My Lord Hades (15 page)

Hephaestus snorted.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

HADES STOOD in the garden of Mount Olympus, breathing in the familiar scents of

poppies, daffodils, and lilacs riding the breeze. No wonder Persephone liked gardens. Life flowed naturally through them. One could sit here and be grateful for the simple blessing the living could enjoy. Immortality blinded the gods to the basic pleasures the mortals understood.

That Persephone understood. That he was beginning to understand.

He sighed and took a step toward the large doors of Zeus’ palace, but his feet refused to move further, refused to let him make the biggest mistake of his life no matter what the Olympians had done to him.

He heard the whisper of slippers against stone. He smelled the fragrance of roses and

honeysuckle. He turned to Aphrodite.

“She’s not here.”

Hades blinked. “Who?”

“Your bride, silly. Zeus planned for her to be here, but there was a change of plans.”

Aphrodite tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led him along the walk. Hades only

allowed it because her advance was neither sexual nor predatory. “Did you know Demeter wants to condemn Persephone to a life of virginity? You should rescue her from such dullness.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You should marry Persephone. She’s perfect for you. Plus you like her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Hades protested.

“I’m not some low level pretender, Hades. I have more power than any of these morons. I

could feel your energy through every door of this palace. I’ve known every time you’ve visited.

Like I know you visited here yesterday. Like how you remained the whole night for two nights in a row.”

“I came to meet the Iron Queen.”

She laughed, her blonde curls bouncing at the top of her half-bared breasts. “I know. Zeus had me wait for you, while he ran and hid. Probably thought you’d be less likely to hit a girl.”

He was relieved and confused at the same time. Things couldn’t have worked more perfectly.

He had time to figure it all out. Maybe a stop to Rhea’s temple to talk to his aunt would help him decided. “Tell Zeus he has one month to present my bride.”

“What game do you play, Hades? You know she wants you.”

“I know no such thing.”

Aphrodite tossed her hair over her shoulders. “Whatever. But I thought you might like to

know where she went?”

“I’m not interested. I’ll not run after a woman.”

“Look, handsome and in lust, your beloved has no interest in the other gods. But once word gets out that Demeter’s taken her to the villa she built at the fountain of Arethusa near Enna, they’ll all be following her to bring her back here, or into their beds. Is that what you want?”

His skin prickled and he clenched the edges of his cloak. “What does Persephone have to do with the Iron Queen?” he forced out, barely keeping his fury in check. He’d kill the first god to lay a finger upon Persephone. She was his mate!

Aphrodite blinked. Her grip on his arm tightened. “Oh, my. Zeus didn’t tell you. Of course, why would he? He’d never imagine you’d know who she was.”

“Know who?” he growled, still reeling from the realization that he had almost made the

worst mistake of his life! He couldn’t marry the Iron Queen. He need Persephone. She was the only one who would suffice.

“No one important.” She waved dismissively. “Did you know that no one remember

Persephone existed until Helios mentioned her last year? The god’s have been afire with

curiosity since. Now that they’ve seen her she’ll not a have a moments rest until she’s married.

Are you aware of her…condition?”

How could the gods not know that Persephone existed before? How had her mother kept her

sheltered for so long? “She’s cut off from her magic,” Hades said absently.

“But there’s more. She doesn’t remember anything that happened before a few years ago.”

That explained a lot. It also made courting her so much more difficult. What would happen when she remembered? Would she still be the same woman he found himself so enchanted with?

Or would another take her place?

Did it matter to him? He knew now that he couldn’t marry the Iron Queen now knowing that

his desire was focused on Persephone. He couldn’t do that to another woman. Not that it

mattered. He had a plan. He could have everything he wanted and make Zeus suffer more than he ever thought possible.

Hades shrugged, dislodged Aphrodite’s hand from his arm. “Regardless, I expect Zeus to

honor his end of the bargain. He has one month.” And he had one month to put his plan into action.

Aphrodite stared at him in open-mouthed shock. “What’s wrong with you? You love

Persephone! Go to her!”

