Chapter twenty-two
Josephine
Aedon and I sit across from each other, and I’m squeezed between Minos and Hermes. Quite literally squeezed. How I ended up in this position, I’m not sure. Aedon is clearly amused that the brutes are in full work mode. Hermes is the head of public relations, and Minos is the head of security, both things I should have figured out before now. All I smell is strong cologne. The smell, paired with my nerves, is making me sick.
I hate parties. I hate important parties even more. Here I thought Vivian’s engagement would be the last one I had to participate in, but here I am headed to a gala I don’t want to go to, as a princess—A title I didn’t ask for.
“Can we roll the windows down?” I try to claw for the button, but I can’t reach it over Minos’ massive chest.
Aedon does it for me, his eyes full of concern. I can’t even give him enough of a grin to placate him. I close my eyes and take deep breaths through my nose. It’s a mistake. The cologne overpowers me, and I feel my stomach roll with nausea. There is still another fifteen minutes left of this car ride, and I don’t know if I’ll make it. I squeeze my lids together and try to focus on the sounds of the tires on the road.
“Josephine,” Aedon says sharply.
“Hm?” My head snaps up.
At some point during the drive, I must have fallen asleep. Thank the Universe, or I would have thrown up. Hermes exits the car followed by Minos. They scan the area around us, and an important looking man approaches. I watch them exchange words, overhearing tidbits of information. It’s all jargon about security.
“Holy shit,” Vivian murmurs, staring out of the window.
Looming over us is a massive white building. It kind of looks like a museum with columns and large ornate windows. Blood red carpets flow down the stairs. Not what I expected from Elysium.
Aedon squeezes my knee. “It’s going to be fine, love.”
“Don’t worry, Aedonaeus. She’ll either find a hole to crawl into, or get so drunk she dances on the bar. No in between,” Vivian laughs.
He grimaces. “I hope you’re joking.”
“Guess you’ll find out.” She takes Hermes' outstretched hand and disappears into the open air.
“Give us a moment,” Aedon says to Minos, who shuts the door. “We can go home.”
“No, we can’t. We’re already here. Ten drinks, and I’ll be as happy as Vivian,” I say with fake excitement.
Aedon cocks an eyebrow. “Four.”
“You’re my husband, not my keeper.”
“Spare me the dramatics, Jos,” he says seriously. I hate it when he’s serious. It means I have to listen. “Eris is conniving. Everyone at this party wants something and they all have agendas.”
“And evil and your arch nemesis, blah, blah, blah. Tell me, what exactly do her tits look like?” I ramble.
“Josephine,” he chastises me.
“I hate that fucking name,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Listen to me,” he pleads.
“I get weird when I’m nervous. This isn’t my scene.”
“Everyone is going to be looking at us tonight. We were married out of the public eye, and we haven’t exactly announced it. This will be our first appearance and a shocking one at that. I know you hate it, but as far as the rest of the Universe is concerned, we are the future of the Underworld.”
“Prince and princess. Got it,” I groan.
“Be on your best behavior. I mean it, little devil.”
I lean over across the space between us, my breasts spilling out of the top of my dress. His breath hitches, and his cock starts to harden against his pants.
I bat my lashes. “My best behavior? Which one?”
“You’re a cruel woman.” He stares at my chest hungrily. If the twins hadn’t weaved my hair into this stupid crown, it would have fallen to the floor by now.
“Mmm,” I purr, picking at each button of his shirt with my nail. “How cruel?”
Minos raps on the window impatiently. “Hades is waiting.”
Aedon ignores him, sliding his hand up my thigh toward the blistering heat growing between them. “Shit,” he groans. He pushes my underwear aside and dips a finger in between the folds brushing my clit. I whimper in response. He withdraws his finger and sticks it into his mouth, licking my juices off of it. “Delicious.”
Minos cracks the door. “Stop fucking and start moving.”
“To be continued.” A wicked grin flashes across Aedon’s face, and he steps out of the vehicle.
It’s now or never. Minos removes me from the car by force, setting me on my feet before I can fight him. Aedon takes my hand and wraps it around his bicep, ready to escort me up the stairs. Fire still burns where he touched me, and I shift uncomfortably, clenching my legs together to try to release the pressure.
