by C. R. Jane
Hera’s face changed. She’d gone from seemingly bored to shocked and motherly to bitch-from-hell. Because the woman in front of me suddenly looked like she was going to take my head off. Her eyes were fiery red and her whole body trembled. I sensed her power humming on my skin like tiny pinpricks and what I felt from her didn’t resemble the concept of a goddess of marriage and childbirth. At all.
This woman was terrifying.
“You dare reject an invitation from the gods, you lowly ingrate? You came to Mount Olympus with your impure blood thinking you have the right to call the shots when you are nothing more than a product of Zeus’s pity on a race that was already pathetic at its conception.”
Swallowing down the fury bubbling in my chest, I held myself together. “As far as I know, I’m one of you.” I remained cool and collected, but on the inside I was a raging inferno. I pictured myself jumping the hag and scratching her eyes out. It’d be an ugly clawing catfight, not even a dignified act of war.
“You will never be one of us,” Hera snarled with a voice that sounded a hell of a lot like X’s, which wasn’t something I wanted to think too hard about. That memory had me clenching my fists.
“Well, then it won’t be a problem if I don’t join you on Mount Olympus.”
Hera looked like she was going to blow up, her face reddening, her shoulders curling forward. I wondered if I would have to scrape pieces of goddess off my wall when this was done. But instead of losing her shit, she simply disappeared.
Thank fuck.
I inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly, trying to pull myself back together. I was so angry, I felt like I could blow up. But she wasn’t worth the effort it took to be this upset. I just had to forget about her. She had done nothing but make my life hell the last week or so. And it wasn’t the first time she had done that. Hades had gone through shit because of her, too.
And that wasn’t even with a pun intended.
I was about to get back into bed when a sound from the living room made me groan.
“Whoever the fuck is out there, I’m not in the mood,” I called.
Hades stalked through my bedroom door, dressed all in black, and damn, he looked smoking hot.
“God, I don’t have the time for this shit!”
“Calm down, Elyse,” he retorted. He didn’t sound pissed, which was an improvement. Before he would have gotten as angry as me and we’d have it out. It didn’t even sound half bad. I wanted to have it out with someone.
But then we would end up fucking and I couldn’t let him in like that when I was still so mad at him.
“Just get out of here.” I suddenly sounded tired. Well, mood swings—check.
“Can we talk?” Hades asked, his voice tame and a soft expression on his face. His dark eyes were pleading, and they touched me deep inside like they always did. I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. “I want to make it right.”
“No pomegranate to trick me?” I asked sarcastically.
“Stop, Elyse.” The way he said my name so seriously made me sit up and take notice. He surprised me a lot lately. “I’m here to help.”
“Hera paid me a visit,” I said. “And she’s making it pretty damn clear that I’m not allowed to stay on Earth, even if I want to. After she told me what a piece of shit I am.”
Hades shook his head, grumbling under his breath. “Don’t listen to the bitch. I can’t stand her.”
“I know,” I added. “And I’m starting to understand why. But, I mean, I know the why of it all.”
Hades nodded. “I wanted to tell you that you’re allowed to choose whatever you want if you walk the same road that Heracles did.”
“What?”
Hades sat down on my bed. “He chose to stay on Earth.”
I nodded, aware of that. “And Zeus trapped him in the curse of watching over my bloodline for the rest of his life. Which is a hell of a long time for a demigod.”
“He asked for the job,” Hades added.
“He did?” I’d always assumed it was Zeus who’d forced him into the role to help humans. “Why?”
“Because he knew what you Lowes could do. But that’s not the point. The point is, if you choose something with the courage of your conviction, the gods can do nothing about it. Humans have been given free will. And you were human once, as was Heracles. Which means that your free will is your secret weapon against us.”
I’d never thought the gods had some kind of weakness, that the humans could have the upper hand somehow. It didn’t make sense. But in a way… it actually did.
“So I need to know for a fact that this is where I want to stay, right? And then it will be fine?”
Hades nodded. “But then you really have to know without a sliver of doubt.”
Yeah, and therein lay the problem. I still didn’t know for a fact because I wanted my four men around me. Although, after seeing Hera lose her shit in my room, I was just about convinced that Mount Olympus wasn’t the place for me.
“Am I meant to march up to Zeus and tell him this?” I was unsure how I felt about that, considering they had invited me, and gods were arrogant asses sometimes. But this was also about my happiness after everything I’d gone through.
“No need,” a voice boomed from outside, accompanied by a crack of thunder and lightning lighting up even the inside of my apartment. I flinched from the noise.
Zeus was here. Was he pissed?
“No better time than the present,” Hades confirmed with a shrug that was far too nonchalant because I was shitting myself. Zeus sounded furious and he’d never been this angry at me. Not even when I’d stood up to him. But I supposed Hades was right. This was my chance to stand my ground, to claim what I wanted and not waver back and forth.
Hades took my hand and kissed my knuckles, his eyes burning into me.
