Page 6 of Raising Hell
Obviously, telling him the current month and year would prove nothing then. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Humans aren’t unimportant,” I said instead.
“You misunderstand me. I only find the passing of time unimportant…until you’re not here with me. Then it is very important while I await your return. Humans play little role in my opinion of the passing seasons. My Zeus-given task is to care for the dead, not the living.”
“So you don’t care about humans at all?” I asked, very interested in his answer.
He studied me quietly for a moment before closing the distance between us.
“I should tell you that I do not, but I can see in your eyes that you want me to. Why? What game are you now playing? Do you wish to act the jealous lover? There is no need for jealousy, Goddess. There has only been and will only ever be you. You are more than my sun and moon and stars. You are the sky that contains them all.”
My pulse sped up, and I felt the slow slide of my consciousness as I started to believe he meant every word he said…about me. Shaking my head to free myself from his daydream, I turned away to continue my pacing.
“I’m not playing at anything. Jealousy or otherwise. I’m just trying to figure out a way to get you to believe I’m human. It’s the 21stcentury back home. Humans…mortals have invented incredible things like indoor plumbing, space travel, and lasers. Things that would have been considered magic a long time ago. And the reason I asked those questions was to gauge if any of that knowledge would help convince you that I’m Ashlyn, not Persephone. But you obviously don’t care.”
He stepped in front of me suddenly.
“Goddess, I care more than you will ever willingly see. Tell me of these human marvels, and I will listen.”
CHAPTERTWO
“Really?”
“In all our millennia together, have I ever lied to you?”
“As Ashlyn, I wouldn’t know. As Persephone, didn’t you trick her into eating some kind of fruit? Trickery is the same thing as a lie.”
Hades’ expression closed off, and the ground beneath my feet gave a slight tremble.
“You are a vexing creature. By your own words, you’ve claimed your games are neither truth nor lies but simply a means to entertain yourself while trapped in the hell of your making.”
“That’s Persephone’s view. Mine is that trickery is like a lie. So don’t do it. Okay?”
He held my gaze for a long moment before nodding.
“So be it. No trickery from me. Now, tell me of the human marvels.”
“Okay. Where to start?” I asked absently, my mind already racing. “Well, there’s plumbing. Which I guess isn’t something most people really think about as a marvel until they have to go without it. Pipes bring water into a home, and different pipes take the dirty water and waste away. It eliminates the need for the pot in the closet or the need for magic in order to shower.”
He gave the enhanced area of the bedroom a speculative look. Both the “shower” and the “toilet” were new additions, thanks to his magic, but still very primitive by current modern standards.
“But it’s not just plumbing,” I continued. “The homes themselves are very different from what you’d remember, I bet. The walls are made of wood and metal, and the roofs are made out of tar, paper, and stone. No more grass and mud. They hold up very well in storms.”
“Take care, or another god will test that,” Hades said, crossing his arms and casually leaning against the bedpost to watch me.
“Streets are no longer dirt paths or lined with cobblestone. They’re made up of cement or asphalt.”
“Asphalt,” Hades said as if trying out the word.
“It’s a mixture of tar and stone and probably some other things I don’t know. It’s all science and chemistry. Only the children of the gods are still dependent on magic.”
“Or perhaps these marvels are,” he said. “It’s unlikely humans could create these things without help.”
I considered what he was saying.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe we did have help. But even if that’s the case, whatever help we received to get to this point made us more independent and resourceful. Magic is no longer necessary, and neither are the gods or their children.”
Hades laughed.
