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“Oh, great. Another Olympian here to gawk.”
The young man standing before Death paused.
“What?”
Thanatos rolled his eyes. If he hadn’t been bound in chains, he might have crossed his arms too.
“I know what you are,” he said curtly. “There’s no use playing dumb, though you do seem to be a natural.”
“W—hey!”
“You’re not the first one here either,” he continued, speaking almost half to himself. “That war god came by earlier today. Said he’d free me, then got distracted by some fight. You’d think a martial deity would have more focus. Is he your brother?”
The boy sighed. “Look, I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not a—I’m just a normal person.”
Thanatos gave a scoff in response, making the chains on his body clink together. But when a moment passed and the young man did not waver, he rolled his eyes.
“You’re kidding, right? You expect me to believe that? Your feet are on fire. Your eye, it’s—really?”
“Er…yes, really.” Though now a hint of hesitation bled into the boy’s voice. Thanatos had seen this expression before, usually on prey animals that hadn’t run away. Still, though, the young man held his ground, which Death could respect in a begrudging sort of way.
“How do you explain your appearance, then?” Thanatos said with all the tact he could. “It’s not natural.”
“Mother says I was touched by a god.” The young man shrugged as if this was commonplace. “That’s why we live in the middle of nowhere. For my own sake.”
“Your own sake?”
The boy shifted. “Sometimes people behave…oddly when they think you commune directly with the gods.”
“You are a god.”
“I’m not.”
“Your mother is lying. It’s obvious, look, I’m Death, it’s my job to know these things.” Unable to move his arms, Thanatos settled for giving the boy a pointed glare. “I have to know who’s mortal and who’s not. And I’m good at my job.”
“Really?” The young man’s eyebrows rose. There was a glint to his eye that Thanatos didn’t like. “Is that why you’re alone here in this grove? Tied up? With iron chains?”
“Wh—no,” Thanatos said. “I’m...choosing to be here.”
The young man scratched his chin. “But you said that ‘one of mine’ came by earlier," he pointed out. "And he promised to free you, so unless these chains are a fashion statement—”
“Yes, yes, alright,” Death scowled. “I’m trapped here. Happy?”
“Compared to you? The bar’s pretty low, but I’d say yes.” The young man took a step forward. “Need a hand?”
Thanatos’s mouth twitched. The thought of accepting this ‘hand’ was distasteful.
“Or…I could leave you here—”
“Yes. I mean—yes, help me. And hurry up. I’ve been stuck here for weeks.”
The young man grinned, quickly closed the distance between them. At least it seemed like the boy was used to hard labor; beneath his oddly pale complexion and loose green robes hid a strong frame.
Still, not one to be outdone, Thanatos said, “The last…mortal who handled these chains was older than you. Stronger, too. Are you sure you’ll be able to do this?”
To his amazement, the young man laughed. It was a sound as light as the breeze.
“You aren’t one for ‘thank you’s, are you?” he said. “Most people would be ready to swear a life debt by now. As gratitude, of course.”
“I’m Death,” said Death. “I don’t do life debts.” He hated the breeze. All four of them, really. They made the surface so chaotic and noisy.
“And you said ‘older,’ but it’s not like you’re even that old,” the boy continued, much to Thanatos’s endless chagrin. “You can’t be much older than me.”
“I’m ageless.”
“You look like you’re in your late teens. Twenties, maybe.”
“Are you always this talkative when you work?”
The young man wound his hand beneath a section of chains and pulled Thanatos’s left arm free. This softened his temper a bit.
“You were captured,” the boy said, quickly undoing that. “Are you new to this job?”
Thanatos raised his shoulder, feeling the cool air on his skin and ignoring how shrewd the boy seemed to be. “I don’t need a lecture from a godling who thinks he’s mortal,” he said. “Seriously. What you were told isn’t true. Who’s your mother?”
The boy hesitated suddenly. Thanatos almost told him to get back to work until he caught the furrow in his brow.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said quickly. “Especially not if it means you’ll stop.”
The boy’s smile returned. “She’s a good person,” he said instead, and started to work on the bindings by Thanatos’s hip. “She’s very kind, and very good with plants. She moved out to the country to protect me when I was born. I was…different from the other children from the start.”
“Really. I mean…oh, really? Most mortal children don’t have flaming feet?”
The young man chuckled. “You know, I think you’d get along with my grandmother. She can be a bit like you sometimes.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
The boy put on a wounded expression. “I wouldn’t live to see tomorrow if I ever insulted Grandmother. She can be…distant, but she’s not so bad.”
“And what does she say about your obvious godhood?” Thanatos asked as the boy freed his other arm. He quickly started trying to massage the not-life back into his palms. “Blood and darkness, I’m getting that king. He’ll not evade me another day.”
“Is that who trapped you?” The young man knelt. “He really got your legs good.”
“Not important,” said Thanatos. “Your grandmother. Godhood.”
“She says even less than my mother,” the boy shrugged. His hand had a firm grip on Thanatos’s ankle, something that Death was trying to ignore. “Neither of them really like to talk about the gods. In fact, though I’m sure you’re a very important one—” he yanked on the chains and finally, they fell away, “—I don’t think I actually know your name.”
