by elda lore
I crossed the low, plant-covered terrain under rainfall still spilling heavy enough to accumulate in puddles here and there. After passing through the trees that hid my cottage, I stopped. Amid the clearing stood Persephone, her clothing drenched and hanging off her shoulder. Her hair was soaked and plastered to her cheeks. Water riveted down her face, but I’d dare say it was more than rain.
“Persephone?” I approached slowly, not wanting to frighten her. Her body shivered, but she didn’t turn to me. Her eyes cast off toward the shadows in the trees.
“Persephone, honey, you’re soaked. Let’s go inside.” My hand brushed her shoulder. She didn’t flinch, but she didn’t respond to the touch either.
“We met in the rain,” her voice croaked. “He saved me.” Shaky fingers brushed against her cheek, making no difference in the moisture upon her face.
“He promised me he wouldn’t leave me.” She paused and turned her saddened eyes to me. “Why do men leave?” I feared her question dug deeper than just Hades. Persephone had no father, like Veva. A queendom of women ruled their farmstead back in Nebraska.
“Why can’t he love me?”
“Oh, Persephone, I don’t…” A snap behind us made me turn, my arm coming to rest on her shoulder in protection. My eyes met another sodden female. Veva’s eyes turned the color of ice and glowered in the dark night.
“Veva?” I questioned, and Persephone turned to face her friend. The shift brought her closer to me, under my arm, and the position looked all kinds of wrong.
“I knew it,” Veva hissed, her voice too low.
“Vee?” Persephone’s sad tone did nothing to soften the anger in her friend’s face.
“I knew you two were together. And after leaving with Mel, too.” Her crossed arms slipped to her side, hands slapping her thighs in aggravation, and then retreating back to a folded stance.
“Vee!” Persephone’s cry admonished her friend’s implication, and I agreed. I grew tired of the accusation that I was attracted to Persephone. She was beautiful, but she did not call to me like the fire within Veva. I burned for Vee.
Spinning quickly, Veva headed in the opposite direction. I dropped my arm and raced after her, catching her within a few large steps. My arm encircled her waist and I pulled her back against my chest. To my surprise, she twisted without much strength, the fight flickering out of her.
“Let me go.” She spoke calmly and the steady tone frightened me more than the yelling storm she could produce. Cold, wet fingers pressed on my wrist at her waist.
“Veva, listen to me. It’s not what you think.”
“Men always say that.”
“Then good thing I’m not a man.” She straightened with that comment. “I was walking back to the main house when I saw her standing in the pouring rain. I was only trying to bring her inside. She’s soaked, Vee, and she’s lonely.” My voice softened. Veva’s body relaxed and her head fell back against my shoulder. I dipped my face to rest near her cheek. “She misses him, and I can’t help her again.”
With that Veva turned in my arm, her wet clothing hugging her body in a sinful way, and she pressed against me.
“I’m so confused. I don’t know what to believe.”
“I’ll tell you what I can, but let’s get her out of the rain first.” Thankfully, Veva agreed with a simple nod. Keeping my arm over her shoulder, I guided her back a few paces to where Persephone still stood, letting the rain shower her. I released Veva and stepped toward Persephone. My eyes focused on Vee while I wrapped an arm around Persephone’s back and stooped to scoop up her knees. Lifting her limp body, I jostled her, still focusing on Veva, willing her to understand that I simply wanted to help Persephone. I spun for the house and stopped. Veva bumped into my back with the abrupt halt. Persephone kicked out her leg and I let her feet drop to the ground. She stood still, but her body trembled. Her voice cracked as she stared at the figure dressed entirely in black among the edge of the trees.
“Hades?”
VEVA
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Harris Black, or Hades, or whatever his name is, stood before us. Equally drenched in rain, the four of us stared, but only two sets of eyes connected. Persephone could not move. Hades remained focused on her.
“Hades?” Her voice, hardly a whisper, seemed to swirl out and circle the trees like a whirlwind before turning back and resting before him. The subtlest dip of his chin signaled it was him, and she raced for him. The distance short, she leapt upward, and he caught her under her thighs as she wrapped legs and arms around him. To my surprise, they didn’t kiss as I expected, only embraced in the tightest hug I’ve ever witnessed. Hades’ face buried in Persephone’s neck proved he held her as tight as she held him.
Solis’ hand came to my back, and he gently prodded me toward the path for the main house. He patted his cousin’s back as we passed. “Take the cottage,” he offered. Guiding me the rest of the distance, he surprised me by continuing toward my room. My thoughts scattered while we walked. Persephone told me how Hades was special, and that made Solis unique as well. I didn’t share with her what happened on the cliff, fearing she’d think I was crazy, until she went into detail about her stay with Hades and her own fears of sanity. It didn’t settle my mind, but fed my confusion. The estate seemed so normal. How could things appear one way and yet not be as they seemed? A flying, morphing horse. A green cousin. A man risen from the dead. It was all too much.
Shaky, cold fingers fumbled with the keycard when we reached my room and Solis took it from me, swiping it over the security pad. He didn’t stop there, but followed me into the room.
