She watched, wide-eyed and terrified as Apollo knelt before the satyr, and pressed the blade to his cheek.
When she saw blood drip down his face, she lost control.
“Stop!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her magic fled from her body. It was an unusual feeling, like it was coming out of all her pores and her mouth and her eyes. It burned as if it were tearing skin and blinded as if it were pure light.
When the feeling faded, she was shocked to find everyone frozen: Apollo, his men, the crowd, everyone except Marsyas.
The satyr stared at Persephone, face pale and stained with crimson from the wound Apollo had made.
“Y-you’re a goddess.”
Persephone rushed to him and tried to pry the man’s fingers from the satyr’s arm, but they were wrapped too tightly. Frantic, she looked for another option. She didn’t know how long her magic would hold. She wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to freeze the whole room.
Then her eyes fell to the knife Apollo held inches from Marsyas’ face. She reached for it, and the slick handle slipping from his grasp. She took a few deep breaths before cutting into the man’s fingers so that Marsyas could free himself.
“Run,” she said.
“He will find me!” he argued, rubbing his arm.
“I promise you he won’t come after you again,” she said. “Go!”
The satyr obeyed.
She waited until he was out of sight to turn to Apollo and kick him hard in the balls.
The release of aggression was enough, and the whole room came to life again.
“Motherfucker!” the man behind her roared clutching his hand to his chest while Apollo collapsed to the ground, groveling.
Persephone loomed over him.
“Don’t you ever put me in that situation again,” Persephone’s voice shook with anger. Apollo breathed heavily, glaring up at her. “We might have an agreement, but I will not be used. Fuck you.”
She left the building with a smile on her face.
CHAPTER XXI – A TOUCH OF BETRAYAL
When Persephone returned home, she found Sybil, Zofie, and Antoni in her living room.
“Oh, thank the gods!” Sybil said, rushing to embrace her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Persephone said. Truthfully, she hadn’t felt this good in a while.
“Where were you?” Zofie demanded.
“The Lyre. Apollo decided today was the day he would take advantage of our bargain,” Persephone said.
Zofie’s eyes widened. “You have a bargain with Apollo?”
She didn’t respond and moved into the living room to sit on the couch, suddenly exhausted. The three followed her. “Did you tell Hades I was abducted?”
Antoni rubbed the back of his neck and turned a little pink. He didn’t need to answer, she knew the cyclops had.
Persephone sighed. “Someone should let him know I’m okay so he doesn’t destroy the world.”
Antoni and Zofie exchanged a look.
“I’ll do it,” Antoni said. “I’m glad you’re okay, Persephone.”
She smiled at the cyclops. Once he was gone, Sybil sat beside Persephone.
“What did Apollo make you do?”
Persephone told Sybil and Zofie what had happened, leaving out how she managed to freeze everyone in the whole room and that she’d cut someone’s fingers off. She decided she did want them to know she had kicked Apollo in the balls, though. Sybil laughed. Zofie tried to hide her amusement, probably because she feared retaliation.
“I don’t think he’ll force me to judge another competition any time soon,” she said. “Or abduct me from the street.”
There was silence for a long moment.
“Any updates on Lexa?” Persephone asked Sybil.
The oracle shook her head. “She was still asleep when I visited.”
More silence. There was a strange kind of exhaustion that seemed to settle upon them all at once and Persephone sighed.
“I’m going to bed. See you guys tomorrow.”
They said goodnight, and Persephone made her way to her room. She paused as she opened the door, overwhelmed by Hades’ scent. Her heart beat faster in her chest and her skin was hot. She felt silly, both excited and anxious at the possibility of seeing and speaking to him.
She closed the door and said, “How long have you been here?”
“Not long.” His voice came from the darkness. There was a rough undercurrent to his tone. She knew he was trying to keep a cap on his emotions. She could feel them raging around her, anger and fear and lust and longing.
She would take them all if it meant being close to him.
“You know what happened?” she asked.
“I overheard, yes.”
“Are you angry?” She whispered the words and found that she feared his response.
“Yes,” he said. “But not with you.”
He had kept his distance until that point, and then she felt him, his energy reached for hers. His hands found her arms, her shoulders, and then her face. She inhaled sharply at his touch.
