by River Ramsey
Monday morning came and went, and I found myself pausing in the classroom door next to Hades’ seat. It was the moment of truth, time to tell whether anything had really changed between us or not. He glanced up at me for half a second, then turned his attention back to the book in his hands without so much as a hello.
Well, okay then. I rolled my eyes and walked past, but the bastard stuck his foot out to trip me. I went down, barely managing to catch myself on the nearby desk, but it was far from graceful. When I turned around, he was smirking, as usual. The other students laughing was par for the course, too.
I stuffed down my irritation and slung my book bag over my shoulder, stalking back to my seat. As pissed as I was, there was something almost comforting about the juvenile antics of the Hunt in comparison to what I’d just been through.
I couldn’t get the siren’s voice out of my head. All my life, my mother had told me that the world of the gods was full of both beautiful and terrible things, unlike the mundane shelter of the human world.
Hades was both. So were Loki and Fenrir.
Deep down, I couldn’t get Fenrir’s question out of my head either. Was I really the same as them? If Ares really was my father, it stood to reason that there was darkness in me. Maybe even greater darkness than I’d found at the bottom of that lake.
It was even more of a struggle to pay attention in class than usual, and when something hit my head, jarring me out of my thoughts, I thought I’d been caught daydreaming. I looked around to see who’d thrown it, but the guilty culprit was good at hiding. I picked up the crumpled ball of paper to reveal a simple note.
“Meet me on break. Rooftop.”
When I glanced up at the front of the room, Hades was looking at me over his shoulder. He turned back a second later, but I knew it was him.
Irritation and curiosity mingled, and of course he was out of the classroom and gone before I had the chance to approach him. I had the rest of the morning to ponder whether I was going to take him up on his invitation or not, but the deciding factor was all the questions that had left unanswered about my rescue the other night.
By the time I made it to the rooftop, I was already having second thoughts about the meeting. For all I knew, I was walking into a trap. Hades had made it clear he didn't actually care about me. He was just making sure that I played by his rules.
It figured that the god of the Underworld wouldn't see death as an excuse.
I still hadn't fully processed the fact that I had come back from the dead. I didn't feel any different, and I still had the mental block whenever I thought too hard about it. Something told me Hades had the answer to that, too, and trap or no trap, I wasn't leaving until he gave it to me.
Halfway through my lunch break, I was convinced he had stood me up. When he finally appeared, it was on the other side of the rooftop, not the door I'd been watching the whole time.
"Holy shit," I cried, spinning around to face him. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"You know, that filthy mouth is going to get you in all kinds of trouble," he said in his usual snide tone, hands in his pockets as he walked toward me. I swear, the guy could have been on his deathbed and he still would've acted bored.
"I've been waiting here for twenty minutes," I said, folding my arms. "Where were you?"
"Taking care of business," he answered unapologetically.
“Business," I scoffed. "You mean your little drug ring?"
He smirked. "You're one to talk."
I rolled my eyes. No argument there. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"In addition to giving you the chance to thank me properly for saving your life, we need to talk about the consequences," he answered. "The mental ward will be wearing off soon."
"Mental ward?" I echoed, thinking of the block. "So that was you."
"Of course. I wasn't going to just let you run around telling everyone what happened. I know you run to Dionysus with everything."
I stared at him in irritation, not really able to argue with that either. "Are you finally going to tell me what the consequences your mother was talking about are or not?"
His eyes flashed with anger. "My mother is another topic you shouldn't bring up," he said sharply. "Certainly not in this place."
Usually, I was eager to tug at any thread that might unravel his temper or his ego, but something stopped me from pushing this issue. "Fine," I muttered. "Just tell me what she was talking about."
"Resurrection magic is forbidden," he said slowly, like he was talking to an idiot. "I'm sure even you're aware of that."
"Of course I know that," I snapped. "All the fun magic is."
"This is different. Others capable of using it are able to bring back a wounded animal that's just died, at the very most. Anyone capable of true control over life and death is rare."
I had an uneasy feeling the entire time he was speaking, and his words chafed against the block that was still making it uncomfortable to think about this. "And you're one of them."
His silence was all the answer needed. He took another step forward. "You're now one of the only three people on this Earth to know my secret."
"You boys really do share everything," I said wryly.
He gave me a smirk, but his stare remained icy as usual. "I brought you back soon enough that there shouldn't be any major side effects, but there are some things you need to know. Namely, we’re bonded."
Immediately, I didn't like the sound of that. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that your existence is tethered to mine," he answered. "If I die, you die, so don't go any of taking extreme measures to get out of our engagement."
Shit. "I'm not the murderer around here."
He gave me a weary look. "Come on, you're not still on about me killing Phrixus, are you?"
"You're still on my short list of suspects," I answered.
"Then you're even dumber than you look," he said without missing a beat. "For one thing, I have an alibi."
"So your best friend’s daddy says."
"So he knows," Hades corrected. "And I can prove it."
I hesitated, reluctant to leave him, even if the truth was that I was no longer quite as certain he was the killer. "How?"
