After Midnight

by Brandy Greeley

  “My wife,” Gabriel said, gesturing to me, “was cursed by Prometheus. I thought it was...necessary...to live in her city, get to know her again, and attempt to break it.”

  “Without someone to sort where they go post-death, most of the souls became furies. Do you recognize the severity of this action?”

  “Yes, though I would do it all over again.”

  “You’re aware that to break the curse, your wife would have to marry Prometheus.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I said as Gabriel reached out to me, hand falling short.

  Nicholas’ nostrils flared in response. “So, you want to stay cursed?”

  “Well, yeah,” I said as I gave him my best bitch, please face. “As Persephone, I was married to my uncle, lived full-time in the Underworld—”

  “Part-time, actually,” Gabriel said, and I shushed him, watching as his face split into a lazy grin.

  “And was cursed because I refused to marry Ma – Prometheus – which is really stupid because he’s such a lying ass-face. But, I have a good life as Amy. Sure, I have no family, but that just means I get to do whatever the heck I want to every holiday. And until twelve days ago, the only unnatural thing to happen to me was when I thought my neighbor went full-on zombie mode after I watched an episode of The Walking Dead. I like living detached from all this...craziness, and honestly? Magical powers aside, being Persephone sounds restrictive. Why would I willingly choose to go back to that?”

  “You two aren’t in agreement, then?”

  Gabriel smiled, stroking a finger along his bottom lip in thought. “No. I need her here, to help me rule, and I can’t do that if she’s cursed and living in Portland where the furies have full access to her. She’s safe here.”

  “I’m not going to marry Max,” I said venomously, clutching the edge of my seat.

  “I never suggested it; there are other ways–the Fates, for one.”

  “Why can’t you just accept the person I am now, sweatpants and all?”

  “Because it’s not the truth.”

  “It is to me.”

  “It can be done, if nothing else than to restore order to the Underworld, but we won’t force the issue,” Nicholas said, stepping forward. “Either way, Hades, we need you to remain here.”

  “Absolutely not. I follow Amy.”

  “Unless she’s willing to marry Prometheus and end this, once and for all...?”

  “Nope,” I said, folding my arms over my chest as Gabriel huffed out an irritated breath.

  “Very well. Send her back to Portland while you stay to clean up your mess.”

  “There is another option,” Gabriel said. “Why don’t you just keep her here?”

  “Keep me...oh hell no!”

  I shot to my feet, pacing the length of the dais. “If you really think I’d let you do that, you’re delusional. I’m going home – now.”

  Gabriel grabbed ahold of my arm as I brushed past him.

  “I have to admit; the thought is...intriguing. No more attempting, and failing, to juggle your duties and chase your wife around Portland. Persephone could resume her training as soon as her mother returns from drought-stricken Africa and the furies would no longer hunt her,” Nicholas said, eyes backlit with something that looked suspiciously like hope.

  “Doesn’t my opinion matter at all?” I said, right on the edge between deep, unrelenting anger and full-blown hysteria. I had to admit – the odds against me weren’t looking good. “I don’t want to live here – I can’t. I have a job in Portland, friends, an apartment...”

  “Your role as his consort surpasses any mortal occupation or ties to the city. Of course, you’ll want time to gather your things and get your affairs in order, which we’ll grant because we recognize that this is rather...unexpected. But, you will return here, where you belong,” Nicholas said, as though that were the end of the discussion.

  “I wish you’d never found me,” I whispered, close to tears as I stamped my foot – hard – against the shiny marble floor.

  Gabriel squeezed his grip, an almost imperceptible shudder running through him. “You don’t mean that. You’re just stressed...frustrated...”

  “Yes!” I yelled, spinning around as he flinched. “Because you want me to live in the Underworld as queen of the dead!”

  “What would you have me do, Amy? Leave you alone? Forget about the fact that we’re married?”

  “That would be a wonderful start.”

  “And, what about your family? Have you given any thought whatsoever about them and what they might want?”

  “I don’t see them here defending me, Gabriel. Seems to me like I’m not as precious to them as you think I am.”

  “Enough. Until we conclude about what to do with the two of you,” Nicholas said, stepping towards us, “you’ll both be confined to household quarters. Attempt to leave and, well, you don’t want to know what happens then.”

  I glared back at him unhappily as he gestured to a couple of nearby servants, who led the way out of the hall and back up the staircase.

  The din intensified – several raised voices scrambling over each other and I pressed my hands to my ears, wanting to block out as much of it as I could.

  Gabriel stayed silent, head bowed until they left. He shut the door behind them and sighed, crossing to a mahogany side table.

  “Coffee?” He held up a silver carafe.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Sure.” He poured the pitch-black liquid into a couple of ceramic mugs, cracking a packet of sugar over the top of each.

  “They’re out there, deciding both of our fates, which most likely involves me staying here with you...forever...against my will and you want to have a cup of coffee?”

  I walked over to a wall of windows, pushing with all my strength against the latch, heart leaping up into my throat when it didn’t budge.

  “I’ve already tried that...twice,” he said, sitting down on a nearby loveseat. “Come join me.”

