Chapter 17:

"SO that's why they call it the Big Mac…" I smiled, and Hades nodded his head.

"Fascinating. So answer me this…"

"Shoot…"

"When on your…menus… you have 'half a sandwich' entitled on it…"

"Yes…?"

"When mortals order half a sandwich where does the other half go?"

"W-Well…"

"You are given someone else's half? Does the other half go back into the kitchen somewhere? Does someone come in and order the other half?"

I gave him a blank stare.

For all purposes, I honestly told him that I had no idea.

Then he questioned me that the signs of 'Enter' and Exit' meant the same thing when they're posted on the doors of a store.

People enter the store, but exit the outside.

It blew my mind.

After acknowledging his curiosity, we set off towards home, and Hades warmed up to the idea of the taxi.

But when we got home, Adam was in the kitchen.

Eating ice-cream right from the box, which was gross.

"Hey girly. Where's your mom?"

"Don't call me that and I don't know."

He took a spoonful of strawberry.

"Hey Hamlet, what's with you?" he looked at Hades.

"Leave him alone," I said, getting popcorn ready.

"What? Just kiddin' around…"

I got a bowl and poured the popcorn in and Hades and I would go to my room, without Adam dissing him all the time. Today I would educate him on the television and laptop computer and cellphone.

Hades didn't trust the buttered popcorn but warmed up to it eventually and enjoyed a dinner and a movie.

Throughout the day he really enjoyed watching National Geographic about the lions and lionesses, tigers and their prey, migrating birds that fly in massive flocks, and penguins that catch fish like torpedoes, and their way of life. I promised him that I would how him some magazines tomorrow.

Then Adam came in.

"What's the matter, Sherlock? Never seen-"

"Leave him alone. Close the door."

"Your mother wanted me to tell you to get the laundry done…"

"I did it yesterday."

"Don't talk back. Just do it again."

He left.

"He is such an asshole!"

I hissed, throwing my socks in my closet.

"If you were a princess, you could have him beheaded."

Hades was looking at the DVD case, looking at perfect pictures that weren't made from paint strokes or anything he was used to.

I scoffed.

"I'd rather see a red hot iron mask burn his face with spikes for the eyes and mouth."

"Very good imagination…"

"Thanks. Ok, um, before he gets pissed off, I have to do the laundry. Be back in 20."

He nodded, excusing me to do my chore, making me rush to get the laundry done. I opened and closed the door and checked the basket, it was empty.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that Hamlet up there works as an undertaker…"

You're close, I thought, turning back around to see Adam.

He was leaning against the frame of the door, holding my underwear with two of his fingers.

"The laundry's done! Don't- Put that- Give it to me!"

"Uh-Uh, and somehow it slipped my mind that the clothes are already done."

"You're sick…"

"What? Oh. Are these yours? I thought they were your mother's… Damn…"

"What?"

"Looked very sexy, that's all. Wish your mother had your kind of…taste."

"Shut. Up."

"Hey, no, where are you going?"

"Don't touch me!"

"I just want you to know that I'm not falling for your little game…"

"What?"

"Don't play stupid! Look at me. Why the hell did you bring some stranger here? To get rid of me? I know you hate me. But I fucking hate you more. I wish you go lay in a fucking hole and die."

"That wasn't even-"

"SHUT UP! You're mom is in love with me, get it? Ever since she said 'I Do' I've been fucking her brains out. Half of everything in this house is mine! You're not going to ruin that for me and you can't bring in some guy that you think will replace me!"

"August is a friend."

"Bullshit. Don't tell your mom about this, we never talked, now go up to your room. Lock your door. Sleep. Play with dolls or something, I don't give a shit. But don't mess with me. If you do, you're fucked…"

Without saying anything, I went to my room and straight into my bathroom. In my vision, everything was blurred into blotches, bringing my world into water colors. My hate for that man was scolding. If I did tell mom, she would never believe me. Hades knocked on my door, but there was nothing to say.

"Evey…"

I wiped my eyes. Damn him.

He just had to make mom fall in love with him.

