Chapter One:
-A Red King's Move-
Persephone awoke to darkness and groaned. Her skull stung like it was split in two, and it took a few minutes for her to realize she was back in the Underworld.
She smacked her lips and tasted something metallic. Not again.
Summoning a pot, she lurched over the side of her bed and vomited until bile remained. Looking toward the fireplace, only embers lingered, and she took a deep breath, the scent calming her.
What am I going to do about Hades when I see him tomorrow? Sitting up, she used the bed sheet to wipe her mouth and the thick layer of cold sweat from her skin. Des said to tell him the truth, but I don't know if I can trust him. I'm not even sure I can trust myself.
Walking over to the fireplace, she threw more logs inside before reigniting it with her lighter.
"Is it even morning yet? How can he live in darkness twenty-four seven? It's a recipe for major depression." She looked at herself. "Great. Ruined another dress."
It was drenched in blood that had now coagulated and made the fabric stick to her like glue. She took it off and threw it into the fireplace along with the bed sheets and anything else flammable she came in contact with.
The fire roared with fury, growing larger with each item, and she was thankful her room was made of stone. She kneeled in front of the fireplace and cupped some of the flames into her hands. Upon touching her, the flames turned green, and she washed them over her body, purifying the blood from her skin.
Hearing a muffled scream, Persephone's skin crawled, and she swerved around. "Who's there?"
She searched her room and heard another scream echo from under the bed. On instinct, she snapped her fingers, and her bed slid out of the way. A large hole appeared in the floor, and inside were several mortal men, who had been tied up.
"I must've had a crazier run than I thought. At least I won't have to hunt for a while." She resealed the hole with a barrier. "Time for a bath."
Persephone wrapped a towel around herself and gathered her personal belongings into a small bag. She headed for the door but paused before she touched the knob.
Her nose scrunched in disgust. Vitality like rodents, but not quite. I remember smelling it earlier and also in the throne room.
She slammed the door open against the wall. Two howls followed, and she pulled the door back. Pain and Panic were smashed against the wall, and with a groan, they peeled off of it and collapsed on the floor.
"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry." Persephone knelt down. "Hey, you two are Hades' servants, right?"
Panic stood and dusted himself off. "His righthand men actually."
"But we prefer to be called Assistant Agents of Darkness," Pain said.
"Uh huh…. Well, it nice to meet you both. Could you please tell me where the bathing chamber is?" she said.
Pain shared a glance with Panic before pointing down the hallway. "It's on the west side of this floor."
"Thanks." She walked away, but heard the imps whisper something and stopped. "Was there a reason you two were outside of my room?"
From the corner of her eye, she saw the imps jump and retreat from her door.
Pain gave a nervous chuckle, his hands behind his back. "The boss wanted us to check in with you. Make sure you were comfortable."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."
"How would you know?" Panic said.
"I have an intuition for these things." Persephone turned around. "Although, I wonder what Hades would do if he found out you two were spying on me?"
Pain shivered and held up his hands in surrender. "Wait, there's no reason to bring him into this."
"But I thought you were here on his orders?" She put a hand to her chin and glanced the imps over with scrutiny. "Clearly you two have another agenda. What do you want?"
Panic stepped forward. "It's more about what we don't want, which is you pulling one over on the boss."
"Me?" She put a hand to her chest. "What a horrible accusation. Then again, I'm not surprised. You two left Hades to rot. You should consider yourselves lucky you're still breathing."
"That's none of your concern. The point is that we know there's something off about you, but Hades is too blind to see it," he said.
Persephone pinned Pain and Panic against the door with one hand. They struggled, but she only tightened her grip around their necks.
"And what am I hiding?" Receiving two gurgles, she chuckled. "I had a feeling you two would be a problem."
She dropped the imps and laughed when they hit the floor, gasping for air. Snapping her fingers, she sealed the door to her bed chambers with a barrier.
"You two are already in hot water, so I suggest not making it worse." She slung her bag over her shoulder. "And speaking of hot water, I'm over due for some R and R."
Panic groaned. "You can't hide forever."
"Game on, then. Let's see how you play." Persephone walked away. "Have a good night."
….
Hades paced back and forth in the throne room. "Okay, Kore'll be here any minute, so don't blow it. Just remain calm, and oy, why am I actin' like a nervous teenager?"
