She would have to turn her head to learn what it was, but she wasn’t about to look away until she knew the reason behind Eris’ visit. Her lessons had been well learned, she couldn’t afford to turn her back on Eris.
“Sometimes he makes me so proud,” Eris said, absently lifting a velvet bag from the bench.
“Of course, it’s easier when the idiot shades play by the rules of the living,” Eris said to Lilith.
She pointed to the globe. “See, they think they can die again.”
Persephone couldn’t stop herself; she wanted to see him in a real battle, and not one half remembered. She wanted to see the warrior in the man she loved, and she wanted to see if he was as impressive as they claimed.
Hades was oddly attractive in his black armor, almost arousing as he advanced, the tip of his sword drawing a small circle in the air, forcing the five shades to back up. He reminded her of a large cat she once saw. Lean. Graceful. And lethal.
He swung his massive sword in a lazy arc over his head, the blade falling with enough force to shatter bone. The first man lost his weapon in seconds of joining the fray. The second was hit in the head with the flat of his sword. However, the last three were skilled warriors. They circled him, teasing him, and for a moment, she thought they might be better.
Hades feigned to the right, twirled into the sword swing, and grabbed the man with one
strong arm. Hades crushed the man’s throat and dropped him in his wake, taking on the other two in moves so swift she was awed by the fluid grace of the dance. He moved like a man at ease with war and strife. So how had he learned to love?
A diamond bounced off her shoulder. Eris giggled. “My aim is really off today. I was aiming for your face.”
Persephone glanced at her. “And you feel the need to do something this childish because...?”
Eris shrugged and dug another diamond from the bag. “Sometimes I just want to be
naughty,” she said, tossing another diamond.
It landed in Persephone’s hair. “Stop it.”
“Why?”
Eris flung two more diamonds at Persephone. They bounced off her neck, landing in her lap.
She closed her hand around the precious gems, thinking of yesterday morning when Hades had insisted on playing a game with them. She’d resisted his attempts to awaken her playful side.
Now she was just bothered that Eris was tearing apart her life yet again.
“Because it’s not polite.”
Eris threw her head back and laughed. “Polite? Poor misguided girl, whoever gave you the
idea that I’m polite?”
“I tire of you. Leave.”
She focused on the globe that held the battle. Hades was outnumbered and losing ground fast, but rather than using magic to turn the tide of battle, he ducked the stroke of the sword whistling past his head, a hairsbreadth from splitting his skull. He grabbed the man’s leg on his way up, flipping him into his fellow resisters, and she caught the glimpse of a smile on his face. He was enjoying himself.
The grace of his movements were replaced by the hacking motion of his sword as he pushed
the shades of the Underworld back to Tartarus, the thrill of adrenaline pouring through his veins.
This was the warrior, the man everyone feared.
“I’m bored and I need a diversion.”
“And I’m it?”
Eris threw three more diamonds in quick succession. This time Persephone intercepted the
diamonds. They floated in midair.
“Nice. Very nice. Do you know any more tricks?”
“I told you to leave,” Persephone said.
“No.”
Eris threw more diamonds and Persephone caught each one and then flung them back at her.
“I’ll make you leave.”
Eris laughed. “You’ve got to stop. Really, who knew you could be so funny? I mean, I knew you were weak and gullible, but I had no idea you had a sense of humor.”
She felt the anger rise and struggled for control. As satisfying as it would be to blast the woman into oblivion, she would not endanger her happiness with Hades for something so stupid.
“Go away!” she snarled between clenched teeth.
“Why?” Eris leaned forward and stared at her. “Give me a good reason. And don’t tell me it’s because I’m not being polite. I don’t do polite, little girl.”
“I’m not a girl. I’m a woman.”
“Really? Since when did having sex with my son make you a woman?”
Persephone gritted her teeth. “I’m of age to choose.”
“Yes. And so is the whore who sells her body but locks away her emotions. Have you
become that whore, little girl?”
“I’m a woman,” Persephone snarled.
“And I say you’re a whore selling her body for a place to hide from her mother. A woman
would have told her mother to screw off. She would have the dignity to fight for what is hers.
Can you?”
Persephone stood, anger flushing through her. Lilith’s movements drew Persephone’s
attention. She was cringing beside a tree as if she wished she could be anywhere else except between the two goddesses. She needed to get a grip on her emotions.
“He loves her,” Lilith whispered.
“He’s amused by her, little shade. You’re a woman, you should know better. He’s a man
looking for a warm body to fill his bed. It doesn’t hurt that she mindlessly obeys him.”
“I don’t mindlessly obey him,” she spoke as if from a great distance. She felt odd,
disconnected. Had she finally done what Hades feared and closed herself off completely from her emotions?
“What I can’t understand is how you pretend to enjoy being with such a scarred man?”
The expected flicker of anger died. She blinked. “Scars don’t make the man. He treats me
right and respects me. I find him acceptable.”
“Oh? How charming,” she said to Lilith, wrapping an arm around the woman’s shoulder.
“I’m sure he finds her acceptable as well, don’t you?” She looked Persephone up and down.