"Because I went to Atlantis to use the portal to the underworld," he answered. "It's tightly secured and keeps a record of every passage through. Hermes himself sees to that."
I gulped. That was pretty rock solid evidence if he was telling the truth. Hermes' card was still burning a hole in my pocket, so I told myself I'd see about calling in that favor later to corroborate his story.
"Say I did believe you," I said, for the sake of argument. "If we’re tethered, doesn't that mean if I die, you'll die, too?"
I could tell from the agitation in his gaze that I was closer to the truth than he wanted me to be. "It doesn't quite work like that, but your premature death would have unpleasant ramifications for me, yes. For all intents and purposes, I am your master."
"Master?" I scoffed. "Now you've gotta be kidding me."
"I'm afraid not. As a result, we're linked, and that means we have to stay in close proximity to each other.”
"Why?"
"Because that's the way it works," he said impatiently, making it clear my questions were getting on his nerves.
My head was still spinning from the new developments, but I knew I had limited time to get the information I needed out of him. "How close do we have to be?"
"By my estimates, anywhere on the Academy grounds is a safe distance. Outside of that, I begin to experience a pull."
"A pull?" I thought back to the strange dream I'd had the night before, the one that had woken me out of a sound slumber. "Exactly when did you take these estimates?"
"Around three in the morning last night," he answered.
Of course. "Before you decide to do any more experiments, do me a favor and try to pick a decent hour."
"No promises," he said dryly.
; "So, what now?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Hades shrugged. "Now we just wait and see what happens. And I need assurance that you're not going to tell anyone about this."
"I'm not, but short of taking my word for it, what can you do?"
Looking into his eyes made it clear I was going to regret asking that question. "There is a spell."
“What kind of spell?" I asked warily.
He came even closer, stopping once the fabric of our uniforms brushed together. "It's called the seal your lips spell," he said, running his fingers along the curve of my jaw. "I'm sure you can guess how it goes."
I glared at him. "Does all your magic involve a kiss?"
He chuckled. "It is a simple yet intimate gesture. It makes the transfer of energy easy."
"And if I say no?" I challenged.
A dangerous look came into his eyes, and it had the opposite effect of what he probably intended. What the hell was wrong with me? "There are other less pleasant measures."
I usually would've argued just for the sake of arguing, but something told me he wasn't going to let me leave the rooftop without assurance of some kind. The truth was, I didn't mind the prospect of another kiss as much as I should have. The last one was still burned in my mind, unfinished and tingling like a dream that longed to be complete. "Fine," I muttered, trying to sound as unenthusiastic as possible. "Just get it over with."
He put his other arm around me, pulling my body flush against his. In the moment I gasped, he brought his lips to mine, and I realized my memory had downplayed the last kiss. I felt a rush of energy, cold and hot like his hellfire. The energy wound around the information he was so desperate to keep secret like so many cords, binding it tightly. It didn't hurt. In fact, it was a strangely pleasant sensation, but the forceful brush of his lips against mine was too distracting to pay much attention.
I returned the kiss. It wasn't something I did consciously, but before I knew it, my hands were in his hair and his tongue was in my mouth. He seemed surprised at first, but it didn't take long for him to catch up. He deepened the kiss and pushed me back, keeping his arm around my waist for support until he managed to push me up against the brick wall on the other side of the door leading up to the roof. My breath left me in a rush, and before I could scold him, he claimed my lips once more.
The curses on the tip of my tongue gave way to his, and it felt too good to bother arguing. I gripped his hair hard, his hands settled on my shoulders, crushing my upper arms in his grasp. God, he was strong. Heat surged between my legs, as traitorous as my lips, but I was enjoying it too much to care.
Somehow, all the hatred I had for him seemed to ignite the spark of passion that I hadn't even realized was there before. Now, it was so blinding and all-encompassing that I wondered how I had ever missed it. He was kissing me with force, his lips now at my neck as he sucked hard enough to leave a mark and bit down just to make sure of it.
"Fuck," I growled, digging my nails into the back of his neck. "If I get a hickey, I'm gonna kill you."
He stopped what he was doing only to look up at me, a devilish glint in his eyes. "Can't do that, remember?"
"Shut up," I muttered, pulling him in for another kiss.
His right hand slipped underneath my jacket, resting against my waist. My body surged against his instinctively as his hand made its way up to cup my breast, fondling me over my shirt and bra. The heat of his touch made it feel like my clothes were going to burn away to useless scraps, and as I slung my thigh over his hip to make room for him between my legs, I wished they would. His thigh pushed between mine, lifting up my skirt, and my panties grew wet as I ground against him.
His mouth was on my neck again, and I could tell from the fervor with which he was sucking that he was getting as much enjoyment out of it as I was on the receiving end. And here I had assumed Fenrir was the only one likely to get toothy in bed.
Much to my chagrin, I had often wondered about Hades in a similar context. Now that it was actually happening, it was all too fast and flurried for me to think with my logical brain. All I knew was that I wanted him as much as I hated him, and if I kissed him with enough violence, it almost felt like revenge.
