That Fatal Kiss (23 page)

She caught his hand in mid-air and pushed it back down. “I would think, ‘Is her appearance more pleasing to him? Does she delight him more than I do? Will he want her again, if I displease him?’ I would think all of these things, and more. I…I simply cannot tolerate the notion of there being any other female in your thoughts except for me.”

A red flush now stained her white cheeks and Hades sat up to grip Persephone’s shoulders firmly. “But there is no other—”

She shrugged off his hands and left the bed, dragging a sheet along to cover herself. Eyes brimming with tears, she backed away until she felt the cold wall against her naked back. “Perhaps such knowledge would not affect you thusly, but it would ruin me, Hades. I, who have never cared to gain another’s approval, who have never before known self-doubt,
I
would be ruined!” A sob escaped her. “Why I’ve been lowered this way, I cannot divine, but I feel it, Hades. I feel it raging within me, this…this consuming illness, this madness. I need to be your only one, need it in the same way I need the ichor coursing through my body…” Her shoulders shook as the tears poured from her. “What have you done to me, Hades?” she whispered raggedly, pressing her hand against her eyes. “What did you take from me last night, that I feel such agony at the thought of being diminished in your eyes?”

Hades got up to take Persephone into his arms and this time she threw her own over his shoulders and held him close. He brought her face up, lips sweeping across her skin, catching and inhaling her cries when they erupted. Her tears flowed freely, even as she kissed him, and fierce hunger tore through her once more.

Hades pushed the sheet down, pressed himself onto her yielding flesh, one hand going down her back to grasp her and haul her shaking body up. Bracing her against the wall, he brought her down upon his erection. “Believe that I have loved you long, know that I hold you higher than any female who has ever been or ever will be. There can be no other, Persephone. Only you.”

Her face nestled in the hollow of his throat as she felt him fill her, impale her. “Swear it…”

“I do swear it,” he said, driving into her.

Persephone’s breath came in heaving gasps as he awoke the delicious ache within her. She brought her legs up higher, wrapping them tightly around his torso. Her climax exploded; she drew in and held a breath while digging her nails into his back, her legs clenching him into her and bringing on his own release.

Their bodies stilled and the tears Persephone held back came again. Hades bore her back to their bed and covered them both, holding her securely until she lost herself to sleep.

Later, Hades looked up at the ceiling with a dimpled smile. The thought of her past lovers could no longer torment. Persephone was jealous of him. He could have howled with delight.

He felt Persephone stir in his arms and waited patiently for her to wake. Her eyes opened and locked on his. In moments, her cheeks filled with color, but she said nothing. Thinking she was feeling shy, embarrassed about what she had revealed to him, he meant to engage in a bout of pitiless teasing. But then Persephone grinned, putting him on his guard. “What?”

“I just thought we might refresh ourselves with a bath,” she said.

Hades cogitated upon her suggestion. “You mean, together?”

Persephone batted her eyelashes at him.

Aroused by the images her look evoked, he threw back the sheets, pronouncing, “Done!” She laughed as he gave a resounding clap, then propped herself up on one elbow and looked pointedly at his naked loins. Hades followed her gaze and, smirking, swept the sheet off her own naked form, leaving her shrieking for cover.

As the god tied the sheet about his waist, he felt a chill come over him, rooting him to the spot. Everything darkened in his field of vision and his hearing became muffled, but Hades was not alarmed, as he’d experienced similar events many times. Before he temporarily lost his hearing, though, he heard Persephone shout, “Hades, what’s happened to you?” He desperately wished he could ease her worry, but he now stood frozen and would not be able to speak for another few moments. He could only stare into nothingness, without the ability to hear, move, or even breath. An inordinately long period of time passed until a violent spasm shook him out of his paralysis. Hades laid a hand against the wall to brace himself.

“What, in the name of all that is holy, came over you just now?” the goddess asked, her voice shrill with alarm. “Never mind, save your strength; I’ll have a servant go to Olympus at once and tell Apollo that we need his services—”

But Hades held up his free hand as he took a deep breath. He let go of the wall and slowly stepped away from it. The god bent to retrieve the sheet, which had fallen, and fastened it around his hips. A rap sounded at the door and he opened it and relayed some instructions in low tones to the servant beyond. Hades shut the door and leaned against it momentarily. “Rest easy, my dear, there’s no need to summon your brother. I promise you, I am well. The Invocation momentarily got the best of me, that is all.”

“The invocation?”

“Yes,” the god said, making his way to a jug and pouring himself some water. He drank it quickly and poured another cup. That one soon dispatched, he set the goblet down and explained. “It is an alarm of sorts, alerting me that a mortal has invoked my name, either as witness to an oath or as the means of redressing some wrong. The grip of the Invocation doesn’t usually last so long, only the one who called upon me must be in the throes of strong emotion, which manifested in me as you saw.” Hades aimed a questioning frown at her. “Surely your mother warned you this would happen?”

“Warned me?” Persephone sat up in the bed, clutching her cloak to her chest. “Do you mean to tell me that
I
must submit to these…invocations?”

Seeing her dismay, Hades’ lips thinned. He turned away to obtain another drink of water. His tone gentle, he said, “Unfortunately, yes. Especially when word gets out to the mortals that you’ve joined me in the rule of the Underworld.”

“Oh, dear…You’re
quite
certain that mortals will invoke me? To…to punish?”

Hades gave an angry shake of his head. How could Demeter have neglected to advise her own daughter of such an inherent trait of immortality? “I am sorry to say so when it distresses you but, yes. I am certain of it.”

