Hades and Seph

by Eileen Glass

  With the little souls, Seph has endless patience. With Hades, he has none. And by his smug expression, he quite likes having Hades on his knees in front of him. He tugs Hades’s head close, and Hades does not deny his husband. The pillows still call, and his eyes are so tired they’re starting to blur, but first he wants this. All of this.

  He is sweet. Verah’s fruit platter has been the extra sugar in his dessert. The cock is soft at first, and easy to wrap his lips around. But soon it pokes the back of his throat. Hades sighs through his nose, letting his eyes drift shut. He pushes Seph’s knees wider, and lets his hands drift wherever they want.

  Belatedly he realizes he did not spend as much time exploring as he should. He and Seph are still early lovers and should be having long, amazing sex. But the last several times have been rushed.

  I owe him more than that. I need to be a better lover.

  Yet he does not slow down or tease. The decision to make weighs on him. Finish Seph now and taste him in his mouth? Oh, Hades wants to do that so much. But he also needs Seph hard and demanding inside him. It won’t be satisfying unless he gets it. So somehow…

  If Seph had god magic, he could stay hard…

  A spell. I need a spell. No, an herb. Magic on someone else’s body is too risky.

  I could come up with something…

  Someday, if the work ever ends…

  Seph pushes him back. The smugness is gone. He is so focused and wanting, he looks a bit like the determined god Hades faced back inside the tent. And Hades is so small on his knees right now. Seph pets around his face. A wetness of something dribbles from the corner of Hades’s mouth and he licks it off. But Seph hasn’t finished yet.

  “I love you,” his husband says, and Hades hurriedly agrees.

  “Yes, I love you too. Take me now. And never delay information like that to me again.”

  He hates to ruin a perfectly good moment, but he’s afraid this will be another thing that gets buried underneath all the work. This is a serious discussion that has to happen. He won't have Seph putting off news of an attack again.

  A second time will make him extremely angry. So Seph has to agree to this.

  His husband only frowns a little, not speaking at first.

  “Tell me, Seph. Tell me it won’t happen again. And then take me. Please.”

  Seph looks like he’s considering something. Then he picks up Hades’s crown and puts it back on his head. Balancing the weight would make it rather difficult to start sucking again, and Hades is considering it. He doesn’t want to fight. Or to give a scolding. He just wants his glorious husband to have pleasure with him and to never make that mistake again.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. And I had every intention of telling you. When there was time.”

  Seph scoot sideways, and Hades wonders how he’s going to fix this.

  “Seph, please don’t be difficult. I’m not mad about anything.”

  “Get up,” Seph says, and offers his hand. Strangely, he smiles. Are they going to be mean to each other? Will Seph try to impress on him again that they are equal kings?

  Eventually, Hades will have to set the boundary. Yes, they are equal kings, but Seph may not be able to do hunts anymore if he thinks this responsibility means he can keep things from him. He will have to accept that.

  But I can’t say any of that now without hurting him.

  Seph orders, “Against the vanity. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but you’re always busy when you’re headed off in the mornings.”

  “Evenings are good too,” Hades says, planting himself on his hands in front of the mirror. “Just tell me where you want me, anytime.”

  Seph positions himself behind him. There will be no preparation, but Hades won’t need it. He’s eager to feel stretched, and Seph will quickly find the place inside that makes him push his butt out eagerly. His stallion has an eager mate, and Seph’s cock seems to be shaped for Hades specifically, the head and length nudging back and forth on that area, making Hades whine and pant for it sometimes…

  They haven’t even begun. Seph does slow down, and he does use a finger first, testing Hades’s tightness. The king sighs impatiently and wonders if he should say something. Many times, he has told Seph, ‘I am fine,’ only to have the younger man take his time anyway. Maybe he prefers it this way.

  But meanwhile that finger simply won’t be enough, no matter how open and displayed Hades is. He needs it deep.

