The Emperor

---

Lohan wasn't sure what to make of the spectacle taking place in the dining room. His job was to only stand there and 'look pretty,' but sometimes even that was hard. He could tell that something was slowly stirring behind the scenes, and the other Gods could see it too. 

They all sat at a table, laughing and bickering about nonsense. He knew they were hoping for something to happen, and it appeared that Caligula, the God of Jealousy, was going to make the evening exciting. He had been spreading rumors that he knew a dark secret of Dune, the ruler of Rome. 

He ruled alongside his twin brother, Vale, but Dune was the one with full control. He loved his twin, and had him along for the ride. Vale knew this, but didn't care to rule. He loved his twin, and loved to be by his side. Lohan could see Dune whispering something to Vale, and he was giggling, acting like a child. Both twins were born with madness inside of them. 

Dune hid his madness, while Vale showed his mad side to everyone. Lohan did love the twins, but he felt that Dune was the scariest one. He could never tell what he was thinking, and that is why everyone feared him. 

At least Vale and his other siblings were easy to read, but Dune was something else. It always felt like he was pretending, trying his best to hide that dark side of him. Lohan watched as Dune reached out to pluck a strawberry from a bowl of fruit positioned near his throne. He was about to take a bite out of the fruit when Caligula stood up from his seat, his cup of wine pointed in Dune's direction. 

"I know of your prophecy, Dune!"

Lohan tightened his hold on his weapon, as Dune slowly turned to address Caligula. 

"What?," he simply asked. 

Caligula smiled. There was malice on those lips. "I said I know of your prophecy. Is it true? That you will fall in love with a human centuries later?"

The dining room changed from that statement. Whispers, small bits of laughter, and gasps rang out throughout the room. Vale glared at Caligula, reaching for his weapons hidden in his clothing. Dune raised a hand, stopping Vale from doing something drastic. 

Lohan did not realize he had walked a bit closer, his weapon ready in hand. Dune's eyes moved to him, and he shook his head. Lohan bowed, and went back to his position, getting ready to watch the show. He saw his other two siblings at the dinner table, worried expressions on their faces. 

Dune smiled at Caligula.

"Now where did you hear such a story, Caligula?"

Caligula's smile faded. He was not expecting Dune to be so calm. 

"I heard it…from somewhere."

"Were you spying on me, Caligula? You know it's forbidden to hear one another's prophecies? It's the way of the Gods, remember?"

One of the Gods stifled his laughter. Caligula noticed this, and grew angry. 

"How dare you accuse me of spying! I would never do such a thing -''

"I can read your mind, Caligula. You are lying."

The room burst into laughter. The term that crossed Lohan's mind, that he would come to learn many years later in modern times, was secondhand embarrassment. That is what he felt for Caligula. How he forgot Dune's ability to read minds was baffling. His face had become a beet red, as the other Gods were mocking him. 

Caligula dropped his cup of wine, spilling it all over his white outfit. The Gods continued to laugh more as Caligula pointed a finger at them. 

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you! You should all be laughing at the leader that rules over Rome! Falling in love with a human is madness! Forbidden!"

Dune barked out a laugh. The room grew silent. Some were scared, some were curious, and some were amused. Everyone knew that Dune hardly ever laughed. When he did, it was terrifying. 

"I would never fall in love with a human, you fool. They are disgusting creatures. They are fragile beings who can die easily. Like this one."

Dune turned his head to a random woman standing in the room. She was one of the servants, who was standing by the dining room table, waiting for orders. She would no longer be doing any of that. Her head exploded. Bits of brain landed in several of the Gods' plates and cups, and blood washed over several of the guests. 

The majority of the Gods were laughing at the ones who were caught in the mess, and the ones who were caught in the throes of the mess were irritated. None of them dared to say a word to Dune. You knew better than to anger someone as powerful as him. 

Lohan sighed when he saw the blood forming a puddle on the floor. It was going to be a bitch to clean up. 

Dune waved an arm at the woman he had just killed, narrowing his gaze at Caligula. 

"Is that enough prove for you?"

Caligula smiled. "You think you won't hesitate to do the same to the human you will fall in love with?"

Lohan was not expecting the next event to happen. It was unlike that of his brother. Caligula let out a cry of pain, his hand flying to his face. Blood spurted between his fingers, covering his left eye. Cracks had formed across Caligula's face, resembling a statue withering from age. 

The room was now completely silent. Caligula glared with his one eye at Dune. 

"You will pay for this. And mark my words, I will come after you and your human lover. And I will make you watch as I butcher your pet in front of you."

With those words said, Caligula marched out of the dining room. Lohan saw one tear slide down from his good eye. He would now be scarred for the rest of his life, and he would remember that. Once he was gone, the dining room became lively again. 

Lohan caught wind of several conservations taking place after that spectacle. 

"Good riddance. Caligula is a fraud. Thank the Gods one of us finally did something to shut him up."

"Do you think Caligula was telling the truth?"

"Dune would never fall for a human. He's the God of Madness. Pure evil."

"Do you think Caligula will take revenge?"

"Can someone pass the red wine?"

Lohan bowed to his other two siblings at the table. They were relieved it was now over, but they were worried. Vale was too, but he was trying his best to hide it from his twin. Of course, it was hard to hide your thoughts from someone that could read your mind. Dune knew this, but he did not show it. He finally took a bite of the strawberry, his expression conveying pure satisfaction. 

Lohan wondered if Dune was feeling something from this event, but decided not to ask him. Whatever his prophecy was, or if Caligula was telling the truth, it didn't matter. It wouldn't come true. Dune was a vile God who didn't care for the humans. 

And he never will. 

---

Lohan couldn't believe what he was seeing. In front of him was a total stranger, who appeared to be on the older side. He was handsome for his age, and he stretched out a hand to Lohan. 

"Nice to meet you. Neil told me all about you."

"I…He did?"

The man shook Lohan's hand up and down. "The name's Sebastian. I'm a scientist. Neil told me you are a professor at a university?"

"Y - Yes."

"What do you teach?" The stranger let Lohan into Neil's apartment, closing the door behind him. 

"Greek Mythology."

Lohan took a peek into the living room, where Neil/Dune was sitting on the couch, watching television. 

"Sebastien, do you mind if I talk to Neil for a bit? I need to ask him something."

"Sure! I'm going to be in the kitchen. I'm pretty bad at cooking, but I'm trying to learn. You would think someone like me that loves to conduct experiments would be good at that kind of thing!"

Sebastian laughed at his own joke, and left Lohan alone with Dune. 

Dune hid his face from Lohan. 

"Who the fuck is that?"

"He told you his name."

"Don't give me that bullshit. Why is a human in your place? You hate humans. Why is he here?"

Dune didn't respond for a moment. It felt like ages had passed before he responded. 

"I like him."

Lohan was speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. Both men were silent, as they listened to Sebastian humming in the kitchen, and then cursing, signaling he most likely failed at his cooking attempt. 

Lohan finally conjured something up, but he didn't mean to say that. 

"Caligula is going to kill him."

Dune didn't smile. 

"Not unless I kill him first."

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn