Page 80 of Hades and Persephone: Crown of Souls

She’d been the same size in her past life. But there is a difference in the feel of her body when it harbours the form of a Goddess, even if that Goddess never made her appearance.

There had been a strength within her that simply isn’t here now, in this human form. She is soft now and so very vulnerable.

I’d never given much thought to the vulnerabilities of humans before now.It’s terrifying.

There is gravel in my voice. “I will always come for you, Persephone.”

The puff of breath against my skin is warm, but my eyes lift to Minthe where she stands at her back, eyes already fixed on me with a sobriety that feeds my worry.

“Adonis is not right,” she tells me before I can ask.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, but there was a moment when he was really lost to his dreams, that I saw something more than love.” There is hardness in her eyes. “It wasn’t natural.”

Persephone pulls from me to look at Minthe. I can’t miss the way her brows furrow. “More than love?”

Minthe’s lips thin into a tight line. “Obsession. But not his own. Not really.”

“What did you see, Minthe?” I ask.

“There was a—a mist of red. It wasn’t right.”

“Aphrodite.” The name is a curse on my lips.

Minthe nods. “That’s what I thought.”

“Get Hecate. Have her look at Adonis.” I curse the fact I’d never thought to do this before. That Aphrodite could have been so angry with Adonis for choosing Persephone, so jealous, that she would curse him with obsession on top of his love.

The ways his soul must have suffered in the centuries…

It would make sense how he’d live and die over and over again, clinging to his affection for her. A God’s curse is not easily broken. And its power can rival even the power of the Elms. On top of that, with Persephone stolen from the Underworld, the Elms’ power had dimmed, and he’d been one of many souls surely to slip through the cracks of that weakening.

I’ve seen the consequences of that weakness time and again. Souls born with obsession burning in their veins. With hideousintent and unseen scars from a past life, reaping their sorrow on undeserving souls.

Losing Persephone had affected the living realm far more than most know.

But now that she’s back, now that the Underworld feasts on her power, the Elms won’t release their hold on Adonis again. He won’t slip through the cracks another time.

Minthe nods as though she can read the thoughts behind my eyes. She probably can. She’s been a loyal friend for so long, forced to stand at my side and watch the ways the Underworld slowly died.

Silence throbs heavily between us until Minthe is gone to find Hecate, and we are alone. The anger that never really went away climbs a notch as I stare down at Persephone, taking in every inch of soft skin.

So vulnerable.

My jaw clenches, molars grinding at the sight of her torn dress.

“I’m okay,” she whispers.

Every inch of my body tightens. “You could have been seriously hurt.”

“I had to see him. I thought I could help him.”

“I told you not to go to the Elms,” I grit through my teeth.

Her hands land on her hips. “You didn’t tell me what could happen,” she accuses, and my jaw drops. “I went into that blind, Hades.”

“I didn’t think I had to paint out the horrors of the forest for you to respect my command, Persephone.”

---