Hades’ gaze moved to Demeter’s eyes. “Give you both?” he repeated.
The scent of gardenias filled the air and Aphrodite walked through the door, her long blond hair trailing around her. She was holding a golden arrow and she held it out to him. Only a single letter was inscribed on it, ‘A’. She moved closer to him, brushing her lips against each of his cheeks, before pulling back with a beaming smile.
“I told you she loved you,” purred Aphrodite.
“You said many things that night,” he replied stonily. “Whose life do you intend to ruin now?” he asked, indicating the arrow.
Aphrodite’s wide blue eyes widened in excitement and her smile grew positively beatific. “In my entire existence, there is one man I have never been able to hit with a love arrow. Only one man who can dodge my bow, the only man I have ever loved.” She pouted suddenly. “It has been quite distressing as you can imagine.”
“Touching,” he drawled. “And why am I being regaled with this story?”
“Ares. And you will help me,” she said, simply. “I love him, but his hatred for you makes him infatuated with having your wife. And pretty though she is, she cannot hope to compete with me. No offense.” It was unclear if she was apologizing to Hades or Demeter. “But,” she continued, with an airy wave of her hand, “if you plunge this arrow into his heart, it will eliminate both our problems."
Hades gave a snort of disgust. “I have seen how your love arrows work, Aphrodite. You could as soon drive him mad as to love you. The world should not be afflicted with a love-sick Ares. Besides, Persephone is safely within the Underworld. I have no need to assist in your love affairs. I owe you nothing.”
Her smile caused a shiver to travel down him. She moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his ear. "Oh, but Aidoneus, you never found Ares, did you? Where do you think he went?”
A quick intake of breath passed Hades’ lips and Demeter gasped, “Aphrodite, what have you done?”
“I told you, Hades,” she replied, her face devoid of all deception, “it doesn’t matter how we get what we want, as long as we get it.”
Hades mind flashed to the memory of the dark figure from Persephone’s vision. He had assumed he was seeing himself -- but it hadn’t been. It was Ares. Ares had been watching her, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to take her and he had provided it. She was alone in the Underworld with not even Cerberus to protect her. He spun out of the room and he heard Demeter calling his name, but he did not turn around. He ran to his horse and charged through the snow like a demon, tearing over the Earth as he raced back to the Underworld. He waved his hands, opening the gates, jumping off of Orphaneus even as the horse still galloped. Hades bounded towards the castle, running through the halls. He pushed into her room, crying her name, and then stopped. There was crimson staining the sheets, pools of it dripping to the floor. A message on the wall was written in blood, her blood: “Her life or yours.” A small noise drew his attention and he saw the tiny fawn huddled, shivering in a corner. With gentle hands he lifted Olive.
“It is alright little one. He cannot harm you anymore. I will find her.” He set the deer on the chaise before the fire, and then with icy determination in his veins, made his way back to Orphaneus. “Up again, Orphaneus.”
By the time he returned to Demeter’s temple, Aphrodite was waiting on the bed with Demeter.
“Where is she!” he bellowed. He grasped her from the bed, shaking her so hard he heard her neck snap, but she merely pushed it firmly back in place with an annoyed look.
Aphrodite flicked her wrist, lifting a golden arrow between her and the King. "You know how to find him. He has brought her to his temple. I need you to plunge this into Ares' heart at close range. He is impossible to hit from a distance. You must be sure to pierce his heart with it.”
Hades roughly pushed her from him and she tumbled to the ground. "I will kill your lover and rip his soul into shards,” he growled, his eyes flaming purple. “And then I will come for you.”
Venus crawled onto her knees before him, no trace of sensuality in her face. There were tears in her eyes as she clawed desperately at his robes.
“Please,” she cried. “Please, I love him. Help me,” she begged. “Help me. You know how weak love can make you,” she whispered, “you know better than anyone. I am tormented by the thought of him.”
“Your lover is a rapist! A murderer who delights in tormenting the innocent,” he spat. “This is who inspires love in you? I should do the world a favor and rid it of both of you.”
