a/n: Sorry for the late update! I'm back at work so chapters might be more scarce Sat-Tues, but I will do the best I can! I'm hoping for another chapter this week, but I'm helping with a wedding so if not Sun 17th for sure!
First came the deafening crash.
The entire forest floored in a single step.
All creatures who were enslaved to their primal instinct had long since fled.
He watched as the clouds were snatched from the pleasant cyan sky.
A laugh like rolling thunder slipped under his skin. Every hair on his body at full attention. His skin a minefield of fear.
He ran.
Tore through the uneven terrain as quickly as his feet would allow.
He stumbled. Tripped. Slipped down into a small grove.
His knees tore open, leaving a convenient trail of ichor in his wake.
The sun too was swallowed by a roaming midnight sky. The spattering of stars, a tempermental reminder.
He felt his skin pinch as his feet left the solid earth.
Everything around him turned black.
He was dropped in a moist cavern. He felt his bruised body bounce against the fleshy walls. His memory came flooding back. It would be years before another joined him.
It was as if this realization caused a time skip.
A 'plop' and he caught another quivering child. He pulled them against his chest, enduring the thrashing and ripping of his skin as he refused to let them go.
Eventually exhaustion willed them both to sleep, wrapped in what little cloth he had left from the biting river of acid.
Time sped up. Another scream and he caught another child.
Then another. It was seemingly unending.
After the final child fell, there was an incredible rumbling and they were all expelled into the light.
He shielded his eyes as his body broke against the solid earth. How long had it been since he had seen the sun? A decade, atleast.
The children were gone.
He was running again.
He was older this time.
He stopped, hanging onto a winding tree as his head gave an arduous throb.
"No.. No… I've got to keep-"
The flesh stretched across his skull split open from the inside. He was engulfed in a searing sea of pain. He dropped to his knees, screaming, clawing at his eyes- begging for the torture to subside.
He watched with nearly blinded sight as the monstrous Titan Cronus climbed out from his splintered forehead.
Hades sat bolt up. The sheets were soaked. His forehead and chest glistening from the slick sheen of sweat. An incredible pain rested behind his eyes, momentarily blinding him.
"You're safe." Came a sleepy, loving coo from behind him. He leaned into the circled embrace, feeling her pull the fear from him as he drifted off again.
"This will be your desk for the next three weeks. You'll answer calls, manage my schedule and file paperwork. Do you think you can handle that?" Zeus asked with a tone of unbridled annoyance.
Persephone took a seat, studying Thetis' desk. It was scattered with a mountain of paperwork she was sure hadn't been dealt with in months. The border of the desk was decorated with containers of colorful markers, makeup and other miscellaneous items. The edge of her monitor was littered with puffy purple heart stickers.
She recalled, clear as day, her mother scoffing and going on about how poorly Zeus ran Olympus. 'If his assistant is any indication…' Said a voice behind her ear that sounded suspiciously like Demeter.
"Yes, Sir." Her voice was pleasant but hollow. Despite Hades reassurances about the trial, she was still fuming over how the King of the Gods treated her infront of all of Olympus.
Zeus didn't seem to want her there as much as she wanted to be there.
'It's just three weeks…' She chanted to herself as she took a deep, grounding breath.
"I'm going to need you to reschedule these meetings for next week. Oh, and this should be reviewed and refiled." He dropped two boxes on top of the already intimidating abundance of work.
"Yes, Sir." The Goddess gave a polite nod and opened the first box.
"If you get finished before 1:00, come let me know. We have a lot to do." His hand slid over the back of the chair, his thumb purposefully grazing the exposed skin of the keyhole cut-out of her dress.
Persephone felt herself stiffen, but she didn't move away.
"Yes. Sir."
He looked so much like Apollo. Their scent was nearly identical, though something about Zeus gave him a smoky aroma. While his voice was deeper, and more commanding, she couldn't stop the bile rising in her throat at his every word.
Her teeth grit as his mauve fingers looped to rest on the top of her shoulders, his lips tickling the bend of her ear.
"I can see why my brother likes you so much. You're so obedient."
'KNOCK KNOCK'
Artemis sprung from her seat with an off hand apology to her company. The violet Goddess pulled open the door and felt a very real, very visceral fear plummet into her stomach.
"D-Demeter! This is a p-pleasant surprise!" She took a step back, taking in the sharply dressed woman. Her skin was a glossy emerald green. Her dark lilac hair was twisted in an elegant knot and adorned with a circlet of golden leaves.
