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Hades

By: JordanGrace



Hades, Alaska, population 301. Why anyone would chose to live in this most God forsaken piece of earth was beyond Jake Morgan. As he drove through town, Jake realized that if he blinked he would miss half of it. The Sunset Inn along with the school and police station, were the only multi-storied buildings.

Jake opened the doors to the inn and stepped into warmth. One woman seemed to stand out from the crowd. Jake couldn't take his eyes off her. She had the palest skin he'd ever seen. It glowed under the bar lights like fine alabaster. In contrast, her hair was gothic black, flowing down to the center of her back in lazy waves. She had a body that a man could hold on to. As he watched her, Jake felt a tightening in his pants which reminded him that he hadn't held anything female in a long time.

The music was soft. Low conversations ebbed and flowed and people began to notice the strange man standing at the door. Storm noticed him too but to her he wasn't a stranger. Jake Morgan was her favorite author and there was only one reason for him to be in Hades. He wanted what all of the others had wanted. 

Jake watched the gothic beauty walk towards him. Everything else seemed to melt around her. She smiled when she reached his side. She held out a slim hand. 

"Jake Morgan, I'm Storm, welcome to the Sunset Inn. What brings you to Alaska?"

Jake took the small hand in his. He shook it though a part of him wanted to caress it instead. 

He was smart enough to know that he couldn't just start asking questions to anyone he met no matter how beautiful and intelligent they seemed. Not everyone would be willing to answer his questions. He had to feel his way around, find the outsiders, the ones who wouldn't mind talking. He gave Storm his prearranged cover. 

"I'm just here on vacation," he said.

She gave him a skeptical look. "Oh yeah I think they did a feature on us in last month's Conde Nast magazine." 

Jake smiled. She wasn't buying it. Luckily, there was more padding to the lie. "I know that it's a little off the beaten path but I used to visit Anchorage some summers with my grandfather. He was an avid fisherman." 

His eyes turned soft and faraway as he thought about the man that had taken on the burden of raising him after his parents were killed in a car accident when he was twelve. Storm recognized the pain in his face and her heart melted. She knew what it felt like to love someone that much. Jake shook his head to clear the memories. "Anyway I just wanted something familiar but a little different you know? I hear this is beautiful country up here." He gave her a boyish smile.

Storm smiled and Jake held his breath for a few seconds as the warmth of it washed over him. "It's the most beautiful place on earth."

Storm felt sorry for him. She'd read about his divorce on the Internet. It must be hell to have something so private become so public. No wonder he'd wanted to get away from everything he knew. 

In his room later that night, Jake tried to write about his impressions of the small town and its residents. 

But three hours of writing produced nothing but a great explicit piece about making love to Storm. Whether it was her given name, it suited her, he thought. With steel gray eyes, pale skin and the most luscious looking breasts he had ever seen, she seemed like an apparition from a wet dream in the vast emptiness surrounding them. He went to bed still thinking about her and those amazing eyes. 

He peeled off his clothing. His cock breathed a sigh of relief when it was released from the small confines of his shorts. He was just hot and bothered enough to brave the chill in the room against his naked flesh. He allowed his mind to slip into a sexual mode again. His body trembled with anticipation as he thought about finally satisfying the ache that had been with him since he first laid eyes on Storm. He took his heavy cock in his hands. There was no way that he would be able to sleep with its persistent throb. He'd never been so insanely attracted to a woman before not even his ex-wife. Being married to a woman who had quickly lost interest in him had forced him to perfect the art of masturbation. 

He'd spent so many nights nursing a hard cock and a broken heart. Masturbation was no substitute for a loving experience with a woman but for a long time now it was all that he had. It would've been easy for him to find a willing woman to help him release his frustrations but Jake was an old fashioned kind of guy who didn't believe in sharing his body with any woman that he didn't also long to share his soul with. He'd seen something in Storm's eyes that pulled at him every time he was near her.

He rubbed his pre-cum down the length of the shaft. He played with the large head as he fantasized about her. He could almost taste her on his tongue. A woman like her would know how to love a man, he thought. 

One hand moved to his balls. He pulled on them gently. They are heavy with his pent-up lusts. He loved the way his penis hung in front of him like a good friend. When hard it always veered slightly to the right. He loved how it softly coiled up in his pants like a contented snake. The circumcised head was overly large and so sensitive that the slightest touch from a well oiled hand or wet mouth could transform it to a deep shade of aroused purple. Sometimes it peeked out of his shorts like a bad boy looking for some fun. It was also quite spoiled, putting its needs first no matter how inconvenient it was for Jake. It remained hard and insistent until it got what it wanted. Right then it wanted sweet release.

