Chapter 5

Hades woke up with a groan. He slowly sat up and wondered why he was on the floor, sleeping in a bed of jasmine petals.

“I’ve never seen them do this before…” Hades thought aloud, picking up a blossom. The scent of roses was mixed with the jasmine. All the memories came rushing back. In his long life, Hades had never felt such an intense attraction to someone like when he’d met Despoina. He rarely took lovers, even if just for a night.

Hades looked around with a start and realized Despoina was gone.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath while jumping to his feet. “Despoina?” He raised his voice, looking around the great hall to see where she’d gone. He was suddenly concerned. The Underworld was filled with many things that wouldn’t think twice before making a snack out of a pretty nymph.

You’re worried about nothing, Hades reminded himself. She entered the Underworld with Hermes. If she left the palace, I’m sure Hermes snatched her right back up.

By the look of the light, it was still early morning. Hades dragged his hand over his face and pulled a piece of leather cord off his wrist to tie up his unruly hair. He could sleep more; no one would miss him until noon.

Hades looked around and couldn’t find his clothing. He knew no one had access to his palace unless he explicitly granted it—no one else was around, so he opted to figure it out later and not to dress. He was feeling more chipper than usual, undoubtedly due to last night’s events, and had no shame strolling through the dark halls of his home naked.

He approached his bedroom and shoved the door open, ready to dive headfirst into the luxurious mattress… except someone was in his bed.

A million different emotions ran through Hades at once. First, all his goodwill evaporated. A surge of obsidian power manifested in his hands, his bident appearing in his grip. He was angry. All over the world, everywhere Hades went, some people had preconceived notions about him. His home was where he was safest, and it made him disturbingly vulnerable to see someone in his bed.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness in his room, and he realized Cerberus was sleeping at the foot of the bed. He was on his back, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, while his paws twitched as he dreamed.

What in the name of the gods? Hades made his bident disappear and crept slowly to the edge of the bed. Whoever was sleeping in it had taken his side of the bed, and the Underworld’s most infamous hellhound didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

First, my bed, then my dog?

Hades moved like a ghost. The only feature he could discern was a tumble of golden hair, glowing in the low light and fanned across his pillow. Hades slid his hand across the silken blankets, grabbing the comforter and yanking it back.

“What are you doing in my—Despoina?” Hades started to yell, his anger evaporating as soon as the nymph rolled over in bed. She was on her stomach, wrapped in his missing black chiton from the night before. She looked sleepy and well fucked, and the sight had Hades half-hard nearly instantaneously.

“Hmmph?” Persephone made a sleepy noise and rubbed her eyes, not even bothering to open them. “Cerby? Are you fussing?”

“Excuse me? Cerby? When did you become so friendly with my dog? Who’s supposed to defend my house from strangers, by the way.” Persephone rolled onto her back. She looked blissed out and well fucked, and a more primal, male part of his chest swelled up. The chiton slipped and exposed her breasts to him.

Most of Hades’s frustration abated.

“You don’t have to call me that,” Persephone sighed happily. She blinked her eyes open and smiled pleasantly at the sight of a naked, aroused Hades at the bedside.

“I don’t have to call you by your name?” Hades crossed his arms over his chest. He was undeniably pleased to have found her in his bed, but something about how she’d snuck into his bedroom and made friends with Cerberus was bizarre.

“How did you get in here?” Hades pressed again. “And who are you? The truth, this time. The doors to my private chambers are locked by magic, and Cerberus should tear apart strangers who aren’t with me.” Hades’s voice dropped low, and he found himself using the strict tone he used with courtiers.

Persephone blushed, now fully awake, and sat up in bed. Hades’s eyes dropped to her chest again, and she smiled, convincing him she knew exactly what she was doing.

“My name isn’t Despoina.” She breathed deeply. “My name is Persephone.”

All the words came out at the same time, rushed and blurring together. Hades still heard every syllable.

“Okay?” Hades’s brow furrowed as he looked at her. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to—Persephone?” Hades froze as what she’d said dawned on him. He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes going wide as he stared at her. Neither moved for a full minute, Hades forcing himself to stay calm. His voice was steady and commanding when he spoke.

“Please do not. Tell. Me. You. Are. Demeter’s. Daughter.” Hades punctuated each word, his hands tightening into fists.

Persephone had the decency to blush, smiling bashfully as she shrugged.

“I could tell you that if it helps. I’d be lying, however.”

Hades paled, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

“Oh no, oh no, no, no…” Hades started repeating it over and over again. He sat on the edge of his bed, burying his head in his hands. Despite his size, Cerberus chose that moment to wake up fully, attempting to climb into Hades’s lap.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Hades snapped, looking over at Persephone. “Do you know what your mother will accuse me of?”