He sat on his throne and drummed his fingers against the arm rests. There was plenty of business to settle now that he was back in action, but all he could focus on was Persephone. He couldn't pinpoint why, but she enticed him in a way no other woman had.
No, that's not true. There was someone else. He furrowed his brow. But that was over seven thousand years ago.
Hades racked his brain for the memories buried deep within his subconscious. Horrific thoughts swam to the forefront of his mind, including those of his father. However, amongst the darkness was a speck of light, and there he saw her. A young girl, dressed in white, stood in a field of blue flowers, the same Persephone wore.
"Kore can't be her. She…." He closed his eyes.
A much more painful memory called to him, but it was fuzzy. The heartbroken scream of a boy filled his ears, and a shiver ran up his spine.
"Boss!"
Frowning, Hades saw Pain and Panic running toward him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, boys, but did I say you two were off cleanin' duty?"
"But, Boss, there's something we need to tell you about–" Pain said.
"No, I don't believe I did." He glared at them. "Now get back to work before I change my mind about keepin' you little traitors alive!"
"But–" Panic said.
"Out!" He shot two fireballs at them, and the imps scurried from the room.
Hades rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself. He had come this far, and he didn't want to ruin his chances by being in a touchy mood.
"Good afternoon."
Looking up, he saw Persephone step into the room.
"I guess if it is the afternoon?" She shrugged. "Kind of hard to tell."
"Uh, Kore…." Hades quickly stood and almost stumbled on his way over to her. "Hey, hi. Yeah, it takes some gettin' used to. I hope your first night was pleasant."
"Yes, but I tend to sleep like the dead," she said.
He chuckled. "The dead. Ha! Good one."
Persephone stared at him. "My, you're sure dressed for the occasion. I thought this was a more casual affair?"
Hades glanced her over and realized how modest she was dressed. No jewelry, no provocative skin showing, and even her hair was partially covered with a black scarf. The only effort she put in was her default lavender eyeshadow and blue lip-coloring.
"It's okay. You do look very dashing," she said.
"Thanks." Feeling his skin flush, he tried to suppress it, but seeing her tiny smile, he knew she noticed. "Uh, let me escort you to the dinin' hall."
Hades led Persephone upstairs to the first floor, and he stole a few glances at her while they walked down the hallway. She smelled of clover and citrus, and while her outfit made her resemble a farmer's daughter, she had the kind of figure that could pull off anything.
It's no surprise why Zeus went after her. He sighed. Then again, that idiot would bang the sun if it had a big enough hole.
"Something wrong?" She glanced up with a raised eyebrow.
Kore doesn't seem naive, but she has the most innocent face. It's actually kinda adorable. He shook his head. "Nothin'."
She gave a brief nod and returned to her attention the hallway.
Oy, listen to me. I'm lettin' one woman reduce me to mush. A gorgeous woman, but still. He stopped in front of two, wide doors and opened them. "Here we are, babe."
Hades had tried to make everything as romantic as possible. Ribbons and fake flowers adorned the ceiling, and a long table rested in the middle of the room. On top of it was a centerpiece of candles that illuminated the darkness with a warm glow.
"How–" Her expression faltered a little before she smiled. "Sweet."
He guided her to the table and pulled out her chair. "I hope everythin' is to your likin'."
"It's perfect." She sat down. "But you really didn't have to go through all this trouble. We've only just met."
"Regardless of what rumors you've heard topside, I'm not above, or in this case, below hospitality." He sat on the other side.
"If I believed the rumors I've heard about you, I wouldn't be here." She grabbed the glass by her plate and took a sip. "How did you know I like rum?"
He shrugged. "You seemed like the type."
"It's delicious. Thank you." She glanced over at his plate. "You have a very interesting choice of cuisine. Is that native to the Underworld?"
While Persephone's plate was filled with an assortment of raw vegetables, hummus, and pita bread, Hades' had a large bowl of worms with shish-kabobed eyeballs on the side.
"Nah, just my own personal tastes." Taking his fork, he twirled a few of the squirming parasites onto it and slurped them up like spaghetti. "It's okay if you're grossed out, babe. Most are."
"No. I've seen stranger appetites." She took another sip of rum. "I suppose it's safe to say there isn't a Mrs. Lord of the Dead?"
"What? Oh, no, I'm not married." He glanced away, his tone bashful. "Rulin' the Underworld is a full time job with no benefits, and the other goddesses would never wanna be stuck down here with me."