“Together,” he said.
“Why are you being so nice about this?” I asked, willing myself to not fall under his spell and just do anything he said so I could jump into his arms quicker.
“Because I love you and I want you happy. I don’t want to lose you and I know that sometimes there are different ways to lose people than them walking away.”
Right then was when my heart melted. Hades always surprised me. Always. But this was by far the nicest thing he’d ever said or done to me. And we’d been through Hell and back, literally, fought each other, fucked our brains out, hated one another—but we always came back together for a reason. We were meant to be.
“Together,” I said, squeezing his hand. We were going to do this.
Hades poofed us outside so we were in the street, where Zeus stood in the middle of the road in all his furious glory, white fabric draped around his torso and over a shoulder. His silvery hair was like silk and it flew around his head as if he were electrically charged. Lightning danced from his fingertips. His eyes were white, without pupils or irises, and he was scary as fuck.
I trembled, and not much scared me, but this here undid me. Hades squeezed my hand, reminding me I wasn’t alone here. He wasn’t running away but was standing tall by my side.
“You turned down our proposition,” Zeus growled in a voice that sounded like thunder itself. “Have you forgotten who gave you life?”
“I haven’t forgotten my roots,” I replied. “But I haven’t forgotten who I am, either.”
Zeus let out a roar and thunder shook the world around us, the ground quivering under my bare feet.
Suddenly, Apollo was next to me. And then Ares appeared, too. And lastly, Poseidon stepped up. I smiled to have my four men with me.
“You’re here,” I said to Poseidon. “Why?”
“I smelled a fight and I thought I would jump in on the action.”
“I’m staying here on Earth,” I declared, my voice strong and decision made.
Poseidon put his hand at the back of my neck and kissed me, hard.
“I guess I am too, then,” he breathed against my mouth.
They were all her
e for me. And they agreed with what I wanted, none of them trying to change my mind, but rather smiling in approval. When I glanced at Ares, dressed in battle gear, he nodded at me too. And so did Apollo before him and Ares fist-bumped.
I had no idea how we’d all gotten together again when there had been a rift between the lot of us, but the unity was palpable. We’d all been through so much this past year, and like me, they probably didn’t want to keep arguing. We all had so much more fun when we got along. And their energies mingling with mine was powerful as fuck.
“Are you going to fight me?” Zeus snapped, his shoulders rising.
“If I have to,” I replied, lifting my chin.
“And you think you’ll survive?” he mocked.
I nodded. “I’m fighting for something I love. And love is stronger than everything, even Death.”
X and Hades had taught me that.
“Them?” Zeus said with a chuckle. “You reckon you love them enough that you can defeat me?”
I shook my head. “I love them, yeah. Sure. But I’m not fighting you for them. Or because of them. This is for the humans. I love them, Zeus. I want to be with them. They are a part of me, as much as I am a part of them. I won’t die for the gods. But I will die for my people.”
Zeus stared at Poseidon and then Hades. “And you will defy your brother?”
“Anytime,” Hades retorted without hesitation, but that was to be expected. When I looked at Poseidon, he nodded with confidence, too. That was a surprise.
“Maybe it’s time we stop fucking up people’s lives just because we can,” Poseidon offered.
Zeus shook his head. “Big talk, brother. But Elyse isn’t walking away from this unless she walks straight to Mount Olympus.”
“No,” I yelled.
Zeus’s nostrils flared, breathing nosily, baring his teeth in a show of anger. This was all about control, I realized. It wasn’t about me; it was about not losing control of everything. But I didn’t belong to Zeus. The gods didn’t own me. When Zeus charged me, I was right there with him. I ran headlong toward him. I had no weapons, and he was the god of the gods.
But I knew what I was fighting for. And I would fight until I had nothing left.
Zeus and I collided in a flash of white light that blinded me. Heat seared through me as if I had swallowed a bolt of lightning and the sound was deafening.
I stumbled, losing my footing, sure that it was all over. My heart thumped so hard in my chest, my skin rippling with dread. This was it—I’d die my final death. After fighting to stay alive for so long, facing Death, and now this final blow came unexpectedly. And from the god who’d given me his power in the first place. I wanted to laugh at the irony, but all I could think about were the four men who’d stolen my heart and I couldn’t lose them.
When I hit the tarmac with my hands and knees, the light disappeared and darkness wrapped itself around me once again. The streetlights came into focus, and then the four gods were next to me, their expressions tainted with worry.
“Elyse, are you okay?” Poseidon grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I was perfectly fine, actually. “But what just happened? I thought he killed me with his lightning.”
“That wasn’t Zeus’s lightning,” Ares said, staring at Apollo, who nodded. “That was all you.”
“What do you mean?”
“No god has ever laid down their life for a human for an eternity. No one except Heracles. And he was the only god who was allowed to live on Earth without rules and regulations. And now, there’s you.”
