Tempting the Fates

Chapter 40

The moment we returned to our kingdom, Hades had picked me up and ran me all the way to the study. We made passionate love for several hours, and by the end I was completely spent.

"You are amazing." He whispered as we laid together, a jumble of limbs and glistening skin.

The haze of sleep was rapidly approaching, and my eyes fluttered with fatigue. I hadn't slept nearly long enough that night thanks to Hades waking before dawn and the terror-filled event that happened right after. I smiled as he tucked some hair behind my ear and stroked his thumb across my cheek.

"I hate to ask why, since it was such a nice compliment, but... any particular reason why?" I asked, fighting my drooping eyelids.

"You have so much passion, so much vigor. You stand up to my brothers even though they are some of the most intimidating beings in the universe and you've only known about our world a few days. You are incredibly perceptive and bright. You are going to be a fantastic queen." He kissed the tip of my nose.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you, too." He replied.

I drifted off into another peaceful dream.

_____________________________

Much to our surprise, weeks passed without incident. I spent the days learning my duties and how the Underworld functioned, and the nights tangled in bed with Hades. We were head over heels in love, and it only got stronger as time passed.

Thirty-three days into my time in the Underworld, I was also finding new limits to my powers. Each day I spent an hour or two with Thanatos while Hades did some of the nastier (and more boring) work. Than turned out to be just as good a teacher as had been suggested. 

"I can always tell the days you've spent a lot of time with Hades." He had mused one day as we shared a meal during a pause in practicing. "Your powers seem stronger, more refined."

"And you think it's because I spend time with him? Or could it simply be coincidence?" I quizzed.

"My intuition says the former." He bit into a sandwich, and we sat in silence while he chewed. "Your mother's gifts give her power over love. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say that your powers strengthen when you feel love."

I spent the rest of the day thinking about what he'd said. If it were true, I wondered if it worked the same way for Hades. Did his power become stronger around me?

Due to the amount of time we were spending in his study, Hades had used his powers to expand it into a suite for us. We had our own living and dining area, a bedroom, a bathroom (complete with jacuzzi tub large enough for two adults), and the library/study area he'd had before.

I walked in sometime around dinner, expecting my husband to be there. The place was empty, so I made myself busy until he returned. Thalia had brought my suitcase over from my old room, but I hadn't yet unpacked it.

I opened it on the bed, spreading out all the random items I'd had no home for in my other space. My electronics went back inside the bag since they didn't work in the Underworld. I put the clothes I'd brought with me (including my wedding gown) into the closet and tucked my photo album into the drawer of my bedside table.

Last, I grabbed the two books I'd brought with me from Earth. A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Picture of Dorian Gray were both rather large, but I knew there had to be some place on Hades' bookshelves for them. I started perusing volumes that I could move to another room or discard.

After a minute, something caught my eye. There was a cream-colored book with gold foil writing on the spine. Diary. It stuck out just slightly from the shelf like it had been read recently. Curiosity picked at my mind, and there was no resistance. I snatched the tome off the shelf and opened it. My heart sank as I realized what it was.

                Day number: who knows?

                I returned to the Underworld last night. Mother sent this journal with me in hopes that expressing my grief will help me to overcome it. I'm not sure I believe her, but there isn't much else for me to do down here anyway.

                Hades greeted me at the gates as usual. His sullen demeanor was welcomed for about... three minutes. We hadn't even made it to the palace before he was going on about all the things we needed to do.

                You'd think after so many years together he would realize how much I HATE the stupid political stuff. I don't care if someone tried to sneak into the Elysian Fields. Just leave them alone. They probably want to be free from their eternal pain as well. I can relate on an intimate level.

                And speaking of intimacy... Hades kissed me last night before bed, and I swear I almost lost my dinner all over him. What is it about him that repulses me so? I can't name just one thing. His depressing mood, the way he follows me around like a sick puppy, or maybe even how pale and boring he looks. Either way, I wish he would just stop trying. I told him last year that things weren't any different. He doesn't even have a sliver of my heart.

                No, my heart is far above me in Olympus, soaring through the sky like it the has wings of an angel. I wish I could be with my love again. Any time I try to leave the Underworld, I get a lecture from Thalia. She is my only friend down here, so I can't be too mad, but... I wish she'd see things from my point of view once and a while.

                I don't know what to do with myself anymore. If I just lie in bed for a few months, would anyone notice?

Every word I read made my heart drop. My mouth went dry and I felt my hands shake with anger. This was Persephone's diary, and Hades had kept it.

I flipped through the pages, each one with less and less words. Something slipped from one of the pages and hit the floor. I crouched, reaching for it, and noticed it was a photograph. It was face-down on the wood, and I flipped it over in my hand as I stood back up.

My jaw dropped. My heart felt like someone had stomped on it while wearing spiked cleats.

In my hand was a photograph of my husband and his first wife. They were embracing, and the look on his face was pure joy. He was laughing and smiling, and Persephone was looking up at him with... love?

I wanted to rip the picture to shreds and light the diary on fire. My eyes burned as jealous tears blurred my vision. I stuck the photo back into the journal and put it back on the shelf where I had found it. I tried to reassure myself that he was my husband now, but it still felt like I had done something terrible. I felt like I'd broken up a marriage, even if it seemed clear she wasn't happy.

Even though her words were scathing and hurtful, the photo told a completely different story. And wasn't the phrase a picture's worth a thousand words? Maybe they had made up after she'd written that.

I didn't believe her disappearance was Hades' fault, but even so- it didn't mean it wasn't suspicious in general. We had found her finger, for one. That didn't seem like a parting gift.

I wiped my eyes and threw my books on the floor. I didn't want to disturb anything else on the shelves, lest I find something worse than that diary.

I wondered where Persephone was that very moment.