He rubbed his shaft vigorously. Everything around him disappeared. There was nothing but the sensations of his expert hands and the havoc they were wreaking on his body. His hands moved faster until his skin and his soul felt raw. He uttered an expletive as his body exploded. He fell back onto the bed in exhaustion.

Across the hall, Storm was finishing the latest Jake Morgan book. His thrillers were spiced with the most daringly erotic escapades. She'd become adept at holding a book in one hand and her clit in the other. She felt raw and alive having the object of her desire so close to her. Smiling, she made her way into the bathroom.

She lit some scented candles and put on soft music to set the perfect mood for loving. As she pulled her long tresses up into a loose topknot, her hips swayed in time to the music. Her hands left her hair and made their way down her swanlike neck to her full breasts. She cupped them, loving their weight, their womanly softness. She ran her hands over the lace-clad nipples. Her stomach grew butterflies as they hardened to her touch. There was something inherently earthy and powerful to Storm about turning her own body to molten lava.

Her hands slipped down her flat stomach, down to the sexy boy shorts that barely covered her hips. 

Her hands moved to her front. Slowly and sensually, her fingers embraced the warmth at her center. She could feel her heart beating there. She slipped a few fingers under the lace, burying them in the slippery essence between her lips. She removed her fingers and brought them to her mouth. She inhaled the scent of her pussy, closing her eyes and swooning from the potent drug of arousal. Her tongue snaked out, seeking its musky scented flavor. She licked as prettily as a feline. She made love to her fingers, moving them from her pussy to her mouth over and over again.

In a euphoric dance, she began to strip off her clothes. Her body begged to be touched, as only she knew how to touch it. She stood before her full length mirror, naked and panting, as her hips moved in helpless gyrations to the music and the sight of her own naked flesh. She felt almost cannibalistic. She felt stripped, down to her soul. All of her hidden desires had all concentrated in her belly in a fireball of sexual heat that overwhelmed her. She began to fan the flames with her favorite peacock feather. Beginning at her neck, she slowly guided the feather down her chest. Her sensitive skin tingled. A soft cry escaped her gently parted lips as the feather grazed one nipple. She allowed it to linger, to tease it into further arousal.

She moved the feather over to the other nipple, rubbing it up and down. It puckered prettily. The feather glided down her stomach, teased her pussy with the lightest touch, and then traveled down one thigh and up the other. She loved to tease herself in this way, driving herself to the brink of insanity. She caressed her breasts. She kissed each hardened nipple before sucking on it in wet, hungry gulps. She pulled on them, elongating them until it was painful.

She pulled on them with her lips and then with her fingers. The big, coral areolas and nipples almost the size of her pinkie, inflamed her. She became lost in their perfection. Storm felt herself slipping into a world that held no concept of time or place. In her transcendental bliss, there was only her aching breasts and screaming pussy. Heeding its cries, her hands moved down and buried themselves in the wetness that was now flowing down her thighs. She rubbed it into her body, perfuming herself with her own slippery essence.

She sashayed over to the big bathtub. Her hips swayed in the air while she bent down to turn on the water. She added some of her favorite bubbles. Blissfully she slipped into the warm water. She lay there for a few minutes, allowing the water to massage her flesh and the music to soothe her soul.

Languidly she extended one slim leg into the air. She ran a sponge lightly over her strong calves. Slowly she washed her body, paying special attention to those areas that cried out for her touch.

Finally, ready to satisfy their urgings she picked up her yellow rubber ducky. She smiled mischievously. So innocent looking, she thought. Only she knew the deviant pleasures it was capable of giving. Lifting herself onto the wide edge of the tub, she first saturated her pussy with liquid silk lube. She turned the little yellow ducky on and placed the red lips on her shaved mound. She moaned as the strong vibration echoed through her body.

She moved him down to her pussy lips. He kissed them with his vibrating lips. She opened her pussy, inviting him in. He touched her clit gently at first, but he soon became bolder as her clit accepted his strength. She pulled on a nipple as the little ducky drilled into her. Her little nubbin of oversensitive flesh grew big and hard. Her pussy juices ran down into the crack of her ass. She moved the little ducky furiously until she went ridged, her legs sticking out straight in front of her.

Everything was still for a second and then she became a portrait in frantic motion as her body exploded. A scream ripped from her throat, drowning out the sounds of music from the next room. She shook violently, her breasts jiggled crazily on her chest. She lost her balance on the edge and slipped back into the tub. Still the shaking went on until it was finally reduced to a delicious tremble.

