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The hosts had already covered the table with a flowery tablecloth and distributed the cutlery to the four seats.
I placed the soup plates on the main course plates and the salad plates to the side. I also placed napkins on top. As soon as I finished, Hades, Persephone, and Tanael appeared with various pans, pots, and bowls. In the end, nothing was left of the tablecloth—that's how full the table was.
The God of the Underworld poured red wine from a wine carafe into our glasses and offered us seats.
Persephone and Hades sat on one side of the table, and the two of us were next to each other on the other. I felt Tanael's warmth through the silk fabric of my dress. Restless, I slipped away from him as unobtrusively as possible.
"Don't you have enough room, Myrina?" asked Hades promptly, smiling amusedly.
"Leave it alone, Hades," Tanael growled, not looking at me.
"I understand," the god continued unperturbed. "Luze has always been very ... how do I put it kindly? Very engaging."
Did he really think I would play this game? Then he was wrong. I demonstratively slid closer to Tanael again, not taking my eyes off Hades.
"I expected nothing less from you, my dear." Giggling, the god shoved a piece of bread into his mouth.
"Hades, could you please ladle the soup onto the plates?" Persephone's look was almost deadly when it reached her husband, but he shrugged his shoulders and turned to the pot of soup.
Tanael gently placed his hand on my thigh and stroked the fabric of my evening dress with his thumb.
"Don't let him provoke you," I heard his voice in my head. "That's all he wants."
"I won't let him upset me that easily, but I certainly won't become one of his pawns either," I said firmly.
A smile flitted across his lips. "I know. By the way, what I was going to say earlier." He stroked my leg again, and I got all hot. "When you laugh, you're even more beautiful than usual."
"Enjoy your meal!" shouted Hades at that moment, snapping me out of our conversation.
"The soup looks delicious, Persephone," Tanael praised the hostess, who was visibly pleased with the compliment.
Zuri and Tanael didn't promise too much when praising this divine couple's cooking skills. I had rarely eaten so well. After the tomato soup, Hades served small appetizers, followed by truffle spaghetti. The main course was seafood with Mediterranean vegetables, risotto, and salad. This was followed by a cheese platter topped off with a trio of Italian desserts. Panna cotta, tiramisu and a tartufo.
The mood improved with every course, and by the time we finally sat back, full and satisfied, we had already emptied several bottles of wine. Well, I had only drunk three glasses, but the gods could apparently take a whole lot more than I could.
Hades pulled two cigars out of his jacket.
"Luze. To the good old days?" He held one out to the angel, who nodded and accepted it.
"While the men smoke on the terrace, I'll show you my garden at night." Persephone joined me, and we followed a stone path into the green jungle together.
Torches lit our way into the darkness of the moonless night. But even without the light, the garden was simply breathtaking. Flowers, plants, and trees of all shapes and sizes stood close together.
Suddenly, Persephone began to giggle.
"What's so funny?" I asked her in amazement.
Despite the shadows of the tall trees, I detected a gleam in her eyes as she looked at me.
"You and Luze." She paused. "There's more between you than just friendship, but you're trying to cover it up."
"It's complicated," I said curtly and carried on walking.
"I know complicated all too well. Believe me." The Goddess of Spring sighed. "With Hades and me, it was love at first sight. But he was the God of the Underworld, and I was the Goddess of Spring. There was also the point of kinship, which is very offensive to humans." A helpless smile crossed her beautiful face as she followed me. "He's my uncle."
"Oh," was all I could say in reply. And I thought Tanael's and my story was strange. Apparently, there were always worse things.
The goddess pointed to the nature around us. "I can't survive without my flowers, plants, and trees, but Hades doesn't have the opportunity to stay outside his realm for too long either. Nevertheless, we have found a way to live together."