She stood up unsteadily from the ground, leaning against the wall, darkness flickering in her eyes. “You know the burden of destroying a soul. I have seen you hesitate before taking a life. It is what makes you strong… and weak. What will Zeus do to you if you kill his son? You think he will let you keep your wife?” She bent over and whispered in his ear, so Demeter could not hear. “Besides, he has his father’s sword. The golden blade.”
Hades turned pale. “That is impossible!” he whispered. “He cannot pull that sword, only the sons of Cronus… how?”
Aphrodite shook her head, shrugging. “ I do not know. Perhaps Zeus lent it to him. Maybe Ares is tired of you stealing his soldiers, or maybe Zeus wants to grow his kingdom by eliminating death. Either way; they are tired of you. He now has the golden sword and the wife of the man he hates - that is indeed a dangerous combination.”
Demeter had remained silent until now, but she rose from the bed quivering with rage as she approached Aphrodite. “How dare you use my daughter,” she cried furiously. “When you visited me, driving words of despair and loneliness into my mind, was it to guilt me so that I would be filled with regret? You told me that Hades had gone mad, that he had trapped Persephone, that she was little more than a prisoner! You lied to me so that I would be so overcome with remorse that I drove a perpetual winter through all the land; so that Hades would have to leave Persephone to seek me, leaving her alone to be abducted by your depraved and vicious lover?”
Aphrodite threw up her hands, watching Demeter out of wary blue eyes. “Oh please, Demeter, you wanted her down there. Do not blame me that you have frozen the earth with your regret and loneliness. Easily led minds get what they deserve,” she replied with a smirk. “Zeus now demands Hades send his precious daughter back -- so everyone wins except the God of the Dead. You played Hades just as much as I did.”
The words were like a knife in his heart. “You want me to risk my life and kingdom and think I will send my wife back? Was it you, Venus, who whispered Persephone’s names to the dying mortals, placing blame at her feet?” Her eyes gave him the answer he needed, and he leaned down to pick up his helmet, then walked out of the temple and looking towards the snow-covered cliffs that Ares’ temple resided on.
Venus followed him, her laughter drifting on the wind. “You hold no cards in this game, Aidoneus. You will fight for her because she is the only thing in this entire Universe to ever truly love you. Your father did not love you; your mother did not love you; your brothers do not love you. You cannot live without knowing she is alive. Love makes even the strongest God weak. You will die for her if necessary, but more importantly, you will let her separate from you so that she may survive. And is that not the ultimate sacrifice?”
He turned around to face her, his expression cold and unreadable. "What do you know of sacrifice? You know nothing but the pleasure between your own legs. Hermes!" he bellowed suddenly.
With the call of his name Hermes appeared with a flash on the winds, jumping out of a swirling current to bow before him. “Hades,” he murmured. He eyed Aphrodite’s breasts and then forced his gaze back to the dark God. “You bellowed for me?”
“Hermes, I want you to bear witness. If something should happen to me, my kingdom and all of the realms will be passed on to my wife. Everything goes to her and her alone. No Olympian shall ever have my kingdom. Do you understand?”
Hermes gave a slight nod of the head, unsurprised by H
ades’ bequest. “Everything goes to your wife. Got it.” He snapped his fingers and then opened his hands, a contract held between them. The letters shined on the golden parchment. Hermes produced a quill and Hades signed the form quickly. She will destroy you the Fates had warned. He found he no longer cared. For a moment, just for the briefest moment, they had been happy. It was enough. It was more than he deserved, and he was ready to die if necessary. If he was killed by the God’s Sword, his soul would also be destroyed and there would be no life after death. But there were worse things than dying; he had seen them, he had lived them.
“Shall I stay?” Hermes inquired, carefully tucking the parchment into his robes. “I can lead you up Ares’ mountain.”
Hades nodded, unsurprised that Hermes knew his business. He turned back to face Aphrodite. He took the arrow from Aphrodite’s small hand, holding it between his own. “A?” He looked up at Venus. “For Ares or Aphrodite?”
Venus placed her hands over the “A” inscribed on the cool metal.“For us both,” she replied softly.
