“You should not have granted him such a gift,” Ilias said. “You do not know what he will ask.”
“I know what he will ask for,” Hades said.
“And what is that?”
“Power,” Hades replied. Raw power in any form, and with a favor to hang over Hades’ head, he had it.
Hades’ bent toward Sisyphus, and as he spoke, the mortal began to quiver.
“Welcome to Tartarus.”
***
Hades teleported to Hephaestus’ lab. Normally, he would arrive via the front gates and pay his respects to Aphrodite, but since La Rose, he had not wished to see her, and he did not wish for her to hear what he had come to ask for. He found the god at his forge, his large body hulked before an open-mouthed furnace that spit fire and sparks as he hammered on a flat piece of metal—a sword—gripped between a pair of tongs. Hades could tell by the set of the god’s shoulders and the force with which he worked that he was angry.
The sight made him apprehensive, so he rang a bell near the door to get the god’s attention. Hades was not surprised when Hephaestus twisted and threw the flat piece of metal he’d been hammering in his direction.
Hades sidestepped as it landed in the wall behind him.
There was a beat of silence, and then Hades asked, “Are you okay?”
Hephaestus’ chest rose with his breath. “Yes.”
The god threw his tongs down and turned fully to him. “What can I help you with, Lord Hades? Another weapon?”
“No,” Hades replied. “Are you sure you don’t need a minute?”
Hephaestus’ stare was hard. Hades took that as a no.
“I do not wish for a weapon,” he said. “I wish for a ring.”
Hephaestus did not appear as if he cared, though his voice betrayed his surprise. “A ring? An engagement ring?”
“Yes,” he said.
Hephaestus studied him for a long moment. Hades wondered what he was thinking. Perhaps, Who would marry you? Or something even more cynical. Do not do it, it isn’t worth it.
Still, even Hades knew Hephaestus did not believe that. He knew that now more than ever, after the god had used the Chains of Truth to ask Hades if he was sleeping with Aphrodite.
“Do you have a design?”
Hades felt the unfamiliar rush of embarrassment as he withdrew a piece of paper upon which he had sketched an image. It was similar to the crown Ian had made for Persephone, only he had chosen fewer flowers and gems—tourmaline and dioptase.
He handed the drawing to Hephaestus.
“When are you planning to propose?”
“I cannot say,” Hades said. He had not thought of a date or time when he would ask Persephone to be his wife. He had just felt that asking for the ring, creating the ring, was important. “There is no rush, if that is what you are asking.”
“Very well,” Hephaestus said. “I will summon you when it is complete.”
Hades nodded and left the forge, only to find his way blocked by Hermes.
“No,” Hades said immediately.
Hermes mouth opened in offense. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”
“I know why you’re here. You only have two purposes, Hermes, and since you are not guiding souls to the Underworld, you must be here to tell me something I don’t want to hear.”
Hades pushed past him, and Hermes followed.
“I’ll have you know I am offended,” Hermes said. “I am not just a guide or a messenger; I’m also a thief.”
“Forgive the oversight,” Hades said.
“I thought you’d be in a better mood,” Hermes said. “Having finally buried the weasel, got your bone honed, launched the meat missile…”
“Enough!” Hades snapped, turning to the god whose eyes sparkled with amusement. “Why are you here?”
He grinned. “We’ve been summoned to council in Olympia. Someone’s getting in trouble for stealing Helios’ cows, and guess what? It’s not me this time!”
CHAPTER XXIII – OLYMPIA
Hades was not looking forward to council. He hated his fellow Olympians, and he hated the pageantry and the drama. He would much rather spend his evening with Persephone, buried inside her, exploring her body again, discovering new ways to fuck her that pleasured them both. Instead, he would be forced to sit through council, to hear his brothers argue, to hear Athena attempt peace, to hear Ares demand war, and he would have to face Demeter, knowing he’d fucked her daughter.
He sighed and materialized in the Garden of the Gods on the campus of New Athens University, using his magic to locate Persephone.