“You know I have been diligent in all my duties from the moment we drew our lots,” I said flatly, watching his smile dim and a cold, steely glint appear in his eyes. “You knew the outcome before we drew the lots, didn't you?”
“You were always watching and listening, Hades, but you rarely spoke. Like a fox in the henhouse waiting for the right moment,” he said as he laid back on his reclining couch to take a long sip of his drink.
He didn’t need to say anything more, but had I been so naive not to notice his distrust?
“I want to marry Persephone,” I said bluntly.
He spluttered as he sat upright and began to pound his fist on his bare chest. His thick grey eyebrows furrowed together.
“Demeter—” he began to say.
“—is your problem,” I said, standing up to walk on the blinding white floor.
Zeus jumped up from his seat with a burning fury, throwing his goblet across his great hall. He raised his arm, and I heard the crackle of his lightning bolt. I walked toward him until we stood face to face.
“I have doneeverythingyou ever told me to do, brother. Without question or hesitation,” I hissed at him. My own festering rage took over. “I wantmy Queen,” I said, stabbing my chest with my finger.
We glared at one another. Neither of us moved, and I refused to blink. His punishment for my disrespect would be severe, but I wouldn't back down.
Not now. Not ever.
The skin around his eyes creased in mirth, and I frowned as he began to laugh. His arm came down, and he slapped my chest.
“You finally spoke up, Hades. How long have you been holding onto that anger?” he said, wheezing with laughter as his amusement vanquished his anger.
I wondered what kind of effect the nectar had on Zeus for him to act so absurdly.
“You shall have your Queen. Demeter will not be happy, but I will try to pacify her. It is up to you to secure Persephone,” he said with a wry smile. “I keep an eye on everyone, but those two are especially close.”
Close? Wait, he was agreeing? Was Persephone mine?
“Why do you look so shocked? I might not agree with the manner of your request, but I understand your need for a wife,” he said as he rested his hand on my shoulder. “You never gave me any cause to complain, Hades. Never once.”
Zeus began to give me tips on how to ‘woo’ my future Queen, but I had already shut down to whatever he was saying because I was busy imagining Persephone in our Palace. My strategic mind considered all the ways to bind her to me and the Underworld.
Persephone was now mine by right.
Chapter 5
Persephone
I gazed at the cherry blossoms above me as I lay on my Mother’s lap. We spent countless hours together in the lush, vibrant land. It was a sanctuary where our individual passions intertwined. My Mother was a perfectionist when it came to her crops of grains and vegetables. She always took my breath away when a simple touch to a tree would ripen its fruit until the branches strained with the heavy load.
My love for all types of flowering plants flourished alongside my Mother’s creations. The colourful flower beds created a harmonious blend of beauty beside the more practical orchards. My Mother’s cool hand caressed my forehead, causing me to close my eyes.
“We gain more worshippers by the day,” she said with a contented sigh as she rested her head on the tree trunk.
“It is a reward for all your effort, Mother,” I said, opening my eyes to reach up and touching her cheek.
She was the most beautiful Goddess of them all. Her long hair was the colour of golden wheat mixed with a fiery flash of copper. Her almond-shaped blue eyes had more shades in them than the ocean. I wished I were as beautiful as my Mother, but instead, I had mousy brown hair with strange yellow-brown eyes.
My Mother devoted her life to her role as the Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility. We had many devotees, but the mortals should be grateful for all the blessings she had bestowed on them.
“Our effort,” she said insistently, looking down at me with love shining softly in her eyes. “You, my love, renew everything with your bright, youthful touch.”
“I only helped a little and catalogued new species,” I said, blushing from my Mother’s praise before changing the subject. “Do you miss being so far from Mount Olympus?”
It was our main residence, and it was rare that we stayed away for long, but she could transfer us back at any time. We were using this time in the plains of Nysa and the surrounding areas to help cultivate more life.