“You expect me to pierce a War God’s heart with an arrow at close range, while he is swinging at me with a ‘God Killing’ sword? You do realize there is every chance I will not succeed and we will both lose. I with my life and you, your love.”
Aphrodite did not flinch. “You will not fail. You were a warrior in the Titan Wars.” She lifted her hand clenching her fist. “Harness that power again.”
“You speak of war as if you understand it,” he replied with a sneer. “Surviving is mostly luck.”
“What is love if not war?” Aphrodite asked, her voice so soft Hades was not sure if the words were spoken or whispered in his mind.
He felt a hand on his back and he turned to look into Demeter’s face, so much like Persephone’s, her large eyes sorrowful as she stared into his. “Hades, you do not have to do this. Take her away and then run back to the Underworld. Lock the gates. You do not have to fight. You owe these manipulating monsters nothing, you owe me nothing. You have sacrificed too much already. She will not survive losing you.” Her lips trembled as she looked up at him.
Once again the Fates echoed in his mind: You will want to stay but you will not. Zeus demanded her return. He took Demeter’s hand in his.
“Even with a decision to run Demeter, I may not survive. This will not end with my death or my survival. What will happen when Zeus’ men bring her back to you? Can you protect her from him, forever hidden in your temple? Will she be forced to be with him? Marry him? If she is to be taken from me, I want her to be safe. Venus is right. His heart needs to be turned away from her. There is one thing you can do for me.”
“Name it,” Demeter replied.
“See to my horse, make sure he does not freeze to death in this fucking winter.” Hades motioned to Hermes. “Take me to Ares. Let us end this.”
Chapter 26 - The Battle
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The two men stepped out into the snow, the blizzard seemed to have abated temporarily. Hermes put his hand on Hades’ shoulder.
“I wanted to marry her, you know,” he said with a wry grin.
Hades did not remove his gaze from the mountain tops, “I know.”
“Set her free, Hades, your union will only bring the both of you pain. There is too much between you to ever be happy. She belongs in Olympus with the rest of her kind. And you belong--”
“I think I have had enough advice for today, young messenger,” Hades replied with a snarl. “Take us to his temple.”
As they shot through the sky, hurtling towards the mountain above, Hades heard a whisper in his mind -- You will not be alone.
They reached the edge of Ares’ domain and Hermes turned to him, giving him a swift bow. His eyes were fathomless as he looked up at Hades and there may have been regret in their blue depths. “Here is where I leave you, Dispater. I wish you luck. You do not deserve the hand you have been dealt, but the cards are yours all the same.” He vanished as suddenly as he had appeared and Hades stood alone on the precipice. The stench of death was unmistakable. The mountains were made from the bodies of dead men, their corpses lining the ground, wrapping around the trees. Rain began to fall, as lightning crackled through the sky and the rivers ran swift, their waters swirling with blood. Soldiers lined the rugged mountaintops as Hades ascended the mountain, their swords drawn but no one touched him. He knew why they waited. Their God dictated their orders and Ares would want to watch. He finally reached the peak and there Ares stood on the furthest ledge, holding the glowing golden blade of the “God Killer” against Persephone’s throat, the crimson jewels of the pomegranate necklace shining around her neck. Hades stepped forward, his eyes moving over her battered form.
“Ares,” he called in a calm voice, “let her go.”
The grip Ares had in her hair tightened and the blade edged closer to her flesh. With his opposite hand, he dug his fingers into her neck, and a small rivulet of blood ran down her throat. Hades wanted to cry out but any reaction would merely fuel Ares’ bloodlust. Persephone must know it too, for she did not make a sound as he moved the blade to graze over her throat, merely keeping her eyes fixed on his. She was brave -- his wife.
“And why would I do that?” Ares contemptuously asked.
"I do not want to kill you," Hades said.
Ares laughed, the sound tainted with madness. “Do you not see what I hold in my hand? I will not die today.”
