*Song- Windswept, Johnny Jewel (This utterly beautiful and should be familiar for anyone who's watching Twin Peaks 

'You saw for yourself how obsessed he is with her and this case- he's our main issue...'

Blue Dusk

"I love you! I love you. I love you."

I giggled into the pillow as Thanatos' continued to harass me with his adorably excited confessions, over and over, the sound humming in my ear. He was lying on top of my back, his bare chest radiating warmth through my body.

"Having fun?" I asked, my eyes darting back up to catch his devilish smirk. His arms were circled around my shoulders, trapping me in under his heavy build.

Thanatos chuckled and dropped his mouth to whisper delicately into my ear, sending a wave of chills down my arms; "I love you, Aurora."

I sighed in content. How could one man be so perfect? I blushed and kept my hot cheeks plastered to the white bedding as I spoke, hoping he couldn't sense the heat rising from my face against the cheek he had pressed onto mine.

"I love you too."

Was it strange that I was indeed in love with the god of the dead? Or was it even stranger that he was in love with me?

"So guess what?" Thanatos smiled broadly, like a little boy, his smile reminded me of pure innocence at discovering something so simple, yet so profound.

I giggled and turned around so I could intertwine my legs with his and fold my arms around his neck, pulling him down to pleasantly suffocate me. "What?"

"Guess woman." He scoffed playfully and rolled his eyes.

What a diva, but good gods, I loved it. I chuckled against his lips while he massaged mine under his own. "You love me?"

Thanatos gasped dramatically, his eyes wide with mock surprise; "We are soul mates..."

The loud, boisterous laugh escaped my lips before I had the chance to react properly. Thanatos chuckled at my sunny disposition, but how could I not be in a good mood? The best mood? He was here, in my bed at home and a few hours ago, he'd told me he loved me. And hasn't stopped since.

Needless to say, my last evening with the girls was quite eventful, having Thanatos by my side, constantly staring at me and playing with my hair.

We'd arrived late, by accident of course. After his confession at the beach, Thanatos and I couldn't let go of each other. I thought we'd been clingy before, but good Lord was I wrong. I think it was the freshness of it all- the confession, the emotion and the raw yearning we had for the other to be just as deeply devoted as we felt we were.

Sonya eyed us with a sly smile as she opened the door to her house, her eyes immediately falling to our intertwined hands. Thanatos didn't let go of my hand the entire night; keeping it locked in as best he could.

Trita as all too happy to pester us about what was going on, but Sonya quickly dismissed Miss Meddle's snooping and we spent the rest of the night with the obvious lingering in the air. But it didn't bother us.

Not in the slightest. Frankly, I'm sure nothing would have bothered Thanatos or me that night. We were too in love to care.

We did all the typical things we'd do on a girl's night- make popcorn and hot chocolate, talk for a bit about this and that, watch a horror movie and, of course, try not to fall asleep halfway through the second movie, which was always something light-hearted to make the darkness look a little menacing after the intensity of the first movie.

And I somehow managed to stay focused through most parts of everything while Thanatos' was seated right next to me. Well, I think so. Just like before, when Thanatos joined me at Sonya's house uninvited, I couldn't focus on a thing while he sat staring at me.

Throughout the movie, he would ever so delicately lean into me and with his large, tanned hand tenderly caress the back of my neck as he whispered in my ear; "I love you, my sweet."

Goosebumps flooded my body and I'm fairly sure the ghostly figure on the screen had nothing to do with it. Not even an ounce.

I would turn my head in his direction, to reply to his sweet admission, but Thanatos was always faster with his reactions. He would give me no time to part my lips before he'd ensnare them in his hot pair and lovingly stroke them with intimacy. My breath would hitch and he'd mumble against my lips, like he'd lost his way between the steam; "I've loved you for so long..."

His lips would get stuck, and as he spoke, they'd gently brush against mine. The heat between our parted mouths would fill the minuscule gap and float up to entangle our thoughts in warmth and a burning haze.

We stay like that for a good few minutes; the world outside us falling away and disappearing into mist. The white blare of the television, the light chattering of my friends and the unrelenting burden of our duties pressing down on us, just floating away, leaving us bare.

Slowly, he'd slip out his tongue and trace the skin on my lips, leaving me breathless. I'd press myself up against him, not caring that Sonya or Trita could at anytime turn their heads back and see Thanatos' hungry and needy hands all over my body. This wasn't want anymore- this was a need.

I hadn't even noticed as time passed. We just stayed staring at the other, our lips parted and folded over the other's and our eyes slanted, watching. Gently, I would nudge his nose and grip his shirt in my palms, massaging his waist and Thanatos would respond by closing his eyes in ease.

He'd lean in and nuzzle his nose against mine, breathing fire onto my face. There was no need for words really. We were far past that.

All we needed was this.

