Chapter Text
Sleep did not dream. His unconscious mind stretched out across the surface above, monitoring the dreams of mortals and sending his blessing to those whose minds fought sleep’s siren call. In reality his realm needed little guidance. Mortals slept with the rise and fall of the sun on their own, as all animals did. It was as natural as breathing. Sleep’s job was simply to observe, to make sure things ran as smoothly as they had since the dawn of time.
He meddled here and there, of course. As much as he could bring sleep, he could take it away. The mortals called it insomnia. Sleep called it stress relief. It was spiteful, yes, but what god wasn’t fickle at times.
Besides, no one in the House or Olympus cared if a few mortals had trouble sleeping. If they even noticed.
They never did.
Sleep’s realm was his own. A place out of sight and out of mind. Where no other god could look and complain. A place where he could be alone, but not lonely. How could he be, when thousands of dreams invited him to play along at any given moment.
Mortal dreams were beautiful. So vibrant and filled with imagination, so bright with their biggest hopes and so dark with their deepest fears. Filled to the brim with mortal emotion. Sleep delighted in immersing himself in mortal fantasy, if only to feel their emotions as his own for a short time.
Perhaps that indulgence was why such mortal emotions plagued him in the waking world…
Sleep settled into a dream that radiated warmth all around. Fog twisting and pulling away to reveal a modest house. Fire crackled merrily in the firepit, lighting the festivities going on around him. A large gathering, family it seemed, filled with warm food, laughter, and smiling faces. Sleep walked around unseen, merely enjoying the atmosphere.
At the far end of the table two young men stood, forms clearer than the other joyful specters. Their dream? Or perhaps their mothers, as an older woman just as defined pulled them into a tight embrace. The warm glow of familial love filled the dreamscape. Almost too warm for Sleep.
“My sons… the lights of my life… Know I love you always.”
The young men laughed, hugging her back. They had such bright smiles.
It was blinding.
“…nos”
Sleep was pulled away from the dream like a puppet on a string, watching as the warmth faded and fog wiped away any trace of it ever existing. His heart felt hollow.
“HYPNOS!”
“GAH!! I’m up I’m up!” Hypnos flailed as he bolted upright, scrambling for a hold on his list as it threatened to tumble away. He blinked the bleariness from his eyes, only to find his dearest brother glaring down at him.
“Asleep again? I thought you were getting better about this?” The disappointment was palpable.
“Aw come on.” Hypnos yawned, putting on one of his bright smiles. “I am! That was just a little itsy bitsy break. I’ve been working really hard ya know!”
Than’s eyes narrowed. “… Well you’ve been keeping up with your reports. So, it’s fine. Just don’t slip back into bad habits again, all right?”
“Will do!” Sleep chirped, causing Death to sigh.
“Sometimes I really wonder about you… Well, good luck.” Without waiting for a response, the incarnate vanished in his typical flash of green light.
“Thanks!” Hypnos said to no one as he stretched with a yawn. The crowd of shades had piled up during his break, though they swiftly got into line as he adjusted his sleep mask and lifted his quill. He cleared his throat and put on his best smile. “Welcome to the House of Hades! Glory in death!”
Never let it be said that Sleep incarnate didn’t like his job as the House’s greeter. Quite the opposite in fact. He couldn’t think of a better place to be, jotting down shades and making sure their death information was all correct in the records before they approached the much more imposing King of the Underworld for this or that request. Keeping lists neat and orderly while also giving the margins a little flare was a guilty pleasure only the waking world could provide him, and ever since his brother had suggested making personal lists to keep track of the priority of his record keeping the work had gone from mildly stressful when Hades growled at him to a delightful breeze.
The realm of sleep was always a chaotic tangle of dreams and emotions. Here in the house, everything was kept in cold order. It was refreshing, like a nice cold drink after a hot day.
Sleep lacked for nothing. He had a fulfilling job, a kind but strict boss, a soft bed waiting for him on his days off, at least one friend in the form of the realm’s rebellious prince, a friendly relationship with the realm’s most beautiful and commanding fury, and a brother who cared enough to visit once in a while. Realistically, he had everything he could ask for. Yet, as he thickened the lines of a bat he had just sketched into the decorative border he was constructing, his mind drifted to the last dream he had traveled in. The warmth of the fire and the loving gaze of the mother as she looked upon her sons.