A blonde-haired man with a crown of rubies steps out of the vehicle behind us. This must be Hades. He’s shorter than I would have thought. Instead of a suit, he wears a long black leather coat and a buttoned lush green silk shirt. He’s left the top few buttons undone and peeking out is a medallion, not a medallion, but the eye of the Graeae. The three sisters who share an eye and could tell the future. They disappeared a long time ago after their eye was stolen from them by a godly asshole who killed their other sister. They had given away her location. Traitors in their own right.
He sticks his hand out, and a woman in silk gloves that reach her elbows takes it. Her arms are slender. She’s taller than him with chestnut hair that flows down to her waist. The woman is adorned in a lush green dress that matches his shirt. A crown of flowers is woven into her hair, blooming a pale pink. Persephone.
The pair approach us elegantly. Persephone practically floats over the ground.
“Beautiful night it is,” Hades exclaims in a deep voice. Persephone clasps Aedon into a hug. Hades takes everything in with violet eyes, the eyes of the gods. They land on me, surprisingly warm. He lifts a brow and flicks his gaze to Aedon.
I'm so nervous that I'm gripping Aedon’s arm like my life depends on it. This is the part that makes me want to throw up.
“I’m sorry I’ve been absent from court,” Aedon apologizes. “I’ve been busy.”
Persephone’s gaze swivels to me. There is a delighted curiosity in her violet eyes. “Don’t be rude, Aedonaeus, introduce us.” She has a voice like wind chimes.
“This is my wife, Josephine,” he says briskly. “Jos, this is my adoptive mother and father, Persephone and Hades.”
I expect more surprise from them.
“Let me be the first to offer you my condolences.” Hades takes my hand and gives me a sly grin, a slight bow, and kisses my knuckles. It’s weird having a king bow to you, but I give him a nod. Persephone smacks his arm with a quick glare then envelopes me in a hug. She smells like roses, and her skin feels like flower petals.
She holds me by the shoulders with soft fingers, looking me over. “You are magnificent, dear. What are you doing with him?”
I hear Aedon’s adoration. “I tricked her. Don’t ruin it for me.” He winks.
“If you need help escaping, blink twice. His father is quite the trickster himself.” I recall the story that has been passed down for generations. Hades had kidnapped her. Kate had always rolled her eyes when it was brought up.
“She married me of her own free will.” Aedon slides his arm around me, gluing his palm to my back.
My insides scream to say something, and it flies out before I can stop it. “He begged. How can a girl say no when a man grovels on his knees.”
Persephone clasps her hands in delight. “Oh, I like you. You’re feisty.”
“And you were behaving so well.” Aedon shakes his head.
“Don’t listen to him. I don’t mind you drawing attention from this dreaded affair.” Hades’ face scrunches up in disgust.
Persephone sighs. “Keep it civil.” She tosses me an apologetic look.
“Of course.” Hades smooths his coat and offers her his arm. “I look forward to getting to speak with you, Josephine.” It sounds strangely like a threat or a promise that it will happen sooner rather than later. More dread digs into my bones
In an instant they are gone, floating up the stairs and through the massive ornate doors with their bodyguards positioned around them.
The weight of the Universe drops in the silence that follows. It isn’t awkward silence but more of a breath before a storm, like when you can see the dark clouds in the distance, hear the rumble of thunder, smell the rain, and taste the earth. Aedon’s arm is still poised around me, and his palm is still pressed to the center of my now sweaty lower back. He’s contemplating something.
“Well, that was intense,” Vivian comments. “Thanks for the introduction, by the way.”
“If you think that was intense, wait until we go inside,” Hermes says, trying to remain passive.
“Behave,” Aedon reminds him.
With Aedon escorting me, my sister and the brutes behind me, and our entourage of guards on our heels, we ascend the steps with as much grace as we can manage. Servants standing by quietly give us small reverent bows of the head. They run to hold the doors open for us, and we enter the mansion. My confidence is back in full swing.
Inside it’s gaudy and dark, not at all how I would have designed a gala. Although the outside of the mansion is white, the inside is black. Black marble covers the floor and the walls have been hung with black curtains. The place is almost devoid of life. Gold metallic accents are adorned with red glittering rubies, reminiscent of Hades’ crown. The chandelier is made of red hand-blown glass, spiking out like I imagine Medusa’s hair once did, and lights emanate from inside of it.
“Looks like a funeral,” Vivian comments from behind me.
