Page 64 of Queen of the Underworld

A sensible, good goddess of Olympus would fear him.

But even with his pointed ears and crimson eyes, and his black armour and crown in place, she couldn’t bring herself to feel that emotion. The sight of him pleased her, warmed the reaches of her heart that had grown cold in their time apart, and brightened them, chasing the shadows from them, as if he drew them to him.

He paused and turned to look up at her, and she felt sure he would come to her today—that he would finally stop punishing her for the things she had said. Perhaps she could reason with him. Between mulling over what she knew about him, studying him and fantasising about him, she had been practising things to say to him, hoping to word things in a way that wouldn’t anger him, because she… liked his presence. She liked being around him, close to him.

He wouldn’t like what she wanted to ask him though.

She was worried that her mother would be upset about her disappearance and would be causing all manner of trouble in Olympus. If he agreed to set her mother’s mind at ease, she would agree to remain here for a time as his guest rather than his captive.

Her desire to bargain with Hades went out of the window when a black-haired female approached him. The goddess was stunning, her tall and lean frame clad in a striking blue gown with a breastplate fashioned from swirls of silver metal, and even at this distance Persephone could tell she didn’t compare to this female’s beauty.

Hades’s words whirled in her mind, his taunt that many females in his realm would fall at his feet and beg for a chance to be with him darkening her mood.

Was this female one of them?

This newcomer didn’t appear to be a servant, and she made the meek females who brought Persephone’s bath water and food look bland and ugly, and unfit for Hades. If he had to choose a female to sate his needs, he would pick someone as beautiful as this one. She was sure of it. She clenched her fists and shut down that line of thought, and the dark feelings it stirred, denying them and focusing instead on studying the female and Hades, cataloguing how he acted around her in an attempt to discern his feelings towards the goddess.

Persephone wished she could hear what they were saying as Hades glared at the woman, seeming aggravated by her. Satisfaction rolled through Persephone at the dark looks he gave the goddess, and how his rigid posture and the sharp angles of his face reeked of irritation and anger. She wasn’t a female he wanted to bed then.

But then anger burned up her blood to scorch her heart when Hades’s hard look softened and the goddess offered him a sweet smile and tender look, and lifted her hand to touch him.

Before she knew what she was doing, Persephone had stormed into the room, whipped the cover off the fruit and had bundled it up in her arms. She halted on the balcony and hurled the first pomegranate at the goddess, launching the missile with such force and anger that it startled her when she realised what she had done.

It hit the female square on the side of her head and Persephone couldn’t hold back, even when she knew continuing her attack would only get her into worse trouble. Anger overshadowed the sensible side of her that screamed at her to stop, and she gave herself over to it, satisfaction sweeping through her to make her want to grin as an apple she launched hit the woman’s breastplate and exploded, covering her in bits of pulp.

And then her mood veered towards a black rage.

Because Hades swept his shadows upwards, forming a wall between Persephone and the goddess that the next piece of fruit she hurled struck instead of the female.

Protecting her from Persephone’s wrath.

When she had emptied her arms, the rage remained, veiling the world in red. She seethed with a need to strike both Hades and the goddess now, and pivoted to look for something else to throw.

Something heavier.

Her gaze snagged on and darted back to the ambrosia Hades had left.

Persephone stormed to it and seized it, unsure whether she wanted to down the whole bottle or hurl it at Hades as she strode back to the balcony.

The goddess appeared only inches from her.

A gasp burst from Persephone’s lips, her heart shooting up into her throat to hammer a sickeningly fast rhythm there.

Before she could catch up with what was happening, the goddess backhanded her, striking her hard across her left cheek.

Persephone crumpled, pain zinging through her skull to make her vision wobble, and gripped the stone floor as she hit it. The coppery tang of blood flooded her mouth and her shock gave way to anger so fierce her head snapped up and she glared at the beautiful woman who towered over her.

Persephone stared at her, nerves rising through the dark emotions that clouded her heart to make her unsure of what to do. Her cheek throbbed, her eye on that side aching. If she had her powers, she would bind the goddess in sharp vines and make them constrict.

That gave her pause and had some of her rage leaking from her. This wasn’t like her. She had never been violent towards anyone, but she wanted to be violent towards this female, and it rattled her. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t do it because her powers were bound. She wanted to do it, and it was wrong of her. She had no real reason to attack this female.

The goddess apparently didn’t have the same problem Persephone had when it came to being violent and harming others. She exuded a darkness so thick and cloying that it pressed down on Persephone.

Persephone stared at her, her lungs constricting and heart labouring as she faced the goddess. Stars pricked the female’s blue eyes and shimmered over her porcelain skin, but they didn’t emanate a warm kind of light like the stars that shone above Olympus. Their light was cold and dark almost, a malevolent kind that had Persephone shrinking away from her.

The goddess looked her over, slow and leisurely, her eyes flooding with darkness that had Persephone inching backwards, her rage falling away as fear swamped her. This female meant her harm and looked as if she would do it, regardless of what her god-king wanted.

Was this goddess also jealous that Hades had another female?

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