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Heidi *Bookwyrm Babe, Voyeur of Covers, Caresser of Spines, Unashamed Smut Slut, the Always Sleepy Wyrm of the Stacks, and Drinker of Tea and Wine*
Kindle Notes & Highlights
It was the desperate Hades was most interested in—the ones who might change if offered the chance.
Aphrodite had always been enchanted by the God of Fire.
“Fall in love, Hades. Better yet, find a girl who will fall in love with you.” Then Aphrodite clapped and exclaimed, “That’s it! Make someone fall in love with you!”
She is yours, a voice echoed in his head, and something inside him snapped. Claim her.
The thread and its placement near his heart had significance in a way he was not quite able to wrap his mind around—the Fates had woven this woman into his life. She was meant to be his lover.
He would pry the bars from around her body, free her from this self-constructed cage of hate, and in the end, if she did not love him, at least she would be free.
“I do not destroy lives,” he said tightly. He offered a way for mortals to better their lives. Once they left his office, he had no control over their choices.
“No one prays to the God of the Dead, my lady, and when they do, it is already too late.”
It was the only way she would see him for who he was. A god desperate for peace.
The God of Fire looked at Hades then, his brows drawn together, and there was a sincerity within his eyes Hades had never perceived before. “I want her to be happy.”
One day, Persephone would tire of feeling defenseless, and his queen would rise from the ashes. A goddess.
This burning desire, this desperate wish to claim and protect and to love.
He wanted her to find solace in his gardens, to walk the paths of the Underworld with Hecate, to celebrate with the souls. He wanted her to, one day, think of the Underworld as her home.
He had smiled more in the last hour than he had in his lifetime.
In truth, this was a small part of a greater fear—that he could not protect her from those who would wish to harm him.
“Love is a selfish reason to bring the dead back,” he replied. She had not yet learned that the dead were truly favored.
If he was going to help mortals the way Persephone desired, he was going to have to create something special, and he knew just when to unveil the project—at the upcoming Olympian Gala.
“I would mourn the loss of you,” he said. “But if you need to drink from the Lethe…I will grant your wish.”
She had won their favor in no time, and he had yet to win hers.
“What would you trade for something you loved?” the Magi countered. The world, Hades thought.
He descended upon her as if she were a feast and he starved.
“This was a mistake.” That was not a lie, and the truth of it shattered his soul.
Why did I let her think something so false? he thought, and then answered himself. Because I feared exposing the truth of my heart—that I have always desired to love and be loved.
It was her love he wanted. Because it was her he loved.
He knew what she wanted—to be good at something, but not just anything. She wanted to be good at something she chose, because she wasn’t good at the thing she was born to be.
It would mean that if he lost, the Fates would take the life of a god. He was playing a game—a game of fate.
It doesn’t mean you cannot go get her. It doesn’t mean you can’t still tell her you love her. It doesn’t mean you can’t still fight for her. You’re the one who always talks about actions. Why don’t you live by your words?”
“I don’t know. I just feel…guilt for not telling Eurydice I loved her more, for not spending more time with her. I feel guilty for living—not just existing but for doing everyday things like watching television or hanging out with friends. I feel guilty for smiling or laughing or feeling anything other than sadness in her absence.”