She’s not wrong. It looks like a weird funeral. The place has been decorated as if the point of the party is to unsettle the guests. A small orchestra plays off to the side. The shadows they cast loom across the floor like writhing Tartarian demons. The music is surprisingly appropriate unlike everything else.
People are everywhere, staring at the descending stairs reverently. Hades and Persephone are poised on the steps like Grecian statues. They were just announced. Announced. I panic and try to turn around, but Aedon steers me back.
He pulls me against him and kisses me without warning. It immediately drags me in, wrapping me in a blanket of our comforting darkness. I forget that he just told the ruler of the Underworld we’re married. That we’re about to walk into the lion’s den. That we’re throwing blood in the water and challenging the sharks to circle. There’s a calm confidence in the kiss, and I feed on it.
“Think about how I’ll reward you later.” His velvet voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Everyone ready?”
“I was born ready,” Vivian says primly. “I’ll see you after you’ve had six panic attacks.”
Hermes escorts her down the hall to what I assume is the royal balcony, where we'll end up after this awful procession. A little bit of me hates that she can get away with back door entrances. Aedon guides me forward, followed by Minos and the guard. The sea of eyes finds us. The entire ballroom falls silent.
“Prince Aedonaeus, chosen son of the king and future protector of the Underworld,” a man announces.
There’s confidence and power exuding from Aedon. It’s breathtaking. He’s probably done this hundreds of times, but the way he demands respect is something I have never seen before. From the look of the room this is new for them, too. I can only imagine he used to charm his way through an entrance. Now he’s a strong powerful man to be feared.
“... accompanied by his fated wife, Princess Josephine, purveyor of the wicked, protector of the Remnant, and future queen of the Underworld.” I guess I get my own title. I don’t hate it. It’s something to be feared, and I should be.
Instead of panic, I feel a sense of power. I assess the crowd that's staring at us with morbid curiosity and terrified concern. I’m drunk, but not with alcohol. No, I’m drunk on their uncertainty. It gives me power, and Aedon feels it too. The atmosphere is charged with electricity. He takes my hand and kisses it in front of the entire room. The self-doubt that filled me only minutes ago has completely disappeared.
With my head held high, we descend the steps with all the grace of the royalty that we are. It’s like I’m having an out of body experience. Aedon’s eyes haven’t left me since he kissed my hand. He told me to behave, and now he’s looking at me like I’m a meal in front of our future constituents. I want to fuck him right here in front of everyone.
He can tell because he pulls my back into his chest and breathes in my ear. “You are mine. Do you understand?”
He brushes my hair over my shoulder, revealing the only scar that I’m proud of, his name. There's a gasp before murmurs break out amongst the people. They noticed. It was a possessive move, and I try to ignore the thrill fluttering through my heart. I try to take a step away, but he doesn’t let me go. He's going to make me submit, albeit quietly, in front of everyone.
“Not even the tattooed gentleman by the bar?” Out of the corner of my vision I can see Aedon with that sexy smirk sitting on his face, but it’s tainted with anger, and maybe some jealousy. He leans to the guard nearest to us, whispering something, and the man nods.
He presses his body against the back of mine, still speaking into my ear. “What am I going to do with you?”
I turn my neck to look at him. “Punish me, Aedon,” I dare him quietly on his lips.
I can feel his hardened length against me. We’re being watched with fascination, on display for the world. I don’t mind giving them a show. Our lips meet, and the room erupts, roaring praise. A man with a camera tries to sneak by, but Minos grabs it and smashes it without an apology. So that’s why we never saw photos of the royals where I’m from. What a power move.
Our security has fanned out, trying to calm the crowd while simultaneously creating a path. Minos looks scary with his towering height and muscled tree trunk build as he escorts us, eyes swiveling over each face. We make the walk across the ballroom toward a set of stairs that leads to a balcony. Hades and Persephone are already perched up on it with Vivian and Hermes, all watching us with amusement. Maybe at one time the king and queen were just like us, being worshiped, but something tells me this is different.
As we pass through the crowd, I notice the man I'd mentioned to Aedon, the one by the bar, being dragged out. Jealous bastard. We’re led into a stairwell, and a door is closed behind us, muting the raging party. Aedon and I don’t follow, and Minos hesitates, giving Aedon an anxious glance.