“Why didn’t my mother tell me about this?” Persephone asked aloud, her voice betraying her vexation.

Thinking the only reason could be that she’d never intended to share her authority with Persephone, Hades was relieved when a more palatable answer to this question came to him. “Not all of the gods are invoked to punish, most are asked to bless. Your mother, as a bestower of gifts, is likely invoked by very different sentiments than I typically am. Possibly, her reactions to the Invocation don’t trouble her as much as mine do me, and she didn’t think them worth mentioning to you...” He winced at how lamely his voice trailed off, then looked back at her to see if she’d accepted this explanation.

The goddess snorted. “That was very good of you, Hades, but I suspect my mother had other, less flattering, reasons for not educating me in this matter. Thus, the task falls to you.” She inclined her head, as if trying to recall something. “What’s that thing you say sometimes? About your grandfather’s wounds?”

Hades thought. “Uranus’ festering wounds?”

“Yes, that.” Persephone eyed the ceiling balefully and shook a fist at it. “Uranus’ festering wounds, Mother! How you have failed me!”

The god couldn’t help chuckling at this humorous show of indignation, and she soon joined him in his laughter.

“Tell me,” Persephone said in between giggles, “how does one know what specifically is being requested?”

Glad to focus on the facts, Hades said, “An oath, you simply feel, and know, and if its maker is forsworn, you must take him to task for it. An Invocation for retribution is similar, in that you just know what the matter is. You also know who it is who truly must be brought to justice.”

Persephone gave a thoughtful nod. “And what sort overcame you just now? An oath or a cry for vengeance?”

“Strangely, neither of those. It felt more like…a cry for help. But I cannot discern from whom it came.” He shrugged. “Word will reach me of its meaning eventually.”

She nodded again and then sighed. Hades drew closer to the bed and cupped her face in his hand. “You detest the idea of being the instrument of pain to any mortal, even if it’s deserved, don’t you?”

“Yes. But I will do my duty, no matter how unpleasant. Only, I can think of far better ways to be called upon.”

“As can I.” He bent down and swept Persephone up from the bed.

She threw her arms around the god’s neck. “What now?”

“I seem to recall,” Hades said, heading for the door, “that my Lady Kore called for a bath.” He willed the portal open and went down the corridor.

“And is my Lord Aidoneus well enough to administer it?”

He shot her a look brimming with lusty promise. “Watch me.”

Just as they reached the door to the bathing chamber, the judge Rhadamanthys appeared. “My Lord, my Lady,” he said, “forgive the intrusion, but I need to speak with you, most urgently.”

“Whatever the matter is, it can wait,” Hades said.

“I very much regret that it cannot, my Lord,” the mortal insisted.

“Has the Thunderer declared war and summoned me to support him?”

“No, Lord—”

“Has the wide Earth come apart, laying Erebus open to sunlight?”

“No—”

“Are there Immortals at the Gates, threatening to storm the palace and usurp our rule?”

The judge bowed his head. “Of course not.”

“Then the matter can wait.”

“Aidoneus—” Rhadamanthys said, only to have the bathing chamber’s door slam in his face.

Inside the bathing room, Persephone said, “Hades, he looked rather alarmed. Perhaps we should defer our bath until later?”

“We shall not,” Hades said, lowering her into the steaming water, still wrapped in the bedclothes, and joining her.

LONG MOMENTS PASSED
before Persephone and Hades finally emerged from the chamber, both wrapped in woolen towels, to find that Rhadamanthys still awaited them in the hallway. Persephone felt a strange foreboding as Hades nodded at the man, inviting him to speak.

The judge bowed. “My Lord, a mortal claiming to be a son of Apollo begs an audience with you. He says he is here to reclaim his newly deceased wife and hopes you will restore her to life.”

Hades looked at Persephone. “That would explain the force of the Invocation.”

“You think it was he who invoked you?”

“It must have been. Any mortal sired by a god has some of the father’s divinity. Should such a one Invoke a god, the results are bound to be that much more powerful.” To Rhadamanthys, he said, “What is his name?”

“Orpheus.”

“Orpheus! Why, he is my own nephew, and yours too, Hades,” Persephone said. “I was to attend his wedding yesterday, now that I think on it.”

“Blast these badly timed visits from distant relatives,” Hades grumbled. “We’ll see him in the throne room.” Grasping Persephone’s hand, he made haste to their bedchamber.

When they’d arrived, the goddess asked, “Shall we will ourselves dressed and into the throne room?”

Hades spared a leer for her slipping towel before pushing her over to her side of the bed. “I prefer dressing the mortal way.”

“Why? It takes so much longer.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her as he deliberately dropped his towel and pulled on his black robes, leaving no room in her mind as to why he would not take advantage of their divine abilities. Persephone rolled her eyes in response and turned her back on him to open her ivory chest and rummage for a gown. “I wonder what has befallen poor Eurydice? Oh, drat!”

Hades looked up from lacing his sandal and smirked as she strained to hold up her towel and pull amethyst-colored robes out of her chest simultaneously. “Eurydice’s the bride?”

“She is. Well, she was.” Persephone frowned as she tried to figure out how she was to put on the gown without exposing herself to Hades. It was all well and good to be naked when making love—intense passions had a way of blinding lovers to one another’s flaws, after all. But beyond those heated moments, Persephone found the idea of being so…vulnerable to Hades something she was not yet prepared to withstand. Noting that he was nearly done lacing up his sandals, she gestured to the floor just behind him, saying, “Would you hand me my belt?”