Chapter 11 - Unwelcome Guest

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Hades tied the sash around his chest tightly to secure the thick robe as he readied himself for the day. It was becoming more and more difficult to hide the blood that seemed to flow continuously from the gaping wound in his chest, but it was imperative that he hide his injury from prying eyes. Even the smallest whisper of a curse could threaten the entire infrastructure of the Underworld, and by association, the world above them. If the dead knew that he was ill the repercussions would reach even Olympus and the pandemonium would destroy everything in its path. It was only a thin line that separated the dead from the world they had previously come from, and that thin line was maintained by him. It was his burden to bear, and he had learned to relish the relentless work of it. Eyeing himself one last time in the mirror to ensure his chest was covered, he left his room.

It had been several days since he had allowed himself to even look upon his wife, and his wound wept angrily at the loss. He knew she was afraid of her desire, and until he could figure out why, it seemed a safer option for both of them just to simply avoid each other.  But every night when he lay in bed aching fiercely with need, he cursed himself most violently.

He pushed open the throne doors deep in thought, and when he looked up he saw her. She sat on the throne chair next to his own, and for the first time this beautiful Goddess of the Forest looked like the Queen of the Dead. A sheer black gown clung to her curves, and were it not for the apt placement of golden leaves, her delicious body would have been entirely revealed by the fabric. A long golden necklace hung from her delicate neck and a matching belt was secured at her narrow waist. Her hair was loose, and the royal crown sparkled on her head. A small uncertain smile lit her face and he forced himself to take a breath. He noticed a small velvet bed placed at the bottom of her chair where Olive was dozing. He approached the throne and took her small hand in his own and the pulse jumped in her pale throat. “My Queen, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked.

“I thought I would join you today,” she replied in a cheerful tone. “Perhaps this will provide me with a more accurate perspective than standing by the door did.”

Hades smiled and reluctantly released her hand taking the seat next to hers. “This is the first time in years someone has made it to this room before me,” he quipped.

“That is a feat indeed then. Since you have been so busy these last several days maybe I could be of assistance?” Her voice hitched at the question when he knew she was trying to sound matter of fact.

Did she know the appealing expression that was on her face, he wondered? He should send her away but the temptation to stay close to her was too much to resist. Nodding his head, he picked up the itinerary for the day that lay next to his chair.

“Your assistance would be appreciated.” He indicated the parchment. “This list is made by the Judges; Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus – They sort and judge the souls first and I am given the final say over a select few, if for instance, their placement is unclear, or perhaps if they are very wicked.”

“Or very good?” Persephone asked.

“Yes, or if they were very good. The rest I greet and welcome to the Underworld.” Hades handed her the parchment and she began reading it. “I always make it a point to meet with the children first and then the elderly followed by the humans who fall in between the extremes of age. Lastly, I meet with the wicked.”

Suddenly a bustle of activity came from the door and the Judges entered first, three ancient beings who seated themselves on an ivory chaise. Aeacus sat in the center with a black scepter in his hand while the brothers, Minos and Rhadamanthus seated themselves on either side of him. Several servants then rushed into the room, some carrying parchments, others lining up against the wall, and one carried a crown in his hands. The door closed loudly behind them and Hades glanced at Persephone to see her watching the bustling servants with a distracted air. The servant with the crown approached the throne, bowing before them and after a slight nod from Hades, placed the golden laurel crown on his head and a golden signet ring on his finger. He glanced at his wife and saw she was pulling nervously at her gown and he placed his hand suddenly over hers to still her.

Her pulse beat rapidly against his fingers like the gentle beating of a bird’s wing. His sweet Persephone was nervous, and he wondered why she had placed herself in a position where she knew she would feel uncomfortable. It could not be

due to concern for him, could it? The thought was too tantalizing, and he would not allow himself to believe such wishful thinking. But the fact remained that she was anxious.

“Do not be nervous, Persephone,” he whispered in her ear and her eyes fluttered for a moment. “Only those with impure souls should fear death. For the others, it is merely the second part of their journey.”

