Chapter 20
HADES
Istripped off and took a cold shower.
Watching Persephone eat that hotdog, licking her bottom lip, and sucking her fingertips… pure torture. The actions had juiced my brain like an orange, making my cock uncomfortably hard. I closed my eyes as the cold water hit my shoulders.
Persephone affected me in ways no other woman ever had.
The image of her sucking her fingers flashed behind my eyelids, setting my skin aflame.
I curled my fist around my painfully hard cock and groaned, taking a tortured breath as I stroked myself from base to tip.
Bracing my other hand on the wall, I continued fisting my hard length, starting with slow, firm strokes that made me shudder as I thought about Persephone’s mouth.
As I pumped harder, my eyes closed with pain and pleasure, and as my fist moved up and down my length, I imagined her lips around my cock instead of my hand, causing the base of my spine to gather and jolt. Coming with a roar, I leaned my forehead against the shower wall and rasped, ‘She’s mine.’
Gods, this woman would be the death of me.
Every part of me—every cell, every molecule—desired, needed, and coveted Persephone. Was it obsession? Maybe… but it was also love. True love. Are they the same thing, I wondered? Regardless, I would do anything to make her happy—anything.
She felt my emotions when she consumed my blood. I allowed her to drink too much, yet I wasn’t ready to lay myself bare for her. Not if she continued to reject our bond. Hecate was right about protecting my heart.
Sighing, I readied myself for the Council meeting, wondering what news had Zeus’s pants in a twist. But first, I needed to talk to Hecate, Charon, and Thanatos.
‘What?’ Hecate screeched. ‘How in Olympus did she end up in Tartarus?’
‘Teleported. By whom, I do not know. But the Empousa mentioned a she,’ I replied.
‘It must be a god… a traitor,’ Thanatos mused, his face twisted with fury.
‘I think there’s more than one.’ I placed a finger on my lower lip.
‘But why Persephone?’ Charon asked. He, too, looked murderous.
I gave a half-shrug. ‘We must protect her at all costs. I instructed her to never leave the castle's safety without one of us accompanying her.’ All three nodded at me. ‘I have a meeting. Hecate, do not let Persephone leave the castle alone.’
‘Of course,’ she replied.
Ten minutes later, I stood in Zeus’s grand meeting room at his New York offices, along with my fellow gods.
The room was flamboyant, much like Zeus; plush leather chairs encircled a large silver conference table, while servers offered trays of ambrosia canapés and nectar as the gods mingled in groups.
We had dwindled to ten members due to the disappearance of Hera and Artemis in the war, now presumed dead, and Demeter’s self-imposed isolation. I had reluctantly accepted a seat on the Council, despite my lack of interest in politics, to closely monitor Zeus’s decision-making.
‘Hades!’ A beaming Hermes clapped me on the back before slinging an arm around my shoulders. ‘How’s the lovely Persephone?’ he whispered in my ear.
‘Exasperating,’ I grumbled, much to his delight.
‘She always did put you in your place and lead you a merry dance.’
I eyeballed my friend, scowling. He was correct, though—my Persephone had been a force to be reckoned with. Many gods feared her, yet all of them respected her.
‘Hades, brother.’ Zeus strode in our direction, the trademark cocky smile plastered across his face.
‘Zeus,’ I gritted through clenched teeth before downing a goblet of nectar.
‘We have much to discuss.’ A flicker of concern crossed his face, and a sense of unease wrapped its smoky tendrils around me. Zeus never worried.
Poseidon emerged amidst a burst of seafoam and mist, looking as surly as ever. Many gods dressed in modern human attire, although Athena and Hephaestus still favoured the traditional chiton and himation. Poseidon donned his signature surfer shorts and loud shirt—likely to piss off our brother.
‘Hades.’ He nodded my way. Poseidon and I were allies to some degree; we had always had each other’s backs.
People perceived me as the fractious god, but Poseidon was in another league.
Hermes suspected he needed ‘a good screwing’—typical of Hermes logic.
Poseidon hadn’t shown interest in the fairer sex since Amphitrite’s death centuries ago.
Unlike our brother, Zeus, he wasn’t the stud of the many legends.
‘Welcome to the emergency meeting,’ Zeus declared as we took our allotted places.
Dionysus winked at me, looking as relaxed as ever, while a few gods offered me respectful nods.
