Page 62 of Queen of the Underworld

He narrowed his eyes on her. “Something which is expected of you, as you well know, so what is the real reason you have come all this way from your temple to mine?”

Nyx cast another look at the tower, wariness rolling off her now as she dragged her gaze from it to settle it back on him. Hades could sense the undercurrent of fear that rippled through her, an unease that had his eyebrows drawing down.

“I give you leave to speak your mind, Nyx.” Hades held her gaze, close to demanding she tell him the true reason she had come all this way to see him, his impatience and ire growing the longer she kept him from his destination.

Persephone.

“I do not think it wise to keep a goddess of Olympus in the Underworld,” Nyx said as if she knew his thoughts, “Nor devote so much time to her. I think she is a dangerous distraction that might cost you dearly, my god-king.”

Hades might have laughed at her insinuation that another god had the power to cause him harm had his mood not darkened at the thought of someone coming to take Persephone from him. “No Olympian will be coming to take her back. I spoke with Zeus and told him I had found a female I wanted to be my queen, and that she was an Olympian. Zeus told me to take her and make her mine, which is exactly what I am doing.”

He omitted the fact he felt Zeus had tricked him, and that every hour of every day he felt more and more certain that eventually his brother would demand he return Persephone.

Nyx stared at the tower, her head angled back and her blue gaze rooted on the top. Her voice was distant and laced with a troubled edge as she murmured, “Still… are you sure this is wise?”

Hades didn’t mean to, but he glanced at Persephone, and the second his eyes landed on her, he didn’t have the power to drag them away. She looked angrier than usual today, but he wasn’t the subject of the black look on her face. Her glare was directed at Nyx. Curious.

“It is none of your business.” Hades managed to find the strength to tear his gaze away from Persephone, mostly because he hoped that if he didn’t appear that interested in her that Nyx would stop probing into his personal life.

Nyx never had been good at recognising the boundaries of their relationship. This wasn’t the first time she had overstepped the mark, crossing the line between subordinate and friend. She had done it countless times in the past, and he had bonded a little with her over their mutual dislike of his brothers and the Olympians.

He wasn’t in the mood for it today though.

Nyx smiled wickedly, her eyes never leaving Persephone. “How does your courtship go?”

Hades wasn’t going to answer that. “I need you to look into something for me. I desire to know if anyone has noticed that Persephone is missing.”

Nyx finally dragged her gaze away from his goddess.

She gracefully inclined her head. “Consider it done, my god-king.”

“If there is any other business you wish to discuss, do so, otherwise you may take your leave.” He almost waved her away, eagerness to enter the tower and speak with Persephone pushing him to be rid of Nyx as soon as possible.

“I wish to discuss your courtship of an Olympian goddess.” Nyx’s rosy lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“Leave,” Hades barked and did wave her away as he scowled at her, because he didn’t want to talk about his failings.

He was meant to be a strong and feared ruler, but he didn’t feel strong whenever he thought about Persephone. He felt weak, and afraid that nothing he did could make her want him in the way he needed her. He felt doomed to fail and lose her.

Nyx offered him a soft, somewhat understanding look as her smile faded, the teasing note leaving her voice as her hand lifted, as if she wanted to touch him to comfort him.

Her words were comfort enough, softening his hardening heart and pouring hope into it.

“Things were difficult between myself and Erebus at first too.” She grunted as something struck her on the side of her head with enough force to make her stagger to her right.

Hades frowned at the pomegranate that tumbled across the black earth. An apple followed it, hitting Nyx on her breastplate and smashing against it, showering her with pieces of pulp. Hades wrapped her in his shadows, drawing them up from the earth to shield both of them as Nyx turned incredulous eyes on him.

“Did your pet just hurl rotting fruit at me?” Her eyes brightened with diamond stars as those words lashed from her lips and her fine eyebrows knitted hard.

“Let it go,” Hades ordered as the bombardment finally ceased.

The goddess of night didn’t look as if she would as starlight pricked her skin, making it glitter, but then she demurely dipped her head, the action stiff.

“I take my leave then.” She teleported, but disappeared from his senses for only a heartbeat.

Hades growled as his gaze swung up to the balcony of the tower.

Where Nyx had reappeared in front of Persephone.

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