She swallowed and nodded her head. Placing his hand on the arm rest of the throne, he waited to see if she would place hers over his, the appropriate protocol for a queen as she sat at the right hand of the king, but he would not force her. She hesitated, staring at his hand and then slowly, like a lamb sniffing a wolf, placed her slender one over his own. He wanted to groan with the pleasure of her touch. It was only with great force of will that he directed himself back to his duty.

With a final glance at Persephone, he lifted his left hand and said, “Let them in.”

Persephone’s hand tightened as the door opened again and a mass of children entered. Hades thumb lazily stroked her wrist and it somehow comforted her as she took in the tear streaked faces of the little ones. Some were babies not even a day old who were carried by mothers with haunted faces, others were older children, alone and terrified as sobs wracked their small frames. She felt tears well in her eyes at the sight of their sorrow and confusion. It was almost unbearable to witness their fear, and for a moment she had to avert her eyes from them.

Hades spoke then, welcoming them to their new home. He explained that they would be going to the Meadows, where it was always sunny, a place where they would never experience pain or loss again, and that they would not be alone there. With a flick of his hand figures suddenly stepped from the shadows and Persephone felt a moment of alarm as she saw the dark figures race towards the children. As the shadows reached the group, they suddenly materialized and the children were embraced by those they had known in life. Grandparents lifted them high and mothers and fathers hugged their children fiercely. Suddenly the room was filled with laughter and joy until the figures began to fade in shadow once more, this time taking the children with them. The room echoed with silence and only one figure now remained, a small girl with large blue eyes. The little child, who chewed on her thumb, trembled with the sorrow and sadness of Algea.

Persephone glanced at Hades worriedly and he resumed the gently stroking of her wrist. “Little one, do you know no one here?” he asked her in a kind voice.

She shook her head with a small hiccup. Persephone could bear it no longer. She stepped down from the throne and approached the little girl taking her small, cold body in her arms as she wiped the tears from her face. She turned around to see that one of the Judges had approached Hades and they were talking in quiet tones. Turning back to the child, she smiled at her.

“Do not worry, this will be sorted out.” Persephone gave a gentle wave of her fingers and a wreath of daisies appeared. She placed the garland on the child’s head, eliciting a smile from her.

It was strange, but somehow she knew her name though it had not been mentioned. “Kynthía, would you like to meet Olive?” At the sound of his name the fawn dutifully trotted over and they played with the deer together while Persephone watched Hades from the corner of her eye. He nodded towards the door and it opened allowing a young woman to step through before it closed again.

She approached the throne nervously and bowed.

“Rise Ianthe,” Hades said, and the woman quickly scrambled to her feet. “You did not survive childbirth.” His question was a statement as he stared at the woman.

A tear fell to the woman’s cheek. “Yes, your highness, my baby lived, but after he was born, I kept bleeding and bleeding. I heard my baby’s cries, but I could not go to him and the blood pooled around me until, finally, all I knew was darkness.”

The sorrow in her voice made Persephone’s heart contract. Why was he asking these questions of the poor woman? She tightened her arms around the child and gave him an imploring look. He spared her a brief glance and shook his head slightly.

“And you know no one else here?” he continued. She shook her head. “Come closer.” A look of terror crossed the woman’s face, but she stepped towards him obediently and when she was close enough, Hades raised a hand to press against the woman’s forehead. He withdrew it suddenly. “I see the love you feel for the child you left behind and the yearning to love that you still have.” He stood suddenly and motioned for Persephone to bring the child to him. Persephone stood and carried the little girl in her arms and watched as the young mother stared at her with tears in her eyes. “Would you care for this child?” Hades asked.

“Oh yes,” Ianthe whispered, “oh yes, I would do that.” The young woman lifted her arms and Persephone placed the little girl gently into them, watching with delight as Kynthía wrapped her small arms around  Ianthe. “Thank you, thank you so very much,” she cried as she laid her head against the soft hair of the child. Persephone felt her eyes grow damp as they too began to fade into the shadows. Hades stepped towards her and took her hand to guide her back up to the throne once more.

“That was lovely,” Persephone whispered.

“Some do deserve a happy ending,” Hades murmured.

