The Passion of Hades (The Hades Trials, #2)

by Eliza Raine

'You will learn. Do not worry about that. But Persephone, you must trust nobody.' 'Except Hecate and Skop,' I said. 'No, nobody.' 'But Hecate and Skop saved me too. They care about me.'

'You are naive, little goddess. Hecate is an agent of Hades, and Skoptolis works for Dionysus. Only I work for you alone.'

'You were wronged, by my worst enemy, and you paid the highest price. And now only you have the power to make it right.'

'I was wronged?' 'Yes. The only person who can tell you about your past is Hades. And what he knows is incomplete.'

'So... How do I find out the truth?' 'When you are stronger, we will continue this conversation. Keep winning seeds, and gain more of your power back.'

'It just happens while you rest. The stronger you are, the quicker you'll heal, and you'll learn to heal big wounds on the spot eventually. You were always a good healer. Comes with the territory I guess.' 'What territory?' 'Goddess of Spring. New life. Growth and fertility and all that.'

'Hades nearly killed me! I'm not marrying a god made of corpses!' 'Oh, he only lost his temper because that dude hurt you. When you're back up to full power his true form won't bother you at all.'

'A god’s temper is his worst enemy. There is only wrath, no rational thought. I... I would never have forgiven myself if you had...'

'Would it make any difference if I told you that you chose to drink from the river Lethe yourself? You begged to forget what happened. And I promised you that you would never hurt like that again.'

'You said I wasn't the woman you married,' I whispered. 'Maybe not. But the bond between us is still there. And I can't fight it, no matter how hard I try. Especially not now you have your power back. You're like a damned beacon down here, impossible to ignore.'

Actual flames danced in his irises as his gaze raked over my body.

'I do believe, Beautiful, that we started on the wrong foot,' he said, his voice low and rich and sensuous. 'It appears that you have no idea what being fated to Hades, King of the Underworld, all powerful god, actually entails.'

'Fated. You said I'm fated to you; what does that mean?'

'The marriage of an Olympian god is not like a normal marriage. Hera, as goddess of marriage, has a special ceremony purely for us twelve.' I raised my eyebrows at him and he continued slowly. 'There's a test. And if both people pass, then they are granted the ceremony.'

'Do I amuse you?' 'You just... Nobody other than you has ever spoken to me like that.' 'I don't care, just tell me about this ceremony.' 'No. Not unless you ask me nicely.' My mouth fell open. Hades, the King of the Underworld, was teasing me. Well, two could play at that game.

'Oh, Beautiful, until you get your powers back, you'll lose this game every time,'

'I've waited twenty-six years for this, you can

wait a little longer.'

She may not be the bold, confident Persephone I had married, but the kindness, the sense of right, the fire in her belly was all still there. As was Hera's bond. My destiny was as written in stone as hers was,

but I had the advantage of knowledge.

I wiped my own wife from history.

Remember what happened. You can't keep a light that bright in the dark.

'Yes, Hades, I know being with me blew your mind and I know you cried like a baby afterward, but we're not doing it again. Now, please stop bothering me.' I heard his deep, booming laugh in my head as I spun on my heels and marched away from him. 'Well played, Beautiful. Well played.’

'You'd lose your fucking temper if you'd had your memories and power stolen!' Rage was burning through my blood, heating my whole body, and sending almost painful tingles across my skin. 'Everyone is happy to talk about my past, but nobody will tell me what I did! I'm being forced to risk my life, and the lives of strangers and the only friends I have here, for your entertainment! And nobody even expects me to survive, let alone win! Do you understand that I am

not here to make your life difficult? I don't want to be here!'

'When you use your power to grow things, to create life, you... You become practically irresistible.'

'But... doesn't creating life kinda undermine what you do here?'

He let out a long breath. 'Yes. I have never understood it

'You smell awesome,' I told him, my vision clouding. He tensed. 'Do you have any idea how hard it is not to rip your clothes off right now?' he hissed. 'I can't be this close to you.'

'You must never be scared of your own strength,'

'I've never had any strength,' I answered him, unable to keep the bitter edge from my voice. 'I've let other people treat me like shit for years, because I've never had any strength.'

'They made me take your strength, when I sent you away. You were scared, and I wasn't allowed to fix it. I prayed the fear would leave you when you started again in the mortal world.'

'There is a Queen inside you, Persephone. My Queen.'

'Well, I think I was starting to find her,' I said. 'I hope she stays with you when you get back.'

'I have got to get better at avoiding temptation.' 'You're doing a good job so far, you've managed to resist me,' said Skop.

'I wouldn't be so sure about that. Strength born from overcoming trauma

is very different to blood-born arrogance. It is true strength.'

'What?' 'Her experience as a human has changed her. Instead of being born to power, she's had to earn it. And the more we put her through, the stronger she may...

'You literally created life to replace me?' she whispered. 'Yes. The hole you left in my heart was impossible to fill with anything less.' 'Did it work? Did it fill the hole?' 'No.'

'Why didn't you tell me I had magic sex powers!'

'Because I didn't know if they were back or not.'

'You know, Skop, of the many words I could use to describe myself right now, boring isn't one of them. I have magic sex power for fuck’s sake.'

How was it possible that I could have had this much of an impact on someone's life, and up until now I hadn't even known they existed? And not just anyone, a freaking god.

'I'm drawn to him in a way I've never felt before,' I admitted. 'I can't explain it.'

'I think it might be more than that. I'm worried... I'm worried that now I've met him, nobody will ever make me feel like that again.'

'You were born twenty-six years ago, in New York. You didn't do anything,' he said gently. I let his words comfort me. He was right. Whatever old Persephone did, I didn't know if I would be capable of the same.

'You have been wrongly blamed for their losses. Regain your memories, and oust the true villain. That is the only way you shall find freedom from this.'

Why do I feel this book will end with her regaining her memories? 👀

Everything stilled to nothing as I watched my Queen, my beautiful goddess, turn the dark fury of the Underworld into awesome, unbound life.

Life. Color. Light. I had longed for this tree for twenty-six years.

She took a shuddering breath as she looked up into my face and my heart swelled with so much hope and love that it actually rivaled the size of the dark pit of power in my gut.