But the same words did flow nonetheless, without any effort from either of us; "I love y-"

"I love you too." He'd respond before I'd even finished my thought and dip his tongue into my mouth, ever so slowly, filling my senses with the taste of him. We kissed like it was the first time.

These were whispers in the dark; but those were usually the most sincere truths.

Now, as we lay on my bed, back home after the night of goodbyes, I couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. I pushed a few dark strands from his eyes as he stared down at me with a soft gaze; "Do you even know what the two movies were about?"

Thanatos chuckled and placed a long kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes in appreciation. "We watched a movie?"

I laughed, his angelic smile so exquisite. He looked so blissfully content. It pleased me to see him so at peace with himself. "I think the first one was about some poltergeist? And the second one..." I racked my brain, but to be honest, who cared what it was about? "Possibly a romantic comedy and they're all the same anyway so..."

Thanatos' smirk was electric; "Did Sonya and Trita notice anything?"

I snorted; "If they didn't, then I'm afraid they're blind."

"Hmm..." Thanatos hummed in agreement, but didn't bother to continue the conversation as he leaned down to trail a hot line of pecks down my neck towards my collarbone. Thanatos bit onto the skin and suckled. "Would you mind if I had a taste?"

I giggled and wiggled softly as his tongue tickled my sensitive neck. I bit my lip; "Why are you asking when you're already doing exactly that?"

Thanatos leaned back a bit to look me in the eyes. I gasped softly under my breath, but not from the look of pure lust on his face. No, instead I trembled as I felt his fingers slowly pull down my underwear, leaving me naked under the thick duvet.

"I wasn't referring to your neck..."

I knew exactly what he was referring to, even before he dipped his head under the duvet and opened my legs with his hands. They were large, almost fitting exactly around my thighs, pulling them eons apart.

I gasped up at the dark ceiling, shadows playing across it as the curtains blew in the light breeze. My hands clenched onto the sheets as I felt that very same tongue that had trailed my lips do exactly the same somewhere very similar.

Thanatos took his time to explore, leaving me trembling in so much pleasure. My body felt numb and completely heightened at the same time. I heard him moan, the sound muffled against me and hushed by the duvet over his head. I nearly screamed as he finally entered the area I'd so desperately wanted him to, filling me with his undivided attention and skill.

My hips buckled as he played, but his hands clasped around my hipbones and kept them firmly fixed to the mattress. He caressed them softly, but with a grip that no mere man could ever hope to break. Soft whimpers and moans escaped between my parted lips; his talent driving me insane, but in the best possible way.

"Aurora..." He whispered and the sensation of his hot breath against me sent me tumbling down another cliff. "You're mine."

"Thanatos..." I whimpered and nearly tore my bed sheet.

He didn't bother to stop and give me time to recuperate; "The day I make love to you, I swear you won't say my name so softly."

I quaked and shook, knowing I was so direly close to my edge, his words and the way he said them thrusting me right towards my end.

"I'm barely able to keep myself at bay." Thanatos kissed me, his mouth moving against my wet heat exactly the same as it would against my mouth. "Hmm... Rora..." He mumbled and I groaned softly, hoping my parents were fast asleep.

Suddenly, Thanatos threw the cover off his head and positioned himself over me, his red eyes blazing with want. He was sweating, the drops stuck to his hairline, matting his black hair against his temples. It was boiling down there. "I curse the day I thought of this plan..." He grabbed the finger that held my virtue ring and glared down at it, his eyes so dark; "I want to make you mine- completely."

"I know you did it for my safety." I grazed my palm over his cheek, savouring the way he closed his eyes in pleasure at my touch. Like a wild animal only I could tame.

"And it's the only reason I still abide by it." Thanatos opened his mouth and just like the dark lord I knew him to be, he slowly and intimately licked his tongue down my jawline, as if trying to taste my very soul. "But I want you to realise something..."

I struggled to bite back a moan as he growled in my ear; "This ring will not keep me away for much longer- there's only so much patience I have, my sweet angel..."

Just as I thought it couldn't get any hotter or steamier inside my white room, Thanatos grazed his hand down my naked heat, applying pressure that drove me back to the brink of rapture. "I was hungry for you before, but now..." He chuckled and I'm not entirely sure I'd ever heard anything more damning. "Now- I'm ravenous!"

I pressed down my groans of pleasure into the pillow next to me, trying hard not to let him get to me, but there was no point in denying that Thanatos had possessed my body, mind and soul. I was in ecstasy.

As his hand kept moving, creating havoc, he looked me over from under his lashes, his gaze unbelievably intimating and his voice matching; "Are you afraid they'll hear you?"

I knew he was referring to my parents. I nodded; "They're right next door. Make the room soundproof-" He placed his long finger over my lips and shushed me. I wanted to orgasm right then and there, his obsessive stare driving me crazy.

Slowly, like a cat, he moved his taunt muscles and dropped the finger on my lips down to my heat. It screamed as he continued to create a hurricane inside me, his eyes never leaving mine. I wanted to scream, my control slowly snapping.

