Lords of the Underworld [malexmale]

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"You're distracted again, Hades."

I drew from my thoughts to see Persephone arching a questioning brow at me over the webcam. She was incredibly beautiful. Strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, bangs parted to the side and framing her stormy gray eyes that matched the silky blouse she wore with her yoga pants. She'd been going on and on about how she and her mother had gone to a pre-summer solstice festival in town, and unfortunately, I wasn't interested in hearing about it.

"It's just work," I replied, making her give me a droll stare, "I'm serious." Persephone shook her head.

"It's that prostitute. Why don't you tell me about him?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Persephone. Seriously."

"Obviously you do if you keep thinking about him."

"What I want to know is how you know about him." I snapped impatiently. Persephone stared at me intensely, like she was trying to read me. Her concern irritated me. She wasn't doing it because she personally was interested. She did it because she thought of herself as my therapist. She was trying to fix what was broken beyond repair and that kind of futile effort irritated me to know end. Worst of all was that I still loved her and I hated both of us for it. I clenched my teeth as Persephone gave a quiet sigh, resting her elbow on her knee, chin in her palm as she studied me.

"Sweetie, how I know about him isn't important. I just know. Just how you know about Edward."

"Your mother told you?"

"I didn't say that. You're trying to change the subject." Persephone warned. I narrowed my eyes at her. Now she was just coddling me. I didn't want to talk about it. What was there to talk about? I wasn't about to tell my wife that a prostitute confessed to being in love with me, and such a short period of time. When I'd brought it up to Atros, his excuse had been juvenile.

"I've learned that, even in eternity, you have to take chances." He'd told me. Yeah, well, fuck him. I knew better than to believe such childish philosophies. He was just trying to urge me to love him, and even worse was that I could feel that tripping sensation whenever we were together. That feeling like you're being pushed to the edge of a huge cliff and you can clearly see the ravenous sharks and crashing waves down below waiting to swallow you into oblivion. And yet you kept taking baby steps toward it.

My gods, it was suicide, and yet he kept pushing me toward it. He was ruining everything I'd spent building up. The last person who'd done this to me had thrown it in my face in favor of the rumors. Thinking about it made me angrier.

"I have to go to work. Talk to you later." I told Persephone coldly, watching her frown.

"Hades--" I hung up on her, knowing she'd try to call me back angrily. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I left my office, heading for the throne room. I was just arriving when that half-breed slave jumped to attetion in front of the doors, trembling like a leaf in the wind, as if he were waiting for me to just slit his throat.

"What now?" I demanded. I really wasn't in the mood for anymore unwanted visitors. The slave swallowed tightly, averting his eyes nervously.

"W-Well... S-Saw Lord Hades all sad. Want chat?" He asked. I stared at him. Was he friggin' kidding me? First of all, I didn't get sad. I got angry. He was making me angry.

"I'm not sad." I told him icily. He just nodded quickly.

"Okay, okay."

"Anything else you want to tell me that's not bathed in stupid?" I demanded in irritation, brushing past him to throw open the doors. When they banged opened, the slave squeaked and almost jumped six feet in the air before scurrying after me, almost tripping over a tree root on the way, making me roll my eyes.