Jake was amazed at how easily he fitted in with the daily life of the town. Watching Storm was the best part of his mornings. She moved among her customer like a butterfly on a spring morning. Everyone seemed to glow as she approached their table. It was obvious that she was well liked. 

By some unspoken agreement, they started spending every day together. Storm was the perfect guide around the town she loved so much. She took him fishing and mountain climbing. They enjoyed wild moose on a picnic in the local park when the weather was warm enough to enjoy it. The days were short with the approach of winter and Jake knew that his time with Storm was short lived too. He didn't know how to feel about her. He just knew that being with her made him happy. 

He'd never met anyone who appreciated his work so much or could debate on almost any subject under the sun. Her mind enthralled him while her body drove him crazy. What would Storm think if she knew he'd lied to her? Storm thought she knew him. How could they move any further until he told her the truth?

Storm thought about Jake constantly. She was still amazed that he'd not only walked into her life but that they had so much in common. She'd lost her mother to cancer as a teenager. Her grandparents had taken her in since her father had never been involved in her life. Jake understood her loss. It bonded them. She could see how easy it would be for her to fall in love with him. Every time she was with him, she had to remind herself to take things slow. She had more than her own happiness to think about. There was a man in her life that she loved more than she'd ever thought possible. Until she knew what Jake was up to, she couldn't allow herself to love him. 

She wasn't sure what she was looking for when she entered Jake's room, just something to confirm that he'd been lying to her. a quick glance at his laptop and search of the desk revealed what she knew: Jake was too smart to leave incriminating evidence lying around. But she knew the secret places and found the file on her grandfather under the mattress and read it quickly. Storm's knees could no longer support her. She sank to the bed. 

Jake's heart sank when he walked into his room saw Storm sitting on his bed with tears streaming down her face. He swore softly. 

"Storm I didn't mean for it to happen like this," Jake began. He had to explain, he had to make her understand because he couldn't loose her. 

She got up and walked towards him. "You mean you didn't mean to lie to me. You didn't mean to make me fall in love with you just so you could get information from me? You didn't come here to ruin a man's life with some bullshit that's not even true? Is that what you never meant to happen Jake?"

"Yes, I came here to find out the truth." 

She stood in front of him with her eyes full of pain. "I want you to tell me the truth Storm." 

She laughed. "Oh really? Then why are you going around town trying to get information out of innocent people?" 

Jake hung his head. "Yes I did ask a few questions but only in the beginning, before I got to know you, before I fell in love with you." 

"You love me?" she asked. "Yes, more than I ever thought possible and I want to be with you more than I want this investigation but I have to know what's going on."

Storm walked back to the bed. She sat down and crossed her legs. "I'll tell you the truth but then I want you to walk through that door and out of my life forever do you understand?" Jake moved towards her but she held up her hand. "I know I said I loved you but I don't want to be with you. You're a lying bastard and I'll never trust you again." 

Jake backed up to the wall nearest the door and slid to the floor on legs that had turned to jelly. He couldn't believe that he'd lost Storm even though he knew he didn't deserve her. He'd hurt her in terribly and apparently, there was no forgiveness for that.

"I understand," he said.

Strom took a deep breath before she began. "My grandfather and Robert Mullins belonged to a secret network of spies that even few people in Washington knew about. After only a few months in Russia my grandfather received an assignment to infiltrate the social circle of a Nazi officer disguised as a young German solider. He spoke German as flawlessly as any native and could easily forge the proper documents to get him into their trust. His mission was to find and kill Robert who'd decided that the Nazi resistance was more lucrative. He was actually collecting the names and whereabouts of Jews in the Russian communities who trusted him as an American, in return for money, black market goods and women." 

She stopped as the tears started again. Jake wanted to take her in his arms. She'd carried this pain around inside of her for most of her life probably, always waiting for someone like him to come along and destroy her world. 

"The evidence doesn't implicate anyone except Robert Mullins. He was the monster in all this," she said.

"So what happened to your grandfather?" he asked. "He fell in love," Storm said. "He was in love with the Nazi officer's daughter. Of course he had to keep that a secret. The agency thought he'd betrayed them as well. What they didn't know was that he was trying to sneak her out of the country. She wanted to get away from her family because she despised their beliefs. They assigned another agent to kill him. But someone had tipped Robert off. The night my grandfather walked into his apartment Robert had a bullet in him before he'd walked through the door."

It was getting hard to hear her over the tears. Jake got up and moved to the bed. She was so distraught she didn't even notice when he pulled her into his arms. Robert was shot by the agent tailing my grandfather.

"But John wasn't dead," Jake stated. 

