Oh, Aphrodite what were you thinking? Look at that figure! What beauty possesses this mortal prince, and I thought I've collected all your Adonises and Helens of the Greek world.

The dignitary was absolutely awe-stricken by the prince who danced with him, observing every bead of sweet perspiration that dribbled down the elegant furrow of Kalliás' brow. His hands reached up to graze the hot skin of the prince's nape, bringing him closer and closer, hoping he would get the chance to capture him in a kiss and use his charm to get into the bedroom of the beautiful mortal. The music of harp song and salpinx made the room swell, fragrances of wine and olive oil made it familiar to a drunken party of Dionysus. Vasilios loved every moment of it, particularly the pretty thing he had twirling for him and dancing and dancing until Kalliás' feet became unsteady once more, and he collapsed against the godly bosom of the dignitary. It was something that lit Vasilios world on fire, a beautiful mortal completely indisposed and relying on his strength to get them through the night. He was hoping that the prince would be able to keep his stamina up in a different kind of dance, yet that was Vasilios' most base desires. He heard the needy and silky voice coming from the exhausted prince and he felt something he had never felt before, his heartstrings pulled into a direction away from lust and towards something meaningful.

"I can usually keep my stamina up; my apologies." Kalliás panted against the man who had uncharacteristically felt sympathy for a mortal, taking him into his arms with ease and away from the wine-laced dancing of the after party following the ceremony. "Come, I'll find you respite." Vasilios whispered and reached a set of doors into a grandiose garden decorated with statues of the gods and an impressive fountain. The man was making it his sole mission to give the prince more than a flirty dance, but comfort too. "We shouldn't leave the party, it would be immodest." Kalliás quietly said and was hushed by the dignitary. "Nothing out of sorts is happening, my beauty. You'll see." The dignitary was quick to dismiss anything out of bounds happening. Though, when the pair had reached the crisp night air in the garden Vasilios soon realized that this prince suffered not usual exhaustion but something ill and supernatural.

Laying the prince down on the brim of the marble fountain, the man cupped his hands to collect moon-chilled water and pressed his dampened hands against Kalliás' forehead and his cheeks. "If you were trying to impress me with your dancing, I would ask you to forgive me for already being enraptured by your grace and beauty, your highness." Vasilios chuckled, and Kalliás shook his head. "It's a part of the ceremony, to dance until you collapse, my lord. It just seems I collapsed earlier then expected." He had blushed and lightly laughed, however the laughing turned into the prince coughing and he was sat up, a chilling wind suddenly encasing the pair at the fountain. Vasilios looked up and around at the tall mulberry trees carrying shadowy whispers between their red leaves.

Ghastly apparitions whipped along the edges of the garden wall, those whispers faintly declaring the purpose of their visit. Whatever was hunting the prince was faceless and had to identify as anything. Vasilios listened with attentive ears as he wouldn't let anything hurt the prince.

You have claimed what is not yours, return to the sea in immortal isolation.

Vasilios looked stunned and surprised that something dared to challenge him and had also been the cause of this prince's ailment. He suddenly stood up, eyes beginning to glow like beaming sapphires struck by moonlight. He had made his stance clear and known, one hand still hovering over Kalliás in a protective way.

He is not yours to claim, faceless demon. Show your face so that I may tear it from your skull!

The conversation between the dignitary and the whispering apparitions seemed to only be heard in Vasilios' own mind. Though, he was undeterred by the sinister presence that lingered, casting his own whispers on towards the shadows until a delicate hand reached out, firmly gripping the fur coat that adorned the dignitary. In the aftermath of faint whispers, Kalliás broke the silence, his voice cutting through the eerie stillness. "My lord, take me to my room. I feel better now. It's getting too cold out here." The prince requested with a small smile. The man, shaking off his suspicions, acquiesced to the prince's request, placing a reassuring hand on the exhausted expression of Kalliás, his smile a balm to the lingering unease.

"I could take you away from this pain you have, the loneliness you feel in your heart," Vasilios declared, gracefully kneeling before the prince. Kalliás, caught in a moment of confusion, questioned, "Take me away?" Closing his eyes and reopening them, seeking clarity, he found the godly dignitary's gaze unwavering. "You deserve warmth and love, not heartless courtship," Vasilios affirmed. Holding the prince's face tenderly. "And you believe you know how it is to love me or be loved by me?" Kalliás asked, a bit skeptical because many had confessed their love to him on this night. All of which had only just met him, including Vasilios.

"I believe that I would like to know, if you'd show me your highness." The dignitary smoothly said and Kalliás' eyes dazzled at the comment. Their faces inching close to one another and their lips grazing momentarily. "I would like that too, my lord." The prince gasped before being caught in a soul-stirring kiss that made the world stand still and all he could feel was Vasilios' heart beat syncing up with his.

In a seamless transition, Kalliás remained oblivious to the cold winds, replaced instantly by the comforting warmth of a crackling fireplace. As he withdrew from the wonderful kiss, he found himself in his own room, bewildered by the sudden shift. "How did we—" The prince began, but his words were gently hushed by Vasilios, as if the two were seasoned lovers. "Don't speak, just feel," coaxed the godly dignitary. The room enveloped them in the scents of sea breeze and burning branches, an ambiance set by some divine hand.

Vasilios, his calloused hand asserting a gentle dominance, trailed from Kalliás' ankle, ascending with a delicate touch over his knee and up his thigh. Gripping the prince's hip, he continued his exploration while tender kisses peppered down Kalliás' neck. In this moment, any remnants of hesitation that the prince may have harbored melted away. The touch, the affection bestowed upon him, fulfilled the yearning that he had in the depths of his being. The loneliness of being kept away from this affection finally met and Kalliás lost himself in it. Vasilios was beyond ecstatic that the prince had accepted his advances, at least for now.

The room, now a sanctuary of shared desire, echoed with the symphony of their unspoken connection. As Vasilios unveiled a realm of sensuality, Kalliás surrendered to the intoxicating dance of emotions and sensations. The sea breeze and burning branches became more than mere scents; they were the fragrant witnesses to an encounter that bridged the mortal and divine. "Oh, my lord. You have utterly bewitched me." The prince let out a sweet moan as a response to the hand that had travelled under his garments and across the warm skin of his stomach.

In the passion that followed, the two figures intertwined in the flickering glow of the fireplace, the room harboring the secrets of their newfound intimacy. No one could put an end to what was inevitable, for the rest of the palace was distracted by the festivities that they hadn't noticed their prince was whisked away. The prince, once an unwitting mortal swept into the cosmic embrace of a god, now reveled in the sweet affections of divine passion. The very air pulsated with the energy of blossoming love and Kalliás was hesitant to stop it, even if it was astoundingly improper.

"I can show you what it is like to be touched by a G-" Vasilios honeyed his words that huffed against the shell of the prince's ear, and Kalliás, in all his naïveté, fell for the charm of a God disguised as a mortal man. However, whatever Vasilios was going to say would have to wait. Distant rapid footfalls landed outside the doors of Kalliás' bedroom, and quiet muttering grew louder and louder until the doors swung open, and Kalliás gasped in worry, Vasilios glared over at the interruption to his night of mortal seduction. To stop a moment like this was to spoil great pleasure and comfort, instead making shame and anxiety explode in the prince's heart. For Vasilios, it was wearing his patience thin, as some ghastly spirit claimed the prince on the wind, and now this?