by P. C. Cast
Chapter 18
Lina felt like a wel -fed kitten. Her body was in that wonderful place between relax and replete. Every bit of stress had been massaged from her muscles. Her skin was so incredibly smooth that as she lounged across the chaise and nibbled pomegranate seeds she absently stroked her fingers across her body, which seemed to hum with pleasure.
"Youth, beauty, and the power of a goddess - Persephone has it al ," she said, and then looked guiltily around. No, she was total y alone. Just as she'd asked. After her shower and fabulous oil massage, Eurydice had dressed her in the shimmering narcissus nightdress and Lina had curled up on the chaise. When the little spirit asked if there was anything else she required, Lina had drowsily told her that the only thing she wanted was to lie on the chaise, drink ambrosia and eat pomegranates. Then she was going to go to sleep.
Eurydice had clapped her hands together like the bossy headmistress of an al girls school and hastily shooed the maidservants from the balcony, announcing that Persephone required privacy. And then, to Lina's surprise, Eurydice had actual y fol owed the servants from the chamber, saying that she had an appointment with Iapis to go over her preliminary sketches of the palace, but she promised to bring by what she completed for the Goddess's approval in the morning. Iapis and Eurydice again. Lina tugged at a lock of long hair and twirled it around her finger. If she wasn't mistaken the daimon's interest in Eurydice was more than friendly. Maybe she should speak to Hades about it.
Hades. . . thinking of the God brought the restlessness that was simmering just below her skin to the surface. She poured herself another glass of ambrosia. What was up with him? Why had he suddenly disappeared? He'd told her very clearly that he was interested in her, then he'd kissed her. Kissed her, hel ! He'd pinned her against the wal and ravished her thoroughly. Remembering his passion made her shiver. Hades was the personification of dark and dangerous - a living, breathing Batman. She licked her lips and swore she could stil taste him, or maybe that was just the ambrosia? Both were certainly delicious.
Lina closed her eyes, letting her fingers trail from her throat down, brushing over her already aroused nipples. She breathed a moan. Merda! Persephone's body was young and responsive and. . .
Lina's eyes snapped open. "And very, very horny," she said in a frustrated voice. "Or maybe it's more me than her. Or a combination of what happens when a forty-three-year-old woman who hasn't had sex in" - she stopped and counted back in her mind - "who hasn't had sex in almost three years is put into the body of a nubile young Goddess and then is tempted by a handsome, Batman look-alike. Up! Tune to get up and walk it off. "
She stood, too fast, and felt al bubbly and slack-kneed. The ambrosia had definitely gone to her head. . . as wel as to other sensitive spots. Her lips twisted in chagrin and a pretty pink flush heated her cheeks. Jeesh, she had it bad.
Wel , she'd tried the cold shower, and it definitely hadn't worked the way she'd planned. She sighed and trailed her finger across the smooth marble railing of the balcony, thinking of Eurydice's idea of a shower. It had been a heavenly experience. But it had done nothing to dispel her fantasies about Hades. Actual y, it had accomplished the opposite. Her body had been bathed and massaged, pampered and preened. She felt like a royal concubine who had been prepared for her sultan.
So where the hel was her sultan? Pun definitely intended.
Lina shook her head and rol ed her eyes. "You've had entirely too much ambrosia. " With finality she set her half-empty glass on the flat top of the railing and started purposeful y, if a little wobbly, for the circular staircase that wrapped down to the palace grounds. She'd take a nice brisk walk in the garden. That would clear her head and make her sleepy enough that she would remember that bed was a place in which one slept more often than one had hot, sweaty sex with a dark, handsome god.
In an ambrosial mist, Lina fol owed her private path to the first tier of the palace gardens. When she reached the entrance she stood very stil , soaking in the magical view of the torch lit grounds. The Underworld was such an incredibly lovely place. The sky had continued to darken, but it was not black, as was the night sky in the world above. Instead, it was slate gray, il uminated by several bril iantly lit stars, each haloed with iridescent color that reminded Lina of the pearlized bel y of a seashel . The unusual sky caused everything to be bathed in soft darkness, as if this part of the Underworld was a sweet dream.
"Those stars are the most beautiful things I have ever seen," Lina said to the silent sky.
