Page 52 of Flowers Near Me

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE OFFER SHE CAN’T ACCEPT

PERSEPHONE

After the impromptu meeting with Zeus and her mom, Persephone and Hades returned to their shared apartment. When they landed in the main space, instead of setting her on her feet, he carried her to a plush chair.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, kneeling next to her.

Giddy.She was reeling from him sweeping her up and portal-ing her in a way that kept her from becoming ill. Why did he care if she got sick from the portal? Although her mom was never harsh, even she didn’t slow her portal speed, no matter how much Persephone and Laura wobbled after the trip.

“Fine,” she replied, unable to look him in the eye.

He must’ve noticed her hesitation as with a gentle touch, he turned her chin. It was impossible not to be captivated by the striking god with silvery eyes and a face so dangerously magnificent that only the Fates could’ve made it.

Smiling, Hades stood up and made his way to the kitchen. “Would you like a fresh cup of coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.” Once her nerves settled, she got up from the chair and pulled out her phone.

Her thoughts turned back to the meeting and her mom. Was her mom’s silence from the past few weeks because she thought she’d get her released from the contract soon? Or was her mom still angry with her? Zeus upheld the agreement so there wasn’t much else anyone could do. Would her mom now accept the situation and communicate with her daughter again? Persephone hoped so.

What about Hermes? Did the messenger of the gods have a better life than an executive assistant? How would her mom react to that news? Again, if Zeus commanded it, you’d better obey or be prepared for a torturous fate meted out by her roommate.

She didn’t remember sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter, but she knew Hades had been standing still with one arm holding his middle and a hand on his mouth for a few silent minutes.

“So… uh. Teppanyaki at two, right?” Persephone asked.

Hades made an affirmative sound from the back of his throat and kept his eyes fixed on the ground where a pacing Cerberus meandered near his feet.

“Everything alright?”

Hades looked up at Persephone. “Yes. Just thinking.”

She cocked her head. “About what?”

With a tempered smile, Hades replied, “I don’t know.”

Now her mouth quirked. “Don’t know? Or don’t want to say?”

“A bit of both.”

Sprawled on the floor, Cerberus released a low whine then plopped his chin on Hades’ shoe.

She knew better than to push a god to open up, even if she was curious about his silence. He wasn’t usually one to hold back. “Well, I’ll leave you to your thoughts. How soon do I need to be ready? I might go to the track if there’s enough time before we leave.”

Seeing her mom after weeks of silence had given her enough mental fodder to last a full workout. The strange mix of incensed care and unnerving frustration from Demeter during the meeting in Zeus’ office scrambled her mind. Still, buried deep inside her was the fact that she knew her mom loved her. Just because her actions or inaction didn’t make sense, it didn’t mean that she’d abandoned Persephone.

“Care if I join you?” Hades asked. A mischievous smirk lit his face, eliciting a smile from her.

“It’s your gym.” She wanted time to process the interaction with her mom, but having a bit of a distraction wasn’t a bad thing. The meeting in Zeus’ office was a lot to take in and perhaps Hades could offer some insight.

Curious, she opened the Demeter’s Bounty app on her phone and breathed a sigh of relief. The grocery delivery option had been restored.

Typically,when Persephone visited the gym, she’d spend most of her time running the clay track with Hades. Occasionally, she’d lift free weights or stretch in the sauna—alone. But after the way Hades unapologetically hoarded her in front of Zeus and her mom, she couldn’t help feeling shy. No one had ever expressed a desire for her the way he did.

She lingered by the bench taking far more time than ever before to stretch and tighten her shoes’ laces to the optimal tension. He was clearly tied up in his own head. After she’d changed into her tank top and shorts to head down to the gym with him, he’d barely looked her way.

After a long, silent stretching session, they jogged the track together, Hades in the outer lane next to her. Did she always pant like this when she ran? Her breath sounded louder than the blood rushing in her head and she felt strangely self-conscious about it.

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