“You shower first,” he commanded and stepped back to lean against the wall. “But make it quick, or else there will be a flood in this small entry.” With his back pressed along the wall opposite the bathroom, a raised foot let me know this would be a permanent position. He would stand guard while I showered. I was brief and wrapped myself in the thick robe hanging on the back of the door. His eyes scanned my covered body, lingering at the slight opening near my neck. He entered the cramped space, carrying a small bag I hadn’t seen before, and I shifted around him. He closed the door after my exit, clearly making himself at home.
I quickly changed into the shorty pajamas from the other day, but tugged a loose sweatshirt over me to hold the warmth. He was equally brief in warming up and exited the bathroom dressed like a sports star. Hair slicked back, wet from a shower; dribbles of moisture rippling down his bare chest. Low-hung sweats dipped to expose hips, and bare feet crossed toward the end of my bed. He sat with a thump on Persephone’s bed, letting water trickle down his firm chest, dripping ever so slightly off his nipples. He swiped a hand through his wet locks, rubbing back and forth, releasing more droplets. The mussed appearance made him even more enticing. Lightning strike me, sin sat across from me.
But my body was exhausted from the emotions of the day: the flight, the discovery, the sunset, the pool and the rain. A day of firsts plus too much information and my system needed to shut down. I stifled a yawn. My mind leapt from one thought to another as we sat in silence, looking at each other. I wanted to ask for more details about his strange scar, but when another yawn presented itself so rudely, Solis spoke: “I suppose we should go to bed.”
“To bed?” I croaked.
“To sleep,” he clarified with a teasing grin.
“You can’t sleep here.” I suddenly took his meaning when he sat back and slumped down on Persephone’s pillows.
“Well, where else should I go? The cottage is taken, and I don’t want to deal with Triton yet.” His head swung to face me as I still sat on the edge of my bed.
“Why? What’s wrong with him?” I giggled, knowing that I needed to learn more about that crazy skin tone, but his playful demeanor made me ignore the color.
“Obviously, nothing.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.
“What do you mean obviously nothing?” I snipped. Solis’ head rolled back, and he stared at the ceiling.
>
“Meaning you seemed very into him tonight.” My mouth fell open. He had to be kidding.
“Into him? What about you and Mel? She looked particularly appealing tonight. I didn’t think outside guests were allowed. You didn’t waste any time leaving with her,” I growled.
“They aren’t,” he sighed. “And I have no idea how she got in here tonight.” His focus remained on the ceiling, and I looked upward to see what held his interest. When I turned back, I found his eyes on me. The honey gaze reflected intensely back at me, and my breath hitched.
“Veva, can we just form a truce for tonight?” He sighed. “I can’t fight you anymore today.” The lowered tone seeped into me like a soothing warm bath after a long day. The silence lingered between us. The slightest movement of my head gave ascent, but his eyes lingered on me.
“I guess we should just go to sleep,” I hurried to offer, saying anything to break the intensity of those eyes. Alone with Solis, I suddenly felt self-conscious in the close quarters of the room. Larger than my old dorm room and definitely more luscious, the walls pressed in claustrophobically with only him and me in the space.
I twisted to the nightstand and snapped off the lamp light. Swallowed in black, the darkness felt oppressive, but I curled under heavy covers anyway. Persephone liked to keep the air conditioning low, and some nights I froze in our shared room. Continued silence filled the room, weighing down the night. No longer sleepy, my mind raced and my body stiffened, tense yet restless.
“Vee?”
“Yeah?” My voice choked out so low I wasn’t certain he heard me.
“What happened on the mountain tonight? At sunset?”
My face flushed and gratitude for the suffocating dark room filled me with relief he couldn’t see my face. I heard the bed creak opposite me and the covering rustled with his movement. He still lay on top of the blankets, but I sensed him watching me. I rolled to my side to find his body prone and positioned to face my direction. The heavy shadows hindered me from seeing him completely.
“We are an ancient people,” he began. “With a history longer than history.” I sensed a smile in his tone. “I didn’t even know all I was until I was older.” Instantly, that cheerful sound disappeared. He rolled back to face the ceiling, but I continued to watch him. An arm rose to rest over his forehead.
“My mother was Zeke’s one true wife. Meta was her name, and she was beautiful. They loved one another, I believed, until he learned of the prophecy. Then, I think, Zeke loved himself more.” He snorted and paused. Uncertain if he would continue, he startled me when he spoke, “This is kind of boring, are you sure you want to hear it?”
I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me, and a squeaky ‘yes’ escaped.
“The prophecy told that what Zeke had done to his father would be done to him by a son. So when he had a son, he gave orders to terminate me.”
“What?” I sat up in bed, balancing on my hand to peer over at him.
“He obviously changed his mind,” he snarked, but I found no humor in what he said. “My mother decided to leave him, and so we ran. Everywhere. I can’t even describe how many places we lived. How many awful places we stayed. I just wanted a place to call home. One bed. One roof.” His voice lowered and my brows pinched at his pained tone. My heart ached, and the desire to reach out for him, connect with him, took hold. Like earlier in the day, I longed to touch him, giving him comfort similar to when we stood on the cliff.
