asked.
“I need to check in around the realm. I usually go out often, but…” He trailed off, unwilling to offer her so much power. But you’ve utterly distracted me.
“Can I come?”
He laughed before he realized she was serious. “You want to tour the Underworld?”
“Absolutely. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
No. For the most part, the Underworld was a dangerous place. And hell, though he was keen on abandoning all suspicions, he found he couldn’t quite turn off his reluctance to keep his world all to himself. “I don’t know…”
“Please?”
She should patent that pleading look. “Persephone…”
Her hand moved to Right’s head, and Hades tensed, ready to run to her rescue when the massive white beast mauled her. But as she petted it, the creature merely twisted around to lick her wrist. Then it turned to eye him. Take her, fool, it seemed to say. Still he hedged. “Well, I guess there are certain areas you could see. If you’re sure—”
With a squeal, she jumped to her feet. “Yes, yes, let’s go. ”
“Okay then.”
She gave each of Cerberus’s heads a final pat and ran to grab his hand and tug him to his feet. Though he barely felt the pulls on his arm, he stood and allowed her to guide him from the room, aware that she received pleasure from any display of physical superiority to him.
Hades cleared his throat. “You should have said you were this bored. You aren’t a prisoner, you know.”
She was practically dancing as they neared the front door. “I know. And I wasn’t bored, exactly. I figured it probably wasn’t smart to go wandering around a realm I don’t know, and you’re already giving me so much of your time, training me…”
“And fucking you,” he added helpfully, giving a mock ouch when she pinched him. They stopped in front of the massive wooden door. “Seriously, you’re absolutely right. There are parts of the kingdom that are downright dangerous, and I’d rather you not go out without me taking you to the safer areas.”
“Will there be sunshine?”
The naked longing in her voice was unmistakable, and he kicked himself for not having thought of her needs sooner. Of course she missed sunshine—she was the goddess of plants, for fuck’s sake. He was just now noticing the paleness of her formerly nut-brown skin.
He placed his hand on the door and called up the Elysian Fields, the perfect place for her to visit. “Yes.” Opening the door, he watched the dawning joy on her face as the sunlight pierced his home. How had he not noticed how dark and cavernous his palace was?
They both had to squint as they stepped outside, so bright was the sunshine. The Elysian Fields was aptly named, resembling a huge park filled with green grass, large trees and the scent of sweet blooms. Persephone bent down to trace a rose, and the little flower stretched up toward her as if begging for her touch. She laughed, the sound tripping down his spine.
He cleared his throat. “Is this enough sunshine?”
She cast him a glowing smile and straightened. “Very much so. Are these the Elysian Fields?”
“Yes.”
She looked around, and he knew she was absorbing everything. Persephone could have easily been a goddess of knowledge. She soaked in new experiences like a hungry sponge. He’d tutored her very little in actually using her powers. She’d grown by leaps and bounds all on her own. “Then these people…are dead?”
He took his gaze off her and studied the souls packed on the greens. Their houses were some distance away, small cottages, large mega mansions and everything in between, since whatever they wanted, they received. They usually congregated here, however, for socializing and playing and simply soaking in the eternally perfect weather. “Yes. These are souls.”
“I want to be sad, but they look so happy.”
“They should be happy.” Refusing to think of how natural it felt, he picked up her hand and put it on his arm. “They deserve
“I need to check in around the realm. I usually go out often, but…” He trailed off, unwilling to offer her so much power. But you’ve utterly distracted me.
“Can I come?”
He laughed before he realized she was serious. “You want to tour the Underworld?”
“Absolutely. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
No. For the most part, the Underworld was a dangerous place. And hell, though he was keen on abandoning all suspicions, he found he couldn’t quite turn off his reluctance to keep his world all to himself. “I don’t know…”
“Please?”
She should patent that pleading look. “Persephone…”
Her hand moved to Right’s head, and Hades tensed, ready to run to her rescue when the massive white beast mauled her. But as she petted it, the creature merely twisted around to lick her wrist. Then it turned to eye him. Take her, fool, it seemed to say. Still he hedged. “Well, I guess there are certain areas you could see. If you’re sure—”
With a squeal, she jumped to her feet. “Yes, yes, let’s go. ”
“Okay then.”
She gave each of Cerberus’s heads a final pat and ran to grab his hand and tug him to his feet. Though he barely felt the pulls on his arm, he stood and allowed her to guide him from the room, aware that she received pleasure from any display of physical superiority to him.
Hades cleared his throat. “You should have said you were this bored. You aren’t a prisoner, you know.”
She was practically dancing as they neared the front door. “I know. And I wasn’t bored, exactly. I figured it probably wasn’t smart to go wandering around a realm I don’t know, and you’re already giving me so much of your time, training me…”
“And fucking you,” he added helpfully, giving a mock ouch when she pinched him. They stopped in front of the massive wooden door. “Seriously, you’re absolutely right. There are parts of the kingdom that are downright dangerous, and I’d rather you not go out without me taking you to the safer areas.”
“Will there be sunshine?”
The naked longing in her voice was unmistakable, and he kicked himself for not having thought of her needs sooner. Of course she missed sunshine—she was the goddess of plants, for fuck’s sake. He was just now noticing the paleness of her formerly nut-brown skin.
He placed his hand on the door and called up the Elysian Fields, the perfect place for her to visit. “Yes.” Opening the door, he watched the dawning joy on her face as the sunlight pierced his home. How had he not noticed how dark and cavernous his palace was?
They both had to squint as they stepped outside, so bright was the sunshine. The Elysian Fields was aptly named, resembling a huge park filled with green grass, large trees and the scent of sweet blooms. Persephone bent down to trace a rose, and the little flower stretched up toward her as if begging for her touch. She laughed, the sound tripping down his spine.
He cleared his throat. “Is this enough sunshine?”
She cast him a glowing smile and straightened. “Very much so. Are these the Elysian Fields?”
“Yes.”
She looked around, and he knew she was absorbing everything. Persephone could have easily been a goddess of knowledge. She soaked in new experiences like a hungry sponge. He’d tutored her very little in actually using her powers. She’d grown by leaps and bounds all on her own. “Then these people…are dead?”
He took his gaze off her and studied the souls packed on the greens. Their houses were some distance away, small cottages, large mega mansions and everything in between, since whatever they wanted, they received. They usually congregated here, however, for socializing and playing and simply soaking in the eternally perfect weather. “Yes. These are souls.”
“I want to be sad, but they look so happy.”
“They should be happy.” Refusing to think of how natural it felt, he picked up her hand and put it on his arm. “They deserve
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