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Cronus was sick of losing to those meddling kids. This in and of itself was far from news. Ever since those ridiculous gods put together that little hero club they had been nothing but a thorn in his side, and it was becoming more clear every day that destroying them simply wasn’t going to happen. It had been prophesized by Tiresias that these seven young heroes would stop him by combining their powers, and indeed every time he tried to pick one off the others would even travel to Hades to pull them out again. But during his last fight with those seven, he had come up with a new idea, one that he had dismissed before considering how very taboo it was and yet… well, one could hardly blame him to resort to something this low! They had left him no choice but to play dirty. What had sparked the thought was a piece of art, strangely enough. They had been fighting in a museum over a much more powerful artifact, which he had lost, but whilst there he had seen a rather stunning statue by a mortal artist depicting the abduction of Ganymede. That was a little extreme of a title of course, the boy had not been abducted exactly. Zeus had seduced him and he had offered to give up his life on earth to live out his days in Olympus with the god. Of course, the mortals had romanticized it to include the boy having gaining immortality, but it hadn’t been the case in this instance (though had Zeus wished that upon him he would not have been able to refuse, foolish boy). But the mortals liked to give such things happy endings, and never fully understood the concept of a thrall, even when slavery had been common enough. But honestly, this was just the sort of sordid detail of the past that the gods would have neglected to warn those children about for fear of tarnishing their reputations in their eyes. And that was why Cronus was rather sure he would be able to lure at least one away with enough forethought and with that one, he thought he might just be lucky enough to ensnare the rest… Cronus grinned to himself as he began to plan.* Neil didn’t know the name of the creature that had done it to him. He knew Jay had told him multiple times, but he couldn’t hear him properly and it didn’t matter as long as they found a cure, and fast! Because the monster Cronus had set on them this time stole youth. And the creature had stolen Neil’s youth! Normally he would have crumbled to dust when the beast struck, but he had been lucky and Jay had torn the beast away with enough time left that Neil had only aged into his twilight years. Whenever he looked in the mirror, all he saw was an old man looking back! His golden hair was gone! Only tuffs of white left growing in his ears, with wrinkles upon wrinkles, and his muscles worn away to bones… hideous! He was completely and utterly hideous! And old! Oh so, so, old! While the other six had left with some kind of special weapon to defeat this monster and get Neil’s youth back for him, Neil had received a visitor. Despite what his teammates thought of him, Neil was not a complete idiot. He was at least smart enough to know he was not supposed to listen to Cronus. But Cronus hadn’t threatened him. He had merely spoken the truth that Neil had known and didn’t want to acknowledge. “Oh dear, dear, dear! Old age certainly isn’t treating you well, is it?” Cronus had said with pity coating his words. Neil had glared from under his plush comforter. “No thanks to you!” Neil had rasped, only to cough and pull the covers up over his nose, refusing to look at the god. “Leave me alone, no one should look at me like this…” “Hmm, well, don’t worry too much, your friends are bound to defeat this monster as they have all my others…” Cronus shrugged, not looking too concerned. Had it been any of the teens beside Neil they might have been suspicious by his nonchalance, but the descendant of Narcissus was not prone to overthinking anything. “Of course, killing that beast is only a temporary cure.” Neil pursed his lips hard. “Y-you mean I’ll go back to being this way? But… but they said it was a cure!” “Oh it is!” Cronus assured him with a small smile on his face, “A cure for the artificial aging. But in twenty short years, you’ll begin to notice the signs of age returning, and in fifty, why you’ll likely be just as you are now…” Neil had swallowed hard at that. “Y-you have a point… but… well, fifty years is a long time!” “It’ll be sooner than you think,” Cronus said quickly, “It’s a shame of course, such a waste of beauty!” “Oh I KNOW!” Neil wailed, throwing his bony hands in the hair. “But that’s the curse of humanity, you know…” “Well, I don’t think it’s very fair. After all, the gods are relying on you and your friends to save the world, and you won’t even share their apples and ambrosia with you! It certainly seems like a fitting reward for your help, immortality, don’t you think?” Neil looked thoughtful, or at least as thoughtful as he got. And with his mind as old and feeble as his body, Cronus knew such a thought would stay and fester even as his youth was restored. So as Cronus saw the boy begin to glow and the wrinkles melt away back into firm pinkness, he knew that his monster was dead and it was time to wait for the second part of his plan to come to fruition. He should take the time to freshen up.