Hades: Modern Descendants

by elda lore

  The hand over my heart skipped down my skin, sweeping and dipping over my abs to the low waistband of my sweats. A finger slipped inside the rim and tugged me forward. Our chests collided. I rested my forehead on hers, breathing in the natural sunshine scent that slowly dulled the more she stayed with me.

  “I want to kiss you.” I exhaled the truth I held in daily while I massaged her breast, increasing the intensity of my exploration and lifting my other hand to discover the other eager globe.

  “Yes.” Her voice lowered to a sultry whisper and my lips brushed hers. I gently took the lower lip with both of mine, then tugged back. Her mouth opened and mine covered hers. I kept it slow, savoring the flavor of her warmth. My hands released her breasts, one rising to the nape of her neck, the other lowering to the base of her back and pulling her against me, making her aware of how my body craved hers while my mouth continued the slow assault to trace the dented bow of her top lip and the curve of her bottom. She tasted spicy, like cinnamon, and I pulled back.

  “Have you eaten something?” My forehead rested on hers, waiting in hope and fear. One taste in the underworld and she’d be mine forever. I’d no longer have to contemplate my mother’s new ultimatum. She rolled her head against mine.

  “You have two toothpastes. I used the red one.” I didn’t like that one, personally, but experiencing it from her mouth, it was my new favorite flavor. I wanted more. My mouth lowered to take it when she pulled back.

  “I guess that shouldn’t have happened. I mean, if I’m a prisoner, I shouldn’t be doing this with the warden.” Her voice teased but there was an underlying truth to her words. I should not have kissed her, but I would not apologize. She pulled back from me and lowered down on the bed, resuming her position of facing the window while lying on her side.

  My chin fell to my chest and my shoulders slumped. I straightened my bent knee and prepared to turn for the couch.

  “Hades?” I spun back quickly at her pleading tone. She pulled back the blanket, allowing space for me and I took the invitation, slipping in behind her. My arm wrapped over her waist. My hand snaked up between her breasts so it could lay over that drumbeat of a heart. Inhaling her hair, I tugged her into the curve of my body behind her. She nestled in and I swallowed hard at the strangling length eager to please her. I twitched against her backside but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she held very still.

  “Are you afraid of me?” I whispered under her ear then kissed her there. Her breath exhaled with her response.

  “Deathly.”

  Level Three:

  Greed

  [Persephone]

  I kept my eyes closed when I woke the next morning, resting in the conflicting comfort of Hades wrapped around me. My mind muddled through the turmoil of being trapped where I didn’t belong and sensing here was where I was destined to remain. Hades fit around me. His chest met my back. His knees curled behind mine. His arm still placed between my breasts, hand resting over my chest, as if the rhythm of my heartbeat calmed him. I liked the feel of him against me, and the awkward attraction to him filled me. We should not have kissed. I was his prisoner, not his lover, and yet I wished for it to be something more than entrapment. I should not fall for him, I warned myself, but tumbling I was.

  My lips tingled after that kiss, lingering with a flavor I wanted to sample again. My body desired so much more, evident by dragging his to mine. My breasts swelled with longing for his able fingers to massage me as he had last night, caress the heavy globes, and tweak my nipples. My hips fought for control, desperate to press back and search for the length of him apparent while we kissed the night before. But I must overrule the physical desire.

  My mind controlled the matter and filled with other thoughts. His strong admonishment that he had not been with another woman, as I had accused, reassured me. He was a prince among his people, and I imagined there were many who admired him. His eyes sparkled with something different than those around him. A tenderness. A curiosity. A concern. Any female, dead or alive, would be a fool not to be drawn into them. He had to have lovers, I thought with a sigh, and slowly opened my eyes. Then I yelped.

  His strange pet had gotten in the room and three heads propped on the edge of the bed. Six dark eyes returned my stare. Nostrils flared in separate directions. I pressed back into Hades, who instantly stopped me at the hip.

