“Is that why you did this?” she demanded, removing the bracelet she’d used to cover the mark on her skin, and holding up her arm.
Hades smirked.
Actually smirked.
Persephone wanted to attack him. She clenched her hands at her sides to keep from vaulting across the room.
“No,” he said. “That is the result of losing against me.”
“You were teaching me to play,” she argued.
“Semantics,” he said with a shrug. “The rules of Nevernight are very clear, Goddess.”
“They are anything but clear, and you are an asshole!”
Hades eyes darkened. Apparently, he didn’t like being called names any more than the ogre did. He pushed away from the desk, striding toward her. Persephone took a step back.
“Don’t call me names, Persephone,” he said, and then reached for her wrist. He traced the bracelet all around, making her shiver. “When you invited me to your table, you entered into an agreement. If you had won, you could have left Nevernight with no demands on your time. But you didn’t, and now, we have a contract.”
She swallowed, considering every horrible thing she’d heard about Hades’ contracts and his impossible terms. What darkness would he pull from deep inside her?
“And what does that mean?” Her voice was still biting.
“It means I must choose terms,” he said.
“I don’t want to be in a contract with you,” she said between her teeth. “Take it off!”
“I can’t.”
“You put it there, you can remove it.”
His lips twitched.
“You think this is funny?”
“Oh, darling, you have no idea.”
The word darling slid across her skin and she shivered again. He seemed to notice because he smiled a little bit more.
“I am a goddess,” she tried again. “We are equals.”
“You think our blood changes the fact that you willingly entered into a contract with me? These things are law, Persephone.” She glared at him. “The mark will dissolve when the contract has been fulfilled.” He said it like that should make it all better.
“And what are your terms?” Just because she was asking didn’t mean she was going to agree.
Hades jaw was tight. He seemed to be restraining himself. Maybe he wasn’t used to being ordered around. When he lifted his head and stared down at her, she knew she was in trouble.
“Create life in the Underworld,” he said at last.
“What?” She hadn’t been prepared for that, though she probably should have been. Wasn’t her greatest weakness her lack of power? An irony considering her Divinity.
“Create life in the Underworld,” he said again. “You have six months—and if you fail or refuse, then you will become a permanent resident of the Underworld.”
“You want me to grow a garden in your realm?” she asked, shocked.
He shrugged. “I suppose that is one way to create life.”
She glared at him. “If you steal me away to the Underworld, you will face my mother’s wrath.”
“Oh, I am sure,” he mused. “Much like you will feel her wrath when she discovers what you’ve so recklessly done.”
Persephone’s cheeks flushed. He was right. The difference between them was that Hades didn’t seem at all fazed by the threat. Why should he be? He was one of the three—the most powerful gods in existence. A threat from Demeter was a pebble thrown.
She straightened, raising her chin and meeting his gaze head on. “Fine.”
Then she felt the pressure of Hades hand on her wrist like a shackle and tore her hand free.
“When do I start?”
Hades eyes glittered. “Come tomorrow. I’ll show you the way to the Underworld.”
“It will have to be after class,” she said.
“Class?”
“I’m a student New Athens University.”
Hades looked at her curiously and nodded his head. “After…class, then.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. As much as she hated him right now, it was hard not to enjoy the sight of him.
“What about your bouncer?”
“What about him?”
“I’d prefer he not remember me in this form,” she said, indicating to her horns. Then she called up her glamour. It relaxed her a little, to be in her mortal form. Hades watched the transformation as if he were studying the form of an ancient sculpture.
“I’ll erase his memory of you…after he is punished for his treatment of you.”