“What did Zeke do to his father?” He turned his head to face me.
“He killed his father. Surely you know this story.”
I didn’t know. I’d heard the rumors, but my mother said not to listen to what others said. He continued without addressing his father’s crime further.
“So the prophecy is that you would kill Zeke. That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, crazy,” he sighed. Silence built between us only briefly before he began again.
“Anyway, my mother, eventually, she left me, too. I remained with a man I called a stepfather, but he never legally held that title. Father was the furthest thing he was to me.” His tone dropped bitterly.
“What happened?” I couldn’t imagine the story getting any sadder.
“Zeke found my mother. Gossipers say he kidnapped her. He swears she willingly returned to him. She produced a second heir for him. A daughter.”
“Athena,” I whispered.
“Athena,” he bit out. His voice dipped lower, and I sensed there was more to the story. Waiting for the rest, I held my breath. When he didn’t speak, I softly spoke.
“What happened to your mother?”
“She’s dead.”
“I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to offer, other than my arms, which ached to reach out for him and draw him close to me. I despised him most hours, and yet this sadness made me see him in a new light.
“Yeah. Me too.” His voice lowered to a whisper. He coughed once and began again, but he took a new direction.
“When I came to live here, I trained my body and mind. I had much to learn. The olive oil industry is an interesting business and I submerged myself in it for human interaction. The mechanics of my body, on the other hand, were my true heritage.”
He was losing me again. I didn’t understand.
“Are you saying you aren’t human?”
“I’ve already told you; I’m a god.” With those words, and a teasing tone, I fell back on the bed, thinking he was kidding me again. Our positions shifted as I lay staring at the ceiling and he propped up on his elbow. As I lay perfectly still, his legs swung off the bed and he crossed the short distance to mine. An agile body climbed over me.
“What do you think you are doing?” I rolled my head to glare at him as his solid form crossed mine, but my narrowed eyes had no effect in the darkened room.
“You were too far away.” His voice lowered as a he positioned himself beside me, returning to his perched elbow.
“Thunder is…special. As you saw, he can convert. I can’t do that. I look human. I feel human. I act human, but I’m not.”
“How can you exist?”
“I just do. I don’t understand it all, but I just do. Exist. That’s a good word for it.” He lowered his head to rest on his crooked arm. Fingers stretched and reached for a lock of my hair, twisting the still-wet tendrils around them. His eyes focused on the strands wrapping and unwrapping around his finger.
“How old are you?”
“Let’s just say I’ve been around for a while.” My mouth bit back a retort. I bet he’d been around… around the block a few times.
“So you’re old old.” I paused. “Eww…” I giggled, shivering exaggeratedly and swatting his chest. He flattened my hand to his pecs, and then slid it down the hard form of his abs.
“Do I feel old to you, Veva?”
My voice caught in my throat and I swallowed the lump of desire forming. My fingertips burned with the need to continue the path further down his body.
“Consider me wise.” He paused. “I know what I want.
“Maybe I should consider you ancient,” I retorted, my voice dropping lower. What do you want? The inside of my cheek grew sore as I gnawed at it, holding back this question.
“Your hair is so beautiful,” he whispered, ignoring my tease. I attempted to thank him but my voice cracked at the compliment. I was used to boys telling me things meant to make me feel good about myself, but those were typically said in passion. Solis’ voice sounded sincere.
“What happened during the sunset tonight?” There was no chance I’d tell him, and I rolled my head away, but his free hand quickly gripped my chin in a tender hold. He forced me to face him, and then cupped his hand over my cheek. His fingers brushed my hair behind my ear.
“Trust me.”
“I…I’m not really sure. Something I’d never felt before, so I can’t explain it.”
“Never felt before?” His questioning eyes lit up, as mine adjusted to the darkness, his gl
owed in a feral way back at me. “Try to explain it. Paint me a picture with words.” His voice roughened and the tone dropped from his typical boom to a low tenor. When a finger traced down my jaw, under my chin and up to my lips, I fell under the heat of his spell, blazing like the lowering sun. Words began to tumble out of me.
“It’s like the sun came alive, despite its descent. It was a living, breathing thing. Its warmth crawled up my thighs and entered me.” Solis’ breath hitched at the mention. “It sounds silly, doesn’t it?”
“I’d kill Leos if he touched you.” His voice hardened. “Sit up,” he demanded softer, and I did as I was told, embarrassed at my explanation. He sat up as well, and tugged my sweatshirt over my head.
“What are you doing?” My voice shook, but he ignored the question by pressing my shoulder, guiding me to lay back again.
“You’re still wearing my rock.” He hadn’t been able to see it under the sweatshirt, and he held it reverently in his palm. His knuckles brushed over the top of my chest, and I shivered.
“It brings me peace.” Using his word, from the night he gave me the canvas, truth filtered through my response. I liked wearing it. The weight calmed me. The backs of his fingers stroked over to my shoulder and flittered down my arm. Goosebumps rose.
“Tell me more about the sunset.” His voice dropped so low, it rumbled up my legs starting at my toes. Relaxing into the sound, my center pulsed with a vengeance, demanding an encore of the earlier sensation from the sun.
