“No contract,” he promised. “No favors owed, just questions answered. Like you want.”
She lifted her chin and narrowed those lovely eyes, and he had the fleeting thought that he would like for her to look at him like that while she rode his cock, hard and fast.
Fuck me, he thought.
“Fine,” she agreed at last. “But I get to pick the game.”
His instinct was to reject her offer, and the words were on the tip of his tongue. No, I hold the cards. But as he considered the consequences, he thought it might be a chance to show her he could be flexible.
Finally, he grinned. “Very well, goddess.”
He led Persephone to his office, where he had watched her walk with Hecate earlier. He left her alone for a few minutes, long enough to change, and when he returned, she was standing near the windows. At his appearance, she looked at him over her shoulder.
His steps faltered, and he paused in the doorway, staring.
She was beautiful, wreathed in the landscape of the Underworld.
“This is a beautiful view,” she said.
“Very,” he breathed, and then cleared his throat. “Tell me about this game.”
She grinned and turned fully toward him. “It’s called rock, paper, scissors.”
She explained the game, demonstrating the various shapes—rock, paper, and scissors—with her hands. Despite her enthusiasm, Hades was not impressed.
“This game sounds horrible.”
“You’re just mad because you haven’t played,” she countered. “What’s wrong? Afraid you’ll lose?”
Hades laughed the question off. “No. It sounds simple enough. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. How exactly does paper beat rock?”
“Paper covers rock,” Persephone said.
“That doesn’t make sense. Rock is clearly stronger.”
Persephone shrugged. “Why is an ace a wild card?”
“Because it’s the rules.”
“Well, it’s a rule that paper covers rock,” she said.
Hades smiled at her retort. He had smiled more in the last hour than he had in his lifetime.
“Ready?” she asked, lifting her hand, and forming a fist. Hades mimicked her movements, and she giggled. Clearly, this was amusing for her, and he groaned internally. The things he did for her already.
“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” She spoke the words with fervor. She was definitely having fun, and for that, Hades was glad.
“Yes!” she shrieked, arms flying into the air. “Rock beats scissors!”
Hades frowned. “Damn. I thought you’d choose paper.”
“Why?”
“Because you just sang paper’s praises!” he explained.
She giggled some more. “Only because you asked why paper covers rock. This isn’t poker, Hades. It’s not about deception.”
“Isn’t it?” he disagreed. He was certain if he played this game long enough, he would learn her tendency to choose one of the three options over the others. It was an algorithm, and most people had a pattern, even if they did not realize it.
Silence stretched between them for a moment, Persephone’s earlier excitement subsiding. The atmosphere was changing, and Hades did not like it. He wanted to recapture their earlier reverie, not explore darker secrets.
Suddenly, he wondered if he could distract her, close the distance between them and press his lips to hers, but she looked away, took a breath, and asked, “You said you had successes before with your contracts. Tell me about them.”
Hades pinched his lips together before retreating to the bar across the room to pour himself a drink. The alcohol would help him loosen up and hopefully prevent him from saying something he regretted.
I wanted a chance to explain, he reminded himself.
He took a seat on his black leather sofa before answering.
“What is there to tell? I have offered many mortals the same contract over the years. In exchange for money, fame, love, they must give up their vice. Some mortals are stronger than others and conquer their habit.”
It was a little more complicated than that, and as he spoke, he could feel the threads that covered his skin burn from every failed bargain he had made with the Fates.
“Conquering a disease is not about strength, Hades,” she said as she sat opposite to him, folding her leg beneath her.
“No one said anything about disease.”
“Addiction is a disease,” she said. “It cannot be cured. It must be managed.”
“It is managed,” he argued.