“Let’s find another drink,” she said.
Persephone and Lexa cut through the crowd, flagged down a server to exchange their empty glasses for full ones.
“Can you hold this?” Lexa asked. “I need the restroom.”
Persephone took Lexa’s glass and started to drink from her own when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” She turned to find Hermes. “A Goddess of Tartarus.”
Persephone raised a brow in question.
“Get it? Torture?”
She gave him a blank stare and he frowned, explaining, “Because you’re torturing Hades?”
It was Persephone’s turn to roll her eyes.
“Oh, come on! Why else would you wear that dress?”
“For myself,” she answered a little defensively. She hadn’t chosen her dress with Hades in mind. She had wanted to look beautiful and sexy and feel powerful.
This dress did all those things.
The God of Trickery lifted a brow, smirked, and conceded, “Fair. Still, the whole room noticed you were eye-fucking Hades.”
“I was not—” she clamped her mouth shut, her cheeks growing red.
“Don’t worry—everyone noticed him eye-fucking you, too.”
Persephone rolled her eyes. “Did they notice Minthe on his arm?”
Hermes smile became wicked. “Someone’s jealous.”
She started to deny it, but decided it was silly to even try. She was jealous, and so she admitted, “I am.”
“Hades isn’t interested in Minthe.”
“It sure doesn’t look that way,” she muttered.
“Trust me. Hades cares for her, but if he was interested, he would have made her his queen a long time ago.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Hermes shrugged. “That if he loved her, he would have married her.”
Persephone scoffed. “That does not sound like Hades. He doesn’t believe in love.”
“Well, who am I to say? I have only known Hades for centuries, and you—a few months.”
Persephone frowned.
It had been hard for her to see Hades in any other light than the one her mother had cast upon him—and it was ugly and unflattering. She had to admit, the more time she spent in the Underworld and with him, the more she was starting to question just how much truth there was to what her mother had said, and the rumors spread by mortals.
Hermes nudged her with his shoulder. “Don’t worry, love. When you’re jealous, just make a point to remind Hades of what he’s missing.”
She looked at him and he kissed her cheek. The move surprised her, and Hermes laughed calling as he flounced away, his white wings dragging the ground like a regal cape, “Save a dance for me!”
When Lexa returned, she looked bewildered. “Um, did Hermes just kiss you on the cheek?”
Persephone cleared her throat. “Yeah.”
“Do you know him?”
“I met him at Nevernight,” she said.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
Persephone frowned. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t think about it.”
Lexa’s eyes softened. “It’s okay. I know things have been insane recently.”
There was a reason Lexa was her best friend, and it was moments like this when she felt the most thankful for her.
They cut through the crowd and returned to their table. After a few quick announcements, dinner began. They were served a combination of ancient and modern foods. Their appetizers consisted of olives, grapes, figs, wheat bread, and cheese. Their entrée was fish, vegetables, and rice. Dessert was rich chocolate cake. Despite the beautiful spread, Persephone found she wasn’t all that hungry.
Conversation around the table wasn’t lacking. The group talked about various topics including the Pentathlon and Titans After Dark. Their conversation was interrupted when clapping began, and Minthe strolled across stage and took to the podium.
“Lord Hades is honored to reveal this year’s charity—The Halcyon Project,”
The lights in the room dimmed, and a screen lowered to play a short video about Halcyon, a new rehabilitation center specializing in free care for mortals. The video detailed statistics about the large number of accidental deaths due to overdoses, suicide rates, and other challenges mortals faced post-Great War era and how the Olympians had a duty to help. They were words Persephone had spoken, repackaged for his audience. What is this? Persephone wondered. Was this Hades’ way of making fun of her? Her thoughts fueled her anger.