“Okay,” I said, grinning. “Whatever you want.”
“I want you to be happy for the rest of all time,” he said, starting our sway to the music once more.
“As long as I’m with you, I will be.”
“May I cut in?”
The low male voice surprised me and I jumped slightly, turning to see who was coming to take me away.
“Helios,” Hades said in surprise. “You really want to steal my wife from me?”
“Only for a moment,” the god laughed. “She looks so beautiful, I thought I would save her from your advances and give you the chance to talk with your brothers.”
“I’m flattered,” I said, disappointed we’d been interrupted.
“Only for a moment,” Hades said, frowning as he released me and passed me into Helios’s arms.
“I will take good care of her,” he laughed. “I promise.”
“I miss you already,” Hades said to me, smiling sadly.
“Come back quickly,” I said, mirroring him.
“It’s not the end of the world,” Helios chuckled. “Just one dance.”
“Get to it then,” Hades said, grinning in a teasing manner and clapping him on the shoulder. “I will be back shortly.”
The next song started and we began dancing as Hades walked away, towards the dessert table it appeared.
“What do you think you are doing?” Helios hissed in my ear.
“Excuse me?” I asked in confusion, my attention immediately turning back to him.
“Have you even been looking for the helmet? Or has your whole time down there been spent making out?”
My mouth popped open in surprise, wondering how on earth he knew about my search for the helmet.
“Close your mouth,” he ordered me. “You look even more stupid than you really are.”
“How did you—”
“Did you think that Erebos was working alone? There’s much more than just him involved.”
His grip was painfully tight on my hand and I tried to pull away, not liking where the conversation was going.
“You listen to me,” he all but growled, grabbing me even tighter. “You find that helmet, and you do it soon, or your family will suffer. Do you understand?”
“Leave my family out of it,” I spat back. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“Oh please,” he chuckled. “You’re obviously not.”
“What do you expect?” I asked grimly. “I don’t even know how I’m supposed to get the helmet out once I find it. Maybe you should have told me a little more about your plan before sending me in blind.”
“Erebos will come for the helmet when you find it,” he hissed, his tone getting quieter as he looked around to make sure no one was watching us. “After that, you can do whatever you want. It’s not like you could help us with the fight that will happen after.”
“Fight?”
“What did you think?” he asked smugly. “That we wanted the helmet for decoration? No. There are big plans ahead, ones that not even Zeus himself will be able to stop. So, you better find that helmet quick, or you’ll be seeing your family locked down there with you, dead as doornails.”
I could feel the color draining from my face at the death threat and looked around, hoping Hades would return quickly.
“Leave them out of it,” I said quietly. “They don’t have anything to do with this.”
“Oh, but they do. Anyone who means anything to you has everything to do with it.”
He looked pointedly at something behind me and I turned my head, eyes landing on Hades, who was talking with someone. As I watched, Hades looked over at me and smiled, his teeth showing from between his lips.
“Quickly now,” Helios said, releasing me as the song ended. “Remember, you’re a mortal among gods. I wouldn’t push too many buttons if I were you.”
He smiled warmly at me then, bowing his head before turning and walking away.
“Now I can have you all to myself again,” Hades said from behind me.
I turned around, taking the glass of water he held out to me.
“Trust me,” I said, trying to calm my nerves. “I would have much rather danced with you.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Persephone.”
I snuggled deeper into the warm sheets, not quite ready to be woken yet as I was still reliving all of the good parts of the evening before.
“Persephone.”
The voice laughed softly and I felt the covers next to me moving slightly as someone slid in next to me.
“I told you we were leaving early.”
My eyes fluttered open, taking in the soft light around me and rolled over, right into Hades’s waiting arms.
“Good morning,” I sighed contently, pushing myself deeper into his embrace. “I like waking up like this.”
“You are a sight for sore eyes,” he chuckled. “We have to get going, though. I have a big day planned.”
“Don’t you have a meeting or something to talk about some breach the guards thought they found?”
“I pushed it to tomorrow,” he said, his hands sweeping up and down my back as he held me. “They said they had it taken care of. The meeting was to discuss how to keep it from happening again.”
“I don’t want to mess up your day,” I said sleepily, letting my eyes shut as I rested against him.
“Then you better get out of bed!”
He sat up, bringing me with him and uncovering my body. I moaned at having been displaced, but got out as he asked all the same.
“What are we doing?” I yawned, walking towards the closet to pick out something to wear.
“It’s a surprise. We’ll be taking the horses, though, so you probably want to wear something that will work with that.”
“Got it,” I said, turning to smile at him. “Breakfast before we leave?”
“When we get there.”
“I like seeing you in my bed,” I said boldly before disappearing into the dresses.
“All you have to do is ask,” his teasing voice replied.
“Speaking of asking,” I said, emerging from the closet. “Will you zip me up?”
