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“Walk beside me. Regardless of what the rules state, I am sovereign here. You will stand at my side, as my equal.”
Kore’s face morphs into an expression of disbelief. Hades grins at the emotiveness of his face. She’s never met a god so free with expression.
“Come,” Hades waves him over with her hand.
Kore rushes forward, sliding a bit on the shale that covers the ground. She releases a short laugh, and covers her mouth with a hand when Kore shoots her a considering glance.
Kore clears his throat, straightening as he stops at her side. “I won’t be allowed to stand beside you in Olympus.”
“Fuck Olympus,” Hades tells him with a sharp tone. “I was made to take a husband. I won’t be told how to keep him.”
Kore’s face softens with a smile; he reminds her of warmth—the kind of comfort she hasn’t known since birth.
“The stories always say that you aren’t gentle. They paint you as fearsome and unyielding. Yet,” he pauses, reaching out to smooth away an errant strand of her dark hair. “You, my queen, are far more affectionate and kind than anyone gives you credit for.”
Hades clears her throat, glancing away from the shifting shades of blue in Kore’s eyes. She’s afraid he’ll see tears gathering in hers. Hades turns her gaze toward the spires of her palace. “Come along.” Her voice is harsh, crushing the pain with rage. “Let’s go home. Our meal is waiting.”
She takes a step forward and Kore falls in rhythm at Hades' side, the heat of his hand covering hers. Hades allows herself Kore’s comfort. Though it is unusual for Hades to accept solace and respites from others, Kore presses through her reservations. There’s something about him that rips away her defenses. She’s only known him for a handful of collected hours, yet Hades trusts him more than men she’s known for centuries. She trusts him more than the men whom she shares blood with and to whom she swore her allegiance. Hades wonders if she could swear loyalty to this man. As she casts a furtive, sideways glance at him, Hades takes further comfort in Kore’s openness—a seldom-seen trait in gods. They usually shroud themselves in mysteries, leaning into brooding as they soothe their own egos. Not this child; his shroud is optimism and acceptance. As their fingers twine, Hades' chest thumps with excitement. A rare, wondrous feeling that hasn’t filled her in centuries—if ever. She can’t remember a time when joy soared through her veins the way it does now at Kore’s side.
“Did you enjoy working for Demeter?” Hades asks, reaching for a thread that might unravel his mystery. She’s curious about that relationship. Demeter hates men—gods and mortals alike. Centuries before, she and Demeter bonded over their common distaste; a distaste that lessened for Hades as she raised sons. She discovered nurture has a lot to do with how men behave, and her brothers were not prime examples of decent raising. Hades wonders has Demeter softened toward men at this stage of existence; employing Kore is a monumental leap for the Goddess of Harvest.
“It wasn’t a job I chose,” Kore replies. His tone is too even, as if he’s trying to reign in an emotion he’s not ready to share.
Hades doesn’t pry. Her curiosity piqued, she mentally files his reaction away for later pondering. “Your garden was beautiful. Made prettier by the fact my brother hates anything chaotic.”
Hades isn’t beneath bribing lesser gods and deities to annoy her brother. In recent centuries, Zeus has grown brazen and boastful. Hades loves sending him a humbling reminder about his finite successes.You too can know an uprising, brother.
Kore’s voice draws her back to the moment.
“Hera loves things wild, and she seemed to get a kick out of Zeus losing his mind.” Kore shoots Hades a grin, one that causes an unfamiliar swoop in her abdomen. She tries to return the expression but her smile feels foreign on her face—she feelsshy,and it’s been millennia since she’s been a blushing maiden. Yet this god, still green in his immortality, causes her to recall the rare delights of youth—newness and fascination. Hades never knew enchanting lust, not even before she wore a crown.
We are wed, in the eyes of Olympus. Would it be strange to invite him to my bed?
Hades, like her brothers, isn’t reluctant to take lovers. Sex fills a need in her for borrowed affection, but with Kore she’s hesitant.Letting him in is a vulnerability I can’t afford.Kore, like all gods and mortal men, will bow to her brother. Even though he’s pledged himself her consort, Kore will feed Zeus her secrets. He will whisper her fears to Zeus for the bargain of a crown.
All men seek power; she’s never met one who hasn’t disappointed her.
Love is always a disappointment.
Chaos, but he is delicious.
Hades stops when they reach the entrance of the palace. Kore stops as well, his expression like that of a curious dog. An expression she finds endearing.There’s no harm in a taste. Sex doesn’t always mean love.
“Would you like to join me in my room?” Hades asks, stepping closer, breathing in the wild scent of him, and relishing the warmth of Kore’s proximity.
His eyes go from that vibrant blue of a daytime sky to the deep indigo of midnight. She grins as she watches the shift.
“What will we do when we get there?” Kore asks, with a challenging pitch in his low voice.
Hades wraps a hand around the back of his neck, her cool fingers curling into the golden hair that grows long on his nape. She pulls him closer. Kore doesn’t resist. He bends to her summoning like a willing sacrifice, thrilling Hades, and she laughs.
“Whatever you want, my flower,” she whispers against his ear, testing him, seeing if a god like Kore will truly bend to her dominance.
Hades challenges Kore’s resolve, watching how he reacts to her placing him in a submissive role. To Zeus, wives are submissive to husbands. Hades' submission comes after a man earns it, and none has. Though, Hades believes Kore might as she watches his expression shift.
Kore’s grin turns hungry in response to her words. “Remember, my queen, some flowers have sharp edges and are sweet with poison.”
Hades leans closer, her lips chasing his words as she gasps, “Show me.”
