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A scowl mars Ares' handsome face, a face nearly identical to Zeus'. Hades hopes Ares' brain isn’t as mushy as his father’s.
“Now, Hades, you promised you wouldtryat the very least.” Zeus wears a pointed expression, a silent command for her to comply with his will.
“I didn’t promise you anything. I said I would go along with this charade to appease the discourse from gods in your court. The ones who you fear whisper behind your back and challenge your station.” She takes a bite of her sorbet, blowing out the cold as she forms an O with her mouth. From her breath, ice blossoms like flowers in spring, opening up in a beautiful dance of creation. The bloom turns into a man, standing proud and defiant. An ice maiden moves closer to him, stabbing him in the throat after she pretends to run toward his embrace.
“Is that a threat, dear sister?” Zeus asks her with a wooden tone.
Hera stands from her seat, commanding the younger children to join her. Hades doesn’t watch them go. She works hard not to flinch as her darling nieces stare at her with distrust and sadness, while they make their way from the room. Disappointing Zeus means nothing to her, but disappointing his children breaks her heart.
“It could be,” Hades nods, twisting her wrist so the icy images disappear. “You do not have dominion over me, Zeus. That was what we decided when we tore our father from power. I would rule the Underworld, Poseidon the sea, and you the vast skies. If you force me to marry, I will kill that man. I will serve him up on Olympus’ great mountain as an offering to whoever wishes to war with you on my behalf.”
Ares, still in the room, shifts in his seat.
Hades grins as she turns toward her beloved nephew. “Do you not fear your sons rising up against their father, the way you did with us at your side, Zeus? Is that not why your first bride, mother of my darling Athena, unraveled at your hand?”
Zeus' gaze slides over his son while a storm blooms in his irises, darkening the blue to deep violet. Hades spots a flash of lightning as it dances within him. Anger is good; Hades knows her brother grows impulsive and foolish when angry.
“You will participate in this search for a husband, Hades. And youwillmarry one. I’m not going to sit here and play your games. At first, I was considering generosity. I would allow you one year and try again in a century, if no one caught your interest. Now, you sit at my dining table and threaten me with my sons!”
He bangs a fist on the table, causing the plates to rattle from the force. Hades doesn’t flinch. Zeus' temper tantrums are nothing compared to their father’s.
“My generosity has run out. You may be a queen, but I am a king. And I am the king above kings, Hades! I am still your ruler. If you do not bow to this order, then you will declare yourself a traitor to Olympus. To defy me will be an act of war!”
She turns to Ares again, considering him anew. His face is stoic, but Hades spots tightness around his blue eyes. As a god of war, Ares must choose a side when a declaration of war comes before him. Athena, too. They lead armies—sometimes as comrades, other times as foes. Hades cannot be sure they will join her against their father. Athena, a goddess with more followers and a vast wealth of wisdom, is a true adversary. Worse than Zeus. Ares, though having less impact on mortals and other gods, is a powerful god of wrath and war. There is more blood staining his hands than Athena’s, and he could be an asset against his father.
Though Hades does not speak these thoughts, Ares seems to interpret the meanings in her silence, and his chin dips with the slightest movement of his head. Ayesif ever Hades has seen one.
She doesn’t smile, but vindication soars within her chest.
“Fine, I will come to your ball. I will search for a husband. Rest assured, Zeus, I will stain my hands with his blood. I will make war with you if you deny me the power bestowed upon me, after the fall of Kronos.” The power of the void swells around her as Hades stands from the table, smoothing down the black material of her skirt, she adds, “I am the Queen of the Underworld. I am a goddess of great power. And you are a fool, if you believe you can bend me to your will.”
After that, Hades departs, gone in a plume of black smoke and snow.
7
Kore
“Clever,” Zeus says. “Annoying, but clever.”
His voice rouses Kore from his nap in Zeus' private garden. The guards are aware he works strange hours and don’t question Kore when he comes to the gates under cover of twilight. He’s used that to his advantage tonight, grateful that he’s found a place to rest without Demeter coming to harass him. Kore sits up, frowning, and wonders if hiding here is wise. The thought intensifies when he spots Zeus and Hera standing together in the garden. There’s a tension in their bodies that tells Kore this is a private matter, but curiosity gets the better of him.
"What are we going to do?" Hera asks from her place beside Zeus. Kore takes shallow, soft breaths, hoping both to avoid detection and to hear them better.
Zeus rubs his face, a beer held loosely in his other hand, and turns toward his wife. Hera and Kore have a working relationship; he’s seen her enough to understand the line between her eyebrows signals trouble. She’s unhappy and worried—a common state due to a volatile relationship with Zeus.
"I’ll humiliate her if I have to. I can call in a favor and marry her off to Pan, or one of the naiads of Olympus." Kore frowns, wondering who they’re talking about. He wonders if they’re trying to tame Zeus' free-spirited daughter, Artemis.
"A lesser god? Are you serious?" Hera demands, throwing up her arms in affront. “I would wage war with you for that.”
Zeus groans, tipping his beer back to take a healthy swig." Hera, whatever it takes to soothe the court."
"What about Minthe?" Hera lets loose a soft breath as if she’s sad to make such a suggestion. “He’s loyal to her, and she deserves that.” Kore can feel the awkward tension that springs up between the two rulers. As if the wordsunlike youwhisper between them in the still night.
"Minthe isn’t a viable solution. He’s of Erebus. The court feels I’ve no control over that realm, and that we need to put someone beside Hades who’s loyal to me."
Kore swallows, his eyes narrowing. Irritation pumps through his veins, but Kore bites his tongue and leans forward to listen.
“The court,” Hera scoffs as she holds up air quotes. “You mean Poseidon, don’t you?”