There was a slight pause as the judges adjusted their lists and Persephone leaned towards him. “Hades,” she began hesitantly, “something odd happened when I talked to that little girl. I knew her name, without being told, I knew things about her. It was.. unusual.” She meant to say more when she saw an odd expression cross his face, he looked almost.. pleased. “What?” she asked with some concern, but before he could respond the doors opened again.

“Ah, the elderly,” Hades whispered to her as groups of grey headed adults entered the room, greeting each other jovially. “They look back on life’s mistakes with humor and tell exciting tales. Most of them had learned patience and wisdom by their age and accept the next chapter of their lives with grace.”

Each approached the throne, some more wizened than others, but Hades laughed aloud at each of their jokes and looked enthralled by some of the heroic tales they boasted. He introduced them all to Persephone and they looked at her with beaming, rheumy eyes. One particularly ancient man smiled at her with a toothless grin. “How did you meet your lovely bride then, your Majesty?”

Hades eyed her mischievously. “I saw her in a field of lavender and you could say, I swept her off her feet.”

Persephone gave him a serene smile. “Yes, you could say we met at target practice.”

As each bowed away from the throne, they too faded into darkness until the throne room was once again quiet. Persephone moved to pick up her list when the door suddenly burst open and a young man strode through, a very alive human man, holding a small harp in his hand. He looked frightened but determined as he approached the throne and Persephone gasped as she glanced at Hades. A harried servant followed in his wake, bumbling explanations to Hades, but he raised his hand to indicate silence.

“Would you like to provide an explanation?” Hades asked in a low voice.

The man raised his head looking into Hades’ eyes. “I am Orpheus, and I am looking for my wife, Eurydice,” he paused. “I will not leave without her.”

“Many men would like their wives back,” Hades hissed. “How did you get past Charon and Cerberus?”

Persephone had to admire the young man’s courage because he kept his gaze steady on the angry God. She could see the sweat beginning to bead on the man’s forehead. “I lulled them to sleep with my Lyre,” he replied defiantly.

“And perhaps aided by the Sun God,” Hades replied in a cold voice. “No mortal could have survived the descent into the Underworld. Still, you are either a brave or foolish man and  I do not often have much use for either.”

“I am a man in love," Orpheus replied angrily, his gaze touching Persephone’s briefly before returning to Hades. “Surely you can understand that.”

She felt Hades’ eyes on her and kept her face averted from her husband’s. Love forced by a curse, she thought sadly. What a love this mortal man must have to brave the wrath of a God and the terror of the Underworld. She could attest to those horrors first hand. She glanced at Hades under her lashes and saw the stubborn set of his jaw.

"Tell us about your wife," Persephone said in a soft voice.

The human man looked at the Goddess and bowed before her. “May I sing it instead, my Queen?” When Persephone nodded her head, Orpheus pulled out his lyre and sang about Eurydice. He sang about her death, about his heartbreak, and he sang for every soul who could never be with the person they loved. Time in the Underworld stood still and Persephone felt a tear fall down her cheek .

She leaned her head towards her husband and grasped his hand tightly, even as she kept eyes fixed on Orpheus. “Hades, please let them be together,” she whispered,  “let them have their happiness. Surely, just once in eternity you can make an exception?”

He did not respond and when she finally dared to look at him, she saw he was studying Orpheus thoughtfully. “You may take Eurydice back,” he said. The audience in the room gasped and two of the Judges stood with outraged expression on their faces, but Hades once again silenced the crowd with a wave of his hand. “But, under one condition. You must climb out of the Underworld and trust your wife is following behind you. If you look back for her before you reach the top – Eurydice will return to this world, and you will not meet her again, not even in death. Have faith she is following behind you, Orpheus.”

Orepheus had fallen to his knees, and when he glanced up tears stained his cheeks. “Thank you, mighty God,” the young man said in a trembling voice, "I will not look back.”

Hades stared at him and Persephone felt a chill of uncertainty at the shadows in his eyes. “Make sure that you do not. If you trust her, all will be well. Otherwise, you will live with the ghost of regret.”