  Then Seph speaks. “You know, I was never in any danger. You gave me Hecate to keep me safe, and to have some of my own power. That’s exactly what happened. Her magic manifested through me, and I protected myself, in a way. It depends how you look at it. But I don’t want you to see me as a weak king who needs protecting.”

  Can we not speak about this right now? Can we finish the discussion later?

  But he knows that wouldn’t be fair. He’s the one who brought up the attack in the first place. They might as well finish it. Even if Seph is finally satisfied with his inspection (it wasn’t thorough this time, thank god), and he positions to give Hades the real thing.

  His lower back sinks. He arches up otherwise and lifts his rear end with his toes.

  Seph is big. He always has to force his way into Hades’s tight little hole.

  “I just—have to know if—have to know—” Fuck. Hades eyelids flutter.

  Seph might be cautious to start before they’ve begun, but once he’s inside it’s like he can’t help himself. He pushes deep and hard, forcing Hades open. The dark king winces. But he wouldn’t have Seph stop for the world. He’ll be loose and slick soon enough. His muscles clamp down on Seph, and (right or not) somewhere a primal part of him is saying, Seph is mine. Nobody takes him from me. If someone tries, they’ll rot in my dungeons for eternity. And I want to know about it because I want to punish the bastards.

  But of course, that side of him might be insane, like his father. It is the side Hermes spoke about when he said the god was oftentimes unintentionally cruel. Oh, there is plenty of intention behind it. He simply loses his mind when someone tries to harm someone who is his to look after. Or if that subject harms themself under his care.

  The protective part of him is a beast to be tamed and controlled. So for Seph, he says, “I have to know so I can get information. Uhh.” He finds his top half sinking as Seph begins to thrust into him completely. His pace is slow. Hades needs to relax and offer himself up. His stallion will get what he wants soon.

  His crown makes a little tink against the mirror as he lowers his head. He pushes it to keep it on for Seph’s amusement, but when he looks into the mirror, Seph’s gaze is downward. Watching Hades stretch to fit him in.

  “Zeus, he—might be—” Hades can’t even remember how he would have finished that sentence. Something about protection. Unlawful abduction. Something, something a bounty and bribes.

  Seph nudges against that spot inside him, and keeps brushing past it with excellent aim. Hades has been trying to last longer, for it seems that Seph can last forever but Hades is often over too quick.

  It’s been a long time. Over a month.

  Heh, like one of Seph’s hunts.

  Ohh, it feels like eternity.

  The moaning part of that thought comes out of him, and at last the animal part of Seph’s mind takes over. He whispers something, kissing Hades shoulder, and then large, heavy hands pin him down to the vanity. There’s a ring or something trapped underneath Hades. His face knocks aside one of the tonics for cleaning his skin. His nose pushes against the bottom of the mirror, and strands of hair fall into his eyes.

  But Seph’s enormous cock fits into him, and his stallion ruts against the back of him, finally using Hades body for his own selfish desires. His balls are so huge and heavy they slap against the back of his own, and Hades’s insides spasm around the enormous cock, his climax coming on too soon.

  “No. Not yet.”

  He is speaking to himself mostly. It isn’t a command. But the f
irst no makes Seph pause, and Hades does everything he can to hold back. To let the waves pass unspilled. He knocks something over as he reaches underneath quickly and pinches himself.

  “Are you okay?” Seph asks, and there is no amusement in his tone, only concern. His stallion is an animal when he lets himself be. But the man inside is considerate and careful. Exactly the sort of person Hermes remembered him to be.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Don’t stop, Seph. I can hold myself back when you’re inside me.”

  Seph breaks into an easy smile. He leans over Hades, wrapping him in a hug. He starts moving again, but his shaft stays deep, avoiding rubbing that sensitive area too much for now.

  The tease somehow makes it worse.

  “I don’t want you to finish early either. I’ve heard there is a way of tying the balls—well, we can talk about it later. There’s a lot written about sex practices in the library, you know. And a lot of erotic fiction as well.”

  “I love that you have taken to studying.” Hades knows everything there is about coupling of course, and perhaps a little too much. He will enjoy playing innocent to let Seph teach him though.

