Receiver of Many (Hades & Persephone, #1)

by Rachel Alexander

“What made this?” “Kronos,” he said quietly.

He’d never done it, or thought to do it, before he saw me, and I was not devoured… cleanly.”

😭😭😭😭😭

As they grew up in oblivion, they feared him— when they saw him in the dark, they saw their father’s face.

he felt her lips meet his shoulder and press a kiss to the scarred flesh. Aidon’s breath caught in his throat and he stayed perfectly still while she slowly planted a trail of kisses down its length to the side of his arm.

Well.... shit

Persephone realized that after tonight this man, this king, this god, would never let her go— and she was certain now that she didn’t want him to.

“Oh no! I like it long,” she said. “It suits you. And if you cut it short, what would I hold on to when—”

😂😭😂😭😂

Aidon’s fought back a surprised smile as he caught the scent of lilacs in the air between them. His story was arousing her.

“Wh-who were you protecting?” “You.” She looked up at him in shock. “But my mother said he went to Tartarus before I was born.”

As far as I’m concerned only one good thing ever came out of that first meeting— you were conceived that night.”

Is this why you cannot fully open your heart to me, Aidon thought, because you think I’ll be like him?

We began the alliance of the Olympians that very moment by sealing yours and my betrothal.”

“You don’t have to say anything right now, sweet one.”

“Of course,” he said with playful eyes and half a smile, “I could look again.” She giggled and felt him draw away from her, crouching at her feet.

“And now I’m convinced,” he said breathlessly and licked his lips with a smile, “that every last bit of you is good and beautiful.”

His laugh sounded unnatural yet beautiful to her, as though such a sound never before existed.

“Did I hurt you?” She looked at him, her face falling. “Did I do something wrong?”

Persephone shifted in his arms, needing to feel the sweet friction of him plunging into her, frustrated and mewling for him to go faster.

“Aidon—” “Not yet…” he whispered. “—please…” “Shh… Persephone…”

The last barriers she held against his full possession of her seemed almost strange now, and she could feel herself edging closer to those three fateful words that he longed to hear from her.

“I love you, sweet one. I love you… My Persephone, I love you. I love you, I love you…”

words that she still could not say to him, no matter how badly she wanted to.

They were pricked by Eros, and their love will die someday.

Her response to him was always so sudden and overpowering. Had he pricked her with the arrow?

“You pricked me with it last night, didn’t you?! To make me fall in love with you!” Her eyes widened in panic once the words left her mouth. Persephone froze.

“I thought I’d already made it clear to you by my actions that I would never use trickery to have you.”

She saw his eyes flash with hurt and anger.

“My mother would never— you’re a liar! I can’t believe I ever let you touch me! You’re a liar!” “And now you know why I didn’t tell you!”

“If that’s the truth, then you weren’t afraid of losing me, Aidoneus! You were afraid of losing your claim over me. All I am, all I ever was to you is a fulfillment of a contract.”

“This was the only thing that ever found its way into your heart!”

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“Then what do you feel? Look at me.” He lifted her chin roughly. “Look at me! Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t love me!” Her blue gray eyes met his, then filled with tears. She turned away from him. “That’s what I thought,” he sneered and stepped back.

For that, you’re worse than Demeter!” She saw his eyes widen in shock as she compared him to his enemy.

I saved you; I gave you freedom and knowledge, and made you into a woman when I took you here to be my queen. Don’t make me regret that.”

“You don’t want a queen, you want a whore! All you want is for me to lie on my back and spread my legs for you!”

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“I should never have brought you here. My life was ordered; it made sense before you threw it into pandemonium. And when you do spread your legs for me, Persephone, when you welcome me inside your body, you turn me into a fool— an idiot— that thinks you are capable of loving me.”

“Better an idiot than the whore you’ve made out of me.”

Omg stop!!! 😭😭😭😭

Especially not by a mere slip of a girl.” “You’re my fool,”

He pulled back her hair and bit at her collarbone, angry and undone, feeling her undulate against him. “And you are my whore,” Hades growled.

Between sharp breaths, she wondered how often that look of wild victory had crossed his face during the war.

He barely registered the blur of her open palm in the corner of his eye. It cracked against his cheek. Aidon brought his hand over the stinging, reddening mark on his face in shock. “Get out!” she cried.

Aidon turned to her one last time. “Persephone…” She didn’t answer. “Persephone, I’m—” “Please leave,” she said quietly around a sob. It had all been undone. Everything he had shown her, everything they had shared yesterday, was now obliterated. Maybe he had been fooling himself, thinking that she could love him; maybe he really was a monster after all.

😭😭😭😭😭😭

All the gods of Olympus had abandoned her. She had first gone to the depths of the sea to Poseidon’s court.

“King Sisyphus has food there.

The Receiver of Many will send him and his acolytes straight to Tartarus for his hubris.”

the Goddess of Night, aged as many centuries as Hecate could count years.

knew there was a reason my husband liked her so much.”

“Erebus said he was honored. He told me he bore witness to the Goddess mating with her thrice-chosen Consort in the ancient manner, the way it was done before the Tyrant.”

“Truth be told, Erebus likes holding me this way,” she said, brushing her hand over the wavering shroud of darkness surrounding her.

“How long since they spoke to each other?” “Three days,”

Nyx floated toward him. “What troubles you, little one?”

I’ll be brief: I’m taking Persephone back to Demeter.”