I turned my back to him, biting my bottom lip as I waited for him to come and help finish dressing me. I heard the bed move as he stood up and walked my way, his footsteps falling slowly and softly on the floor. The anticipation was about to kill me when I finally felt his hands at my waist, his lips on my neck.
I sighed, leaning into him, a happy smile on my face. Unfortunately for me, though, the mood was ruined by the sound of a zipper.
“Stop stalling,” he whispered, his voice shaking with laughter. “I’m seriously excited to take you where we’re going.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, turning around to look at him. “Let’s get going then.”
“Great,” he said, his winning smile sparkling on his face. “You might want to fix your makeup, though. It looks like you have some left over mascara from last night.”
“Oh,” I laughed nervously, my hands flying up to cover under my eyes. “Yeah, I should get that taken care of.”
I turned away and hurried to my makeup desk, grateful I’d fallen asleep without washing my face the night before. The black veins, in combination with the makeup, made me look like a raccoon, but at least Hades hadn’t looked close enough to discover me.
I made quick work of fixing everything, the concealer barely covering my indiscretions. In the end, it looked like I hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately and was suffering with slight, dark rings under my eyes.
“All done?” Hades asked from my bed, where he’d taken a seat to wait for me.
“Yes,” I said, turning around and smiling brightly. “Let’s get out of here already.”
He jumped up from the bed and grabbed my hand, hurrying me out the door and down the hall. Our loud laughter echoed through the halls, causing some of the workers to peer through doorways and look at us, different emotions on each of their faces. Some a
ppeared happy, others confused. I didn’t care, though. I was happy and that was all that mattered.
Once in the stables, I got Hero ready while Hades saddled up just one of his black stallions. What appeared to be a picnic basket was already waiting for us there as well.
“Breakfast?” I asked, nodding at it as I tightened some straps.
“Yeah. A little more, too,” he said, his devilish grin flashing at me from across the room.
“Where are we going that we need to pack food into?” I giggled.
“Just wait,” he said, leading his horse over to me after he’d picked up the basket. “Trust me.”
“I do,” I said, grinning. “I’m just intrigued, that’s all.”
“Patience is a virtue,” he chuckled, mounting up and setting the basket on his lap.
“It’s one I’m about to run out of,” I snickered, mounting Hero.
“Follow me,” he said, spurring his horse forward suddenly and darting out of the room.
I laughed, following his lead, trying to catch up as we cut a path through the mass of people outside once more. This ride felt much different than the last time I’d come out this way with him, though. It seemed the dreary feeling air I’d always encountered outside the castle had turned to that of happiness and light, despite being underground.
We rode through the mass of people quickly, only slowing once the vast majority of them were behind us. Instead of heading towards the river this time, Hades turned and went the other way, a path that lead into the forest stretching out in front of us.
“A picnic in the forest?” I asked, coming up next to him.
“Not exactly,” he laughed again. “Just trust me, okay? You’ll like it, I promise.”
“I’m only trying to figure out what’s going on,” I said.
“Well, stop,” he ordered me, a grin on his face. “Because you’re never going to guess.”
“Fine,” I grumbled in pretend grumpiness.
He laughed again, increasing our speed slightly as we entered the dark tree line.
As usual, every now and then there was a soul wandering around, but for the most part we were alone. The path we were on was much narrower than the others and almost impossible to see at times. The further in we got, the more it disappeared. Hades seemed to know exactly where he was going, though, weaving through the trees with ease as I followed behind him.
Finally, we arrived at the top of the incline I hadn’t even noticed we’d been traveling up. The rocks of the cave roof hung right over our head, a solid wall in front of us, covered in some greenery.
“We’re here,” Hades said, dismounting and setting the basket on the ground so he could help me down.
“Really?” I asked, looking around at the close trees and overbearing rocks.
“Mostly,” he laughed, seeming to enjoy my confusion.
“What do you mean?”
He walked over to the wall in front of us, a huge grin on his face, and placed his hand on the stone. Instead of resting on the rocks, though, his hand went right through.
“It’s a door!” I said in excitement. “I didn’t realize there were any here, other than in the maze.”
“This door doesn’t exactly go anywhere like those do,” he chuckled. “Just to the other side of the wall.”
He walked back over to his horse, taking its reins and picking up the basket.
“Go ahead,” he said, nodding to me. “I’ll follow you in.”
I smiled widely, pulling Hero after me as I walked over to the hidden door. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what would be on the other side.
Eagerly, I walked through the stone and into one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen, whether in person or in a picture.
It was a garden of epic proportions. Every type of flower imaginable sprung up from the ground, arranged in boxes or patterns surrounded by short grass. Fruit trees hung their leafy branches over my head, framing the entrance perfectly. A small waterfall bubbled through the rocks I could see in a far off corner. None of it compared to the open sky, though.
The rock walls opened up to the outside world above us, revealing blue skies and wonderful, warm sunlight. It lit the secret paradise like only natural light could, warming me to my very core.
“Do you like it?” Hades asked from behind me.
