thing when he was young so, for the moment it was nice.
However, time continues on, and soon the young god was able to sit up, move around and stretch without any problems at all, which meant he had an appointment with a particular fury. He sat on the edge of his bed and waited, perking up when he saw her walk in. What he wasn’t expecting, was for Than to show up with her.
“Oh, I… Are you sure you want to see this Than? I didn’t think lashings were really your thing,” Zagreus commented, earning a confused expression by both his… bedmates. Meg and Than looked at each other in silent understanding before sighing in unison.
“Zagreus, did I ever say I was going to whip you?”
“I-… Well, I suppose no, you didn’t. Though, that is how you punish shades, right?” Zagreus asked.
“That’s how I punish shades, yes. But are you a shade? Or are you my lover?” The prince, for all his efforts, couldn’t keep his expression neutral for what she said. She called him her lover and his face lit up like the night sky. He had never heard her use a word like that before to describe him.
“Come on, Zag, did you really think she was going to do that after you just got done healing? I mean… she is a fury, but has she ever been that cruel to you?” Thanatos asked, watching the young prince.
Zagreus wished he didn’t hesitate, but the second he heard the word cruel he thought of what she had said — how they had both treated him. They had been so cold and distant. While they never laid a hand on him outside of what was necessary, the isolation and the words did hurt. It was probably ridiculous that he felt that way, honestly. So he would just keep a lid on that for now. “Now” being a fancy word for forever.
“No, she hasn’t, I’m sorry for assuming. However, now I’m a bit curious as to what you have planned,” the younger god hummed curiously. His answer for the moment was for Meg to sit next to him, and Than to stand in front, hovering ever so slightly off the floor while he watched.
“Zagreus, I want you to understand what I have planned before I continue. Because, despite this being a punishment, you deserve your right to consent — as you’ve always given us. I feel like you could use something a lot simpler than a whipping. I think a simple smacking and scolding would do just fine. You lied to us like a child, so I believe a child’s punishment fits you perfectly well,” the fury explained as if she was talking about the weather. Zagreus stared at her, blinking in confusion before looking up at Than before back at Meg. So they had definitely discussed this before coming to him.
“We’ve done that in bed before, do you… is this really a punishment, or-”
“Zagreus, I promise you, sex will be the furthest thing on your mind while I’m handling your bottom. Now, I don’t plan on actually hurting you. You’ve been marked and broken enough. I will talk, you will listen, and I expect you to also communicate when I ask you a question. You are allowed to complain, fuss, whatever you need to do. I don’t stop until we’re done or you say ‘bats’. Does that sound alright so far?” Meg asked, looking the young prince straight in the eyes.
He hadn’t felt so seen in a long, long time. He felt his ears starting to get a little hot, unable to look away from her gaze. “I… Yes, ma’am, it does.”
“Good. We’ll be handling this with you over my lap, on your bare skin. I brought my hairbrush for the last of it. Is that alright?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Zagreus found his voice didn’t come out quite as loudly as he had planned, but he really was comfortable with this, even if his voice betrayed him. While he was a tad nervous, this being a new situation and all, he did trust her. If he trusted her to give him a lashing, then certainly a little smacking would be nothing.
He noticed her small smile at him continuing to use the respectful title. He didn’t have to do it, and yet she found it endearing. “Alright, let’s get you over,” Meg hummed and took his arm, gently guiding him over so he was stretched out on the bed, his hips raised up more than he anticipated by her lap. His tights went down, Meg actually tugging them off completely and tossing them to the floor before lifting his chiton to expose his little bottom. Well, little being relative. It had a bit of a curve, but it was more muscular than anything.
Than moved to sit next to Zagreus’s head, petting through his black hair while Meg worked on situating his clothes. Ah. So they really were doing this together, huh? The young prince looked up at death itself, offering a sheepish smile. “This is a tad more awkward than when we sleep together, isn’t it?” Zagreus asked, earning just a hum and a small kiss to his forehead.
“I think it’s alright. It’s something you need, and we’re both happy to provide for those needs,” the god responded, leaning up and gently picking the laurels out of Zagreus’s hair. He wouldn’t need them in a few moments, and would probably appreciate not having to worry about them.
