Thanatos: The Blue Dawn

(7)Sapphire Surrealism

"He certainly did walk like someone was about to end up in the mortuary..."

Sapphire Surrealism

Thanatos sat opposite me with his tanned hands folded on the mahogany table and his deep, red eyes staring coolly into mine.

"We'll start with the basics."

I nodded my head with purpose. Today Thanatos would take me through a quick crash course in all the gods who would be present at the banquet; which was to be held in three days- and in my honour.

I could feel my nerves were shot. I didn't manage to fall asleep for very long the previous night; and when I had, those yellow-eyed hounds kept fading in. The endless howling plagued my mind.

Thanatos slyly brushed his large hand against my fidgeting thumbs; his eyes filled with encouragement.

I licked my lips and gently ran my finger across the back of his hand to reassure him that I was up for the task. We sat opposite each other, our feet away from the others and our posture straight- not signalling any intimacy.

Samaria sat close by- her eyes always dodging to Thanatos in hope that she'd find him looking up at her.

We couldn't be close; not with her in the same room. The air was alight with electricity and I leaned back a bit to inhale some air that hadn't been tainted by his enticing scent.

It was deliriously painful having this wall up between us. I could tell he felt it too; this tension hanging in the air. I tried to focus my thoughts on his words instead of the way his lips moved as he spoke; "I'm sure you already know some of the essential facts, but we'll quickly rush through them for safety's sake as we go along the list."

I shifted my expression to exhibit a calm and cool exterior. Samaria was clever and observant; I didn't want her to catch anything that might accidently slip from either of our demeanours.

"There will be fifteen gods present at the banquet, excluding me. The twelve gods of the pantheon, and then Hades and his consort, Persephone, and Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite will also be present."

"That's a lot of people..." I tried hard not to sound too nervous.

"Not really. Usually feasts can range up to about fifty gods and demi-gods- it all depends on the event. Zeus decided to keep the celebrations small; so as not to overwhelm you at first."

"Alright, so I suppose let's start with Zeus." I ran a hand through my hair; "He's the king of the gods, the god of the sky and justice, and he's infamous for his countless love affairs, even though he's married to Hera- his sister."

"Exactly. Now- when you approach him, do not under any circumstances look him in the eye until he's touched your shoulder or taken your hand. You curtsy slightly and look down. After the initial greetings, you hand him the present you will bring to the feast."