  “If I sit down, I’ll go crazy. I need to do...something.”

  “The Fates take their time deliberating; you won’t have an answer tonight. If you’d like, I could show you around. There’s a library down the hall I think you’ll enjoy.”

  “I’m not staying here like it’s some luxury hotel, Gabriel. You should know me better than that.”

  “I believe in your ability to act happy, if only for my sake.”

  I stopped, glancing back at him, brow furrowed. “Why does that sound so familiar?”

  He smiled. “Because it’s what I told you on our wedding night. Honestly, Amy, sit down.”

  “Is there really no other way out of here?”

  “No, there’s not and if you continue to pace, I’ll force the issue.”

  I scowled and plopped down next to him, sitting as far away as the small space allowed. “Happy now?”

  “Not quite.” He scooped me up against his side, resting his hand on my hip. “That’s better.” He nuzzled his nose into my thick hair, inhaling deeply. “I’ve missed this – your particular scent. It drove me insane being near you, but never close enough.”

  I wedged my left arm between our bodies, fighting the way his touch made me feel; it was like a shot of adrenaline straight to my system, but I would never tell him – never let him have that kind of leverage on me.

  “You don’t know what it’s like,” he continued softly. “Being alone without you here was the worst sort of punishment I can imagine. I thought being near you in Portland would satisfy this longing I had for you, but I was wrong.”

  “Max cursed me two years ago, so why are you just now trying to break it?”

  “As angry as I was, I knew I had to give you space and time to adjust to this new life before attempting to win you back. But, when I realized that my newest victim put me directly into your path, well, I pounced on the opportunity.”

  “How romantic. Next time you want to get my attention, try a phone call, or text message not a dead
body.”

  “There won’t be a next time, sweetheart.” He said it so calmly, sipping his coffee and I glared at him before stomping out of the room. “Where are you going?”

  I felt his presence behind me but didn’t stop, jiggling every handle of every door up and down the hallway, feeling a growing pressure just behind my eyeballs, like an approaching headache. “A place as big as this has to have another way out, one I haven’t seen.”

  “And I don’t think that you realize how far the Fates would go to make sure a god can’t escape. You’re wasting your time.”

  “I don’t believe that. Why confine us to the living quarters if they weren’t afraid that we’d find a way out? Now, either help me or leave me alone.”

  “You won’t make it back to Portland unless the Fates or I take you, and since they’re very likely to side with me on this matter, you’re out of luck. Come back to our rooms and I’ll answer as many questions as I can about this place and your life here.”

  “Alone it is.”

  “Stop.”

  He reached for me, spinning me around to face him, and I struck out, the heel of my palm smacking into his face with enough force that he staggered back, eyes wide. “You...hit...me...”

  “Yes, I did, you great big jerk, because you’re not listening. How I choose to live my life isn’t up to anyone else except me, and I don’t care if you like it or not. I will not be bullied into making decisions unless it’s something I want.”

  “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that,” he said quietly, blotting at a drop of blood with a white linen handkerchief before folding it back up and sliding it into his jeans pocket. His jaw clenched, eyes hard as they gazed back at me. “Run.”

  “I’m – wait, what?”

  “Run.” His voice, low and menacing like a low growl, scared me to the tips of my toes and I whirled around, racing back towards the bedroom, feet slapping the cold stone floor.

  I heard him begin to give chase and skid around the corner into the bathroom, swiftly locking the door behind me as I pressed myself flat against the far wall.

  “I was hoping you’d end up in there,” he said, kicking the door to bits. His bright green eyes held mine for a fraction of a second before he strolled towards me, grabbing me around the waist, warm lips finding mine as he lifted me off my feet and walked us...straight into the massive sunken pool.

  I squealed as scalding water smacked my back, sputtering and gagging uncontrollably when it went up and over my head, and he held onto me, guiding me gently to the black marble ledge.

  “Gabriel, what the hell? Now I’m soaked.”

  “I’m sorry, love – I was a little...enthusiastic.”

  “Turn around.”

  He smirked. “I’ve seen you naked before.”

  “I don’t care – just do it.”

  He sighed, turning and I stripped, chucking the dress into the corner where it landed with a wet slooge on the tile floor.

  There were soaps and bottles of shampoo lined up along the edge and I waded over to them, grabbing the bubble bath before squirting a generous palm-full of it into the water, stirring it until the froth covered the upper half of my body.

  “Okay, done.”

  He laughed, face splitting into the widest grin I’d ever seen when he saw me kneeling there, a bottle of bubbles in one hand and hair in the other and he stepped out of the bath, water spraying everywhere as he crossed to the vanity, producing a thin black rubber hair tie.

  “You used to lose these on a near constant basis. It’s a wonder Magda kept them so well-stocked.” He bent down behind me, taking my hair and wrapping it into a bun.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, placing his pants and shirt on a nearby chair as I swirled more bubbles around me. “Lean forward.”

  I did, and he slid into the water behind me, legs braced on either side of mine and I felt a furious red flush start from the top of my head all the way to my feet as he banded an arm around my torso, one hand dipping to cup me intimately.