My skin broke out in goosebumps. Had I really done it? Though part of me couldn’t help but wonder if Zeus had known all along, and in his usual way, had pushed and pushed until I’d done what came naturally to me. The reason why I had to remain on Earth.
So, had I figured out who I was and what I wanted? And the guys had all decided what they wanted, too.
Me. And you know what? I was a pretty good bet. I wanted me, too.
Chapter 10
Weeks Later
Now that I was allowed to stick around on Earth without the gods breathing down my neck about my decision, my life returned to normal. Except it also didn’t.
Somehow, by being willing to sacrifice myself for the humans, my power had reached a new level yet again. Was there an end to what I could unlock? I didn’t know, but for the first time in too long, not knowing didn’t scare me. It left me excited to discover what exactly I was capable of.
I didn’t know if I was immortal or not, either. There were still a lot of questions.
But I did have the guys with me. And I was happy with the life I’d chosen. Because I had known in that moment I’d challenged Zeus with exactly what I’d wanted—my humanity.
And it made saving the mortals every day okay. It turned out that being a goddess didn’t mean I was removed from the humans.
I couldn’t stop smiling and I beamed each time I remembered that the guys had stood up for me, that they had all been willing to lie down what they desired so that they could be with me. It was all about unity, about us being a united team. I was sure that it wasn’t just because of my declaration that I had defeated Zeus, sending him back to Mount Olympus. Though part of me still pondered if it had been a ploy on his part. But I didn’t care. I’d come through it because I’d had my gods at my back, and they’d been there for me.
I stood on a building in the middle of Chicago and for a moment I imagined wearing a cape like in the hero movies. I chuckled at the thought.
“What’s so funny?” Hades asked, suddenly appearing at my side.
I spun and smirked. “I might tell you tonight.”
“Is that a promise?” He closed the distance between us and collected me into his arms.
“You bet.” I still couldn’t believe how much my relationship with Hades had changed, how caring and attentive he was.
“Good, because I’ve reserved a table at a restaurant on a beach in Fiji.”
“Wow.” I’d always wanted to go there, and to hear Hades offer me a holiday other than the Underworld had me smiling so hard it hurt my cheeks.
He leaned in closer and cupped my head with two hands before kissing me. Gently at first, then passionately and fiery like he couldn’t get enough, and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure I could ever get enough of him or any of the gods I loved.
Hades broke his kiss, and my breath hitched all the way down to my lungs. “I’ll see you tonight, babe.”
And with those words, he puffed out of sight, leaving me burning up, my lips tingling, needing him more. He was such a tease.
“I’d say he’s smitten with you,” Heracles said, stepping up next to me.
I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see for myself the woman who defied my dad,” he said. “I heard you were on fire.”
I laughed. “It felt like it, too.”
“You embraced a part of yourself that none of the gods could find,” Heracles said, his eyes smiling, his expression reminding me of my dad being so proud of me. “That’s saying something. I always knew you had greatness inside you.”
“That means the world to me,” I said.
“What does?” Heracles asked.
I looked at him for a moment before answering. “You believing in my family. You sticking around and teaching us until I could become what I am now.”
Heracles smiled. “Any time.”
A wave of magic traveled up from one of the streets below and interrupted our conversation. Heracles and I both turned our heads as if we were hounds picking up a scent.
“Duty calls,” I said. “Looks like X is sending up his hounds from Hell to taunt me.”
“He’s never going to forgive you for fucking up his plans.”
I shrugged. “I’m ready for his shit. It’s what I was born to do.”
“Let’s do this one together,” Heracles suggested. “And when w
e’re done, I want to tell you about this woman I met.”
“What?” I asked. “Oh my god!”
Heracles laughed. “First save the world. Then gossip.”
“You got it,” I said. “But you’re not getting away without telling me every little detail. Give me a name as an appetizer.”
“Rea,” Heracles said with a smile. “She’s Greek.”
“I wouldn’t imagine it any other way.”
Heracles stared out toward the faint lines of magic that pulsed toward us in waves.
“Together?” he asked.
“Together,” I said.
And we jumped.
Author’s Note
I hope you’ve enjoyed Hades’ Goddess. This story takes place after the Gods and Monsters series, with a small snippet into the life of Elyse and her four gods. I wanted to show how far she’d come and despite everything they’d all gone through, in the end, they all ended up closer and still in each other’s lives. If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend jumping into Apollo Is Mine.
About Mila Young
Mila Young tackles everything with the zeal and bravado of the fairytale heroes she grew up reading about. She slays monsters, real and imaginary, like there's no tomorrow. By day she rocks a keyboard as a marketing extraordinaire. At night she battles with her might pen-sword, creating fairytale retellings, and sexy ever after tales. In her spare time, she loves pretending she's a mighty warrior, walks on the beach with her dogs, cuddling up with her cats, and devouring every fantasy tale she can get her pinkies on.
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Books By Mila Young
Gods and Monsters
Apollo Is Mine
Poseidon Is Mine