“Well, if you-”
“Zagreus, I know you’re nervous, but now is not the time to chatter. We have a more serious conversation to focus on now, don’t we?” Meg asked, the fury patting the bare skin stretched over his bottom for a moment. It was so clear and fair, but it wouldn’t be that way for long. “You wanted a punishment, and now it’s time to accept it.” The words were simple, earning a nod from the god over her knee. After a moment, her hand left his skin only to snap down, sending a cracking sound throughout the room. Zagreus hissed, hanging his head and folding his arms underneath his face.
“The next time something is wrong, you come to us. You don’t keep these secrets. Above all, you never try to hurt yourself to fix something like that again. Do we have an understanding?” Megaera asked, her hand snapping down quickly, almost surprising herself by how quickly his bottom turned a little pink.
“Ah, yes, ma’am… I’m sorry,” Zagreus nodded, his body tense, and as soon as the swats had started it was over, her hand rubbing over the slight warmth he could barely notice. “M… Meg?”
“Your punishment is over. Honestly, after everything you’ve done and been through — all this trying to make sure everyone is okay before yourself — you’ve more than paid for it, Zag,” the fury explained, gentle fingertips running up and down from his bottom to the back of his knees. “But we aren’t done. Are we, Than?”
“Not done in the slightest, Megaera,” death echoed and pet a hand over the prince’s hair, both offering him a soft smile when he looked at the both of them with wide, confused eyes. He… He thought he was going to be punished. He hurt them. He hurt so many friends, he caused so many messes, he had been so… problematic! That was the smallest smacking he had ever received. It was practically nothing! “We still have plenty to talk about, don’t worry. You’ll be plenty sore when this is all over.”
Damn these mind readers.
“Zag, the reason I’m saying your punishment is done now, is because you are not the one at fault here. We are. We neglected to tell you all was forgiven. We neglected to tell you it was okay, that we were okay. We neglected you, and that led to you thinking some pretty awful things. You didn’t feel comfortable coming to us with those things, and I completely understand why. It’s not like we’ve ever encouraged an open dialog with you. You have always ever asked for our feelings…”
“While we never asked for yours,” Than finished, continuing to pet his hair while Zagreus kept his face hidden in his arms. He was having a hard time keeping up with this turn of events. His hair and bottom were being petted while they told him he was actually the one that had been wronged.
“Wait, if… if I didn’t do anything wrong, why are we not done?” the prince asked, looking back at Meg for answers. His eyebrows furrowed when she chuckled almost sweetly at him, petting still while Than’s hand slipped to gently brush against his cheek.
“Because, pup, you did all of that — not because we didn’t forgive you — but because you haven’t forgiven yourself. The rest of this isn’t so much a punishment as it is an… an apology.”
“And just what kind of an apology ends up with me being the sore one?”
“The kind you need. You are free to wiggle, kick, yell, cry, curse, whatever it is you need to do over my lap like this. You can feel and express those feelings as openly as you could possibly want. This can also end as soon as you want it to. I promise, if you say ‘bats’, I’ll stop, and we’ll go right into the after bit,” Meg explained, neither her nor Than stopped in the insistent petting.
The young god thought for a moment over her knee, wondering what he wanted to do. She hadn’t said it, but it was pretty obvious in a way Zagreus wanted to hurt. At least this way he was hurting safely, and wouldn’t need to recover in bed for a few days. While he couldn’t necessarily think of a good argument for this decision, he couldn’t find a negative argument either. “Alright,” Zagreus muttered into his arms, feeling the two shift a bit above him. Meg moved to hold his hip, tucking him close against her stomach while her right hand patted his barely pink skin. Meanwhile Than had lifted Zagreus up a bit, moving closer so the younger god could hide in his lap.
“Thank you for trusting us,” Meg spoke softly, and the swats started again, albeit a little softer for the moment. She was aiming for length, not strength. The longer and safer Zagreus felt with them like this, the better. “I swear we will not mishandle your trust or feelings again, and I am so, so sorry that we did it in the first place.”
