Page 85 of The Ash Bride

“Fine.” He raised one finger at her. “Give me one hour,” he said, and before she could respond, he was gone.

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The ocean’s cold, wet hands tugged at him as pounded his fist on the pale wooden doors of Poseidon’s underwater palace. It begged him to venture deeper, away from the light of his brother’s abode, and closer to her heart so she could taste him.

His planted feet, and the cold silver railing he clutched onto were the only things holding him to his spot. The ocean was older and more powerful than even the god who controlled her. Oceanus did not much care to control the waters when it wasn’t benefiting him directly, allowing the icy being to play with anything unfortunate enough to dive into her clutches.

At the same moment she wrapped sharp hands around his ankle and tugged, forcing him off balance, the doors opened and sucked him inside.

They slammed shut so hard after him that he was surprised when they did not shatter. Under normal circumstances, even in his own realm, they would have been smashed into shards and dust.

The antechamber was nothing special, it was a small room of wet, grey stones. Bits of greenery grew from the spaces between them, but otherwise there was no colour, or warmth, or light present between the doors he was sucked through, and the ornate ones before him.

Slowly, the water that had joined him inside receded. Loud dripping and a sloshing sounds filled the chamber as the water was pulled from the room.

Once the water was gone, the silvery-white doors, as high as the forty-foot ceiling creaked open. They were encrusted with shiny white, purple, and silver pearls, iridescent pebbles reminiscent of sunsets, and random sections of roughly cut chunks of bright pink granite broke up the shining decoration.

Poseidon stood between them, framed by the glowing doors and silhouetted by the bright light beyond him and into the palace. Lilting music and quiet chatter drifted into the small room that Hades stood in, the warmth of bodies and a home trickling inside and along his chilled skin.

His brother’s face was framed with his black hair that was ever-plastered to his cheeks and forehead. Water dripped down his face, running along his warm brown skin and disappearing beneath the chest of his lilac robes.

“Love the colour, brother. It brings out the warmth of your personality,” Hades said, winking at the god.

“How did you get here?”

“Is that how you greet our dearly beloved brother, Zeus, as well? Or do you save that loathsome tone especially for me?”

“Hades.” Poseidon’s blue eyes narrowed at him, his hands clenched at his sides as he stared him down.

“Are you going to hit me?” He pointed at his brothers fists.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Well,” Hades huffed indignantly, “I see I’m overwhelming welcome here. I must thank you for your generous hospitality, brother. I’m not sure I will ever be able to repay your kindness should you come knocking at my door again.”

Hades made to stride into the palace, eager to see how Poseidon furnished the abhorrently extravagant place he called his home, when he faltered. The foot he had intended to step forward with floated upward while the other remained firmly on the ground. It ceased raising any higher when it reached his waist, forcing him to stand on one foot while the other laid out before him, perpendicular to his body.

Raising an eyebrow, Hades smirked and quietly said, “Oh, we do have fun, don’t we?”

“How did you find my home, Hades?”

“I just did.”

“There are thousands of creatures patrolling this palace and the waters beyond it. The Ocean herself—”

“Still fucking her, are you? When will she realize you merely use her as a guard dog?” Hades interrupted, pressing his hands onto his floating thigh in an effort to get both feet back on the ground.

Poseidon continued without breaking off, ignoring Hades’ comment completely, “—notifies me of visitors long before they reach even the furthest point of my property. Yet,” his eyes blazed and darkened in the next second, settling to the brilliant blue hue they normally took on as he blinked, “she did not tell me you had arrived.”

“She likely requires a higher salary, and is too afraid to ask for it. Poor management, Poseidon, will lose you your errand girl.”

Poseidon sighed. Shutting his eyes, he pinched the spot the between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, and quietly said, “Tell me why you are here, Hades. I do not want to see you any longer than necessary. I’m not sure you are aware, but the man I love was recently murdered by one of my dear brothers. Twice. In several days.”

“My apologies. How awful it must feel to have a loved one taken from you so much sooner than you ever anticipated.”

A deep boom shook through Hades, and the doors separating him from his brother slowly began to close. Hades chewed on his lower lip; he had to tell Poseidon now, or withhold the information for the rest of their lives.

“She is going to send him to Tartaros,” Hades blurted.

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