Page 61 of Queen of the Underworld

As he gazed at her, the darkness that had been constant company during their time apart slowly loosened its grip on him, and that feeling she had bewitched him grew stronger. She must have cast a spell upon him in those woods. His mind had been clearer than it had been in a long time and part of him felt as if he had woken from a nightmare and fallen into a dream. He had even smiled. Truly smiled. Not a vicious cold grin born of his darkness, but a smile born of warmth and light.

Hades couldn’t quite put his finger on what was different about him, but he knew she was the cause of the transformation.

He couldn’t remember ever feeling so much like a man.

He glanced down at the black talons of his gauntlets.

But still a monster.

Persephone’s gaze remained trained on him, and he tipped his head back to look at her again, needing to see she was still there and was no longer shying away from him. How did she see him? Was he different in her eyes too?

Just as she was different.

Or perhaps he had simply been wrong about her.

When he had stolen her from her world filled with light and colour and plunged her into one filled with darkness, he had expected her to wither and fade more each day he held her here, keeping her as his queen.

He had expected her to wilt as any other delicate goddess of Olympus would have.

But not his Persephone.

She hadbloomed.

Becoming a ray of light and a streak of colour he had come to crave, had grown addicted to and now couldn’t live without.

Hades took a step towards the tower, driven to go to her and talk with her, and try again to make her love him.

Movement off to his left snared his attention though and he glared in that direction.

Chapter 16

Nyx strode towards Hades, her midnight blue gown flowing behind her and the arcs of silver-blue metal that swirled from her chest to her waist to form her breastplate catching the light of the nearby volcano, flashing gold. It warmed her alabaster skin too and turned the silver threads in her long onyx hair gold.

He had once thought her beauty unrivalled, with her flawless skin and high cheekbones, and striking inky-to-ice blue eyes, and might have taken her as his consort if not for her husband, Erebus.

But no longer.

She didn’t even come close to Persephone.

His love was light and warmth, and colour he craved more than anything in this world. She was soft and gentle, but fiery too, and far from meek. She stood up to him and refused to let him have his way, even going as far as provoking him on purpose at times. Teasing him, he thought might be the better term for it. Sometimes, she teased him, with a mischievous light in her eyes that told him she was enjoying herself. She didn’t fear him, and that was a rare quality. With her, he didn’t want to crush her rebellious behaviour. He wanted to nurture it. He wanted to draw out that side of her and make her so comfortable with him that she would fall for him.

As he had fallen for her.

“You are not listening.” Nyx didn’t sound pleased about that, so he shifted his focus to her, shunning the revelation that he had fallen for Persephone.

He had never been in love before.

It was new, and unsettling, and made him wild with a need to see her and search her eyes for a sign she might come to love him in return.

“What is the matter?” Hades kept his voice steady and even despite the turmoil that erupted inside him. What if Persephone never came to love him in return? Could he endure such a hollow existence? He pushed that fear aside and devoted the whole of his attention to Nyx, who was now eyeing him closely. He glowered at her. “I was informed you requested a meeting. I do not have time for silence. I have matters that require my attention.”

Nyx slid a look at the tower off to her left. “So I have heard.”

Hades ignored that remark. “I do not have time for this, Nyx.”

He went to stride past her, but she shifted into his path.

“My apologies, my god-king.” She demurely dipped her head, but he could tell she wasn’t done. It was right there in her eyes as they lifted to lock with his again. “I heard reports of the unrest that has afflicted one of the regions most distant from your temple. It is close to my territory and I only wished to offer my assistance in ensuring the citizens there remain under your control.”

---