Hades: Modern Descendants

by elda lore

  Pushing back to release me, Tripper didn’t let me pass without a nick to the back of my hand. I quickly hid it behind my back. Red wasn’t going to be the color bleeding forth, but I didn’t need to remind Tripper of what he already knew. I wasn’t mortal like him, and Persephone could never live a life with me.

  --

  Two nights later, we drove to a secluded area up on a hill. The heat dissipated each night, dipping lower as fall crept closer. We parked near a copse of bushes and Persephone pointed out the drooping flower.

  “Evening primrose,” she explained. “It blooms in the night. You gave the girl one at the fair.” She waved a hand in front of the bush, and the flowers snapped to life. Opening up, the yellow illuminated in the darkness, like tiny dull light bulbs thirsting for sun. She proceeded to clip several flowers from the bush, intricately weaving them together, while I spread a blanket and lit a small lantern. She questioned an unknown gift, and I smiled to myself, knowing what her future held. When she finished, she presented me with a yellow crown and placed it on my head. I’m sure I looked ridiculous.

  “I crown you King of…” The Underworld lingered behind her teeth. “…romance.”

  “Romance?” I laughed. “How am I romantic?”

  “Shakespeare. Butterfly bracelets. Kisses.” She leaned toward me and we fell back onto the blanket. Looking up at the sky, filled with stars, I pointed out constellations I recognized. Contained in a world of darkness, I learned the meaning behind the light, and Persephone listened intently as I drew circles in the air highlighting the collections. The moon was missing at the moment and the stars were pinpricks of delight.

  “Tell me more about Solis, your cousin.”

  “What’s to tell? He’s sunlight, while I’m night.”

  “He helped you come here. That seems rather…noble.”

  “Don’t let the kindness fool you. He’s a bastard. In some sense, all my cousins are. Born of different mothers to their fathers. My father and his foolish brothers.” I shook my head. Lust drove the original generation. As their descendants, we could only hope to learn from their mistakes. Solis wasn’t so fortunate. He was a major player, like his father.

  “But you love him, like a brother, right?”

  “I guess so. I’m not sure I understand the concept of love like that. He’s the closest thing I have to a friend and he’s family.”

  She twisted to lay on her side and stared at me.

  “I’m your friend. I want to be your family. You love me, right?”

  I rotated toward her. The crown falling off my head, I reached for it and placed it awkwardly on her blonde hair.

  “You are my queen. You always will be. And yes, what I feel for you I can only labelled as love. An emotion I’ve never felt before. It’s new and consumes me. It’s refreshing, alive, and those are all words I would use to describe you.”

  “Hades,” she sighed, but my mouth covered hers. I rolled her to her back and blanketed her with my body. Kissing her was music to my lips. Each nip, each suck, each stroke was a lyric to my heart and my body beat a response. Our tongues increased the pleasure and our mouths lost control. Slowly, clothing was removed until we lay naked and bare to the heavens above.

  “Gods forgive me,” I sighed as I slid between her thighs and entered her. We cried out together at the glory of our reunion and a new song took place between us. A breeze rustled and our bodies swayed as the heat between us grew. She was my flame; I the moth, and I burned each time I drew near her. But I loved how she glowed. How her eyes rolled back and her mouth fell open in pleasure. How her breath caught and her sighs filled my ears.

  “I’m floating,” she whispered as she came soft but hard. She’d tried to explain it to me once. There was a difference. Sometimes, it fluttered and she took flight with the release. Other times, she drowned slowly and drifted in waves rolling softly between her thighs. Either way, I followed her lead and stilled as my seed filled her. I refused the panic that gnawed at me, selfishly giving into my desire. I worshipped my queen. The crown still graced her head. The scent of warm bodies fragranced the air around us and the night sounds returned like a symphony, but my senses were filled with Persephone.

  Hades Emporium

  [Persephone]

  August is often considered the dog days of summer. I assume it’s for the laziness and the patience needed for those final crops. The date rolled to mid-August and I noticed, not for the first time, that Hades magic timepiece tattoo crossed thirty-one and continued to move forward with the second hand. He attributed the change to his new form, but something passed in his eyes when I mentioned it. As if he knew the truth, but didn’t want to share it with me. We didn’t have many secrets, but of his mythical world, I didn’t pry when he didn’t offer explanation.

