by Amy Sumida
I grimaced as I swiveled my stare to Apollo. “He's right. Poseidon hates the land.”
“Yeah, I know he's right,” Apollo grumbled. “But I have a horrible feeling about this. You should have seen his face. This doesn't feel like a joke.”
“But why would Poseidon want to conquer the world?” Hades asked again. “It makes no sense. My brother is not the kind of man who starts revolutions. If anyone would try to bring back the Golden Age, it would be Zeus, not Poseidon.”
“And Zeus hasn't left Olympus in years,” Cerberus muttered.
“Have a drink, Apollo.” Hades patted the other man's shoulder. “Have a nymph or two. Have their queen. Then go talk to your sister. I'll bet that Artemis will tell you the same thing.”
“Maybe you're right.” Apollo sighed. “Poseidon's probably laughing at me right now.”
“If I may?” Darc interjected.
We all looked over at my husband.
“If Poseidon were going to attempt to rule the Beneath, why would he tell you about it, Apollo?”
Apollo bristled.
Darc held up a placating hand. “That wasn't meant to be insulting. It's an honest question. Can you think of a reason that Poseidon would come to you with this?”
“I'll give you the reason he gave me,” Apollo said grimly. “He asked me to help him.”
“Poseidon wants your help?” Cerberus chortled.
“Hey, I have sun magic, puppy!” Apollo growled. “It's no laughing matter.”
“No, it's not,” I agreed with a quelling look at Cerberus. “We all know how powerful fire can be.”
Cerberus sobered.
“Apollo, we'll keep an eye on Earth,” I said to him as I waved a hand at my men. “Banning is the Blooder Prince, and his people have the best intelligence network in the Beneath. I'll also warn the Sirens and Spellsingers. I'll warn everyone in the Beneath who I can. If Poseidon is serious, we'll find out soon enough, and we'll be as prepared as we can be.”
“You'll contact me if you hear anything?” Apollo asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you, Elaria.” Apollo hugged me. “I'll be on my island. I want to keep an eye on Earth too.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
We emerged from the lounge to find Daphne bent over the high table as Lucifer slammed into her. The party had gotten even wilder while we were talking. Angels flew above the assemblage, exuberantly partaking of nymph charms. One pair of angels shared a woman between them, holding her aloft by shoulders and hips as they pushed her back and forth. She looked as if she were in heaven.
On the ground, the musicians had given up and joined in. The space between the tables was now one writhing carpet of bodies. The scent of sex hung in the air, thick enough to taste, and a symphony of moans, slaps, shouts, and screams burned my ears. People were getting creative; they were in positions I'd never seen before. One woman was in a handstand with her legs splayed out while three men drove themselves down into her; two in one hole and one in the other. Another nymph laid on a rolling cart—one of those that had been used to deliver the food—face-down with her head hanging off one side and her legs off the other. A male nymph was pushing her around, mostly using the motion of his thrusts to move her, while she opened her mouth for any man—and a few women—who took her up on the offer. There was laughter and ribald comments speckled within the other sounds and despite the raunchy atmosphere, it felt lighthearted.
“You were right,” Declan announced. “This is worse than a Shining One court.”
“Thank you.” I nodded primly.
“I'm so fucking hard right now,” he added.
“Declan.” I chuckled and shook my head.
“As if I could watch that and not get turned on.” Declan waved a hand toward the buffet of female nymphs laid out on a table to our right.
Nymphs and Angels feasted on the fare, using phallic food to penetrate the women as they licked and sucked every inch of their bodies. Then the food was replaced with flesh and the food got nibbled on like a snack to go with their activity, all while the nymph ladies kissed and fondled each other.
“Fair enough,” Slate ground out before swallowing roughly.
“Can we go home now, little bird?” Torin asked in a strained voice.
“Sure. Let me just say goodbye to our hostess.” I looked over at Daphne with trepidation.
On my way over to the Nymph Queen, I heard Persephone's giggle come from beneath the high table, and Hades answering low rumble. That was fast. I guess the visuals had affected the King of Styx too. I shook my head and kept walking. At least they weren't on display... like Lucifer and Daphne.
“Daphne,” Apollo called out before I reached them. “Hurry up, babe, I'm waiting on you.”
“Nearly... there! There! There!” Daphne screamed and kept screaming as Lucifer groaned and bent over her. “Ah, lovely,” she declared as she slipped out from beneath him. “Enjoy the party, Your Majesty.” She tapped Lucifer on his bare ass as she headed toward Apollo. “Where would you like it, darling?”
“I think I'd we could start in your—”
“Hold on, please,” I interrupted. “I just need to say goodbye to Daphne.”
“Of course.” Apollo waved me forward.
