Page 45 of Deserter

I didn’t but nodded anyway.

“Virgo or The Virgin. There are several myths associated with it, but my favorite is the story of Persephone. She was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Her mother, goddess of fertility of the earth, was very protective of Persephone and actually hid her away to keep her safe.

“Zeus, on the other hand, allowed Hades, god of the underworld, to abduct her. He knew that Demeter would never agree to the union, so Persephone was taken against her will to become Hades’ bride. In mythology, it’s referred to as The Rape of Persephone.”

I studied a picture on the page. It was two statues—one male and one female. He had the woman lifted up onto his hip and it was obvious she was struggling to get away.

“What happened after?”

She smiled and began gesturing with her hands while she talked. “Well, Persephone was not a willing captive; she refused to eat or even speak to her captor, Hades. He tried to give her the best of everything, but she wouldn’t budge.

“And when her mother found out what had happened, she went crazy with anger and refused to care for the earth. It caused a famine and Zeus was forced to give in to Demeter’s demands and help her get Persephone back.” Her hands dropped back down to her lap. “I’m probably boring you right now.”

I reached over and squeezed her thigh before growling, “Fuckin’ finish the story, Celia.”

Her cheeks turned pink, and she fought another smile. “Under the ancient law of Abode, if Persephone had accepted any food in the underworld, then she was no longer a captive, but a guest. That meant that she’d have to stay. Demeter sent a messenger to retrieve her daughter, but they were too late.

“Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds, sealing her fate. Her mother was devastated and declared to Zeus that nothing would ever grow again if her daughter became death’s bride. So, he compromised. She spent part of the year in the underworld with her husband and the other part of the year, she returned to her mother. Demeter kept her word. When Persephone was with Hades, no crops would grow, but when she returned in the spring, everything began to bloom again.”

“Wait, so Hades just sat back and let Persephone’s ma and Zeus call the shots?”

Celia shrugged. “I mean, Zeus was the ruler of everything. I don’t think anyone went against him and lived to tell about it.”

My thumb traced small circles around her knee, and she shivered again before tucking the book inside her bag. “I gotta go. My mother will be here soon.”

“Yeah, I’ve got some shit to take care of too.” I helped her to her feet and stepped back to let her pass. Instead, she surprised me by wrapping her arms around my waist in a hug.

“Bye, Grey.”

I kept my arms down by my sides and my face blank. “Bye, Celia. Record store tomorrow?”

She rested her chin on my chest and her full lips curved up in a smile. “Maybe.”

If it was anyone else, I would’ve demanded a straight answer, but I let her toy with me because I liked seeing her smile. I was also preoccupied with thoughts of fucking her against one of the headstones. My balls tightened at the image and I pushed her away before I could act on it.

“I’ve got business.” I stalked toward the gate when I thought of something. “Celia, what did Persephone want?”

She shifted the book bag on her shoulder and grinned. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you.”

She was a fucking knockout, I’d noticed that much the first night we met, but it was like it increased the more I was around her. Watching her face light up as she smiled or talked about the gods and their troubles, made me feel things that I hadn’t felt since Ma died or the first time I saw Mikey.

I didn’t like it.

It was a fucking complication that I didn’t need.

* * *

“Grey?” Betsy blinked and squinted from under the porch light. “What are you doing here?”

It was late, a lot later than I realized.

“I came by to see Mikey. I got something for him.” I held a bag up for her to see. “Can I just talk to him for a second?”

She tightened the belt on her bathrobe and crossed her arms over her chest with a sigh. “I’m fine with you seeing him when Michael’s not around, but Grey, it’s a school night.”

“I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important and Comedian’s on a two-day run. Please.”

Shit.

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