Page 39 of Hell On Earth
Eyes closed, he said, “Zotera, daughter of my heart, I could no more stay angry with you than I could hate your mother.”
I waited until he opened his eyes to look at me.
“I’m sorry Persephone is dead.”
His lips brushed my brow, and he held me as we swayed in a much less sensual way.
My phone began to ring before the song ended, a layer of reality to an otherwise dreamlike moment. Hades gave me room to check it but didn’t release his hold on me as I answered Megan’s call.
“Hey, Megan.”
“Don’t ‘hey Megan’ me,” she said. “I know who you’re with. Are you okay?”
Hades’ expression hardened, and a second later, Megan stood next to us with a phone pressed to her ear. Her eyes rounded as her gaze bounced between Hades and me.
“As you can see, Ashlyn is well. If you wished to verify that, you should have appeared yourself, Daughter.”
Megan lowered her phone in uncertain silence, and I wondered if she could feel the tension radiating off of Hades as I could.
I poked him in the ribs. His shocked expression was almost comical.
“Can you blame Megan for calling instead of just appearing?” I asked. “You haven’t exactly made her feel welcome in your presence.”
Hades considered me, his hands moving on my back, before inclining his head.
“I apologize, Megan,” he said, glancing at her. “You are welcome in our presence.”
“And he promises not to do that hand wave thing anymore that makes you disappear like an unwanted step-child,” I said, caressing where I’d poked.
His gaze locked with mine, and I saw his shiver as he nodded.
“Okay. Thank you, I guess. Um, is Eugene okay?” Megan asked.
I tore my gaze from Hades and looked at Eugene. He was sitting on the table, and Zotera stood between his knees, kissing the daylights out of him.
“I told her she could kiss him to break an incubus’ hold,” I said.
“It’s working,” Eugene called when Zotera moved her mouth to kiss his chin and eyes.
Megan and I shared a glance. “I seriously don’t know how he’s survived,” she said.
I smiled slightly in agreement and looked at Hades, still trying to grasp how he was there. His hands warmed my back through my shirt, and I could feel the stroking movements of his thumb.
Megan cleared her throat. “Not to be the rain on the reunion parade, but how are you here, Father? I thought you were bound to Hell.”
Hades lifted a hand to feather his fingers over my cheek.
“I allowed myself to be bound to Hell with the promise of Persephone’s presence at my side,” he said. “The Persephone I knew has died. I am no longer bound to her.”
The tenderness in his gaze evaporated as he looked up at the balcony above.
Megan disappeared in a burst of flames and reappeared where Hades was looking at the balcony's edge with her back toward us.
“Who’s on the phone?” she demanded.
She pivoted to look down at us with a scowl.
“Why did the gods need to give so many giants the ability to portal? It’s a pain in my ass.”
