Page 108 of A Touch of Chaos

“To get ready,” she said.

“For?”

“If we are going to defeat Cronos, we need the Golden Fleece,” she said.

“And do you have a plan to retrieve it?” he asked, though he did not disagree with her. He would need to be at full strength if he was going to face his father in battle.

“I already told you my plan,” she said.

He paused for a moment at the top of the steps while she continued down, practically sailing.

Already told me?

It took him a moment to recall their brief conversation from yesterday. Gods, he hated how much his wound was affecting him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then he remembered—Zeus had offered his shield in exchange for her.

He teleported to the base of the steps, just as she reached the bottom.

“Get out of my way, Hades,” she said as she tried to sidestep him, but he planted his hands on her waist. “We don’t have time for this!”

“You will not trade yourself for the Golden Fleece!” Hades snapped.

“I’m not going to trade myself,” she said, glaring up at him. “I’m going to bargain.”

“Not with your fuckinglife.”

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud crunch, and when he looked over his shoulder, he found Hermes standing in the middle of the hallway, hugging a large bowl of popcorn, wearing only a pair of small floral boxers and a sheer pink robe lined with feathers.

“Is that…my robe?” Persephone asked.

Hermes was reaching back into the bowl as he looked down at his ensemble.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “I borrowed it. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“When?” Persephone asked, a demanding edge to her voice.

“When I got here.”

“Andwhendid you get here, Hermes?” Hades asked, impatience threading through his voice.

Hermes tilted his head, stroking his chin as he thought—or pretended to at least. “You know, I can’t really remember. Since I lost my powers, everything is just so.…fuzzy.” He paused, and then his face brightened. “Like this robe.” He lifted a feathery sleeve.

“You slept here?” Hades asked.

“Sure did,” Hermes said as he scratched his lower back and then stretched loudly, one arm lifting into the air as the other clutched the bucket of popcorn. “And let me just say, you really need to wash the sheets in your guest rooms and invest in Wi-Fi. I couldn’t even watch the finale ofTitans After Dark.”

“I am not interested in making your stay more comfortable.”

Hermes’s mouth fell open as he scoffed. “But I am a guest!”

“There are no guests in the Underworld, Hermes. Only unwanted visitors.”

Hades tried to turn back to Persephone, but Hermes continued.

“Now that’s just rude,” he said. “Do you know how hard it was to get here? I had to climb down amountain, and Ihatewalking. I wasexhausted, and then when I finally made it to your ugly palace and found a room, all I wanted to do wassleep,except I couldn’t because as soon as I lay down on your dusty bed, I heardyou.” Hermes turned his face toward the ceiling, arched his back, and threw out his arms, moaning loudly. Several kernels of popcorn went flying. “That’s it! Ride like you are on my cock, darling!”

Hades raised a brow at the god’s exaggerated display, though he supposed that answered his earlier question about when the god arrived.

Hermes straightened and popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. “And I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t stop wondering—what is she riding if she isn’t on his cock?”

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