He was playing with me and good fuck- it was catastrophic.

"Don't make a sound..."

Bastard. I wanted to be angry with him, but how on Earth could I? Look at him- his eyes watching me react to his every movement. Like a predator, he waited for me to slip-up and give him the clear advantage to pounce.

I tried hard to keep my moans stifled. I really did, but as he bit his bottom lip and slanted his eyes, I cracked. The start of a loud moan escaped my mouth, but quickly it was muffled by his large palm.

Thanatos chuckled softly; "Now, now... What did I say?"

I felt like biting it, but then he might stop his fingers and I would sink, so I tried not to let the voracious look on his face affect me too much. Let's be real- it did.

Thanatos leaned in, his bottom lip still tucked in between his fangs; "I'm going to keep my hand here, alright baby? Now, try not to make a sound just in case..."

I nodded, his silky voice deep and low- like sex in a sound.

His fingers sped up and I pressed his hand harder onto my mouth to force down the satisfied moans. Thanatos enjoyed the show, the hardness against my hip clear evidence of that. He looked positively giddy.

"You're making me so hard, Rora." Thanatos' voice was filled with arousal- he practically moaned it.

I slapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes widened. He was quick to question me, but I interrupted with a smile and my hand around his hard member. "I haven't even touched you yet..."

Thanatos closed his eyes and moaned into my hand as I held him tightly, his fingers still working on me. I pressed my palm harder against his mouth and leaned up to whisper to his face; "Now, now... Don't make a sound..."

The abandoned fortress looked menacing in the dark, icy horizon of the deeper regions of the Underworld.

The leaner figure was tapping its foot with impatience- its tolerance thinly sliced.

A broad figure made its way up the stairs, a large scowl on its face; "Don't give me that look."

The smaller figure scoffed; "You just couldn't wait, could you? Now we're in too deep without so much as an escape plan!"

"Relax, we don't need an escape plan- everything is still running smoothly."

"What did Zeus say to you that made you rip his heart out too soon? I knew your impatience was going to be our Achilles' heel."

The taller figure snarled and banged the wall with a fist. A crow flew up into the dark sky, screeching from the fright; "Don't you dare speak to me like that! If anyone is to blame for the lack of progress, it's you!"

"Excuse me?" The shorter figure growled just as menacingly.

"You and your emotions! Bah!" The taller figure turned to kick at the broken brick wall; "You need to focus! We need that weapon before we can claim the throne. If we try to take it now, the others will just overpower us."

"You should've thought of that before you killed the king! Now they're even more alert! How are we going to search for it with everyone looking over their shoulder?"

The broad-shoulders of the tall figure tensed; "You said we were going to use Aurora! We haven't gotten anything useful from her yet!"

The wind howled and in the distance, a glacier cracked; "Give me more time- she will let something slip to the people close to her. We need her. Tell Sybaris to back off."

The tall figure rolled his eyes; "Sybaris is Hermes' pet, not mine- where is that scoundrel?"

A shrug of the shoulders from the leaner figure and the tall figure crossed his arms; "Well, when you see him again, tell him to ease down on the talking- he's going to let something slip."

"Did you send those Furies after her the second time?"

The taller figure furrowed its brows and shook his head; "They attacked her again?"

"Of course they did! They're creatures obsessed with revenge! I thought I told you to eliminate them before they had a chance to ruin us!"

Another growl, but this one louder and more commanding; "Watch your tongue! They're dead now, aren't they? Problem solved. And besides- Aurora seems more than capable of protecting herself."

The fortress grew silent, but the wind raged on and the crows gathered on the broken, wooden beams, watching the two dark, figures with interest.

A smaller foot tapped. "Tsk. I hate this. You've showed our hand too soon."

Metal clanged as the tall figure ran a hand over the ruined stone of the fortress; "If it were up to you, nothing would get done."

"If it were up to me; we'd still have the element of surprise."

"Well, it's not up to you- so do as you're told." The tall figure's eyes narrowed and the shorter one gritted its teeth.

The wind grew heavy.

"Cronus is getting impatient." The smaller figure trembled slightly at the mention of the old god's name. The taller one didn't seem to care much; "He can wait- he's an old, weak god with no power; he'll go at my pace."

"How many more are going to fall to that sickle?"

The broader figure smiled; "As many as are needed." Its hand trailed a path down the wall and the stone crumbled softly against hard metal; "What about Thanatos? Will he be an issue still?"

"You saw for yourself how obsessed he is with her and this case- he's our main issue. He's the only one who can stop us."

A grumble escaped from the taller figure's throat. Feet tapped against the stone as the shorter figure passed, its arms crossed and the expression of indifference familiar on its face; "Try not to kill anymore kings while we wait for more information. Soon enough one of them will suspect you, and then this is all over."

"It's over when I say it's over..."

Epilogue- 10th of August