Persephone furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be." He snorted. "Who in their right mind would wanna spend eternity in this death pit?"
She nodded. "The same could be said about spending fifty years trapped in a meadow with no one but nymphs to talk to."
"Sounds thrillin'." Hades chuckled. "And what about you? Got someone special waitin' out there? Unless you're a vestal virgin?"
"Neither." She shook her head. "But my mother wants me to take the vow soon. Until then, I've been kept under lock and key. She's paranoid that if I'm out of her sight for a second, I'll be abducted by some jerk."
"Better safe than sorry." He took a sip of his martini. "Most guys would be tempted."
"Doesn't make it right. Besides, I could care less about remaining pure." She took a bite of her food before smirking. "Zeus will be made an example of, and everyone will learn to never cross me again."
"You've really gotta dark side, don't you?" he said.
"No darker than yours, Hades." Persephone leaned back in her chair. "I know this place is supposed to be all doom and gloom, but surely you do something for fun?"
"Torture a few souls, roast the imps, plot conquest of the cosmos." He frowned, his nose wrinkling. "My schedule isn't all that excitin'."
"I'm into science," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
She nodded. "I'm a skilled botanist and chemist. I can make anything from remedies, to poisons, to perfumes, to even hallucinogens. In fact, that's how I got here. When I was trying to find the Underworld, a red flower sprouted in front of me."
Hades stared at her.
"It was so beautiful and exotic." She gave a happy sigh. "I thought it'd make a perfect specimen for my research, so I plucked it. Then a large chasm opened in the ground, and realizing it led to the Underworld, I jumped right in."
He choked on the last bite he had taken and hit his chest.
"Are you alright?" Persephone said.
Coughing, he took another swig of his martini. "Yes, I'm fine, Kore."
"Okay." She furrowed her brow. "I couldn't think of a proper name for the flower though."
"It's a narcissus. I created it a long time ago for–" Hades glanced her over. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"
She sighed. "This again?"
"Sorry. I don't mean to beat a dead centaur, but you remind me of someone I used to know," he said.
"Oh?" She eyed him with skepticism. "Who was it?"
"To be honest, I can't remember, but–" He shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. It's probably a coincidence."
They finished their meals in silence, but Hades continued to stare at Persephone. Even though he didn't want to push the subject further, the nagging voice in his head wouldn't leave.
"Paint a vase. It'll last longer." She met his gaze.
"Love to, but I'm not much of an artist." He chuckled. "And speakin' of a lack of creativity, how could Demeter look at you and come up with Kore? It's way too plain."
She glanced away. "Maybe I am plain?"
"I doubt it," he said.
"Believe what you want." She stood and walked over to the window. "So what's next on the agenda?"
"Well–" He made his way over to her. "I was plannin' on showin' you around, but there's somethin' I need to get off my chest."
"What is it?" she said.
Persephone's curious expression made Hades' nerves stand on end, and he swallowed a big gulp of air in a feeble attempt to suppress it.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I–" He smoothed a hand over his hair and gave her a suave smile. "I've done some thinkin', and I was wonderin' if we could turn this arrangement between us into somethin', I don't know, a little more intimate?"
"What?" Her eyes widened.
"You're gorgeous, Kore, you know that? Probably the most beautiful goddess I've ever seen." He snaked his right arm around her waist while placing his left hand under her chin. "I bet Aphrodite wasn't crazy about meetin' you. She hates competition."
Persephone vanished in a flurry of flower petals and reappeared behind him.
"I think you have me confused." Folding her arms, she scoffed and turned up her nose. "I'm not some pornai girl you can pick up off the street."
"Whoa, hey, I didn't mean it like that." He approached her, but she stepped back.
"And what else am I supposed to think? That you some how fell in love with me overnight?" she said.
"I…." He paused. Well, I'd love to get her into my bedchambers. On the other hand, we seem to have a few things in common, and I made a complete yutz of myself tryin' to impress her.
She sighed. "Listen, Hades, I don't care what your intentions are. I didn't come down here to be anyone's plaything. Understand?"
He teleported behind Persephone, making her jump, but he placed his hands on her shoulders before she could move away.
"Kore, babe… Angel-face–" Hades' hands slid down her arms. "I was thinkin' of somethin' much more dignified. Once we achieve our objective, you'll have the opportunity to be on the arm of the most powerful god in the cosmos. Think about it. All of the Olympians, including Zeus and your mother, bowing at your feet, and I could give you whatever you want. Sounds nice, huh?"
