“Perhaps you should’ve enjoyed yourself tonight instead of offending me.”
Cerberus’s fingers twitched around his cup. “And the woman? A mortal has not dwelled here in many years. This place is not for them. Especially not your bed.”
“That is not for you to decide.”
“Allowing a mortal woman into your bed, mere days before our beloved Queen arrives, will not excite Persephone into sharing it with you,” he fumed.
Hades’s terrible smile returned. “Implore me.”
Cerberus’s own anger festered, slowly. He stood, and lowered himself down on one knee before his lord, and bowed his head. “You are right, as always. What will you have me do?”
Hades placed his hand atop Cerberus’s helmet. “Your job. The celebration is rife with schemers, beggars, and lesser immortals seeking power any way they can. Watch the gates vigilantly, let no one leave until the celebration is over.”
“Yes, my lord.” It was an easy request. One he was always willing to do. He wanted to say more; the other gods would not like being told what to do.
“And as for our special guest, when she has fully recovered, deliver her to me.”
“Of course.”
“Very good. You may return to your duty.”
Cerberus rose and made his way to the door, at once eager to stay with Hades, but just as impatient to find out more about the woman, and how such a being found the attention of the Lord of the Underworld.
Hades’s voice trailed after Cerberus when he stepped out into the hallway. “And Cerberus, do try and enjoy the party this year, lest I find my gifts wasted on you. I really hate being offended. Don’t make me regret my actions.”
Cerberus swore and continued walking.
The Days of Melinoe
Cyane woke with a start.
A scream tore from her throat. There was a monster! Demons. They existed! Terror swept through her. Sharp teeth, large jaws, and thousands of eyes clashed as one in her head.
“Shhh, shhhhh, it’s okay. It was all just a bad dream.” A beautiful woman crawled into the bed next to her, undeterred by Cyane’s screams. “You’re awake now.”
Tears filled Cyane’s eyes, and she clutched onto the woman pressed against her side. Fingers brushed through her hair, and warmth flushed her skin. She curled herself into the stranger and cried.
“Shhh.” The woman wrapped an arm around Cyane and held her tightly. “Nightmares are no fun, no fun at all.”
“It wasn’t a nightmare, it was real.”
“Then why are you in a warm bed, well away from all who would hurt you?”
Good question. Cyane pushed her face into the blankets piled around her. An image of the beast flashed in her head. The woman petted her hair and shoulders as she struggled to make sense of it all.
The terror faded, fast and hard, almost as quickly as it had hit her. Memories resurfaced, and as the fear continued to dissolve, so did the unexplainably impossible images in her head.
Where am I?
Who’s holding me?
Somewhere in the back of her addled head, Cyane knew she should be just as scared waking in an unknown bed, with an unknown person, but after all that had happened…
She was content to have a reprieve, a moment to think.
Her tears dried up, and she relaxed. The stranger readjusted so Cyane could rest her head in the woman’s lap. The cooing and soft whispers she sang did more for Cyane than a healthy dose of Xanax ever could.
Fingertips softly scraped her skull, gently pulling out the tangles of her hair. Internal warmth flooded her chest. Cyane’s breathing evened out.