“We’re fine,” Aedon dismisses him.
After the sound of another door closing echoes off the walls, he rounds on me. “Punish me?”
“Did I do something wrong?” I look up at him over my lashes. His jaw is tight and twitching with that insane amount of self-control coursing through his veins. I push my hand between us, rubbing my palm on his cock.
He snatches my wrist. “No.” Whether it’s an answer or a command, I’m not sure. His free hand traces his name emblazoned on my chest. “They love you.”
“What about your parents?” I venture to ask.
“You were worried?” He’s surprised by it. “They’re smitten with you already. Especially after that bold display. I imagine my mother will try to steal you away for herself the moment you set foot up there. As for your punishment,” he continues, dropping my wrist. “Since I can’t do anything here, I’m going to torture you with my words.”
Oh, fuck. The intention behind it is so hot that a cold sweat breaks out along my lower back.
I try to clear my throat. “How is that?”
“Josie, Josie, Josie.” He rolls his eyes over my body ravenously. “Look at me.”
I hold his gaze defiantly. He picks up my hand and thumbs the wedding ring there. “I’m going to make you come without even touching you, love, and I’m going to watch.”
His face is smug. My breaths are already ragged, and my sensitive nipples are as hard as glass. If this dress didn’t have a bodice, they would be poking through like knives. Each brush against them almost makes me feral, like I’m a dog in heat. There's sweat and arousal making my thighs slick.
“I imagine that you’re soaking wet. Starving for me.” His breath tickles my cheek, but he doesn’t kiss me. He doesn’t dare touch me. “I’ll bet it’s running down your leg, waiting for me to lick it up. My mouth is watering at the thought of tasting you. You’re delicious, love. Do you know that? Like the juiciest dark cherries, ripe and soft.”
I don’t move a muscle. I can’t. I’m doing everything I can just to keep standing. He puts one hand on the wall next to me, holding himself an inch away. His form has an magnetic field around it, and it crackles like lightning, dancing along my skin.
“I want to drink you, Jos. I want to eat your pussy like it’s my last fucking meal. I want to kiss your clit and nibble at it until you can’t fucking stand.”
I close my eyes and groan, squeezing my thighs together as tight as I can.
“I said look at me,” he growls. My eyes open unwillingly, lids heavy, and lock on him obediently.
“Later tonight, once we’ve done our part here, I’m going to take you home and torture you. I want you to feel what it’s like. I want you to know how it feels to be in your presence. I can hardly think because when I do, all I remember is what it feels like to be deep inside of you. Do you remember, little devil?”
I’m the definition of hot and fucking bothered. There’s a ringing in my ears, and I swallow. I feel a phantom of him inside of me, digging into that sweet spot. My mind is reeling, only able to recall different memories of Aedon fucking me into oblivion. Oh yeah, I remember.
A breeze wafts through the stairwell and my dress flutters. Suddenly my underwear is too tight. My clit pounds and screams at the slightest brush of the fabric. I am going to come in the most unsatisfying way, and it is going to make me crazy. Aedon knows it. He can see it in my eyes when I realize what’s about to happen.
“I want my hand wrapped around your throat while you’re wrapped around my dick. The way it feels when I’m seated inside of you is intoxicating, warm and wet. The way your eyes roll into the back of your head, and the way you say my name, like I’m a lifeline, and not the one who’s shoving you over the edge into ecstasy. You’re tight, but when you come you squeeze around my cock mercilessly. That’s why I can’t control myself.”
I’m whining and sweating, and I don’t even know where I am. One more word and I’m going to come. He's going to get exactly what he wants.
“Coming inside of you is fucking divinity. It’s my religion. You’re going to take my cum later, Jos, all of it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Aedon,” I moan loudly.
“Good girl.”
That’s all it takes. Two little words to push me over the edge. My knees give out, and my body shivers with a quiet painful orgasm. It’s too wet, dripping down to my ankles. Aedon holds me up, staring into my eyes. My hips buck begging for something to touch me but the only thing there is my lace underwear. I soak myself and everything else known to man, I swear.
“Aedon. A-Aedon. Please, please touch me, please,” I beg, practically weeping as I come.
“Shhh, love. Shhh.” He kisses my forehead and sweeps a sweaty lock of hair out of my face. Once I’ve been reduced to a sexually frustrated puddle, panting and whining. He releases me, starts up the stairs, and turns back to me casually. “Are you coming, love?”