“Especially when she’s not wearing clothes. You’re well made. Plump in all the right places, though a bit big breasted for my taste. But those hips should make it easier for birthing. I really thought Menthe was more his type. Tall. Dark. Mysterious. A true woman.”
Eris waved her hand and the picture in the globe changed. A woman with dark skin and blue-black hair stood half-naked in the surf, laughing with a younger, unscarred Hades. He took the woman into his arms, swinging her around, falling back in the surf with a laugh. She screeched, a smile on her face.
Rage sparked through Persephone at the thought that he’d lied to her. She could see he loved the woman! She bolted to her feet and the globe shattered. “Stop it!”
Eris laughed. “You haven’t really changed! You keep saying you’re an adult, but all you do is whine. Maybe you should go back to your mother and cry on her shoulder,” Eris sneered. “You have no purpose. You’re a mindless drone who doesn’t contribute anything. You followed your mother’s orders and now you’re following my son’s wishes.” She poked Persephone’s shoulder.
“You clung to the first authority figure around you. You’re a pathetic little girl.”
Another wave of rage burst through Persephone. Pure adrenaline surged through her veins,
accelerating her heart rate and quickening her breathing. Eris pushed her and she stumbled, the diamonds falling from her hands and clattering on the floor. She shoved the irritating woman back. Eris slapped her.
Shocked, she stared at Eris, and the whirlwind of rage consumed her, pouring outward. The inevitable had been unleashed. The lash of power threw Eris across the room. Her body hit the wall with bone crushing intensity. But it didn’t stop her. Eris landed on her feet, reset her broken wrist, and laughed. “Is that the best you can do?”
She trembled with fury. The magic around her swirled in sharp, zigzagging patterns. It cut and slashed. It opened the flesh and made Eris bleed.
Eris met Persephone’s glare and glared right back. Then Eris smiled and waved her off.
“Shoo. Go home!”
The darkness closed around her and fear chilled her to the soul. No! She ripped at the magic binding her, flashing back to the andronitis.
Persephone leapt upon Eris with a howl of rage, taking her to the floor. They grappled, but ultimately, Eris gained the upper hand. She grabbed Persephone by the hair and snapped, “Is that all you can do?”
She growled and bit the woman’s arm. Blood flowed into her mouth and she clenched her
fist.
Eris smirked refusing to let go. “Children bite too.”
Damn her! Persephone didn’t think. She slammed her head into the smug woman’s face. Eris
released her. Persephone hit her again and again. Eris pushed her back, but Persephone didn’t give ground. She grabbed Eris’ short hair and flung her over her shoulder and across the room with a boost of magic. She pinned her to the floor.
Standing, she slowly walked to Eris who showed mild discomfort at the broken nose. She felt immense satisfaction at causing the woman pain. She knelt beside the other goddess, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at her.
“I’m the Queen of the Underworld. My word is law. When you are here, you have to obey
me, or I’ll cast you into Tartarus and strip you of your powers!”
Eris smiled and nodded. “Now there’s the girl I trained.” She disappeared.
The adrenaline rush subsided and she felt relief and pleasure. She’d not only defended herself against Eris, but she’d fought back. She fought for what was hers. She fought for Hades.
And then it dawned on her. The fight hadn’t really been about Hades. Eris had used him as a catalyst to channel her emotions. She’d used him and Persephone’s own fears to crack open the shell around her emotions.
Fire flared across her right shoulder and Lilith’s voice broke through the pain. “Hades has fallen!”
The daemon screamed for blood. Happiness, love, passion, hate, jealousy, sorrow, fear, and every emotion in between flowed into her.
Chapter 29
HOW COULD something so simple have gone so wrong so fast? It could have been his
overconfidence in thinking Adman was just another thug who would be easily subdued. Or it could have been his single-minded focus on the rebellion at hand and forgetting about the imprisoned Titans in Tartarus. Either way, one moment Hades was relieving some penned up
rage and tension, and the next his fears were manifesting themselves in the worst possible way.
Adman was leading the few Titans he’d freed, Coronus included, and the shades against the palace.
Persephone was in danger and there little he could do to save the Underworld and
Persephone. He had to make a choice: trust that Persephone could take care of herself and continue to fight or go to her now and lose the Underworld to his enemy. The woman he loved or the Underworld he hated. It wasn’t the hardest choice, but then it wasn’t just her or a place; it was about her and the shades in that place. So he stayed and fought, hoping to save them both and nearly losing everything under Coronus’ blade.
The shadow of a sword fell across his arm. He flung himself to the right but already it was too late. The blade glanced off his left shoulder instead of his head. The force sliced into the metal and flesh to the bone. He fell to his knees, rolling to the side and coming up ready for a fight, but the sudden weakness in his legs made him drop to his knees. His vision blurred and it was all he could do to hold Coronus at bay.
And then someone was there, fighting at his side, beating back the Titans. “Idiot boy! What were you thinking?!” Eris shouted. “Somebody get him out of here!”
