CHAPTER XXIV: THE ASCENSION BALL

CHAPTER XXIV – THE ASCENSION BALL

Hades teleported to the Underworld. His first stop was Hecate’s cottage, where he found the goddess preparing for the evening. She looked like the moon, draped in silver, her lampades weaving matching stars into her dark hair.

“Hades,” Hecate said. “How was council?”

He was not often vocal, but he felt the need to recount his time at Olympia.

“Zeus will pay dearly for his commentary on women,” Hecate said when Hades finished.

He had no doubt. Hecate was not afraid to punish gods. She had done so many times and in many ways, from setting traps to curses to revoking the victory of a precious hero. Her wrath was real and deadly when she was pushed.

“I worry his attention will turn to Persephone,” Hades said.

Hecate’s eyes glimmered like coals.

“If it does, she will be able to defend herself.”

Hades looked at the goddess questioningly. “How?”

“She did not tell you? The night you had—err…” She paused, and Hades glared. He knew what she was going to say. The night after they’d had sex. “The day after The Olympian Gala, she sensed life for the first time. She could feel her magic.”

Hades let Hecate’s words sink in. Persephone sensed her magic. He knew it was possible that her powers would begin to awaken, but he had not expected it to happen so fast. It meant that Persephone had accepted his worship, that she had felt powerful and worthy while they had made love.

It meant that she trusted him.

The realization made his chest swell, and it made Demeter’s words feel even more threatening, but when Hades expressed this to Hecate, the goddess just smiled.

“Have hope in your goddess, Hades. Has she not already chosen you?”

***

Hades did not stay long with Hecate. He was eager to see Persephone. It sounded strange, but he was curious to observe a change within her. Would her ability to sense life alter the way she thought of herself and her Divine blood? He thought of when he had met her. It was like she resented who she was, as if she felt like less of a goddess because she could not call upon her power. Power that had not arisen because she had been hidden away her whole life.

Hades clenched his fists at the thought. Demeter had let her believe she was powerless, she had watched as Persephone spiraled, putting distance between herself and her Divinity until she no longer saw herself as one.

And yet she was the most god-like of any of them.

The first thing he noticed when he manifested in the Queen’s Suite—the suite that would one day belong to her—was her scent. She smelled of sweet vanilla and earthy lavender. Their eyes met in the mirror, and just as she started to turn toward him, he stopped her.

“Don’t move. Let me look at you.”

She froze.

It was an exercise in control, because all Hades wanted to do was be near her, and yet he maintained his distance and walked a slow circle around her, savoring every detail. She was dressed in gold, the color of power. The fabric was like water pooling on her skin and touched her in all the places Hades wished his hands could be, and beneath that thin fabric, he noted how her nipples hardened into tight peaks. As he came up behind her, he wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her against him, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

“Drop your glamour.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Why?”

“Because I wish to see you,” he said. He felt her seize beneath him. It was like the night after La Rose when she held those sheets to her chest, a shield she used to protect herself from his gaze. He reached out with his own magic, caressing hers, and he felt her open to him. He turned his mouth to her ear, still maintaining eye contact. “Let me see you.”

She closed her eyes as she let go, and Hades watched as she transformed. She was everything. She was everything in any form, but there was something about watching her embrace her Divinity that was inspiring. It was beautiful. Right now, it felt intimate.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered, and as she did, she didn’t look at Hades but at herself. She was enchanting, and everything about her had intensified. Her skin glowed, her eyes were luminous, her horns spiraled gracefully, but perhaps she appeared like a flame because she stood before his darkness.

“Darling, you are a goddess.”

He pressed his lips to her shoulder, and he felt her hand hook around his neck. She turned into his kiss, and their lips crashed together, hungry and hot. His pulse skyrocketed, and heat flooded the bottom of his stomach, filling his cock until it was hard. He made a carnal sound that came from the back of his throat, and Persephone turned in his arms. Hades pulled away, cupping her face.

“I have missed you,” he said.

She smiled sheepishly and admitted, “I missed you, too.”

His lips caressed hers, but Persephone was eager. She pushed up onto her toes, and their lips collided. He liked her hunger and her boldness, her hands smoothing over his chest, down his stomach, seeking his cock, but before she could reach him, he stopped her, breaking the kiss.