Orpheus was ushered out and Hades stood. “I think this is enough for one day.”

He put his hand out and they left the throne room together, Olive trotting contentedly behind. They walked out into a secluded courtyard she had never seen before. It was filled with flowers made of emerald and ruby and a fountain tiled with lapis lazuli sat in the center of the hidden jeweled oasis. Persephone watched with a light heart as Olive walked to the fountain, drinking the clear water. Persephone turned eagerly to her husband with a smile on her face.

“When will we know when Orpheus and his wife reach the top?”

Hades looked down at her with his dark, enigmatic gaze, finally turning away and she watched as he bent down to stroke Olive.

“He will make it to the top,” he said with his back to her, “But before he gets there, he will lose faith, look back, and lose her forever. I saw the doubt in his heart. His weakness will cost him what he loves most.”

“But you must warn him,” she cried.

She grabbed his arm angrily and turned him around to face her and she could feel the strength in his body as he allowed her to move him. Weakness, the word repeated in her mind, she understood it all too well, she thought bitterly.

“Please do not let them be separated. You have the power to stop this! He loves her. Do not let this happen!”

“This loss will inspire something greater,” he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It is meant to be. It is fated. He was always meant to lose her."

"It is cruel!" she said jerking away from him. “You are cruel. You gave him hope when you knew that he would never see her again. It would have been better to have sent him away!”

“He was given what he asked for, it is his own weakness that will betray him. And you asked for me to give him what he wanted, did you not? He could have waited for her, lived out his years until death united them once more, but he was not satisfied with that. Whenever possible I do not interfere with the free will of humans, Persephone.”

“But you did not mind interfering with mine!” she cried angrily. “Why do you choose not to help them?”

“You forget,” he replied calmly, “it was not I who interfered with your free will. In any case, Orpheus will inspire love in hundreds of generations. Is that not enough compensation?”

“I hate this idea of love,” she said pacing. “It is cold, painful and punishing. Why even give him the hope? Why pretend? It was needlessly cruel!”

Why indeed, Hades wondered. The truth was, the music of Orpheus had bewitched him. And the sweet pleading words of his wife. He simply could not resist her with the music of the lyre in his ear. He regretted what he had seen in Orpheus’ heart, but he could not change it anymore than he could change his own. He understood Orpheus too well, the consuming infatuation, the doubt -- he bore those same detestable traits in every infinitesimal fragment of his wretched soul.

He reached for Persephone and pulled her into him, ignoring as she stiffened in his arms. “Forget Orpheus, he had his time with his wife.” He tilted her head back and traced her plump lips with his finger, even as her eyes flashed at him. “I think I deserve some time with my own.” He lowered his head and caught her full lower lip between his teeth and bit down hard enough so that she gave a delicious shiver. He rubbed his lips over her own and for a moment she was soft and pliant in his arms. He felt her lips begin to part when she hurriedly shoved him away.

“How dare you,” she choked.

Hades dropped his hands and felt impatience and anger pull at his heart, his wound pulsing angrily.

“Something holds your heart back from me,” he said, “It is always at the forefront of your mind, but you push it away, hiding it deep inside – a wound that no one else can see.” She stepped further back from him and it enraged him that she should fear him. The small tentacles of madness slipped into his mind, and try as he might, he could not seem to push them away. He wanted to make her as miserable as she was making him. He stepped closer to her and twisted his hand with a quiet laugh. “But I can see it, Persephone, even if you will not share with me.”  With a wave of his hand he drew out her memories and they danced before both of their minds as he caught glimpses of her past, foggy and distorted visions that were fading in and out - flashes of her with a tall, shadowy figure, embracing, kissing, touching. He jerked himself from her mind, his heart beating wildly.

“You…you are in love with someone else,” he murmured.

She staggered away from him, almost falling as she looked at him in shock, her cheeks flaming. “No. No, I am not.”

Hades breath came in short spurts, it explained everything! Her hesitation to lay with him, her revulsion at his touch. What hope was there of winning her heart now? Jealousy curled like an angry snake around his heart and he felt rage begin to join that ugly emotion. She was his, damn it, and he would not share her with anyone.

