Once the cookies were done, she left them to cool and the four settled in to watch the movie. Persephone cuddled next to Hades, and it was there, nestled against him, that she realized how weird her life had become since she met the God of the Underworld; and yet she had some of her happiest times with him. This was one. He was willing to try mortal things with her. He had wanted to do the things that made her happy and learn them.
She giggled at the thought of him in the kitchen, mittens on, trying to retrieve the hot pan of cookies from the oven.
Hades’ armed tightened around her, and he whispered against her ear. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“You can’t possibly know.”
“After what I put myself through this evening, I’m sure there are several things you are laughing at.”
It wasn’t long before she fell asleep. At some point, Hades lifted her and carried her to her bedroom. “Don’t leave,” she said sleepily when he lowered her onto the bed.
“I’m not.” He kissed her forehead. “Sleep.”
She woke to Hades’ hot mouth on her skin and she groaned, reaching for him. He kissed her urgently, like he hadn’t tasted her in weeks, before trailing his lips along her jaw, her throat, her chest. Then his fingers found the hem of her shirt. She arched her back and helped him pull it over her head. Tossing it aside, he descended, caressing her breasts with his hands and his tongue. It wasn’t long before she wiggled out of her pants and he parted her center, tasting her with his mouth. His thumb worked that sensitive bundle of nerves, sending her into delirious bliss.
When he finished, he climbed up her body and kissed her before divesting himself of his clothes and fitting himself between her thighs. She spread her legs wide to accommodate him as his cock pressed against her entrance. He sank into her easily, and she arched with the pleasure of him filling her so full. She had never felt more complete.
He leaned down to press his forehead against hers, breathing hard.
“You are beautiful,” he said.
“You feel good,” she said, hissing as she took in breath between her teeth, fighting the pressure building behind her eyes. The longer she experienced this euphoria, the less control she had. “You feel…like power.”
He moved slowly at first and she savored every bit of him, but this god was starved, and his thoughtfulness soon gave way to something far more mindless and carnal.
A fierce growl came from deep in his throat, and he leaned into her, kissing and biting her lips, her neck, pumping harder and harder, moving her entire body.
Persephone clung to him, her heels dug into him, her nails raked his skin, her fingers twined into his hair—she reached for anything that would ground her to him, to this moment.
Hades braced his hands against the top of her head to keep her from hitting the headboard as he drove into her—the whole bed shook, and the only sounds were their ragged breathing, their soft moans, their desperate attempts to feel more of each other. Her body was electric, fueled by his intoxicating heat and he pushed her further and further until she could hold on no longer. Her final cry of ecstasy gave way to his, and she reveled in the sensation of him pulsing inside her. She would take all of him, drain him.
In the aftermath, they were quiet. Hades’ slick body rested against hers, and he slowly came off his high, as if his consciousness was returning to his body. It was then he seemed to realize he had lost his mind, that he had pumped into her so hard they were crammed against the headboard.
He studied her and under his scrutiny, she realized she was crying.
“Persephone.” A note of panic colored his voice. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered, covering her eyes. He hadn’t hurt her, and she didn’t know why she was crying. She took in a shaky breath. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”
After a moment, Hades pried her hand away from her eyes. She met his gaze as he brushed tears from her face, and she was relieved when he didn’t ask any more questions.
He moved to his side and tucked her against him, covering them both with the blankets. He kissed her hair and whispered, “You are too perfect for me.”
She felt like she had just fallen asleep when Hades sat up suddenly beside her. She felt cold immediately and rolled over, half asleep, to reach for him.
“Come back to bed,” she said.
“Get away from my daughter.” Demeter’s voice thundered throughout the room.
That roused her immediately. She sat up, clutching her blanket to her chest. “Mother! Get out!”
Demeter’s chilling gaze fell on Persephone and she saw the promise of pain—of destruction—in her eyes. She could see the headline now: Olympian Gods Battle, Destroy New Athens.
“How dare you.” Demeter’s voice shook, and Persephone wasn’t sure if she was talking to her or Hades—maybe both.
Persephone threw off the blankets and pulled on her nightshirt. Hades remained sitting in the bed.
“How long?” Demeter asked.
“It’s really none of your business, Mother,” Persephone snapped.