"Artemis! Hello! I'm here to see my Kore." Demeter peeked her head just in the doorway and was greeted by the nervous smiles of Athena and Hestia. The silver skinned Goddess gave the Barley Mother a pleasant, passive, wave.
"Oh! The Goddesses of eternal maidenhood! You must be waiting on Kore?"
"Dem! Come in! Join us!" Hestia hurried over, ushering the new guest into the living room. She turned to shoo the violet goddess out of the entryway. "Artemis, go get us some drinks, will you?"
The huntress turned on her heel and strode in the direction of the kitchen, muttering something about it bringing unwanted guests into her house.
As soon as she crossed the tiled threshold she pulled out her phone.
"C'mon… Pick up…" She muttered. The phone rang through and she heard the familiar awkward voicemail that Persephone had kept.
"...I do it now? OH. Hello! You've reached K-Persephone! I can't come to the phone right now but -clattering noise- oh Sugar Sna- BEEP'
Artemis snapped her phone shut, leaning against the back of the counter with a newfound fatigue. She opened the phone again and pulled up her messages, typing one out for the Goddess of Spring.
Artemis: CALL ME ASAP Tiger Mom alert!
She pulled four glasses down from the cabinet and with shaky hands, filled them all with tea. Artemis felt her ichor slow to a chilled crawl upon entering in the middle of their conversation.
"Oh dear… Has she not told you?" Hestia inquired with thinly veiled mock-concern. She was doing a poor job at keeping her shapely lips neutral. Her grin almost manic.
"Obviously, If she did, I wouldn't be here." Demeter stated flatly.
"Regretfully, Persephone is no longer a member of the Goddesses of Eternal maidenhood. It was so hard. We had to revoke her scholarship last week."
Charcoal eyes locked on brilliant bronze. The emerald Goddess' voice dropped an octave, her tone clipped and cool. "What?"
Hestia gave a sideways glance at Athena before clearing her throat.
"THAT IS-" Artemis interjected, dropping the try on the coffee table with a trembling thud. "Not our story to tell, Demeter. You'll really have to let Persephone tell you herself!"
Demeter turned to the Huntress, her lips a thin, severe line. "Artemis. Dear. I trusted you with my daughter. Where -is- she?"
"S-she moved out!"
Slowly Demeter rose, taking a predatory step towards the younger Goddess. "And where did she move -to-?"
"She's probably in class right now. Maybe you and I should go to the University? I'm sure she's there." Athena asserted calmly.
Apollo's finger hovered over the 'send' button. He re-read his current text before hitting the button on impulse.
Apollo: Hey Babe. The other day was crazy. We need to talk about it. Call me. -A
It had been three days. He understood why she left. Why she hadn't reached out. It's hard for her to see the man she loves, in pain. He graced her with three days of space, and time to process that, Yes, even the great Olympians can feel pain.
'Maybe I should go see her. Show her that everything is fine.' Surely she had had enough time and was waiting for him to make the first move.
He looked down at his clothed lap. 'It was a one time thing. From that PLANT SHREW. Daphne will understand.'
After returning home from the clinic, Apollo tested his theory. He believed that Persephone had cursed him with her lovely gift every time he got intimate and was delighted to discover that it was a one time thing. A minor Goddess like her didn't have enough power to do what he feared she did.
He glanced down at his phone. The message left unread.
The sun God got to his feet and strode out the door, grabbing his keys on the way out.
"SUGAR SNA-" The pink Goddess exclaimed, dropping the last of the paperwork in the correct file box. The slice in the side of her finger welled up with ichor.
"Oh shoot." She whispered, opening the drawer to her left, rifling around in search of a bandage. Her healing powers had been off since they had come back from the Oasis.
It seemed Thetis wasn't one to keep anything useful around. Her desk was filled with more personal non work-related nonsense. Persephone pulled open the top drawer in the middle, a very interesting nothing caught her eye.
Shoved in the back corner of the drawer was a small, nearly sheer fabric bag of (upon further investigation) used panties. Persephone felt her stomach lurch as she closed the bag and caught sight of a trio of polaroids underneath.
"Oh." It was a series of photos. The first a pair of mink grey lips wrapped around a thick mauve cock. The other a pair of thin red legs wrapped around the taper of those same mauve hips. The last was a twin set of emerald lips teasing the hard muscles of his abdomen. They all no doubt involving the King in the office behind her. And none of these women were Hera.
"King Zeus, Sir." She peaked around the corner, a flash of red shot through her vision, splitting her lips into a mischievous grin.