Hypnos let out a small huff, trust the fates to lead him to a dream with twin sons. A moment his own family couldn’t mimic if they tried. His gaze flicked to the side hall where Mother Nyx floated amongst the flowers the prince, Zagreus, had set up in her corner. He had been right, the flowers truly complimented her beauty. Her poised elegance, the night dancing in her hair, ever the picture of graceful distance.
As if sensing he was staring, the Night’s eyes met his, a look of disapproval set on her painted lips. He quickly looked back down at his parchment. Yes, right. She had long since forbidden the two of them to interact. It was a rule he had trouble following, always yearning for warmth she could never give.
He remembered the mortal mother’s eyes and his heart ached. He tried to imagine Thanatos laughing with him, but the image left him empty.
Such mortal desires shouldn’t plague him. They were much more suited for the young prince, who’s mortal roots only now came to light since the Queen returned to the Underworld. Perhaps that was why Zagreus was so bright. So different. A mortal’s desire with a god’s determination was a powerful thing.
Supposedly he had changed a lot of things in and around the House. Even the long-standing tension between Olympus above had some to a head and eased into a new era of cooperation. Even the shades chattered amongst themselves about the changes in the various regions of the Underworld.
For Hypnos, though, little had changed. If it wasn’t for the occasional god popping out of the pool of Styx and the sudden acquiring of lavish furniture he would have never noticed. As Sleep, his affairs with the dead was limited to just simply greeter, he had no stake in the rest.
Zagreus went about uniting lovers and healing families, and he even caused his dearest brother to smile for the first time in centuries. It was wonderful, but in the end effected Hypnos little. Than still rarely talked to him, and only ever about work, and of course his mom-mother continued to ignore his presence. Still, in some ways he was glad Zagreus kept himself mostly out of his family affairs. Sleep would hate if he tried to force his mother or brother to do anything that was unnatural for them.
It was his yearnings that were unnatural, after all, not theirs.
Hades’ loud grumble knocked Hypnos out of his spiraling thoughts. He must have spaced out for quite a while, his bat and the rest of the border on his list were complete. It only took moments to look over the rest of the report and mark it as finished, which was good as by the light of Ixion, it seemed his shift was just about over.
He hummed, collecting the finished reports. The number of shades had dropped significantly as the goddess Demeter released the mortals from their eternal winter. Fewer mortals freezing and starving to death meant it was a bit easier to keep up with the flow of newly deceased lately. With a last big stretch he floated over to the huge desk at the end of the entrance hall, placing the sheets of parchment delicately on a clean spot.
“Here’s today’s record, Master Hades!”
The gargantuan god looked over, glancing over the papers briefly before nodding. “Good. Hm, before you go.” He picked up a hefty stack of parchment and handed it off to the smaller incarnate. “Take these requests to be processed and filed.”
“Oof.” Hypnos took the stack with a little effort. Wow, shades sure were asking for a lot of things nowadays. “Will do, Sir! Have a good night-or uh, day.” Hades merely grunted and waved him away, causing a tiny giggle to bubble out of Sleep incarnate as he turned and floated off to the administrative chamber.
The chamber was much quieter now that Zagreus wasn’t allowed to tinker with the mountains of files anymore, the shades silently going about their work without interruption. Hypnos hummed a little tune to himself as he headed over to the desk these parchments were destined for. A few of the shaded shot him an annoyed look at the tune but he ignored them, dramatically plopping the parchments down on a very tired looking shade’s desk.
“Delivery from Master Hades~!”
The shade took one look at the top parchment and nodded in thanks. That was all Hypnos needed to flash them a grin and turn to head out. There was a fluffy bed with his name on it!
<Son of Nyx>
A strange voice reverberated inside his head, causing him to pause, his hand on the door. Blinking, Hypnos looked around, but no shade seemed to have noticed the voice. His eyes drifted to the blood-like liquid rising from the eldest sigil in the back. It twinkled in the candlelight, almost beckoning.
<Heed my call.>
The voice again. It was one he didn’t recognize and yet… it was familiar.
Hypnos floated over to the sigil used only by Hades and Mother Nyx as far as he knew. He never had any real reason to travel, and if he really wanted to he could teleport in a similar manner to his brother. Yet the voice in his head called him here.
