They floodedinto the space with just as much excitement on their faces as there was on mine.
As I’d hoped, they didn’t only go to the games they might know.
“What is this?” one man asked, picking up a paddle from the table.
“I’ll show you.” I hurried to pick up the other paddle. Zotera had played with me while we were setting it up, and it had been so much fun. It didn’t matter that she’d dominated each time; I’d simply enjoyed playing the game.
The guy I faced played with as much intensity as Zotera and never missed a shot, no matter how wild I hit it back to him. I wasn’t that lucky. But I gave it my all, jumping and flailing in my effort to hit it back to him. The people around us chuckled lightly, and when I kept missing and announcing the points, a few shared worried glances.
It wasn’t until the end when I thanked him for a fun game and passed the paddle to the next person that the slight tension they’d held completely melted away.
“They love when you play with them,” Hades said, hugging me from behind.
“It was pretty fun. I think I almost broke a sweat.”
“Do you want to shower?”
I smirked and hugged his arms. “Not just yet. I want to stay for a little longer. Did you play anything?”
“No. I enjoy watching.”
I looked around for Zotera and found her watching the others play as well. She seemed content with it, though, laughing and talking with other spectators.
“Mother, how do you play this game?” a woman asked, holding up a small sack loosely filled with grain.
Hades was reluctant to release me so I could show her. And he stayed close by, watching everything. Like with ping pong, I didn’t stand a chance. The woman sank the bag on every single shot. So I made the rules harder for her. She had to turn around and try to score, throwing backward without looking. It made the game more fair and far more interesting for her. We gathered a sizable crowd of onlookers who cheered us on.
I was laughing by the time we finished the game, which she’d won but only by a point, and surrendered my set of bags to someone waiting.
“Thank you for playing with me, Mother,” she said before turning to her next opponent.
Hades slid his arm around me, hugging me to his side as we moved through his children.
“Is there something I can drink?” I asked.
He magicked a cup of water and didn’t look away from me while I drank it. Although he didn’t say anything, I could feel how on edge he was. This situation, a room full of people having fun, was too similar to when I’d been poisoned for him to relax and enjoy himself. That thought had me wondering if he’d ever been able to fully do either in his lifetime.
“What game should we play?” I asked.
The active ones were far more popular than the strategy games, meaning a checkers board was available.
It was on the ground with cushions around it for lounging. We settled on each side of the board. While I studied it and considered my first move, he considered me.
“They enjoy this,” he said.
I lifted my head and scanned the room. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.
“I’m glad. Wandering the halls in boredom isn’t the way I’d want to spend eternity. I can’t imagine they were having much fun either.”
He glanced away from me and shook his head. “No. They were not.”
“Creon has a job, something to do. You should think of tasks for everyone else.”
“What would you have them do?” He didn’t ask it angrily but curiously while I made my first move.
“It depends on what they enjoy. After being inside for so long, maybe some of them would like to do some kind of outside tasks.” I would want to do that if I had the freedom back home. I’d always wanted to mow our lawn. My uncle had made it look like hard work and always came back inside red-faced, hot, and sweaty. I hated that he’d had to do it every time.
“I know there aren’t any lawns to mow or gardens to tend around the castle, but there could be. And it would make the outside prettier too.”