  “What is it, Firefly?” The term sounded endearing and it startled me. My mouth couldn’t work, but my heart raced as the creature glared at me.

  “Dog,” I croaked and one head picked up. Hades shifted behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. His hand slipped over mine and he dragged the combination of our fingers toward the beast. I tried to resist, tugging back in equal measure to his forward pull, but he was too strong for me. Entwining our fingers, he flattened my palm and forced it toward the first head. Curby snarled and Hades snapped, “No.”

  He moved our combined hands to the second and he used my hand to scratch behind an ear. The head held still. Moving onto the third one, Hades positioned our fingers over his nose. Sniffing excessively, the creature decided my scent appropriate. He licked the palm of my hand and I giggled.

  “Shhh,” Hades warned me, placing a tender kiss on my neck, and I squelched the sound. One head snarled at the other, but two struggled against one, and Curby pulled back from the bed. Hades’ lips brushed my shoulder then nuzzled my neck.

  “How did you sleep?” he purred. It was strange, but I sleep well. So well, I couldn’t recall a thing from my slumber. Not one drop of a dream lingered while hours before I tormented with a piercing pain in my chest and vile rapid-fire images of my death: by fire, by drowning, by strangulation. I hadn’t been able to shake the eerie feeling of my demise, but with him surrounding me, I forgot all my fears. Enveloped in total peace with him around me, I shouldn’t have felt that way. I twisted under his arm and wiggled free of the hand that held mine. I needed to separate from him. The night before, under the capture of the cook, my resolve to escape waned. I would remain here, but giving into a growing attraction to Hades would only complicate things.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” I lied in hopes to avoid his question and obtain a sanctuary. I slipped out from under Hades’ watchful eyes that followed me as I left the bed. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I had slept heavenly in his protection.

  When I returned to the room, he sat propped against pillows along the headboard, his ankles crossed and his hands placed behind his head. I stared in wonder at the full stretch of his abs, exposed to me as his sweatpants rode low on his hips. Despite the bluish tint to his skin, he was excessively attractive. The sapphire eyes. The longish hair. Even the scar forced my attention. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, but his eyes lingered out the open window. Free of the darkening shades, the black sky twinkled with stars on a clear night. We neared October, and the harvest moon would soon be present.

  I followed his gaze. My home stood out there in the darkness. Somewhere along the horizon, an indistinguishable line between land and sky, sat my house and my family.

  “Do you miss them?” His tender tone startled me and I jumped. My arms crossed my stomach and my hands rubbed up and down my arms.

  “Yes,” I whispered. I did miss them, and felt all kinds of wrong, that I would miss him if I finally got to leave.

  “What was it like?”

  I turned to face him.

  “What was what like?”

  “Growing up out there. With a family. Parents who love you. Love one another.”

  “Oh, my mom’s not married. I don’t have a father, in the conventional sense. My mother never mentions his name. Sadly, I imagine he was someone who broke her heart. We live with my grandparents. Well, my grandfather, now. My Nana died a year ago.” I twisted away from him to stare out the dark window a second time. My Nana had been the sweetest woman I’d ever known and a gentle protector when Mama was in a mood.

  Hades’ silence drew my attention. His head lowered in thought.
>
  “What was your house like?”

  “Modest, I suppose. I didn’t want for anything, but I didn’t have everything.”

  “Do you have a lot of money? I understand it’s important out there.” He nodded toward the window.

  I rolled my head and stared down at the floor. My expression of doubt impressing upon him that I didn’t consider what I had very much.

  “I’m not saying I wouldn’t like a nicer home. A car that drives instead of sputters. But it doesn’t consume me. I know I have more than others.”

  “What was something you wanted but you couldn’t have?”

  “A new car,” I instantly replied. It had been a long-standing argument with my mother. She said I didn’t need a fancy car or a sporty new truck like Swanson had. The thought of my friend pinched my heart. Farm life was hard and dirty. There was no purpose to material possessions so grand as a new car. Even as a commuter student at the local college, she didn’t see the necessity of such a frivolous item.