"They are the Hyades. "
Hades seemed to materialize from the shadows of the garden.
Lina's hand flew to her throat. She could feel her heart pounding there. "You scared me!"
"I did not mean to startle you, but I was just thinking of you and when I heard your voice I wanted very much to join you. "
Lina bit her bottom lip and tried to clear her wine-fogged mind. He was wearing that damn cape again. And, even more dangerously, he had traded in the voluminous length of material he usual y wrapped around his body for a much more revealing outfit. He had again chosen to wear black, but that night it was in the form of a short, black learner chiton that appeared to have been molded to his chest. It ended in panels just over his hips. Beneath, he wore a fine, pleated tunic, the color of thunderclouds, which left almost al of his muscular legs exposed. Lina wrenched her eyes up to meet his. He was watching her with a dark intensity she felt tingle through her blood.
"You've been on my mind, too. I'm glad you're here," she said, and reminded herself to breathe as he moved with feral intensity closer to her.
His body was like a furnace; she could feel the heat that radiated from him. Hades took her hand and raised it slowly to his mouth. His lips seemed to burn a brand into her skin. He didn't release her hand. Instead, he traced a circular path across it with his thumb. The cooling wind brought his scent to her. He smel ed of the night and of leather mingled with man. It was an erotic, dangerous scent that made her stomach tighten and shiver. It made her think of sweat-slicked, naked skin. Without conscious thought, she breathed more deeply and leaned toward him. His eyes flashed and the teasing breeze caught his cape so that it rose behind him like wings. She was submerged within the intensity of his gaze. She could feel his passion ignite. This Hades was not the smart, sexy God she had been getting to know. Once again he was the being who had possessed her in the forge. He loomed before her, an infinitely powerful immortal - seductive, al uring, overwhelming, and a little frightening. She stil wanted him. His presence was magnetic, but her mortal soul was struggling to maintain some semblance of control. Lina forced her mind to work, grasping at something, anything she could say to him.
"You said the stars are Hyades. I don't understand," she final y managed. Hades lifted his eyes from hers to gaze at the night sky.
"You don't understand because you know them only as the bright nymphs they are in the world above. What most immortals do not know is that a group of forest Hyades tired of their earthly duties. They begged Zeus to al ow them to become mortal so that they could die and be relieved of the burden of immortality. "
His voice was as deep and as hypnotic as his eyes. Entranced, Lina stared at him as he wove the tale. He was a dark flame that drew her soul inexorably to him. Batman. Definitely Batman. And, ambrosia or no ambrosia, what sane woman would not be into Batman fantasies?
"Zeus granted the Hyades their wish and that same night they entered my realm. I was so moved by the iridescence of their souls that I proclaimed that their great beauty could light al of Elysia. The nymphs were intrigued by the idea and they came as one to petition me. As Zeus before me, I, too, granted their wish, and they have il uminated the night sky of the Underworld ever since. " Lina forced her eyes from the magnetic God to look up at the stars that were real y the spirit of nymphs.
"What are you doing here, Persephone?"
The raw emotion in the God's voice stopped Lina's breath, and her gaze flew back to his. What had
happened to him tonight? And how could he be so powerful and yet look so vulnerable at the same time? She shook her head and gave him the only answer she could.
"I drank too much ambrosia and I thought a walk in the garden would help sober me up. " Hades stared at her a moment longer, then he blinked, raked one hand through his hair and expel ed one long breath. Slowly, the tense lines of his face began to relax. "Too much ambrosia? I understand that feeling al too wel . It makes your head cloudy and your knees weak. " Relieved that he seemed more normal, Lina smiled. "Glad to hear I'm not the only one it's happened to. "
"A walk does help. " He returned her smile, and bowed gal antly to her. "I would be honored if you al owed me to escort you. "
He was her dashing Hades again, and she grinned, curtsied and realized that she was wearing nothing but a thin silk nightgown. She cleared her throat.
"I, uh, seem to be underdressed for an evening strol . "
Hades' eyes glinted darkly as they roamed from her flushed face down to her silk-draped body. In one graceful movement he unclasped his cape, and with a swirling motion that reminded her of a matador, wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Better?"
Encased in his warmth and scent, she could only nod.
"Then I may escort you?"
"Absolutely," she said.