“Let me handle my mother,” Persephone pleaded. She reached across the bed and put a hand on Hades’s shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you, honestly.”

“You used a fake name, Persephone.” Hades sounded tense enough that Cerberus jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom.

“Okay, yes,” Persephone rolled her eyes, “but only because I knew everyone in the Underworld would react this way.”

“I’m not reacting to your presence in the Underworld,” Hades groaned. “I’m reacting to the fact that I fucked Demeter’s daughter. Oh, fuck.” Hades started swearing. “Doesn’t she refer to you as ‘Kore’?” He turned around and gently grabbed Persephone’s shoulders, his face full of concern. “Were you a…”

“Oh, fuck off, you’re acting like a teenager.” Persephone hissed, shoving his hands off her. “No, I was not a virgin when I rode your dick to the gates of Tartarus and back last night. My name is not Kore, but Persephone. If my mother refuses to see me as an adult, that’s one thing, but I will not let you fucking old gods pretend that I’m a child.”

Hades’s eyes went wide at Persephone’s outburst. He held up his hands in a gentle signal of surrender. “Persephone,” he repeated softly, watching as Persephone’s agitation abided slightly. “Your name is Persephone. I apologize if I tried to take your agency from you. It was not my intention.”

It was Persephone’s turn to look surprised when Hades apologized. They were silent again for another minute before she nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t come down here with the intent to seduce you or anything. Not that I’m complaining.”

Hades smirked. “I can’t say I have any regrets about it.” Persephone smiled, reaching her hand across the sheets and grabbing hold of Hades’s fingers.

“I needed to escape. I got in another fight with Demeter, and before I knew it, I had been hiking my way down into the Underworld. It would be the last place she looked for me, so I kept going.”

“I didn’t know your relationship with Demeter was so tumultuous.” Hades offered diplomatically, carefully assessing how Persephone felt about the goddess. She scoffed and ran her hands through her hair, detangling the ends.

“Are you kidding? That would be putting it mildly. I can’t stand the woman.” Persephone quieted. A haunted look in her eyes suddenly filled Hades with anger—Persephone looked hurt, betrayed, even. It was not the look he had expected when someone discussed their mother.

“Okay.” Hades didn’t press the issue. “We need to talk about your presence in the Underworld. Demeter is not going to like it. If you’ve been gone for a full day, I imagine she already is raising hell in Olympus.”

“I know she is.” Persephone rolled her eyes.

“It’s probably best if you go back to see her,” Hades started slowly. “It’s really…for the best.” His chest tightened at the admission, and he felt his power rise in protest, which surprised him the most. His power was directly tied to the Underworld—which was almost conscious in its own way, and the Underworld wanted Persephone to stay.

Persephone sighed heavily, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin atop them. She looked at Hades with a perfect pout, which made his cock twitch.

“I can’t go back. At least, not yet.” Persephone sighed. “You don’t understand. It’s not only that Demeter infantilizes me. I have power that she doesn’t understand and refuses to teach me anything. It’s starting to eat me up inside.”

Her voice sounded pained, and Hades was immediately on full alert. Hades reached out and tucked some of Persephone’s hair behind her ear.

“What do you mean you have ‘power she doesn’t understand?’”

“I don’t know if I can conjure it on command,” Persephone sighed, looking at her fingers. “It manifests at will.”

“Why don’t you try?” Hades encouraged.

Persephone nodded, sitting up straighter and rolling her shoulders. She closed her eyes and focused. Hades momentarily got lost at seeing her in his bed, something he hadn’t fully reckoned with but enjoyed immensely.

Without warning, black wisps of magic erupted over Persephone’s skin—like veins. It moved across her fingers and her arms as if they were underwater. Hades couldn’t keep the shock off his face. Everything he’d heard about Persephone was her role as a spring and fertility goddess. He only knew bits and pieces of the Fates prediction. Still, until he saw it before him, he’d been skeptical that Demeter’s daughter would ever manifest with powers of the Underworld.

“By the Fates.” Hades let out a low whistle. It broke Persephone’s concentration, and she snapped out of it, the magic disappearing.

“Do you know what it means?” Persephone whispered, still sounding unsure.

Hades nodded.

“It’s the power of the Underworld, Persephone,” he murmured, unable to keep a smirk off his face. “That means part of you belongs here. The Underworld has been calling for you to come home.”

Persephone’s jaw dropped. For a moment, Hades thought she was furious. Then she launched herself at him and hugged his shoulders, laughing.

“Oh, that’s the best thing you could’ve said!” Persephone stopped hugging him, grabbed his face, and kissed him soundly. “Really! This is such good news.”

