The words were harsh but they were true, and he hoped they hit home. He would see that she respected Persephone as her queen, or he would dismiss her.
The nymph lingered for a few seconds longer before turning on her heels and running from the stables.
***
“I’m disappointed in you,” Hecate said.
The two stood in the shadows outside Dolphin & Co. Shipbuilding. It was a company owned by Poseidon, and because it was owned by a god, it had the monopoly on ship and boat building in New Greece. It helped that Poseidon claimed his ships were unsinkable, a promise many believed because he was God of the Sea. His dockyard spanned for miles, employing thousands of mortals and immortals who built yachts, cargo ships, and wartime vessels, the latter being a type of ship Zeus has ordered Poseidon to cease building after The Great War. Hades doubted Poseidon had listened.
It was here where Sisyphus had agreed to meet Poseidon under the guise that the god would help him escape Hades’ wrath, a ruse that was not implausible. Hades did not trust Poseidon. He was well-aware that the god had fulfilled his part of the bargain—luring Sisyphus. Beyond that, he was not obligated to help Hades captured the mortal.
“Why this time?” he asked, responding to Hecate’s earlier comment.
“I told you I wanted to be present when you told Minthe you were to be married.”
Hades glanced at the goddess, raising a brow. She was cloaked in black velvet, as was her nature when she came to the Upperworld. She preferred to blend with the darkness. He had asked her to accompany him on this trip to handle the spindle. Ilias had not been able to track how Poseidon had come into possession of it, so Hecate would have to perform a trace on the object.
That was the problem with relics—there was so much to clean up in their aftermath.
“How do you know I told her?”
“Because she has vented to half the staff about it,” Hecate said. “Though, it has not had the effect she desired.”
“What does that mean?”
“She hoped they would be just as affronted, but I think the staff are hopeful.”
“Hopeful?”
“They want Persephone much as you do, Hades,” Hecate said, a little mischievously.
“Hmm,” Hades grunted. It was true that he wanted her, but after the article she had written, he was not certain she wanted him, or ever would. Still, he knew she had made an impression on his souls. After she watered her garden, she spent hours with them. She had learned many of their names and spent time with them, going for walks or taking tea, even cleaning. She played with the children and brought them gifts, even his dogs tended to follow her, even if he promised playtime.
She had won their favor in no time, and he had yet to win hers.
Hades focused on the smell of Poseidon’s magic—salt and sand and hot sun—as his brother appeared before them. He was fully dressed this time in a pink suit with black lapels and a white pocket square. Despite using a mortal glamour, he had kept his crown, the gold spires losing their luster amid his honeyed hair. Hades wondered if he wore it as a show of power, to remind him that they were in his territory.
“I see you brought your witch,” Poseidon said, aqua eyes sliding to Hecate.
It was not Hecate Poseidon disliked, so much as her relationship with Zeus. Hecate, on the other hand, hated Poseidon merely for being arrogant. As soon as the god spoke, Hecate’s eyes narrowed, and the leg of his’s trousers caught fire.
“Motherfucker!” he roared as he hopped about, trying to put out Hecate’s mystic fire.
Hades smirked at his brother’s pain.
“Hecate is far older than us, Poseidon,” Hades called over his brother’s screams. “We must respect our elders.”
“Careful, Hades. I am not above setting you aflame,” the Goddess of Magic replied.
“And I am not above incinerating your nightshade.”
They smiled at each other.
“If you two are finished flirting,” Poseidon shouted. “I should remind you that my fucking leg is on fire!”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten.” Hecate’s eyes flashed as she returned her gaze to Poseidon, which caused the god to go still. Whatever he saw in her eyes caused him more fear than the fire claiming his leg. Finally, she dismissed the magic. Poseidon brushed at his pant leg, hands shaking as he assessed the damage. The cloth was blackened and curled, parts of it melted into his bubbling skin. He glared at Hecate, and she shrugged a shoulder.
“You called me a witch,” she said.
“You are a witch,” Hades reminded her.