Page 29 of The Queen & the King

My eyelids rise, and all my senses, which were dulled inside the dream, spring to life again. The scents of those around me are almost overpowering, the sounds blaring, and even the sensation of my fingers against the bed beneath me seems overwhelming. It all feels wrong. Even more so because there is no scent of roses in a fog, only sunshine, darkness, and a taste of sand on my tongue.

A second later, the sand vanishes, and Melinoë stumbles back. She hits the wall, blood dripping from her nose. Helios is at her side in an instant, pressing his forehead to hers. For a moment, so fast I almost miss it, her eyes soften, and she leans into him. Then she shoves him away, moving back to my side as I sit up, her eyes surprisingly clear. She rubs her sleeve under her nose, wiping the blood away.

“She’s still in there,” I murmur to the Goddess of Nightmares.

Melinoë nods sagely. “It was easier this time. She wanted you there.”

I slouch. “I need to arrange a date in Olympus with her.”

“I thought you couldn’t leave the Underworld,” Helios says, wordlessly wrapping an arm around Melinoë. I wait for her to shove him away again, but instead, he lifts his hand to her temple, his palm glowing with light. The Goddess of Nightmare and Ghosts completely relaxes against the Titan of the Sun.

I shift from the bed and head for my office. I don’t look back to see if they are following me but say, “There’s a tenet from the Primordial of Love. It can circumvent the rules keeping me here, at least temporarily.”

Five Primordials sprung from Khaos: Nyx, Erebus, Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros. The last died almost two thousand years ago, on the very night Eros, the younger god, was born. From the Primordial’s golden bones came Eros’s bow and arrows, giving the young god the ability to fell the strongest in our pantheon with a single knick. Before he passed, Eros the Prime instilled a rule of order so powerful that even the other Primes bowed to it.

Love among our kind is free to flourish and bows to no dictates, immortal or otherwise.

“Demeter will never allow it.” Melinoë frowns, still in Helios’s arms.

I nod and pull a dusty book from a shelf, slamming it open on my desk. “She won’t find out, but I’ll need help from the one person who’s more clever than my brother at sneaking around.”

“You can’t trust Hera,” Mellie snaps, straightening away from Helios.

I flip through the pages. “I am aware. I’m the god known for plans, remember?”

Melinoë flops into one of the armchairs. “So what’s your plan, demon daddy?”

Helios sits on the arm of her chair, glancing at her fondly.

“You know I hate when you call me that.”

Melinoë swats at Helios. “Stop mothering me.” The Titan doesn’t move. “How are you going to fly under her radar? According to Helios, Demeter knows Persephone’s every move, and Persephone is never without a chaperone.”

I smirk at her. “By giving her a bigger problem to deal with. Kronos has been spotted on Olympus. I have yet to inform Zeus about it.”

Mellie’s eyes slowly widen, her smirk growing. “This is a chaotic mess. I love it. How do I help?”

“Help me plan a date to win my queen?”

Melinoë jumps to her feet. “Okay, we need chains, whips, a butt plug, and some sort of suspension apparatus.”

I choke in surprise, clearing my throat. “It will need to be… demure? This isn’t the Persephone we remember.”

She sighs dramatically. “Helios will be more help then. He’s a mushy dickhead.”

Helios only glows happily, slipping his fingers into Mellie’s. “We can save that date for us, hellcat.”

“Never,” she hisses.

Helios grins at her before providing me with all the details of the Persephone he met many years ago.1

1 The Nightmare & The Daydream Chapters 27 & 28

Twenty

Persephone

IRUN THE BRISTLES OF MY SILVER HAIRBRUSH THROUGH MY HAIR AND LOOK AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR.The bruises from Adonis and my mother are no longer marring my cheek, but the memory remains, throbbing dully when I focus on it. Hades’ kiss no longer lingers on my lips, but I will never forget how it felt within the dream. The passion stains my lips like the most luxurious of lipsticks, and though it was within a dream, he took my breath away with his kiss, leaving me feeling worshiped. I swear my lips look swollen.

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