Cautiously he reached a hand out to touch the substance. It curled around and pooled in his hand as if gravity pulled only it towards the sky, but did nothing. Frowning, Sleep drifted into the sigil feeling very silly. He didn’t even know how to activate it.
For a moment, nothing happened. He recalled Zagreus complaining that he couldn’t do anything with the sigil here. Perhaps there was a trick he wasn’t aware of? Or maybe he had been imagining the voice entirely and he should really get to bed before the shades noticed he was acting strange.
Just as he was about to give up and leave, a black maw of endless night opened up under his feet and engulfed him in darkness.
He couldn’t see. Swirling darkness clouded his eyes and seeped into his very soul, clawing at him, taking a small prize for daring to enter its realm.
The veil lifted as his bare feet touched cold stone. An endless dark ocean of night stretched out into the beyond, broken only by ghostly white columns practically glowing among the darkness like the ribs of forgotten titans.
Hypnos let out a breath of awe, so lost in the sight he didn’t notice the looming form rise behind him.
<Son of Nyx. Incarnate of Sleep. I am pleased you came to me.>
With a startled squeak, Hypnos spun around, tugging his cloak closer to his body against the chill of the realm. His eyes widened at the huge figure before him, voice not one but many sounding in his mind. The figure’s statuesque face and arms contrasted greatly with a cloak lined with twisted flesh and flowers draped over their shoulders, merging with a thousand faces with a thousand expressions. In a morbid way it reminded him of his own quilted cloak.
Their countless eyes stared down at him, and for once, Sleep incarnate forgot how to speak.
<Your mother has been hesitant to allow me contact with her offspring. You are the first to hear my call from the depths.>
Hypnos blinked as the initial awe of seeing such a primordial being faded with their words, soon finding his words again. “Mom… Oh wow!” His face split into a wide grin, floating upwards closer to the being’s face. “You must be Gramps! I never thought I’d get to meet you face to… face to face! Whoooaaaah.”
The being did not move, nor did Sleep’s words seem to affect them.
<Ah, Nyx had told me you were the most informal of her children. I see now what she meant. Yes, I am Primordial Chaos, your mother’s creator. Or parent, as I suppose you would call it.>
Chaos brought a large hand up, gently touching the tiny god’s chin with a finger.
<You are quite jubilant for a child of night. She seemed to find such demeanor inappropriate. I am uncertain as to why. She raised the son of Hades and has little issue with his behavior.>
Hypnos’s smile struggled to stay up. It wasn’t information he didn’t know, but to hear it so bluntly… To know mom said as such to Chaos…
<I have caused you distress.>
“I-uh, n-no it’s fine! I mean, mom-mother just wants me to be professional. A-and it’s not like she hasn’t disagreed with Zagreus before he just…” His hands fidgeted with the soft lining of his quilt. “Knows how to stand up for himself… better.”
Chaos’s thoughtful hum vibrated through the air as their many eyes remained trained on him. The gaze became too much to bear and he looked away with a nervous laugh.
“So, why’d ya wanna meet me of all people? I figure Charon or Than would be more… um… Like Mom- I mean Mother.” Hypnos turned back to them with a smile, tugging his mask down a bit to hide that it didn’t reach his eyes. “As she said I’m kind of the family fuck up! Always asleep on the job and all. Head in the clouds…”
<You are reprimanded for your aspect, child?>
“Well uh, I greet the shades that enter Master Hades’s domain and make sure they’re all logged in properly. I’ve gotten better at keeping up! Even Master Hades has complimented my reports!”
<I see, a job separate from your born purpose.> Chaos shifted, moving down to lean their arms on the small platform of marble. Hypnos gulped as they drew closer, eyes focusing on him with what he thought might be curiosity. <Why would Lord Hades burden you with more work while you already survey the unconscious realm? Work that purposefully removes you from your element.>
“I don’t think he really knows about it.” He laughed lightly, lifting his mask just slightly. “I mean, Thanatos doesn’t even know I do anything while I sleep. Mother Nyx is the only one who really knows, I think.”
<Even your own twin does not know the extent of your aspect. How curious.> Hypnos almost thought he saw the Primordial’s lips curl up in a smile, but their expression had not changed at a second glance. <You asked me, Son of Nyx, why I would desire to meet you first out of all your siblings. The reason is twofold. You are a being of contradiction, much like the Son of Hades. Second, the realm of sleep shares much with mine. Endless potential within the minds of mortals. Dreams that create and destroy, entire worlds built and lost within a night. In many ways your aspect is closer to mine than your kin’s.>
Hypnos gaped at the being in front of him, blinking slowly as he absorbed their words. Chaos remained silent, watching the little god with vague interest.