He smiled and pulled her arm through his. Hades led her slowly into the night-shrouded grounds. They didn't speak; they just accustomed themselves to the feel of one another. Hades chose a wide path that bisected the gardens. Lina gazed around her in awe. The unusual gentleness of the Underworld's night cast a magical glow over the sleeping flowers and hedges, so that even though many of the blossoms had closed, the flowers stil dotted the landscape with splashes of snowy color.
"I can't decide whether I think they're more beautiful during the day while they're in ful bloom, or like this, looking like sleepy children," Lina said, reaching out to trail one finger gently over the closed blossom of a milk-colored day lily. At her touch, the folded flower burst into ful bloom. Lina bit back a startled cry. She had to remember that she was Goddess of Spring. Obviously, she shouldn't be surprised when she made a flower bloom.
"Now you can have both beauties together," Hades said.
Lina's brow furrowed. "No, I don't want to wear them out. " She thought for a moment before waving her fingers at the flower. "Go back to sleep," she told it. With a sound that was very much like a sigh, the lily closed.
She turned back to Hades to find him watching her with an expression she couldn't read. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he took her hand, the one that had touched the flower, and turned it so that it rested, palm up, in his own, then he raised the tips of her fingers to his mouth. The touch of his lips made her stomach shiver. She wanted him to kiss much more than her hands. Too soon, he released her hand and said, "You are a very kind goddess. " She wasn't real y Persephone, but Hades made her feel like she truly was a goddess. Instead of wrapping her arm through his again, Lina slid her fingers down his arm so that she could hold his hand. His lips quivered, then turned up in a pleased smile. He squeezed her hand, and they resumed their walk.
"I would like to show you something," Hades said suddenly. "Something that is very important to me. "
Lina glanced up at him and their eyes met briefly. Then he looked away, and Lina could see the tense line of his jaw.
"If it's important to you I would love to see it. "
His jaw unclenched and he squeezed her hand again. "It is this way. " The first tier ended and Hades led her down the stairs to the second level. Earlier that day when she had been col ecting nectar she real y hadn't been able to pay attention to anything except cal ing forth the sticky liquid, and Lina would have liked to have stopped to take a closer look at the fountains and statuary, but the God's pace quickened. Obviously, he was anxious to get to whatever he wanted to show her. Curiosity piqued, she lengthened her stride to match his. On the third level Hades chose a path that branched to their right. It wound in little S curves down the side of that tier. Gradual y, the wel -tended gardens gave way to large pine trees. Their sharp scent reminded Lina of holidays and home.
"I love the way pine trees smel ," Lina said.
Instead of answering, Hades pressed his finger against her lips. "Ssssh," he whispered. "We do not want them to know we are here. "
Before Lina could ask who he meant, Hades pointed to a cluster of large stones.
"We must wait behind those. "
Intrigued, but completely confused, Lina let him pull her down next to him as they crouched behind the jagged rocks.
"What's going on?" Lina whispered.
Hades changed position so that he could see over the top of the nearest boulder. He gestured for her to do the same. She peeked over the rock.
On the other side of the cluster of rocks the land angled sharply down until it met the bank of a river. Lina blinked several times to make sure her eyes weren't fooling her, but the water remained the same, sparkling like liquid diamonds in the magical light of the Underworld night. Everything was very quiet around them, and Lina could hear the sound of the river. Its voice laughed and sang the words of a strange language. She didn't understand the words, but the sound was compel ing, and she felt a sudden desire to rush down the bank and wade into the water so that she could be immersed in its bright laughter.
Hades' firm hand enveloped her shoulder. His lips almost touched her ear as he spoke quietly to her. "Do not listen to the river's cal . "
Lina focused on his voice and almost instantly she felt the river's al ure slide away.
"I should have warned you. The cal of Lethe can be very strong. " Hades' breath was warm and Lina leaned into him. He shifted his position, put his arm around her shoulders and drew her in front of him so that she was half resting intimately across his lap. She leaned back against his chest and tilted her head toward him so that he could catch the whisper of her words.
"This is Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness?"
Lina felt him nod and she stared at it, unbelieving. So this was the famous river that caused souls to forget their lives and readied them to be born anew.
"Is that what is so important to you?"