“I am just as eager, my darling,” he said. “But if we do not leave now, I think we shall miss your party. Shall we?”

She actually hesitated, and he found himself smiling, but she took his outstretched hand. As she did, he dropped his glamour, revealing his Divine form. Unbound hair, black robes, and a crown of silver made of jagged edges that sat at the base of his horns. He could feel Persephone’s gaze upon him, sinful and sweet. It touched him everywhere and sparked his hunger.

“Careful, goddess,” he warned. “Or we won’t leave this room.”

He felt the truth of his words deep, even as he managed to lead her out of the suite into the hallway toward the ballroom. They paused behind a set of gilded doors, and Hades was glad because he wished to savor this moment—the first time he presented to his court with Persephone by his side.

Perhaps she did not even realize the significance, but from here on out, they would see her as his counterpart, as a figurehead, as a queen.

The doors opened, and silence descended. Hades’ hold on Persephone’s hand tightened, and he rubbed reassuring circles up and down her thumb, but the anxiety he had sensed within her seemed to lessen as soon as she saw the crowd and the smiles of those who knew her. When he glanced at her, he saw that she smiled back.

His people bowed, and he led her down the stairs, into the waiting crowd. They rose to their feet as they passed, and Persephone smiled, called each by name, showering them in compliments or asking after their day. It had never taken Hades so long to reach his throne, but watching her interact with the souls was humbling.

His eyes wandered to the faces of others in the crowd, and when he caught them staring, they looked away quickly. Part was embarrassment and part was fear, and that strange guilt returned in a fierce wave, clamping down on his heart. Then Persephonereleased his hand, and she broke through the crowd to embrace Hecate. Shortly after, she was surrounded by souls. Like moths drawn to flame, they descended once the darkness was gone.

He continued on, the crowd parting easily for him, and he couldn’t help noticing the distance his souls placed between them. It was a stark comparison to how eager they had been to touch and embrace Persephone. He frowned, and the guilt grew heavier as he stalked to his throne where Minthe hovered. She was dressed for the occasion, in a fitted burgundy dress. It made her hair look like a sunset and her skin bloodless. He knew by the expression on her face she had things to say, and Hades hoped she understood by his expression that he wanted to hear none of them.

He sank into his chair and watched the revelry, but his shoulders were bunched and his fingers curled into the arms of his chair. He felt on edge, waiting for Minthe to say something that would only deepen the darkness inside him.

“You have taken this entirely too far,” she finally spoke, her voice quivering, a hint at the storm of emotions that lay beneath her words. Hades did not look at her, but he could see her profile out of the corner of her eye and she wasn’t looking at him, either.

“You forget yourself, Minthe.”

“Me?” She whirled toward him, and Hades looked in her direction. “She was supposed to fall in love with you, not the other way around.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous.”

“She is a game, a pawn! Here you are flaunting her as if she were your queen.”

“She is my queen!” Hades barked, nearly coming out of his chair.

Minthe snapped her mouth closed, her eyes widening just slightly, as if she could not believe Hades had raised his voice at her. When she spoke again, it was in a tone as icy as the air around them.

“She will never be enough for you. She is spring. She will need light, and all you are is darkness.”

Minthe spun on her heels and left the ballroom, but her words remained, having hooked themselves in his skin. They brought his own thoughts to the surface, the ones he had buried deep, the doubt that Persephone, Goddess of Spring, could ever love him, the King of the Dead.

They could not be more different, and their entrance into this ballroom tonight had taught him that.

“Why are you sulking?” Hecate asked.

He had a feeling the goddess had been trying to sneak up on him, but as all her attempts, this one had failed too. Hades’ eyes slid to hers, and he glared.

She pursed her lips. “I know that look. What did Minthe do?”

“Spoke out of turn, what else?” he grated.

“Well.” Hecate’s voice changed pitch, and Hades knew she was about to say something that would only add to his frustration. “She must have spoken the truth, or you would not be so angry.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Hecate.”

He was staring at Persephone as she danced with the children of the Underworld. They held hands and pranced in a circle. Now and then they would break away from each other to twirl or Persephone would lift them into the air, laughing as the they shrieked with delight.