“You're leaving?” Daphne pouted.
“My men and I are faithful to each other and we're not into exhibitionism. Your party has become a little too stressful for us,” I admitted. “We're heading home to relieve the pressure.”
“Ah, of course!” She giggled and gave me a hug.
I tried not to cringe away from her naked, sweaty boobs. “Thank you for having us.”
“Oh, sweetheart, if I had truly had you, you wouldn't be leaving,” she purred and winked at me before she went back to Apollo.
“She's right, you know?” Apollo added with a resigned look. “Trust me, don't get started or you'll never be free. I've been trying to escape her for years.”
“Such a charmer.” Daphne pushed playfully at Apollo's shoulder. “Now, baby, shall I stick my tongue in your—”
“I'm leaving now!” I ran for the safety of my men.
Chapter Fifty-Four
I woke up in a tangled heap. With a contented sigh, I stretched languorously, sliding my body over my naked-men-blanket. The nymph party had inspired some of the wildest sexual maneuverings I'd ever experienced and it had taken hours to satisfy all of us. I was pleasantly achy but nothing a hot shower couldn't take care of. I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
A good half an hour later (my shower had turned into a bath) I emerged to find Slate dressed and waiting for me.
“Where did you bathe?” I asked as I waved at his damp hair.
“In my tower.” He jerked his head back over his shoulder. “I've left the others a note. I'd like you to come to the Zone with me.”
“You want me to just take off?” I looked at the other men in concern.
“I need to show you something, Elaria.” Slate cleared his throat. “It's important.”
“Oh,” I whispered and blinked. “Okay.”
Slate took my hand and used it to pull me against his chest. He smiled softly down at me and took us through the Veil to his zone. All Beneather Zones are safe places, guarded by Gargoyles. You can't just pop in. Unless you're the Zone Lord, that is. The ward recognized its master, and let us through.
I looked around in surprise. Instead of taking us to his apartments in the arena compound, Slate had brought us to the end of the zone, opposite the side where the god, Gargo was entombed. I stood staring down a quiet street, just starting to come awake with the fake dawn of brightening cave lights above us. The lights had been made to mimic both sunshine and moonlight and they followed a set schedule. On a rainy day, it was brighter down there than it was in the world above.
“We started construction here several months ago. I had intended to build a new neighborhood of luxury homes but then we found the crystals, and I had another idea.
” Slate turned me around to face the cave wall or rather, what used to be the cave wall.
I gawked at a fantasy palace. A sweeping staircase swept up from the zone floor, wrapping across the front of the structure and over to the right where a grand entrance was defined by massive crystal shards. Crystals were everywhere; along the base of the palace, within the walls, and set as points on the tops of towers. An oval tower, bracketed by the largest quartz formations I'd ever seen, crowned the central keep. In addition to the clear quartz, there were also amethyst shards, sparkling slabs of geodes, and blushing rose quartz.
I stepped forward in a daze, staring up at the intricate architecture that seamlessly worked around the natural crystal formations. As the faux sunlight intensified in the chamber, the crystals came to life, sending rainbows across the stone floor. The whole palace sparkled, even the pieces that weren't crystal were embedded with glittering minerals and had been carved in graceful patterns to show them to their best advantage.
“What is this?” I whispered.
“It's our new home.” Slate stared at me warily. “If you want it.”
“If I want it?” I burst into laughter. “This is a dream palace. This is amazing. This is—”
“Ours,” he cut me off with a gentle smile. “I didn't want you to stay in that dismal apartment with me anymore, the violent shouts of the arena filtering in at night. I've been meaning to get us a place within the zone but then we found the crystals, and I knew I had to build us a home. Something special.”
“This is beyond special, Slate.” I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him thoroughly. As we eased away from each other, something occurred to me. “Is this why you hurried off that day?”
“What day?”
“The day Cerberus brought Kasteo to Kyanite. You rushed out of bed looking distracted. I was worried that I'd done something wrong.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “Yes, it was because of this. I'd forgotten that I had a meeting with one of the interior decorators.”
“You had it decorated too?”
“As if I'd hand you an empty house,” Slate huffed as he took my arm and led me to the stairs.
“This isn't a house, it's a palace. A crystal palace like She-Ra had.”
“Who is She-Ra?” He frowned at me.
“Do you know who He-Man is?” I countered.
“Yes.”
“She-Ra is the female version of him. She had a pegasus and a crystal palace. She was the Princess of Power.” I grinned at him. “My Aunt Adelaid brought me some She-Ra toys when I was a little girl. She wanted me to have something to aspire to.”
“You've surpassed all expectations, Queen Elaria, so I'd say you're long overdue for a crystal palace.”
“I do have Kyanite,” I reminded him.