"In a way," he whispered, "but there is more. "
"Why do we have to be so quiet?"
"We do not want the souls to know that we are here. Our presence would be a distraction. For this the dead do not need us. "
Lina felt a rush of excitement and she searched the banks of the river. "I don't see any dead. "
"Watch and wait" was al he would say.
Lina settled back against him. Hades wrapped his arms tightly around her. It felt incredibly good to be so close to him. The bite of pine lingered in the air, mixing with the heady male scent of Hades. Once she tuned out its compel ing cal , the river's voice was lilting and melodic. Lina felt immersed in an experience of the senses. Her entire body felt aroused and ultra-sensitive. The God's hand rested on her forearm and his thumb was tracing lazy circles over her skin. She shivered under his touch.
"Is my cloak not warm enough?" he murmured, his breath licking against her ear. "Are you cold?" She shook her head no, and turned in his arms so that she could see his face. He surrounded her. His body was hard and strong and he radiated heat through the leather of his breastplate. His bare arms encircled her. She opened her mouth to tel him that it was his touch that made her tremble and that. . .
"There. " His whisper was urgent. He leaned forward, moving her with him. Hades pointed and Lina's eyes fol owed his finger.
Two figures were approaching the river from the opposite side. As they drew closer Lina could see that they were holding hands. The bright water reflected off their bodies, showing them to be an ancient-looking man and woman. They moved slowly, al owing their shoulders and hips to brush against one another. Every step or two the man would raise the woman's wrinkled hand to his lips and hol
d it there while she gazed tenderly at him.
Lina felt a little uncomfortable spying on them, but she was also mesmerized by the obvious adoration the two felt for one another. Final y, the couple reached the river's edge. They turned to face each other. The man rested his hands on the woman's shoulders.
"Are you quite certain?" His voice was cracked with age and emotion, but it carried clearly across the river.
"Yes, my love. I am certain. It is time, and we wil find each other again," she answered him.
"I have always trusted you. I cannot doubt you now," he said. As the old man drew the woman gently into his arms and kissed her, Lina felt her eyes fil with tears. She blinked quickly to keep her vision clear. The couple ended their embrace, and then with their hands stil joined, they knelt beside the river, bent down and drank the crystal water, Instantly, their bodies began to shine. Their hair and clothes whipped wildly around them as if they had been caught in a fierce wind. Then they began to change. Lina gasped as she watched years fal away from the couple. Their images shifted from old age, to middle age, then young adulthood, and final y they glowed with the vibrancy of teenagers, there the metamorphosis paused. Stunned, the two gazed at each other. Then the man threw back his head and shouted with joy. Again, he pulled the woman into his arms and she wrapped herself around him, laughing and crying at the same time.
Tears spil ed from Lina's eyes - that must have been how they had looked when they had first fal en in love. While they were embracing their bodies became brighter and brighter, until Lina had to use her hand to shield her eyes against the light. Then they exploded, as if two stars had just just, raining a shower of sparks into the water. From the center of each of the explosions twin dots of fist-sized lights were formed. They hovered over the water, acclimating themselves to their new senses. Then they began to float downstream, carried by their own special breeze. Lina stared after them. The two globes of light remained close together, so close that, as they moved farther away, there appeared to be no visible distinction between them. The river curved to the left and the lights fol owed it, disappearing from sight.
Lina wiped at her eyes and sniffled. "What wil happen to them?" she asked in a broken voice.
"What you saw them become is how the soul appears after al memories and al links to the body are removed, Their souls wil fol ow Lethe to its beginning. There they wil be reborn as infants to live new lives," Hades said.
Lina swiveled in his lap so that she was facing him. "But wil they be together again? If they're reborn as new people with no memory of their previous lives, how can they find each other?"
"Soul mates wil always find each other. Do not weep on their behalf. The woman spoke the truth, they wil be together again. "
"Do you promise?" Lina's voice trembled with emotion.
"I promise, sweet one. I promise. "
Slowly, warring against eons of solitude, he cupped her face in his hands. Hades made his decision. He had to try. He would be lost if he didn't. Hades gazed at her while his pulse beat erratical y. Taking a deep breath, he let his thumbs wipe away her remaining tears.