Her mother’s eyes darkened. “You forget your place, Daughter.”
“And you forget my age. I am not a child!”
“You are my child, and you have betrayed my trust.”
Persephone knew what was about to happen. She could feel her mother’s magic building in the air.
“No, Mother!” Persephone looked frantically to Hades, and he looked back, tense but calm—it did nothing to ease her fear.
“You will no longer live this disgraceful, mortal life!”
Persephone closed her eyes, cringing as Demeter snapped her fingers, but instead of teleporting to the glass prison like she expected, nothing happened.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and straightened, looking at her mother whose eyes went wide, then they narrowed on Persephone’s gold cuff.
The goddess struck, snatching her forearm. Gripping too hard, she pulled the bracelet from her wrist and revealed the darkness marking her creamy skin.
“What did you do?” This time, Demeter looked at Hades.
“Don’t touch me!” Persephone tried to wrench away, but Demeter’s hold tightened, and Persephone cried out.
“Release her, Demeter.” Hades’ voice was calm, but there was something deadly in his eyes. Persephone had seen that look before—rage was building inside him.
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do with my daughter!”
Hades snapped his fingers and suddenly he was dressed in the same clothes from last night. He rose to his full height, and as he approached, Demeter released Persephone. She put distance between herself and her mother at once.
“Your daughter and I have a contract,” Hades explained. “She will stay until she fulfills it.”
“No.” Demeter’s gaze focused on Persephone’s wrist, and she got the sense her mother would do just about anything to take her from this place, including cutting her hand off. “You will remove your mark. Remove it, Hades!”
The god clearly wasn’t fazed by Demeter’s growing anger. “The contract must be fulfilled, Demeter. The Fates command it.”
The Goddess of Harvest paled when she looked at Persephone. “How could you?”
“How could I?” Persephone echoed sharply. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen, mother!”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Hades flinch.
“Didn’t you? I warned you about him!” Demeter pointed to Hades. “I warned you to stay away from the Gods!”
“And in doing so you left me to this fate.”
Demeter lifted her chin. “So, you blame me? When all I did was try to protect you? Well, you will see the truth very soon, Daughter.”
The goddess extended her hand and stripped Persephone of the magic she had given.
It felt like a thousand tiny needles were pricking her skin at once as the glamour she had crafted to hide her Divine appearance was stripped away. The pain knocked the breath out of her, and she fell to the floor, gasping.
“When the contract is fulfilled, you will come home with me,” Demeter said, and Persephone glared up at her. “You will never return to this mortal life and you will never see Hades again.”
Then Demeter was gone.
Hades scooped Persephone up from the floor and held her close when she burst into tears. All she could manage to say was, “I don’t regret you. I didn’t mean that I regretted you.”
“I know.” Hades kissed her tears away.
There was a knock on the door and they both looked up to find Lexa standing just inside the room, eyes wide. “What the fuck?”
Persephone pulled away from Hades.
“Lexa,” she said. “I have something to tell you.”
CHAPTER XXIV – A TOUCH OF TRICKERY
Lexa took the news that she’d been living with a goddess the last four years in strides. Her emotions ranged from feelings of betrayal to disbelief, which Persephone understood. Lexa valued truth, and she had just discovered that the person she called her best friend had been lying about a huge chunk of her identity.
“Why did you keep it from me?” Lexa asked.
“It was an agreement I made with my mom,” she said. “Plus, I wanted to know what it was like to live a normal life.”
“I get that,” ‘Lexa said. “Man, your mother is a bitch,” she said, and then hunkered down as if she expected lightning to strike her. “Will she kill me for saying that?”
“She’s too angry with me and full of hatred for Hades to even think about you,” Persephone replied.
Lexa shook her head and just stared at her best friend. They sat in the living room together. It would have felt like any other day had she not been stripped of her mother’s magic and exposed as a goddess. Luckily, Hades helped her call up a human glamour. “I can’t believe you’re the Goddess of Spring. What can you do?”
Persephone flushed. “Well, that’s the thing. I’m just now learning my powers. Up until recently, I couldn’t even feel my magic.”
“I used to want to be like the other gods,” she said. “But when my powers never developed, I just wanted to be somewhere where I was good at something.”
Lexa placed her hand on Persephone’s. “You are good at so many things, Persephone. Especially at being a goddess.”