Coming inside of you is fucking divinity. It’s my religion.
I manage to take his hand.
I want my hand wrapped around your throat while you’re wrapped around my dick.
He leads me up the stairs, out into the open air. The force of fresh oxygen does very little to clear my mind.
“Did you hear the gasp!?” Vivian rushes me. My nerves are fucking shot.
“Gasp?” I ask, flushed and dazed.
“Everyone. The whole place fell silent when they saw you two.” She looks like she is going to lose her shit.
Hades appears next to us. “Indeed, they did. I doubt Eris will receive that sort of attention.”
Hermes hands are full with a tray of drinks, and he passes them out. The guards are filtering up the stairs, posted every few feet on the balcony. We’re protected to an insane degree. I wonder how much of that they heard. I mean, I can’t stop hearing his delicious words.
“Did you test these?” Aedon asks Hermes about the liquid in the cup.
Alcohol. Alcohol will help me. It’s a fucking lifeboat promising to pull me out of this enraged sea of non-touch post orgasmic stupor.
“They’re our own bottles. Our own everything all the way down to the mixers. Even the water has been brought from the palace. Imelda has been handling it. Nothing to worry about, but if it makes you feel better…” Hermes raises a glass to his lips. I snatch it away and gulp it down.
“What the fuck?” Aedon looks terrified. The burn of the drink down my throat clears my mind just enough.
“I thought if I went down, we were going down together. I distinctly remember something about you wanting to bother me for eternity?”
He still looks angry, but he grabs the new glass Hermes is about to sip from and drowns it, shoving it back into his hands. Hades and Persephone watch us with amusement.
“I’m not a waitress,” Hermes grumbles. He starts to take jabs at Aedon, and I find myself drifting outside of the circle of my husband and our friends and family.
“Do you always travel like this?” I ask no one in particular, looking at the excessive amount of security.
“In these wretched times, it’s better to be safe than sorry, Princess,” Hades says grimly from behind.
“Josie,” I correct him.
He nods. “Josie. Would you mind taking a stroll?”
A stroll. To where?
“To the auction, of course,” he adds, reading my mind.
I glance over at Aedon. He doesn’t seem to notice. “I can’t really refuse, can I?”
“I suppose you can’t. This way then.” He strides off, followed by three guards. I have to walk quickly to keep up. At least he’s not as tall as Aedon, or I would be left behind already.
We descend a set of hidden stairs into what looks like a museum. I guess my initial observation about the place wasn’t entirely wrong. There are glass cases holding objects, a lot like the Tartarian exhibit. Some of them are even from the exhibit itself. Hades wanders around while I stand at the entrance, unsure of what to do.
“What do you think?” he calls over his shoulder.
“It’s…big,” I struggle for words. He laughs like a hyena, and it reverberates, turning into hundreds of them. Swarms of hyenas laughing.
“I apologize, Josie. My wife would certainly be unhappy with how I have been conducting myself tonight. Please, come here.” He waves me over. “Join me.”
All the sexual frustration Aedon left me with has been evicted from my mind. The only thing that remains is a stickiness between my thighs that hasn’t quite dried. He stands in front of a jeweled necklace encased in glass.
“What do you think of this one?”
Aquamarine and pearls have been intricately beaded together to create the piece. It’s familiar. I stole this. The memory of it covered in blood when I handed it to Stafford makes me smirk. I always stole pieces, not caring about their importance or who they belonged to. I’ve never thought about where they went. Maybe I should have. It’s beautiful, I guess, but I don’t think that’s what Hades wants to hear.
“It’s…” I trail off, looking for more words.
“You can be candid. I promise I won’t be offended.”
I take a deep breath and assess it again. “It’s vapid. I thought the same thing when I stole it.”
Hades peers at me in question briefly before turning back to study it. “It is, isn’t it? Calypso loved to be admired. They say when that sailor left her, she threw this into the sea. The truth is that he killed her and took it, but that story isn’t as exciting.”
“Murder is always exciting.” An impulsive smile graces my lips. “I’m finding, recently, that history isn’t anything like how they tell it,” I say more to myself than to him.
He uses it to continue the conversation. “You’re a realist?”
“I’m not delusional.”
