Act One Scene Four:

She knew he'd come back eventually.

She sat with her shapely legs crossed, her slender, tapered fingers reaching for a piece on the solitaire board and a wicked sneer on her lips as he returned. She was the portrait of mockery. Worse still, she had deliberately pinned up her glorious daffodil coloured hair into a glamorous knot so that tendrils wisped around her neck and shoulders, and diamonds shimmered on her diadem, ears and throat, calculatingly drawing attention to her womanly beauty. Her lush, bejewelled lilac peplos was even arranged low enough to reveal a generous amount of cleavage. She batted her eyelashes as he thundered in like a tempest-he was far more terrifying than Zeus could ever be when enraged, she knew from experience-and the nymph attendant who was industrially and silently embroidering in a rocking chair in the corner let out a cry and stood as if expecting to defend her mistress from attack.

Hades slammed both his hands down upon her solitaire board, messing up her game. It mattered not; another far more interesting game was about to begin. She studied the ring he always wore-his only piece of jewellery-a black diamond encrusted with garnets and set with pewter, and then tranquilly slid her eyes up his body and back to his congested face.

'Shall I call security?' stammered the nymph, and Hera shook her head vaguely.

'You haven't answered my correspondence,' Hades snarled, throwing down a pile of letters, all with the red mark of 'return to sender' stamped upon them in Hermes' seal, as per her wishes. 'You haven't even read them!'

Hera lay back, and sighed a ladylike little sigh while Hades exhaled fire through his nostrils. She played with a tendril, winding it around her finger and letting it ping free again.

'You rejected me,' she said coolly. 'I do not like to be rejected.'

'If you had opened the letters you would have seen that I changed my mind and accepted your proposal,' he hissed. 'It was my only method of contact, seeing as you evaded any audience with me.'

'I am no longer interested in the deal,' Hera murmured, picking up a nearby bunch of grapes from an ornate bowl and popping one into her mouth, savouring the sweet burst of juicy flavour. 'I no longer wish to put myself forth as the payment, seeing as you didn't find me…adequate.' She grinned an evil little grin and stuffed a few more grapes in. Her nymph had wisely gone back to sewing, hearing nothing and seeing nothing.

'Hera,' Hades groaned, all anger gone but boyish passion most certainly intact, 'I find you more than adequate, it was the task at hand I did not find thrilling enough to be worthy of such a reward.'

Hera arched one perfect eyebrow in a gesture of 'you expect me to believe that?' She then placed one grape on her outstretched tongue using only her index fingertip, taking it into her mouth slowly and letting purple juice trickle over her lips as she bit down and sucked. Hades shifted and groaned again.

'I have changed my mind, Hera. I will destroy Artemis, and her rumour-mongering mother in the process.' Hera shook her head. 'But what else do you wish of me?' he asked desperately.

'It is no longer a favour I wish of you,' she said. 'It is a wager. If you want me then you may try to win me, but of course you may fail. It depends on your skill.'

Hades' soulful chocolate eyes were swirling in intrigue, enraptured by her, just the way she liked it. 'Go on,' he said in low tones.

'I know who your latest target is. Persephone, Goddess of Spring. Do not look so shocked Hades; you are as subtle in your appreciation of women as my husband is in his philandering. You all but drool whenever Demeter brings her through the palace.'

Hades' masculine jaw clenched and Hera felt a rush of mean pleasure. Good, you deserve it. You should only gaze upon me like that.

'I wager that she will be your first failed conquest. If by some miracle you bend this inflexible iron flower to your will and take her maidenhead, and get proof of this accomplishment, well…then and only then will I lose the wager, and you shall have your night of indescribable pleasure with me.' She confirmed this by slipping another grape between her lips and chewing meaningfully, her eyes of malachite burning into his.

'What if…and this is highly unlikely,' he smirked, 'you should win, and I fail? What do you get?'

Hera was frankly amazed that his swelled ego had shuffled over to make enough room for this possibility. 'I want Blinky.'

Hades started. Blinky was his pride and joy; his sleek, jet black mare whose eyes of fire and shrieking, whinnying neigh sent even Cerberus into hiding. She drew his chariot out of the earth and through the night skies, and she had more power and speed under her glossy, rippling coat than all of his brother's steeds combined.

'Is that fair?' Hera asked affably.

Hades considered, cogitating so intensely Hera fancied smoke might waft out of his ears. 'What of Artemis?' he asked at last.

'It is still in both our best interests to take care of that matter, is it not?' Hera asked flippantly, well aware that she was talking him into playing her pawn for free when only days ago he had refused even when the ultimate prize had been dangled before him. How dim-witted men were.

'Yes, it is,' Hades agreed, apparently as dim-witted as she'd expected. She smiled, and extended a manicured hand.

'Good. So we have a deal?'

He shook her hand, establishing the commencement of the game. Hera had to bite her lip to keep the maniacal giggles from pouring out of her like water from a babbling brook. This game had higher stakes than he knew.

'You accept that I may make things…difficult for you?' she asked dreamily.

'I would not have it any other way,' he rasped, and wrenched her towards him.

The table between them went flying and crashed over. He squeezed her wrist tightly enough to leave marks, eyed her hungrily, and then twisted her around so that her back was enfolded against him in his arms. He was soon occupied with nibbling at her ear and trailing his free hand conceitedly over the swell of her ample breasts beneath the fine cloth. She sighed with bliss and he smiled, thinking he had control of her. How wrong he was. She took his straying hand with her free hand and brought it to her soft lips, sucking slowly on one finger and inducing another groan ripped from his very soul. While he was distracted, his breath coming hot and heavy against the back of her neck, she quickly and savagely bit into his fingers deep enough as to draw blood.

Needless to say, he let go of her fast enough.

'Arghhhh,' Hades yelled, backing away and holding his injury as it spurted crimson, 'you sick-'

'Watch your vernacular in the presence of your Queen,' Hera laughed, wiping her mouth and gesturing to the poor nymph who watched the proceedings as though witnessing some awful play. 'Go and attempt to seduce Persephone, and only if you bring shame to her and Artemis may you lay your filthy hands on me, presumptuous and arrogant Lord of the Underworld. Now get out.'

He went; Hera's cackles echoing behind him every step of the way.

Act One: End

Act Two shall commence after a brief intermission :) Because...I need to plan and write it! Hehe. Please throw out your comments, criticisms, suggestions to me. I'm all ears.