Warnings: As you can assume, this includes discussions of food / eating / cooking / etc.

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"Please, Lady Dianthus! You simply must help us!” Theseus, pleading, sat on his knees, his hands clasped together in a desperate prayer.

“You’re asking too much of me, Theseus… I’m not sure if I can.” The king’s request was almost unthinkable. To complete such a feat, she would need all her strength- and then some.

“There is no other who is as capable as you at this task, my lady!” Theseus gathered Dianthus’ hands within his own, his eyes glittering with sincerity. “Please, I beg of you… teach Asterius and I how to cook!”

Ah, what to do…?

Despite the fact that he was a hero and king, Theseus had come from very humble origins. He grew up near the mountain Ortholithi, surrounded by open fields, livestock, and his grandfather’s hunting dogs.
However… this does not mean he learned how to cook. It wasn’t for lack of trying. His mother certainly tried to educate him in this regard… but she had notoriously bad luck and nearly burned the kitchen down every time she tried. Eventually she gave up, and the king never approached the subject again in all his years.
Asterius’ lack of knowledge on the topic was a much more somber story. He’d never even once set foot inside Crete’s kitchen, his father having long decided that human food was much too rich for his bullish son. Now, in Elysium, he had a chance to learn.

Dianthus thought it was wonderful that both of them were interested in learning this particular skill set. Outside of just being useful, cooking was, in her opinion, very rewarding. To see the (sometimes literal) fruits of your labor, and to have it be shared and enjoyed by those around you… though the work may be difficult at times, it was (in her opinion) one of the most rewarding hobbies one could have.

She had no doubt that Asterius could pick up on it easily, were he to put his mind to the task. He was naturally curious and surprisingly gentle when he needed to be, despite his large size. To imagine the bull wearing an apron and holding a freshly baked cake… it was silly, yes, but it was also very sweet.
Theseus, however...
Theseus was a mess. A terrible student. His stubbornness was both a curse and a blessing; he faced any hardship with grace and dignity, but when it came to following instructions he had a tendency to be tripped by his own desires.

If it was just Asterius who wanted a cooking lesson from her, Dianthus would've happily agreed. But Theseus…

"I shall never ask anything more of you, My Lady!" Theseus’ expression had become an almost childish pout… others would surely find such a look to be annoying, but to Dianthus it was… cute. And it was difficult to say no to King Theseus when he was acting cute. She sighed.

"...Fine, I will teach you. However!"

"However?"

"We must set some conditions, first." Dianthus pried her hands away from Theseus’ own, prompting the king to finally stand back up as well. "You must listen to me every step of the way. No trying to put your "signature flair" into a single dish."

Theseus again looked at her with that cutesy pleading expression, but Dianthus stood her ground: "Once you have mastered the fundamentals you may customize as you wish. But only then. Otherwise…"

"I understand, my lady, I do. And swear upon my phantom heart that I shall listen to you every step of the way!"

"You promise?" Dianthus held out a pinky.

“But of course!” Theseus hooked his pinky around Dianthus’ own, “And if I ever break this promise, may the gods themselves strike me where I stand!”

“You don’t need to go that far, Theseus…”

“Fine! I suppose you’re right… come along, then. The next book I need to gather is on the other side of this shelf!”

It was settled, then: Dianthus would teach the king and the bull the basics of cooking.

…Was she making the right choice? She certainly hoped so. It would be nice to have Theseus and Asterius be able to help out in the kitchen whenever she decided to cook for the 3 of them (something technically unnecessary within Elysium, as the dead had no real need for food, but it was fun, and it was always lovely to sit and eat with those she loved.)

“Our cooking lessons will start tomorrow. Be prepared, king.”

At the very least, the next few days would be very interesting.