She scoffed. “How would you know? You just found out what I was.”
“I know because you are kind and compassionate and you fight for your beliefs, but mostly, you fight for people. That’s what gods are supposed to do, and someone should remind them, because a lot of them have forgotten,” she paused. “Maybe that’s why you were born.”
Persephone wiped tears from her eyes.
“I love you, Lex.”
“I love you, too, Persephone.”
***
Persephone had a hard time sleeping in the weeks following Demeter’s threats. Her anxiety skyrocketed, and she felt even more trapped than before. If she didn’t fulfill the terms of her contract with Hades, she would be stuck in the Underworld forever. If she managed to create life, then she would become a prisoner in her mother’s greenhouse.
It was true she loved Hades, but she preferred to come and go from the Underworld as she pleased. She wanted to continue living her mortal life, graduate, and start her career in journalism. When she’d said as much to Lexa, her best friend had responded, “Just talk to him. He’s the God of the Dead, can’t he help?”
But Persephone knew talking would do no good. Hades had said over and over that the terms of the contract were not negotiable, even when facing Demeter. The choice was to fulfill the contract or not—freedom or not.
And that reality was breaking her apart.
Worse, she was using Hades’ magic, and while there were a few advantages, it was like having him around all the time. He was a constant presence, a reminder of her predicament, of how she’d spiraled out of control and found herself in love with him.
It was two weeks from graduation—and from the end of her contract with Hades.
When Persephone arrived at the Acropolis for work, she noticed something was off. Valerie was already standing behind her desk when Persephone stepped off the elevator, and stopped her to whisper before she headed to her desk. “Persephone, there’s a woman here to see you. She says she has a story on Hades.”
She almost groaned out loud. “Did you vet her?” Persephone had given Valarie a list of questions to ask anyone who called claiming they had a story about Hades. Some of the people who’d made calls or came in person to interview had only been curious mortals or undercover journalists trying to get a story.
“She seems legitimate, although I think she’s lying about her name.”
Persephone tilted her head. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was the way she said it. Like it was an afterthought.”
That didn’t make Persephone feel too confident. “What name?”
“Carol.”
Weird.
Then Valerie offered, “If you want someone to go with you into the interview, I can.”
“No,” Persephone said. “That’s okay. Thanks, though.”
She put her things away, grabbed coffee, scrolled quickly through her emails on her phone as she entered the room.
“So you have a story for me?” she said, looking up.
“A story? Oh, no, Lady Persephone—I have a bargain.”
Persephone froze. She knew that bright blond hair anywhere.
“Aphrodite.” Persephone’s breath left her. Why was the Goddess of Love here to see her? “What are you doing here?”
“I thought I would pay you a visit, seeing as you are close to the end of your contract with Hades.”
Persephone covered her wrist unconsciously, though the mark was hidden by a bracelet. “How do you know about that?”
Aphrodite smiled, but there was pity in her gaze. “I fear Hades has placed you in the middle of our bet.”
Persephone felt a painful twisted in her stomach, and Persephone swallowed something thick in her throat.
“Bet?” she echoed.
Aphrodite pursed her lips. “I see he has not told you.”
“You can drop the false concern, Aphrodite, and get to the point.”
The goddess’s face changed, and she became more severe and more beautiful than before. When she’d seen Aphrodite at the gala, Persephone had sensed her loneliness and sadness, but now it was clear across her face. It shocked her that Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love—the goddess who had affairs with gods and mortals alike—was lonely.
“My, my,” Aphrodite said. “You are awfully demanding. Perhaps that is why Hades likes you so much.”
Persephone’s fists clenched, and the goddess offered a small smile.
“I challenged Hades to a game of cards. It was all for fun, but he lost. My wager was that he had to make someone fall in love with him within six months,” she said.
It took a moment for what she said to sink in. Hades had a contract with Aphrodite—make someone fall in love with him.
Persephone swallowed hard.
“I must admit, I was impressed with how quickly he zeroed in on you. Not an hour after I set my terms, he lured you into a contract, and I have been observing his progress ever since.”
Persephone wanted to accuse the goddess of lying, but she knew every word Aphrodite had spoken was true.
All this time she’d been used. The weight of the truth settled on her, broke her, ruined her.