“How we treated you before, being cold and distant, you didn’t deserve that, Zag. I… While it hurt us to see you go, you didn’t deserve that mistreatment. If anything, if I could do it over, I would have been more supportive of you,” death pet his hair while he spoke sweetly in his ear. They hadn’t known he was cursed as his father had been, no one did. “This is your only home, and we should not have pushed you away from it when you came back.”
Zagreus listened, not that he had much of a choice otherwise. Being blind-sighted by all this made his ability to handle it all the weaker. They were being so sweet with him, validating and accepting how he had been feeling without batting an eye. Blood and darkness, he hadn’t even had the chance to say it all himself! They just… they just picked it up and-
Oh, that’s right, he talked to his father. He’d definitely express his upset over being outed to his lovers later.
It was a particular smack to his sitspots that pulled him back, making him hiss and shift ever so slightly over her knee. “Don’t drift off, pup, I want you here with us. From now on, we always want you here with us. No more pushing away our little prince,” Meg cooed, a vast contrast to her hand. In the back of his mind, he remembered the brush and tensed. If her hand stung this much, how was the brush going to feel? Certainly nothing close to her whip, but still, this hurt all on its own more than it had any right to!
“I believe the biggest problem was after we pushed him away, we acted as if we had never done so. All too willing to let the memory die away and replace it with new ones,” Than commented, looking over at Meg before down at the little rear she was working on. “My, you already have him that rose color. His blood certainly makes for a pretty, little bottom, doesn’t it?” Pretty, little bottom?
“Mmhm, he’s a little warmed up now, nearly ready for the brush. You did grab it for me, right, Than?”
“I did.”
“Thank you, I’ll let you know when I need it, just keep tending to that sweet, little head of his while I focus on this bottom.”
Maybe he should have hated it — them talking about him right above him while Meg peppered his bottom with smacks and Than played with his hair. If it was anyone else, maybe he would, but with them, he just found their mingled voices so comforting. Something about it pulled him out of his own head.
The sting had his attention, yes. And, yes, he was quiet. Though, they had every ounce of his attention. The sting, the pets, and the sweet words that made his ears burn in the most comforting way, he loved it. He wanted to hear more of it, just… to hear them speak what was on his mind, perfect validation that they knew him. They knew how to bring him home, to make home safe again.
“Ah!” Zagreus hissed when she moved down to his thighs, kicking out a bit. Now, in bed, she would have scolded him for that, but she was true to her word here. He was safe to complain about his treatment.
“Oh, Megaera, it does sting more there than higher up. Does he need to be warm there so soon?”
“He needs a thorough warmup before the brush. It’s nothing compared to something like a switch, but a proper pink before continuing on is important,” the fury answered simply before continuing her work on his thighs, earning more — yet still soft — complaints from the prince. “Complain all you’d like, pup. We’re here to listen to it all.”
“Not simply the complaints from your smacking, but complaints of what others, us included, have done to wrong you, Zagreus. Bare that in mind while she continues.”
The prince only offered a hiss in response, slowly unfolding his arms so he could hold onto his robes. “It stings,” Zagreus said softly, and Thanatos nodded in response, simply petting his hair. They had many, many talks about consent — as impact play was one of their favorite things to do in bed. The fussing was always allowed, Meg wouldn’t let him go unless he said “bats”.
“I know it does, love. You’re very pink. I believe it may be time for the hairbrush to be used soon,” death commented, tracing fingertips along Zagreus’s shoulder before looking at Meg.
“I believe so, too. Thanatos,” Meg spoke softly, taking the hairbrush from him before adjusting a bit, making sure Zagreus was as close to her as he could be. How this could be the most intimate thing they had ever done the little godling couldn’t explain. He always thought that making love was the most intimate, and yet… there was something about their words, actions, and comfort in this that had him feeling more seen and exposed than ever before. “Thank you, Than,” Meg hummed before tapping the brush down in warning.
And oh what a fleeting warning it was. It didn’t take much longer before the unforgiving wood came crashing down, forcing a loud yelp from the prince. “Megaera!” Zagreus yelled in offense, looking back at her while neither seemed very bothered by his reaction.