His hands reached her waist, and he embraced her again, ignoring how rigid she was from his touch. He nuzzled her hair, reveling in how soft it was before leaning down to her ear.
"So whaddya say?" he said.
Feeling a sharp heel stab his foot, Hades yelped and released her.
"And here I thought you'd be different from Zeus." Persephone stepped away from him, her eyes wide with fright. "But it's clear that when you two fell from the dick-head tree, you both didn't land very far apart."
"Excuse me?" He frowned. "I'm nothin' like my brother."
"Could've fooled me." She hugged her arms around herself. "Zeus acted nice, just like you. Got all close. Telling me sweet things, and when I refused…."
Her gaze lowered to the floor, her expression distant, and she sat on the windowsill.
"So what are you waiting for? Nothing's stopping you from forcing me." Tears spilled from her eyes, and she buried her face in her hands. "Maybe you could beat me near to death like he did."
Hades watched the sobbing mess in front of him. Normally, this would be his grand opportunity to tease and manipulate while gloating at his victim's suffering, but instead, he felt an urge to console her.
"Hey, Kore, it's okay. I wasn't…." He sighed and walked over to her. "Look, I'm not that kinda guy, and I wasn't tryin' to upset you."
Persephone removed her hands, revealing her wet, puffy eyes. "Then what do you want?"
"Like I was sayin'–" He sat beside her. "I'm by myself down here, and it's not everyday I have a woman as lovely as you show up on my doorstep."
"Yeah, I know. This is my fault." She turned away.
"I wasn't blamin' you," he said.
"But it's the truth. How can it not be with the way I look? My mother tells me all the time." She closed her eyes. "She actually took Zeus' side over mine. Said if I learned to be quiet and obedient, none of this would've happened."
"Boy, isn't Demeter a trip?" Hades chuckled. "She tries to hide behind her nauseatin' self righteousness, but she's got enough dirty laundry to hang around the world. Twice."
"Oh?" Persephone raised an eyebrow. "What kind of dirty laundry?"
"Another story for another time, but listen–" He placed a hand under her chin. "Don't blame yourself for what happened with Zeus. Him, along with Poseidon, are ruthless when it comes to women, and besides, if you really thought it was your fault, you wouldn't have vowed revenge on him, now would you?"
She considered his words before nodding. "Yeah, you're right, and I'm sorry for getting upset. I guess I'm still not over it."
Obviously. He smiled. "I'm sure you'll feel better after a few weeks once it isn't so fresh in your mind."
"Thanks for the optimism, but I doubt it." She stood. "With me, it's always one thing after another."
Persephone stopped walking, her hands on her hips. She bit her lip as though she was about to say something she shouldn't and quickly shook her head.
"Concerning your proposition, my answer is no. This relationship between us is strictly business," she said.
"But we were hittin' it off." Hades stood. "Is it me? It's me, isn't it?"
"No, no, it's not you." She held up her hands in reassurance. "You seem nice, Hades, but I have other demons to battle once our deal is over. I can't afford to get involved with someone right now, possibly ever."
He cocked an eyebrow and stepped around her. "What kind of demons?"
Meeting her gaze, Hades could tell that she was tempted to explain, but she was too conflicted.
"That's not up for discussion." Persephone placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "But don't feel down. I'm sure you'll find someone special who will truly appreciate you."
He gave a sour laugh and removed her hand. "Thanks for the optimism, but I doubt it."
She winced at his dejected tone. "Maybe it's better if I go? We can catch up on things once you're in a better mood. And thanks for lunch. I enjoyed it."
This has to be some cruel joke the Fates weaved out for me. Why can I ever catch a break for once? Hades felt his calm composure dissolve, and he closed his eyes, the gears in his mind spinning. Fine, if that's the way Kore wants it, maybe I can still salvage this in my favor.
Hearing Persephone walk toward the door, he appeared in front of her and grabbed her by the wrist.
"What are you doing?" She tried to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip and cornered her against the table.
"Not so fast, Angel-face." He grinned. "You and I still have some stipulations to go over."
She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"
"Since you're not interested in my offer, we need to discuss your duties as my new minion." He leaned down, gaze piercing into hers, and hissed in a warning tone, "For your sake, I hope you're not another disappointment."
