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He hated this question because it reminded him of a different version of himself. One that felt hopeless and dispassionate. One that sought to rekindle any sense of belonging and need, and he had turned to Minthe. He was not proud, but he knew she would be willing.
It was a decision he regretted, not only because of his insincerity but because he had been unfair to her. He had given her hope when he had no intention of establishing a relationship with her, and that was exactly what she had expected and in the aftermath of their coupling, then he had told her she would never sit beside him as queen.
So he answered the question, a bitter taste on his tongue.
“Once.”
She paled visibly and Hades suddenly understood the emotion Persephone had invested in this question. It meant something to her that he had been with this woman, but would it mean she would deny him?
“How long ago?”
“A very long time ago, Persephone.”
He could not ask her to wait another round for the answer. It did not seem fair when it was so important to her.
At hearing this, she looked away.
“Are you…angry?” he asked.
“Yes.” He was surprised by her honesty, surprised when she met his gaze and expressed her confusion.“But…I don’t know why exactly.”
He tried to imagine what must be going through her head, but when he found himself thinking of her fucking another man, he decided it was the wrong course of action. The thought only served to call up his violence. So he focused on the cards instead, dealing another hand.
This time, he won, and he reclined in his chair, considering the goddess before him. There was not much to commandeer, but it was not so much the taking he enjoyed. It was the tension that ignited the air between them as he considered, and she waited. Finally, he stood and Persephone straightened as he approached, neck straining to hold his gaze.
“I will take the earrings, my darling.”
She was not breathing. He knew because as he leaned toward her, her chest did not move, so as his lips brushed her ear, he whispered,“Breathe.”
And he was rewarded with her sharp exhale. He proceeded to wrap his lips around her earrings and pry them from her ears, catching the backs in his hand. Once they were out, he drew his tongue over the spot, and grazed it with his teeth, noting that her hands gripped the edge of the table.
As he returned to his seat for the next round, he prayed to the Fates who had gifted this woman, and could take her away, that this was the last round.Let me have her. Here, now, on this very table where they had agreed to bargain for clothing and answers and the rest of their lives.
Except the Fates granted no such prayer—or relief for Hades’ raging hard-on—because Persephone won.
“Your power of invisibility,” she began, eyeing him as if she expected him to be surprised that she knew.“Have you ever used it…to spy on me?”
Hades considered her question carefully, particularly the wordspy. It was a word that, in this context, sounded like an accusation, and he had a feeling it didn’t come from this evening when he had lingered beside her as she explored the exhibit. That was a different sort of intimacy.
This question had its roots in the night when Hades had watched Persephone masturbate—when he, too, had pleasured himself at the sight.
In truth, he had not been using invisibility, but a different power that involved projecting the soul. Besides, could it really be called spying if she knew he was there?
“No,” he finally answered.
“And will you promise to never use invisibility to spy on me?”
It was not the only method he could use to keep tabs on her, and if he had to give one up, it might as well be invisibility. He hoped that soon, wherever she went, she would want his presence.
“I promise.”
His hands flexed over the cards as Persephone asked another question.“Why do you let people think such horrible things about you?”
As he shuffled the cards, he considered not answering, but decided he would entertain her…and distract himself from the source of his discomfort growing between his legs.
“I do not control what people think of me.”
“But you do nothing to contradict what they say about you.” She seemed irritated about this, which intrigued Hades.