“She loves the children,” Hecate said.

Another pang in his chest.

Children.

It was something he could not give to Persephone, an option he had bargained away long ago. Could he really ask her to forgo being a mother to spend her eternity with him?

After a moment of silence, he spoke quietly. “I should let her go.”

Hecate sighed. “You are an idiot.”

Hades glared.

“She is happy!” Hecate argued. “How can you look at her and think you should let her go?”

“We are immortal, Hecate. What if she tires of me?”

“I tire of you,” she said. “I’m still here.”

“I knew I should not have tried to talk to you about this.”

He stared harder at the dance floor when he saw Persephone turn and come face to face with Charon. He bowed to her, that damned smirk upon his lips. He asked her to dance, and she took his hand.

His knuckles turned white as he clenched the arms of his throne.

“You could not let her go,” Hecate said. “You could never see her with another man.”

“If that was what she wanted—”

“She doesn’t want it,” Hecate said, cutting him off. “You must not assume you know her mind just because you have fears. Those are your demons, Hades.”

He gave her a dark look, and for a moment, Hecate’s expression was just as stern, then it softened and the corner of her mouth lifted.

“Let yourself be happy, Hades. You deserve Persephone.”

Then she wandered off into the crowd. Hades’ gaze returned to Persephone. She drew attention like a flame, her beauty, her smile and laughter, her very presence, radiating warmth and passion and life, and despite the fact that he had disliked their earlier separation, he liked watching her. It distracted him from the fact that Minthe returned, taking up space on his left, while Thanatos appeared on his right.

“Come to apologize?” he asked her.

“Fuck you,” she replied.

“He’s done that,” Hermes commented, sidling past them, white wings dragging the ground. He looked ridiculous, bare chested, wearing only a gold shroud over his waist. “It must not have been very good, because I don’t believe he ever went back.”

“Hermes,” Hades growled, but the god was already parting the crowd, heading straight for Persephone. She turned as he approached, and he bowed, asking her to dance. Hades watched, frustrated, as he took her into his arms and swayed, movements exaggerated and taking up space.

It wasn’t that he thought Charon or Hermes would take liberties, or that he was jealous because she danced with them. He was jealous because he felt as if he could not approach her, like the atmosphere of the room would change if he did. He should not fear it, this was his realm, but there was something so vibrant about this night. There was a life here that hadn’t been here before Persephone.

As he thought her name, her gaze snagged on his and held, and he noted the longing in her eyes, as if the distance between them was a strain. It wasn’t long before she broke from her Hermes and approached him, eyes burning and body dripping in gold. It was something out of a fantasy, and he could not help imagining her kneeling before him to take his cock into her mouth. Already it strained, restricted by his robes.

She bowed low, the angle giving him a view of her ample breasts. As she straightened, she asked, “My lord, will you dance?”

He would do anything to touch her, anything to hold her close, anything to feel friction where he desired it most. He rose and took her hand, and did not move his eyes from hers as he led her to the dance floor. He drew her near, every hard line of his body cradled by her softness, reminding him of the way he fit against her as he collapsed atop her after release. A release he wanted now.

“Are you displeased?” she asked.

It took him a moment to detach from his thoughts and focus on her words.

“Am I displeased that you have danced with Charon and Hermes?”

She stared, a frown touching her lips. Obviously, she was concerned about his mood. He leaned into her, lips touching her ear as he spoke.

“I am displeased that I am not inside you,” he whispered gruffly, and drew her earlobe between his teeth.

She shivered against him, and as she spoke, there was a smile in her voice.

“My lord, why didn’t you say so?” she teased.

He drew away, eyes darkening with need, and guided her to spin before pulling her back to him. “Careful, goddess. I have no qualms taking you before my whole realm.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Would, he thought. He would cloak this place in darkness and draw her up his body until she fit snugly on his cock. He would urge her to remain quiet but make it exceedingly hard as he coaxed her to orgasm.

The thoughts were too much, and he found himself pulling Persephone off the floor and up the stairs, his people clapping and whistling, oblivious—or perhaps not so oblivious—to his intentions.

