Tempting the Fates

Chapter 12

The handmaiden returned a few hours later, surprised to see me awake. She was carrying another dress. I had to wonder if I would ever wear leggings again. Once again, she asked me if I wanted her to dress me.

"Uh, no thanks." I grimaced. "I'm pretty good at the whole 'dressing myself' thing. Been doing it for years." I thought I saw a flicker of a smile, but when I looked back, her face was still as stone again.

I went to the bathroom and tossed the gown on, which was very pretty. Cornflower blue, empire waist, with a boatneck neckline, which was adorned with glittering diamonds. When I emerged, my handmaiden combed my hair. With every brushstroke, goosebumps waved across my skin. I had never had someone brush my hair with such perfect execution. My stomach rumbled in anticipation of the meal to come.

Once she had finished with my hair, I followed her down the hall once more. We descended the stairs and weaved down another hallway, ending in a rather large dining room. The walls were a dark navy blue, with paintings of many gods and goddesses I'd seen in my book hanging on them. My mother was even represented, staring down at me with her intense yet sultry eyes. I clenched my jaw as I stared at her, still bitter over the situation she'd put me in.

Hades was already seated on the far end of a nearly twenty-foot table, reading a parchment scroll. He had changed his clothes since he'd come to my room and was wearing black dress slacks and a gray cowl-neck shirt. He had a long black cord necklace hanging around his neck, but whatever hung on the end was hidden by the parchment in front of him. He glanced up at me and his beautifully chiseled jaw clenched.

Someone pulled out a chair for me opposite him, and I sat. I stared down at my fiancé, but all I could see was his hand and the parchment he held. How could we even have a conversation when we were fifteen feet apart? I figured it was probably the same reason he'd jumped up and run out of the room earlier. Maybe he didn't want me here after all.

Before I could even unfold my napkin, multiple plates of food were sat in front of me. Eggs, bacon, waffles, fruit... there was no way I'd be able to eat all of it.

"Wow." I exclaimed. I grabbed a fork and dug in, starting with the meats. The bacon was so good I could have married it. I moaned with delight as I took a bite of the ham. I glanced up at Hades, who had lowered his reading material and was watching me, one eyebrow raised. "Sorry." I muttered, eating the rest of my food in silence.

He didn't speak a word as I ate. He read his parchment, which was scribbled on with red ink, and sipped at coffee which never seemed to go cold. When I was completely full, I set down my silverware and glanced around the room. The place was beautiful, but it was so quiet. I was used to eating meals with my dad in front of the TV or having breakfast at the kitchen island while we talked. Silence was torture. I scooted my chair back and stood, preparing to leave.

"Will I... see you later?" I asked.

Hades looked up at me as he took another sip of piping hot coffee. "Yes." He said flatly. "I'll see you at lunch and dinner."

"Oh." I felt my chest pang with disappointment. "I'd hoped maybe we could talk, get to know one another. I mean, my mom... well, she told me we were supposed to get married. But I know nothing about you."

"I suppose we should discuss that." He set his cup down and rolled up the parchment. With a wave of his hand, the paper disappeared in the blink of an eye. My eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Sure. Uh, how about a walk outside?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "Let's go to the study. It's quiet there." He took one last sip of coffee and stood from his seat. I followed him out the door, and we walked in awkward silence down the hall.

We hadn't been completely alone... ever, as far as I could remember. I was too nervous to look him in the eye, so I watched him walk. His polished black oxfords clicked against the stone floor, keeping a quiet rhythm as we inched closer to his study. The long sleeves of his shirt were pulled away from his wrists, revealing a thin yet muscular forearm. He had a shiny silver watch on, but I couldn't see the face of it to confirm if it were as expensive as it looked.

He stopped in front of his study and the door swung open on its own. Covering my surprise, I followed him inside and took a seat on the brown leather couch in the middle of the room. Hades didn't fall into his usual velvet chair, instead opting for the opposite end of the couch I sat on.

"So." I began, wringing my hands. "My mom told me I had to come here to fulfill a deal she made on behalf of my father."

"Yes." Hades nodded. "Did she explain the conditions of our agreement?"

"I'm supposed to be your wife." I swallowed hard. "And, uh... produce an heir."

Hades didn't move. He was looking into the fireplace, his thoughts a million miles away. After a couple moments he sighed and looked back at me.

"Before we get in too deep, I'd like to explain the situation. The lore you've heard, the books you read... have it wrong. I have spent millennia here in the Underworld. I was content with my place and the role I played for an exceptionally long time. But eventually I grew lonely." He rose from his seat and carefully prepared himself a drink from the cart next to his chair.  "My brothers and Hermes are the only gods outside of my kingdom that I keep regular contact with, so I asked them for help. Zeus told me of Persephone, who was basically being held captive on earth. I knew I needed to try to help her. I lured her away from prying eyes and rescued her from her dominating mother."

I thought back to the book that I'd read this morning, which had said that Hades had kidnapped Persephone and held her captive. One of these stories was false, and I didn't know Hades well enough to decide if he was the one telling the truth.

He continued, unaware that I was scrutinizing his every word. "Instead of letting her daughter go, Demeter released her wrath on the land. Drought plagued Earth. Persephone and I realized that Zeus would have to take her back or the land would go barren forever. So she ate seeds from a pomegranate, something sacred here. She would be free to return to the Underworld in winter, away from her mother's controlling sight. I showered her with affection, jewels, power... gave her a throne beside mine to help me rule. She was grateful, but what I thought was love turned out to be a facade. She always had her own bedroom, which I respected. I assumed it was a place for her to be alone and find respite from the woes of ruling a kingdom, but it was just another lie. At night she snuck off to Olympus, the only other place she could go. It was there that she became unfaithful and conceived a child by another."

My jaw dropped. This part of the story was definitely not in the book I'd read.