“No! Please—”
“Persephone,” Hades said, pushing her back only a step. She froze, meeting his gaze. She couldn’t contain her relief.
“Hades!” She threw her arms around him, and sobbed. He was steady and strong and warm. One of his hands curled against her head and the other on her back.
“Shh,” he soothed. His lips pressed into her hair, and she heard him ask, “What are you doing here?”
Then the man’s horrible voice cut through the air.
“Where are you, little bitch?”
Hades went rigid, and pulled her behind him.
The god snapped his fingers and the column turned. Tantalus faced them now. He didn’t appear to be afraid that Hades had arrived. The god flung out his hand and Tantalus’ knees gave out, his arms pulled tight in his chains.
“My goddess was kind to you,” Hades voice was cold and resonate. “And this is how you repay her?”
Tantalus started to heave, and the water Persephone had given him spilled from his mouth. Hades took deliberate steps toward the prisoner, parting the water, creating a dry path straight to the man. Tantalus struggled to find his footing to relieve the pain in his arms, taking deep, shaky breaths that rattled in his chest.
“You deserve to feel as I have felt—desperate and starved and alone!” Tantalus gritted out.
Hades watched Tantalus for a moment, and in a flash, he lifted the man, holding him by the neck. Tantalus’ legs kicked back and forth—Hades laughed at his struggle.
“How do you know I haven’t felt like that for centuries, mortal?” he asked.
In an instant, Hades’ glamour melted away, and he stood, clothed in darkness.
“You are an ignorant mortal. Before, I was merely your jailor—but now I shall be your punisher, and I think my judges were too merciful. I’ll curse you with an unquenchable hunger and thirst. I’ll even put you within reach of food and water—but everything you partake of will be fire in your throat.”
With that, Hades dropped Tantalus. The chains pulled hard on his limbs, and he hit the stone hard. When he was able, he lifted his gaze to Hades and growled like an animal. Just as he started to lunge for the god, Hades snapped his fingers and Tantalus was gone.
In the quiet, he turned to Persephone. She was unable to control her reaction. She took a step back, slipping on the slimy stone. Hades lunged forward and caught her, cradling her in his arms.
“Persephone,” his voice was warm and low—a plea. “Please don’t fear me. Not you.”
She stared up at him, unable to look away. He was beautiful and fierce and powerful and he had deceived her.
Persephone couldn’t hold in her tears. She broke, and Hades’ hold on her tightened. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. She wasn’t aware of when they teleported, and she didn’t look up to see where he’d taken her. She only knew that a fire was near. The heat did little to banish the cold raking her body, and when she didn’t stop shivering, Hades took her to the bathes.
She let him undress her and cradle her against him as they entered the water, but she wouldn’t look at him. He allowed the silence to go on for a while, until, she imagined, he couldn’t handle it any longer.
“You are unwell,” he said. “Did he…hurt you?”
She was quiet, and kept her eyes closed. When he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, she squeezed them tighter to keep the tears at bay. “Tell me,” he begged. “Please.”
It was the word please that caused her to open her watery eyes.
Finally, she said, “I know about Aphrodite, Hades.” His face changed. She’d never seen him look so shocked or so stricken. “I am no more than a game to you.”
Now he looked angry. “I have never considered you a game, Persephone.”
“The contract—”
“This has nothing to do with the contract,” he all but snarled, releasing her. Persephone struggled to gain her footing in the water, and shot back at him.
“This has everything to do with the contract! Gods, I was so stupid! I let myself think you were good even with the possibility of being your prisoner.”
“Prisoner? You would think yourself a prisoner here? Have I treated you so poorly?”
“A kind jailor is still a jailor,” Persephone snapped.
Hades face darkened. “If you considered me your warden, why did you fuck me?”
“It was you who foretold this,” she said, her voice shaking. “And you were right—I did enjoy it and now that it’s done, we can move on.”