by C. R. Jane
I brushed my lips against his.
“I may be a fool, but I will.” We stayed stuck to each other for minutes, and then he laid me down so that he was lying on top of me. I ran my fingers over his back while he nuzzled my neck.
“Don’t you have some King of the Underworld tasks to get to?” I asked on my way to complete distraction.
He brushed a kiss against my lips. “I have some time to show you just how sorry I am.”
He nestled between my thighs and I giggled, sinking my hands into his silken hair.
I didn’t know how long we lay wrapped together. My limbs were like jelly. Incapable of holding myself upright, I stayed snuggled into his side. Hades rubbed my back, his fingers soft on my bare skin. Finally, I looked up, gauging his reaction to make sure I didn’t lose him to dark thoughts like I did last night. His eyes were closed, and he looked relaxed. His cheeks were soft, his jaw wasn’t clenched as I’d noticed it got when he was tense. He opened one eye, smiled, and then opened the other to fully look at me.
Before I said anything, he gripped under my arms to bring my lips to his. I leaned back to look at him and slipped my hand through his ebony hair that had become disheveled from my grip. I brushed my mouth against his, once and then again. I snuggled back into his arms, but I wasn’t cocooned in his warmth for long. He slid out from beneath me and leaned on his elbow. He stared while I lay flat on my back. I immediately covered my chest, but he stopped my hands.
“I want to look at you,” he said, smiling.
And he did, every curve and inch of my body. Moving to my stomach, he drew a circular path around the planes of my abdomen, getting lost in his own thoughts. His fingers came to a sudden halt. I grabbed his chin, forcing his gaze to meet mine. “Hey, don’t go anywhere. I want you to stay with me.” For the briefest moment, his eyes widened. There was a vulnerability within them, and then it was gone. He became blank, shutting down and shutting me out. I sensed his internal struggle against falling back into his comfortable pain. He clenched his jaw, rolled onto his back, and broke all contact with me. His lids closed tight, and my heart lurched in my chest.
As soon as he let go or got close to me, he withdrew or tried to push me away. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I scrambled onto my knees beside him. I grabbed his chin and mimicked his stern tone, saying, “Hades, look at me.”
He didn’t move. He lifted his hands to press the palms against his eyes, his long fingers covering his forehead, reaching into his tousled hair.
“Talk to me.”
It was heartbreaking to see him, a god, splintered in this way, unable or unwilling to move beyond the misery he’s convinced himself he should live with.
After a moment of silence, I lost my patience. “You are an obstinate, confusing asshole!”
I think his lips lifted in a hint of a smile, but I couldn’t be sure.
“I’m going to be honest with you, and if you get mad, so be it. I’d rather fight for you than let you slip away with a ghost. Persephone is gone.” Her name stung my lips. “Her death was tragic, and I can’t imagine the pain you endured. She died thousands of years ago, Hades. I can only presume to know the love she had for you, and with that, Persephone would not have wanted you to suffer her death for a millennia. You loved her, but it’s okay to let her go.”
I wasn’t sure I believed the words I was saying even as they left my mouth. I wouldn’t be forgetting Persephone’s specter any time soon. I wasn’t convinced she was actually gone, but I knew Hades wouldn’t believe that the demon that had almost eaten my soul, was actually her. Sometimes denial was a bitch.
His brooding silence sliced my heart with each passing minute. Getting frustrated, I pulled against one of his arms, and he allowed me to move it easily, lifting his other so his wary eyes could open. I kneeled naked by his side, grasped his hand, and waited for him to speak.
“It’s much easier not to feel anything,” he said finally.
His jaw clenched as he contemplated his thoughts. “It’s hard for me to let go of what happened, forget the past, and trust what I feel when I’m with you. I can’t relive the pain I experienced. It almost broke me.” On a sigh, he continued, “When I’m with you, Elena, I forget about everything. I forget about Persephone and what happened. I feel alive again. And then I feel guilty for forgetting her in those brief moments of happiness you have given me.”
I wished I knew how to help him. “I’m not Persephone.” My voice wavered as I said it. Longing to touch him, I gently stroked down his cheek and ran my thumb along his full bottom lip. “You deserve to be happy, Hades.”
He winced.
“I’m not the woman you fell in love with all those years ago. My future is not tied to Persephone, just as my past is different from hers. Maybe it’s time to take a leap of faith. Believe in me.” I sounded desperate, even to my own ears. For an inexplicable reason, I needed him to believe in me. He remained silent, considering my words for a long moment.
He finally sat up, his chest an inch from my breasts. He dug his fingers into my hair and held me still as his thumb rubbed over my bottom lip. Our eyes remained connected as he answered me with a sweet kiss. I leaned in, parting my mouth to accept his tongue. Falling back to the bed, he took me with him, covering his body with mine in a blanket of heat.
“Master!” The call for Hades was accompanied by pounding on the door as one of the servants frantically tried to get Hades’ attention. “Master, are you in there?” came the distressed cry. Hades cursed as he pulled away from me, creating a pair of pants out of thin air and sliding them on as he marched to the door. I frantically pulled up the sheets so I was covered. I wanted a super power where I could create clothes out of nowhere too.