"What?" I called through the door.

I turned on the sink and washed my hands and face.

There was more silence, and I waited for him to say something.

"I could do it you know."

I turned it off. My vision was better.

I looked towards the door.

Hades could do what? Confused, I crossed my arms.

"What?"

Opening the door, Hades walked in. He pushed back his beard, took my hands, and gave me a sincere smirk.

"If you wish, I could participate. I am the Lord of the dead…"

"Ha! Oh, I would love that…"

"But?"

"But this is the first time I've seen mom happy in a long time."

"What of your happiness…"

"She doesn't care about that… Honestly."

"I do…"

"What are y-"

"Shshshshsh…"

He put his finger to my lips, making my toes melt, my chest heave up and down, and making me limp. Realizing his effect on me, his hands became gentle as it snaked around my waist, pulling closer. I can't be doing this! If we get caught, we'll be in some serious shit! But Hades was…very…persuasive.

"Hades…"

"My name is August, remember?"

"August- I mean, Hades! Your name is Hades!"

"On the contrary, I am August in your world."

"But your Hades in-"

"We're not in my world, now are we?"

"Stop doing that! It annoys me…!"

"Correcting you?"

"No, I-I mean when you…"

"When I what?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything…"

"You mean this…?"

His fingernails glided up the length of my ribcage and back to my waist. He did this twice, as I never moved away.

"Just tell me how you like it."

"I don't."

"You are not seduced?"

"It's not in my vocabulary."

"It may not be. But it is in your eyes."

He was backing me up towards the wall of the bathroom, his hands still planted on my body, petting me. There was no denying that I was very turned on by this. A warm spasm of rapture was going to erupt in my stomach soon if I didn't get the hell outta there. So with every last strength I had, I turned away from him, and down the stairs.

Our lessons were over.

Zeus' POV:

Both gods walked along side eachother, thinking what to do, after the 'miracle child' had once again slipped through their fingers. Apollo was very much irritated with the girl vanishing once again, leaving them both dumbfounded, but Zeus was still confident in finding her.

"She can not have gone far."

"Course not. But with the help of Hades, who knows where they have gone."

"But I do believe that this 'miracle child' transported them. I knew it. The Fates have told me of her power, enough power to destroy us all."

"The power was all her own? Then what energy is this?"

"I will tell you soon. When the time is right."

"Father-"

"Apollo, when we return back to Olympus, tell Hephaestus to wield chains for me."

"Yes, Father, but what of Hades?"

"Perhaps when we meet again, I'll be a sibling of two bothers, instead of three."

"I see."

"Come. You shall assist me, and when we return to Olympus, I shall once again remain loyal to our goal of reaching out to the mortals."

"I see that is not a promise?"

"Hard times, Apollo. Hard times."

"But…Father…."

"I know what your question is…"

Aric's POV:

The King had wept, and the Prince held his new fiancé close, as both father and son were grief-stricken with the news that their lovely Princes, their lovely ocean healer has been stolen away by none other than Hades.

"I am in love with her, King Romptus. I wished to marry her, but she had told that she made a deal with Hades, and so she left. She did it to save me."

"I understand. I wished her to marry my son, but she had another fate waiting for her."

"Help me, King Romptus, and our truce will be renewed. Between my King and your country, we shall have peace."

"She was beautiful than any other woman here and as kind as summer. I would lose all nobility if I were to leave her to the Lord of the Dead!"

"Father… We must do something."

"Yes, son, and so we shall look for her. I shall send out bounty hunters. Call to the Kingdoms of the West and East. Call everyone."

"King Romptus, I am in love with her-"

"Of course, I would marry her, but my age condemns me. Ha! Fear not! I will do whatever I can faithful soldier. As for you, go back to King Atalo to tell him about our Princess, and by the end of this summer, you shall have a wife."

Aric nodded in agreement, hell bent on becoming Evey's husband. So, the King and his subjects found it in themselves to hire anyone capable enough to save their darling princess.

Aric summoned his subjects.