He floated in and out of consciousness, his body chilled and then warmth suffused his body and he knew she’d come. He could feel Persphone through every cell of his body and soul. She was in his mind, a serene presence full of love and fear. He felt the change in her, the shift that had shattered the walls around her heart and lay bare every emotion. Some came gently and others with a force that knocked the air from their lungs, but each one made her whole again, made her stronger, made her the Persephone he’d fallen in love with, made her the Iron Queen.
“What are you doing here? It’s not safe,” he rasped.
“What happened?”
“Coronus cut him with a guard’s sword,” Thanatos said. “It paralyzes the victim for about three days.”
“We have to retreat, Thanatos. Get everyone inside the palace, now.”
Hades opened his eyes and stared up into her tear filled eyes. “No. We have to fight.”
She smiled. “It’s time this ended, my love. But we need everyone whole and strong for that.
Rest.”
He closed his eyes and the darkness overtook him.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
THE FORCES surrounding the palace were unconquerable compared to the small force of
gods inside the walls of the palace, many of who were injured by the guards’ stolen weapons and slow to heal. It would be another three days before they would be on their feet and ready to face the enemy once more. There were a few unaccounted for among the ranks, presumably captured by the host before her.
Another tear slid down her cheek as she watched the men of Tartarus range out across the
Underworld, free to rape and maim the shades of the Elysian Fields. She couldn’t allow the horror playing out before her, so it was that the morning after the battle, Persephone woke early and walked up the stairs to the parapet. She knew what she had to do, and she knew it might very well destroy her relationship with Hades, but she couldn’t be so selfish when the joy of the shades in the Elysian Fields was being shattered. They’d earned their reward and the men of Tartarus had chosen their eternal fates by the way they lived and the pain they inflicted. They’d wasted their precious lives in the pursuit of power and riches, missing out on the true joys of life.
They deserved the pits of Tartarus, not to be punished, but to understand the suffering they inflicted and balance the scales of their lives.
Extending her hand, she drew upon the power inside herself and cast her magic upon the air, searching her enemy out, planting in their minds the need to return to Tartarus. It would have been easier to transport as many as she could to their cells in Tartarus, but then she wouldn’t have the strength required to do what was needed next.
She watched as groups returned to Tartarus, ready to free more of their comrades in evil. But it wasn’t enough, too many remained behind, ignoring her suggestion. As the first light of dawn approached, she gathered up her power and sealed the doors of Tartarus closed. No more
prisoners would escape. And sadly, neither would the guards trapped inside.
But she wasn’t done.
Reaching deep into the ground, she summoned the spirit of earth, calling upon her to rise up, and the earth responded to her need. It rumbled and heaved. It split asunder. The unnatural and impenetrable barrier ran the length of the Underworld, cutting the enemy off from Tartarus and the Elysian Fields, except for the smallest track along the wall of Tartarus.
Her trap was fashioned and now it was time to bait it.
“Persephone!” Arms wrapped around her as her legs gave out and she collapsed. “What did
you do?!”
Looking up into the worried face of her father, she smiled. “What I must. The Titans might lack power in this world, but they are armed with the weapons of their guards and we are no match for their numbers. I couldn’t allow them free in this world.”
“So you weakened us more by draining yourself of power?!”
She used the wall for support as she headed for the stairs. “Hades swore to prot
ect the people of this world, gods and shades. As Queen, I can do no less.”
She stepped into the darkened hall. She was so tired. She slid down the wall, sitting on the warm stone, all her strength gone.
Thanatos crouched down before her. “Explain.”
“The safety of the Shades are my first concern, Thanatos. Hades sealed the exits. I’ve sealed the doors to Tartarus and made the Elysian Fields defendable.”
“Persephone, you can’t suggest—”
“I don’t. I’ll not abandon my home. We’ll stand and fight them.”
Using the wall to support her trembling body, she struggled to stand and Thanatos swept her into his arms. This time she didn’t protest. “Let’s get you downstairs.”
“I need you to promise me something, Father.”
“What?”
“No matter what happens, take care of Hades.”
“I always do. What are you planning Persephone?”
“A small coup. We’re going to divide the enemy and destroy them from the inside out.”
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
BY THE end of the day, the palace was vacant, the small pass was secured, and the injured moved to safer ground. Lilith agreed to be bait and walked the precipice, taunting Adman.
Thanatos and Persephone had recruited most of the dead in the Elysian Fields to aid the battle, even if they were just tending the injured.
She left Hades in the care of the women and sought out Thanatos, revealing the next part of her plan.
Thanatos shook his head. “You’re asking people to risk their sanity and enter that camp. We should seek Zeus’ help—”
“I’ll ask nothing of that lying worm!” She faced Thanatos. “This world is ours to defend, not the theirs! We can only count upon ourselves for our deliverance.”
“Don’t do this—”
“Stop fighting what must be done, Father. It’s our only chance to separate them.” She laid her hand over his. “I’ll ask the men. Their pain will be upon my head.”
“I can’t talk you out of it?”
“No.”
Persephone did just as she promised, finding men willing to risk the wrath of the enemy and transforming their appearance before transporting them to the enemy camp with specific tasks.
My Lord Hades Page 25