"No, but he would've been had it not been for his Russian girlfriend. She was worried about him so she went to the apartment some time later with some of her friends. They found him barely clinging to life. They rushed him to the hospital leaving behind the other body and grandpa's gun and fingerprints. When he was well enough to travel friends helped smuggle them here where the woman had Russian relatives. They made a beautiful life here. They had my mother and she had me. We were a happy family. All we've ever wanted was to be left in peace so get out of my life." 

"Storm, how can you say that when we have admitted that we love each other?" he asked. 

"I can say that because you lied to me."

"Am I not allowed to make mistakes?" he asked. 

"Not ones that could've caused me everything I love. There is no way for me to get over that." 

Jake tried to take her in his arms again. She pushed him away. 

"I've told you the truth. Now I want you to leave. Be ready in an hour. She got up and walked out of the room and out of his life.

A month later Jake was back in New York. Everything seemed different now. Once, the hurried vibrancy of the city had inspired him. Now he found it too loud to even think. He longed for the quiet of an Alaskan morning but most of all he longed for Storm. Not being close to her made him ache. 

His investigations had led him to Washington and a man named David Nordic. He was one of the top guys at this secret agency during the war. He had official detailed information on everything that had happened during the war including the death of your Robert Mullins. It was hard breaking the news to Randall but there had to be an end to the suffering. Writing the book would hopefully bring closer to everyone.

Storm received a copy of Jake's latest book in the mail about a year after he'd walked out of her life. During that time she'd alternated between waiting for the hounds to descend on her little town and trying to forget that Jake ever existed. Neither happened. She still found herself longing for him. 

He'd kept his promise to her. He'd vindicated her grand father. Anyone who would even suggest a hint of scandal towards him now would to be with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He'd given her peace and a way for her to love him again. Still she wasn't sure if he would want her. She sent him a letter thanking him for the book and confiding to him how much she still loved him. If he was interested she knew that he would return to Alaska. If he didn't then she'll just have to live with the fact that she'd lost the love of her life.

Jake reread Storm's letter three times before its meaning sank in. When it did he jumped up and down for joy like a little kid. He called Storm and told her he was coming home. He booked the plane to Anchorage then arranged for a plane to Hades. The plane ride seemed to take an eternity. Once they landed Jake knew that he was home to stay. Even the short drive to the inn took too long. He bounded up the steps and flung open the large door. 


Hades Ch. 01



Author's note: This is my own retelling of a very common story, that of Hades and Persephone. This is my most favorite mythological love story. I've always identified with the transformation from innocent girl, Kore, to dark queen of the underworld, Persephone, and Hades is the ultimate strong male-love that. It's more about passionate burning love than sex, though I plan on inserting more erotica into any further installments if there is an interest. Please feel free to let me know what you think...I always appreciate hearing from readers. Hope you enjoy it and thank you...

********************** 

Despite all of the power he possessed, he was the lord over the blackness of nothing. 

His self loathing infected his fortress, the great halls, and even the sacred fields he created as the resting place for the heroes. It poisoned everything and every being around him. 

This was a time of hate... most definitely of hate, and it had begun to destroy him and the kingdom he built. 

********************** 

In the grips of a private unshakeable rage, he pounded his fists and cracked the whip commanding the gray steeds before him to thunder. Air swirled through his dark hair and blew up stale earth that stuck to his skin and made it's way into his gritted teeth. In the wake of his chariot, the dust clouded the passage and the ground rumbled above. 

He could have flown to his secret place above ground in an instant, but he loved the violence of the journey. He reveled in it. The anticipation he felt just before breaking free of the earth was an exquisitely painful release from the prison of his underworld. 

These trips were becoming more frequent. He had grown to crave the warmth of the sun. The land above was the complete antithesis to his netherworld, a place he had begun to hate with the fury that pressed him to the wheat fields and sunshine in the mortal's realm. 

His horses were first to notice the scent of warm grass coming from the crevasse where the underworld met the golden fields, the olive trees and the hot sun. It spurred the horses to quicken their pace to frantic proportions, snorting and kicking up clods of rock and dirt as they pulled their master to the place where the earth was ripped open. When they burst out of the caverns, god and beast inhaled the summer heat and simultaneously winced and reared as their pupils dilated from the sudden change from shades of gray to the bright light outside. 

In the meadow, a flock of sheep charged. The dogs and the shepherd chased the animals up into the surrounding hills, then scattered out of sight. And the warblers bolted from the trees, darting into the horizon. As was only natural, most living things ran from him. 

A moment later, everything quieted around the dark figure that had come out of the ground. A still serenity, a warmth, bathed him in calmness. He was surrounded by the total opposition to the existence he knew. Life and light were all around him.