Hades pulled the door open. “What is it? This better be important.”
“Her garden, you have to come see it!”
Hades was out the door before I could ask what the servant was talking about. A sense of foreboding filled the air as I hurriedly put on my clothes and flew after them. There was no sign of them in the house, and I hated what must’ve been Hades’ godlike speed as I tried to think of where in the gardens they could be. “Her garden,” rang in my head, and I had a feeling of dread as I jogged towards the scorched plot where Hades had taken me before.
As I turned the corner and finally got to the area where I thought I remembered the garden being, I gasped in amazement. I must have gotten lost and walked to the wrong place, because the garden in front of me was unlike anything I’d seen before. A multitude of flowers, fruit trees, and greenery fill every inch of the plot. The colors and sweet smells of the flowers were more vibrant than anything I’d ever sensed before. Everything was larger than it should’ve been, as if the plants were determined to be the best and brightest the world had ever seen. Thousands of butterflies flitted about, the colors on their wings shades that I didn’t think were possible. It was as if I’d stepped into a veritable Garden of Eden, like that image that I saw in Hades’ crystal room.
All of a sudden, I was yanked into someone’s arms and lips came colliding down upon mine. “It’s you, it’s really you,” Hades cried as he spun me around.
I flinched as if I’d been struck by a belt. He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought he was saying.
“I’m who?” I croaked, my voice trembling.
“Persephone, you’ve returned to me. The curse is broken,” he said as he set me down, an elated smile filling his whole face.
“Hades,” I choked out. “What are you saying?”
“Don’t you see…you are her,” he told me, gesturing towards the garden. “You created this. It only would have returned for Persephone. When we made love, the garden came back because the curse was broken.” He said this while looking happier than I had ever seen a person look. Meanwhile, I felt like I was dying inside.
As soon as he set me down, I backed away. I felt destroyed inside, like all the light I’d ever held inside of me had been demolished.
He
didn’t love me. He loved her.
I’d never be anything but a replacement for the girl that he once loved with his whole heart. The spirit that was still haunting his every thought.
I had to get out of here.
13
Elena
I ran out of the garden as fast as I could, not knowing where I could go to get away from him. I didn’t hear Hades behind me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t just pop up at any moment. I ran around the side of the mansion and found myself in yet another garden. I sprinted through a path enveloped on both sides by rose bushes. The thorns tore at my skin and hair and I was sure I was a terrifying sight with my crying and my cuts.
Last night I’d thought my life had turned into a dream. Little did I know it was actually a nightmare. I could see a thick forest of trees at the end of the path and I raced towards it, preparing myself to run into the barrier that I’d encountered all over the property. To my surprise and delight, I was able to run straight into the woods.
There was an overgrown dirt path that led through the trees and I blindly followed it, just wanting to get away.
I came to a screeching halt when the path darted to the left and there, standing in the middle of the trail, was a man. And not just any man...him.
As soon as I saw him, the dream I’d had the morning before came rushing back. Everything that wasn’t him floated away in my mind. Looking at him, it seemed like I still had to be dreaming. Because there was no way he could be real.
He was brutally beautiful, like nothing I’d ever seen. He looked shocked to see me, his pouty lips open as if in surprise. His eyes were a startling silver color that contrasted perfectly with his long black lashes and dark brown hair that had fallen into his eyes. My eyes traced his sculpted jaw and down his collarbone, needing to see every inch of him.
“Hi,” I said softly.
His gaze widened and he took a step back. “You can see me?” he asked, excitement threaded through his voice.
The timbre of his voice was enough to freeze me in place and heat my core...a miracle in the current circumstances.
“Yes?” I answered, confused.
He took a few steps towards me and clenched his fists as if he was trying to stop himself from coming any closer. The beautiful boy hopped a few times in place. “I can’t believe this. I mean I’d always hoped… but I-” his words trailed off and he grinned at me bashfully. “I’ve been desperate for you to talk to me for what feels like forever,” he said, pushing some of his hair out of his face.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I pressed, even though I already knew the answer. I didn’t know him. But at the same time, it was almost hard to believe that I hadn’t known him my whole life. The second I saw him something inside of me had recognized him… had believed he was something important to me.
He gave me a blinding grin, and I saw him then. I saw what a pure heart he had. I’d never met anyone before that I could just tell right away there wasn’t anything lying under the skin, hidden from sight.
“You don’t know me yet. But I can’t wait for you to,” he said humbly. He was suddenly standing in front of me then, and a part of me noted that he was evidently something other than human as well.
I didn’t really care in that moment though, not when he was looking at me like that. Like he found me to be the most interesting, wonderful person he’d ever seen.
You thought Hades had looked at you like that, my inner voice reminded me.
But this felt different. There was no baggage, no other intentions. This man standing in front of me just wanted to be mine. It was like our souls recognized one another and that was endgame.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for you,” he said softly as his hand tentatively touched my face. I found myself leaning into the stranger’s touch, and I’d never had anything feel so right.