She should have never suspected Hades was capable of change. The game was life for him. It meant everything, and he would do anything to win.
Even if it broke her heart.
“I am sorry to hurt you,” Aphrodite said. “But I see now that I have truly lost.”
Persephone glared at the Goddess of Love through watery eyes.
“You do love him.”
“Why would you be sorry?” Persephone asked through her teeth. “This is what you wanted.”
The goddess shook her head. “Because…until today, I didn’t believe in love.”
***
Persephone had never wanted to choose between Demeter or Hades’ prisons. She’d wanted to find a way to be free, but given the realization she’d been used, she made a choice.
After Aphrodite vanished from the interview room, she made a split decision—she would end the bargain with Hades once and for all, and deal with the consequences later. She gathered her things, let Demetri know she needed to leave immediately, and took the bus to Nevernight.
She appeared in the Underworld, making her way across a field, heading toward a dark wall of mountains, intent on finding The Well of Reincarnation.
She should have listened to Minthe.
Gods, she never thought she’d be thinking that.
She was so angry, she couldn’t think straight, and she was happy to feel this way now—because she knew when she calmed down, all she would feel was crushing sadness.
She had given everything to Hades—her body, her heart, her dreams.
She’d been so stupid.
Charm, she rationalized. He must have charmed her.
Her thoughts quickly spiraled out of control as she recalled memories from the last six months, each one bringing more pain than the last. She couldn’t understand why Hades had gone through so much trouble to orchestrate this plan. He’d fooled her. He’d fooled so many people.
What about Sybil?
The oracle had told her their colors were intertwined. That she and Hades were meant to be together.
Perhaps she’s just a really bad oracle.
Now close to tears, she almost didn’t hear the rustling of grass beside her. Persephone turned to see movement a short distance from her. Her heart stuttered out of control, and she stumbled back, tripping on something hidden in the grass. When she fell, whatever was in the grass charged toward her.
Persephone closed her eyes and covered her face only to feel a cold, wet nose press against her hand; she opened her eyes to find one of Hades’ three dogs staring at her.
She laughed and sat up, petting Cerberus on the head, his tongue rolling out of his mouth. With a glance, she found that what she’d tripped over had been his red ball.
“Where are your brothers?” she asked, scratching behind his ear, and he responded by licking her face. Persephone pushed him away and got to her feet, scooping up the ball. “You want this?”
Cerberus sat back on his haunches but could barely stay still.
“Fetch!” Persephone threw the ball. The hound took off, and she watched him for a few moments before continuing toward the base of the mountain.
The closer she got, the ground beneath her feet became uneven, rocky, and bare. A short time later, Cerberus joined her again, ball in his mouth. He didn’t drop it at her feet but looked ahead at the mountains.
“Can you lead me to the Well of Reincarnation?” Persephone asked.
The dog looked at her and then took off.
She followed—up a steep incline and into the heart of the mountains. It was one thing to see these landforms from a distance, another to walk among them and beneath the halo of black, swirling clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the earth. She continued to follow Cerberus, fearful of losing sight of the dog—or worse, that he would be hurt.
“Cerberus!” Persephone called as he disappeared around another turn in the maze. She wiped the back of her hand over her forehead, slick with sweat; it was warm in the mountains and growing hotter.
Rounding the corner, she hesitated, noticing a small stream at her feet—but this stream was fire. Unease trickled down her spine. She heard Cerberus barking ahead and jumped over the rivulet only to find the dog at the edge of a cliff where a river of raging flame roiled below. Its heat was almost unbearable, and Persephone suddenly realized where she’d wandered.
Tartarus.
This was the River Phlegethon.
“Cerberus, find a way out!” she commanded.
The dog barked as if accepting her direction and raced toward a set of stairs carved into the mountains. They were sleek and steep and disappeared into the folds above.
But they would take her higher into the mountains.
“Cerberus!”
The dog continued on, so she chased after him.
The steps led to an open cavern above. Lanterns lined the passage, but barely illuminated her feet. The tunnel provided an escape from the heat of the Phlegethon. Perhaps Cerberus was leading her to the Well of Reincarnation as she had requested.