“I’m not in love and don’t chase after women.”

“Brute!” she hissed.

He watched her stomp off with a smile. She was a passionate, conniving, little thing. He

wished Hephaestus the best with her.

Closing his eyes, he summoned a picture of Persephone and reached outward with his mind.

He found her easily enough, still miles from the Valley of Enchantment. He had time, and then he would remove Persephone from her mother’s grasp.

THE HILLS stretched out before her, a lush green carpet all the way to the blue-green edge of the sea. A sea that would soon surround her on all sides and imprison her once more from the world she was learning to enjoy. All because of Zeus and his demand that she marry one of the gods, which wasn’t so bad since he was giving her the choice of husbands, but she was still being forced into the decision she didn’t want to make.

The very thought of Hermes or Ares or Apollo touching her in the same way Hades had that

night in the garden sickened her. She knew she should be grateful to her mother for aiding her escape, but she wasn’t. She wanted to explore the pleasure Hades’ promised. She wanted him to set her body afire with his touch. She wanted the company of her Hades.

“Stop dawdling, Persephone. We have to reach the boat by afternoon if we want to be in the villa by nightfall.”

Persephone sighed. She hastened her pace and almost fell flat on her face when her dress

tangled in her legs. She knew she should be happy at the prospect of another place to explore, but she wasn’t. She lifted the hem of her creamy yellow dress and trotted after her mother. The tall grass and delicate bell-like lilies of white and pink hiding in their shadow of the hills parted for the goddess as she rushed head long over the rocky terrain with her daughter in tow.

“Are you sure no one can find us?” Persephone’s voice held the breathlessness of a speed she was ill-equipped to maintain, not because she was unfit, but because she didn’t have the magic her mother did to aid her way.

She slipped on a half-hidden rock, nearly falling on her face, but her mother was there to catch her hand. “We must keep moving. I know it’s hard, but once we reach the island you’ll be safe from them all.” Her mother wiped the sweat from Persephone’s face and kissed the tip of her nose. “They won’t find us, Persephone. I promise you. I won’t let anyone take you from me again.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

GRASS SWAYED and bell-like lilies-of-the-valley bobbed with the passing of the stranger

to their darkened valley. Black cloak drawn tight around him, Hades strode to the stone circle and paused to remove his sandals and cloak, before entering the sacred space. He walked to the stone slab in the center of the circle of stones, laid his offering of lavender on the altar, and knelt upon the ground.

“Great mother, wise Rhea, I ask a favor of you.”

The fragrance of flowers and fresh cut plants filled the air. The ground trembled beneath him, a fissure opening before the altar, and the ghostly figure of a woman rose from the ground bring with her the scent of freshly turned soil. Her feet touched the altar and she solidified into a tangible form of a beautiful woman.

Rhea’s rich auburn hair was coiled atop her head and flowing freely down her back in waves of reds, browns, and black. A silver crown of brilliant flowers encircled her head and a drop pearl rested in the valley between her breasts.

Her dress was strangely formed and dyed. The under dress was formfitting obsidian that

shone like mirrored glass. The bodice of her overdress was the light russet of dying leaves fading into the skirt of fertile earth, dark and rich. And the green of her cloak changed with the light, shifting from pale jade to sea green to olive to dark jade to emerald.

“What favor would you ask of me, dear Hades?”

“I seek the hand of a goddess—”

“A Phlegethon?”

He shrugged, looking at the ground between his knees. “I know not. The first was once

Queen of the Underworld—”

“The Iron Queen.”

He nodded. “The other is the daughter of Demeter.”

“Persephone?”

He nodded. “I haven’t met the Iron Queen, but I’m told that I must marry her to keep the

throne to the Underworld.”

“That is true.”

“But my Phlegethon blood craves Persephone. I know not the strength of her power only that I cannot live without her. She is in my blood, my soul. I need her to survive.”

Rhea knelt on the altar and lifted the sprigs of lavender to her nose. “You think Persephone your mate?”

He didn’t ask how Rhea knew what she did, for he knew she could look into the eyes and see.