Persephone's knee stuck right between his legs, and a sharp pain ran through him. Hades let go of her wrist and leaned against the table for support. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strained wheeze.
"Have you lost your mind?" She retreated from him. "I'm not your slave!"
"I believe your memory's a little fuzzy, Kore," he gasped out, trying to stand up straight. "We had a deal. I help you get revenge–"
"And I help you conquer Olympus." She smiled. "I admit you surprised me yesterday. I've heard the rumors of how you trick mortals into servitude, but you never requested anything of me."
"Sure I did. I…." Hades paused, recalling their conversation, and once the realization struck, his eyes widened. I never asked her for anythin'. How did I miss that?
"Looks like someone's slipping." She let out a playful cackle and teased in a sing-song tone, "Sorry, but you don't own me."
"Slipping or not, you're in my domain." He circled her, a sneer on his face. "This is my show, and you, Kore, are just another member on Team Hades."
"Funny–" She snorted. "If I hadn't saved you, your little show would still be canceled. And since we're on the subject of stipulations…."
Persephone snatched the front of his collar and yanked him closer to her eye level with abnormal strength. Her eyes glowed bright red, making her look demonic.
"Don't mistake my kindness and tears for weakness. I'm the Queen Pin in this game, and I don't take orders for anyone. So either we're equal partners, or this is going to get ugly really fast."
Hair flaring, Hades shoved her off of him. She stumbled back a few steps, but she quickly steadied herself and stood her ground.
"You think you can threaten me?" He towered over her, his skin turning red and his flames bursting everywhere. "I am the Lord of the Dead, and you are just an insignificant girl that I could toss back upstairs for Zeus to play with!"
Persephone didn't flinch, and instead, stared him down, her expression stoic. "And then Zeus will find out who took his son away from him."
"Excuse me?" Hades' flames weakened.
"I left out an important detail yesterday." She tried to be eye level with him, but even on her tippy-toes, she barely reached his nose. "Even though Hercules defeated you, Zeus put a bounty on your head. A bounty large enough, in fact, that I could have my banishment lifted."
Hades rolled his eyes. "You have no proof."
A handkerchief appeared in Persephone's hand, and she buried her face in it, pretending to sob.
"Oh, someone help! Hades is loose! Please, someone, it wasn't my fault!" She cried hysterically. "Hades made me attack you. He said if I didn't keep my mouth shut, he'd get rid of me like he tried to do with Hercules. With this."
She pulled the handkerchief away, revealing the smug grin on her face and a small vial of pink liquid in her hand.
Hades' eyes widened for a brief second. "Where'd you get that?"
"I caught your imps spying on me last night, and thanks to them, I discovered all sorts of secrets about you." She laughed. "Including this potion that can turn gods mortal. I wasn't sure if you were trustworthy, so I dumped the remainder of it and kept a small sample for myself."
Memo to me. Kill Pain and Panic. Hades stalked toward her. "Give me that now."
Persephone shifted her gaze from the vial to him and back. She then shrugged and slammed the vial on the floor, shattering it to pieces. The pink liquid oozed out and quickly evaporated into the air.
"Oops. It's all gone now," she said.
"Are you crazy or stupid?" Hades stared at her with disbelief. "Now you have no leverage over me."
"At least I don't have to worry about you stealing it back and slipping it into my food." She folded her arms. "I'm sure I'll find more evidence on you, not that I should have to. My conditions when we made this deal were that we work together, and you have to honor that. Unless, of course, all of this is just you throwing a tantrum because I said I wouldn't date you?"
He paused for a moment before scowling at her. "Get out!"
"Guess I'm boiling hot then." Persephone left the room, but peered her head through the door. "Oh, and I was serious about those anger management classes. It really isn't good for your health."
Hades threw a fireball at her, but she closed the door before it could hit her. He threw his arms in the air while his flames overwhelmed him.
"Ugh, who does Kore think she is? Having the nerve to turn me down! Sauntering around like she owns the place, and she actually tried to pull one over on me!" He paced back and forth. "A Queen-Pin? Ha! That infuriating, conniving, deceptive, little–!"
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Hades unleashed a super nova that filled the room and destroyed everything in its reach. When it dispersed, Hades stood in the center of the debris, panting heavily. His skin and fire returned to normal, and in his exhaustion, he slumped back onto the floor.
"What a woman." He smiled.