“What do you need?” he asked.
“There was someone here. A man,” I said as my mind raced. “Who can come and go from Hell at will, besides the furies?”
“Many of the gods and goddess, as you well know. Who did you summon this time?”
I looked up at Hades’ angry face and slowly shook my head.
“I didn’t summon anyone.”
His lips curled back.
“I hate your games.”
“This isn’t a game. I saw someone. He said, ‘You’ then ‘Impossible,’ and then he disappeared when you appeared.”
“Are you certain that you wish to distract me from searching for your soul?”
I stared at Hades for a moment. Did I want to distract him? No, not really. But, if other gods were going to start showing up in Hell, I needed to get out of there fast. I could barely handle the one.
Yet, as I took in Hades’ bare torso and rustic pants, I couldn’t help but question what I’d seen. Why would one god wear a modern-day shirt and the other not? What if he hadn’t been a god? What, then, was he?
I shook my head to stop my thoughts.
“No. You’re right. Let’s focus on finding my uncle. Any luck yet?” I asked.
“None, but Creon is back to full health and believes he should have all of the missing names recorded today.”
Relief coursed through me.
“You hide your disappointment well,” Hades said, leaning close. “For all that I have done, I will see nothing but pleasure on your face tonight.”
The low warning in his words made me shiver, and I released him. Finding and speaking to my uncle needed to work. I didn’t have any other options.
My stomach growled hungrily, and Hades’ lips curved in a knowing smile.
“Ask me, Goddess, and I will provide.”
After his last comment, I didn’t want to ask for anything, but he’d made too many dire comments about starving and contracts to ignore my stomach.
“Can it be something other than stew?” I asked. “Maybe some olives and cheese and bread?”
“So be it,” he said, holding out his hand.
Pretending like my fingers weren’t still trembling from the scare of Hades’ quasi threat of sex tonight, I slipped my hand in his.
We walked down the hall to the throne room. Instead of leaving me at the entrance, he continued forward, his eyes roving over the changes we’d made. Well, the changes that Zotera made.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“Do you wish for me to say it’s true so you can burn it all to ash?”
“No. I want you to say something nice to Zotera. She’s starved for praise.”
Hades’ angry expression cut to me.
“And whose fault is that?”
“Persephone’s,” I said without hesitation.