Aric returned back to his King and informed him that their countries would be at peace, but they would have to save their negotiator and savior. Evey.

King Romptus even sent a letter to the main lands, to receive a returned letter of a hero who will come to his Kingdom and save this Princess from the evil clutches of the Dark Lord.

For reasons such as… experience, because a long time ago, but not too long, this hero knew Hades once.

A hero named Perseus.

Your POV:

4 Weeks Later

I laid on my bed, and I had no idea how to tell Hades that…I was gaining a little bit of feelings for him. I maybe even loved him. He had been slowly seducing me, putting his nose on my head and brushing his hand against mine. It was crazy. He was very nice to me and we had a connection that no one else could have.

But all that changed.

I thought so.

Because one day we sat at the library looking at paintings of famous artists at our usual hour when the receptionist came by with a …'suggestion' in mind. I was a little jealous by her nice physic and she really had a pretty face, and a beautiful smile. She had pretty blonde hair that bounced on her shoulders with a natural shine.

In about 20 years, I could have her looks.

Her nails had a good polish on each of her fingernails as she held a book in her hand and what bothered me was that she had her attention on Hades.

"Hi, I've noticed you're reading books on pictures. I think you might like this."

She held up her book.

"The Mona Lisa and everything else. If you're an art lover like me, then you're going to appreciate this."

"I would," Hades said.

My mouth almost fell open, because it was almost unfair, because I spent days with him in the library. Now he wanted her to show him some books.

She leaned down, showing a little bit of cleavage, making her outfit hug her body even tighter. Was she a model or something? A slut? Well, she did look close to being around his age. And I was still a kid. I was still in Highschool! So it was appropriate for her to be flirting with him.

"I'm going to go make a call…" I left the table.

"Ugh, teenagers. Right?" she smirked, sitting herself down.

Walking away, I could feel my limbs sizzle with jealousy.

This sucked.

I wouldn't blame her. Hades had changed his sense of clothes when he got here. He was very stylish. He even looked abit more clean, and with his expression of calm, sadness, and mystery, he was a total chick magnet.

"Oh that's it! Way to go, Evey! I shouldn't be like this! Big deal if he likes her! Would've been better to stay in bed."

Looking back, the woman didn't hesitate to be a little close to Hades. The book possibly wasn't even the subject of their focus anymore. She turned the pages for him, lowered her eyelids, and smile.

I bet she couldn't walk past a mirror without seducing it.

"Bitch…" I whispered.

For about 15 minutes, I walked around the library, but kept a close eye on the two art lovers. I pretended to look at books, lazily looking at titles, not even walking 20 feet away from the pair. Then below the table, I saw her petite foot slip out of her red high heels and slowly slide up his ankle.

That's it!

"August, I think it's time to go. We shouldn't stay out too long," I said, purposely rudely interrupting them.

The woman leaned back, annoyed.

"Listen, your dad and I are still talking."

"He's not my dad…We have to go."

Hades nodded and got up from his chair, only to encourage her to slip a piece of paper in his hand and strut away in that tight outfit of hers.

His eyes were definitely on her revealed legs, that were well toned and a little tanned. Her red high heels tapping away, and Hades looked in his hand. He wasn't used something like it.

"What is this?"

"Let me see."

The paper was small but legible.

My name's Scarlet, call me and maybe we can look at art again. I'm in the west wing of the library. Here's my number. Call me.

Her number was there and I made sure that Hades didn't read it, so I crumbled it up and threw it in the trash.

"What was it?"

"I don't know. Couldn't read her handwriting, but I think it was a title of a book she wanted you to read."

On our way back to my house, Hades kept talking about art in our world as I didn't really say anything. We made it back to our house, and I was so angry that I went straight to my room.

"Evey? Sweety? Your dinner's ready!"

"I'm not hungry!" I yelled back.

Grabbing out my iPod, I listened to music half the night.

I didn't care what Hades did.

I was so annoyed that I didn't respond when mom came to my room to tell me that my plate was getting cold.

As any night, Hades slept in his room, but I didn't sleep.

