Chapter 18
Hades
Serapina made a nest.
That knowledge has my chest warming with pride.
Not only did she feel safe enough to create her haven, but she also made it in my maze.
I try not to let her see how I’m feeling, then remember that she requested we talk to each other.
Hmm. She’s walking silently beside me while sipping on the fruity protein shake Maliki manifested for her. It was his compromise after Morpheus made the tray of food vanish.
“She needs to eat,” Maliki told me, a hint of desperation in his tone. “It’s been three days.”
“Proving that she’s indeed not human at all,” Morpheus inserted.
“I’ll make sure she gets it” was my reply, though I fully agreed with Morpheus’s statement, too. However, I also wanted to placate Maliki.
Which was a strange need, as I’ve never much cared to placate anyone before.
Yet I felt obligated to try this morning. Hence the reason I handed Serapina the drink when she joined me in the living area, and why I encouraged her to take it with us on our stroll through the maze.
She says nothing as her gaze traces over the icy walls, skull adornments, and frozen flowers. It makes me wonder what she’s thinking.
So I speak my mind first, hoping to inspire her to do the same. “I’m very pleased that you built a nest,” I tell her, feeling slightly foolish for admitting that aloud, but wanting to share my pride nonetheless. “It means you feel safe here.”
Her blue eyes meet mine, her straw perched daintily between her lips. “I didn’t realize that was what I was doing,” she says around the straw. “It just… happened.”
I nod. “That’s normal. Although, an Omega usually creates a nest during a heat.”
Her nose scrunches.
“Morpheus hypothesized that you might actually be in heat right now,” I go on, wanting to inform her of what we discussed while she slept. “He thinks your human shell might be a facade of sorts. Like a mirage.”
Serapina stops walking near one of the many false exits in the maze. If she were to try to run in that direction, she would find herself deep in a labyrinth of walls that all lead back to this main corridor—the one that takes her back to the cabin.
Though, she doesn’t even look at the false exit.
Instead, she faces me and lowers the straw from her mouth. “A mirage? But I was born human.”
“So was Alina,” I point out. “However, both of your souls are Mythos Fae Omegas.”
She frowns. “True. But shouldn’t I feel different?”
“Don’t you?” I ask, my head canting a bit to the side. “You just slept for three days, Serapina. Humans only do that under extreme circumstances. Yet you woke up rested and glowing.” She resembled a Goddess whilst kneeling in those sheets earlier.
And she resembles a Goddess now in her black pants and flowy sweater—two items she clearly manifested for herself in the closet. Along with the sexy boots she’s wearing. No heels, which is fine. I rather enjoy her smaller stature.
“You also took Morpheus’s knot,” I add, grimacing a little with the concept. However, the more I acknowledge it, the more I acc—
No. Fuck. I don’t accept it. I fucking loathe it.
But, for Serapina, I’ll try to… respect it.
Clearing my throat, I move on to a more acceptable mating topic. “And Maliki mentioned he wasn’t exactly gentle with you in the Rutting Grounds. A human likely would have been hurt or worse. By both encounters, I mean. Thus, Morpheus’s hypothesis holds merit.”
Not to mention the fact that she just created a nest.
“Regardless, we’ll figure it out,” I promise her, my palm instantly seeking her cheek. “Morpheus and Maliki said we—you and I—need to work together to determine what Demeter has done. And I agree.”
Which naturally brings us full circle.
“So I want to start by showing you some of the changes I made to the maze.” I brush my thumb across her plump lower lip. “I want your opinion on the modifications.”
“My opinion?”
I nod. “Yes.” I draw my touch away from her cheek, down her neck to her arm, and gently shift my palm to her lower back.
“Part of communicating is learning more about one another. That’s why I told you I’m pleased you made a nest in the maze.
And now, I would like to hear your thoughts on my labyrinth designs. ”
I give her a little nudge to begin walking, and she does, but I can tell by her hesitant steps that she’s trying to understand what I’ve said.