My clit was throbbing with need and grinding against his leg wasn't cutting it. He seemed to sense my desperation, or maybe it was just the fact that I was clawing at him, but he slipped his hand between my legs and pushed my panties aside to work a finger into me. I was already so wet, and a fevered moan escaped me as he found my G-spot on the first try.
That son of a bitch just had to be good at everything. "More," I demanded breathlessly. He answered by pushing three fingers inside of me, and my body caved at the sudden burst of pleasure. I tightened up around him, my breasts pressed to his chest, and let out another moan as an earth shattering orgasm swept over me. His fingers fucked me harder as I bucked into his hand until I could take it no more. Before I could tell him as much, he pulled out with one final brush against my oversensitive clit that made me gasp.
He smirked as he watched me come down from the orgasmic high, still breathless and too out of it to properly hate myself. He brought his fingers to his lips and sucked the tips in, his tongue flicking sensuously over my arousal. Somehow, that was the thing that made me blush.
"That answers that question."
"What question?" I asked, still panting too hard to sound properly offended.
There was unmistakable lust in his eyes as he stared down at me. "You taste as good as you smell."
The heat in my cheeks flared. "If you tell anyone about this —"
"You'll kill me?" he finished smugly. "You're really going to have to find a new threat."
He had a point. No matter how much I despised it, Hades' destiny and mine were more closely entwined than ever.
Chapter 17
Loki
“You fucked her, didn’t you?” I asked, watching Hades from across the table.
He shot me a dirty look and looked around to make sure no one was listening closely. “Would you keep your voice down?”
“Sounds like a yes to me,” I said, smirking. “What about you, Fenrir?”
He’d been conspicuously silent all day and his only response was to keep eating while putting off a general aura of irritation.
“Oh, come on,” I muttered. “We’re almost to the end of the semester and we haven’t even had any fun.”
“Hades has had plenty,” Fenrir said in a decidedly bitter tone.
I cringed inwardly as Hades’ head shot up and they stared each other down like their eyes were capable of shooting lasers. “What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think you know exactly what it means,” Fenrir said, shoving his tray forward. A few students at the next table over were starting to look our way, and not for any of the usual starstruck, dreamy-eyed reasons. “First, you make Kore the Rabbit, now her scent’s all over you.”
“What business is it of yours what I do with my fiancee?” Hades demanded.
“Come on, guys,” I said with a nervous laugh. “We’re not really going to let one little goddess come between us, are we?”
They both shot me a withering glare and I shrank back in silence. “Okey-dokey, then.”
“It’s my business when your antics make the rest of us look like fools,” Fenrir growled. “I’m starting to think you’ve forgotten the entire reason for being here.”
“I’m starting to think you’ve forgotten your place,” Hades shot back, standing.
Fenrir followed suit. Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“At least I’m not putting all of us in jeopardy because I can’t accept that my mother’s dead,” Fenrir snarled.
I grimaced. Oh, fuck. Hades was on him in an instant and while he managed to get in the first punch, they were soon both on the floor with Fenrir on top, trying to strangle him. I had to leap out of the way to avoid getting taken down in the process.
There were a few screams from other students now cla
moring to get out of the war path, but it didn’t take long for an audience to form around us. The Triad was always a united front in front of our classmates, even when we weren’t behind closed doors, and this was definitely going to give the rumor mill fuel for some time to come.
Hades managed to get the upper hand again with a swift uppercut to Fenrir’s jaw. The werewolf’s lip split open but he barely seemed to register it, taking the opportunity to throw Hades into a nearby table.
Most of the lunchroom tables had cleared out by then as students pressed around in a ring to watch the fight, and all I could do was watch for a moment to intervene. “That’s enough,” I hissed. “Do you want us all to get expelled?”
It was a hollow threat, knowing that even my father wouldn’t dare to upset Cronus that much, but I was desperate. At the rate they were going, they would kill each other before long.
They ignored me, of course. Through the crowd, I caught a pair of huge green eyes as Kore pushed her way through. She stopped near the front and stared at them like all the others, a frown on her face to make it clear she wasn’t impressed.
I saw her mouth, “Idiots,” before she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked off.
So the refereeing was all up to me, then. I groaned at the thought of leaving my newly pressed uniform in tatters, but this called for extreme measures. I shifted into one of my favored forms, a great black Siberian tiger. They might have ignored my verbal warnings, but they both looked up at the sound of the roar.
I took the chance to put myself between them, snarling in warning at Hades, then Fenrir in turn. The former’s eyes were glowing hot with fire he was barely in control of, despite his usual restraint. Fenrir looked half a second away from shifting into his own beastly form, which was exactly what I was trying to prevent.
We were already guilty of resurrection magic by association. The last thing we needed was him letting that thing out in front of all the rich brats of Olympus. Keeping a hellhound as a pet was nearly as bad.
I said enough, I growled telepathically. Only the two of them could understand me in this form. I’d learned that the hard way, and I could only theorize it had to do with the bond between us.