  “I want to turn you over, okay? I want to see your face. And not just in a mirror.”

  “Uh-huhh—mm.” That sound is supposed to be a yes, and Seph interprets it correctly. Losing the connection to him is a disappointment though. It takes so long to leave. Hades just wants to thrust himself back down on him and keep going. But he grasps a necklace lying atop the vanity and lets Seph turn him around.

  Leaning backward over the desk, he catches his breath, every limb relaxed to let Seph position him however he wants. But Seph doesn’t move him yet. His gaze travels down Hades’s chest to his fully erect, flushed cock, and Seph touches himself, pinching himself as well.

  So Hades is not the only one with the problem.

  But Seph’s cock is so wet and glistening, it almost seems he could be finished already. He drips when his fingers pinch.

  I want all of that inside me.

  Hades pushes himself up onto the desk, sitting on it, and Seph closes in on him at the same time. Their mouths meet. They breathe into each other. And Hades is tasting pomegranate, his tongue pushed selfishly into his lovers mouth, as that cock returns and there’s nothing shy or considerate about it.

  Hades whines when it hits, lifting a leg to wrap around Seph’s hips. Seph fits easily and at this new angle, he is always deep, driving hard, greedy, and never close to leaving Hades. He’s just too damn big.

  He could probably fuck me with half his length, and it’d feel just the same…

  Seph finishes. He’s first for once. Then one of Seph’s hands wrap around him, and Hades’s hole begins to spasm and clench, all around Seph’s cumming cock. The waves build up and Hades doesn’t fight it. He spills over.

  Several breaths later, Seph pulls out of him.

  “I don’t want you to worry about me. That’s what I was going to say. At some point. Protecting myself from murderers and abductors is my responsibility first and foremost, you know.”

  Hades cannot even begin to continue the discussion right now. He feels Seph’s cum dripping out of him. And he is slightly concerned for the surface of the vanity, which may need to be cleaned immediately. He can’t have Verah do it, and when his head hits a pillow, he will forget.

  A little splatter of cum reached the pendent he wears today. He is both impressed with himself and bemused that he has never seen cum covered beryl before. Not in all these millennia.

  “I am worried about you. You’re doing as much as you can,” Seph says as he leans close, his fingers touching near Hades’s lips. “And I think you will work yourself as thin as a wraith before you consider the possibility of maybe resting a little.”

  Hades blinks a few times, a loopy sensation coming over him as he feels the physical exhaustion of his body temporarily. It is not common for a god, and it’s a sign that Seph is right. He’ll put himself into a centuries long sleep if he keeps this up.

  A regular sleep is overdue.

  “Help me to bed. I think… if you are watching over the boats and looking after the citizens… I think I can rest for a day. Or two.”

  Fifty-Two

  Seph carries Hades back to bed, kissing him on the forehead as if he were a small child. It is strange to hold the mysterious and powerful god, who is limp and weak as a kitten in his arms, and then to move the sheets aside and set his pale, delicate body on top. He has shadows under his eyes from a lack of sleep. He gazed at Seph with a loving, dazed expression when they were finished. But now his eyes are solidly closed. He turns his head against the pillow a little, and otherwise doesn’t move at all.

  He seems asleep. Or even dead.

  Seph pulls the covers over him and tucks him in. Then he goes to the latrine to clean up.

  Is he tired?

  No, no more than usual. Lately Seph has actually felt like he’s gaining strength, as his knee gets stronger, and he no longer feels like he’s grasping for memories all the time. The reading has helped. It used to be that Seph might forget the words for common things, like the laces on his sandals, or even body parts like fingernails. But slogging through the books with the help of Hecate and some of the scholarly souls has built his vocabulary up again and even made him feel normal.

  He can picture the farmer fields described in some of the texts. He doesn’t remember his mother, but he’s relearned family labels, and he’s heard quite a lot about her. He has no drive to reconnect with her, though he’s not heard anything to think she’s cruel. His memories, however, are of her always towering over him, looking after him, telling him ‘don’t do this’ or ‘you must do that.’ She protected him the way Hades does now, but she did not give him as much freedom.