“Yes, Zagreus?”
As if she was talking about nothing at all. Like he had gotten upset over a little joke or something rather simple and harmless. Well, he supposed in a way this was rather simple and harmless, even if it did hurt for the moment. “It… it hurts,” the godling complained again, getting extra hair pets in response before Meg started to snap the hairbrush down again, faster this time.
“I know, and I’m proud of you for telling me how it makes you feel. I know it hasn’t been easy for you to communicate with us lately. I know we were the ones to push you to that point, but we will also be fixing that, won’t we, Thanatos?”
“Of course, Megaera. We can’t have him thinking we don’t want him around anymore, especially when that’s not even true. Though, I suppose we haven’t actually said how we feel on all the things he’s been worried about, have we?” Death’s voice was soft, he leaned ever so gently over him, fingertips brushing gently over his hair, shoulders, and even his arms. There wasn’t a moment during this smacking that Than wasn’t delicately touching him. “Like how happy it makes us to have him around.”
“How sweet and kind we think he is.”
“How much we love him.”
“Stop,” Zagreus muttered into death’s robes, his shoulders already shaking. He didn’t want to start crying too soon. He was stronger than that. She had never made him cry from a smacking before, and he had certainly never cried at the receiving end of her whip. Though it wasn’t the sting in his bottom that was making his eyes burn, but their words. Their words were what tore him apart so easily.
“Stop what, Zag? Smacking you… or loving you?” Meg asked, holding his hips, rubbing just a bit with her thumb. “Because unless you say ‘bats’, neither is happening. You deserve this affection. You deserve to forgive yourself. You deserve to be upset. We hurt you. It’s time to tell us about it, don’t you think?” the fury asked, giving him barely a second to breathe before the hairbrush made a solid and sole connection with his sitspots and thighs. He was rather red at this point, and it wouldn’t be much longer now.
“A-Ah! Meg! Ow!” Zagreus gasped, throwing his hand back only to have it pinned before it even had a chance to halt her rhythm. “It hurts! It hurts! Ah! Please! Meg! Ow!” the prince was focused only on useless, simple complaints. Not that any seemed to be slowing her down. “I-I don’t want to talk about it!”
“Why don’t you want to talk about it? You’re always encouraging us to communicate,” Than homed simply, unflinching at the loud smacks going on right next to him.
“Because…! Because I don’t want you to get upset,” Zagreus gasped, his breath hitching before he hid his face in Thanatos’s stomach, hugging him as tightly as he could at his angle, and with the one arm. It really, really stung something fierce.
“You think telling us how you feel will make us upset?” Meg asked, her tone dipping into firm while she took a pause in swatting the reddening bottom in front of her. “Zagreus, we will never be as upset with you communicating as much as we were seeing your father carry you down like that. You were broken. Physically and emotionally. Even if it is upsetting for a moment to hear how I made your heart hurt, I want to hear it. I’d rather hear it a million times over than see that again. And… I am so sorry I made you think otherwise,” Meg said softly, her tone dipping back down, softer than ever before. The break didn’t last long after that, the hairbrush landing on its mark like a well-used weapon. “Come on, pup. Let us hear it.”
“What am I to say? I-It feels fixed now! We don’t have to worry about this, do we? Please, Meg, I don’t want to,” Zagreus complained, his voice wet after a moment. Zagreus hadn’t cried in centuries, did he really feel okay with breaking that streak over a simple smacking?
“Start with when you noticed it hurt. It’s safe, Zag, we’re more than prepared for it,” Than promised, kissing the top of his head. “You can do it…”
“I… I knew I had upset you both, and… and I understood the coldness for a while. But… But right before we, we fixed it all, you… you said I was… wasn’t welcomed anymore. I wasn’t welcomed in the House and I wasn’t allowed on the surface, so I didn’t know what to do!” Zagreus gasped out, a dry sob finally escaping him. “I hated how much I hurt you, I just… I just wanted to make it right! I wanted to earn my spot back in the house, I-I had to!”