Just as she had that thought, she came to the end of the cavern, which led to a beautiful grotto full of lush vegetation and trees heavy with golden fruit. The pool at her feet held water that glittered like stars in an inky sky.
This must be the Well of Reincarnation, she thought.
At the pool’s center, there was a stone pillar with a gold goblet at the top. Persephone wasted no time as she waded through the water to reach the cup, but with the movement of water, there came a voice.
“Help,” it rasped. “Water.”
She froze and looked around, but saw nothing.
“H-hello?” she called to the dark.
“The pillar,” the voice said.
Persephone’s heart raced as she came around the post to find a man chained to the other side of it. He was thin—literally skin stretched over bones—and his hair and beard were long, white, and matted. The manacles around his wrists were just short enough to prevent him from reaching the cup at the top of the pillar—or the low-hanging fruit just outside of reach.
She inhaled sharply at the sight of him, and when the man looked at her, his pupils appeared to be swimming in blood.
“Help,” he said again. “Water.”
“Oh, my gods.”
Persephone climbed the pillar for the goblet, filled it with water from the pool and helped the man drink.
“Careful,” she warned the faster he gulped. “You’ll be sick.”
She pulled the goblet away and the man took a few breaths, chest heaving.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Who are you?” she asked, studying his face.
“My name,” he took a breath, “is Tantalus.”
“And how long have you been here?”
“I do not remember.” Every word he spoke was slow and seemed to take all his energy. “I was cursed to be eternally deprived of nourishment.”
She wondered what he had done to be assigned such a punishment.
“I have begged daily for an audience with the lord of this realm so that I might find peace in Asphodel, but he will not hear my pleas. I have learned from my time here, I am not the same man I was all those long years ago. I swear it.”
She considered this, and despite what she’d learned about Hades today, she believed in the god’s powers. Hades knew the soul. If he felt this man had changed, he would grant him his wish to reside in Asphodel.
Persephone took a step away from Tantalus, and his eyes seemed to ignite, his teeth clenched. There it is, she realized, the darkness that Hades saw.
“You do not believe me,” he said, suddenly able to speak without pause.
“I’m afraid I don’t know enough either way,” Persephone said, trying to remain as neutral as possible. She had the unsettling feeling that this man’s rage was to be feared.
At her words, the strange, angry glint that had clouded his eyes disappeared, and he nodded. “You are wise.”
“I think I should go,” Persephone said.
“Wait,” he called as she started to move. “A bite from the fruit—please.”
Persephone swallowed. Something told her not to do it, but she found herself plucking a plump, golden fruit from the tree. She approached the man, stretching her arms in an effort to keep a good distance from him. Tantalus strained his neck to reach the fleshy fruit.
That was when something hard plowed into Persephone’s legs from under the water.
She lost her footing and was submerged. Before she could break the surface, she felt the man’s foot on her chest. Despite his suffering, he was strong and held her under the water while she writhed against him until she grew too weak to fight. The hold she had on her glamour slipped away, and she returned to her Divine form.
When she stopped struggling, Tantalus removed his foot.
That’s when Persephone moved.
She pushed her way through the water, which felt more like swimming in tar. She fell, spraying water everywhere.
“A goddess!” She heard Tantalus croon. “Come back, little goddess—I’ve been starved so long. I require a taste!”
The grotto’s bank was slick, and she struggled to climb it, scraping her knees on the jagged rock. She didn’t notice the pain, desperate to get out of this place. When she made it to the dark exit, she slammed into a body, and hands clamped down on her shoulders.
“No! Please—”
“Persephone,” Hades said, pushing her back only a step.
She froze, meeting his gaze, and at the sight of him she couldn’t contain her relief.
“Hades!” She threw her arms around him and sobbed. He was steady and strong and warm; one of his hands curled against her head and the other on her back.
“Shh.” His lips pressed into her hair. “What are you doing here?”
Then the man’s horrible voice cut through the air.
“Where are you, little bitch?”
Hades went rigid and pulled her behind him, approaching the grotto’s opening. When he snapped his fingers, the column turned so Tantalus faced them now. He didn’t appear to be afraid of Hades’ arrival.
The god flung out his hand and Tantalus’ knees gave out, his arms pulled tight in his chains.
“My goddess was kind to you.” Hades’ voice was cold and resonate. “And this is how you repay her?”