Hades kissed her back—he couldn’t help himself—but raised a brow as he studied Persephone’s elated expression.

“You think this is good news?”

“Of course.” Persephone rolled her eyes. “It means I can stay here.”

Hades opened and closed his mouth a few times, debating what to say.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” Hades said gently, cupping Persephone’s cheek, “Demeter is still one of the strongest Olympians. She is not going to like the fact that you want to stay here. You need training, but Hecate can provide that for you without requiring you to stay in the Underworld—”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Persephone’s lip curled as she stared at Hades incredulously. “I certainly didn’t think the mighty lord of the dead would be so precious about sleeping with someone.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Hades growled, pointing his finger in Persephone’s face. “Don’t put words in my mouth, goddess. I don’t think you’re a child like your mother does, but I am older than you.”

“I notice you didn’t say shit about being wiser.”

“It was implied.”

“I must have missed it.” Persephone countered.

Hades grunted and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Demeter would’ve never told Persephone about the prophecy regarding her powers and her fated position as queen of the Underworld. There would be time to sort all of that out. They were gods. They had all the time in the world. Hades wouldn’t give up Persephone so easily now that he’d had her in his arms, but he wanted to ensure they didn’t act rashly.

“I don’t want to see you go, but these things must be considered carefully. There are things at work that you don’t understand.”

“Now you sound like my mother,” Persephone sassed him, “which is rather unbecoming for a god such as yourself. You could let me stay in the Underworld if you wanted to.”

“Such as myself?” Hades growled. “You’re the one acting like a brat right now.”

“Am I?” Persephone blinked her eyelashes at him. “That’s a shame. If you wanted to teach me proper manners, you must let me stay.” Persephone crawled across the bed towards him, her hips shimmying.

Hades was frozen to the spot as Persephone slipped past him, getting on her knees in front of the bedside as gracefully as a cat. He was hardly breathing when she placed her hands on his thighs and pushed his legs apart, settling between them.

“Please?” Persephone purred again, leaning forward. She stuck her tongue out and licked up the underside of Hades’s cock from root to tip.

“Fuck,” Hades cursed. He was hard as a rock in seconds, falling back on his elbows. “Is this how you plan to convince me?”

Persephone’s breath was hot as she pressed a small, teasing kiss to the tip of his dick. Hades shuddered.

“I’m not trying to convince you of anything,” Persephone purred. “Maybe I just want to taste you.”

“You do need to learn some fucking manners,” Hades grunted. He sat up, cupping the back of Persephone’s head. His voice dropped lower. “Tap my thigh if it’s too much.”

Persephone nodded eagerly.

Without saying another word, she took him in her mouth and swallowed around him, moaning around his shaft. It sent vibrations down Hades’s dick, and he nearly blacked out from how good she felt.

“That’s it,” Hades grunted. Persephone continued to suck him down her throat, taking a little bit more of him each time. “You took all of me last night in that pretty cunt. I want to see you take all of me down your throat.”

Persephone moaned again around his cock, and Hades gave a hoarse shout. He tangled his fingers in her hair and started fucking her mouth gently at first, but Persephone kept making sweet little noises that pushed him over the edge. His pacing became erratic as he felt heat building at the base of his spine, threatening to push him over the edge with little warning.

He held off as long as he could, wanting to suspend himself forever in the tight, hot bliss that was Persephone’s mouth. Persephone pulled off his cock with a wet pop that nearly sent Hades over the edge. She caught her breath momentarily and leaned forward, flicking her tongue around the head.

“Come on now,” Hades smirked, his voice wrecked, “take me back down your throat like a good girl. If you want to stay in the Underworld, you must prove to me you have manners.”

Persephone sighed happily, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head. Hades was pleased she was enjoying the game as much as he was.

“Fuck you,” Persephone practically giggled before taking him in her mouth again.

Hades grunted, the beginnings of his release boiling in his veins.

“Touch yourself,” Hades commanded, rolling his hips and thrusting until he hit the back of her throat. Persephone obeyed, and his eyes grew dark at the sight of Persephone pinching her nipples. It sent him over the edge, and he was coming with a hoarse shout.

Persephone didn’t stop, drinking him down without hesitation. She gasped when he finally pulled away, his orgasm turning his bones to jelly. Persephone laughed, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the satisfied god on the bed.

“Does this mean I can stay in the Underworld?” she purred.

Hades scoffed, knowing that he was practically signing up for war but unable to deny her anything. He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at her, already feeling immense affection for a goddess he’d known less than a day.

“Lick my cock clean, spring goddess, and I’ll consider it.” His voice was low, and Persephone feigned outrage. In retribution, she climbed back up on the bed, and it was a full day before anyone heard from either Persephone or Hades.