Slate grimaced.
“But it isn't a true crystal palace,” I amended. “This place sparkles.”
“And that's good?” He lifted a brow at me.
“Oh, yes,” I murmured as I craned my neck to look at the crystal arch as we stepped through the main doors. “Sparkles are very good.”
Inside, the gray stone walls were polished to a glossy shine, making the minerals and crystals inside them glow. Light filtered in from numerous windows and reflected off the shiny surfaces to fill the space. If I hadn't known where I was, I would never have guessed that I was underground.
Slate led me through a grand foyer with a massive rose quartz formation in its center. Tapestries hung on the walls, featuring gardens full of pink flowers that complimented the quartz. The foyer led to a rotunda with hallways branching off it and a staircase curving along the wall up to the vaulted ceiling.
“There's a ballroom, a dining room, a kitchen, a library, a music room, and numerous guest rooms all on the lower level,” Slate waved his hands toward the hallways as he steered me toward the stairs. “But our bedroom suite is up here.”
“I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it.” I beamed at him.
“Me too,” he admitted and kissed my cheek. “This has taken months to build with teams working around the clock.”
“Why the rush?”
“I couldn't wait to see you look at me like that.”
I stopped on the stairs and hugged him. Slate's arms pressed me tightly against his broad chest as his head tucked over mine protectively. I felt safe and loved; two things a person should feel in their home.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too. Now, stop dawdling.” He took my hand and urged me up the stairs.
A landing lined with amethyst points nearly as tall as I am greeted us. Beyond the guardian crystals, a pair of golden doors waited. Slate pushed them open, and I stepped through slowly, taking my time to soak it all in. The room was oval—it had to be, we were in the central tower—but the curving ends had been walled off. A door was set in each wall. I didn't have time to wonder about where they led though, I was too distracted by the rest of the room.
Soft gray carpet coated the floor and blue silk draped the windows at the opposite end from me. A pair of doors sat between the windows with a crystal balcony stretching out beyond them. Deep sapphire wallpaper in geometric designs covered the stone walls, echoing the shapes of the room's focal point; an enormous quartz formation carved into a bed. The mattress nestled among the giant shards with a collection of larger ones forming a headboard, a shorter set for foot, and a polished rim at the sides to connect the two.
I went straight to the bed and plopped down on the springy mattress. With a delighted laugh, I fell back and stared up at the domed ceiling. Panels of polished crystal were set into the dome, luring in the faux sunlight. I closed my eyes and sighed, wondering if I should pinch myself. Then I felt Slate sit down beside me, and I turned to look at him.
“I love it!” I declared.
“You haven't seen everything yet.” Slate pulled on my hand. “Come on.”
I stood and followed him to the balcony. The railing was formed of different types of quartz but the best part of it was the view of the Zone. We were set back enough from the other buildings to have some privacy and quiet, but we could still appreciate the stretch of eccentric architecture and landscaping before us. We were placed so that we could see straight down the street, all the way to the arena.
“I'm having a garden planted just below us.” Slate gestured down to where chalk outlines showed the garden plan.
“That will be beautiful.”
“And...”—he escorted me back inside—“we have separate closets.” He opened the door on the right and showed me into mine. “I know you like a vanity so I carved one for you myself.”
“You made this?” I hurried past wooden cabinets with glass doors and golden rods and stepped up to the lavender vanity.
“I carved it from the stone foundation.” Slate nodded. “So, if you want to move it, I'll have to slice the base.”
“Don't you dare!” I exclaimed as I sat on the padded stool before it.
The base of the vanity was completely smooth with drawers down each side and a wide top. The back of the tabletop had points of amethyst shooting up around a tri-fold mirror. I tested out the side panels of the mirror, angling them in until they were perfect. Delicate glass bottles of perfume sat before it, reflecting into infinity. I trailed my fingertips over their tops.
“I installed a light too.” Slate flicked a switch on the side of the vanity and light streamed up the shards.
“This is amazing.” I turned toward him on my seat. “I'm so in awe of you right now.”
“As you should be,” he teased me. “But there's more.”
“More?” I gaped at the lavish room. “You know, this closet is bigger than the apartment I shared with Cerberus in the Bazaar.”
“Really?” Slate gave me a pleased grin as he helped me to my feet and escorted me out of the closet.
“Really,” I confirmed with a look back at it. “And much prettier.”
We headed toward the back wal
l. The bedroom entrance was to our left, nestled in a corner. Another door stood open in the center of the wall and a final one in the right corner. Slate took me through the center one.
“The bathroom.” He waved his hand at a luxurious room with an oval tub set against the wall and separate counters with sinks, one for each of us.
I was about to head in and check it out, but Slate turned me around and took me back out the door.
