by Melody Rose
“Persephone?” I asked, the name feeling all too familiar.
“Yeah, Demeter’s daughter. You remember me telling you about her, right?” she asked as she nodded her head towards the alcoves in the back. I thought for a moment. I recalled Artemis telling me something about a young goddess that was being kept a prisoner but not much beyond that.
“Refresh my memory,” I said, taking a swig from my glass. Artemis raised a brow with mild irritation.
“Demeter keeps her in the temple, never lets her out, she’s basically a virgin in every aspect of her life?” I could sense Artemis’ patience was running thin as she gave me a quick rundown.
I nodded, suddenly remembering her telling me this all before. “Right, right. I gotcha now. So, you god-napped her, eh? Very bold of you. I bet Demeter is gonna lose her shit when she finds out.”
Artemis narrowed her gaze, her emerald eyes snapping fire. “She won’t find out unless you run your big ass mouth, will she?”
“Hey, now,” I said, raising my hands in defense, “I’m no snitch. Besides, no one is scarier than you or my mom. One of you threatens to take me out on a daily basis, and the other can land a shot between my eyes with her eyes closed. Even I can’t do that, and I’m an archer, too.”
“Good call.” Artemis snickered as she reached up and painfully pinched my cheek. And with that, Artemis had excused herself and went off to find her father once again, leaving me feeling more than a little nervous by her passive-aggressive tone.
Beside me, I felt, rather than saw, Uncle Hades shifting slightly towards the floor, snapping me back to reality.
“You know her?” he asked in an uninterested tone. I nodded and turned back to face him with a raised brow. How had he not run into Persephone and Artemis yet? It’s not like the club was the largest building in the world. But, then again, my uncle was quite the recluse. I doubted he knew much of anything these days, being stuck in the underworld like a drab crab.
“Oh, yeah. I mean, I’ve heard of her from Artie mostly, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen her. She’s pretty hot, right?” I replied as I manifested a new martini into my hand. I gave the drink a light stir, watching as Hades’ brow furrowed.
“I’m not following,” he said after a short pause, “How is this the first time you’ve seen her? Doesn’t she live on Mount Olympus with the rest of you?”
“I mean, yeah.” I shrugged as I took a long sip from my glass. “But her mom – you know, Demeter? - is, like, super strict or something. Never lets her out to mingle or anything. Artemis snuck her out. I’m thinking of trying to get a piece of that before she’s gone. Think she’ll let me hit that?”
“I sincerely doubt it,” Hades hissed. I raised a brow, feeling devilish.
Ooh, I seemed to have hit a nerve. Do I want to tempt the viper? I thought for a moment. I think I do.
“Well, if anything, I could just slip her a bit of the ol’ razzle-dazzle, right? One shot of my love arrow, and she’ll just spread like butter,” I said as I placed my hands together and parted them slowly.
Hades took a step towards me, and I involuntarily shuddered. As I glanced up, I realized just how tall my uncle was. He stood two feet taller than me, and in his all-black ensemble, he looked like the devil himself. For a moment, I could have sworn his eyes flashed with hellfire. I bit back my fear, raising my glass up to my lips to hide my discomfort as I took another drink and smirked.
Perhaps this was a bad idea….
“You should learn to have some respect, Cupid,” he snarled between clenched teeth, “I’m pretty sure your mommy taught you to have some basic manners at the very least, didn’t she?”
I tilted my head back to avert my gaze, then downed my drink in a single gulp. More out of nervousness than actual amusement, I started to laugh. “Chill out, Uncle Hades. It was just a joke. I wouldn’t do that to her. Jeez… I guess all that time in the underworld has literally killed your funny bone, huh?”
As I chuckled to ease the building tension, I manifested two martinis. In my left hand, I held my apple martini, and in my right hand, I held a swirling gold martini. With a quick flick of my wrist, I snapped the ring open and closed over the drink and dropped a tiny golden arrow into the liquid.
