Page 82 of Tempted By Hades

“Apollo?” she exclaimed, nearly dropping the watering can in her hands. “What are you doing here?”

Geri, who had nearly run into the sun god, glowered. “What the fuck? You can’t just pop in like that without any warning! What if there was a mortal around and saw you?”

Apollo smiled at her easy, confident demeanor, his golden hair catching the light. “Well, hello there, Geri,” Apollo purred. “It’s been a while. What have you been up to? Seen any nice movies lately?”

Geri, unimpressed, shot him a disdainful look. “Save your charms for someone who cares, Apollo. I’ve got work to do.”

He went up to Geri and leaned in, his voice a low, teasing whisper that only Geri could hear. Whatever he said lit up a mischievous spark in her eyes, and an unexpected flush colored her cheeks.

Geri, trying to maintain her composure, shot him a sharp look. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Apollo. Now, if you don’t mind, I don’t need your distractions.”

“Ah, so you admit, I am distracting?”

“Like an annoying fly I want to squash with a swatter.”

Apollo, undeterred, turned his attention to Persephone, who was observing the exchange. “Persephone, my radiant flower, care to share a moment of divine conversation?”

Persephone raised an eyebrow, unamused by his antics. “What do you want, Apollo?”

His smile faltered slightly, and he cleared his throat. “I thought we could talk. You know, about…things.”

“Things?” Geri interjected, shaking her head. “That’s very specific. You have a way with words.”

Ignoring Geri, he tried to regain his composure. “I just wanted to catch up and see how things are going in your corner of the Upperworld. No hidden agenda, I promise.”

Persephone’s expression remained skeptical. “Fine, let’s talk. But keep it short. I have a shop to tend to.”

They walked up to her apartment, which had undergone a subtle transformation. The sweet fragrance of blooming flowers filled the air, but the once-bright hues had become more muted. Instead, exquisite plants adorned every available surface and existed alongside shadows and darker undertones, mirroring the depth of Persephone’s evolving persona.

Entering the transformed space, Apollo expressed his surprise. “Well, this is unexpected. It’s like stepping into a different realm.”

“I suppose it reflects the different facets of my world now,” she said thoughtfully, acknowledging the changes. “Now, what did you want to talk about, Apollo?”

“Hades.”

“No.” Striding over to the door, she opened it and jerked her thumb at the outside. “Go. Now.”

“Please, Persephone,” he began. “He’s my friend, and I just want to help him. You would do the same for your friends, wouldn’t you? What if Geri asked for your help with something? Wouldn’t you do your best to help her out?”

She pursed her lips. “I highly doubt Hades would ask for your help.”

“True, he would rather spend a thousand days in Tartarus than ask for help, but I would say he was silently crying out for my help.” He walked over to her and shut the door. “He’s so miserable without you.”

“So? You know what he did, right?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you know about it too? From the beginning.”

The sun god put his hands up defensively. “I swear, I didn’t. I didn’t even know about you until you came to the Underworld. Or even about the seer rigging the lots. Hades, you know, keeps a lot to himself. He’s very private and never shares with anyone.”

“I know. And he’s a liar too.”

“He didn’t lie,” Apollo said.

“He lied by omission,” she shot back. “He knew from the beginning that he needed to marry me in order to bring me to the Sealing Ceremony.”

“Well, would you have done it if he just came out and asked you? And told you about Zeus?” Apollo pointed out.

“Of course not!”

“And so, he did what he needed to woo you. But did he ever coerce you into coming to the Underworld? Or into marriage?”

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