"This is what I wanted to show you - to share with you - the bond of soul mates. Once you have seen it, it is something that you wil remember always. It may even change you. It has surely changed me. "
Gently, Hades bent to her. First he kissed the closed lid of each of her eyes, then he placed his lips over hers. The kiss began as sweet and hesitant, but when Lina's arms slid up around his shoulders and she opened her lips to accept him, Hades automatical y deepened the kiss. She was there, a reality in his arms. This time he did not have to imagine that he touched and tasted her. His desire for her, which had not truly been sated, surged through his blood. With a moan of pleasure, he met her tongue with his own. She was soft and she tasted of ambrosia and heat. His hands slipped inside the covering cape and found her waist. Hades caressed the curve of her hip, fol owing the path his fantasy had taken. He buried one hand in the silk of her hair and he felt her breath quicken as his other hand roamed up and down the length of her thigh. The silky slip of a nightdress offered little barrier. She shifted in his lap, so that the hard flesh of his erection pressed firmly against the curve of her buttocks.
The sound deep in his throat was low and feral. How had he lived so long without her? He desired her with a fire that was burning him alive.
His hand traveled back to the luscious curve of her waist and continued up. He could feel the round ful ness of the side of her breast, and in his mind he again saw the puckered nipples glistening wet with water and oil. His fingertips found the hard bud and he rol ed it gently through the thin silk.
Persephone made a choked gasping noise against his mouth.
The sound penetrated the red haze of lust that fogged his brain and he wrenched himself back from her. His cape had been pushed aside and Persephone's body lay across him, trembling and exposed. Her hair was disheveled and her lips were red and swol en. By al the gods, what was wrong with him! Had he lost total control of himself? He hadn't wanted it to happen like this, even a cal ow fool knew better than to maul a goddess in the middle of a forest. Uttering a curse he stood, lifting her abruptly to her feet. She had dried pine needles and smudges of dirt on her nightdress and she looked achingly young and al uring as she gazed up at him, a confused smile tilting her sensuous lips.
Hades was fil ed with shame. He stil wanted to press her to the ground and take her right there. He brushed frantical y at the pine needles that clung to her robe, muttering nearly incoherent apologies.
The force of the God's passion stirred a desire in Lina so intense, so fierce, that it was a little frightening. But as she watched the lust that drained from Hades' face being replaced by an expression that could have been either anger or embarrassment, she brought her breathing under control and commanded her mind to function again. She'd never had a god for a lover, but she was certainly no virgin, and she shouldn't be reacting like one.
"I did not mean to bring you here to. . . to. . . " He shook his head miserably and continued to wipe at her dress. "To rut you like a beast. "
He wasn't angry, she realized with relief. He was mortified. Lina grabbed his hand and tugged on it until he met her eyes. "Hades, stop. I'm fine. What is this al about?"
"A goddess deserves more than a tussle on the bare ground. " Her smile was slow and sensuous. "I can't speak for other goddesses, but I was enjoying that tussle. " She slid her hands up to rest against his leather breastplate. She could stil feel the furnace-like heat radiating from him. "And I wasn't sitting on the bare ground. I was sitting on your lap. "
Hades expel ed his breath in an audible sigh. The haunted expression in his eyes made him look decades older. Gently, he touched the side of her face. His voice was thick with restrained emotions. "Truly, I did not bring you here to seduce you, but I find that I cannot keep my thoughts away from you. . . nor my hands. I desire you above al things, Persephone, may the gods help me," he finished in a rush.
"Then may the gods help both of us, Hades," Lina said. And when his lips met hers she refused to think of Demeter and tomorrows.
Hades broke the kiss gently, while he was stil able to control himself. She was so soft and so open to him. That she desired him was obvious, but Hades wanted more than to possess her body. He wanted her soul. With a gesture that was incredibly tender, he straightened his cloak around her shoulders and wrapped her arm through his.
