Page 76 of Tempted By Hades

“Chaos. But that’s not important now. I had a feeling that with the way things ended at the Sealing Ceremony, you might not be inclined to stay in the Underworld.”

Well, he was right about that, but that was none of his concern. “And so?”

He glanced over at Minthe, who only shot him back a venomous glare. “I was going to wait until the appropriate time to tell you this, but since you might be leaving, I suppose now is the right time.”

“Just tell me what you want to say, Hermes,” Persephone said, her impatience growing.

“Of course. I won’t waste another minute of your time. Do you remember that time at the street party when you were led away? To Tartarus.”

“Why, yes—wait, how did you know about that?” She never told anybody else about that, and she was sure Hades would never have mentioned it to Hermes.

“I found out who sent those two spirits.” He hauled Minthe forward. “Right, Minthe?”

“I told you that in confidence!” she shouted. “I thought I could trust you! Why would you do this to me?”

Hermes clucked his tongue. “Why would you think you can trust me?”

The Naiad’s eyes blazed. “Is this because I won’t commit to you? You pathetic fool, like I would ever settle for a lowly god like you when I could have been queen—” Her eyes widened with surprise, and her mouth clamped shut.

“Ah, green doesn’t suit you, Minthe,” Hermes said with a chuckle. “I don’t care who else you fuck, but attempted murder of a goddess is different. Did you think you could get away with that?” The humor had left his face, and now his eyes blazed with fury. “You’re lucky I brought you to Persephone first. What do you think Lord Hades would do when he finds out you tried to kill his queen and mate?”

Minthe’s pretty face twisted into an ugly visage. “You don’t deserve him,” she spat at Persephone. “I’m the one who’s been by his side for centuries! Then you come swooping in, simpering, and batting your eyelashes at him, and he marries you? It’s not fair!”

Persephone had no idea why Minthe would unleash such hatred now that she was found out. But maybe the Naiad already knew that her fate was sealed, as did Hermes. The messenger god probably thought Persephone would show Minthe more mercy than Hades.

Perhaps any other day, she would have, but today was not that day.

Persephone could feel her countenance undergo a profound transformation as an ominous energy coiled around her, weaving a dark tapestry of wrath and power.

Minthe’s face turned pale. “Your eyes…they’re turning black.”

Hermes looked too stunned to speak.

The air around them crackled with unrestrained energy, mirroring the storm within Persephone. As her anger intensified, tendrils of darkness surged forth from her, enveloping her like an ethereal shroud. The ground beneath her trembled as she embraced the darker facets of her divine nature, leaving behind the innocence of spring for the commanding presence of the Underworld. At this moment, she stood as a harbinger of retribution, a celestial force now attuned to the solemn responsibilities and formidable authority inherent in her role as queen.

Once the embodiment of sunlight and blossoms, Persephone now radiated a different brilliance—one forged in the shadows, tinged with the echoes of her newfound sovereignty over the realm beneath. The shadows surged with an unrelenting force, coiling and contorting as if bending to her very will. With a simple, commanding gesture, she directed the inky tendrils toward Minthe, who stood frozen in place, a nymph ensnared in the impending storm of divine retribution.

The Underworld instantly echoed with a haunting stillness as Minthe crumpled to the cold, unforgiving ground. Her once-sentient form twisted and writhed before succumbing to the irreversible transformation. From the remnants of her nymphhood emerged a lowly mint plant, a pitiful reflection of the treachery that had unfolded.

She glowered at the botanical manifestation of her wrath. The air around her crackled with the residual energy of her unleashed power, a potent reminder of the dark depths she could summon at will.

“Wow,” Hermes exclaimed. “I was wrong—green does suit her.” He tsked. “What do you plan to do now, my lady?”

“What you thought I would do,” she replied. Without a second glance at the consequence of her divine judgment, Persephone shifted the shadows around her once more. She vanished from the Underworld in a blink, leaving behind the muted echoes of her dark ascension. The realm itself seemed to exhale, acknowledging the transformation of its queen into a sovereign force capable of meting out justice with a touch as cold and unforgiving as the Underworld itself.

Two weeks later…

“Lovely spring we’re having, isn’t it?”

Persephone’s head snapped up from her sandwich. She didn’t notice the old lady sitting across from her at the outdoor dining patio of the café where she was having her lunch.

“Yes, it is,” she replied.

“Unusual, too,” the woman added, taking in a deep inhale. “I’ve lived in New York my entire life, and I don’t think the air ever smelled this sweet.” She glanced at the purple crocus blooms in the planters around them. “The flowers, too, seem extra colorful this year.”

“Yeah, they do, don’t they?” Persephone smiled to herself, finished the last bite of her sandwich, then glanced at her watch. “Well, my lunchtime is over. I should get going.” Nodding to the woman, she stood up. “Enjoy your lunch.”

“You too, dear.”

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