“You are a liar, Persephone,” he hissed at her. “I saw your embrace. Who is the man? Who is your Orpheus? No wonder you were so sensitive to his plight. Tell me his name and I will summon a misfortune so great he will wish he had never been born. If I cannot have you, neither will he!”

Persephone looked at him with cold dislike. “You are disgusting, you are just the same as all the others! I am nothing more than an object for you to claim. And you wonder why I do not like to be touched? I have seen the weakness of your sex -- enough to revolt me! There is no other man, there is no man at all for me.”

Hades sneered at her, stepping closer, too incensed to hear her words. “How you protect your lover. Do not lie to me - I have seen it. You ran to him and kissed him in the forest. You laid with him! I can see his revolting hands running up your thighs. No wonder you dislike lovers separated.”

“How dare you!” she yelled, visibly shaking. “Stay out of my mind! Is it not enough you hold my body here, now you want my memories as well? Stay out of my head! You are not welcome there.”

“You act as though I have you locked up in Tartarus.”

“A kingdom with you is still a prison!” she shouted, “You hold me here against my will and then insult me. You accuse me of things you do not understand, and of which you have no right to know.”

He stared at her and then laughed, pulling at his hair. “You think you are in a prison. Have you any idea the torment that consumes me day after day, the poison that seeps through my body with the need for you? My body is a cell that I cannot escape, my mind is an enemy that never gives me rest, and you are my captor, Persephone. You who delight in my captivity.”

She stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time, her solemn green eyes looking into his and he felt himself falling into her. He wanted to fall to his knees before her, to bury his face into her soft flesh and let her take away his pain. She raised a hand towards him but he jumped back like Medusa was touching him. It was weakness -- this feeling.

A voice whispered into the back of his mind, “She makes you so...weak”. This sick desire to touch her he could not allow himself.

“No,” he said in a low voice. “No, I do not want your pity, you fear me. But the truth is your fear is nothing compared to the fear I have of losing myself in the madness of wanting you. Do you think I want to feel this way?I will never be free from this torment.”

He turned suddenly on his heel and forced himself not to run from her. His chest was aching and his mind felt fragmented. He had, of course, touched the souls of mad people before and it was eerily similar to the fracture he felt in his own head. A breaking point was coming -- the curse was growing stronger. There was one person he needed to see, one who may hold answers, and he only hoped it was not too late.

Persephone stared after his disappearing form, anger and sadness welling up inside her. How could she long to both comfort him and thrash him at the same time? And underneath everything else that was going on burned the hot flare of desire, an insidious burn that was blooming despite her best efforts to quench it. She wanted to weep in frustration for herself and for him.

But how right he was. She kept secret demons locked away in the darkest corners of her mind. If only she had said how she felt and told him the truth. Why could she not admit that she was lonely? Was it not the very thing that drove her from her mother’s temple? She wanted to run after him and tell him that they were in this together and that they would figure something out. He was no more to blame for this predicament than she was. How much she wanted to say but was too cowardly to be as open and honest with her feelings as he just was. She had hidden truths in the dark for far too long, allowing those truths to fester and poison her heart. What was her other choice? To marry Ares? She could never do that!

“I do not hate you, Hades,” she whispered, “but I can never love you.”

Hades paced in his study and then spoke aloud, “Charon bring Venus to me.”

He hated to allow any of the Olympians to enter his kingdom; the games they played held no appeal to him, the stakes were always things that he would never risk. Nothing held meaning for them except to gain power. Venus was perhaps the most dangerous of them all -- with the pretence of love she offered to mortals and Gods alike. He did not trust Venus anymore than he trusted Zeus. They all had their own agenda, but he no longer had a choice. It was one of her arrows that had begun this madness and she may have an idea of how to undo what had been done to him. She may help him -- for a price of course. If she did not, if she was unwilling to offer assistance, he feared what would happen to his kingdom.

Bending over the desk he looked down at the golden arrow, brushing a hand through his hair. The wound in his chest throbbed with a force that would have brought a village to their knees.

“She loves another,” he whispered.