He settled the horses and loosed them to run free in the field. Some of them found the shade under the trees more familiar and rested there. The others played and pranced like young colts, as if they were not the enchanted beasts of the dark angel of death, Hades. They found a stream to drink from and the god's eyes traced the path of water around the rim of meadow. His eyes followed the water as it descended into a small valley of trees. Miles beyond the trees, the stream widened. Rocks and descending land transformed the bubbling water into rushing torrents. Farther west, this same stream would meet his brother's ocean in a clash of sweet water meeting salty, foaming brine. Hades could see all of this in one sweep of his immortal eyes. 

From a slope below the place where Hades stood and breathed, marveling at the beauty of Zeus' earth so brimming with life, he noticed five figures in the distance but only one came into focus. It blurred out the nature surrounding him. A girl, only just a maiden, and her playmates approached, unaware of him. 

The girl bent down, finding flowers to pick among the weeds and he watched her move. He intently focused on her every gesture. It was as if she moved in water, graceful and fluid and sun beams showered her with light making her long black hair sparkle. He could smell her. It was a clean scent he could only compare to innocence. 

She was purity personified and achingly, beautifully so.

Something, not long ago, had shifted in him. Utter discontent, an uneasiness, settled into him. He spent millennia searching the souls under his charge for an extraordinary being, but hadn't found one person or entity capable of explaining how to create the balance he searched for. The balance he was incapable of conjuring himself. His brother Zeus was flawed in ways Hades didn't have patience to examine in depth and Poseidon was merely a ruler, not a creator. Finding solace or advice from one of his brothers was a moot point. 

All splintered under the gravity of Hades glare and razor sharp inquisitions. Heroes and peasants alike, even most immortals, all would dissolve into the sum of their misdeeds, their vices, their inadequacies, begging and weeping for mercy, though contrition was not required of them. He had no issue with the sinful or the debauched, or the virtuous, and equally welcomed them all into his domain. He provided an appropriate place for all the dead who entered. Good and evil and all those in between, each to his own designated home for eternity. He was a fair and just god. 

His eyes could see a mortal life lived in it's entirety. Pleasures, goodness and, of course, there would be at least a sprinkling of evil in even the most puritanical subjects. Why couldn't any being embrace it all as a whole with pride, sans apologies? It all was evidence of a life well lived, as he viewed it. He could not understand the shame they felt as their lives were laid bare before him. 

And then there were the mortals that were thoroughly rotten. The murderers, liars, rapists and worse, they would often enter there to preen before him. They flaunted their adventures in depravity. In death, those that so relished their own evil life, would eventually fall to their knees in supplication. Then it was too late for rehabilitation. Hades could look upon a killer and see when they were an innocent babe in their mother's arms. He could see this in them, but couldn't find it in himself. Those souls would go to their deserved torment irregardless of their screams or cries. He was a fair and just god. His purpose was not to forgive. Those mortals were the quickest to be dispatched to their place in the underworld, a waste of his attention. No lessons or epiphanies would be discovered in the most evil souls and those were the least likely to impress him. 

He respected both sides of this nature of the universe. But, he had a special attraction to purity. He would find his extraordinary soul among the innocent, because it was everything he was not. The purest mortals proved to be the most fascinating souls because they were so often unaware of their own short comings. And inevitably, they too would admit to things done in their lifetimes that they regretted, no matter how minute. 

He pitied them all for what he thought was their ignorance and inability to see all facets of existence with pure honesty and clarity as he did. Good and evil balanced the scales of humanity and the immortals, a necessary tension, push and pull. 

For time immeasurable, he waved through countless souls and now he used the brothers, Hypos and Pathos, to do this work of sorting and measuring the lives of the dead. Only the most valuable ghosts were to be brought before him.

Now, with this unknown girl approaching him, he felt he was in the presence of a truly exceptional being. More than any other immortal. More than any other creature he had ever seen, living or dead... and he knew this without having spoken a single word to her. He watched her and lost himself in the simple breathtaking beauty of her. All of his rage, self hatred, even the furrow in his brow and a cleave in his cheek slipped away releasing him. He was left paralyzed in his awe of her.

Pleasures of the flesh had always been just that, physical, though he enjoyed them with abandon. Sirens, sorceresses, and the likenesses there of, had served as vessels, but nothing more. His brother, Zeus, on the other hand, had created the mortals, it seemed, as fodder for his own romantic proclivities. The fascination Zeus had with the human women disgusted Hades. What challenge or thrill could be had from preying on the defenseless? Some of those women would find themselves in the underworld shortly after their encounters with Zeus. For others, the strain of birthing a half-immortal child was too much for their bodies to bear and they would succumb during childbirth. Was Zeus a celestial father, lover, or torturer? Hades never considered a human for the very fact that his depth of character might crush a mortal woman's psyche. Physically, he was far more dense than a man. He would never impose himself on a being so incapable of defending themselves against him and especially one that had caused him no harm. He was a warrior and a king by choice, as well as destiny, but, he was no murderer.

