Page 33 of Dark Gods
When he finally raised his head, his gaze was still glowing with amusement, but there was something else, too. If I'd been in a less pleasure-addled state of mind, I might have been able to sort out what it was, but the door opened and reality came crashing down around us. I turned my attention from the man between my thighs to the one at the door and found myself hoping it was Thor coming to check on us. At least that would have been the kind of humiliation I could laugh at a few years down the line.
Instead, I found myself face to face with Hades, and if I'd thought he hated me before, the look in his eyes just proved that I hadn't seen anything yet.
16
Hades
When I received word that Helle and Phrixus' suspension had finally been lifted, I'd gone to the Headmaster in an admittedly less than pleasant mood. The "accident" was obviously intentional, but Odin insisted that a suspension was more than enough to punish the guilty parties for their "recklessness."
His words were still eating away at me hours after our impromptu meeting, AKA me barging into his office.
"The Wild Hunt is this school's longest-standing tradition, and this year marks the first time that it's gotten out of hand," he'd said in a scolding tone as he stared at me from across his big wooden desk with a roaring lion's head mounted on the wall behind him. "If you're having difficulty managing your responsibilities, perhaps they would be better off handed to someone else."
I'd stormed out of his office with a chip on my shoulder, but there wasn't much even I could say to the old man without risking my father's wrath. Odin was one of the few untouchables, even though he bended knee to my father when the rare occasion called for it. He was the one who'd been tasked with ensuring that I stayed in line, even though he'd never come out and admit as much. I knew Loki's initial offer of friendship had been nothing more than a reconnaissance mission, and it had only turned into something genuine because he'd admitted as much to me.
I had to tread carefully where Odin was concerned, which meant taking matters of punishment into my own hands. I wanted Kore humiliated and broken spiritually, not physically, and anyone who dared to lay a hand on what was mine was going to pay the price.
I'd learned through my many eyes throughout the academy that Kore and Phrixus had lost that day's training, which meant Thor would've assigned them both to kitchen duty. It was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I'd walk in, give Phrixus the scare of his life, and Kore would learn that there was as much reason to long for my protection as there was to fear my hatred.
Loki's words, much like his father's, had lingered in my mind, albeit for a different reason.
Maybe he was right. I hadn't wanted this engagement any more than she had, even if she was intent on making it obvious. But like it or not, Kore was still going to be my Queen, and the one source of companionship during our long stints in the Underworld.
I knew the hell of isolation first hand, and despite what Sartre said, hell wasn't other people. It was being alone with yourself.
Besides, it had been almost three weeks and surely by now she'd gotten enough of a taste of being the object of my ire. All I had to do was step in, play the hero, and she'd wilt before me. The tough girl routine was just that--an act. Every goddess had her limits--and her price. She'd proven herself interesting enough by resisting my efforts to break her to be worthy of a second chance, once she properly apologized.
I walked into that kitchen ready to make amends. And then I saw that white-haired prick between her legs, and all my benevolence turned to wrath.
"Hades," Phrixus sputtered, straightening up in record time. Kore hopped down from the counter and tugged her skirt down a bit less anxiously, a defiant look in her eyes even though her cheeks had the good sense to show her shame.
My anger churned like a black sea within, but I refused to give her the pleasure of unleashing it on him the way I wanted to. She was watching me closely, I could feel it, even though all I could see was red, painted on Phrixus’ head like a bullseye. For the first time since I was a young teenager, I could feel myself in danger of losing control and I had to reign it in. There was no putting the hellfire back in its bottle once it was unleashed, and as smug and unapologetic as the goddess standing before me was, she was nowhere near as prepared to feel its wrath as she seemed to think.
“Phrixus, your standards have lowered,” I remarked, my voice sounding comically calm in spite of the fire barely quelled beneath it. “You once pandered to my friends, and now you’re licking up my scraps?”
He looked between me and Kore, a helpless mass of nervous energy and hesitation.
“I’ll handle it,” she muttered, jerking her head for him to go. I supposed she thought she called the shots now.
I waited for the cowering fool to leave and thought of calling him back because I wasn’t sure I trusted myself alone with her. Not when I had so many secrets to rip her open with. The last that had rolled off my tongue had admittedly been a mistake, but there was no taking it back now.
We were both in too deep, even if I was the only one who knew it yet.
“I guess it’s true what they say,” I finally said once the tension grew unbearable. “There’s no accounting for taste.”
She snorted a laugh, far from the humiliated response I’d expected. “You’re just jealous another guy tasted what you’ve deluded yourself into thinking is yours,” she said without missing a beat. Her tone sweetened as she continued, “But don’t worry, Hades. You can have a turn, but you’re gonna have to get down on your knees and learn to beg first.”
The laugh that came from my throat was genuine, if only because it was born of indignation. “Me? Beg for something you’re giving away for free?”
“Is that supposed to sting?” she asked, brushing past me on her way to the door. “It’s the twenty-first century, Hades. I know you spend most of your time in Daddy’s basement, but the whole virgin goddess thing is a little passé.”
Rage burned within me and I spun around, grabbing her wrist. Anyone else would have cowered, but her gaze just burned with spite to match my own, and if I didn’t already hate her so much, I might have fallen in love right then and there.
“Contrary to what you might believe, you have been the beneficiary of my patience up to this point,” I said carefully. “I’ll give you one last chance, Kore. Apologize. Beg for my forgiveness, and all this ends.”
She held my gaze, and to her credit, it was for longer than anyone else ever had. When she finally spoke, her voice was icy but calm, proving she did have it in her to show restraint when necessary. She just needed to be shown her place.
“Your benevolence astounds me, Hades.” She broke from my grasp and reached up to touch my face. The spark within that touch took me by surprise, but she didn’t seem to be aware of it. Those eyes sharpened and her lips parted in the slightest of smirks as her fingertips brushed across my cheeks. “You want an apology? Here it is. I’m sorry everyone in this school wastes their time cowering in fear of someone as pathetic as you.”
