Persephone

            Siromos collapsed against her, Hades barely catching the now limp soul in his arms. She blinked, her face blank for a moment.

            “Did he just…?” She spoke quietly, looking up at her husband.

            “I believe he did.” Hades said with a soft chuckle, slipping one arm beneath Siromos’ knees, lifting him in a bridal style hold.

            “Well. That definitely satisfies one of the many questions I have for you, Husband.” Her tone was curt, though softened by a playful light in her eyes. Many questions indeed.

            “Oh titans, you have questions.” Hades stated this with a pronounced eye roll, groaning in dread.

            “Of course, I have questions. First, we should retire somewhere a bit more private, don’t you think?” She smiled invitingly, knowing Hades was filled with a mix of lust, fear, and respect.

            Hades nodded, resigned to his fate. Persephone let out a soft tinkle of laughter, walking ahead of her husband towards their private apartments with a flick of her hair.

            “Why the fuck is Hades in my forest with a hard-on after I tied him up and yelled at him?!” Persephone threw her arms up, feeling struck with the absurdity of the situation.

            “Well, I can’t help what gets me going, can I?” Hades now looked appropriately chagrined.

            “You can, you know…” She gestured to his groin, her cheeks feeling warm, “Not get an erection?!”

            “I can’t control it. I control much, but not that.” He rolled his eyes, looking down at her stormily. Gods, this man was cocky.

            “Lovely, so you just control things that don’t matter.” She crossed her arms, stepping right up to him defiantly. Persephone was tired of this man, and normally she would simply leave. He had challenged her though in his casual dismissive attitude.

            “You will watch yourself, child.” He closed the distance, pressing flush against her. “You will find the things I control matter much more than you know.” His voice was husky, threatening. She swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing a deep rose.

            “You. Will. Watch. Your. Self. Ass. Hole.” She spoke the words with thick venom, stabbing his chest with a pointed finger to punctuate each syllable. Hades looked like he had just swallowed a spiked ball. His hands gripped her hips, lifting her against his chest.

            “I’d much rather watch you.” It seemed his anger translated directly into arousal for him.

            “Ah.” Persephone couldn’t speak, her throat dried of words. She wet her lips, staring into Hades’ enveloping gaze.

            “Oh? No more vicious barbs? No more fight?” His lips quirked up on one side in a cocky way that had Persephone feeling a bit off kilter. The challenge was there though, and she intended to win.

            Her eyes narrowed in determination and she closed the distance between their lips. She had expected it to be terrible. She had expected him to pull away and for her to have won this pissing match. She did not expect fireworks and butterflies. It was honey-sweet and warm summer breeze. Her arms came up around his neck as his laced behind her back. Then with a growl, he tilted her back, deepening the kiss.

            She felt delicate and protected. This stranger had come into her meadow and antagonized her. She had been furious. This kiss wiped the slate clean, leaving only two lonely souls meeting for the first time. A soft moan escaped her throat as Hades slid his tongue between their parted lips, plundering her. Her hands fisted in his soft curls, pulling him closer though there was not much closer to be. This was better than ambrosia.

            They slowly collapsed to the ground, their lips not breaking once. She crawled onto his lap, straddling him, taking the reins. His hands roamed freely over her body, squeezing and stroking. Persephone was on fire. In the back of her mind, she knew she would be terribly embarrassed later. Right now, she couldn’t think of anything except how much she needed more of his touch, more of him. His hands cupped her breasts, kneading her flesh and she felt combustible.

            Someone finally broke the kiss, though she could not say who. Gasping, she tilted her head back, and a shocked moan escaped as Hades bit gently on her neck. Her hands restlessly stroked at his hair, his neck, his shoulders, trying to find purchase in the whirlwind of sensation. His fingers found the puckered peaks of her nipples, rolling them gently through the thin fabric of her peplos, sending jolts of electricity to her core.

            “Oh Hades…” She moaned out in a voice she couldn’t recognize. That was enough to clear her mind.

            With a shove, she pulled away, landing unceremoniously on her butt in the grass. Hades let her go, his expression looking stricken with disappointment and confusion.

            “What just happened…” Persephone muttered mostly to herself, running a shaky hand through her hair.

            “Well, I’m not sure myself.” Hades cleared his throat, running a hand through his own hair as well. She noted it looked adorably mussed. He looked adorably mussed, his cheeks flush with arousal, his eyes foggy.

            “You… Did you do something to me? To make me feel like that?” She narrowed her eyes at him accusingly.

            “I should be the one asking you that. I’ve never felt so overcome before.” His voice was rough, though held no note of dishonesty. She knew then that she trusted him. The stark truth in his words and actions had seduced her far more than his touch. This was a bare version of the man who had entered her meadow, and Persephone knew she needed more of him.

            “Um, well. I see.” She looked down at the ground between them, space she had put there and now regretted. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

            Persephone sat on the loveseat in front of their fireplace, waiting for Hades to lay Siromos down in bed. The poor soul had been through a lot and needed his rest. She was curled up, her arms hugging her knees to her chest as she stared into the flickering blue flames. The fire of the underworld was entrancing. She could stare into it for hours without realizing time had passed.

            The seat dipped as Hades joined her, and she waited a moment before looking over at her husband.

            “You want him.” She stated, studying his face. His brows furrowed, concentrated as he stared into the flames.

            “Yes.” He responded after a beat.

            “I don’t know how I feel about it.”

            “You want him too.”

            “Yes.”

            They lapsed into silence, both lost in thought. What would this mean for them? They had never strayed from each other before.

            “What do we do about it?” Persephone finally broke the silence.

            “I’m not sure, Agápi.” The pet name was one of her favorites. Love.

            “I love you.” She spoke softly, smiling.

            “I love you too.” He finally looked to her, his face softening, returning her smile. She felt as if the sun was beaming on her face when he looked at her like that.

            “Do you just want sex, or do you want more from him?” Hades stared into her eyes as he took a moment to think of his reply.

            “I’m not sure. I don’t know him well enough to know if I want more, yet. And you?”

            “It’s the same for me.” She uncurled from her ball, scooching over and lifting his arm to insert herself against his side, wrapping herself in his hold.

            “This is definitely new.” He pulled her closer, lifting his other hand to play with her hair.

            “It really is. I’m feeling very unsettled. A part of me wants to be jealous, but I know you love me, and I have no reason to be jealous. I know that we’re going to share in this, however it turns out.”

            “You are so wise, my queen.” She felt his lips press in a soft kiss against her head, and she sighed contentedly.

            “I really am the smart one in this partnership, aren’t I?” She looked up to her husband and king with a cheeky grin.

            “Don’t push it.” His lips stretched into a matching expression, his eyes lightening with amusement and adoration.

            A crashing sounded from their bedroom, followed by a loud groan. They burst into laughter, and Persephone stretched up to plant a kiss on her husband’s cheek.

            “It seems he’s awake now. Let’s go see to our new guest, my king.” Persephone stood from the couch, holding Hades’ hand in her own, smiling wide.