“Melinoe is eager for your affection,” Cerberus muttered.
“My...daughter,” Hades hissed, snake-like, “is nothing more than a nuisance. I will not fuck my children as my brother does. Melinoe doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. She’s nothing. Will never be an heir. My queen will give me heirs, true heirs. I have picked her, and my choice is final. I have waited long enough for her affection to return, and Cyane—that mortal—will be what Persephone needs to bare her cunt to me again. Her cunt tome! Me! And not her father Zeus! Even if my brother took her wearing my face!”
The embers burst from the hearth into screaming flames, illuminating both Hades and Cerberus with shades of golden red.
Questions filled Cerberus’s mouth, but he swallowed them like he had the nectar, nodding instead.
Hades’s breaths were labored with rage. “Cyane is to serve me. She is a means to an end, like all mortals, so do what you will with her, but know when the time comes, she must come to me.” He sighed wearily as if all the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. And perhaps, in a way, it did. “Leave me now Cerberus, before I change my mind.”
Cerberus grabbed his helmet and stood. “Thank you, my lord.” He meant it. He drew the darkness to him.
“If I had given you a woman’s body, would you have given me an heir?”
Cerberus’s brows furrowed at the question, then he nodded. “I would give you my life.”
Hades’s smile returned. “We would’ve made a monstrous god, the likes of Typhon, you and I. Perhaps it’s best you always remain within the body I have bestowed upon you. Yes.”
A new, full cup of nectar appeared in Hades’s hand. He turned back to the fire.
This time when the darkness consumed Cerberus, he wasn’t stopped.
The Worship of a Mortal
He watched Cyane sleep.
Her chest lifted and fell with each soft breath. His hounds curled around her on every side, protecting her as they protected the gates of the Underworld. They were him, after all, always feeling as he did. Through their snouts, Cerberus smelled her womanly scent, and through their sharp eyes, he saw her because they still belonged to him.
Now I know this thrill, this terrible hunger.Hades’s words drifted in and out of his thoughts. He finally understood some of the motivations for Hades’s actions, and that eased Cerberus if only a little. But it also made his belly burn with acid and his jaw ache.
I should tell her, prepare her.She will serve better if she knows what to expect.
Cyane’s head fell to the side with a muted sigh, baring her neck.
He unclenched his hands and removed his gloves, setting them on a small table next to the bed. He caressed the ring of her hair and turned back to watch her.
If he told her, he’d be telling her she’d never be free of this place. He’d once offered her freedom in return for following him, and he hadn’t meant to lie. He wasn’t made to be devious, but these circumstances had changed him.
Hades had been correct in his observation.
Cerberus pulled off his helmet and set it beside his gloves.
Her eyes twitched behind her lids, and he leaned down to study them, wondering if she dreamed of him or if nightmares filled her head. Either way, he wanted it to be of him, only him, and not his lord.
Cerberus reached out and cupped her neck.
Her eyes snapped open, mouth parting, and she jerked up under the blankets, pulling them to her chest with sudden, startling fear. Beautiful.
“C-Cerberus?” she gasped.
He showed her his hand, and her gaze flickered from it to his face, her pulse grew wild under his palm. She gripped his wrist with one hand, holding the covers up with her other one. An eternity seemed to pass before she lowered her guard. She swallowed under his hand and licked her lips.
He released her and unbuckled the leather knot at his shoulder.
Cyane sat up straighter as he released the buckles along his armor. Like his helmet the day before, it had been ages since he’d removed it. He took off the chest piece, feeling the cool air of Tartarus drift across his skin like a long-awaited lovers touch.
He made short work of his vambraces, boots, and pants until he was as naked as Cyane. His cock sprang heavy, jutting from his groin. The soft glow of gloom fell upon their skin.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