My iPod became annoying, so I watched a movie.

The movie was annoying, so I just laid in my bed, thinking of all my wrong doings.

Shit, how was I suppose to compete with someone like the librarian woman? There was no way in hell.

It was against all odds.

"Oh yea… Like he would ever be interested in you!"

I got up from my bed to look at the picture of my dad on my dresser. That picture held the days when we were happy all together, without Adam and without jealousy. But with anticipation, I was pacing in my room. The feeling of jealousy tore me up inside all day.

It set my teeth on edge.

"Well it's appropriate. She's almost his age. He might be into her. She's totally into him. But who's into me? No one. Who would be?"

The feeling didn't go away for another few hours into the night. My attitude started to build up, making me so annoyed that I walked right through my door, down the stairs, and out to the back garden.

"Stupid! So stupid!"

The rose didn't look fresh, but it was still beautiful. Not caring for stupid flowers, I ripped it from the root and threw it to the ground, destroying the symbol for love or something like that.

We would never go to that library again.

"Something wrong?"

Hades was standing over on the porch.

Great.

"What are you doing?"

He descended down the stairs.

I rolled my eyes.

"I don't want to talk to you now. I'm, like, really in my own little world here."

There was a point when this was…wrong.

But I wanted it.

I wanted him. After all I had been through in his world, with the soldiers, the prince, and the king, the ocean healer and being a princess… I think he was the best thing in that other world.

"Did you disapprove of Scarlet today?"

Looking away, I bit my lip.

Shit.

"Don't do that…"

"What…?" Hades asked, getting close to me again.

Oh, I loved it when he did get close.

"That…" I whispered.

This is what I knew for the past 2 weeks. Hades knew it. We both knew it. He was flirting, but not technically flirting… but seducing. He showed me moment where he would touch my hair, shoulder, or hand, and flirt. I couldn't stop him because I knew… he enjoyed it as much as I did.

But it all started when we began to spend days with eachother.

More and more.

One day we would walk in the park, observe the a playground he's never seen before, watch people jog, and play a sport like volleyball he's never seen. Look at magazines about underground water caves, scuba divers, and tree houses in jungles that were fit for luxury.

I would show him games like Scrabble, Bingo, and Chess. I would even play with him.

Then we would do more together.

Find an orange tree, go back home, make orange juice, buy more National Geographic magazines, look at fish in aquariums, browse through different kinds of music, play record players, show him clothes in our world, and take pictures of eachother with my camera.

He liked the pictures, the televisions, and computers. He had too much pride to admit that he was impressed at how much mortals have improved in military terms. Such as helicopters, tanks, and especially guns.

The armies, wars, and nuclear weapons.

It was each day that meant something like when I would introduce him to French fries, lasagna, Chinese food and Italian food and Mexican food. It was, like, everyday was an adventure.

And at each day, I loved it how he would lean in close to me to observe something over my shoulder, but it felt as if it was…more. In many levels, it was teasing, because he would touch me or brush against me in no more than a few seconds.

Why couldn't he go for a few minutes instead of a few seconds? I couldn't tell him that because he didn't like me in that way, with the attention that he wanted Scarlet to stay around at the library.

Why couldn't Hades kiss me like he did back in his world.

The kiss lasting not too long and not too short, but it was perfect, perfect enough to make me want more from him.

The energy was still there.

Damn him for being…the perfect match.

But he was a god, and with that stature, it was in his head that he deserved a very beautiful woman like Scarlet; the receptionist.

I still hated her.

He deserved someone more. I was nothing.

"I could do it you know."

He was teasing me again.

Seducing me.

"Do what?"

There was fireflies in my chest.

Next he asked the most bizarre question.

"Would you like for me to kiss you?"

Flinching, my hands twitched.

"What?"

"I assume you know my plan?"

I didn't say anything, there was no response to give.

"Evey, if you have not known, I have been seducing you…"

"Don't say that word."

I blushed.

"What? What word?"

"That…"

I freaked out!

Blushing like crazy!

Without warning!

