Hades transports us right in front of a large, gothic castle. The Underworld is dark, with a slight chill in the air. Much to my surprise, I don't
immediately dislike it. In fact, I feel as though I could relax here. It's nothing
like what I expected, after years of mothers’ stories.
Hades looks at me nervously, waiting for my reaction. I give him an answering smile, letting him know that I'm okay here. "This is my castle," he states with a flourish of his arm. "Are you ready to go inside?"
I nod my head, excited to see what the inside holds. I must also admit that I'm excited to find a bed and lose myself in a dream to forget how this day panned out. Hades leads us inside, where we're immediately greeted by a gorgeous woman with long, black hair, a red shirt with one more button undone than is appropriate, and black pencil skirt that shouldn't show off so much of her legs, and red heels that I could swear were longer than my arm. She's stunning, but right away has the air of someone who thinks they rule the world. It doesn't take long for me to realize we won't get along.
"Persephone, this is Minthe, my assistant," Hades introduces her. "Minthe,
this is..." he hesitates, and glances at me. It's then that I realize we've never put an
official label on this. Is he my boyfriend? Do God's and Goddesses do the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing? Hades smiles and continues, "This is my Persephone."
My heart soars at his words. His Persephone? I like that description more than any other label he could have given me. I don't miss the way Minthe's eyes dart to me, and she stands taller. "Should I have the maids set up one of the guest rooms?" Minthe asks is a sickly-sweet voice.
"No, thank you. That won't be necessary." Minthe gives me a smug look as if she's won a round of a game I wasn't aware we were playing. "She'll be staying in my room, with me," he adds pointedly.
Immediately, her smug look is gone, and she looks as if she's been slapped in the face. Hades grabs my hand and starts to direct me away. As soon as he turns away from Minthe, she shoots me the deadliest glare I've ever seen. Two minutes in the Underworld and I already have my first enemy.
Pushing aside all thoughts of Minthe, I follow Hades through the halls of his castle. Unlike the outside which was all black with no hint of life, the inside is full of differently colored rooms. Most are either beige or different shades of red. I wouldn't necessarily call it homey, but it is very beautiful.
"I'm sorry," Hades blurts abruptly. I look at him quizzically. "I didn't mean to presume that you would want to stay with me, or insinuate that anything would happen. I would just be more comfortable being able to have you in my sights and within reach. We've never slept under the sane roof, and having you in a guest room just wouldn't be close enough."
"You do not need to apologize," I assure him. "I would prefer to be close to you as well. Besides, I wouldn't mind if something were to happen." I quickly cast my gaze down in an attempt to hide the blush I can feel setting my cheeks on fire.
Hades clears his throat a few times, as if embarrassed himself. He continues through the halls, and points out different guest rooms, the dining room, a library, which he assures me there are many, and finally, we end at his bedroom.
"I imagine after all that's happened today, you must be exhausted. How does a warm bath before bed sound?" I never imagined Hades could be a shy man, but he's having trouble meeting my eyes, and his voice is very small.
"That sounds heavenly," I say, just as shyly. I pause, look at him, and burst into laughter. His eyebrows raise in question, and his lips curve into a smile. "I did not mean to make a joke, I truly meant what I said, but it just sounds funny saying that something would be heavenly while standing in a castle in the Underworld with the Lord of the Underworld himself."
"Persephone, you can make as many jokes as you want, as long as I get to hear your laugh when you do." He leans down to place a chaste kiss upon my lips, and my cheeks once again fill with color. "I'm going to go fill up the bath. You make yourself at home in the meantime."
Since I have nothing to unpack, I decide to walk around the room and see how Hades lives. His bedroom is as large as the cottage I grew up in. His walls are cream colored. All of the furniture in his room is very dark wood that stands out beautifully against the walls. He has two walk in closets, each the size of my entire bedroom back in the cottage. I avoid going into the en suite bathroom, knowing I will get to see it soon. He has a very large, comfortable looking bed, covered in burgundy silk sheets. The bed was meant to hold more than one person, and idly I wonder how many other women have shared this bed with him. Has Minthe? Is that why she hated me so quickly?