“There’s no motive,” I promise. “This is solely about us getting to know each other, okay?”
“Like a… a date?” she asks.
My lips twist at the term, my inner Alpha huffing at the inconsequential notion. What I want to do with her is a soul-bonding exercise, not something as simplistic as a date. That’s such a mortal concept.
But rather than comment all of that aloud, I reply, “Let’s call it a courting exercise.” I glance down at her. “This is me trying to prove my worth as a mate.”
“Then it’s kind of going to suck for you if I don’t like any of the changes you’ve made,” she replies, her candid response giving me pause.
A chuckle escapes me after a beat, the sound both nervous and humored. “You’re not wrong, Serapina. But, if that’s the case, I’ll just use your input to alter the design again.”
She cocks her head. “That probably would have been a more efficient approach in the beginning—to ask my opinion before making alterations.”
“True.”
My response must embolden her because she adds, “Much better than running off to hide and doing it yourself.”
“Yes, you’ve made your feelings on that quite clear.”
“Good,” she says, her confidence coming through in the straightening of her shoulders. “Now show me what kept you from me.”
I can’t help but smile at her sassiness. It’s so… unique. No one ever sasses me.
Well, apart from Maliki, anyway.
But I rather like that my Omega feels comfortable enough to put me in my place. Especially when I’ve earned her castigation.
Because she’s right. I thought my actions would speak louder than words, and they did. Only, those actions told her the wrong things about my intentions.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” I tell her, meaning it. “I appreciate your candor, Serapina.”
She finishes her smoothie and leans into me as we walk. My palm shifts so I can encircle her lower back, and I give her a tentative squeeze. When she snuggles in a little more, a purr ignites in my chest, and she sighs, “I love that sound.”
I’m about to say I know.
However, she continues with “But that’s not going to save you from my critique. If I hate what you’ve done, I’ll tell you.”
I chuckle again. “Noted, darling.”
“Good. So tell me why you messed with perfection,” she says. “Because as far as I…” She trails off as we reach a bend in the maze, one that angles us toward the first stop on our journey.
Her feet stop moving, and her lips part, the shake slipping from her grip.
I wave my hand, making it disappear before it can hit the ground.
Then I pick her up and carry her through the field of flowers—which are all blooming around us—toward the trench ahead.
It’s not that deep, maybe five feet. But it sort of looks like a pond from here.
Except it’s not a pond. In fact, it’s not made of any water at all.
“Hades!” she shrieks as I toss her into the sea of pillows.
My lips twitch as I jump down to follow her, my feet landing on the ledge of the pit. I bounce a little, the ground beneath me reminiscent of a mattress, not ice and stone like the rest of the maze.
“Where did my sassy little Omega go?” I ask as I watch her trying to swim in the cushiony refuge.
She comes up sputtering, her blonde hair wild around her face, when she realizes I didn’t toss her into water, but into silky cotton. “What in the thorns is this?” Her eyes take in the massive bed around her.
“The Breeding Pit.”
Her lips part. “T-the…”
“Breeding Pit,” I say again. “Since Maliki already showed you the Rutting Grounds, I thought you’d enjoy seeing the Breeding Pit.” Gesturing to the flowers behind me, I add, “I planted all of those flowers for you, by hand. They’re not fire lilies, though. They’re Autumn Damask roses.”
I chose those since she had seeds for them back in the Netherworld Kingdom.
But that’s not all I did…
Looking up, I give the sky a nod and hear Serapina gasp as sun rays peek through the gloom to highlight the flowery field.
“I changed the atmosphere over here, so it’ll rain, too,” I tell her. “But only enough to water and nurture the roses. The temperature varies now in this area as well, making the air warm enough to ensure your flowers survive.”
I purposely didn’t use magic to immortalize her flowers, as I wanted to leave them for her to tend to as she wishes.
Or I’ll add that enchantment, if that’s her desire.