“Where are we going?” Persephone asked, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

“To remedy my displeasure.”

He took her to a balcony that overlooked the palace courtyard. She started to walk ahead of him, drawn to the edge as if she were memorized. He did not blame her, the view was stunning, as the whole Underworld was pitch black, save for the stars which appeared in clusters of various sizes and colors. Hecate had always said Hades’ best work happened in the dark.

He was about to make that true of pleasure as he pulled Persephone back to him.

She stared, eyes searching his own.

“Why did you ask me to drop my glamour?”

He drew a golden curl behind her ear as he answered, “I told you. You will not hide here. You needed to understand what it is to be a god.”

“I’m not like you.”

She had said those words before, and this time, Hades smiled at them. She wasn’t like him; she was better.

“No, we have only two things in common.”

“And those are?” She arched a brow, and he could not tell if she liked his response, but that did not matter. Soon she would be taking pleasure from him and nothing would matter, not the world around them or their divinity.

“We are both Divine,” he said as his hands traced a path down her back, over her bottom, where they settled, hooking beneath her thighs as he drew her up his body to settle against his cock. “And the space we share.”

He leveraged her against the wall as his hands sought desperately to part his robes and raise her dress, exposing their most sensitive flesh to the night air until they sank into each other. Once inside, he remained still, forehead resting against hers. He wanted to linger in this moment, the initial feeling of stretching and filling, her sex clenching his to accommodate his size, and the contented sigh she offered as he slid into place.

“Is this what it’s like to be a god?” she whispered.

He had one arm wrapped around her back, the other pressed into the wall beside her head, and after she spoke, he drew back to look into her eyes.

“This is what it is like to have my favor,” he answered, and as he thrust into her, an electricity moved through his body, an unstoppable current that grew more intense the longer they were together. He watched her, witnessing as she was overcome with pleasure, head rolling back, exposing her creamy throat to his kisses.

“You are perfect,” he whispered, cupping the back of her head to soften the impact of his movements, and when he felt close to coming, he slowed, nearly leaving her body only to slam home again.

“You are beautiful. I have never wanted like I want with you.”

He had never spoken truer words, and as they burrowed into his chest, he found himself kissing her, covering her mouth with his own, teeth clanking together as he continued, hips thrusting hard. His heart was pounding in his chest, his muscles tensed, and all he could think about was the feeling of his throbbing cock and balls as they tightened and he shuddered his release, spilling into her in what felt like waves. He pressed into her, breathing hard, his horns tangling with hers.

It took him a moment to compose himself, but he finally straightened and withdrew from her, helping her to the ground. As her feet touched the floor, the sky lit up behind them with the spirit of reincarnated souls. Hades held Persephone close, and they moved toward the edge of the balcony.

“Watch.”

In the distance, the sky ignited as the souls turned into light, into energy, and soared into the ether of his realm. They were leaving to reincarnate, to be born again in the world above and live a new life. Hopefully, one that was more fulfilling than the last.

“The souls are returning to the mortal world,” he explained to Persephone. “This is reincarnation.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

His people had gathered in the courtyard below, and as the last of the souls left a trail of sparks in the sky, they broke into applause. The music began again, and the celebration continued, but Hades’ gaze had not moved from her face.

“What?” she asked as she looked at him, eyes glittering, and her smile made his chest feel strange and chaotic.

“Let me worship you.”

Her smile changed, taking on a sensual edge, and despite how they’d come together moments ago, Hades knew he could take her again, and again and again, if she’d only answer.

“Yes.”

He teleported to the baths. He had intentions of finishing where they left off the first night he had explored her body and her sweet, sensitive flesh. Except as soon as their feet touched the marble steps, Hades mouth descended upon hers and they knelt to the ground, where they made love beneath the open sky.

***

Later that night, Hades sat on the edge of his bed while Persephone slept. Her soft breaths brought comfort to his electric body. He was restless, a rare occurrence now that Persephone shared his bed. Something was wrong in his realm. He could feel it at the edge of his mind, on the fringe of his senses, like a phantom thorn in his side.

He rose, manifesting robes as he teleported to Tartarus, to his office, where he had left Sisyphus, only to find that he was gone.