"What's wrong?" Hades asks from just over my shoulder. I didn't hear him approach, and the sounds of his voice makes me gasp in surprise.
"Nothing," I answer, trying to hide the frown on my face from just a moment ago.
"When I left a moment ago, you were smiling, and you looked to be very happy. Now I've come back to see a frown on your face, as though something has upset you. Is something not to your liking?" His concerned eyes try to see deeper into my own, as if he could read my thoughts through my eyes.
"No, no, everything is gorgeous. This room is absolutely amazing," I assure him, and I truly mean it. This bedroom is like a fantasy.
"Then what is it, Persephone?" I can see that he won't give up until he knows exactly what's bothering me, so I decide to make this quick and tell him.
I glance down at the floor so he can't see the jealousy in my eyes and whisper, "I was wondering how many women you've shared this bed with."
The silence between us stretches, and I grow uncomfortable. I shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't my place. Of course he has a past, what man doesn't? And he's not even a man, he's a God. I risk a glance up to see his expression. To my surprise, he doesn't look angry. Rather, he almost looks confused. Why would he be confused? "I'm sorry, Hades, it wasn't my place-"
He cuts me off. "None. I have never shared this bed with anyone. No woman other than the servants have been allowed in this room. You will be the first to sleep in it with me, or without me if that would make you more comfortable."
I sigh in relief. I didn't think his answer would hold that much weight, bit I feel lighter knowing that I'm important enough to him to be the first once he shares his bed with. But something is still nagging at me. "What about Minthe? Is something going on between you two? She wasn't exactly welcoming towards me."
He lets out a frustrated breath. "Nothing is going on presently, but we do have a past. We were never truly together, just on and off when I was bored and needed someone to..." he pauses and I can see the gears in his mind coming up with the proper phrasing. "Someone to fulfill my needs. I'll admit, I'm not perfect. When it comes down to it, I'm no better than mortal men." He smirks, and again, my cheeks heat at the implication. "Persephone, I meant what I said. I love you, and only you."
I smile at his words, because I know he's telling the truth. I decide to take pity on him and change the subject. "Is my bath ready?"
"Yes, my lady, your bath awaits." His mood is instantly lifted as he leads me into the bathroom and shows me where the towels are before closing the door behind himself, giving me privacy.
The bathroom is larger than I ever could have imagined. It's as big as the two walk in closets put together. There is a double sink off to one side, with only one sink occupied with belongings. The other looks as though it has never been touched. The bath he's set up for me is almost like an in-ground swimming pool. Many people could fit in it. There are marble steps leading down into the bath, and I can see the steam rising off of the water. Next to the bath, I see a platter holding various meats and cheeses, and a large glass of wine next to that. When did he leave to get those?
Instead of sitting around wondering all day, I grab two towels and lay them close to the bath so they are ready when I am done. I quickly strip out of the dress and underwear I had worn today, and step into the soothing water. As soon as my feet make contact, I feel every muscle in my body breathe a sigh of relief. Truly, it wasn’t a terrible day. Just a terrible confrontation with mother. The rest of the day? Well, it was the closest thing to perfect I could imagine. As I fully sink into the water and let my body just relax, I grab the glass of wine and sip on it and I recall the rest of today’s events.
My nerves are growing worse by the minute. I came to the river earlier than we had agreed on, so I could practice my powers on the flowers that are around here. This is my favorite place to practice close to home. The sound of the river puts my mind at ease, there are animals all over, and I know the flowers I grow will have a happy home.
Just as I’ve used up enough of my magical energy, I look up to see him walking towards me. My breath catches in my throat. He’s black hair is slicked back and perfectly styled as always. His beautiful eyes are sparkling with happiness and sunshine. His square, strong jaw that would normally be intimidating is softened by the smile that takes up his face. He’s dressed simply in a black t-shirt and long black pants; his feet clad in black dress shoes. I’ve never seen this man in anything other than black, and I’m curious to see him in other colors. He could make anything look good.