Suddenly a growl ripped through the forest. I swung around and saw a skeletal monster stalking towards us.
“Take my hand,” the man said urgently, and I grabbed it without thought, somehow knowing I could trust him above anyone else I’d ever met in my life. As soon as our hands connected everything began to spin around me. The skeletal demon rushed towards us, an inhuman scream like he’d been mortally wounded spiraling around me. And for just a second his form seemed to flicker, and it almost looked like… No, it couldn’t be.
The forest and the monster disappeared in that instant and I was surrounded by a bright white light. My savior cradled me in his arms as the white light danced around me and I leaned into his touch as his lips grazed down my neck.
Abruptly the white light was dispelled and I found myself in a place that I’d been hoping to never see again.
Mt. Olympus.
He let me go reluctantly and took a step away right as Zeus came around a corner, his gaze widening as he saw me standing there.
“Elena,” he said urgently, and then he was standing right in front of me.
“Please don’t take me back to him,” I whispered before falling into his arms and weeping. I could feel the sweet stranger’s gentle gaze on my form as I sought comfort from Zeus’s embrace. It didn’t feel jealous or angry, it just felt concerned...and loving.
“Whatever it is, we’ll fix it, little human,” Zeus said softly as he let me get all my tears out.
Finally, when it didn’t feel like there was another tear left in my body, I reluctantly went to pull away from him. He didn’t let me go far though, and I didn’t fight him. I was desperate for comfort, although I wouldn’t mind it coming from the pretty stranger still watching me avidly like I was the air he needed to breathe.
“What happened, Shade?” Zeus snapped, his voice like thunder as it echoed down the golden hallways around us.
“She came upon me in the woods,” he said. “She saw me.” His voice was filled with awe as if that was a miracle. “And then Death appeared and tried to come after her. She was terrified, so I brought her here,” he explained.
“Death?” I asked slowly. “Was that monster Hades?” I trembled there in Zeus’s arms as an image of the Grim Reaper-like figure took over my mind.
“That was his god form,” Shade explained somberly. I rubbed my arms as goosebumps spread across my skin.
“I see,” I whispered. I hated that I could still feel Hades on my skin. I hadn’t been exaggerating when I’d thought last night that he was changing me. He was still there, hovering under my skin, imprinted on my heart in a way that might be impossible for me to ever erase.
I felt so tired in that moment…so old.
“He’ll come for me,” I said wearily.
“I won’t let him take you from here,” said Zeus firmly.
“Can you take me home?” I asked hopefully, imagining what it would be like to feel my mother’s arms around me, to lean on my tree by the river.
“I’m very sorry, Elena. But you’ll never be able to go home again. The Fates will never free you from the curse.”
“Hades said the curse had been broken,” I told him beseechingly.
Zeus’s clear blue eyes were filled in sympathy for me. I hated that.
“There has to be something we can do,” said Shade passionately. I tried to give him a small smile and he soaked it up like I’d offered him the moon.
“The curse hasn’t been broken,” said Zeus.
“How do you know?”
He frowned and hesitated and something churned in my stomach as I waited for whatever terrible thing he was about to say.
“One of my gifts is that I can see past events. When I touched you...I saw what happened with Hades in Persephone’s garden,” he said softly.
I stared at the ground in shame as if it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen. “I fell in love with him but Hades didn’t fall in love with me,” I said softly. “He just thinks he did, because he thinks I’m her.”
“He’s an idiot,” Shade swore and I looked at him, confused and amused at the same time at how fiercely he
was defending me.
“You don’t even know me. I could be terrible,” I told him.
Shade was already shaking his head before I even finished speaking. “You’re wonderful,” he blurted out, his face flushing a thousand shades of red.
His absurd crush was doing a really good job of soothing the pain that was currently writhing through my veins.
Before I could delve into the mystery that was Shade, Zeus took my hand. “You might not be able to go home, but you can stay here. I’ll make sure Hades can’t take you away.”
I hesitated, thinking of the raucous party taking place when I’d first come here.
“I’ll make sure you’re not bothered,” he promised with a smile, as if he was reading my mind.
Which he probably was.
Stupid fucking immortals.
“Alright. Thank you,” I told him.
“I’ll show you your room,” said Zeus, thankfully able to read the exhaustion across my face as he began to lead me down one of the many halls in this enormous place.
Shade hovered behind us as we walked. The hall twisted this way and that way until I knew I would be hopelessly lost if I ever tried to go anywhere myself. Evidently he and Zeus had similar ideas for architecture.
My heart panged as I thought of Hades for the millionth time since leaving him. Even now I missed him. How ridiculous was that? I was the ultimate doormat, destined to pine after someone forever who could never love me.
Zeus led me to an elegant room decorated in the same sparkling ivory and gold as the rest of what I’d seen in this place. The highlight of the room was the giant bed centered on the opposite wall. I was salivating at the thought of being able to sleep away everything that had happened today.
“Everything you’ll need will be here. There’s a bathroom through that door as well,” Zeus explained. He hesitated like he wanted to say more and then sighed and began to walk back towards the door. “I’ll let you rest and then we can talk later,” he told me.