On my right hand, my shooting hand, I wore an engraved golden ring. To the untrained eye, it would appear to be a normal gaudy ring. However, the ring was much more than that. Inside the ring, hidden within the secret compartment behind the diamond face, I always carried microscopic love arrows on the off chance that I would need them to lure a woman to my bed or to make couples fall in love on the go, a more convenient alternative to my large bow and arrows when I wanted to be a little more discreet.
Clearly, my uncle needed to get laid just as badly as I had. And this was one sure-fire way to get him to open up and get himself sorted out in the sex department. I handed him the gold drink, watching as the arrow fizzed and dissolved quickly.
I smiled up at him. “Here, Uncle Hades, you clearly need to loosen up a little. All work and no play makes you a very irritable god.”
He took the drink from my hand, all but crushing my fingers in the process. I swallowed nervously, hoping that he hadn’t caught me tampering with his drink. It had been quick. Surely there was no way he saw it, right?
“What’s this?” he asked with an arched brow.
“A peace offering,” I said, shrugging lightly, “Hope you like peach. Bottom’s up!”
I threw my drink back quickly, avoiding his gaze. Hopefully, if he saw me drinking, he wouldn’t continue to eyeball me as though I had slipped poison into his drink. When I finished, I looked back at Hades. He still glared at me with suspicion. Come on, man. Just drink it.
Hades examined the drink for a moment, turning it lightly in his hand as he watched the edible glitter inside spin with the movement. Finally, he looked up at me with a sigh and said, “Bottom’s up.”
Hades knocked his drink back and closed his eyes for a moment. I chuckled quietly, watching and waiting for the arrow’s effects to kick in. When he opened his eyes again, Hades’ gaze was immediately drawn to Persephone, who was dancing pretty terribly alongside Artemis and a small group of women. When his pupils dilated, I felt my ego soar.
That’s right, just let the magic do its thing, Uncle Hades.
Hades stood both speechless and motionless, his breathing growing shallower with every breath.
There it is, I thought, feeling successful.
“You feeling okay?” I asked, carefully plucking the empty glass from Hades’ hand.
“Yes,” he replied, his voice barely a whisper. When I was sure that the arrow had done its duty, I left Hades’ side and decided to head back towards my mother. If anyone was going to be amused by this, it was sure to be her. I dissolved the glasses into thin air as I bobbed and weaved through the crowd towards the bar, avoiding Artemis and Persephone as they started to head towards the alcoves where I had just been standing with Hades.
When I reached the bar, I found my mother easily. She was sitting on the far end of the bar flirting heavily with three rather strapping human men with my aunt Athena sitting at her side, a look of boredom plastered on her face. My mother was absolutely gorgeous, not nearly as gorgeous as Persephone, but telling her that was signing your death warrant. My mother spotted me before I reached her and waved the men away to make room for me to come in.
“There’s my handsome boy!” my mother called, holding her arms wide for me to hug her. As I did so, Athena rolled her eyes. I had always been a bit of a mama’s boy, but sometimes, my mother had a way of making me feel like a child. When I pulled out of my mother’s embrace, I examined her.
Aphrodite was a tall woman with a perfect hourglass figure. Her long curly blond hair was up in a bun on the crown of her head, with loose ringlets falling down to frame her incredibly symmetrical face. Her large almond-shaped eyes were a shade of blue so light that they almost looked white. When my mother was angry, her eye
s were probably the most terrifying part about her. I shuddered as I recalled seeing my mother enraged, her eyes boring into my soul as she mentally ripped me apart piece by piece. She didn’t even have to say anything to intimidate you. She was just down-right scary.
“You’re not going to believe what just happened,” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
Aphrodite glanced back at the men and waved a hand dismissively, signaling for them to leave. Athena, the quiet, graceful beauty that she was, peered over my mother’s shoulder with curiosity, her brass-colored hair falling over her shoulder.
“What happened?” she asked.
“So, I’m sure you’ve seen Persephone by now, right?” I continued, taking a seat on the empty stool beside my mother. Aphrodite rolled her eyes, irritation already distorting her beautiful features.