I tore my eyes away from the beauty all around me and looked at him in awe.
“Is this where you come every morning?”
“It is,” he said, nodding.
“It’s beautiful,” I gushed. “I can’t even—I mean, how?”
“No one else knows about it,” he said with a smile. “It’s the one place that I can go that hasn’t been marred by death and is completely mine.”
“You did all of this?” I asked in awe, turning back to the sight before me.
“I like working with my hands. It helps relieve the stress of the job and life.”
“You have a gift,” I said simply, turning back to him.
“Come on,” he chuckled. “This is only a little part of it.”
He passed by me, leading his horse on, and I followed eagerly, ready to see what else his sanctuary had to offer. It seemed to stretch on forever, endless colors and fragrances reaching out to us as we followed a rock path to a small stable.
The horses were more than happy to be brushed down and left to their own devices in the cozy little hut, which was attached to a small house from what I could tell.
“Have you ever stayed out here before?” I asked curiously, as he led me around the place to the front door.
“Not for a long time,” he admitted. “But I wanted something out here in case I ever decided to do it again. It’s been nice for storage as well. Obviously, there’s a lot of gardening tools required to maintain everything.”
“Obviously,” I laughed.
“Breakfast?” he asked me smoothly, opening the wooden door with ease and motioning for me to enter.
“I’m starving,” I admitted, stepping over the threshold.
For being so plain on the outside, the inside of the hut was very cozy feeling and welcoming. There was a small table and chairs situated under a window with a view of the garden. The kitchen was off to the left, stocked with all the necessities from what I could see. To the right was a sitting area and bookshelves, along with two closed doors I assumed were a bedroom and bathroom.
“I like it,” I said as Hades came in behind me and closed the door.
“Good,” he laughed, carrying the basket over to the table and setting it down. “I’m glad.”
“What’s for breakfast,” I asked, walking over to him.
“Let’s open it and see.”
I unpacked the food while he grabbed plates from the cupboard and soon we were ingesting the delicious waffles and fruit that had been prepared for us. Also in the basket were things for lunch and dinner, both simple meals as well, but just as delicious looking.
For the first time since I’d arrived in the Underworld, I felt like Hades and I were a real couple, in our own house, taking care of each other. We washed the dishes together after we were done eating, put the extra food away until later, and enjoyed just being in the presence of the other. We didn’t need to fill the time with idle chatter. It was just the two of us, being ourselves.
Once everything was put away in the cabin, Hades invited me to go out and tour the entire garden with him. I readily agreed, still surprised he took care of the entire thing himself. A single servant had never been out here, only him. I was deeply honored that he’d chosen to show it to me, especially after all the grief he’d had in his marriage over the years. My heart soared to think he cared for me that much.
The garden, while not as large as I originally had thought, was beautiful. A small stream ran along one side, the product of the waterfall I’d seen at the entrance. Along with flowers and fruit trees, herbs and other foods were growing here as well, each arranged in a fantastic manner and adding to the over
all magnificence of the place.
As we rounded back on the cabin, hand in hand, I sighed contently.
“I can’t believe you keep this place a secret. I mean, I understand why, but so much work has gone into it. It’s a shame no one gets to enjoy it.”
“I enjoy it,” he chuckled. “And you can enjoy it now. That’s enough for me. I didn’t make it to show off, just to relax and be myself.”
“I can tell,” I said, smiling at him. “You seem much happier here, more laid back.”
“No one is trying to talk to me about a dead person problem,” he laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my job. I’m the only one who can do it, the only one who will do it. Even the dead deserve to be looked after and I’m more than happy to do it. I wasn’t always that way, sure. I’ve felt cheated in the past. But that was my lot in life. It wasn’t until I discovered this place that I realized I got to choose how I felt. Once I decided to be happy, I was. The things that upset me before became trivial for the most part. The only problem I really had was you.”
He grinned at me then, squeezing my hand as I rolled my eyes.
“Even that worked out for me in the end,” he added on.
“Lucky for the both of us,” I said with a smile.
We fell silent as we walked the rest of the way to the cabin, slowly. I found myself wishing we could stay here forever, away from everything he was supposed to do and hidden from those who would force me to do something that would surely hurt him. My heart felt sick to know the happiness he was sharing wasn’t really with me. If only I could show him who I really was without ruining it all.
Chapter Nineteen
The rest of the day passed just as leisurely, with us breaking for lunch after our walk around the garden. After that, we went back outside and he showed me what he’d been working on recently. It was a rose patch, the bushes growing up taller than I was and covered in the sweet smelling flowers. I helped him with it a little, learning how he handled them, and resulting in the need to wash up once we were finished.
“I brought you an extra dress,” he laughed, trying to wipe dirt off my face with his own messy hands. “There’s a little something special planned for this evening and I thought you might want to change after our ride and all. There’s a shower in the cabin that we can get cleaned up in.”
Hades (The God Chronicles #3) Page 14