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A war with Poseidon would be detrimental. They would destroy the world battling each other. Mortals would not stand a chance at survival.
Cursing himself to keep his damned mouth shut, Hades forced a smile as he said, “What?” in the best nonchalant voice he could muster through his closing throat.
“Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be with—”
Relief flooded his body. Dionysos was indeed so drunk that he had forgotten their entire conversation. Perfect.
“I want to be in there,” he gestured vaguely towards his home, “with her. I didn’t want to before, but then,” he whistled, lightly exhaling, “when she started to lean into me I froze up. I don’t know what happened. Suddenly my hands were slick with sweat and my heart was trying to beat out of my chest and the room was spinning and—” Hades paused to breath, the sensations coming back to him.
Dionysos silently handed him his glass, filled once again. He took a deep sip before replacing it in his outstretched hand and wiping his mouth with a dry edge of his wedding garb. He was never going to wear it again, the chest was already soaked and stained, it didn’t matter if he used it as a napkin for the rest of the night.
“The only thing keeping me in that room was the huge group of singing deities at the door. I was able to focus long enough to help her escape that ridiculously intricate braid her mother did, and remove the veil and her girdle, which really is the most symbolic and important part of consummation.”
“It’s not.”
“I know,” he sighed, covering his face with his hands. “I don’t know what happened. I was fine one second and the next thing I knew I was across the room and she was naked.”
Dionysos whistled loudly and Hades smacked on the back of his head.
“That’s my wife, Dionysos.”
“In—inappropriate. Understood.” He rubbed the back of his head.
“I just forgot how to breathe with her standing in front of me like that.”
“Hades,” Dionysos said gently.
“I haven’t actually wanted anyone in decades, Di. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“You should tell her!” Dionysos yelled, grabbing Hades’ hand and pulling him toward the house. His hand slipped out of Hades’ and he fell sideways, tumbling right back into the rose bushes.
Hades kept walking, smirking as he heard Dionysos say, “How did I get in here?”
16
THE WEDDING NIGHT
Apparently those lingering outside his bedroom door had left when the room beyond was silent, because as Hades stalked back to the room he gained a trail of guests behind him. Still singing hymns for their fortune and marriage. The songs occasionally falling flat as voices fell out of line to gossip and question his whereabouts and why he’d left the room at all.
Listening to the scandals they falsified as he walked, Hades counted down the minutes until they would leave the Underworld, and he would be alone in the silence with only the dead – and his wife – for company.
Hades barged into the room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to drown out the sounds of all the immortals beyond it for a moment, giving him a semblance of peace. He wasn’t accustomed to having company in his palace, a mammoth of stone inhabited by only himself. He’d come to terms with having Persephone move in for half the year quite easily, the radiant beauty with a fierce hatred for him would be welcomed with open arms.
But his brothers and sisters and many other immortals crowding his space made him grind his teeth more with every passing minute. Persephone had even agreed to change many aspects of the wedding, including how much time they would all spend in his realm, and it was still too much.
He leaned against the door, feeling the cool wood on the exposed skin of his back. It was pleasant on his burning body, but did nothing to cool his rising temper. Nor did it really cool his skin, the door was warm underneath him in a few short breaths.
Persephone breathed sharply at his entrance. The tension in the room was palpable and he could feel her blazing glare on his face, but his eyes remained tightly shut.
With his eyes closed he could only see a dull dark red, the fire in the hearth barely crackling embers on the stone floor. She must not have been adding kindling in his absence.
“You didn’t want to add any wood to the hearth? Or is that a husband’s job?”
Though she was silent, he felt her scoff from across the room.
Pushing himself off the door, Hades opened his eyes. The singing was muffled through the slab of wood, even more so with every step he took further into the room.
He hoped their interaction would be just as muffled for the guests lingering on the other side, if not more.