Hypnos laughed, sharp and loud. The sound seeming to echo in the space despite its endless expance.
“M-me? Similar to you, Gramps?” He doubled over, clutching his stomach as his feet kicked out with mirth. “I’m flattered, but I don’t create anything, I just watch. It’s the mortals who make up all that stuff.” He waved a hand dismissively as he tried to control himself. “Mom already told you how much of a lazy fuck up I am, you don’t have to be nice. I can handle it.”
If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought Chaos looked slightly taken aback by the outburst. The cosmic entity remained silent until he calmed down, rocking on his back in the air as he caught his breath.
<I am not being nice, nor do I jest. It is simply fact. Have you not molded dreams to your own whim before?>
Sleep incarnate rocked back up into a sitting position. “Ah. I mean, a little?” His eyes wandered to the sea of stars as he twirled a bit of his hair between his fingers. “Birds… sheep… Little things, you know? Nothing, uh, big…”
A distorted face with a too-wide smile flashed behind the small god’s eyes. Long silver hair and dark cloak twisted and unstable, a mockery of who it had tried to represent. He slapped his cheeks to banish the memory. Never again…
<Your eyes speak of fear. I see… You have had little chance to explore your abilities. A lack of experience creates a lack of control. Would you not prefer to be able to mold the realm of sleep into your own? Create your own dreams instead of being whisked to and fro between the absurd creations of human desire?>
Hypnos scratched the back of his head, averting his gaze to examine the gold detailing on the nearest stone column. “I dunno, things have been going fine so far? It’s not like I need to do anything. And human dreams are fun! For the most part.”
<And yet you are discontent.>
The vibrant purple of Chaos’s eyes seemed to see right through him as he clutched his cloak tighter to his lithe frame. “Well, uh, I mean… I’m not unhappy. But I really don’t have anything to complain about, Gramps, honest!”
Chaos contemplated this, reaching a long, elegant hand out to cup Sleep Incarnate in their palm. <So full of contradictions… Your dishonesty and tension roll off you like the clouds of your river. Though I suspect it goes unnoticed by your kin at the House.>
“I… I promise I’m fine.”
<If you truly believe that, Son of Nyx, then we may leave it at that. But know this. I can offer my assistance to aid you. The realm of sleep may be impermanent, but such impermanence does not lessen the value of what is created in its space. You may create an oasis for yourself, as I have done in some regard here.>
Hypnos chuckled, “I wouldn’t have time to enjoy it. Someone always wakes me up, you know?”
Chaos hummed, the vibrations ticking Sleep enough to cause him to squirm. <Here you could sleep undisturbed. If you desired.>
“Huh?” Hypnos blinked, “But doesn’t Mom visit you? She wouldn’t like me slacking off…”
<This realm is vast, even she cannot see every corner of it.>
“Oh.” He leaned back into Chaos’s fingers. It was kind of nice, being held like this. Chaos exuded no warmth like the mortal woman in the dream, but the touch was still comforting. “Well… I’ll think about it! Having an undisturbed nap does sound nice…”
<I will always be here.> Primordial Chaos looked down upon the small form of their kin, considering him for a moment before leaning down and pressing their lips against his forehead.
Hypnos squeaked in surprise, the oddly affectionate gesture flooding his cheeks with gold and teal. “G-Gramps?!”
Satisfied, they set him back down on the stone floor, a gate similar to the one Hypnos entered opening up at the far end of the island. <Your close work with mortals has affected you in curious ways. The Son of Hades has embraced such mortal feelings, and yet it seems you cannot. It intrigues me. Do visit again... My Grandson.>
Hypnos stared up in awe, cheeks still flushed. He felt… warm, giddy even. Sleep smiled wide with a twirl. “I’ll definitely be back, Gramps! I l—“ He stumbled on his words, biting his lip. “You’re really cool!”
Not wanting to make more of a fool of himself, Hypnos quickly stepped into the portal. Darkness took him once again, sending him back to the administration chamber.
And straight into the disapproving eyes of Nyx.