  “I could give you a car.” His voice emphasized the simplicity of the matter. He could just give me one. Snap his fingers.

  “I would never accept such a gift. I do believe in paying my own way, as reinforced by my grandfather. Make your own way, Persephone, he’d say.” Thoughts of my grandfather clenched my stomach.

  “Besides, what would be the point of a new car, if I’m stuck here for eternity.” The words tasted bitter as they escaped my mouth. My hands slapped at my thighs for emphasis, but I might have slapped Hades by the pained expression on his face. His mouth fell open and then snapped shut. He looked away from me briefly, and then sprang to the end of the bed. His eyes roamed my T-shirt clad body, pausing at my breasts before looking away, and demanding, “Get dressed.”

  He stood quickly and entered the bathroom while I went to the walk-in closet, dressing in one of the more modestly-priced pairs of jeans he took for me and a cream-colored sweater he added to the collection of clothes after we had our shopping spree. The loose collar slipped off my shoulder, exposing the angular bone and smooth skin. Wearing such a sweater, the slip of the knit lush and luxurious, I briefly admired my appearance in the mirror. The bracelet I couldn’t remove fluttered to life at my wrist, tickling me and reminding me of his existence. His gentle flapping equated to my mood. I was giddy with the idea of exploring again the vast underworld. I swept up my hair and exited the closet to find Hades waiting in his signature black jeans and hoodie. My sharp words were guiltily forgotten for the moment.

  We took the elevators to the third level where brash lights and clinking sounds of slot machines assaulted me. All manner of gambling machines filled the room with a display of blinking, bleeping, and beeping. Several called out for attention to be played. The dimly lit overhead lights enhanced the vibrant light of the gaming equipment.

  “If you won’t accept a gift, perhaps you’d like to win the money and buy it yourself.” Hades led me to a cushioned stool and placed a gold coin in the slot. He told me to pull the trigger and we waited while the dials spun. Ping, ping, ping went the three columns. Two cherries and a lemon, and I won twenty dollars. He encouraged me to play again and I lost ten. I tried one more time and won six dollars. I laughed at the silliness of waiting and hoping each spin would result in a large number. I looked up at Hades, who leaned casually against the machine. He watched me. His lips curled in a way that brightened his face. He almost looked happy, and the grin was contagious. I returned the smile.

  Then something caught my eye to the right of his shoulder. My brow pinched and I stood, drawn to the mirror that lined the wall. I wandered aimlessly between machines and stools as if pulled by some force I could not resist. My eyes focused, and the glass shifted before me. I realized I faced a window. Through it, I could see another room mirrored opposite where I stood, and more gaming machines filled the other side. My pace quickened and I moved forward briskly, without a care, eventually bumping into my own reflection in my lack of focus on the barrier.

  Humans. One the other side of the window sat people: brightly clothed, peachy-skinned, and alive, mesmerized and entranced by the glare of the machines before them. My hand rose and I tapped the window. Desperation grew and I pounded on the glass.

  “Hey, hey. Hey, in here. Can you see me?” I slapped my hand harder against the opaque barrier, but not a single person budged at my attempts to gain their attention. I felt Hades presence without having to turn. His chest brushed my back and his hand rose to cover mine which had fisted and eagerly pounded the glass. His long fingers covered mine and flattened my palm on the cool surface.

  “It’s a two-way mirror, from this side. They can’t see you.” His voice lowered. “They can’t hear you.” I didn’t recognize the heaviness to his tone. The weight of rocks dropping into the river.

  My forehead pressed against the cold wall. I stared at the people seated on stools, oblivious to the others around them as the machines sucked their attention. Similar to the gaming room on the second level, people were entranced by the glitzing games and the rush of results on the screen, unconsciousness of their surroundings.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Hades tugged my flat hand free from the window. My forehead hadn’t moved yet when I saw another image: at the end of a row sat Swanson, as if I willed him from my thoughts.