Hades kept his gaze focused on the small drop of blood that travelled down Persephone’s chest. Hades said, “Zeus has ordered Persephone to be given back to her mother. I am complying with that. This fight is only between the two of us. Our marriage will be dissolved.” He could see the stricken expression on her face even at a distance and he knew Ares saw it too. “Let me say goodbye to her. Whether I live or die, this is the last time I will see her.”
Ares smiled. “Oh no, that is too easy, corpse whisperer. Swear an oath on your precious Styx that you will fight me and I will let you say goodbye. You can die by my blade or die from breaking your oath. Either way, I do not care as long as I can be there to listen to your last breath.”
Hades bent, placing his helmet on the ground. He lifted his hand in the air and again the blue flamed sword he had wielded in the Underworld appeared. He grasped it, using the edge to slice his palm and he raised his right hand, a silver goblet appearing in his outstretched palm. "By my blood I swear, on my mother’s grave and on the River Styx. If you let me say goodbye, I will fight you.” He drank deeply from the cup as the blood trickled down his arm seeping into the ground.
Ares’ laughter filled the air as he pushed Persephone towards Hades. “Here,” he called, “take the little bitch. I am not sure I want your seconds anyway.”
Persephone fell down the hill roughly, but Hades caught her before she could land at his feet. He picked her up against him and she clung to him desperately, her eyes welling with tears. He brushed his fingers against a bruise swelling on her cheek.
“Why did you do that?” she whispered frantically. “You cannot fight him. You heard what he said, he has the God Killing sword. He will kill you.” She pulled at him, her hands urgent. “We can hide in the Underworld, we can leave. He cannot fight both of us.”
Ares was calling out orders behind them and Hades watched as the troops lifted their bows and Ares was shifting his feet restlessly as he readied for battle. “Oh, Persephone,” he whispered. “How I have loved you. Remember that." He bent forward, pressing his lips against hers briefly, and then he placed the helmet of invisibility on her head and pushed her away. “Run,” he said softly to the empty space beside him.
A scream of denial filled the air, shaking the mountain. The sky rained arrows and Hades twisted his hand. A legion of troops collapsed on the ground, falling like puppets over the hillside. He pulled the blue-flamed sword again from the air, and Hades flew up the mountain, using the wind as his shield to repel any arrow that came towards him. He climbed up the bodies of the dead
soldiers, relentlessly cutting down any man that came into his path, his eyes fixed on the mad God who stood laughing as his own soldiers fell on the mountainside. When Hades reached the top, he leapt into the air, arcing his blade towards Ares, even as the War God lifted his own; as the swords struck, a flash of yellow-green light illuminated the heavens and the Earth reverberated with the force. The two Gods weaved in and out of the shadows, each swing causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet. Lightning twisted around them as Hades jumped and Ares quickly shielded himself with the body of a decaying soldier. For a moment, Hades’ blade stuck in the ribs of the corpse, but then he used the body to knock Ares to the ground, the momentum freeing his sword so that the was able to slice Ares arm with the edge. Quickly he removed the arrow from his robes attempting to stab Ares in the heart, but his armor was too Impenetrable.
Ares laughed up at him. "You are trying to put a love spell on me? If you wanted to fuck me, Hades, all you had to do was ask.”
Hades realized he would have to rip the armor off if he wanted to penetrate the War God’s body. He was pulled back suddenly. Soldiers were jumping down from the cliffs surrounding them, hundreds making their way towards them, some of them dying from the fall. Hades twisted his hand and the crunch of a hundred necks breaking simultaneously filled the night air. “You needlessly sacrifice your soldiers,” Hades roared. “This fight is between you and I. No one else.”
Ares stood then, brushing the decaying entrails of the corpse carelessly from his body. “It matters not how many die before I kill you. All that matters is that you die.”
Persephone watched from the ground. She had realized she was invisible when she looked down and she could no longer see her hands. It was confirmed when the soldiers ran past her without even a glance. Briefly fingering the golden chain around her neck, she stood and silently began to move closer to Hades. Lifting her hands into the air, she wove thick, poisonous vines up and around Ares' legs, the thorns digging painfully into his skin.
Hades And Persephone: Curse Of The Golden Arrow Page 31
