“What will it cost me when I kill Briareus?”
He hated asking the question before he’d even tried seeking a loophole, but he knew how this worked. He had seen the cycle repeat over centuries.
There would likely be no other way to appease Hera, and the one thing he was not willing to sacrifice was Persephone and their future together.
“You wish to end a life I have spun?” Clotho said.
“A life I have measured?” Lachesis continued.
“A life I haven’t cut?” Atropos asked, affronted.
As they spoke, a gold thread shimmered in the dark, twisting and looping around each of the Fates. He watched it, a thin line of energy that made up the fabric of the world.
“I do not wish to,” Hades said, but the alternative was a price he would not pay, so he had to know this one. “As you are aware, this is Hera’s vendetta.”
“And you she has chosen for the deed,” said Clotho.
The thread morphed into a silhouette of Hera, Persephone, and himself.
The Goddess of Marriage stood between them and used her spear to sever the thread that connected them. That was not the end of Hera’s rage, however. The threads continued to depict her pursuit of Persephone until she descended into madness.
Hades closed his eyes at the scene, and when he focused on the Fates again, the threads were gone.
Atropos spoke. “And the consequences of refusing her are so great, you are willing to face our wrath.”
It was not a question, and Hades did not speak.
“A life like Briareus will cost you dearly, King,” said Lachesis.
“The consequences are the same—a soul for a soul,” said Clotho.
He did not bother asking which soul would replace the one he was about to take, though he knew a life like Briareus would come at a great cost. He was an immortal being, a monster, and whatever took his place would have to be powerful.
“Where does this path leave Persephone?” Hades asked, focusing on what was important.
If one path led toward madness, he did not trust that the other would not lead to hardship.
“Oh, dear king,” said Clotho.
“There is no path,” said Atropos.
“That will leave her unbroken,” said Lachesis.
*
There is no path that will leave her unbroken.
Those words crowded his thoughts, pressing hard against his skull as he watched Persephone sleep from his position near the fireplace. She lay on her side, draped in black silk. Her hands were curled under her head, her breathing even and undisturbed.
She was safe.
If he were true to his nature, he would never let her leave his realm. It was the life above that would damage her…or would it be him?
He frowned at the thought and then downed what remained of the whiskey in his glass before shedding his clothes and climbing into bed. He hovered at the end and pulled the sheets from her body. As the silk slid over her skin, exposing her nakedness, she opened her eyes and turned her sleepy gaze to him.
“You’re back,” she said groggily.
She rested on her elbows, and her breasts filled his vision. They swelled as she breathed, her nipples peaked and rosy, contrasting beautifully with her creamy skin. Hades leaned forward and took each into a hand, lavishing her with kisses. As his tongue teased, she let out a moan, fingers tangling into his hair and tightening as she pulled, urging his lips to hers, and he obliged, crashing down on her mouth. He let his body mold to hers for only a moment before his knee parted her thighs to tease her, feeling the wetness of her arousal. Another wave of sheer pleasure rocketed through him, straight to his already-hard cock, and as much as he wanted to be inside her, he wanted to prolong this more.
He left her lips, trailing kisses down her body until he reached the apex of her thighs, and as he went down on her, he held her gaze. She had returned to her original position, leaning back on her elbows, watching with lust-clouded eyes. She inhaled deep, and Hades focused on the sound of her quickening breaths as he continued. He loved the taste of her, the feel of her heated flesh against his tongue. All the while, his cock throbbed and the anticipation of plunging into her warmth made his balls tight.
“Fuck,” Persephone breathed, and Hades glanced up to see her head had fallen back, her fingers crushing the sheet beneath her. Then she began to move against his mouth, chasing the friction that would make her come.
That was when Hades pulled back. Persephone watched him, and then her eyes fell to his length, heavy with arousal.
“Let me pleasure you,” she said.
He did not argue as she moved to her knees before him and took him into her mouth.