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The closer we got, the more clearly I could see that the glass was not transparent but shone silver.
"They are in the kitchen for sure," Tanael explained, opening a large patio door.
"Zuri told me they like to cook for their guests," I tried to maintain a normal conversation with my companion. Anything was better than those uncertain looks bouncing back and forth between us.
"Yes, exactly. And very good too. You'll be surprised." A mischievous grin flitted across his handsome face. "Their food is divine."
I let out a laugh.
"When you laugh, you are ..."
"Welcome!" Hades' voice echoed through the hall we were crossing. He really had a knack for destroying our most intimate moments.
Tanael groaned in annoyance but then let go of my hand and approached our host.
"Hades. A bully as ever!" he greeted him.
Before, the touch of the God of Light and his words had distracted me too much to concentrate on my surroundings, which now swept me away in their wake.
Breathtaking. There was no other way to describe the furnishings and construction of this palace. Where did the inside end and the outside begin? The transitions seemed to merge because where you couldn't see into the building from the outside, the glass was almost invisible from the inside, and you felt as if you were standing right on the beach.
From my vantage point, I could see the outside on both sides. I was fascinated by the Styx, which meandered along the front of the palace and enjoyed the view of Persephone's gardens at the back. The Goddess of Spring stood at a massive hearth. Surrounded by so much glass, you would think creating a feeling of coziness would be challenging. But that was not the case. The kitchen was an old-fashioned country kitchen with a coal stove at its heart. The cupboard fronts were made of white wood and fitted with copper handles; the tiles on the walls were reminiscent of Arabian nights. Just as colorful as the world of flowers that opened up behind the invisible glass front.
"Good evening, Myrina." Persephone put a ladle of soup on the kitchen counter and approached me. Laughing, she hugged me. "I'm so glad you came."
She gave me a warm hug. "You look fantastic," she whispered, and I could feel that she was expressing pure sincerity and joy, not envy.
"Thank you for inviting me." I carefully peeled myself out of her arms. "I'm delighted to be here. You really have a beautiful house ... um, a beautiful palace."
"I'm glad you like it." Hades handed me a wine glass and clinked glasses with me. "I think it's missing a bit of Italian flair here to make him feel completely at home." He pointed with his chin at Tanael, who stared at him grimly.
"I like being in the middle of nature," I explained without looking at Tanael and quickly took a sip of wine.
"That was Persephone's wish. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lived here with me." Hades pulled his wife into a loving embrace and kissed her gently on the temple.
"That's not quite true," she protested with a laugh. "But it definitely made it easier for me. You have to know, Myrina, Hades only had a black, dark cave before that. Horribly and hideously furnished."
"You were the best thing that could have happened to me. In every respect." Tenderness flooded Hades' eyes, which could not hide his divinity. His shade of gold was different from Tanael's, but it was surrounded by a delicate ring of light that contained his power. It was almost as if the gold acted as a lid on a power that should not be released onto the world.
"When will dinner be ready? I'm hungry." Tanael grinned challengingly at Hades, and you could clearly read the words, what you can do, I can do from his face. This was his revenge for Hades' interruption earlier when he was about to say something to me.
Before it degenerated into a cockfight, I grabbed Persephone.
"Can I help you in the kitchen?" I asked, hoping she would say no, as I could only heat up mac and cheese from the tin or make a fried egg.
"No, you don't need to help, but you're more than welcome to keep me company."
After one last glance at the men staring at each other over the rim of their glasses, we walked to the cooking island. While Persephone returned behind the stove and stirred a pot, I sat on a bar stool on the other side of the counter.
"What is it between the two of them?" I wanted to hear from her. "Ordinary rivalry between two gods or something more?"
Persephone groaned. "Oh, that. It's been going on for millennia. Tanael felt abandoned by Hades back when they took everything from him." Her gaze lingered on me, but her eyes didn't see me; they saw a hidden past.
"And Hades?"
"Hades feels guilty about it, but he feels he can't make up for it. The two of them were actually best friends once." The goddess took plates from the cupboard and placed them before me. "Are you setting the table outside on the terrace?"
"Gladly." With the pile of large and small plates, I walked straight out of the kitchen onto a Mediterranean-style terrace that would make Tanael's heart beat faster. Outside was a wooden table with four comfortable armchairs, tiny flames danced in a fire bowl, and even a well-equipped outdoor kitchen with a bar.