* It was less than a day before Neil had asked his mentor Aphrodite for a taste of her ambrosia, only to be denied no matter how much charm he laid on. Then he turned his charm to other gods, before going so far as to beg Odie to make another portal into The Garden to see the tree again. But Odie was rather smarter than Neil and knew about his quest for ambrosia. When Neil insisted he needed immortality and youth, his friends had done everything they could think of to get him off the idea, but Neil’s luck, for once, was going to work in Cronus’ favour. Neil’s luck acted on two accounts. It preserved Neil’s life and helped him to get what he wanted. That wouldn’t work insofar as to simply hand him the ambrosia and apples denied to ordinary mortals, but it WOULD lead him to a destiny where he COULD be given such things. Which was exactly what Cronus wanted. It so happened that in the midst of trying to talk Neil out of immortality, the group were distracted by an earthquake that Cronus had strategically started just outside of town. In the commotion to get out of the building and try to stop him, Neil had found himself separated from the group by avoiding falling debris, and because of the rush no one noticed he was missing right away. Which gave Cronus the perfect opportunity to strike. When the god of chaos appeared behind Neil, the blond boy was ranting to himself. How amusing. “I can’t BELIEVE this! I work my butt off, trying to save the world again and again, ruining my hair and clothes practically DAILY and oh, if it weren’t for my nail care routines you KNOW how ragged my nail beds would be by now? All so a bunch of god can sit around and NOT save the world! And all I ask in return is an apple and some… some magic bread! I mean, would it really be that HARD to grant me immortal youth like them?” “Truly unfair, you deserve so much more!” Cronus said with a smirk. “Yes, exactly!” Neil froze and whirled on his heel to face Cronus, and quickly stumbled backward. “W-waah! Cronus! What are you doing h-here? I-I’m armed!” Neil said quickly, pulling out the first thing his hands touched in his pocket and shutting his eyes tight. “Oh yes, your mirror is very intimidating,” Cronus snorted. “Dear boy, there is no reason to be so afraid. Why, I’m only here because I sympathise with your plight! But truly, you mustn’t blame the gods so harshly. They don’t really have a choice, it is forbidden to grant immortality to mortals unless they fulfill one of two requirements.” Neil raised an immaculate eyebrow and folded his arms. “What, like becoming a ‘true hero’ like Hercules did with his 12 labors? Pretty sure we established I fit that!” “No,” Cronus shook his head, “That was a mortal embellishment used to make Hercules’ labors into something more than they were. The labors were a repentance for having murdered his wife and children in a fit of madness, no more no less.” Neil winced. “I… hadn’t heard that part…” “Well I doubt Hercules likes to talk about it. The gods seem keen to avoid you young heroes learning of the darkest feats of their past. But to the point, the only reason that Hercules became a god was because he married the goddess Hecebe. That is one of the conditions that could allow a mortal to become immortal, marriage. It’s happened plenty of times; Hercules, Ariadne, and Psyche to name a few.” “Marriage, huh?” Neil frowned, “But… aren’t most of the gods married already by now? And most of them are old too… well, Strife was kind of hot, but she was so mean!” “Yes, my granddaughter, but remember there is another option.” “Oh yeah!” Neil said excitedly, “What’s that? It has to be better than marriage!” Cronus snorted, “Well, I suppose that depends on your point of view but… the other possibility is if a mortal becomes the thrall of a god and that god chooses to bestow immortality upon them.” “Thrall?” Neil frowned, “What’s that?” “It’s hmm,” Cronus looked up as though trying to figure out how to phrase it, “I suppose you could consider it a trade of sorts. A god might grant a favour to a mortal, and in return the mortal becomes a… companion to the god as gratitude. Or sometimes there is no favour and the mortal merely devotes themselves as thrall out of love for the god. But I doubt you would do something that foolish. One should always get something out of a deal.” Neil nodded, pursing his lips. “I should say so! And as I know what worth my companionship has, I would accept no favour OTHER than immortal youth! I mean, why should I just HOPE a god would grant me immortality once I’m his thrall-companion-thing? Though why wouldn’t they, honestly!” Neil smiled. Now he just had to become a god’s thrall and he’d be young and beautiful forever! “As you should!” Cronus said resolutely, but a pained look soon crossed his face. “Oh, though I forgot to mention, the gods forbade the taking of mortal thralls centuries ago.” “What?!” Neil gasped, “But… but WHY?!” “Hm, you know I don’t quite recall offhand? Probably not wanting to risk undeserving humans gaining the eternal life of the gods.” “I’m deserving!” “Yes, well, rules are rules, Neil. Those goody two shoes gods won’t break