The pain could be endured, he had felt pain before, though even having his body torn apart by the demon paled in comparison to this hurt. However, if he lost his mind… well the thought was frightening. Images of his father played in his thoughts and he felt the familiar terror begin to clog his throat. He had learned long ago to suppress those memories, to control his reactions to fear. But he seemed to be losing his grip on his restraint.  What scared him most of all was the blinding realization that losing Persephone would be worse than losing himself.

He kept replaying the foggy memory, slowing it down to watch her. The look on her face as she ran to her lover. It had been love in her eyes. How long had he waited to see even a glimpse of it when she looked at him. He looked at his own eyes in the reflection of the arrow. All that glanced back was a hardened and bitter king that no one could ever love.

There was a knock on the door. It was Charon, "My King, Venus wishes to speak with you."

Setting the golden object on a shelf, he let out a breath, "Let her in," he replied, letting the familiar coldness settle over him. Never let them see your weakness, a long ago voice whispered sweetly in his mind.

Venus sauntered into the room. She was so mesmerizing it was almost painful to look at her. Her pale skin emitted a white glow and long silvery hair fell to her feet and topped her head like a halo. Guileless blue eyes stared up at him and it was like looking into a fathomless sea. Perfect, plump pink lips seemed to beg for attention and as she stepped closer the scent of gardenias filled the air. She was beauty itself and Hades fought the need to gag at the cloying flowery smell. He had never liked gardenias. Her nipples were erect under her diaphanous gown and if he looked close enough he could make out the outline of her pink areolas. They regarded one another and then she moved closer to him so that her breasts brushed against his arm as she pressed a kiss against his cheek. He could not be sure if it was the memory from many years ago of those sweet lips wrapped around the cock of Zeus, or the fact that she was every bit as vicious as his brother, but he fought the urge to wipe his face.

“Pluto,” she whispered in a throaty voice. “Or do they still call you Aidoneus? I much prefer that name.”

“I no longer answer to that name,” Hades replied coldly.

She licked her lips. “Very well, Hades, How can I help your majesty? It is such a rare occasion that you seek the presence of the other Gods,” she finished with an obsequious smile.

“You know why I sought you, Aphrodite,” he said in a low voice. “It was your arrow that pierced me.Tell me how to break this spell.”

A look of delight crossed her face and her cheeks flushed even as her eyes dilated. Was she close to orgasm he wondered in revulsion.

“Oh you know the answer to that Aidoneus,” she replied drawing out the “s.” She stepped closer to him again and ran a finger down his wound towards his groin. He grabbed her hand with just enough pressure to halt her movement and she smiled at him, arousal darkening her eyes as the smell of flowers intensified. He let go of her quickly and a look of anger flickered in her face.

“The love of your queen will break the spell.”

He stepped away from her with disgust and rubbed his hand against his chest, smearing it with blood. “This,” he said, showing her his hand, “this is the love of my queen. She does not, cannot love me. There must be another way.  Do you know who directed this arrow at me? ”

“Your enemies are too many to name, Hades, it could have been any who sought to destroy you and your little wife. You could pierce her heart,” Venus continued with a smile. He turned angrily and he felt her step with him, like a malicious shadow whispering in his ear. “Think how lovely it would feel, to have her hot blood all over your hands. Does she not deserve it? Is it not her turn to bleed? It would feel so good to have her beg you to fuck her, just think of you sliding into her warm, tight--”

He twisted towards her and grabbed her roughly, halting her words, his cock aching at the images she was weaving. “Stop it! Find another way to break this spell. You must know!”

Another smile lit her face and he noticed for the first time that she had particularly sharp teeth, like a snake he thought. “But Hades,” she whispered, “Persephone does love you.” He glared down at her small form and then  blinked as Persephone stood before him suddenly. Her green eyes stared at him with unmistakable desire even as she shoved her hand beneath his robes and he groaned as she began to stroke the head of his cock. Her other hand pulled the dress from her shoulders exposing her small perfect breasts. She pulled at one breast with the same motion that she tugged at his cock and he closed his eyes as sensation began to pull at him. He had wanted this for so long, his lust filled mind thought as the scent of flowers filled the air around him. Gardenias. Not the smell of the meadows, the fresh, pure scent of morning. Not Perspehone. He pushed her away from him suddenly and she stumbled to the floor pushing her long blonde hair from her face as she looked up at him with a smile.