“I couldn’t sense you,” he said. “I couldn’t find you.”
Persephone placed her hands over his. “I’m here, Hades. I’m fine.”
She thought he might kiss her, but instead he let go and turned on her light. It burned her eyes.
“You will never know how difficult this is for me.”
“I imagine as difficult as it’s been for me to deal with Minthe and Leuce.” Hades eyes darkened. “Except that Apollo has never been my lover.”
He scowled. She was provoking him, but she needed to see his emotion, to see that he cared.
“You have not been to the Underworld.”
Persephone folded her arms over her chest.
“I’ve been busy,” she said—and angry and afraid.
“The souls miss you, Persephone,” Hades said at last. She looked at him, unsure where he was going with this. Did he miss her? “Do not punish them because you are angry with me.”
“Don’t lecture me, Hades. You have no idea what I’ve been dealing with.”
“Of course not. That would mean you’d have to talk to me.”
She glared. “You mean like you talk to me? I’m not the only one with communication problems, Hades.”
“I didn’t come here to argue with you,” he said. “Or lecture you. I came to see if you were okay.”
“Why come at all? Antoni would have told you.”
“I had to,” he said, and looked away, setting his jaw. “I had to see you myself.”
She could feel what he didn’t say. The emotions that swelled between them were heavy with desperation and fear, but why wasn’t he saying that?
“Hades, I—” She took a step toward him. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. Maybe, I’m sorry? Those words didn’t quite seem like enough, though, and she didn’t have a chance to figure it out before Hades spoke.
“I should go. I’m late for a meeting.”
He vanished, and Persephone exhaled, leaning against her door for support, her body suddenly felt heavy and torturous thoughts rolled through her head.
He couldn’t get away from you fast enough, she thought.
Sadness curled into her chest, aching and hot. She made her way into the shower and stood under the hot spray until it was ice cold. After, she climbed into bed.
She missed Hades.
His comfort.
His conversation.
His touch.
His teasing.
His passion.
She missed everything about him.
She groaned and rolled onto her side.
Funny, she could hear Lexa’s voice in her head. Why didn’t you just ask him to stay?
He didn’t give me the chance. He was busy, anyway.
Did you even try to stop him?
No.
They’d already been arguing. What would they have done if he’d stayed?
Had really hot makeup sex, Lexa commented in her head.
She managed to smile, despite the tears that pricked her eyes. For a moment, her thoughts spiraled. How had she gotten here? She’d severed her relationship with her mother, ended a bargain with Hades just to jump into another with Apollo. Her best friend was in the hospital, her future still uncertain, and she hadn’t really liked her job since Demetri’s ultimatum.
What the fuck are you doing, Persephone? she whispered aloud.
Your best, she heard Lexa reply before she fell into a deep sleep.
***
With no update on Lexa from her mother, Persephone headed straight to work. Antoni came to a stop in front of the Acropolis, glancing in the rearview mirror.
“Would you like me to escort you?”
She was looking out the window when he spoke, and his voice filled her with dread. Not because he was asking to escort her, but because she had to get out of the car.
She’d been trying her hardest to embrace the screaming crowd, but today, she didn’t feel like faking it.
She was sad.
She looked at the ogre. “No, but thank you, Antoni.”
Persephone left the Lexus, entering the throng of screaming fans and reporters.
“Persephone! Persephone!”
She kept her head down, walking with determined steps toward the Acropolis.
“Persephone! Have you seen the Divine?”
“Do you know the woman Hades was seen with last night?”
Her steps faltered, and she paused, searching the crowd for the person who asked the question when her eyes settled on a paper one of the mortals held. On the front page of the Delphi Divine was a photo of Hades and Leuce hand in hand. The title screamed back at her:
Hades Steps Out With Mysterious Woman
She walked up to the mortal and snatched the paper from their hands. Everything around her suddenly felt distant, the sound drowned out by a rushing in her ears.
I’m late for a meeting, she heard Hades’ voice in her head.
Late for a liaison, she thought bitterly.
Gods, she’d been so stupid.
Had he been so angry with her he’d sought Leuce’s comfort? And so publicly, too. He must want to torture her. Months ago, he’d never allowed himself to be photographed, but suddenly, he was appearing on the front page of the Divine.
