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"You?" Zeus releases another booming laugh. “That’s a good joke, kid. She’d eat you alive.”
“Maybe, or maybe I’d eat her instead,” Kore says, grinning as he finishes his cone. As he sits in the garden with Zeus, Kore imagines Hades adorned in only jewels while she kneels before him. A shiver of desire ripples down his spine, shocking Kore as more fantasies dance through his mind. In all of them she’s relinquishing herself to him, and Kore wonders if he should talk to his psych professor about that soon.
Or maybe,he thinks as he stares down at the short remains of his cone,I should quit smoking so much.
8
Kore
He’s been gone from home for three days when he spots the posters around the university’s campus. Kore takes hold of a printout, ripping the fancy letterhead from the board of announcements in the quad. Hades' image—depicted in an airy, watercolor portrait—scowls at him. The words beneath her reading:
Want To Be King?
All unmarried gods are welcome to try for the hand of Queen Hades.
Kore’s mouth twists as he reads over the paper. Hades’ ball is less than a week away, and Kore wonders how Queen Hades feels about the spectacle. She’s done fine in the last however many centuries of her rule.Why should she need a king now? He recalls the many baseless reasons Zeus said while they shared a bench in Hera’s garden.
Some nameless emotion aches in Kore’s chest, a strange longing for a woman he’s met twice.
If I could be that king for her,he thinks, before shaking away the thought. There’s no way Kore could be Hades’ king. Zeus scoffed at the suggestion, which was humiliating for Kore when he sobered up. Kore remains a lesser god in the eyes of Olympus—a child without lineage. There’s no way a queen such as Hades would take a man without a decent bloodline. Demeter cast him out, and no one would believe Kore against his mother.
Kore crumples the paper, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. He’ll torture himself later with dreams of a life he can’t have—a queen he’ll never touch.
Dimos comes up beside him. “You okay?”
They aren’t friends, not really. Their relationship has always been that of a drug dealer and paying customer, but Kore hasn’t felt this alone in a long time.
His loneliness loosens his tongue.
“Not really, if I’m being honest.”
“Yeah, things have been weird around here since King Zeus’ decree about Queen Hades.”
Dimos falls in step beside Kore, and they make their way out toward the courtyard. Kore needs the light of the sun; the warm rays always help him escape the suffocating feelings when he’s overwhelmed.
Kore searches for an empty area on campus, somewhere he can light a joint without getting caught. He finds people loitering in every direction he glances, talking about the damned poster. Kore settles on a stone bench, scowling at a group of water nymphs passing by. They’re taking loose bets on who will show up to try for the heart of Hades.
He lets loose a heavy sigh, leaning back and pointing his face up in the direction of where Helios pulls the sun with his chariot. If he squints, Kore knows he’ll see the sun god. Normally, Kore tries to spot him, but today he closes his eyes. Today, he’s wondering if that’s another man who will come to shoot his shot at becoming Hades' husband.
I can’t rival the fucking sun.
“Are you going to be at the greenhouse soon? I’m needing to score some more kush off you.” Dimos says, breaking Kore from his imagined fight with Helios—a fight he doesn’t win, even in daydreams.
Kore opens his eyes, saying goodbye to fantasy, and turns his head to face Dimos.
“You’re already out?” He shakes his head, grinning at the sheepish way Dimos kicks at the ground.
“Well, I split it with this girl.”
“Say no more,” Kore holds up a hand. “I won’t be back at the greenhouse for a while. I kinda pissed some people off, but I can pinch you some off of my stash.” Suddenly, a thought forms and a slow smile spreads across Kore’s mouth. “But I’m going to have to cash in my favor.”
“Sure,” Dimos says with a shrug. “Anything I can do, let me know.”
“Your family produces some amazing suits, right?” If Kore’s going to a ball, he’ll need to dress the part.
Dimos' eyes widen. “What? Why?”
“I’m gonna need one.” Might as well go all-in with his humiliation; Kore can quit dreaming if he fails.