‘We have a problem…’ At Zeus’s words, many gods groaned, but Poseidon and I leaned forward, our elbows resting on the table.
‘What sort of problem, Brother?’ Poseidon’s husky, baritone voice carried an authority that commanded respect.
‘Ixion is back, causing problems.’
‘Shit,’ Dionysus muttered.
The resistance was a radical group of mortals who disrespected and were enemies of the gods.
Their name was Ixion, after the king of the Lapiths tribe in Thessaly—a king with an infamous reputation as mad, bad, and dangerous to know.
Zeus had shown compassion for Ixion and recused said asshole, absolving him of the guilt of many crimes.
However, behind Zeus’s back, Ixion started flirting and pursuing Zeus’s wife, Hera.
Zeus could not believe how ungrateful and brazen Ixion had been, just as he couldn’t conceive the resistance's insolence for disrespecting the gods.
When the group of resistors had chosen the name Ixion, the king of the gods had been royally pissed off.
‘They are targeting demigods,’ Zeus said with a tut. ‘A senator fell victim to an attack this morning. He is wounded, but not fatally. At the same time, there was an attempt on the prime minister in Downing Street. We must all remain vigilant.’
Ixion wielded weapons of the gods and posed a significant threat, particularly to the decendants of demigods, who effectively managed mortal politics in our stead.
‘Witches are most likely behind it,’ Zeus asserted.
‘I’m not so sure, Brother.’ At my words, his gaze fixed on mine, and he raised a brow. ‘Someone teleported Persephone to Tartarus.’ A few people gasped, and Hermes cursed under his breath. ‘I don’t think magic poses a threat to us any longer.’
‘You don’t?’ Zeus squinted at me.
‘No. We know that every being with witchcraft has gone underground worldwide, and I believe if we approach the Council of Magic, they may become our unlikely allies.’
‘They pose a threat to us!’ Zeus snapped.
‘Do they?’ I pondered as his brows dropped.
‘One old crone was the enemy, not the entire race.’ Zeus’s mouth turned down as he regarded me.
‘I believe someone far more dangerous is orchestrating Ixion.
The Empousa mentioned a “she” to Persephone.
I suspect that this individual is a powerful god with minor gods, demigods, and humans working for them. '
‘That is ridiculous,’ Ares growled.
‘Is it?’ I held his gaze until he dropped his eyes.
‘You mean one of us is a traitor?’ Athena frowned.
I raised my arms in a ‘who knows’ gesture. ‘Perhaps. Or maybe some lesser gods are in dissension. Many are displeased with the freedom mortals enjoy under our reign.’
‘Whoever it is, we must keep this quiet and remain heedful of the situation. I have assigned additional security details to each demigod in power.’ Zeus motioned to a server for more nectar as he stood, bringing the meeting to an end.
‘Oh,’ he said as he turned back to the table, his eyes snagging mine.
‘I look forward to seeing you all at Aphrodite’s welcoming party tomorrow, where we will finally meet the delectable Persephone. ’
My face betrayed no emotion, but inside, I was a tempest of irritation.
‘There will be a strict rule,’ he added. ‘No god participating in the competition is allowed to use compulsion. Anyone caught doing so will face consequences.’
I stood as Hermes and Dionysus approached me.
‘I’ve managed to discover there are four contenders besides you in this absurd competition,’ Dionysus uttered.
‘Apollo, Ares, Zeus, and Adonis.’ At the mention of the last name, my teeth clenched so hard that I’m surprised I didn’t break my jaw.
Apollo sauntered up to us, grinning like a cat that had eaten a roomful of canaries.
‘Hades.’ He bowed his head. ‘Zeus said Persephone is her own woman and can give any man her attention if she wishes. I wanted to confirm that it was true. I don’t fancy ending up in Tartarus,’ he added quietly.
‘Persephone is a goddess capable of making her own choices,’ I gritted out, struggling not to give the fucker a slap.
‘Great!’ He grinned again. ‘This is going to be entertaining.’ Then he disappeared before I could throttle him.
‘It’ll be alright, Hades,’ Hermes murmured, and Dionysus nodded in agreement. ‘One word of advice, though…’
‘Do tell, oh wise one.’ I rolled my eyes.
‘Just don’t be any creepier than usual, and you’ll do great.’ He and Dionysus vanished, leaving me with their raucous laughter ringing in my ears.