DIVINE - A Persephone And Hades Retelling

Epilogue One

a sneak peek at the next book coming soon, enjoy! 

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Hades POV

My feet fall heavily as I make my way back to the castle. I've been working with the three judges all day after a very dramatic disagreement. I'm starting to believe that the afterlife has left them bored and willing to create chaos just to interrupt my mornings. I would have thought that they were professional men who took their job seriously but I guess grudges run as strong in mortals as they do in gods. It took me all morning to untangle them and convince them that fighting to the death is no longer a viable solution to any argument.

I would have much rather spent my day with Persephone, though my mornings are mostly spent in my office or with Thanatos. I have been trying to carve out time throughout my day to spend with her. It could be because I simply miss her when I am away from her, or that I do not wish her to be lonely while in the underworld, but if I was being honest it is because I crave her. Always.

Once at night is not enough for me. Her tantalizing body and tempting voice that sends me over the edge are always replaying in my mind. I had thought that after we were married, this type of obsession would have faded away but if I was being honest with myself, I would confess that it has simply gotten worse.

I crave to have her even now.

To taste her skin.

Feel her hands on me.

To hear her moans.

And now that she is pregnant it has worsened. Her hormones drive her to me as much as I am driven to her. I can barely make it through a day without having her on my desk. She says I am addicted, I don't disagree.

If it were simply desires of the flesh I could blame it on attraction, on lust, on whatever it is that makes men crave and desire and bleed for a woman like that. But it is simply more, so much more. I crave her attention, her conversation, her thoughts and dreams as if they would nourish me back from death. I want to devour her every word, consume every moment of her day, and shelter her from every fear. Having her in my arms and my bed is the highlight of my day but I am convinced that waking up with her, listening to her laugh, and the simple act of holding her hand is the reason my heart continues to beat.

That's what type of torture I have been in today. While three mortals squabbled over a nonsense issue my mind drifted only to her, and what we would be doing if I had been home. If they thought I was normally in a bad mood they were sorry to discover that my mood was nothing compared to today.

As I approached the castle my steps quickened, hoping I could join her for dinner if she had not eaten already. As the castle gates come closer a plumbing flower catches my eye. A beautiful light yellow cupped flower. A narcissus plant, blooming anew and like it has not in quite some time. These were the flowers Persephone had first grown for me, still just as bright and still just as perfect.

I smiled at the memory before I shook my head and looked around the garden. As I look through the muted tones of green and brown of the less than alive garden I see a clear path of blooming bushes, trees, and flowers making its way around the castle garden.

I shook my head once more and I made my way towards the castle once more. I had grown used to the muted tones of the once lush garden. While I missed the garden encasing our home I knew it would not be forever and every day that the garden grew grayer I knew that back home my family was growing stronger day by day.

This patch of flowers meant one thing, Persephone was using her powers today.

It began slowly, her powers becoming uncontrollable or harder to use until eventually, it took too much energy to just grow a simple tree or bush. An act that she could have done without thinking months before. The further along in her pregnancy Persephone got the harder it became to control her powers. The god or goddess within her was taking up too much energy and power leaving her nothing to use. As stubborn as Persephone is, it took her months to admit it was draining her.