  I jumped, throwing myself across the narrow space. “No, Gabriel. Just...no. I’m taking a bath because I need one and then I’m going to bed. Whatever else you had hoped would happen tonight won’t...can’t.”

  I deflected the hand that reached for me, scooting further away with my bubble-cover.

  “You punched me hard enough to draw blood. This is your punishment, Amy, and it’s about time.”

  He grabbed my legs beneath the water, yanking me to him as I kicked out, landing a few decent jabs to the softer parts of his stomach as he grunted and held on tighter, a determined expression crossing his face.

  “You’re. Not. Going. To–gah!”

  He banded an arm around my waist as he thrust his tongue into my mouth, flattening a hand against my lower back. Sensations tore through me as I stiffened my spine, bringing my hands up between our chests to push him away, but he growled, low in his throat and I felt it all the way from my head to my toes.

  “Please don’t do...whatever it is you want to do...” I said as he ran his nose along my throat, warm lips nibbling at my ear and I shivered, my whole body lit up like a bonfire on a sizzling summer night.

  “Sweetheart, stop talking.”

  “I’m really not in the mood right now, so it’s pointless to – oh my god, do that again,” I gasped as he smiled, repeating the swirling action with his hips.

  I clutched the edge of the tub as he worked a hand up under my hair, holding me close. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you in the park,” he said, groaning when I made one half-hearted attempt to move. “And it’s killing me to wait.”

  “I don’t–I don’t want that,” I said, heart pounding in my chest. “Not yet.”

  I slipped out of his arms, standing to wrap a towel around myself as he traced a pattern on the black marble.

  “So, what do you want?”

  “To leave, Gabriel and never come back. It’s been...fun...a little scary and intimidating at times, and you did try to drown me once – but I miss home and my life in Portland. All of it. I’ll find a way to get out of this place.”

  “If you want me to make this super easy for you, that door,” he pointed to a dark mahogany archway in the bedroom, “is one I use frequently when I visit Portland. It should take you straight to your apartment complex.”

  “And you didn’t think to mention this before because...?”

  “Selfish reasons, really.”

  “Right, well, give my best ‘screw you’ to Nicholas.”

  He cleared his throat, gesturing to a stack of drawers. “Clothes, Amy.”

  “Yeah, that might help.” I slipped on a floral summer dress, smoothing a hand down the fabric. “How do I look?”

  “Stunning, as usual. Now go, before I change my mind.”

  “What about the Fates? Won’t they be upset when they figure out I’ve left?”

  “I’ll handle them. Go.”

  I felt a slight buzz as I stepped closer to the door and hesitated a moment before twisting the handle, glancing once more at Gabriel, who had followed me out and was busy towel-drying his hair, eyes never leaving mine as I took a deep breath, twisted it all the way around, shoved against it and... nothing.

  Maybe to the left?

  Nothing.

  I forced down the you knew this was a trap feeling as I pushed, wriggled, hell, even kicked that stupid door and all I got in return was a slight coating of wood dust on my hair.

  “You, evil little man!” I slapped his chest again and again. “You knew this would happen, and you let me do it anyways! Why?”

  “Telling you was getting me absolutely nowhere. I had to try something else.”

  “You made me think that I could leave.”

  I sank to the floor in a heap, wrapping my arms around myself as tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. There didn’t seem to be enough air in the room as he joined me, brushing a curl back behind my ear, grabbing my shoulders.

 
“Once someone comes to the Underworld, they never leave. Even if the Fates hadn’t sealed every entrance,” he said, pressing a finger to my lips when I tried to argue, “Those rules would still apply. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you’re staying, and that’s final.”

  I slapped his hand away, drawing my knees up to my chest. “When I was Persephone, I left.” I could tell he wasn’t happy that I brought that up, but I pressed on, sensing a little glimmer of hope in the darkness. “I came here every six months, right? Why can’t I do the same as Amy?”

  “Because it was a deal your mother and I made, which became null and void when Prometheus cursed you.”

  “Get her butt down here and make it again.”

  “Amy...”

  “You want me to be happy, don’t you?”

  “There’s nothing I want more except peace in the Underworld and Prometheus’ head on a platter.”

  “Then I want seven months and freedom from you between. No visits, no interrupted coffee dates with my friends and no dead bodies in the park.”

  “I’ll run this by the Fates.”

  “No, you won’t. You’ll tell them this is a deal we made, in my mother’s place, and if they don’t like it, they can stuff it.”

  “You’re not going to budge, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “I have to say, this new prickly side of you is wildly attractive,” he said after a minute, mouth quirking into a half-smile. “You were always difficult, but never this persistent. I approve. Very well; I’ll be back.”

  He pulled me to my feet as I straightened the dress, hoping my hair wasn’t sticking out at weird angles like it did whenever I didn’t have access to a reliable diffuser.

  “Oh, and Amy?” He turned towards me again. “There’s more bubble bath under your sink, should you choose to surprise me again.”

  I flipped him off as he laughed, strolling out of sight.

  Chapter Nine