Page 84 of Hades' Shadow
He’s standing at the entrance with a beautiful Mediterranean woman who must be Persephone.
“Father, what are you doing?” Jayden asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I had to be sure that they were worthy.” Hades shrugs.
“Excuse me?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at the god of the underworld. “You asked me for help, not the other way around.”
“Fair enough.” Hades nods.
What the fuck? Is he serious? We already saved the academy once and he asked for help.
I scowl at him, but he pays no attention to my obvious anger.
He leads us down a stone path through a garden dotted with flowers in every color of the rainbow.
“I didn’t think there were flowers in the underworld,” I whisper to Jayden.
“Father figured out a way so when Persephone is here with him, she feels more at home.” He shrugs.
Hades’ arm is wrapped around his wife’s waist as he leads us to the obsidian palace. It’s obvious that he adores his wife.
“That’s really sweet.” I smile and reach out to run a finger over a red lily.
“Careful, some of those are poisonous,” Jayden says, snatching my hand back.
I widen my eyes and scan the garden again.
Poisonous flowers in a garden? That sounds about like the gods.
“Why did we have to go through all that to get here?” I ask Hades with narrowed eyes.
“I told you that I needed to know that you were worthy.” He shrugs one careless shoulder.
“Jayden and I both almost died because of the demons escaping,” I yell, throwing up my hands.
“You would have made it to the underworld either way, then,” he says.
I start to lunge but Jayden wraps an arm around me and pulls my back to his chest.
“Calm down, Beth. He’s a god, remember,” Jayden whispers in my ear.
“He doesn’t care that we almost died just to get his fucking helm back, Jayden.” I turn angry eyes on him.
Our faces are so close his warm breath fans my cheek and lips.
“I repeat, Beth, he is a god. He cares when it suits him. Our deaths would have brought us here to do what he wants anyway.” Jayden shakes his head.
“What is this?” Hades barks.
He’s staring at the spot where Jayden’s hand is on my stomach and we both stiffen.
“I was stopping her from doing something stupid like lunging for you,” Jayden says, an edge in his tone.
“What the fuck?” I turn to him, elbowing him in the gut.
“Shit, Beth. That hurt and I just told the truth.” He rubs at his stomach.
A tinkling laugh fills the space and we turn to Persephone.