Hades came up and planted a passionate greedy hungry kiss on my lips, making me fall against his body. Crushing me in the arms of happiness again. I did love him. In response, I clutched onto his body with both arms and legs, trying to be equal in his strength. Melting completely.

In those late hours, somewhere past midnight, I writhed in pleasure under his supernatural touch.

Feeling secure. The covers were cold and clean.

So clean it made me loopy.

And for some time, I thought I heard Hades call my name somewhere in the dark. At every blink, he would be there.

I was too shy, so he helped me undress infront of him. I became even more shy, so I allowed him to walk me towards the bed and lay me down. This was my first time, so he promised me he would be gentle.

But that wasn't real. Being half awake and half dreaming. I began to feel desperate. Imagining me and Hades sleeping in one bed together was a hard thing. But he told me it was real.

We were in a bed, but not in my room, but it seemed to be in another room. The air didn't feel different.

Hades made me writhe, shiver and scream out. We both moaned in absolute pleasure after we both developed a rhythm. I did love him. My hands clung to him as if it was it were their final resting place.

Would Hades tell me he loves me too?

The 2nd most bizarre question he asked me was only minutes after he climbed off of me, exhausted and sweating.

"Either if we…" he took in a deep breathe," are in both worlds…" he took me in his arms," Whichever does not matter…." he kissed my lips again and lingered his lips on my neck," Be my wife, Evey."

My body curled up beside him. What could I do? He has touched every inch of my body, kissed me, gently held me, and milked his pearly seed into me.

Unprotected sex! I can not tell my mom about this!

But this was the third offer of marriage I had received, so what does Hades have to offer that the other men didn't? I laid on my elbow.

"Hades…"

"Yes?"

"I've been proposed to by different men. Twice. What would you offer that the others didn't?"

"I am known, in my world, as the Rich One."

"So?"

"I posses jewels, diamonds, rubies, and more gold that only Kings can dream of. I can care for you in any way possible."

"Besides that…"

"I am Hades, Lord of the Underworld, all mortals and gods alike fear me and would not dare offend or cheat me. All mortals fear death afterall…"

"Besides that…"

"I am a god who desires a wife and I swear to you… I swear that I will protect you from all of the unclean and obscene in this world and the next. You will be a Queen, my Queen, unchallenged and undisputed."

He can be very romantic.

"Besides that…"

Wait for it!

"I love you…" he whispered to me, touching my cheek.

YES! I smiled

"Why?"

"You, my love, are a highly intelligent woman who is well read and no other women in my world compares to you. You are beautiful, but you are more beautiful on the inside. That is rare to find. For once you, the only person in my entire existence, has showed me compassion, care, honesty and love. Have I mentioned that I have been in the Underworld for thousands of years…living in misery and in darkness? I survive on fear, misery and on pain. Have I mentioned you never treated me wrong? Have I mentioned you are the first woman to make me fall in love with you?"

"Really…?" I whispered.

"You my love… my light… my star… you are the only one that makes me…forget about my life in the other world… You make…it all better. You make me forget how cruel it was in that world of gods and simple mortals. I love you, Evey. So do not be wrecked on the thought… of what will happen… when we leave our bed… and return to reality. So please…"

"Hades…"

"I beg of you. I beg of you, Evey… I beg of you to be mine."

"Yes."

"Evey?"

"Yes, I will marry you!" I sobbed.

Our own realm disappeared, melting back into the familiar features of my room. It wasn't a dream, it was real, and Hades had actually proposed to me. I had accepted. The only thing was to tell my mom. Or perhaps, I won't tell her at all.

For once in my life I thought there would be no more surprises after that, and of course I was wrong, because there was a knock at the door. My mother walked to the door, thinking it was just another person.

How fucking wrong she was.

After answering the door, my mom stood at the foot of the stairs and called my name in an almost alarming voice.

"Evey! Evey! There's someone here for you!"

"What!"

"We have two more guests!"

"Who!"

"I don't know! Let me check!"

I waited.

"It's…. Zeus and Apollo?"