"Come in! Have you finished already?" Zeus looked up, conveniently clicking out of whatever screen he had been on. Persephone didn't bother to investigate, nobody seemed to do any actual work around here.
"Yes, Sir. Do you have a bandage?" She waved her finger loosely around, "Papercut!"
"Oh, uhh.." Zeus popped open the drawer to his left, pawing around in search.
Persephone took a step further into the office.
"I thought Thetis might have one. I looked in her top drawer, you know the one that should really be locked. I found this instead."
Zeus looked up and immediately paled. He recognized the sheer bag, his eyes following the line of her hand to the photos between her two fingers.
'When had Thetis taken those?' He inquired internally, panic welling in his throat.
"P-Persephone, it's not what it looks…"
"Oh! Hera already knows?" She challenged with a serene smile.
"Persephone, Give me those." The God of thunder asked, his voice restrained.
The Goddess sauntered up to his desk, her eyes bright like rubies. She tucked the photos into her bra for safe keeping, and set the bag down on the beautiful polished surface. The diamond on her finger gave an ominous glint in the natural afternoon light.
"If my Husband was getting sucked off by a weak, sloppy, second rate Sea Nymph and her shit friends, I'd sure like to know about it."
"What will it take?" His voice was quiet. His jaw set. He avoided her gaze, opting to focus on the contents under her hand. "I can replace the lyre. Sign off on your work and you'll be free to go."
"No. I will do the work. I pay my debt." She leaned across the desk. They were almost nose to nose now. He could feel the heat from her words across his cheek. "But while I am here you will -not- touch me. I do my work and I leave."
"Deal." He expelled, finally meeting her eye.
"I wasn't finished." She purred, learning into his ear and shoving the bag across the desk and into his lap.
"When you summon Hades for your little strip club rendezvous… You are to ask him if he is in a position to leave." Her lips flush against his ear. Her tone, slow and seductive. He felt her fingers curl into the collar of his shirt and tighten threateningly. "As a fertility God yourself I expect you understand the importance of certain things not being… interrupted."
Zeus shifted uncomfortably, feeling a rush of perplexed arousal pool at his core. Her other small pink hand gripped his jaw, holding him still. "If you don't want all of Olympus leveled, by either myself or your wife, I suggest you do as I ask."
"Hello! I am looking for my daughter, Persephone. Which class would she be in right now?" Demeter marched up to the rounded desk where the student coordinator sat. The golden nymph glanced up from her computer and then back to the smartly dressed woman.
"I'm sorry Ms. D-Demeter. Your daughter withdrew from our University last month." Her voice tapered off at the end. She didn't want to be the one to tell any of the six traitors anything that would displease them.
"What? Why would she do that?" Snapped the Barley Mother as she leaned over the desk to see the screen.
The nymph turned the screen away from her discreetly. "When she had her exit interview all she said was that she needed more time to focus on work."
"W-work? Where is she working?" Demeter blanched, glancing back at Athena.
"You're her mother, you said?" The nymph asked before she thought better of it. Quickly she barreled on like Demeter didn't have a murderous fury behind her eyes. "She didn't provide an address but her employer is listed as 'Placement through Queen Hera."
Demeter turned, her brow knit in a scowl. "Did you know about this, Athena?"
The silver skinned Goddess gave her a silent shake of her head, her lips tight.
"Ptelea! Is Hades in?" Persephone glanced down the long hall leading up to the Nymphs desk, checking that the coast was clear, before striding up.
"Persephone! Good afternoon! He stepped out but said he would be right back." She gave Persephone a warm smile before her eyes phased back to the screen.
"Great! Don't tell him I'm here. I want it to be a surprise!"
With a nod the nymph made a zipping motion over her lips and waved the Goddess into the back office.
Her skin was electric. The rush of watching Zeus squirm under her carried her all the way from Olympus. Her body flushed with crashing waves of adrenaline and arousal. She needed to expel this energy. She needed to coax the King to play.
She glanced down at her phone and saw she had a missed call and unopened text from Artemis. 'I'll call her back on my break.' She thought, stuffing the phone into the bottom of her bag. She scanned the room as she heard his low rumble from just beyond the door.
Where to be? Where to be?
Did she want to strip down and surprise him again? Hm… No.
Bent over the desk, waiting? Not today.
'The desk…' She rounded on the elegant piece of woodwork. She would be completely concealed by the beautiful polished wood. She stashed her bag under before slipping into her new hiding place.
