Seeds (30 page)

     In this room was more wealth than a thousand Hellenic queens would ever own in their lifetimes. Entire city-states could be bought with some of the pieces of jewelry in here, and Hades saw from the rapt expression on her face that his efforts had not been in vain. She picked up a gem here, a trinket there, touching some silk on one of the statues.

     These stones and metals were cold and lifeless, but there was no denying their beauty and allure. Flowers didn't sparkle like this or show exciting flashes of the rainbow. She picked up a silver necklace glittering with diamonds and rubies, and held it against her collarbone in the mirror, admiring her reflection. Hades had obviously spent a lot of time in preparation for her arrival. She looked up at him.

     “There is one thing I must know.”

     “All you have to do is ask.”

     “It is clear that you were long in making ready for me. Yet you would not face me openly. Did you not think that I might have wanted to know you?”

     “Oh, I did. However, I had no desire for your mother to find out.”

     “Did you think I was going to tell her?” Persephone asked with indignation. He smiled faintly.

     “Your mother is an intelligent woman. She is good at reading what is not spoken.”

     Persephone stared in the mirror at Hades's reflection. He was right. How could she forget the times when she had tried to evade her mother's questions?
Where were you? What did you do while I was gone? What did you learn from the nymphs? Did you spend as much time on weaving as I commanded? I trust that you did not go down to the beach while I was gone?
And so on and so forth. If she tried to say nothing, or change the subject, Mother was quick to catch onto that and wrest the truth out of her one way or another with her penetrating gaze and demanding voice. There were so many things forbidden to her, especially when Mother was absent. It was rare that she was able to shake her mother off, and even after years of dealing with this, Mother was still a very intimidating woman when she was in an interrogative mood.

     “Yes, she is,” Persephone admitted. His smile widened.

     “Your mother might be smart, but I am smarter. And now, we can spend time together without her interference.”

     She quickly looked away, trying to hide her blush.

     “I picked out all these pretty things because I thought you might enjoy them. But nothing in this room or the entire realm is as beautiful as you.” Affectionately, his fingers slid down her cheek, and she leaned her head into his touch.

     “And of course, I anticipated that you might wish for a personal servant,” Hades said as he looked at their reflections in the mirror. “Much as I would love to keep you at my side, I do have my duties, and absence
does
make the heart grow fonder.”

     “I do not need a nursemaid,” she shot back, imagining whatever servant he would give her as some sort of chaperone.

     “I know you have no need of a nursemaid. But surely a lady would wish for a servant? You can have things fetched for you, and have your questions answered when I am not here.”

     He waved his arm imperiously, and shadows coalesced into a shade, practically identical to all the others she had seen but with a slight green tint to its appearance.

     “It, like all other shades, has a map of the Underworld in its mind, so you can call for it when you are lost, or have it perform errands for you.”

     “Are the shades like... ghosts?” she asked tentatively as she studied the floating, disembodied humanoid shape before her.

     “No. A soul was once human. Shades are not. They are part of Dis and answer to my command. And this one will now answer to you. Consider it an attendant or aide, if you like. If you need more, all you have to do is ask...”

     “What is it? Male or female?” she asked. The shade offered no response, and Hades smiled faintly.

     “They are just shades. Not hes or shes. But you could give it a name, if you like, to identify it as yours.”

     Persephone studied the ethereal form in front of her and its subtle green tone gave her an idea.

     “Cloe,” she said.
Chloe
meant green shoot, and she liked the color green. Green was the color of life, vitality... perhaps that was why all the other shades were blue, purple, or gray-tinted.

     “Hm.” Hades glanced at the shade. “It can also relay messages to me in case you are in... urgent need of my presence,” he added, a small grin on his lips.

     “Oh!” Persephone gave out a mock indignant huff, crossing her arms even as she felt her pulse quicken. She felt embarrassed about being teased in front of the shade, but Hades smiled and shook his head.

     “These shades are not souls. They are merely shadows given form. But if you wish to dismiss it, do so.” He nodded. Persephone waved her hand in a loose imitation of his, and the dark form dissipated into nothingness. After she did so, she approached the windows, which were made up of panes of clear crystal held within an ornate grid of black metal. She could see the garden as well as the Palace Wall. From the look of it, orchards and more gardens lay beyond, all illuminated by the colorless sky. On the horizon, she saw the skies that hung over the three other realms. A flash of blue here, gray there, and red-black to her left. Without a sun, how was she to tell direction?

     “Does the sky ever change? How do you tell time here?” Persephone asked as she turned back to him, seeing him approach her side. The light illuminated his pale skin. His eyebrows were a bit thick but not unattractively so, and arched regally. His nose was long and straight, as was his jaw, and dressed in these imperial robes... her heart fluttered in his chest. He looked good with shadows surrounding him, but nobody could say that light did not do him justice.

     “Time has no meaning here. There are no days and nights, nor are there seasons. Events flow into one another and are chronicled within my library, and the Fates have their own secrets woven in the cosmic tapestry. I told you, the rules are different...”

     “I know, but I mean... when do you sleep? Do you not have some kind of measure for your duties? If there is no sun, how do you know what time to eat?”

     “I eat when I am hungry, sleep when I am tired, and do my duties as I need. And of course, there is time for pleasure...” This time, there was no licentiousness or sensuality uttered with that word, much to Persephone's surprise, “and recreation. I enjoy quiet walks, or simply sitting in my library. Here we are not governed by the passage of the sun or moon, so why concern ourselves? Everything is as it is, as it has been for a hundred, a thousand years, aeons.”