His eyes shifted to the sky where a peregrine falcon circled and broke the trance he'd fallen into. Moving quickly so that she wouldn't see him, he donned his war helmet, rendering himself and everything of his invisible to her. He stood still as she approached. The energy that he contained within his immortal body drew her to him and so he watched her and waited. As she walked closer to him, he felt his own body lean forward and he struggled to remain still. Like a force from the opposite side of his dark spectrum, she exhibited the same powerful pull on him. He was shocked by how much energy it took for him to maintain his footing.

Her eyes saw nothing but the peaceful meadow before her. She had no idea that she was standing face to face with the god of the underworld, Hades. He looked down into her honey colored eyes, unable to focus on anything else. The way the light illuminated her eyes dazzled him. She might as well have had candle flames for eyes for all their brilliance. She stood no taller than the top of the breast plate he wore on his chest and for the first time in his long life, he felt small. His brows knitted together and he unitentionally let out a slow breath to release some of the tension he felt in his chest. He blew cool air into her face and it pushed back her wavy hair from her shoulders. It soothed away the heat of the sun beating down on her and she smiled. Much like the waters of the stream and the ocean, his cool and her warmth clashed in this secret meeting of opposites. 

He thought, for a second, that he'd made a childish mistake. He almost revealed his presence to her. What a silly thing to do. He could have ruined the shear bliss of this stolen moment. Had she actually made him nervous?

He made her smile. In such close proximity to him that he might have given up anything to have that intimacy forever in his memory. For the first time in his life he wished to be human, for her and her alone. He wanted to be a boy that could make her laugh or a man that could make her love him. But, who he was would forever stand in the way of that ever happening. This realization, instantly restored the all too familiar fury she had just released him from. His self loathing only deepened into regret for what he would never have... the love of this innocent girl. And his eyes spilled tears that streaked his dirty face.

He embraced the darkness so long ago. Perhaps to such a degree that he no longer held the converse. Any visible light in his own character had long since been extinguished by the steely coldness in the realm of his own creation. Neglecting to infuse his world with light to correspond with his darkness, as his brother had done for the mortals above him was his own fault. He should have been able to see that balance was essential. Now that this glaring mistake was all too evident, he was unable to recreate what he so badly needed... a world with light and life as well as death and darkness.

There in lay the further insult to him. These mortals were given the benefit of dwelling above his empire. And for what did they deserve that entitlement? Mortals were a nuisance to Hades. When they arrived at his feet newly dead and shaking, frightened and lacking any self control, it was his responsibility to house the spirits out of sight of the living. For whom did this whole process benefit? 

Many times he had pondered the deliciousness of breaking out the ceilings of his underworld to let in the light, crumbling the vibrant world above, extinguishing all life and releasing the beings he lorded over in an orgasm of chaos the gods would marvel at. And who could stop him? And what of it? If he destroyed this forsaken place he created to house the dead...what of it? His brother would undoubtedly declare war against Hades, but it would be too late to save Zeus' beloved mortals, who, as a species, were little more than play things to him. And Poseidon? He would scarcely notice or care. Poseidon would only seek to keep the peace between his two younger brothers.

Hades longed to be done with this for centuries. Now, with this girl before him he thought, what a pity it would have been had he acted on his urge to rid the world of the mortals, destroying her in the chaos and death that would ensue. What a pity it might have been to have never seen this girl and her smile, just for him.

He knew the tittering balance and order in the kingdoms of the three brothers', Zeus' sky and earth, Poseidon's ocean, and his very own disastrous failure in the underworld, must remain if only to protect the girl that had unknowingly smiled at him and touched him as no other ever had. 

One of the girl's friends called to her from the valley below, "Kore! Come, we must go! The festival is about to begin."

"Yes," she answered in a whisper, absently, and only loud enough for Hades to hear. And Hades continued to look into her eyes, only breaking his focus on her as she turned to go. She looked over her shoulder and surveyed the meadow once more before running off. She wondered what it was in the meadow that had lulled her into a world of her own. 

"Wait for me!" she yelled to her friends that were now running to the trees. She laughed as she caught up with the smallest boy in the group and bumped him with her hip, knocking him off balance and he tumbled face first into the grass laughing.

"Kore," said Hades aloud, over and over as he watched her disappear into the thick of trees. 