them, not even for you. Especially when such a thing is taboo enough now that to take a thrall these days gets one on the wanted list for Tartarus immediately…” Cronus shook his head, “Well, it was a nice thought while it lasted.” Cronus stepped back into the shadows, but waited a few moments for Neil to connect the dots. The child would at least be smart enough to take this bait. “Wait, Cronus!” Neil shouted suddenly, and Cronus stifled a grin. “What is it, Neil?” Cronus said, using his most benign and friendly voice, “I do have important things to be doing, plotting the downfall of you brats and all.” “Well I mean,” Neil cleared his throat, “Well, it seems to me that you seem sympathetic to my plight, and agree that I deserve immortality… right?” “Why, of course, Neil!” “And!” Neil said, holding up a finger, “It ALSO seems that, if one such as you had someone like ME as a companion, just being around me would be enough to make you more relaxed and less likely to take over the world!” Cronus smirked and hid a laugh. “I suppose you might think that.” Neil was looking more and more confident as he spoke. “AND, since you’re wanted in Tartarus ANYWAY, it’s not like you’d be actually any worse off if I was your thrall!” Cronus feigned a look of surprise. “Surely you can’t be suggesting that I trade you access to the apples of immortality and ambrosia, so you might be my thrall?” Neil hummed, obviously trying to act uninterested. Adorable. “And what if I am? I mean, obviously you getting to hang around with me makes the trade more in your favour than mine, but it’s a sacrifice I’M willing to make.” “I see,” Cronus smirked. “Well, if you’re certain that’s what you want… I could hardly deny such a request from a pretty face such as yours…” “Who could?” Neil flipped his hair. “So I suppose if you’re sure, all you need to say is, ‘In the name of the gods, I, Neil, agree to be thrall to Cronus in exchange for immortal youth, until he so deems to release me of my bargain.” Neil, to his credit, did actually hesitate a moment in uncertainty. “Though of course,” Cronus quickly added, “If you’re not sure, perhaps you should let this singular opportunity slip by. After all, there are some things you’ll never get to do if you stop aging. For example, you’ll never get a senior’s discount at the movie theatre!” Neil wrinkled his nose. “I can live without that! Fine! In the name of the gods, I, Neil,” he flashed a smile, “Agree to be thrall to Cronus in exchange for immortal youth, until he so deems to release me of my bargain!” There was a pause. “So… what now?” “Oh, it should kick in any moment, by the way, have you the time?” “Sure, let me check my- WOAH WHAT’S THIS?” Neil gasped as he looked at his wrist, and then the other, discovering both of them now encased in golden bands, complete and most importantly unmovable. They matched the golden band encircling the boy’s neck, though he seemed to not notice that one just yet. “Are these real gold? I’m not usually into bling, but these are nice.” “Oh, I’m glad you like them! Now, come with me, let’s get you your side of the bargain…” Cronus laughed as he opened a portal and pushed Neil through. The other heroes beat the monster causing the earthquake just as Cronus expected. It didn’t matter. He had still won. The first stop was the Garden. Ambrosia could be made at home, but Cronus would need an extra stock of apples if he was going to be feeding two with them from now on. He had to keep up his end of the bargain after all for this contract to hold. Neil was still fiddling with his wrist shackles as they approached the centre of the Garden, Cronus stealthily hitting any fairies he noticed flitting around with his energy blasts so they wouldn’t warn anyone of Neil’s new situation before he was prepared for it. When they reached the tree, Neil’s eyes were immediately drawn to the golden fruit hanging from the branches, and his hand went out to grab one, but Cronus smacked it away. “Ow! Hey! You said I-“ “If a mortal touches an apple while it’s still on the tree, the apple becomes poisonous,” Or, well, something bad happened. It had been so long that Cronus honestly couldn’t remember exactly what happened when a mortal touched an apple on the tree but it wasn’t good. “Don’t worry, allow me.” With that, Cronus plucked one of the fruits from the tree and shined it on his shirt before offering it to Neil. “A golden apple for a golden boy.” “Uh, thanks,” Neil said uncertainly as he took the fruit, examining it with a squint. Cronus watched eagerly as he took his first bite, shivering as a soft glow enveloped his body and he was compelled to eat at a feverish pace until the apple was finished, swallowing the last bite hard and looking at Cronus with wide eyes. “How does immortality feel?” Cronus asked casually as he nabbed a few apples from the tree and placing them in his private pocket dimension. “It’s… tingly,” Neil said as he examined his skin, “Am I going to glow like that all the time?” “No, that will wear off once your body finishes changing into a complete immortal. That will take a few doses, for now you’ve only added a few hundred years to your lifespan.” “Well, give me more apples then!” Cronus put a hand in Neil’s hair and pressed