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𝑹 𝑼 𝑵 𝑵 𝑰 𝑵 𝑮  𝑰 𝑵  𝑭 𝑬 𝑨 𝑹
❝ 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚝? ❞

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ㅤ𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍 of Aphrodite and Ares; a perfect mixture of beauty and chaos. He is the God of Fear, and the mere scent of it draws him in like a magnet. And that's precisely how the Winter Soldier caught his attention. The assassin draws fear from his victims like no other. Plus, he can't lie, the man's attractive.

And so, after officially meeting him that night, he'd constantly be on the lookout for the man. It's not often that the Greek gods associate themselves with mortals, especially since the collapse of their once great empire. But Phobos couldn't help it.

Every time he saw an opportunity to show himself, he would, and that's exactly what he's about to do. The Winter Soldier was once again sent on another mission, this time, he was sent to kill a nuclear engineer, who was being escorted out of Iran.

He watched as the Winter Soldier shot the man through a red-haired woman. As he watched this unfold, he couldn't help the feeling of pleasure ripple through him as people panicked. Their fear of the assassin was making Phobos feel indescribable excitement. He bit his lip as the assassin stood up from where he took the shot to face him.

"You again," the soldier stated, his voice gruff and unemotional, quite used to Phobos' frequent visits whenever he's on a mission. He can't lie though, he rather likes the god's company and constant compliments he received from him.

"Congratulations on another successful kill," the God smirked, letting his lower lip rise from in between his teeth.

"I don't think that's something to be congratulated," was the grunt of a reply he got, which made him chuckle.

"Trust me, I liked it."

"What are you doing here?"

The god rolled his eyes. "You ask that every time, and every time I give you the same answer: you bring fear into people, and I like that."

Bucky turned to the man who constantly wore suits, eyes squinting. "That's not a very informative answer." He turned away, quick to move away from any prying eyes. The god followed.

"That's all I can give you, sergeant."

"Why do you call me that? Sergeant." The only response he got was a smirk and a shrug, which made him purse his lips.

The two continued to walk side by side, with Bucky informing his superiors of another successful mission. They went silent after that, just enjoying the company. The comfortable silence between them was one that the soldier enjoyed, as the stranger–who he didn't even know the name of–gave him peace, even though he barely knew him and how he seemed to appear and disappear out of nowhere.

"You still have it, don't you?" The sultry, accented voice of the god shook him out of his thoughts.

"Have what?"

"The bullet I gave you. I've seen you look at it, every time you're about to start a mission. Why do you keep it?"

"You told me to."

The god chuckled. "It's a bullet, sergeant."

"Fine," Bucky stopped walking for a second, closing his eyes. "After a couple of missions, they wipe me. Your bullet...it helps me remember. I don't..." he sighed, beginning to walk away.

Phobos' eyes soften at the confession, the side he inherited from his mother coming out as his lips curves to a real smile. "I'm glad I could help you, sergeant. I'll see you soon."

And before Bucky could turn to look at him, he was gone. He wasn't surprised, it was a usual occurrence: him finishing a mission, the mysterious man coming to congratulate him, them having a conversation, and the man disappearing right after. Even after all these years, he never told anyone of the man's existence. It was as if he wanted to keep him all to himself.

Phobos had flashed back to Olympus, as he usually did after meeting up with the Winter Soldier. Only in Olympus would you ever see him without a suit; because at home, he'd wear traditional Greek clothing, mostly to appease his ever so fashionable mother.

Speaking of Aphrodite, she'd flashed into Phobos' temple as soon as he arrived. Giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, she asked, "Were you visiting your mortal again?"

"He's not my mortal, mother," he rolled his eyes, trying to hide a smirk. The sound of someone calling Bucky his mortal felt nice. And of course, his mother knew it, giving him a knowing smile.

"You know, if you don't stop visiting him, Zeus will have to intervene." This caused his eyes to turn pitch black for a second, his protective side coming through. "Phobos, darling..."

"I know, mother. I know that I'll have to stop this. And I will, soon."

"That's what you've been telling me for years," Aphrodite gave him a perfectly shaped, raised eyebrow. "I am the Goddess of Love, I know love when I see it."

"I don't love him," Phobos frowned, turning away from his mother. "He...he merely...he..." he pursed his lips.

Aphrodite patted her son's shoulder. "You don't have to explain anything to me, darling. But you have to be careful, if the prophecy comes true...we're going to have to help the mortals like we did millennia ago."

"I understand." He turned back to his mother and held her hands. "Look, I don't know if I love Bucky or not, but if I do..." he smiled. "You'll be the first to know, I promise."

A smile graced Aphrodite's ever so youthfully beautiful face. "You better." She gave him another hug. "Now, Zeus asked for you earlier. You know what he's going to talk about."

A sigh left his lips. "I know, I know. I'll meet with him before dinner, which is right now. I'll see you, mother."

"Good luck."

Walking out of his temple with another smile to his mother, he made his way to Zeus' temple, where he knew the King of the Gods will want to meet him. They'd had a council meeting years before about his constant visits to Bucky, and he'd voiced his side gracefully, with Zeus giving him permission to do what he wanted. But he visited the soldier more than the God of the Skies liked.

"You know," Zeus spoke, his voice deep and rich, like a roll of thunder. "I permitted you to visit your mortal, but not as often as this. He's close to knowing the truth, Phobos, and we must do what we can to keep the prophecy from happening."

"I know, Lord Zeus. I'm not saying that I want to reveal my true identity to the mortal," he pursed his lips, "but we all know from experience that preventing a prophecy from happening will not end well for anyone."

"I know that," with furrowed brows, he continued, "but we can try and postpone it."

"If the prophecy is true, you know, if the civil war happens..."

"Then the prophecy is beginning," Zeus turned to look into Phobos' dark eyes. "I know we can't prevent it from happening, but try and distance yourself from the mortal, please. For the sake of the universe."

Letting out a sigh, Phobos nodded. "Of course."