“Oh, please,” she snarled, “I’m tired of hearing about her already. I’ve already heard all about her from Apollo and Artemis. Have you seen the little brat? She’s not even that pretty!”
“Yeah, I’ve seen her, but did you also see that Hades is here?” I hadn’t even finished my question before my mother and Athena were both gawking at me slack-jawed.
“Hades?” Athena asked incredulously, her amber eyes wide with disbelief.
“Yep. And it looks like he was also pretty smitten by Persephone. I found him in the back watching her like a hawk,” I couldn’t help but chuckle now as Athena’s brows rose in surprise. My mother narrowed her eyes. Before Hades’ sudden thousand-year hiatus, my mother’s number one goal had been luring the king of darkness into her bed. But after repeated public and private rejections, my mother harbored nothing but scorn for the man.
“Hades? Hades?” my mother snarled, saying his name very slowly to add extra emphasis, “Hades has never been interested in anything except brooding over family drama. What could he possibly see in that sniveling little twit?”
“Big tits?” Athena snickered into her drink as she took a sip.
“Would you shut your mouth, Athena?” Aphrodite hissed with a scowl on her lips.
“Well, anyway,” I began again, bringing my mother’s attention back to me, “when I left him a second ago, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Persephone. In fact, he looked more than a little hot and bothered. I have a feeling that he’s gonna be trying to finally make his move on the girl and break his celibacy streak. I wonder if he’ll get to her before anyone else does.”
Behind my mother, Athena was shooting me a look of warning, but it was too late. Aphrodite jumped to her feet, her beautiful face turning three different shades of red as she processed what I’d told her. I looked down at the bar top with my eyebrows raised, grinning like a mad man. While I feared my mother greatly, watching her fume over men finding another woman more attractive than her was absolutely hilarious.
“This is bullshit!” my mother screeched, slamming her fist into the bar top hard enough to leave an indentation. “I’m not going to be upstaged by some little nobody! Let’s go, Athena.”
My mother stormed off in a flurry, her white dress trailing behind her like the tail of an enraged gorgon. I peered over to Athena, who was scowling at me disapprovingly before finishing her drink and following after my mother. Well, at least now things would get a little more interesting, I thought as I leaned over the bar to order a new drink.
6
Persephone
After three lovely young human women had tried and failed miserably to teach Artemis and me how to dance, Artemis draped an arm around my shoulder and hugged me tightly to her chest, laughing as she did so. I laughed with her, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness coursing through my veins. I didn’t think I could feel so alive! Honestly, listening to my best friend had been the best decision I had ever made in my life. I was also happy to report that I no longer felt guilty for running away from home.
That wasn't to say that I hadn’t been keeping a close eye on the time so I could get back home before the enchantment wore off, but rather that I was no longer overburdened with the feeling that I would meet my doom outside of my mother’s temple. As the next song started to play, Artemis leaned in close to my ear.
“Ready to head back before the Wicked Bitch of the East wakes up?” she asked, slurring her words. I sighed wistfully, not wanting my freedom to end so soon.
“Yeah,” I replied, slightly disheartened. “I guess so.”
Artemis took my hand, and together, we started to make our way back towards the alcoves. Along the way, I continued to keep an eye out for the mysterious man I had encountered earlier in the evening. Over and over, I replayed the moment in which I’d first seen him in my mind. I had felt a searing-hot stare boring into my soul as I danced alone. When I opened my eyes to locate the source, I found myself captivated by a set of deep blue eyes hidden behind thick dark eyelashes. My breath had caught in my throat.
The man was tall and donned a form-fitting three-piece black suit. Golden highlights sprinkled through his dark hair, which he sported slicked back away from his face. I felt my mouth growing dry as I took in his gorgeous face. His jawline was exquisitely chiseled, and his lips were plump and inviting. Along his sharp cheekbones and down his cheeks, a clean-cut beard adorned his face. He had large, broad shoulders, and from what I could see, his skin was deliciously tan.
