Page 47 of Found In Destruction

It pissed me off to no end that he could invade my mind whenever he wanted, and I couldn’t do the same. I was sure my hate-glare got the message across though, because he returned it tenfold. Sometimes I liked Lucifer, and sometimes I didn’t. It all depended on which Lucifer he decided to be that day.

“Come on, dear, let’s go,” Michael said, offering me a hand in traversing the rocky terrain on the way to the house.

I linked my arm through his, and we brought up the rear of the group. Ever since Michael and Di worked their issues out and I let him in, I realized how amazing and interesting Michael is as a person. It’s unfathomable that he ended up with someone like Lucifer, but I guess even a scrub can get lucky sometimes.

“Ugh, none of these Greek Gods can make it easy and live in a historic walk-up in Queens, huh?” I jokingly lamented. “They all have to live in crazy fifth dimensions.”

“Not true. Some of the gods live on earth, in LA. A couple others live there part time, like Dionysius,” Ares commented. “Hades got duped into taking this job and got stuck with it.”

Azazel took his shirt off and stuffed it in his back pocket. His marbled wings sprang from his back before he took to the sky like a giant bird; it still blew my mind every time he or Di freed their wings. He flew ahead of us, his head on a swivel as he took notice of everything. I was happy to see his wings back in working order. Judas faded me out right after the fighting started, but I heard his injury was very touch-and-go for the first couple of days afterward.

“Azazel linked that everything looks safe, and that aside from a force field he can feel around the house, we shouldn’t have an issue,” Diana relayed. He came down and immediately linked their hands together. My little cannoli would never be alone again with her five boyfriends around.

Sigh. I wish I had someone like that. Not three over-the-top stalkers who wouldn’t know the definition of personal space even if it bit them in the ass. At least they’re decent to look at and can eat pussy though. Small mercies.

We were several hundred feet from the house when I felt a barrier and an urge to go the other way. The magic on this ward felt subtle, but was very effective.

“Hades!” Ares boomed, his voice magically enhanced. He knocked on what I guessed was the barrier, but it appeared as if he was banging on thin air. “Your favorite nephew came to visit!”

A large, surly looking man popped out of nowhere next to him, scaring me half to death. He resembled Zeus somewhat, but where Zeus had a strong corporate silver fox vibe, this man gave off hot, rugged MC enforcer vibes. He wore worn black jeans, a band tee, and a leather jacket over it. His brown and silver hair was slicked back into a top knot with a shaggy, matching beard. He gave me a once over and I felt my cheeks heat. He was handsome.

“Um… Hades?” Ares asked, as if this man wasn’t his uncle.

“Yeah?” the man in question replied in a scratchy voice straight from my wildest fantasies. “What brings you around? You haven’t visited in centuries, so I’m assuming this isn’t a social call…”

“No, it’s not. But just to clarify, you are Hades, right?” Lucifer questioned him. “I’m not sure if you remember me? We met a long time ago. Lucifer Morningstar.” He held out his hand, and they shook.

Hades’ hard, cold expression didn’t change at all, giving nothing away. He seemed emotionally unavailable, and I had to remind myself that I wasn’t touching this incredibly sexy man with a ten foot pole. I had enough men back at the compound to beat away with a stick, and didn’t need the extra headache.

Plus, he was technically Apollo’s uncle… whichshouldbe a deal breaker. Fuck me, I read too many dark, twisted romances.

“I know you,” he curtly replied. “Ares, what did you get yourself into?”

“How about you let me come inside. I’ll explain everything and introduce you to myadelfí psychí,Diana, and our boyfriend Azazel. Then we can catch up…maybe you can explain your new look, which is very motorcycle chic. I love it.”

He grunted, motioning for us to follow him into his home. It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Fancy didn’t even begin to describe how luxurious this place felt. It gave off beach home vibes, which was in direct opposition to how the man dressed, acted, and generally existed. Either he hired someone to decorate, or he had a woman who had very different tastes than his.

I peered around the walls and tables, spotting no pictures of a woman. He didn’t have any pictures at all, actually. The closer I examined his extravagant, movie-worthy home, the more I realized how impersonal it seemed. No pictures, nick-knacks, ordecorations. The throw pillows were crammed into one side of the couch and no evidence of a pet or even another person living here. Call me spoiled, but after living with Feta, I needed a dog in my life. They were so much better than cats–or half-brothers pretending to be cats, I guess.

We sat down in his sitting room, and despite the coldly decorated state of his home, the couch was pure comfort.

“Where’s Persephone?” Ares asked.

“Gone. Apparently I wasn’t the right man for her, and she left me to find someone better. I don’t want to talk about it.” Hades’ eyes glowed, then dimmed. Whatever happened, he must have felt some sort of way about it.

“And Cerberus…” Ares hedged.

“She took him. And the boat, too. Look, why don’t you just explain why you’re here, so we can get this over with,” he groused.

I got the sudden feeling that this man wouldn’t be inclined to revive my sister.

Ares went into an abridged retelling of his life since he left his Hades’ place. How he met the guys, the business they built and how they got recruited by Red as his personal assassins and fixer team. Then how they met Diana and somehow ended up in a war against Red, living in a vampire compound in SoCal. The whole ordeal of his life was epic, and one day, I’d ask him to tell me the whole story, with a big bottle of vino and a cheese board.

His uncle attentively listened, nodding here and there to show he was listening. “So, you’re in a poly relationship with five other people?” he questioned.

“Yeah,” Ares shamelessly said around a face-splitting grin.

“And this obviously makes you happy,” he stated.

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