I explain all of this to her as well while she gapes at me.
Her lack of a comment seems positive at first, but the longer the time stretches, the more uncertain I become.
“Do you… dislike it?” I finally ask. “Should I get rid of the flowers and make the pit colder again?” Because it was surrounded by ice statues before—similar to the frigid garden back at my palace in the Netherworld Kingdom.
“N-no,” she stammers. “This is…” Her brow comes down. “This is beautiful, Hades. It’s… it’s…” She trails off as a bird flies by, reminding me that I also added some wildlife to this area of the labyrinth.
Serapina stands up, her eyes glued to the winged creature as she tries to maneuver through the Breeding Pit.
Holding out my hand, I help her, then she follows the bird along the edge to where a set of stairs leads back up to the garden.
I could have traversed down those but chose to toss her in for effect instead.
However, I trail after her now and catch up to her when she pauses by a tree.
“Uh, yeah, I added a few of these, too. Seemed needed for the birds.” When I glance up, I find Morpheus’s owl up on a high branch. “Seems Athena approves.”
She follows my gaze upward, then returns her focus to me. “I love it,” she whispers, tears sprouting in her eyes. “It reminds me of home. Or what used to be home.”
“The Human Realm,” I murmur, understanding what she means.
“Yeah,” she says as a bird lands on my wrist. The wings flutter a little, the feathers flickering blue before turning black again.
“These are not from the mortal world,” I admit. “They wouldn’t survive here. So I adopted some stygians from the Midnight Fae Realm.”
The bird’s wings flare again, this time turning a burnt orange before shifting to obsidian once more.
“I think the sun is confusing for her,” I admit. “There are only moons in her home realm. But maybe you can create some life that’s more appropriate here, once we figure out how to tap into your Omega powers.”
Serapina frowns, her focus on the bird as it flies over to settle in her now-open hand. “You think I have powers?” she asks as she kneels in the grass—something else I manifested for her—beneath the tree.
I follow her down and pull her into my lap. She settles against me while petting the bird. Every time she strokes the feathers, they change colors.
“I do, yes,” I confirm as I kick off my dress shoes.
Then I lean around Serapina to slip off her boots and socks so she can feel the grass. It’s a natural instinct on my part, one that proves to be right as she sinks her toes into the plush ground.
“That’s part of us getting to know each other so I can help you navigate your gifts,” I go on.
She relaxes into me again, then releases the bird to fly up into the tree. Her eyes drift upward to watch as Athena ruffles her feathers, the animal clearly taking over guard duty for Serapina.
Part of me wonders if Morpheus sent her or if Athena chose to be here out of distrust for my intentions.
I’m not concerned. She can report back whatever she wants to my cousin. All I care about is Serapina’s contentment.
“Where should we start?” Serapina asks.
I assume she means with getting to know each other, since that’s what I just said. Or maybe she’s talking about my helping her navigate her gifts.
Either way, my answer is the same.
“Let’s begin by discussing your thoughts about this space,” I suggest. “Maybe think of an enhancement you would like to make, then we can figure out how to work on it together.”
Her lips twist a little as she considers me and then the field around us. She even glances up into the sky for a moment to admire the sun before giving me her attention once more. “It’s perfect as is, Hades.”
My heart warms at her praise, mostly because it means I guessed correctly. “There has to be something you would like to add,” I murmur. “Another kind of flower, perhaps?”
She shakes her head. “No, I love the field you created. But maybe… maybe some snow?”
I frown. “Won’t that kill the flowers?”
“Not if you use magic to isolate the snowflakes,” she replies. “Perhaps just a few can fall right here where we’re sitting.”
She sounds hopeful.
However, her request confuses me. Persephone hated cold weather. And while I realize Serapina isn’t Persephone, it’s fascinating to me that Serapina seems to favor the winter.
Because I, too, enjoy a good snowfall.
“Let’s see what we can manifest together,” I murmur. “Give me your hand…”