A Game of Retribution (Hades Saga, #2)

by Scarlett St. Clair

He had come to test the validity of a supposed oracle who went by the name Acacius.

He was familiar with the name and his businesses—a well-known relic dealer whose front was a mechanic shop.

which was why, when he began to offer mortals a look into the future, Hades became suspicious.

He had few vices, among them racing, whiskey, and Persephone, his Goddess of Spring.

But Persephone was more than that—she was an addiction. A craving he could not sate.

he fought the visceral urge to return to her despite having spent most of the weekend with her, exploring her, buried inside her.

but Kal had always made the mistake of flying too close to the sun, and it seemed that everyone understood the implications but him.

“This is the game, Hades, and all gods play it. I asked for your aid and you declined, so I shall seek retribution all the same.”

She spoke as if this were mere business, but Hades knew Hera, and her threats were not idle.

It was not difficult to locate her. He could sense her within his realm, her presence a steady pulse that beat in tandem

That was far more concerning to him than the fact that she had greeted souls.

Although, I would rather you want me as queen because you love me, not because the Fates have decreed it,” she said as she returned the book to its place.

“And the only thing I regret is that I have lived so long without you.”

“I will punish you until you scream,” he promised, feeling the truth of the words swell within his chest. “Until you come so hard around my cock, you are left in no doubt of my affection.”

Apollo had seduced Leuce in retaliation for Hades’s refusal to allow him to reunite with his lover Hyacinth. So he’d left the god alone with his misery.

He had a hard time believing she didn’t know who was responsible, and her connection to him was too great for someone not to use it against him.

“Oh, dear king,” said Clotho. “There is no path,” said Atropos. “That will leave her unbroken,” said Lachesis.

“What a waste,” Hecate said, and Hades wondered if she was more upset that there was no particular drama to this

Usually, people of Acacius’s caliber did not sit with their backs to doors or windows for fear of assassination, but perhaps he felt comfortable in his own space.

“To what do I owe your visit, and what can I do to prevent it in the future?” “Rude,” Hermes said, sauntering to the bar. “You’re talking to a hero.”

“And look how long it took you to get a girlfriend.

He touched her chin and pressed his mouth to hers, and his mind went blank, consumed by her smell and her taste and her touch.

“Why would you think that?” he asked, especially since he hadn’t, but he was curious about her reasoning.

not eager to be exposed as a goddess.” “Goddess or not, you are my lover.”

There was nothing compared to being inside Persephone, but at least he would sleep after this.

“Darling,” he said, his voice low and fierce. “I would burn this world for you.”

He took her higher until her muscles contracted and a sweet warmth coated his fingers, and when he withdrew, he took them into his mouth. “You are my favorite flavor. I could drink from you all day.”

“Speak another’s name in this bed again and know you have assigned their soul to Tartarus.” For some reason, it made him feel better.

She was asking to know him, to understand him better. He could not deny that thought gave him anxiety. What if she did not like all parts of him? As he knew she wouldn’t.

“You are my weakness, losing you is my greatest fear, and your love is my most treasured possession.

Seeing? It was such a minor word to describe the love of his life

He supposed he did not trust that her love for him meant she could overlook his past, and admitting that was both painful and embarrassing. In the end, he hadn’t given her a chance.

The broken note in her voice tortured his thoughts and clawed at his chest.

She fit so perfectly among those flowers, like his soul had known to make it for her before she existed.

He had been since the night Persephone had confronted him about Leuce, and things had spiraled from there. Now he agonized, replaying every decision he’d made prior and since, and he felt ridiculous.

“Speak further, Nephew, and you will have no reason to fear her threat, because I will tear you to pieces.”

“I will warn you now, Apollo,” Hades said. “If any harm comes to Persephone, favor or not, I will bury you and everything you love in ash.”

“I love you. I should have reminded you when I brought you here and each day since. Please forgive me.”

That word—kill—he hated it. It tore through him like an arrow to the heart. She acted as if he wanted this to be Lexa’s fate, as if she’d forgotten who exactly he was.

“Make no mistake, my lady, I would burn this world for you.”

Had he been so mesmerized by Persephone’s offer of companionship that he’d failed to consider the consequences of his own actions?

She’d unwittingly managed to manipulate Hades into benefiting her cause, and he resented it—but he would find a way to get back at the goddess. She would regret her entanglement in his life.

“But since you asked,” he added, and she looked at him. “I always want you with me. Even when I’m angry.”

“I’ve longed for love all my life. Longed for acceptance because my mother dangled it in front of me like something I had to earn.

when she was too tired to move, she went to her side, and Hades entered her from there and brought them both to release.

He only seemed to be making it worse. She was heedless of anyone beyond her pain, but whatever that was, it would not compare to what she would feel when this was all over.

“Persephone,” he murmured, wishing so much that he could reach for her. “I…I don’t know what you saw, but you must know—you must know—it wasn’t real.”

“Help me forget what I saw in the forest,” she begged. “Kiss me. Love me. Ruin me.”

“Beautiful,” he murmured. “If I could, I would keep us here in this moment forever, with you spread out before me.”

When she could no longer control her body or the sounds that came from her mouth, he knew he had her and he pushed forward until she came.