Chapter 23
PERSEPHONE
Simmy handed me another glass of wine as yet another god approached.
‘Oh, for Fate’s sake,’ I muttered.
‘That’s Adonis. Watch yourself, Lady P,’ Simmy loud-whispered before making himself scarce. Hmmm, Adonis, the god of beauty and desire.
‘Lady Persephone. My name is Adonis.’ The god bowed low.
‘A pleasure to meet you, Adonis. You look very sophisticated this evening,’ I said, my fake smile plastered on like war paint. I extended my hand, and he pressed his lips to it with a long, slow kiss, which made my skin tighten in a way that definitely wasn’t pleasant.
His topaz eyes lifted to mine, glinting with lazy amusement, as if he were in on a joke I hadn’t heard.
He was every inch the sculpted ideal—tall, broad, auburn hair cropped short at the sides and longer on top; his features so classically handsome it was almost offensive. Definitely a man you’d look at twice.
‘Oh, we’ve met before.’
‘I know, but—’
‘I am aware. It’s a shame you can’t recall the marathon sex sessions we used to have. Gods, I miss your body, Persephone,’ he whispered close to my ear, his breath coasting across my cheek like a winter breeze.
‘Sorry? What?’ Tiny bumps spread across my arms.
‘You and I were lovers, Persephone,’ he muttered. ‘You adored visiting Phoenicia. You cherished the beauty of my court.’
I released a strangled laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
‘No way. There’s no way I’d cheat on my husband,’ I snarl-whispered.
He completely ignored me. ‘If you were to choose me this time and become my wife, we wouldn't have to sneak around.’ He flashed me a smile, dimples and all; they were nowhere near as lovely as Hades’ dimple, and my heart fractured. Was he telling the truth?
Oh, crap.
‘I used to love watching you sleep and—’
‘Whoa… back up there, Edward Cullen.’ I took a step away and held up my hands as he frowned at me. ‘I—I need to go.’ I turned around, tears blurring my vision as I rushed away, when Simmy’s hand caught my wrist.
‘Persephone?’
‘I don’t like him,’ I breathed, swiping tears from my eyes and probably ruining my makeup.
‘Good,’ Simmy said with a smile as he handed me another pink fizz.
I sat there, stewing in silence, Adonis’s words echoing in my head, gnawing at me.
Guilt twisted my stomach into knots. Gods, what kind of person cheats on her husband?
The thought alone made me feel sick—it was the ultimate betrayal.
Oh, fuck… I felt like I needed to scrub myself clean with bleach or something.
The music had shifted to slow dance songs, and the dance floor was crowded with boozed-up people, some in rather compromising situations.
Many were coming and going, and I pondered on Hedone’s words, wondering if they were using Aphrodite’s ‘private’ rooms to get it on. I turned away and exhaled softly.
‘Oh, you lucky, lucky girl,’ Simmy exclaimed as I saw yet another freaking deity approaching. ‘Apollo,’ Simmy whispered. ‘He’s a charmer. He’ll cheer you up.’ He winked at me and squeezed my hand. Then I turned to face the god of the sun.
Simmy was right—Apollo was like a breath of fresh air. All golden curls, boyish good looks, and that megawatt smile, he seemed to carry the sun with him wherever he went. Just being near him lightened my mood, thawing the heaviness in my chest.
He was easy, effortless—conversation with him flowed like warm honey, and before I realised it, we’d been talking for what felt like forever, laughter and sunlight threading through every word.
‘I’ve researched the gods, you know.’ I gave him a wicked smile as he placed a hand over his heart.
‘Lady Persephone, whatever do you mean?’ He looked at me with fire in his eyes, and a tight, hot shiver curled in my stomach.
‘Well…’ I took a drink. ‘Daphne. If I spurn you, I don’t want to turn into a laurel tree.’
Apollo looked appalled. ‘That myth is absolutely not true. I assure you. Don’t believe everything you read.’ He pushed out his bottom lip, and I laughed. ‘Lady Persephone, are you teasing me?’ His smile lit up his lovely face, and my cheeks flushed, which, of course, he noticed.
‘And apparently, you like both men and women?’ The question slipped out before I could stop it. It really was none of my business.
He offered a faint smile. ‘Yes, I am bisexual, but if you were to be my consort, I would remain faithful.’ My breath snagged, and I simply nodded. ‘I look forward to your visit to my court.’ He leaned close to my ear, his voice soft and low. A flutter in my stomach made me inhale sharply.
I cleared my throat and smiled at him. Gods, he had such beautiful eyes. ‘Where, um, is your court?’
‘The Court of Cylades. It’s an archipelago, a group of large islands; a part of Olympus.’
‘Oh,’ I muttered, thinking I needed to learn more about the courts of the gods.
