Page 115 of For the Love of the Gods

Rose was going to talk to a priest in Corinth, so I took the opportunity to do something with the rage in my chest.

I had Raiden bring Mary and Lucan to my office. They both walked in white-faced and shaking. So they knew exactly what they did, they just thought they could get away with it.

“Sit,” I ordered. Their asses dropped into the chairs opposite from me so fast it created a small wind.

Mary opened her mouth and I held up a hand to cut her off. I was speaking first. “Just so we’re clear, I wanted you both locked in a dungeon for the rest of your miserable lives. But Rose convinced me that I should be merciful.”

Lucan paled another shade closer to death (a good look on him) and Mary let out a little squawk.

“Now you, Mary,” I continued, my voice low and calm. Deadly calm. “A refusal to cook for my wife, your goddess in case you forgot, is a relatively minor sin. You have two weeks to find another job and then I never want to see you under my roof again.”

I’d never had a problem with Mary until now. She got off easy.

“Thank you, Lord Pluto,” Mary rushed out, shaking her head of blonde hair eagerly. I jutted my chin at the door and she ran out, tracked by Raiden’s amused stare.

“But you, Lucan,” I said, turning towards where he sat looking like he was about to hurl. “You marred my wife’s skin. Burned her.”

“I’m sorry, but—”

“Oh no, no excuses out of you,” I cut off. “I don’t give a shit what your motivations were or if you thought you were doing something noble or were just being a fucking idiot. You. Hurt. My. Wife.”

Lucan nodded slowly.

“You have two options. This,” I said, setting a small jar down on the desk in front of him, “is full of the same herbs you used in Lady Pluto’s dress. You either give yourself the same treatment you gave her or your ass is sitting in a dungeon until you learn the consequences of your actions.”

“I thought you’d be happy,” Lucan said quickly, the words all stringing together. The air in the room went stagnant, cold.

“Excuse me?”

Lucan, to his credit, didn’t start crying at the scrape of my tone. “You always hated her.”

It was my own face that paled. “Do you think Iwantedyou to hurt her?”

Lucan nodded tightly. “Yes.”

“Any harsh words I may have directed at Rose over the years are my problem.” A problem I would be spending the rest of my life making up for. “You do not get to take that into your own hands and hurt her.”

“I–”

“Choose.”

Lucan swallowed, twisted his hands together, then said, “Um, the herbs.”

Fuck. I wanted him to pick the dungeons. I jerked my chin towards the silver jar on the desk, “Go on then.”

I watched in barely restrained satisfaction as Lucan spread the herbs over his exposed arms and rubbed in, wincing and whimpering like a wounded animal at the pain. When I was satisfied with the flush of his skin, I said, “Now get the fuck out.”

“Make sure the next time he’s in the Underworld, it’s his soul I see,” I added to Raiden as he walked him out.

Raiden nodded and closed the door behind them. Leaving me to sit in agonizing guilt that people might have been horrible to Rose because of me. She didn’t admit to it, but I was sure the incident at the market with Laurel and the spider was a cause of that too.

I had so much to fucking apologize for. Yes, I hadn’t even made an inch of progress on my stupid fucking revenge plan, but I’d forced her into a marriage and treated her so openly like shit that people thought it was okay to do the same.

I needed to repent, drop to my knees and beg. I’d do so, when she got home from the temple, when she came back to me.

I could only hope she’d forgive me.

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