As he nears me, a smile erupts onto my face. Why was I so nervous earlier? We’ve been seeing each other for at least a year now. I hate sneaking around like this, but I know mother would never approve, so it’s best she doesn’t find out. We can stay in our own happy bubble this way.
“You look gorgeous,” he says as he approaches. I chose a simple yellow dress that goes all the way to my ankles. It goes well with my slightly tanned complexion and my dark brown hair. I also have lacy white sandals to cover my feet, my favorite pair of sandals.
“You don’t look half bad, either,” I tease him. He takes my hand and pulls me into him, straight into the warm embrace I have been craving since the last time I saw him. It had been three weeks since we last saw each other at a party Dionysus put together, and snuck away from the ground to be together. We danced to the distance music, talked liked we had been best friends for years, and kissed under the stars. It was an amazing night and I’ve missed him dearly ever since.
Slowly, almost questioningly, he pulls my chin up to look at him, and leans down for a gentle kiss. It takes all of my willpower not to moan into his mouth at this simple contact of our lips, but my Gods does it feel good. I hate spending time apart from him, but being apart makes our reunion that much better. It’s always sweet and tender in the beginning, as if we’re starting all over again.
“Are you hungry?” he asks as he pulls away. I nod shyly at him. After extensively using my powers like I just did, I am absolutely starving, but I don’t want to tell him this. We begin walking back to where he came from, and behind a tree not far from the river is a blanket laid out with an assortment of food on top.
“A picnic?” I ask hopefully. He looks down and smiles at me, and motions for me to sit first. We haven’t had a picnic together in quite some time, and I’ve missed it.
We sit and eat for a while, talking between bites of food. There’s always things we’re learning about each other, no matter how much or how often we talk. There’s never any awkward pauses in the conversation, and never much shyness after we get reacquainted.
After we finish eating, we continue talking animatedly, each of us slowly inching closer to the other, until we are side by side. We steal kisses as we talk and laugh. Eventually, we decide to get up and take a walk. We follow the river down as far as we can before reality hits and I realize I need to get home before mother starts to worry. Before turning back, Hades captures me in an embrace and places a rough, passionate kiss on my lips. His tongue quickly seeks entry, and I grant it to him. He tastes of cheese and grapes, of which he ate plenty of during our lunch. Our tongues slide together in a dance they have always known together, and I melt into him. If his strong arms weren’t around me, I surely would have collapsed by now, as my legs feel like jelly. I know I’ll be smiling like an idiot all night long.
Our kiss ends too soon, and he walks me back to the part of the river where I started this morning. “One of these days, I’ll be able to walk you home,” he says longingly to me. I would love nothing more, but I know it’s not a reality for us. “Or maybe, one of these days we won’t have to separate.” Oh, Hades. How I long to live in that fantasy, to never have to be parted from you. But I still don’t know how to tell you of my true feelings.
Another kiss and a promise to see each other very soon, and we part ways. My lips are still tingling as I approach the cottage, and I know I look like a love-struck fool.
I never would have guessed the rest of the night would have turned out how it did. When we promised to see each other soon, how were we to know it would be within an hour’s time? How were we to know that when he spoke of his dream to not have to separate after a day together, that we would be spending a night together?
My thoughts begin to wander more as I think of this night together. He told me we would be sharing his bed tonight, or I would be the only one sleeping in it if I wanted. Is that what I want? I think of the possibility of being wrapped in Hades’ loving embrace all night long, and waking up to cuddle into him ever more. That’s what I want. Besides, I couldn’t kick him out of his own bed.
But then comes the biggest question. If we share a bed tonight, will we only be sleeping? He’s just told me about having women fulfill his needs. Am I ready to do that for him? I know the basics of it. I know it will be painful my first time, but the first time is supposed to be special, with someone you love. Yes, I think I’m ready to do this with Hades. I love him, and I want this to be with him.
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