  “Swanson?” I whispered in question and confusion. “Swanson.” I spoke louder, straightening my head and struggling against Hades’ hand wrapped around mine. “Swanson,” I called out as if he could hear me. I yearned for him to hear me through the three layers of glass preventing me from reaching out to him.

  “Let’s go,” Hades gently demanded, placing his other hand over my shoulder, prodding me to turn. I shrugged out from under his hold and pressed myself against the window.

  “Swanson,” I screamed one more time before tears began to fall. My dark haired friend’s head twisted. He looked upward and hope filled me that he’d heard my cry.

  “Swanson!” I shouted again. Hades’ arm wrapped around my waist then and he dragged me back from the mirror. But Swanson’s head twisted in the direction of the glass. His eyes searched the row of gamblers before resting briefly on the mirror. My feet kicked back and my hands reached forward for the barrier r, but Hades held firmly.

  I called out Swanson’s name in a strangled hush.

  He stood slowly from the stool and walked toward the mirror. My eyes willed him to see through the glass. His feet dragged him forward and I called his name again in my head. Suddenly, he stood before the mirror. Hades released me and I pressed my hands on the glass once again. Swanson stared forward. His eyes narrowed in focus. I was certain he saw me. Then he blinked. The questioning in his eyes snapped off. His hand rose, and fingers swept through his wavy locks. He turned his face left then right, inspecting his features.

  “No,” I blurted. “No.” I pounded on the window. My palm flattening before fisting in earnest pleas. His head shook as if dazed and he turned abruptly to return to his game. His fists rose in jubilation as he neared the machine, the sound of my voice forgotten in his celebration. The sound of my voice, if he’d even heard it, I thought. I hung my head in defeat, thudding my forehead against the window. My hands slid down the glass to dangle limply at my sides. Hades pressed a hand to the small of my back.

  “Stop,” he murmured, and I let him guide me away from the glass, away from my friend. My hands covered my face, hiding my tears while I silently sobbed and blindly walked. Anyone in the room seemed to ignore my outburst. When we entered the empty hall, I stepped away from his touch.

  “Please, leave me alone,” I whimpered with a sob-choked voice. I couldn’t take his tenderness. My desire to go home conflicted with my memory of the kiss. My mouth longed for his comfort when he was the reason for my defeat. I wished for his arms to envelop me, and hold me close, while he caused my displeasure. Soothing words could not encourage sympathy toward my situation. My entrapment proved he had no feelings for me.

  Sil
ently, I followed him into the elevator and we exited on the first level. We travelled a hall behind the shops. Without a key, we entered a store and I stopped short at the glittering display before me. Diamond rings, gemstone necklaces and golden bracelets glimmered under the dull case lights.

  “What are we doing here?” My eyes pulled me forward as I stared at strands of pearls, ropes of gold, and silver rings. My fingertips travelled the length of the case.

  “Why did you bring me here?” I repeated, still wallowing in my grief at seeing my friend but not being able to communicate with him. I didn’t understand what Hades wanted with me, other than his father’s desire to own my land.

  “Why don’t you pick whatever you’d like? It will make you feel better.”

  I looked up at him. “What?”

  A shoulder shrugged as his head lowered. His finger drew a circle over the glass protecting something expensive and precious beneath.

  “I’d like to apologize. Upstairs. That was cruel of me, to give you hope.” His voice travelled downward to the case while his finger traced its design. I stared at him in silence. “Was he your boyfriend?”

  “Swanson Grant?” I laughed bitterly. “No. He’s one of my best friends, along with Veva.”

  He nodded once. “Do you have many friends?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.

  “I suppose, but Veva and Swanson matter the most.”

  He nodded once as if he understood. As a solitary figure, I wasn’t convinced he did understand. He didn’t mention any friends, no one special like Veva and Swanson were to me.

  “I want to matter to you.” His voice low, like rippling water over river stones, the words made me question his motive.

  “Then what did you do? Why did you do it?” My tone softened despite the heat boiling inside me.