  I needed to return to college. My hiatus last year excused due to my disappearance, my mother insisted I continue to my studies. I decided to shift majors to horticulture. I wanted to better understand flowers and plants from a more aesthetic view than productivity. Veva planned to attend Central State in California. Zeke would travel with her, as he owned his own plantations in the Central Valley. He gave up the summer season there to be here in Nebraska, which I never understood. He teased: I miss the heat of my girls. Between Hera, Veva, my mother and myself, we were a matronly haven, but Zeke was at no loss for women. In fact, he had a few illegitimate children out there in the world, though I couldn’t keep up with his personal life.

  As a farewell parting, Veva decided to celebrate rather than be sorrowful. She wanted to get dressed up and venture to the forbidden city. We were twenty-two after all. We couldn’t be stopped from doing what we legally were allowed to do. Swanson drove the four of us west, and the bright lights reached out to us in the darkening night. The days shortened; only a month until the fall solstice. Hades didn’t like to discuss the upcoming change in season. He grew distant when I mentioned it. In fact, he’d been irritable the last few days and I couldn’t seem to shake his mood, despite my attempts to seduce him. He didn’t make love to me again after that one night under the stars, but his hands, and his lips, and his tongue pleased me often.

  Tonight, he appeared particularly edgy, though he falsely tried to temper his sharp attitude.

  “Look out city, here we come.” He whooped inside the truck and drank down the beer Swanson offered while we rode. A glimpse of Hades drinking too much one night flipped through my memory. I shook off the nagging thought when his arm wrapped over my shoulder.

  “I love you,” he slurred in my ear before kissing my neck. “You look sinful in this dress, Firefly.” Trying to replicate one of the white outfits he gave me in the underworld, I found a simple, strapless dress that emphasized any potential curves and cut short across my thighs. The textured material made a geometrical pattern over my shape and Hades poked a finger into one dip of fabric. Then he walked another finger to a second bunch in the dress. He teased me as he played dot-to-dot on the scrunching material and inched higher to an achy space at my core.

  His hand slipped under the hem and his eyes watched Swanson in the driver seat for a second before digging deeper. The prize was thinly-covered with a new lace thong I’d hoped to show him later. Scooting himself closer, and tugging me tighter to his side, he muttered into my neck as his finger traced the lacy fabric.

  “What a tempting surprise I touch, my sweet?” In his eerie tone, the endearment seemed wrong, but when his finger dove beneath the thin strip, I lost my thoughts.

  “No one else will ever touch you like this,” he muttered into my neck. Naughty and risky, he fondled me in the backseat, and lusty desire took over. The release quietly escaped while his mouth captured mine to silence my scream. He withdrew hastily when I finished.

  “Maybe you two need a room at The Emporium?” Swanson scoffed, looking back at me through the rearview mirror. Hades choked and I turned forty shades of pink, embarrassed he knew what Hades had just done. Hades reached over the cooler at his feet,
removed another beer, and drank heartily. Once we parked, and exited the truck, Hades tugged me to face him.

  “I love you,” he said before crashing his lips over mine. Harsh and aggressive, the kiss marked me, as if he wished to sear me like we brand our cattle. So I would not forget I was his. He released me quickly and I stumbled back, dazed and lightheaded. The kiss tasted wrong, although I recognized his mouth. His arm wrapped around my back and he nudged me to step forward.

  The inside of Hades’ Emporium was as I remembered despite being on the other side. The difference was the noise. The ping of metal hitting metal and the scrape of levers pulled filled the darkly lit interior. Every machine blinged and blipped, and mesmerized people sat with drink in one hand and smokes in the other, transfixed by the spinning, flipping, swirling luck of the draw. We headed straight for a blackjack table, where Hades sat and played a hand, winning instantly. I didn’t know where he got the stack of cash he produced from his pocket, nor did I understand how he quickly won at cards I’d never seen him play. Strange habits crept out of him with the nearness of his home, and my body shivered with a cold sweat. His world existed on the other side of the reflecting mirrors. My eyes drew to the gold-plated glass, reflecting back the bright drippings of backlit gambling machines and I wondered who stood on the other side. Did someone look out and recognize me?