Freed at last, Thanatos briefly considered kicking the loose pile of chains into a river. Then again, he’d already been missing for weeks; the last thing he needed was to lose the Chains of Death, too.
He sighed, and glanced back at the young man.
“I should be offended at that. I am important.”
The young man shrugged. “I saved you, right? Do I get a pass?” His easy grin did not waver.
Death pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Ugh. I’m…Thanatos,” he said eventually.
The grin became a beam. “Thanatos, eh? I’m Zagreus. Pleased to meet you, then!”
He even stuck out his hand. Thanatos almost ignored it.
“That’s—oh, cold,” Zagreus gasped, though he didn’t pull away. Thanatos held back a tiny smirk.
“I don’t need to say it again, do I? Being cold is just a part of being Death.”
“That seems a bit on the nose,” Zagreus chuckled. “Maybe you just need some more sunlight, Than.”
“Th—what?”
But Zagreus plowed past this and instead picked up the iron chains. “So, does this…mean that you’re leaving soon?” He handed the chains over, much to Thanatos’s relief. “It’s just that—well, I assume that if you’ve been stuck for weeks, you’re probably missed somewhere.”
Thanatos nodded. “‘Missed’ might not be my word of choice, but yes. I need to go. Now, actually. You’re out here in the middle of nowhere with a mother who only likes plants, so you probably don’t know, but there’s been absolute chaos for weeks. Nothing’s been able to properly die. You don’t want to know what the markets are like.”
“I’ve never known what they’re like,” Zagreus said. “But I think I see your point.” Then he hesitated. “Will I…that is—”
“—and don’t get me started on the battlefields—”
“Will I see you again?”
Death stopped.
“Will…you what?”
“Of course—not for a while,” Zagreus added hastily, “I’m sure, but…just in general. What do you say?”
Thanatos continued to stare a moment longer. “I…you really shouldn’t,” he eventually managed. “Especially not if you know what’s good for you.”
You’re a god, anyway, was not added. The chances of us ever meeting again are pretty slim—
“What, you don’t get breaks?”
Thanatos snorted. “Haven’t you been listening? Death can’t take a break. It’s mayhem.”
“Ten minutes,” said Zagreus. “Whenever you can. Come on, even you need to rest, right? Being forced to work like this is inhumane.”
“I’m not human,” Thanatos reminded him. “Neither are you.”
“If this is what being a god is like, I think I’ll stick to mortality, thanks. At least I can sleep in.” Zagreus gave such a goofy smile that it wrung a huff out of Death.
“Well,” he said, “it’s probably a good thing that you don’t seem to have a domain. Your followers would be doomed.”
“And yours aren’t?” Zagreus said. “Isn’t worshipping you kind of morbid?”
Thanatos rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to argue this with you. Death is as natural as birth. And if there wasn’t an end to things, what would be the point?”
He could almost see the cogs in Zagreus’s head start turning. He didn’t have time for this. “Nevermind. Look, I…I need to get going. And I doubt I’ll—I doubt I’ll be back here—”
Zagreus’s expression fell, and Thanatos was amazed to find himself disappointed too. What amazed him even more were the words that followed:
“—at least…for now…”
Zagreus’s whole face lit up. “I can wait.”
Thanatos sighed and avoided looking into the young man’s mismatched eyes. “It won’t be for a while,” he added.
“I can wait a long time,” Zagreus grinned. This time, Thanatos failed to look away and caught a glimpse of mischievous cheer. That glint was foreign to one of his eyes, but the other one, the green one…
…had he seen that before?
Zagreus waved a pale hand and Thanatos was back to reality with a scowl.
“I’ll wait in this grove for you,” he said, smiling again. “It can be our meeting spot! Just for the two of us.”
Thanatos found himself unable to argue with this godling. And there was something…something odd prickling in his mind—
“It won’t be tomorrow,” he cautioned Zagreus. “I don’t think it will be for a month, at least.”
“Then next month,” Zagreus agreed. “Besides, I understand. You’ve got a home to go back to. One that I want to hear about, next time!”
Thanatos sighed, utterly defeated. “Yes, yes, alright. Now can I go?”
Zagreus took a half-step back. “Travel well, friend. I look forward to seeing you again!”
Thanatos stood there, holding his chains.
Zagreus raised an eyebrow. “Are you…alright?”
“—you.”
He blinked. “What was that?”
Thanatos groaned. “Thank you. For. You know.”
Zagreus beamed. “You’re welcome. Now go on, the sooner you get back to work, the sooner you can take a break and come see me!”
And it was too late by then, he’d already decided to go, the pale green light already glowing around him, but just for a second, for the tiniest instant, a faint, distant memory of Death’s childhood returned—
—those eyes, sparkling with kindness and cheer—
“Your mother!” Thanatos yelled. “Is her na—”
Then he was gone.
Zagreus stood in the clearing, alone, for a while afterward, wondering what he’d tried to say.
But when a minute passed, then two, then three, then twenty, and Thanatos still did not return, he shrugged his shoulders, went to fetch his basket, and hung it easily off his arm. He regarded the place where he’d found the god of death wrestling with his own eerie chains, and gave a smile.
Then he turned around on flame-licked heels and walked to the garden where his mother was waiting.