  Seph is happy where he is. And his learning is always pointed at how he can do better in his role as the second king of this place.

  He emerges from the latrine refreshed, his chiton righted, and he slips on a new pair of underclothes. He thinks Hades might like underclothes if Seph took to wearing just them. His dressed-for-cold-weather husband likes to look upon Seph’s naked form, always. And while Hades is a jealous mate, he likes others to envy what he has.

  Seph smirks with amusement as he thinks on this. But… there is also a sense of satisfaction in covering up, even just a little bit extra. It is like…

  I don’t want Hades to own me completely.

  I want him to trust me to take care of myself.

  He wonders what this means for them, because he knows they didn’t come to any agreement in their recent discussion, while they were having sex. Seph shouldn’t have to run to his husband, falling, every time he has to defend himself. Especially if the need was as frivolous and simple as what happened with the two strange men who came to abduct him.

  Seph doesn’t want to keep secrets but…

  There has to be trust.

  How do I get him to listen to me and understand?

  Cerberus whines at the door, and Seph lets him in. The dog looks all around suspiciously, slinking and with his heads down, and once he’s passed Seph he sneaks around to the bed and hops in on the side where Seph isn’t. Perhaps he tries to look nonchalant, settling his chins near Seph’s pillow and not making a sound. But his eyes roll back to check on Seph. Just staring at him. Watching wherever he goes and not moving a muscle, just looking up when Seph comes near, feigning to be relaxed. But really, Seph knows the stubborn hound is acting like a child.

  I’m not moving. What are you going to do? Seph hears from those ‘innocent’ eyes.

  And sure enough, as Seph sits on the bed and finishes his snack from the fruit platter, the dog doesn’t budge. Even though Seph nearly sits on him.

  Seph scratches the dogs rump. He’d move if Seph wanted him to. A king cannot be run over by a dog. But there’s no reason to force Cerberus into obedience without purpose.

  Hades is just going to have to get used to me not being helpless anymore. It’ll be
a gradual thing. Nothing to fight about now.

  He sets the platter aside and hears a strange sound in the next room. A shuffle. Or a footstep. Perhaps just Verah cleaning? Or Hecate doing something. But they are not permitted into the rooms whenever they’d like, and this is not their time to be useful. Hecate’s room does have an adjoining door to the den, so maybe she came in for some reason?

  In any case, Seph gets his cane to walk. It’s just better to have it if he’s by himself. And he’s well aware that he can’t magic the simple thing to him, not even the few feet from the window to the bed. That’s the kind of god he is when he’s by himself.

  But as long as I have Hecate, I’m not helpless.

  An older memory speaks to him, just a whisper, I’m a man, Mother!

  He can’t remember what she said back, but he knows it wasn’t an agreement. Both Hades and Demeter don’t see him as fully capable… and that’s a problem.

  There’s no one in the den.

  But there is a large covered something in the corner, table legs sticking out from under the sheet. There was no table there before, and Seph hears the little shuffling sound again from under the cloth as he hobbles near, leaning on his cane a lot. He ignored his knee when he was with Hades, and now his spent energy combines with the injury to affect his gait.

  He lifts the corner of the cloth. Something inside scuttles about. And as he peels the cloth halfway back over the top, he sees that this is a cage. A well done, ornamental cage, with two levels for a creature inside, a nesting box with carved ornamentation, and a straw floor that pulls out for cleaning.

  “Hello. What are you?”

  He peers at the dark entrance of the nesting box. Something moves inside. And Seph eyes the vegetables in the food dish.

  “I’m guessing you are not a rat. Do you want to come out and meet me?” He picks up a piece of lettuce from the bowl and holds it in front of the door. He wiggles it with his fingers, and also wonders what Hades would want with another pet. Especially since he’s mostly into dogs and birds, and the predatory kinds of those. He likes hawks, not so much doves.