Ramona slipped out of her dress and crawled into bed with a sigh. She ached all the way down to her bones.
The night had been long and testing. As if there wasn't enough on her plate, now she had a damned god breathing down her neck. She had a good guess as to who he was too. Judging by the sheer amount of power he exuded just by being near her (along with the pale skin and jet black hair), Hades had left the shadowy confines of his world in turn for the even more shadowy confines of Ramona's club.
The only question she had was why?
What in the hell did the Lord of the Underworld want with Deirdre?
Ramona buried her face in a pillow. Enough. She didn't want to think about her mother, or Hades, anymore. What she needed was a long, hot bath and ten hours of sleep.
But, of course, she never made it to the bathroom.
In the process of unraveling the knot in her hair, she felt the air crackle with a familiar electricity that sent her running for the knife she kept under her pillow. Brandishing it with as much confidence as she could muster, Ramona stood with her back to the wall and waited.
"Don't play games with me," she hissed at the dark corners in her room.
Slowly, a tall figure parted from the inky shadows, icy blue eyes seeking out Ramona's. Hades flicked his gaze down to the sharp edge of the dagger. "You can't kill a god."
"No, but I sure as hell can hurt one." The quip earned her a frown, one she hoped didn't mean he was about to send her straight to his realm with a coin in her mouth for the ferryman. After the way she'd spoken to him earlier, and the way she was acting now, it wouldn't surprise her if he exploded into a cold rage. Disrespecting the gods was a big no no, and she'd done it too many times in the last twenty four hours.
But he didn't react. There wasn't any sign on his face that he'd even heard what she said. Hades stepped closer, the sudden movement sending a bolt of pure fear straight into Ramona's heart.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly, brow furrowing. "I only wish to talk. Please."
"And I told you I wasn't interested. Besides, using your magic powers to appear in my fucking bedroom doesn't make me want to spill all my darkest secrets to you. So, get out."
"No. I told you before, this is important--"
Ramona opened her mouth, and with as much force as she could muster, said, "Leave."
She could see the way her true voice affected Hades. He went deathly still, straining against the spell, but it was hopeless. His body shifted towards her bedroom door against his will. Ramona was stronger than him.
Wait. What?
"Stop," she ordered. Again, his body was her's to command. Hades's jaw clenched. "Gods above," Ramona sighed. "What happened to you? You're so..."
"Weak."
"My true voice shouldn't work on you. You're a god, and a very strong one at that, so explain to me why your own power can't combat mine."
"I'd be glad to. If you tell me about Deirdre."
Ramona huffed. "Fine. Whatever. But I'm not doing this tonight. Come back in the morning, with coffee, and we'll see how it goes."
Hades nodded, then left as silently as he appeared.
The knife fell from Ramona's hand once she was alone. Her knees were wobbling, her heart thundered in her chest. She'd just controlled a god. If only Deirdre could have seen it. Her mother would have been...well, she didn't know. Never would.
