Bait.Cerberus never joined the celebrations, and now he remembered why. She’d been bait.
After she’d succumbed to hysteria—which had taken an impressive amount of time—he and Minos delivered the mortal woman to restrictive chambers for questioning.Cyane, as Minos called her, had fallen into a deep sleep when he lay down next to her and hummed the torment from her mind.
Cerberus knew what he looked like. His lips twitched. Horrifying ugliness ran thick through his bloodline, but it wasn’t until Hades gave him a human male’s form that true self-awareness came to him. He wasn’t ashamed of his once unique appearance, often finding that he missed it, longed for it, if only because it kept others away from him so he could serve without distraction. But he also found the value of being formed into a human male. His new body and all that came with it had a different type of horror and power he enjoyed utilizing.
He’d initially meant to destroy this mortal Cyane, like he’d done so to the thousands of souls over centuries who’d tried to escape their fate. He wanted to blame the fact that she’d been crazy enough to jump back into Styx, but it was more complex than that. He now wasn’t sure if the mortal had even known it was Styx she’d jumped into. It wasn’t just crazy.
It was beyond that…
When Cerberus had ridden through the tunnel, he'd questioned his tactics, his hesitance, and confronted his failure.
But by the time she’d turned up, still alive, his curiosity had been ravenous.
He was eager for her to awaken so he could question her. But that would have to wait.
Cerberus scanned the crowd again in search of Hades. He still sat upon his throne, conversing with another undying. Cerberus made his way towards them.
Several of the guests nodded in greeting to him as he passed by, but they did not meet his eyes. They rarely did.
He stepped onto the dais and positioned himself at Hades’s left side.
The god, Hermes, laughed at one of his lord’s jokes. “There is no one happier than the Lord of the Underworld this time of year!”
Hades smiled. “And no one more upset than our great Lady Demeter.”
“She is beautiful when she mourns.”
“Perhaps next year you will finally convince the goddess to join us in our dark revelry.”
“And subject our queen to her mother’s pecking even more? She may never forgive you!” Hermes placed his hands on his stomach and bowed over in laughter. “Would you risk an empty bed for another year? Another hundred?”
Hades’s form darkened ever so imperceptibly. “You assume my bed is empty, Hermes?”
“Assume?” Hermes’s laughter continued. “I have seduced my fair share of women. Not one has ever wanted their mother in on their seduction.”
“No. I suppose you’re right. Demeter would only find a way to sully my intention. What do you think, Cerberus?”
Hades and Hermes both turned to face him. The two gods shared a grin at his expense. Although their grins had entirely different meanings.
“Our Queen Persephone would not like her mother here,” Cerberus said.
Hermes's grin widened. “Oh keep going, hound, tell us why?”
“Our queen is not one who would want her greatest ally to see her in the shadows.”
“Ah, so you know our queen well?”
Cerberus straightened and looked at Hades, who nodded for him to continue. He turned back to Hermes. “I know my lord well. He jests in bringing the Goddess of Agriculture here.”
Hermes turned back to Hades. “Is that so? Does Hades, the great God of the Dead, jest?”
“Persephone is not the humble maiden she makes herself out to be. Demeter is best left with her naivety in the sunlight. Same with your own, Hermes.” Hades abruptly rose from his throne. “Cerberus join me. Hermes, we will speak again later.” He dismissed the god with a flick of the hand, and Cerberus fell into step behind Hades as they walked through the crowd. The undying guests stopped their musings to watch.
When they were finally alone in Hades’s study a short time later—the room was carved completely out of stone, save for a terrace that overlooked the gateway and subsequent gate towers in and out of the Underworld—Cerberus moved to the terrace and gazed at the spot where he pulled Cyane from the waters below. He heard Hades settle himself in a chair by the fire on his left.
“Hermes is not far off in his assumption,” Hades mused.
Cerberus tore his eyes from Styx. “Do you think he spies?”