That makes him chuckle. “Good. I already like you, Josie. Not that I would have a say about it otherwise. No, Aedonaeus is quite taken with you.”
“You said obsessed wrong,” I point out.
“You said love wrong,” he retorts. I make a face. “You don’t believe in love?” He leans against some other ancient piece that's probably worth more than my life.
“Aedon calls it Destiny,” I deflect.
“And you?”
I think about it. Do I believe in love? “I’m a strong believer in choices.”
“Insightful. I’ve never thought about it like that. So let me ask you this: What is love if not a choice?” He strokes his chin in thought.
“Then it’s Hope.”
He analyzes me with his violet eyes. “You have quite the mind.”
“I’ve said a handful of sentences, and you’re impressed?”
“You’re not full of shit. So yes, I’m impressed. You have that in common with him. Among other things.” He assesses my skin. “Aedon is going to tear the place apart with his bare hands looking for you.”
He's going to be so pissed that I slipped away. It’s the one thing he didn’t want. I’m not going to take the blame for this. I will immediately direct him to his father, and they can argue about it, but I don’t care. I’m not a child.
“Let him.” I smirk at the thought. That’s what he gets for his stunt in the stairwell.
He clears his throat. “Well, I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you down here.”
“I figured you wanted me to steal something. So which thing is it?” I ask.
Hades looks like I just struck him in the face. I let it sink in for a few extra seconds before I laugh.
“You’re joking. Very funny.” He wags his finger at me. “Purveyor of wickedness, indeed.”
“A hard-earned title if I do say so myself.”
“Certainly not one to be taken lightly,” he agrees. “Which is why I’ve brought this to you.”
I don’t like the sound of this. It’s the same statement I’ve heard plenty of times when Stafford has accepted jobs. It comes with a ridiculous amount of trust that hasn’t been earned and leaves no room for failure. I hate expectations more than parties.
“You look perturbed.” He frowns.
“My frustration does not lay with you.” Aedon’s verbal assault creeps back toward the edges of my consciousness.
“I see.” He chuckles. “I wanted to give you a wedding present.”
“A wedding present?”
“You are familiar with those, are you not?”
“I am…It’s just…Wouldn’t you want Aedon here, too?”
“This gift is not meant for him. You may do whatever you like with it. Share it with him if you want, but it won’t be of any use.” Hades pulls the chain holding the Eye of the Graeae over his head and holds it out to me. “Take it.”
The necklace is suspended between us. We’re at a standoff.
“Why?” I ask, looking at the rotating eye warily. It’s frantic, rolling around inside of its spherical glass cage. Yet another Mondurian tale that is now more fact than fiction. It catches sight of me standing before it and freezes.
“I’m curious. Who else knows that you speak the language of the monsters?”
I didn’t realize Aedon told him that. I guess I should have known, but he failed to mention it during his little briefing or at literally any other time for that matter. I should have asked more questions.
“Alive or dead?” I counter.
“Alive.”
“My sister, Aedonaeus, and whoever he has told. So, you, I guess.”
“Since the extinction of witches and oracles, I’m sure one would believe that the Eye can answer their questions or guide them, but they would be wrong.” He shakes it at me, forcing me to take it. It vibrates in my hand, and Hades watches it with delight. The eye is shivering.
I’ve held plenty of eyes, even tore them from someone’s face, but this feels weird. “And why is that?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He flashes me a toothy grin. Clasping his hands behind his back, he starts wandering again. “What people fail to remember is that the Graeae are monsters of sorts.”
“They only speak Mondurian,” I realize.
“Correct. As Destiny would have it, whatever secrets they have to tell are meant for you.”
“So, you want me to speak with them?”
“If you wish.”
“And what would I ask them?”
“I’m not sure.”
“How am I supposed to even find them?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“Then what do you know? Because this feels intentional.” I close my hand around the eye and shove it between my breasts in the bodice of my dress. Guess they’ll get a good look at my tits.
“Very little, I’m afraid. My gift is intentional, not motivated. You may contact the monstrous women, or you may not. It isn’t my business, however; I am a curious man and wouldn’t mind being allowed at the party, so to speak.”
Aedon shouts from somewhere above us.
Hades' dress shoes snap together, and he gives me a wink. “Now that that business has concluded, let us do our best to enjoy this dull affair. I believe you do know how to liven a place up, yes?”