‘It’s lush, green, with lakes and forests, and most importantly, year-round sunshine.’ He winked at me as he studied my face.
‘Sounds’—I swallowed at the intensity of his gaze—‘sounds lovely.’
‘It is. And you would make a wonderful consort.’ He took my hand and kissed my pulse point, causing my breath to hitch.
After chatting for a bit longer, he conjured a guitar out of thin air and serenaded me with Bruno Mars’ ‘Marry You’.
He was brilliant; his voice so enchanting that I threw my head back and laughed as he gave me a cheeky grin. Apollo officially became one of my favourite gods.
That intense tingling spread across my entire body, and the pulse in my chest went haywire.
Hades was near. Very near. I turned to see him approaching, and Apollo’s guitar fell silent.
Zeus’s words about the dream made my temper simmer…
Was it true? If it were, I wanted to body-slam Hades against the wall…
or attempt to, but that mountain of muscle would be pretty hard to move, I guess.
I stared at the massive, muscular chest before me, unwilling to meet his eyes.
‘Persephone.’
His voice broke my musings, and I raised my gaze to his. When I looked into those blue eyes swirling with curls of golden aether, I was doomed. The fight drained from me.
‘Hades.’ Apollo offered a slight bow of his head.
‘I’m taking Persephone for a while,’ Hades declared in a dangerously low tone that left no room for refusal. Apollo opened his mouth to speak but swiftly closed it again.
‘Catch you later, Lady Persephone,’ the god of sun and light said as he looked deeply into my eyes, his azure blue orbs twinkling.
He then took my hand, placing a lingering kiss on my palm.
I sensed Hades stiffen beside me, and his lips tightened in anger.
With a cautious glance at Hades and a slight bow, Apollo strode off, leaving me with the god of the Underworld.
Fury poured out of every cell of Hades’ tightly coiled body, and I took a wary step away. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes briefly, but his jaw was hard. ‘Would you care to dance? Or perhaps go somewhere more private,’ he said in a gravelly voice.
Hedone’s words popped into my mind again, and I gulped. My lips pressed together, then opened back up, probably making me look like a goldfish. Dance, Sephy. Go and dance.
‘Yes, I—I’ll dance with you.’ And he guided me to the dance floor.
Stupid pulse, please stop racing.
A familiar song began, and he drew me into his arms. I loosened up, the tension within me melting away.
We moved together for a while, and then he spun me out, and as I twirled, he grabbed my other hand, pulling my back against his chest—oh, damn, that hard chest…
Was he carved from stone? I melded into him, our bodies fitting together fluidly.
Then I felt him—his erection—pressing into my back as he wrapped his strong arms around me, under my breasts.
I gasped and turned my head. ‘It was you.’
‘What was me, Persephone?’ he whispered against my hair, causing me to shudder.
‘In your club. That night…’ My voice sounded breathless.
‘Would you be annoyed if it were me?’
I shook my head, and he turned me around. He bent down, pressing his forehead against mine, and whispered against my cheek, ‘Do you want to go somewhere more private? To chat?’
No, say no. I should say no for a multitude of reasons, the main one being my overwhelming attraction to him.
I said ‘Okay’ instead because I’m a raging idiot.
He clasped my hand and led me indoors and into one of the rooms. My heart pounded so fast, I thought it might jump from my chest and run back outside to safety.
The room was palatial; vases of flowers adorned every surface.
Then I cast my eyes towards the bed, my stomach tumbling and clenching at the same time.
The skipping of my breath echoed in my chest. For a moment, a wild thrill raced through me, causing heat to settle between my thighs. My pulse thundered.
‘You smell—’
‘Don’t say aroused, please.’
‘Why? Does it bother you?’
‘Yes. I don’t need you telling me I’m aroused every time I see you. And if you are reading my emotions, stop it. I’ve told you, it’s rude!’
‘I don’t tell you every time,’ he muttered, and I blew out an aggravated breath. ‘I was merely going to say you smell like Ares.’ He scowled at the words.
‘Oh.’ I grimaced. ‘He’s a complete dick.’
Hades’ chuckle was low and throaty, causing goosebumps to prickle my flesh. I turned and walked away, attempting to calm my racing pulse.
‘My dream. About my ethereal garden.’ I turned, lifted my gaze to him, and noticed him stiffen. ‘It was real, wasn’t it? And when you…’ I stopped. The knot in my throat made it difficult to swallow.
He moved so swiftly that he was suddenly before me, and I jumped.
‘Shit! Can you… Can you not do that?’
‘Why? Does it anger you?’
‘Yes.’ I glared up at him. ‘You’re very fucking annoying.’ He smirked, and I wanted to stab him. Like, I really wanted to stab him. I looked down at my feet as the fluttering in my chest buzzed around like nervous hummingbirds.