"The night grows cold. We should return to the palace. " He brushed a long lock of hair from her face, noting the disappointment that flashed through her eyes. Good, he thought. He wanted her to desire him and yearn for him, until it was more than his body that she craved. He led her back to the path that would take them to the palace. Lina's thoughts were spinning. Her body stil felt overheated, and her heightened physical sensitivity somehow merged with the incredible beauty of the scene she had witnessed between the soul mates. The poignancy of the lovers'
devotion stayed with her. Under her hand she could feel the pulse of Hades' blood, which was steady and strong. He had brought her there to witness the rebirth of the soul mates, but he hadn't used it as a seduction device - if that had been his intention, he could have taken her right there on the ground. But he hadn't. Hades obviously wanted more from her than sex. Her soul quickened even as alarm bel s rang within her mind. Love - he had shown her his idea of love. Hadn't he already said that he believed mortals understood love better than the gods? Did the gods have soul mates? She had no idea. Al she knew about the immortals was what she had inattentively read decades ago. What she did remember was that the ancient gods were fickle, that they discarded lovers at their whim. That didn't fit with what she was learning about the God who walked by her side.
She glanced up at his dark profile. Who would ever believe that she had found such desire and romance in the Land of the Dead? As if he felt her gaze he looked down at her. Hades' lips twitched and then curved up.
"You look as if you have many questions playing through your mind. You know I have already given you leave to ask me anything, and I promise you that this time I wil remember my manners and not insult you as my guest. "
Lina felt herself blush and she hoped that the dreamy darkness hid her suddenly pink cheeks. She had completely forgotten about snapping at him and his instant withdrawal from her. It seemed like it had happened an age ago, and that they had been two total y different people then. She leaned into him, loving the strong feel of his arm and the way he bent attentively over her.
"It was a magical thing we watched tonight," she said.
"Yes, it was the most perfect type of magic - that which is created natural y by the soul and not contrived by the gods. "
"The gods don't bring soul mates together?"
Hades snorted. "No. Mortal souls find their own match; they do not require the meddling hands of the gods. "
His words brought another question to her mind.
"Can the dead fal in love?" she asked, thinking of the shy looks Eurydice had begun giving Iapis.
"Or is it only soul mates that have the ability to love after death?"
"You can answer that question yourself, Persephone. "
Lina glanced sharply up at him, but his tone was instructional and not patronizing.
"Think, Goddess. What is it that loves? The body or the soul?" He prodded.
"If you're asking about real love, and not just lust or infatuation, I'd have to say the soul. " Hades nodded. "The body is just a mantle, a temporary covering for our true visage. "
"So that means that the souls that exist in Elysia, or even in your palace, can fal in love?"
"Any of the unnumbered dead who are capable of it may find new love. " Hades frowned. "But you should know that not al souls are capable of that emotion. "
"Are you talking about mortal souls, or do you mean the souls of the gods?" Hades stopped walking and turned to face her. They were standing very close and her hand stil rested on his arm. The God hesitated before answering her. Then his fingers brushed her cheek in a familiar caress.
"I cannot speak for the other gods, only for myself. My soul longs for its eternal mate. " He bent and brushed his lips against hers. He gestured to the space behind her. "It seems we are back where we began. "
Lina looked over her shoulder and blinked in surprise.
They had stopped at the mouth of the little path that led to her balcony. Without speaking, Hades cupped her face in his hands in such a gentle gesture that Lina expected the kiss to be sweet and brief. When his lips met hers she realized that she had been very mistaken. The God took his time tasting her, splaying his fingers into the thickness of her hair until he was caressing the sensitive nape of her neck. Lina ran her hands up his arms, thril ed anew by their muscular strength. He nibbled at her bottom lip before ending the kiss. Stil holding her he spoke against her mouth, "Wil you ride with me tomorrow?" His voice was husky with desire. Heart fluttering, Lina nodded.
"Yes. "
"Until tomorrow then. " He released her reluctantly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Then he bowed to her, turned and strode away.
Lina climbed the steps to her balcony and entered her room on shaky legs. As she sagged onto the bed she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror situated over the vanity across the room. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair looked wild. Hades' cape had fal en down around her waist and her sheer nightdress was smudged, a couple of pine needles clung to the side of her hem. And even from across the room she could see the clear outline of her aroused nipples.
" Misericordioso madre di Dio!" she said, using her Grandmother's most potent exclamation.
"You're forty-three years old," she told her reflection. "And you haven't felt like this since. . . since. . . " She shook her head at her strange, youthful image. "Since never. No man has ever made you feel like he does. And he wants eternal love. " She squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh, Demeter. What am I going to do?"