down hard. “Too many apples at once is bad for your health.” “Ow! Oh. Wait, don’t I need ambrosia to stay healthy?” “Yes, but it’s not an immediate concern. Let’s head back home.” “Great!” Neil said with a grin, “I can’t wait to show Jay and the others how WRONG they were about this being a bad idea! Let’s go back to Olympus High!” Cronus chuckled and opened a portal, ushering Neil through again. The teenager marched through with a smug expression, but that dissolved to confusion soon enough. “Um, hello? You said we were going home! This isn’t Olympus High! I mean, it’s nice I’ll give it that, but it’s not home.” “Oh, but it’s my home, and as my thrall, it’s now your home as well,” Cronus smiled as he gestured around the ornate room he prepared to cage his new thrall in. It had the appearance of a wide atrium with a vaulted, painted ceiling, golden pillars and plush red carpet, with a golden fountain in the center. In the center of one wall was a large, canopied bed with a red comforter that matched the carpet and a gold frame. The gold all held a glimmer of pink from the red accents, and on the whole the rosy haze gave off a hypnotic, relaxed and stirring effect to the space. A door on the left would lead to a bathing room fit for a god, and the right a closet filled with enough clothes to appease the ridiculous boy once he had come down from the initial shock this was bound to bring on. Losing his freedom and all that. “Wait, so I get to live with you? I thought you lived in a cave! Not… not a palace!” Neil exclaimed as he found the closet immediately and ran inside, screaming happily at the silks. Cronus wondered how long it would take the boy to realise there wasn’t actually a door out of the room… maybe he wouldn’t notice at all. It didn’t matter really, as long he could keep him content enough the Laws of Thralls would be upheld and he would keep his prize. “Those caves are where I work, not where I live. I’m a god who can manipulate the world at will, do you honestly think I would deny myself luxury? Anyway, this room now belongs to you,” Cronus said casually as he ran a finger along the metal of the fountain to check for dust. Immaculate. The perfect pretty cage for the pretty former mortal. “So these clothes are mine too?” Neil’s voice came from the closet. “They’re your size aren’t they?” “Well, yeah!” Cronus sighed and folded his arms. “Come out of there,” he smirked, “There’s something we need to fin-finish,” Cronus ended up stammered a little as Neil left the closet, dressed in white silk and veils like a member of a harem. How appropriate. Cronus felt a stirring from his loins and decided that it was certainly time to take full advantage of his prize… at least as full as it could be until he put the second phase of his plan into motion. For now, while Neil admired himself in a full length mirror, Cronus approached behind the boy and laid a large hand over his shoulder. Neil looked up at Cronus with wide eyes. “Uh, personal space?” “You truly are beautiful to behold, aren’t you?” Cronus said softly, and Neil’s attention turned back to his reflection as a goofy smile overtook his face. “Yeah, I know. Obviously there’s genetics involved, but I do have a beauty regimen! Every morning I- aah, I- w-what are you- d-do… Cronus!” Neil moaned and shrieked as Cronus nuzzled at his neck and the hand opposite the one on his shoulder snaked down to cup his groin. Cronus chuckled deep in his throat a laid a kiss on Neil’s clavicle, moving his hand in agonizingly slow circles as the boy writhed in his arms and made soft and gradually softer noises of protest. “Wait, wait no! I can’t- we can’t d-do this… my friends they- I don’t-“ Neil’s voice tapered off into sweet panting as Cronus pulled him away from the mirror and toward the bed, turning him around and pushing him down on his back. “Neil, I must tell you,” Cronus groaned as he made quick work stripping Neil out of his thin clothes, "I honestly could care less what your friends or the gods think. You are my thrall now, and if I wish to touch you, I will.” The boy’s attention was piqued by that and he looked at Cronus with a pout, “But what if I don’t want you to touch me?” “But you do, so that question is neither here nor there,” Cronus said breezily as he leaned close to Neil’s face. “Now don’t over think this. It is natural for a thrall to respond to the touch of his master.” Cronus pressed his lips to Neil, and deepened the kiss almost immediately. Neil was startled by this, but soon the haze and mood of the room worked their magic, and Neil was kissing back. Perfect. Practiced fingers danced across the boy’s nipples and lower again as the two split apart, a thread of saliva connecting them as both of them spend a moment to catch their breath. “W-what do you mean, ‘master’?” Neil managed to get out. Cronus hushed him as he pulled Neil’s thighs apart and ran a finger up his shaft, causing him to shudder. “Never mind that just yet, just let go for now.” Cronus lower his mouth to run his tongue along the path his finger had traced, and Neil let out something very close to a squeal as a pink blush flooded his skin and Cronus felt the boy’s cock growing hard under his ministrations. He had to admit his own manhood