“You are growing weaker, King, to be so easily fooled.” She spread her legs apart and put her hand between them. “I have laid with both your brothers, I have always wondered what you would be like. Your cock is considerably impressive even among God's standards and there is no reason that Persephone would have to know.” She lifted her wet hand to her mouth and licked it, closing her eyes with pleasure. “And I am delicious.”

“I desire you even less than my wife does me,” he replied coldly.

“Oh Hades, then you must want me very much,” she groaned with a little shiver of delight. “She has longed for you for so many years. To love her. To fuck her. Oh, all manner of delightful thoughts,” Aphrodite said closing her eyes. “Even I may blush.”

Real anger pushed at him, she was simply trying to torment him. Persephone had not even known who he was before he had met her at the fields. He wanted to rip Aphrodite limb from beautiful limb. She knew how much he wanted his wife, how he longed for her to love him.

“Stop playing games with me,” he said in a dangerous voice.

“Or what, Hades? What will you do to a God?” The question hung in the air between them. She was ancient enough to know and he could see the knowledge in her face as fear flickered in her gaze. She looked at him for a moment and for once there was no trace of malice. “I do not play games. You should be happy Aidoneus - you have what you desire."

"Not like this. I did not want it like this.”

She stood slowly, her large breasts swaying as she smiled again. "It does not matter how we get what we want -- as long as we get it.”

He made a noise of disgust. “Of course you think that. You fit in well amongst the Gods, each intent on their own pleasures, a coven of madness.”

She fell to her knees before him and tried to pull at his robes again to get a glance. “Speaking of insane,” she said casually as she brushed his shaft, “did you forget what is approaching rapidly?”

He grabbed her wrists with one hand and pulled his robes tightly shut with the other. "I do not know what you are talking about,” he said through gritted teeth. “And if you try to touch my cock one more time I will cut your hand off.”

She pouted up at him, “It would just grow back. Hmm, though, think what we could do with an extra hand,” she said, her face alight with interest. “The possibilities are endless. And besides I just want a look. It is so big.” She sighed at the look he gave her and then stood up, pressing her erect nipples against his flesh. He tried to push back but she pulled him closer, a surprising amount of strength in her thin wrist. She bent over and whispered in his ear, “Here is my advice then. Pluto, your planet, squares Venus in the sky soon. How well will you be able to hide your infatuation then? You better protect your little lamb, so she does not get eaten by the wolf.”

Once again she turned and his wife was before him. She let her gown drop to the floor and this time her fingers curled into herself and the sight of her sweet body was almost more than he could endure, and he pushed her against the desk, pressing his face into her neck.

“Persephone, I love you,” he murmured. He heard a quiet laugh and drew back to see the pale eyes of Venus staring into his own.

She stood adjusting her gown and laughed. “Lovesick Pluto. You are pathetic.” Venus exited through the doors with a giggle, “Goodbye Aidoneus, protect your lamb. She is so very sweet and you are so very ravenous.”  With a flick of her fingers she was gone.

Hades stood trembling. How could he be fooled twice by such a cheap trick. The sight of his Persephone naked and willing was enough to cloud his judgement. He brought his shaky hands to his face and felt the sweat dripping off his hair. Pulling a scroll from the cabinet he looked at the transit Venus had warned of. She was correct, it was coming, and soon. Astrologically, Venus squaring Pluto was not a good day.  At best, it brought out possessiveness, jealousy, violent behavior in your love life, and it was squaring him. It had happened before of course, but never when he had been cursed. Never when lust and love waged war in his mind until there was nothing left of himself. All his insecurities and wrath would be directed at the one person he did not want to fight. He would get a good taste of the darker side of his soul and he feared what would be revealed. He didn’t think he would like the revelation.

He slammed his hand down on the desk, “Merda.”