“Whoa—“
“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry,” Persephone said as she ran to us. She grabbed Cerberus by the collar and pulled him down. “Sorry, Eros. I didn’t know he would be so excited.”
“It’s fine,” Chloe said, almost laughing. “It’s fine. He’s…” Her voice waned as she realized what Persephone had called me. Her brows narrowed, and she looked between us. “Who is this?”
My mouth pressed into a thin line at Persephone, knowing she’d let Cerberus free to give her a reason to intervene. But she just smiled, and I noted how bright her eyes gleamed.
“Persephone,” she said, her voice a little weaker than it had been moments before.
“Ah… Chloe,” Chloe hesitantly replied. “Hang on—“
“The grump back behind me is my husband,” Persephone said, and Chloe looked around Persephone's figure to see Hades rising to his feet. Her face went pale, eyes wide, and she looked up at me.
“What—“
“Can I hug you?” Persephone asked.
“Um, I guess…”
Persephone swept her arms around Chloe before she could finish her sentence. Hades grabbed Cerberus by the collar and locked his leash on him, then gave a look that read an apology for how his wife was crowding Chloe.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed at me as she stood there and let Persephone embrace her.
“Hang on,” Chloe said, still confused when Persephone finally released her. “You’re like… liketheHades and Persephone?” she asked.
“I don’t know about ‘the,’” Persephone said.
“Oh, no, there’s absolutely a ‘the’ in front of your names,” Chloe countered. “Am I supposed to bow?”
“You meet Aphrodite and Ares, but these are the two who make you nervous?” I asked her.
“She’s the Queen of the Underworld—“
“You introduced her to your mother?” Persephone asked me. “You left that part out when we spoke last.”
“It was just on Friday,” I said.
“She’s pretty intimidating,” Chloe said.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Persephone said. “She’s that way because she wants you to think you’re inferior. She’s surely jealous of your beauty. It’s why last time—“
“I think we’ve overwhelmed her enough, my love,” Hades said, his hand on Persephone’s elbow. “Cerberus needs a bath.” He tugged her slightly, and I gave him a tight-lipped smile in response.
But Persephone couldn’t stop beaming at Chloe.
“You’ll see her again,” Hades reminded her.
“Oh. Right. At Zeus’s retreat, maybe,” she said as she looked at me.
I held a hand up. “Slow down,” I told her.
“Zeus hosts a retreat?” Chloe asked.
“Every few years,” Persephone said. “It’s—“
“Hey, Seph?” I said, trying to rein her in. “Can I give you Chloe’s number later?” I asked as I tucked my hand around Chloe’s waist.
A heavy, albeit nervous, sigh left Persephone as she continued to grin brightly at Chloe. “Fine,” she agreed.