"Demeter! Athena! What brings you here?" Hera exclaimed in surprise. Her drink sloshed across her hand as she swung the door open.
"Hera. I heard from Kore's school that you've given her job placement." The worried mother pushed past the golden goddess, ignoring all pleasantries. Hera took a step back, allowing the women to enter her home. "Yes… Come in…"
Athena gave the Queen an apologetic smile.
Hera cleared her throat with a concise cough. "Yes. We placed her in the Underworld Corp internship. She is working under Hecate currently. Did Persephone not tell you?"
Demeter turned to the Queen with a sickly sweet smile. "I am learning that there is alot my little Kore-Cob hasn't told me."
The King sat at his desk with a heavy slump. His brain was still reeling from the nightmare. His phone gave a little chime and he pulled it from his pocket.
'Hera? I'll call her back after this meeting.' He needed to ground himself if he was going to deal with Zeus's wife today.
He pressed the flashing red button on his work phone, ignoring his assistants hesitant trill on the other end. "Ptelea. Yes. Let Thanatos in. Thank you."
The door opened and the God of the Dead entered. "Come in." Hades gestured dryly to the seat before his desk. "We have to discuss your abysmal numbers. Again."
As the God sat, Hades felt his entire being jump out of his skin as a pair of pink hands slid across the fabric of his thighs. He managed to compose himself before the slate grey God noticed.
Hades tried to focus on Thanatos. Even in trouble his attitude was unrelenting. 'Gods I wish I could fire you…' He mused, looking down at the folder atop his desk.
"Can you account for where you were πεμπτη (Thursday) two weeks ago? It shows you clocked in but you retrieved no souls that day."
Hades willed his blush to cease as hidden fingers stripped his belt from his waist, and pulled down the teeth of his zipper.
"Hermes can-"
Hades covered his sigh with a shuffle of the folder. He shifted in his seat allowing Persephone to release his cock from the fabric confines. Her mouth set to work immediately and he bit back a groan.
"All of Hermes' work is accounted for. No more or less than expected. We aren't talking about him. We are talking about you." His fingers raked through her hair, giving a little pull at the base before lacing his fingers over the folder with a mild impatience.
"I-I took some personal time that day."
"I was never notified that you took this time. Why were you clocked in?"
"I was here for a bit…"
"So you admit to stealing company time?"
"I didn't think-"
"You never do, Thanatos." Hades felt the snap come out as a purr as a wet heat surrounded his entire length. A waft of narcissus passed over his senses. His fingers busied themselves with the folder.
"You're on mandatory beach duty after hours until you make up for the unprocessed souls you got paid for. I'm over your shit, Thanatos. I don't have time to do a full investigation for every shift you decide to ditch so I'll leave your punishment to Hecate. Report to her before you start your shade duty today."
"She's going to make me wear that fucking shirt!" The God whined miserably, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to.
"Wear the shirt or lose your skin. Frankly I don't care. Report to Hecate or you're suspended." Hades leaned in, his eyes glinting dangerously. His hand snaked under the desk, pulling her forward. The head of his cock was flush was the back of her throat. He jerked her down, feeling her muscles flutter around him as she fought to keep her gag silent.
"You can't-" The God snapped his lips shut, eyes widening as he witnessed the slight phase in the King's skin.
Hades loosened his grip on her hair. The coil in his stomach tightened as she continued her ministrations. Her tongue curled around the head of his cock, lapping up a bead of precum with every pull back.
"Go on… Tell me what I -can't- do." The azure God hissed, his ruby eyes locking with ash grey. His attention was wholly on the Goddess hidden under the desk. Her fingers rolled his sac with a gentle trill as she swallowed around him again. Her other hand buried between her thighs, thrusting against the slick of her sex.
As she pulled back she moaned against his head, releasing it with a quiet pop.
"I didn't mean…" Thanatos got to his feet, hesitantly. "I'll g-go report to Hecate. Thank you, King Hades."
As soon as the door snapped shut, Hades rose, thrusting in her wanting mouth. He leaned over the wood, effectively concealing everything below the hem of his untucked shirt.
"Fuck, Baby. You should mediate more meetings." He groaned loudly, his fingers knotting into her already disheveled updo.
The vibrations from her moan edged him closer as her own fingers filling her propelled her to the same bliss.
He felt his release push past her lips as his office door swung open violently. Athena, Hecate and Ptelea looked helpless behind the towering emerald figure of maternal rage.
"DEMETER!"