My heart beat wildly in my chest. I had never experienced such an intense physical response before. Even for just those few seconds where it seemed to be just the two of us in the room, he had completely mesmerized me. I took a deep breath. Even thinking about him now had me feeling flush. A part of me had hoped that I would see him on the dance floor so that I could speak to him and introduce myself. Another part of me had quietly prayed for him to sneak up on me while I was dancing. But both of my prayers had gone unanswered.
Just as Artemis and I were about to reach the alcoves, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me up off the ground, viciously yanking me from my thoughts. I gasped, feeling a sudden sense of fear paralyze me. Before I could scream, the arms set me back down onto the ground, and Apollo came up from behind me with a laugh. Artemis snarled at her brother as he reached over and lightly tickled my waist.
“Hello again, gorgeous,” he said, flashing me a wink.
“Don’t touch her,” Artemis sneered as she moved to smack her brother. Apollo deftly dodged her and draped an arm over her shoulders. As he leaned in to talk into her ear, I took a couple of steps away from the siblings and wrapped my arms around myself.
Twice now, Apollo had placed his hands on me, and I still couldn’t stomach it. All the other men that I had met on the dance floor had had more respect for me throughout the entire evening than Apollo had had for me on two separate occasions. Sure, I had been hit on by said men on the floor, but none of them had been so bold as to touch me or be as vulgar with me as Apollo had.
I internally shuddered as I recalled the feeling of his hand on my thigh. Something in his personality had been so predatory that I couldn’t help but feel like the lamb that a hungry lion intended on slaughtering. As Apollo spoke to his sister, I could see that Artemis was keeping an unwavering gaze on me. She was reading my body language, I realized after a moment.
Determined to keep my current emotional state indecipherable, I smiled and began to sway to and fro to the beat. In an effort to avoid her gaze, I turned my attention to the DJ. Along the wall, standing on a large platform with two massive speakers, was the DJ’s booth. To his left sat two large computer monitors where thousands of songs sat at the ready. To his right were two jugs of water and half a dozen empty glasses. The DJ was a handsome young Asian man with dark spiky hair and large black sunglasses that blinked with red, green, and blue LED lights; Artemis had been explaining all of these wondrous human accessories to me all evening.
Still, in the back of my mind, I was once again drawn to the uncomfortable thoughts of Apollo and the swollen erection beneath his jeans. Of all the things my mother had been wrong about i
n the human world, part of me had to admit that she had been partially right when she said men only craved the temptations of the flesh.
You’re doing it again, my subconscious said irritably. I shook the thought away.
I didn’t want to think about my mother again now that I was finally in a decent mood. I cleared my mind of my mother and Apollo and took a deep, steady breath. As I stood off to the side, still avoiding Artemis' eyes, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to something a little more pleasant. I started to think about the man again. I wonder what his hands would feel like around my waist. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. What I wouldn’t give to see the man’s voluptuous lips smiling at me as he surprised me from behind instead of Apollo.
“You are such a pig!” I heard Artemis snap. I quickly peered over my shoulder in time to see Artemis shoving her brother with a look of disgust distorting her beautiful features. Apollo laughed and straightened himself.
“You love it,” he replied with a smile. Apollo turned to me and bit his lip as he reached back and patted Artemis’ shoulder. “Well, it’s time that I head out of here. Got a lot of places to hit before I call it a night. It was really nice to meet you, Persephone. I hope I get to see you again soon.”
“It was nice to meet you too, Apollo.” My tone fell flat. I didn’t want to see Apollo soon, or ever again if I was honest with myself. But now that I had had a taste of the outside world, I wanted to be more of a part of it. And as long as Artemis and Apollo ran in the same social circles, I knew that it would be impossible to never see him again whenever I slipped back down into the mortal world. Artemis groaned loudly as soon as Apollo was gone, glaring at the back of his head as he vanished into the crowd.
“You know, I don’t understand him. How can he live with himself being such a pervert? I swear, he gets that from Dad. I’d tell you what was said, but….” Artemis shrugged off the thought with a scowl. “Anyway, you ready to go now?”