  With his newly inherited cash, Hades treated us to dinner on another level and I remembered the gluttonous behavior of creatures during New Year’s Eve. Hades swallowed his fourth drink, and despite his laughter, I failed at finding joy in the evening.

  “Hades seems to be enjoying himself.” Veva leaned over to me while we awaited dessert. Her voice concerned while her hand rested on my forearm.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” I lied, realization slowly dawning that the place drew out of him who he was inside. Thoughts of the library and Shakespeare; the bracelet at my wrist and moonlight dances under a winter sky flipped through my mind like snapshots sprinkled across the floor. I didn’t recognize the version of Hades across from me at the table.

  “It’s good to see him loosen up. He seems so serious all the time and too attached to you. He looks at you like he lives and breathes you. Even if a bit sexy, it’s frightening.” Veva laughed, but the nervous undertone proved she thought it strange.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea we’re here,” I muttered back. “I think the place reminds him…of his past.”

  Veva’s brow pinched with concern and she turned to face Hades. Her expression softened, but when dessert arrived she made no mention of leaving. Pomegranate ice cream, neatly rounded, sat in a dish before me. My head shot up to Hades, whose lip tweaked on one side. His eyes focused on mine over the rim of another glass of wine.

  “Is this a joke?” I snapped. My patience with his behavior ran short.

  “Compliments of the chef.” He winked. To piss him off, I took a deep scoop, slowly slipping the spoon between my lips. The cool silver lingered inside my mouth and I closed my eyes. With my free hand I gripped the table edge and moaned in pleasure at the invasion of flavor behind my lips. I dragged the utensil in reverse, letting my tongue lap exaggeratedly across the curved edge. My lips closed over the tip and I sucked the last drop of the cold treat. Adding a flare of dramatics, I licked my lips and stared at Hades.

  “Fuck,” Swanson muttered under his breath. Hades eyes hadn’t left my face. Almost midnight black, the hunger in them approved of my action. He wanted to devour me, and I feared he’d clear the table and spread me wide on it despite the patrons. His long fingers clasped one corner of the table and slowly tapped the white linen. The motion reminded me of what those fingers could do to me, did do to me, in the truck, and the punishment was suddenly mine.

  “I think we should go upstairs and dance,” he suggested, his voice returning to water over river rocks.

  “Let’s see the shops first,” Veva countered, and Hades turned to her as if he had forgotten we had two friends at the table.

  “Yes, I want to buy my Firefly a present.” Hades stood and Veva looked over at me as we stood to exit the restaurant.

  “That medallion is a firefly. Is that from you?” Her shoulder bumped mine while we walked behind the men. “He has a little pet name for you. So cute,” she mocked. “Who knew you were so romantic?”

  Entering the first floor above the main lobby, the shops bustled with life I hadn’t previously witnessed. As Hades only brought me here after hours, I had not experienced the energy of eager purchasers; those ready to spend what they recently won. Hades steered us into a jewelry shop and he stopped before the case of rings. We’d been here before. He wanted to give me gold and jewels, but I had refused.

  “We’d like to see that one.” He pointed through the case. His finger directed my attention to the ring I’d admired months ago. On a pillow of white, a circle of intricate flowers graced the band.

  “This one is called, A Crown of Flowers.” The gentle green eyes of the saleswoman smiled at me and I took the ring from her outstretched fingers. Slipping it on, I stared as the cut silver glistened like tiny chips of diamond.

  “My queen,” Hades whispered to me. “We’ll take it.” His tone shifted and he slapped money down on the glass counter.

  “Would you like me to box it up for you?” The woman sweetly asked ignoring the burly tone of Hades and his dramatic display of money.

  “Nope.” His mouth popped on the p. “She’ll wear it.”