He could have taken her to be his at any moment, but he couldn't summon the will to hurt her. It would have been like a giant plucking a flower and crushing it in the process, for no other reason than to possess it. 

If he took her, it might kill her... and she had smiled for him. 

He remained in the meadow until the sun went down in the sky and night surrounded him. Even in the night sky, there were stars and the moon that kept watch over the earth until the time when the sun flooded the world with light again in the morning. The same births and deaths that the mortals experienced, were echoed in the sky with the rising and setting of the sun and moon every day and night. He watched all of this with the same intent focus that he had given to the girl, Kore. 

There would be no births in his domain. He felt out of touch with his world and this mortal world confused him only more. 

And that was precisely what he now searched for. Something, some being to match the passion and depth he possessed. He thirsted for a worthy adversary or companion. To him they might be one in the same. Someone or thing powerful enough to serve as a challenge to him in any way shape or form, for his world was dead in every way imaginable.

The darkness in the underworld was unbearable to the other immortals, and now to him as well. The imbalance of negative to positive energy offended their senses and they soon halted all but the most necessary trips to the realm of the dead. He now understood why. Most gods were used to imbibing in the greater pleasures of supernatural existence, intermingling with the mortals at will and they could not comprehend the obsession Hades seemed to have with the melancholy. This girl had given him a taste of a sublime light in the universe that he was never aware even existed until that very moment. He had learned to want the sun for some time now, but this was something altogether more powerful and monumental. Was this what love could be like?

Riduculous! He was designed to withstand anything... he was a god! He was an all powerful being, perhaps more resilient than even Zues. Was this love?

In his throne hall, Hades sat quietly contemplating why Kore had so impressed him. Perhaps, this was the first time that he had ever been the inspiration of anyone's smile. But, that couldn't be true. 

What was the nature of this smile? It was the rarest of things, an honest reaction from an honest girl. She didn't know that he was there with her in the field. She was enjoying her own private moment in which Hades was fortunate to have taken part. Had he actually allowed himself to fall in love with this girl in that instant?

Further still, he wondered if he had not been in that field with her, might she have smiled in that way or even at that precise moment? Could it be that she had felt the same love being born between them? 

His mind was filled with endless examinations of this tiny, yet all consuming matter; Kore's enigmatic smile, and the girl herself.



Hades Ch. 01



The sound of the dead thundered his ears. He sat on his throne while the dead screamed and the rocks fell and crumpled into the lava that surrounded him. His fingers pressing into his temples, they pulsed with the stress of being who he was. 

Hades.

King of the Underworld. 

A job that was given to him by his brother Zeus, whose attitude often got him into more trouble and got him more bastards then his wife, Hera could handle. 

"Hades?" He looked up to see Athena who was dressed in her grey robes that flowed behind her as she filling his doorway. 

"What do you want Athena?" Hades asked as he rose to his full six feet and six inch height. 

"Why are you so sad, Hades?" She asked as she walked closer. "Does the death of Persephone still haunt you?"

"What kind of question is that?!" He shouted at her making the Underworld quake. "Of course I miss her. I hurt every time I breathe in a scent that reminds me of her." Hades sat exhaust on his throne, and put his head in hands. 

"That's not weakness Hades. It's called love." 

He scoffed, "Love is for fools."

Athena smiled "Is that why you truly believe?" 

"What else is there to believe?" Athena looked at Hades whose long hair hung past his shoulders. His long, lean body was covered in his robes, his broad shoulders were tense. He looked at her and his pale blue eyes were filed with sadness.

"Where is she, Athena?"

She sat down on Hades arm rest putting her hand on his shoulder blade. "She is a good woman. A goddess and I am afraid I don't know where she is. She was killed."

"Who would kill her?"

"You have many enemies Hades you are the only one who could answer that."

"I'll ask the Moirae." 

She patted him on the back "Bring gifts."

"Thank you Athena."

She got up from the armrest, "No problem." Hades watched her walk out and left him to his thoughts. 

His life and his entire immortality had died. He still remembers the day Persephone died in his arms. Her faces pale and yet oddly beautiful with blood that poured out of her mouth and whispered her love for him. She held his hand as her soul slipped out of her body. Hades a man known to be feared, strong and the devil himself cried as his wife died in his arms. Hades shook his head, trying to remove the memory of his wife's death from his mind; he decided that the only people who could answer his questions are the Moirae.

