Hades
The Siege Begins
When Persephone walked away, leaving me on the battlefield, my soul was hollowed in ways the curse had never achieved.
But it didn’t matter in the end. I’d made a vow.
So I’d come for her again. To the gates of the city of the gods, where my brothers had barred me for an eon. They feared my vengeance after they tricked me, cursed me, stole everything I loved.
They were right to fear.
My power had returned—the full, unfettered strength of the God of Death—the moment my queen shattered the blood curse. I went back to the Underworld and gathered my army.
My warriors and subjects had been trapped in the Underworld for so long while I searched the mortal realm for my mate. They’d waited. Trained. Hungered for this day. Now they threw themselves against the walls of Olympus with everything they had.
We couldn’t break the wards—I knew that. The protections around Olympus had been woven by all twelve Olympians. They were impregnable.
So we would camp here to besiege the city. We would harass the gods, trap them inside like caged animals—until I had my queen back.
The siege had raged for over an hour. My army bombarded the gate and the walls. Winged demons circled above, searching for weaknesses in the glimmering ward-light. Beasts from the deepest pits of the Underworld threw themselves against the walls. And the legions of the dead climbed over one another in endless waves, wailing and clawing at the barrier.
I bet the deafening sounds grated on our enemies’ nerves. Metal on magic. Fists on stone. And the screams of the dead. War drums beating frantically.
I stood at the forefront, watching the wards glow under the assault—hard and bright as diamond, and just as cold.
Arrows of fire rained down on my army from the walls. The enemy soldiers shot volley after volley, trying to discourage us.
My shadows arched into a protective dome, shielding my forces and devouring the burning arrows.
My head turned to The Paramount, music drifting from the high tower. My eternal foes were throwing a party while we laid siege to their gates.
Thosemotherfuckerswere toasting my loss. Cheering the theft of my mate.
Dante barked orders.
Our spells struck the wards again and again. The barrier flickered—a ripple in water—before hardening again. The blasts drew the enemies’ attention. Figures emerged onto the rooftop of the floating terrace, and my superior sight singled out my mate among them even from this distance.
She was pushed to the front by the crowd, forced to witness the siege.
A mask resembling a flaming death skull, the symbol of the Underworld, covered half of her face. I hadn’t expected that, and pride surged through me.
Our connection ignited, the mating bond flaring to life, bright and fierce. I felt my mate’s focus on me. Her recognition. Her longing.
My love.My gaze held hers, pouring every ounce of need into the space that separated us.I come for you. As always. Forever.
I drank her in greedily. She wore a gown of liquid flame, the red of blood and war. The bodice was cut daringly low, a statement that she had nothing left to hide. The skirt flowed around her like fire given form. Black gloves scaled her forearms—the color of my realm, of our home.
She wasn’t just the most stunning goddess. She was magnificent. My queen no longer veiled her power, and it outshone every false star in their golden sky. It radiated from her in waves I could feel even here, a beacon in the chaos.
Seeing their regal queen standing proud upon that tower, my army rallied with a vehemence that shook the bridge. They hammered the walls harder, threw themselves against the shimmering barrier with renewed fury. She was loved by them all. They would die for her. Kill for her. Follow her into any battle.
Then a giant figure materialized at the far end of the golden bridge in a flash of sunlight.
Apollo strode forward like a peacock, his movements deliberately showy. He zipped across the span faster than mortal sight could follow and stopped just inside the gate, facing me.
My shadow shield churned before me. His sunlight cloaked him like a second skin, a brilliant, taunting glow.
He shone annoyingly. He’d once believed his light could seduce my mate away from me. Had been certain its warmth would triumph over my darkness.