“And you tried to earn that spot by testing security to the highest limits you could?” Meg asked, a soft hum following while she snapped the hairbrush a bit lower on his thigh. “I’m sorry we made you feel like you couldn’t talk to us openly about before, Zag… I’m sorry I made you feel like this wasn’t your home, and I’m so, so sorry I made you feel like you needed to run yourself into the ground like that.”
“You didn’t deserve any of that, and I know I said my fair share of hurtful things, Zag. You gave me a safe place to speak freely about how I felt, and I didn’t do the same for you. That’s not how relationships are meant to work. This isn’t meant to be one-sided.”
Zagreus was trying to understand how things like this worked. How he could take all of the abuse and neglect without batting an eye, but crumbled under validation and praise.
“Cry, Zagreus. You’ve done enough waiting.”
The prince was never one to defy Meg’s orders, save for in Tartarus. But here? When they were home? He was hers and his. Finally, he found where he felt wanted, welcomed. There was something that snapped in his chest, and for a moment he wondered if he had been wrong about his rib completely healing. Though, that wasn’t the case. His hand was released just so he could hold on properly to Thanatos, and that’s when he realized what was happening.
He was crying. And gods if it didn’t hurt just as badly as the burn Meg was lighting in his skin. It felt as if she was bringing Asphodel straight to his bottom. “Meg! Please! I’m sorry!” Zagreus pleaded, only to be met with soft shushing.
“No, pup, you shouldn’t be sorry. You have had nothing to be sorry for. We’re the ones that are sorry. We hurt our sweet, little prince, and now he gets to have his release. It’s okay, it’s all okay,” Meg spoke in a voice he had never heard before. She was actually cooing at him, and damn her if it didn’t just make his sobbing worse.
He couldn’t understand how something like this was supposed to help, but the longer she smacked him, while it stung and they cooed and Than kissed and… it started to feel better. Soon the absolute burning had somehow managed to coat his entire body in warmth while he wailed his upset into Than’s lap. He went limp, giving into it properly now. “I’m so proud of you,” death whispered into his ear before kissing his temple.
The praise. Gods, they were proud of him for being limp and crying like he was just a child, and it felt wonderful. Zagreus caught on after a moment that they were moving him, and something about not being flushed against them — even if it was just for a moment — made the crying all the more desperate and upset while his hands reached out and clung to their clothes.
“I know, I know,” Meg cooed softly, the two of them laying down against the headboard before dropping Zagreus on top of them to cry. With how much bigger they were than him, he was able to properly use both of them as a mattress while airing out his grievances.
“Y-You don’t…! Don’t… h-hate me?” Zagreus sputtered, and in a flash, he was showered in all of the kisses and cooing he could ever hope to receive from the two of them. Forehead, cheeks, nose, lips, there was no escaping their affection in response to that.
Well, he supposed doubting them would be rather ridiculous after this. Still, confirmation and reassurance were nice.
The prince hissed when Than ran a hand down to his bottom, whimpering and letting out another cry. “Blood and darkness, Megaera, his bottom is almost as hot as his feet,” the god of death commented and continued to rub, pet, and kiss the pitiful godling in their arms. Comfort after such an ordeal was absolutely necessary. It would be a crime to leave him on his own like this.
“Yes, well… He needed it, didn’t you, pup?” Meg asked, giving him her own fair share of pets and affection. He was rendered helpless in arguing with her, as she was right of course. He hadn’t really understood at the beginning, but it really did feel like a cleanse. “But look at how sweet he’s being now. He’s practically boneless, isn’t he, Than?”
“Oh, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” the god responded, tangling his fingers in the back of Zag’s hair to lightly scratch at the scalp. The smaller god melted into the soft rumble of his chest when he heard Thanatos chuckle at him slumping forward at the touches. Meg may have been a tad too accurate in calling him a pup, seeing as he was far too accepting and loving of being pet.
“Welcome home, Zagreus,” the two whispered softly to him, holding him close to their forms. He was finally home. Though, home was not the House. It wasn’t the halls he was concerned with anymore. No, that wasn’t it. Home had never been the House, but rather the welcoming embrace in their arms.