But she didn’t just feel betrayed by Hades.
She felt betrayed by Leuce. After everything she’d done to help the nymph, this was how she repaid her?
Persephone headed inside; the paper clutched in her fist. Helen looked up when she got off the elevator, and for the first time since she started at New Athens News, didn’t ask her if she was okay.
The goddess stowed her stuff, including the paper. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to keep it, maybe so she could shove it in Hades face when she saw him again. Maybe because she liked torture. She turned on her computer and made coffee, her mind whirling with so many emotions she couldn’t concentrate, and she felt like she was having hot flashes. One moment, she was angry, the next she could barely keep her tears at bay.
At some point, she moved onto trying to rationalize the situation.
Maybe it was all a misunderstanding.
She knew the media could deceive. One photo only told part of the story.
She pulled the paper out again and studied the picture. Hades and Leuce looked determined, their expressions were serious.
Because they knew they’d been caught, she thought.
What explanation would Hades give? Did she even want to hear it?
Her stomach was in knots, and the back of her throat felt swollen. She was going to vomit.
As she stood, there was a commotion up front, and Persephone looked in time to see Hades striding toward her. He appeared angry, purposeful, and he only had eyes for her.
“You need to leave,” she said immediately. He was causing a scene. Everyone on the workroom floor had stopped what they were doing to watch them.
“We need to talk,” he said.
His scent hit her hard, his presence harder. He was an executive of death, well dressed, handsome, and brooding.
“No.”
“So you believe it then? The article?”
“I thought you had a meeting,” she said.
“I did,” he said.
“And you conveniently left out the fact that it was with Leuce?”
“It wasn’t with Leuce, Persephone.”
“I don’t want to hear this right now. You need to leave,” she said, and stepped out from behind her desk. She started toward the elevator—she would escort him.
“When are we going to talk about this?” he asked.
“What is there to talk about? I have asked you to be honest with me about when you are with Leuce. You weren’t.”
She pressed the button to summon elevator.
“I came to you immediately after I saw Leuce home,” he said. “But I didn’t feel good about waking you. When I saw you yesterday, you looked exhausted.”
She twisted toward him, her eyes glistening. “I am exhausted, Hades. I’m tired of you and sick of your excuses,” she pointed to the elevator doors as they opened. “Leave.”
Hades glared at her, and without warning, snatched her about the waist and shoved her in the elevator. His magic flare, and she knew he was keeping anyone from entering or using the lift.
“Let me go, Hades!” she wiggled against him, and he pressed her harder into the wall. “You’re embarrassing me. Why did you have to do this now?”
“Because I knew you’d jump to conclusions.”
She glared up at him, but his expression was just as fierce.
“I’m not fucking Leuce.”
“There are other ways to cheat, Hades!” she pushed against his chest, but the god didn’t move. He was solid rock, an immovable, frustrating mountain.
“I’m not doing any of them!”
She stared at his chest and tried not to cry.
“Persephone,” Hades said her name and she closed her eyes against the desperation in his voice. “Persephone, please.”
“Let me go, Hades.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“If you won’t listen now, will you let me explain later?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Please, Persephone. Give me the chance to explain.”
“I’ll let you know,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“Persephone,” he reached to brush her cheek, and she retreated from his touch, still not looking at him, which meant she didn’t see the expression on his face before he vanished.
When he was gone, the elevator doors opened, and Persephone found the whole newsroom gathered in front of the doors.
“What the fuck are you all staring at?” she snapped.
“Persephone,” Demetri was at the front of the group and jerked his thumb toward his office. “A moment.”
Grudgingly, she obeyed his direction and followed him. Once the door was closed, her boss took a seat beside her instead of behind his desk.
“You don’t have to tell me what’s really going on,” he said. “But you cannot act this way at work.”
“What way?”
“The elevator, the profanity,” he said.
“The elevator wasn’t my fault—”
She didn’t even want to imagine what people thought about the elevator. It was the dining room all over again.
Demetri held up his hand. “Look, I saw the Divine this morning. I know you’re going through some stuff. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”
“No, I’m fine. I need the distraction,” she said.
“No, Persephone. You need to deal with your problems. Seriously. Leave.”