“Yes.”

Rhea looked at Hades, and touching his chin with soft fingers, raising his eyes to hers. “My dearest nephew, if I could take the curse of the Phlegethon from your blood, I would. No one has been more deserving than you.” Her dark eyes burned with a mother’s passion. “If you love her, let her see the man beneath the warrior’s shell. Let her love you. Free her and she will be your equal.” She kissed his forehead, her lips as cold and dry as earth. “You have my blessing to seek your Persephone.” She opened her hand. The lavender was gone, but nestled in her palm was a large amethyst. “Go to her, Hades. She’s in terrible danger.”

He kissed his dear great-aunt on the cheek and rose.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

THEY ARRIVED on the island by late afternoon and her mother increased the pace, if that

was possible. Persephone rushed to keep up. By the end of an hour, Persephone’s legs finally gave and she stumbled to the ground.

Collapsing on the damp bed of clover, she closed her eyes and fought to regulate her labored breathing and slow the thundering rush of blood pounding through her veins. The cool breeze dry the sweat from her face as she

She started when her mother said, “We have to keep moving.”

Persephone opened her eyes and glared at Demeter. Could the woman not see she was doing

her best? “I can’t,” she wheezed. “If I had magic, this journey would’ve been easier, but I might as well be mortal.”

Demeter drew back as if Persephone had slapped her. Her words were accusing but hardly

worthy of the reaction they received. “I suppose a little rest won’t hurt, and then we must be off.

We’re almost home.”

She nodded, closing her eyes again.

Demeter smiled down at the daughter looking up at her, a hint of discomfiture in her eyes.

“I’ll get you water from the stream. I’ll be gone but a moment.”

Persephone waved her answer, too tired to do much else. She heard the swish of her mother’s dress as she walked away through the grass. Kicking her sandals off her sore and blistered feet, she stretched and relaxed, humming a small refrain from a song the nymphs had taught her.

Frowning, she sat up, listening and looking around for the source of the music floating on the breeze. The low chime continued the cascade of tones. Persephone rose, wincing and hobbled a few feet toward the afternoon sun.

In the midst of a bed of pink and white lilies was a single purple flower. The velvet soft petals were deep amethyst with tongues of topaz on the top and silver on the underside. The breeze blew across the flower, sparkling in the sun. If she had the ability of magic, this was the type of flower she would create.

Captivated by the flower whose vibrating petals sounded like singing, she leaned down, her light auburn hair falling over her shoulders. She had to have it. She’d take it with her to her new home and replant it in her mother’s garden. She would treasure it forever.

Tearing a strip of cloth from her dress, she carefully dug into the dirt around the precious bloom. She lifted the root ball from the earth and wrapped it into a small bundle. She

straightened and caressed the petals.

The earth beneath her trembled and a fissure opened before her. Four gigantic black horses burst from the earth. Their thundering hooves struck lightning from the ground as they bore down upon her.

Persephone stumbled to her feet and ran. The horses thundered past her and a strong arm

wrapped around her waist, lifting her high into the air and slamming her against a massive armored chest. Screaming, she twisted in the arms that held her, clawing at the chest and face of the fiend, but the battle helmet and armor protected him.

“Let me go!”

She pounded her fists against the formidable wall of steel! Tears stung her cheeks as the wind whipped her face. The horses set an ungodly pace!

Pounding over the ground, their hooves struck sparks from the stones and thunder from the earth. The arm around her tightened, pressing her tighter to the man’s armored chest. Another fissure opened in the ground before the racing chariot and she shrieked as the horses disappeared into the crevice, taking the chariot she now rode with it. They plunged into the darkness.

The earth closed behind them. She clung to her abductor. The fearful blackness closed in

around her. Terror crept down her spine.

THE UNDERWORLD was darkening when Hades arrived at his palace with his prize.

He left his horses in the capable hands of the stable master, and carrying his unconscious bride, entered their home. He gave quick orders to Penelope as he strode through the halls to the solar in Persephone’s room and laid her on the couch.