was growing as well at the sounds Neil was making. He hadn’t really expected the boy to be so entertaining in his own right, but he did suppose that aside from luck, the boy technically did have the powers of beauty and charm. And now that the boy was his thrall, those powers were under Cronus’ command as much as his luck. Cronus traded his tongue for a fist coated liberally in summoned oils, and soon Neil was twisting in pleasure. While he was distracted, Cronus pressed a finger inside of his flexing hole and the boy let out a short scream. He was certainly vocal, but that wasn’t so terrible when he wasn’t forming actual words. This continued as Cronus added two and then three fingers before drawing back to remove his own clothes. He smirked to see Neil flashing him puppy dog eyes at the loss of contact, but glared when he saw the boy reaching for his own cock. “None of that,” Cronus warned, waving his hand. At this gesture, Neil’s wrist shackles glowed and forced his hands back and to either side of his head. “What the-?” Neil looked from one hand to the other and struggled, but found them immovable. He seemed confused. “Wow, kinky. More comfortable than hand cuffs I guess, like shackles… wait… WAIT SECOND!” Neil stared at Cronus in shock, comprehension dawning at last it seemed. “You said thrall meant companion! Not… not… p-prisoner?” Cronus rolled his eyes. “Slave more like… or perhaps ‘pet’ would be more appropriate,” Cronus snorted as he finished removing his clothes and got back between Neil’s legs before he could get the sense to close them. He trailed a large, warm hand up from Neil’s groin to his chest and over the boy’s cheek as those pretty eyes glared at him. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! You got what you wanted, didn’t you? Immortal youth is yours, and is the trade really so terrible? You will have a beautiful home, beautiful clothes… your life will be nothing but pleasure, and you’ve been very clear that you hardly find my attentions repulsive.” “B-but… the prophecy…?” Neil strangled out and Cronus ground his crotch hard against the boy’s. Cronus laughed. “Well, given that you are fundamentally on my side now, you cannot be a part of any team against me. So the other side, left with six heroes, does not fulfill the prophecy. But don’t worry, I do intend to ensure my victory before I do anything else, goodness knows your friends won’t make it easy for me.” Neil suddenly renewed his struggling in earnest. “Hey, I didn’t agree to this! A-and I’m not going to help you with anything! I don’t want to be your thrall anymore!” Cronus grasped Neil’s jaw hard and stared into his eyes with a murderous expression. “That, dear boy, is not something you have a choice in anymore. You have already accepted your payment, and unfortunately for you, it’s not something that you can return.” Neil let out a whimper as Cronus drew back enough to lift up Neil’s legs and began to press himself in. Neil groaned and twitched, and Cronus was glad to shut him up again as he gave the boy only moments to adjust before starting a brutal pace that drove the boy slowly and steadily into the mattress. “B-but- ah,” Neil let out a sigh and Cronus noticed with growing excitement that Neil was fighting to keep a smile off his face. So, the Golden Boy liked it rough? Cronus could deliver that. By the time Neil approached climax, Cronus had pushed his lower half up high enough to basically pile drive the teen. Despite his earlier protests, Neil was certainly enjoying himself by now, inhibitions thrown to the wind as his cock swelled and leaked. “C-CRONUS!” The boy screamed of his own accord as he came, fountaining downward… and over his own face. Realising what he had just done, the boy quickly began complaining about how gross that was and demanding to be let loose to get it out of his hair before it dried. Cronus, of course, did not relent until he had reached his own climax a few torturous minutes later, filling the boy who was already half hard again by that time. Well, his recovery time was certainly excellent. Cronus would definitely make use of that later. For now, the bond was complete. Cronus withdrew and stood, summoning his clothes back to himself and releasing the magic holding down Neil’s wrists. The boy raced for the bathroom. Cronus was annoyed at first to think he was showering, but he was back quickly enough with a comb and his hand mirror, combing flecks of his own seed from his bangs. “That is so gross,” Neil muttered to himself as he finally got rid of the last of it. His eyes then moved to Cronus, and the god was pleased to see a healthy blush light his face again as he quickly looked past him and scanned the room. Cronus could see the next realization dawn as the boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Um… where’s the door to get out of the room?” “Non-existent.” “S-so I’m…?” Cronus grinned. “It is a pretty Golden Cage for a Golden Boy.” Neil shivered and was still staring at Cronus, trying to process what had happened to him even as Cronus opened his portal and stepped through. Only as the portal was closing did Neil let out a yelp and try to run toward him, but it was far too late. The boy belonged to Cronus. One down, six to go.