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

by Eliza Raine

“He would have killed me,” I said quietly. “If I hadn't eaten the seed.” “Yes. Temper is an uncontrollable thing, for mortals and immortals alike. He would never have forgiven himself either, which would have been a complete pain for everyone. I'm glad you survived.”

“Who are you?” “Your only friend. You must not eat all of the pomegranate seeds in one go. Do you understand me?” “Yes,” I nodded. “You deserve your powers back, dear girl, but you must not risk overwhelming yourself.”

“You are naive, little goddess. Hecate is an agent of Hades, and Skoptolis works for Dionysus. Only I work for you alone.” “Why? Why are you helping me?” “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.”

“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,

“Pretty, pretty please?” I whispered, and flicked my tongue over his ear lobe. I felt him tense against me, then he gave a low chuckle and leaned his head towards mine. “Oh, Beautiful, until you get your powers back, you'll lose this game every time,” he said, and suddenly that trickle of divine pleasure from earlier rolled over my entire body at once.

“Please,” I gasped. “Please what?” His voice was hoarse and low. “Please, touch me.” I was desperate for him, sure that only the slightest pressure would tip me over the edge. “Not yet, Beautiful,” he breathed. “I've waited twenty-six years for this, you can wait a little longer.”

“Skop, what happens when Olympian gods are married?” “Mostly they cheat on each other.” “Do they get divorced?” “Nope. Never been an Olympian divorce.”

Gods, I wanted her. And I knew how stupid it was to play with her, teasing and flirting and getting close. She would just be ripped away again.

When Hecate had sent her here for lunch, and I'd seen her examining the rose and skull chairs, I'd wanted to seal the doors and never let her leave. She was back. The one woman I had ever loved, and had thought I would never see again.

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.

“He was named Calix, my Lord. He lost his wife in the incident and had begun a faction of sorts. He and an indeterminate number of others who lost loved ones call themselves the Spring Undead and it seems they spend their time looking for ways to avenge their fallen.”

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

Hermes and Dionysus both grinning at me, and both wearing matching Hawaiian shirts with bright orange palm trees and parrots on them. A smirk leaped to my lips and they flashed me the thumbs up.

“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 turned 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!”

“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.” It was the last thing I heard him say, before I passed out.

“You must never be scared of your own strength,” he said quietly. “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.”

“I spoke with her, you know. After the masquerade ball.” My heart skipped a beat. “She is an enigma. So much of your fierce Queen has been buried too deep to resurrect.”

I thought of Persephone's own words, and anger and pain gripped me. I've let other people treat me like shit for years, because I've never had any strength. I'd done that to her. She had been one of the strongest women I'd ever known, and I'd left her defenseless and alone.

“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 become. Stronger even than she was before.”

My body responded immediately to the vision blossoming in my mind. Persephone on the Rose throne, resplendent in one of her fierce black corseted gowns, an onyx crown atop her head and black vines coiling from her palms as she glowed with power. Arousal throbbed through me.

She looked delicate and young and vibrant and innocent and... And I wanted her even more.

His final act of revenge for my insolence was to find you and bring you back, knowing I'd either have to lose you again, or watch you die as a human.”

“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.”

“You deserve to be worshiped,” I breathed. “And I can't do that here. When I finally touch you I want to hear you scream my name, watch you come over and over.”

“Limiting the number of breasts not appeal to you?” I asked him. “Nope. Definitely not. Unlimited breasts all the way, please.”

If you play with fire, you'll get burned.

you need to accept that who you used to be isn't who you are now. Move on.”

“We all have different types of power. Your black vines are aggressive. But you have other powers too. Like the green vines, that give life to things that grow.”

“Your gold vines do the opposite of the black ones. They share your power.” He was breathing hard, and slowly reeling me towards him.

“You said no magic sex!” I panted. “You started it!” “What?” “That's what these do,” he said through gritted teeth as he lifted my gold vines. “You're sending me images like that right now.”

Memories of her wrapped around me, of our bodies entwined, those beautiful vines filling my monstrous heart with life and light. I'd told her that she had changed the Underworld when she had been here, made it brighter. I had told her that I had tried to create life to replace the hole her absence had left inside me. But she couldn't know that she was the only chance I had at reversing the damage this place had done to me. The damage my brother had done to me.

“You're so boring,” he humphed, and sat down. “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.” “What?” “Yeah.” “I want magic sex power,” he said.

“Well he is sexy as fuck,” she said, as she strode to the counter. “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.” She gave a soft laugh. “Gods help us when you do actually screw him.”

“You have me all wrong, Zeus. All wrong. I won't leave Virgo. Ever. I will remain here until there is nothing left. All of Olympus will burn around me, the undead will flood the world, drowning the living with their rotting corpses, and I will be here, exactly where you put me.” Alone. Broken, twisted and unable to contain the darkness inside me any longer.

Kill her. Kill the vampire bitch. The words were in my own voice, in my own head, but they didn't belong to me. Fuck these riddles, these games, kill the demon.

I threw a dirty glance at my brother and Zeus grinned back at me. “Hades?” Persephone's voice in my mind made my whole body flinch, and as I looked at her I saw the barely contained power brimming over inside her, green light glowing from her body. “Help me,” she whispered in my head.

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

I would never let her go again. I couldn't. She was light and life and love, and she was mine.

“You are stunning, my Queen,” he murmured against my skin as his lips moved down my jaw. His words should have embarrassed me, but his voice was so loaded with passion, his intent and sincerity so clear, that my core clenched tighter. “Your Queen?” I breathed. “My Queen,” he repeated.

“I also said something about you screaming my name when I touch you, and watching you come over and over,” he said, moving so that I could see his darkening eyes. “What I didn't tell you, is that I'm going to make you feel so incredible you won't remember your own name. I'm going to make you feel things you didn't even know were possible to feel. I'm going to bring you to the edge of ecstasy as many times as it takes for you to beg me to let you fall. And I'm going to fall with you.”

“Gods, you’re stunning,” he murmured, his voice strained. “I want to feel you do that again, around me. I want you, Persephone.” “I'm yours,” I breathed back, gripping his shoulders.

“I never thought I'd see you again,” he said. “Let alone hear you say those words. I-I don't want you to leave.”

“We are bound,” he said quietly. “But you have not fully accepted it. If you do, you will feel it.” “I already feel something.” He shook his head. “It is not something. It is everything.”

I only just got my powers back. I don't know my place here at all.” “Your place is by my side,” he said tightly, after a long pause.

I wanted to win. I wanted to have a choice at the end of all this, I wanted there to be a possibility that I could stay in Olympus. Stay with Hades.