  Tears filled my eyes. Torn between the beauty of the ring, the general behavior behind the gesture, and the arrogant attitude emanating from Hades, I blinked to dissolve my frustration.

  “It’s too much,” I said, removing the ring. Hades retrieved it from my outstretched fingers and forced open my hand. He returned the ring to my third finger.

  “Nothing will ever be too much for you, Firefly.” The momentary return to his normal sound forced a tear to fall. “What’s wrong?” His blue eyes filled with hurt. Pinched and tight, his jaw clenched. His grand gesture was overshadowed by another tear.

  “Why are you acting so strange?” I asked.

  “Why do I feel like I just witnessed a Vegas wedding?” Veva laughed, interrupting the awkward melancholy surrounding me. I turned to face her. Instant concern graced her face as she saw the tears on mine. “It’s a beautiful ring,” she offered, rubbing a hand up and down my back.

  Hades turned away from me, walking toward the exit without a glance back. My eyes followed the cut of his suit, the strut of his motion, like he owned the place. This was his home, and I was reminded I didn’t belong here. His hand swiped through his hair to rest on his neck as he exited the store. Veva and I followed behind, strolling down a grand staircase to the lobby floor, filled with more slot machines. Veva looped an arm through mine and steered me right. The boys stepped left.

  “Hey,” Swanson called out. “Let’s go upstairs and dance.” His exaggerated dance moves and white-man overbite made us giggle as he walked backward away from us, but Veva tugged my arm.

  “We’ll be up in a minute.”

  I noticed Hades chin-dip-nod to a group of women surrounding a machine and the teetering sound of their laughter made him wink at one in particular. She blushed and primped her hair, beaming back at him. He took another step toward the bank of elevators and drank from the crystal glass he removed from the restaurant. He spun to face me.

  “Let’s use the restroom,” Veva encouraged, gently nudging my arm. For some reason, I remained frozen to the spot. My body twisted at an odd angle as I watched the elevator doors open behind Hades’ back. His eyes fixed on mine, he took a blind step backward. The cry of his name lingered behind my teeth before leaving my lips. I struggled in slow motion to disentangle myself from my best friend as I watched Hades fall into the empty elevator shaft. The lift box was absent inside the opened doors. Hades swiftly disappeared down the dark well.

  A dreamscape of commotion surrounded us. Conscious of what happe
ned, I was unable to manipulate my body. Veva reached for me, but I didn’t feel her touch. Swanson stood in horror, feet from the open shaft. Female voices, moments before flirting, now screamed. Those closest to the elevator twisted in their seats, only momentarily fazed by the disappearance of a human being in a darkened tunnel.

  As I finally found strength to move my leaden feet, Hades’ name escaped my mouth on a shrill scream. I moved as if hovering toward the elevator doors. The car descended into the opening. Empty, the box awaited passengers for a ride to any level of sin within this godforsaken resort. It stopped even with the tiled casino floor and waited, tempting me to enter. My mind slowed to reality and I lingered feet from the elevator.

  Hades was gone.

  Trapped under the box. Fallen only who knew how far below. A horrific scream flew out of me. My heart dropped to my feet and oozed out of me like blood draining from my body. Instantly, I knew where Hades had disappeared. The underworld reclaimed their prince.

  Confrontation

  [Hades]

  I stood before my father in my wrinkled black suit. The soot of falling hundreds of feet below ground evident even against the dark material.

  “Did you have fun?” His gravelly rock-star voice chastised me. Fun was an infantile word, irrelevant and elementary to what I had experienced above ground. It was also subjective. My idea of a good time would be sorely different than my father’s.

  “I’d love to know how you pulled it off,” he said, rounding his desk and standing with his back to me. He peered out the floor to ceiling window into the dark night. This wasn’t an elderly father worried for his son. This was a man who feared I’d broken the seal of immortality. I remained silent. I would not hand over Solis for his gift of the sun, and power of light. The ancient timepiece on my chest ached as it wound from twelve-twelve, the strike of sixty days, to its initial purpose of calendar counting. Fast forwarding to eight-twenty-one, today’s date, the clock stopped struggling once it returned to its familiar setting.