     “You seem wise for a man who lives in a place that does not change,” Persephone replied. Demeter's wisdom about the seasons and about change had been well-heeded by her daughter.

     “Like I said, this place is not without its interests. Every day, new souls come in bearing stories of the upper world. It's interesting to see what the souls today have seen and know that they did not a hundred, a thousand years ago.” He spoke with the passion of a man who loved to learn new things, and Persephone found a smile tugging at her lips.

     “That... does sound interesting,” she admitted. “Still, I wish... for a way to know the days. I am unused to this... idea of having no measure down here. I know not how long I slept last night, nor how long you and I have explored your Kingdom. It is very discomfiting to me.”

     Hades frowned thoughtfully, crossing his arms and stroking his beard. He could choose to not offer a compromise, and force her to become used to it. But it wouldn't be fair, and he did understand where she was coming from. One reason he liked paying an occasional visit to the surface was to see the changes in the world and see how far the people of Hellas had evolved. He had seen the evolution from little towns into mighty city-states and the innovation of things such as the plow or chariot. But a day-to-day measure of time helped the mortals to keep track of all this, as well as reckoning the festival days of the Gods. And even the mighty gods themselves counted the days and seasons.

     “What if I changed the sky above the Palace? It would remain light like this during the day and become dark as it does in the surface world,” he offered.

     “Could the sky gradually change... like sunrise or sunset?” she asked.

     “I do not see why not.” He was much gratified to see the sparkle of gratitude in her eyes.

     “Thank you.”

     “I need more than just these words for such a grand gesture.”

     “What would that be?” Persephone asked, tilting her head with curiosity.

     “I ask for naught but a kiss,” Hades whispered smoothly as he leaned down, his lips curved into a sensual smile.

    
Fair is fair,
Persephone thought to herself. Besides, it wasn't as if his kisses weren't enjoyable. It was a win-win situation, so what did she have to complain about? Gently, she touched the sides of his face so she could steady his head, and leaned in for a kiss. His lips were hot and hungry, and she felt herself responding, letting her hands slide to the sides of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. His arms encircled her, pulling her into a tight and warm embrace.

     “Hades... Aidoneus...” she managed to groan between searing kisses, her hands sliding down his chest. She pressed her lips against his fiercely before finding the strength to break the kiss, catching her breath.

     “How is that for a favor repaid?” she asked, her voice light and warm as she was aware of feeling weak-kneed, glad of the fact that his arms were wrapped around her. Otherwise, she was fairly certain she would simply collapse.

     “Is that all you wish to offer?” he asked with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

     “No,” she admitted. His embrace loosened, and she felt his palm on her back.

     “Would you like to be subject to my attentions again?”

     “Ye... yes,” she nodded, remembering how attentive and loving he had been.

     “You would not object to me... tasting of you? Touching you?” His voice was a heated whisper in her ear, and she shuddered as his hand slid down to cup the left side of her rear end, squeezing in a way that pleased both of them.

     “Not at all.” She knew it would be useless to deny the facts.

     “Does my body please you?” Hades asked as he felt her hand on his chest.

     “It does, my lord.”

     “And if I wished to be intimate now?”

     “Hmm...” She let out a low moan, thinking of what he could do with his considerable skills and creativity. He chuckled softly, flashing even white teeth in a delighted grin.

     “Your eagerness spurs my passion.”

     “Your passion spurs my eagerness,” the goddess shot back.

     “Then it would appear that you and I have trapped ourselves in a vicious cycle. Only I daresay that it is a pleasurable kind of viciousness, hmm? I always thought I had been above such things. But as long as it's with you, I will be the last person to complain.”

     To know that she had the attentions of this handsome and reclusive man was admittedly an honor. These thoughts were reinforced with a gentle kneading of her breast, and she arched into his hand. His hands explored her through the silk of her gown, rubbing and stroking hidden areas that had her writhing and letting out soft little sounds of enjoyment. She pressed her hand on his stomach, navigating along the folds of his wrap as her explorations ventured further south.

     Before her hand could reach its destination, she found herself bereft of his presence and attention. She reached out for a moment, feeling nothing, all too aware of the warm ache within her core.

     “Hades,” she pleaded, seeing him stand just out of the range of her reach, his gaze intense. Was it just her imagination, or did she see just a tint of color in his cheeks?

     “That warmth within you. Savor it. Cherish it. Let it burn within you for a bit. And then we will have our pleasure,” he stated before he retreated from the room, beckoning to her. She obediently followed him, wondering what he had in mind.

     She came to a stop upon seeing that the table had been set out. It had probably been done when she was otherwise rather occupied with the Lord of the Dead. He sat down, nodding approvingly at the feast set for them. He had ordered his cooks to prepare the most savory and spicy foods, their aroma filling the air and causing Persephone's stomach to growl and churn in frustration. She set her lips in a resolute line and turned to retreat to her room, but that door – and all the others – were now closed.

     She had no choice but to endure the mélange of scents in the air and the havoc they wreaked on her neglected palate. The bread had steam rising from it in wispy curls, and she saw feta cheese baked into its crust. A platter of stuffed olives sat next to a chunk of cheese, and all kinds of fruit sat on a platter next to dipping bowls of sugar, sweet cream, and honey. A covered bowl revealed its contents to be a heavy meat-and-vegetable broth, and a glazed chunk of ham sat amidst slices of a ring-shaped yellow fruit she was unable to identify. There were a couple of other dishes made up of fruits, meats, or vegetables that she had no inkling of, and she recalled Hades's boast about having spices and foods that were not native to Hellas. All the food sat atop finely wrought dishes, looking delicious and inviting.