AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He hung there for just a moment longer, then melted to the ground at her knees. His bones crashing atop the sticky pile that was once Pelops, splashing bits of him onto her legs.
Then there was sound.
A scream shattered through her, the sound of her shattering echoed across the palace. The moaning of tortured souls was interrupted by her own tortured soul’s cries.
Doubling over, Persephone wrapped her arms her middle in an attempt to hold herself together. She felt her body, knew it was physically there in the room as she touched it, but it was falling apart, shattering beyond her control.
This was what death felt like for an immortal.
When she looked up again, hours later it felt like, she was still laying on the floor of the bathing room, her towel discarded at some point. Hades had not moved from his spot near the other end of the tub, watching her as she slowly lifted herself off the ground into a crouch.
The spot Pelops had liquefied in was gone.
She looked to Hades, wordlessly asking where Pelops’ liquid remains had gone and he nodded once, solemnly. She looked back at the spot, the image of Pelops’ decaying body burned into her eyes, before laying back down on the fold floor and shutting her eyes.
§
When Persephone opened her eyes again, Hades was smiling wickedly at her, his mouth a sensuous, evil thing. All for her.
Slowly, she pushed herself off the floor once more, pushing past the pain that ached through her body from sleeping on the stone floor. The towel was nowhere to be seen, but a black pile of linen cloth was set near where her head had been.
As she pulled the clothing on, shivering against the chill of the fabric, Hades kept staring at her, kept smiling.
“Restful sleep?”
She tried to glare at him, but could not manage it, so she stared at him blankly.
“I guessed not, since you were out for less than ten seconds.” She nodded dazedly. Unhappy with her minimal replies, Hades nostrils flared and he said, “Any bad dreams?” covering his irritation with a smirk.
“Yes,” she whispered, staring at her feet.
“Should we talk about him?”
Blinking slowly, she looked up at him again, noticing the smirk and air of accomplishment surrounding him for the first time. Her brows scrunched together as she looked from the spot Pelops had hung to Hades, and back again. “You,” she breathed, choking on the word.
“Me?” Hades said, feigning confusion.
“You,” she said louder, balling her clothing into her fists at her sides, tugging at it to steady herself. “That was you!”
“What was me?” His voice lilted as he cocked his head and smiled innocently.
“That!” She pointed to the place she had watched Pelops fall apart. “Pelops wasn’t here, decaying in front of my face. You,” she spat, “showed him to me that way.”
Hades winked. “Impressive, I know.”
“No,” she shrieked, her voice grating even in her own ears, and jumped at him, hands outstretched to claw at his face. Her nails cut three gashes across his neck before he grabbed her wrists and threw her off him with ease. “You disgust me,” she said from the floor, her brow bleeding into her eye. She stood shakily and spat at his feet, turning on her heel for the door.
He grabbed her arm, turning her abruptly to face him. “That is what torture is all about. Learn what they love, who they love, and use it against them.” He threw her arm back at her, making her stumble into the wall.
She stared at him, tears pricking her eyes and fury coiling in her stomach. “I will ruin your life,” she spat through clenched teeth. Watching him for a half a second longer, shaking with rage, she walked our of them room.
“Promise?” Hades called behind her, and she knew from his tone that he was smiling at her empty threat.
32
SUMMONING PELOPS
“Styx!” Persephone screamed as she ran, the goddess’s name barely loud enough to hear herself, but she had to try. She had to see Pelops.