****

Mount Olympus beautiful home of the Gods except Hades, he was feared and unwanted. Yet he did the job no other God wanted. He walked into the home of the Moirae, it was white like every other, home on Olympus, but each had the different symbol of the Gods on its Corinthian column, the Moirae had wind chimes that always had captured the music in the winds. Once he was there the Moirae maids opened the doors that were solid gold. He entered, and there were the three sisters, known to be selfish, hateful, and heartless. Here they sat each on a lush couch and in white. Clotho sat looking down a thread of a woman who was happy and full of life play with her son. The Moirae who each loved, and felt more emotion more than any. They each suffered with every person who died by the cut of their scissors.

All three looked up to meet his gaze. 

Lachesis smiled as he entered, Atropos looked up from her book and had a surprised look on her face. Many hadn't seen Hades leave his Underworld. Even Persephone his wife had tried to get him out of his dark kingdom. "Hades what brings you out of your Kingdom?" Lachesis asked. 

Lachesis was a red-head and the one who liked Hades because she saw the goodness in Hades. She believed that Persephone and Hades' love could never be broken.

"I ask for a favor my Moirae." 

"We are need of a gift. "Atropos said as she closed her book and smiled. Atropos was a beautiful blonde with blue-green eyes. She had on a bright green robe with gold strings wrapped around her small waist. 

"Of course." Hades signaled for the Moirae's maidens, he picked up one and went to Clotho then bent down on one knee. "For you beloved Clotho. I bring you a puppy white as snow."

Clotho's face brightened with joy as the puppy ran into Clotho's lap. Many didn't know how much Clotho loved animals. "Great Hades you know what these animals do to our white rugs." Lachesis groaned. 

Hades smiled. "And for you Lachesis." Hades reached behind him. "I have a necklace, a heart-shaped ruby blood red stone made with diamonds surrounding it." He opened the box and gently removed it. Lachesis put her head down. Hades put the necklace over her head and securing it around her neck. "It's perfect Hades. Thank you." 

Hades then turned his gaze to Atropos who sat waiting for his attention. He walked over to her and again bent down on one knee. He looked at her and then reached out and touched her face. "You. You were hard to find a present for. But I have just the thing." He reached into his robe and pulled out Atropos weakness. 

"Chocolate!" She shouted as hades gave her three Hershey's chocolate bar. She grabbed the chocolate and wrapped her arms around Hades neck. He laughed at her happiness and how much she loved chocolate. She stepped back from him, then sat down and opened one of her chocolate bars. 

"What do you need Hades?" Clotho asked. 

Hades got up on his feet and rose at his full height. "I wish to find out what really happened to Persephone." 

Clotho shook her head. She looked at him with sorrow filled eyes. "You are not ready for the truth Hades."

"Clotho I have spent more and more time morning my wife and I have yet to find peace. Please tell me." 

Lachesis sighed, "Tell him Clotho. He has suffered too much."

Clotho looked at him and picked up her puppy and put her face in its soft fur. The puppy licked her chin and snuggled her neck. "Demeter."

The name of his mother made his body fuel with anger. "What of her?" He managed through clenched teeth. 

"Hades you must understand. We never cut Persephone's thread. But Demeter is her mother." Atropos said. 

"Demeter killed her own daughter?"

"No. She killed her daughter's body, but kept her soul."

"How?" Hades wondered how Demeter could talk Persephone into doing such a thing.

"She told her of her plans to kill you Hades. Persephone couldn't see that happen." 

"Why in god's name would she fall for that?" Hade's roared, but the Moirae stood tall knowing he would never hurt them. 

"She loved you Hades. She was unfortunately fooled by her own mother." Atropos said. 

"And she never knew she was with child." Clotho said silently. Lachesis and Atropos both swung their heads in their sister's direction. 

Hades felt as if a bow had struck his heart. "Child?" he said as the pain took his ability to stand. The almighty Hades falls to his knees. "My child. Persephone was killed while my child was in her womb?"

"Yes." Clotho said. She gently laid her hand on his back. "But I swear that she had no idea."

"Clotho! We promised." Atropos shouted at her sister. 

"He deserves to know." 

"What else have you been keeping from me?" Hades asked as his throat dried thinking the worst.

"Demeter hates you. But one thing she did was put Persephone's soul into a human body. Persephone can't get her memories back if she doesn't have your love and happiness. But Demeter also did this because of Pirithous."

Once that name left Lachesis lips, Hades head jerk up.

"What? That bastard is still in Tartus being tortured for even thinking that he could have Persephone." 

"Look deeper into your Underworld Hades; you'll discover he is no longer there." 

"It's impossible Lachesis."

"Your mother put Persephone's soul in a human."

"Who is the human?"

"We don't know who she or he is." Atropos said. "But we do know the location of the soul."

"Were?"

"Eagle River, Alaska." Clotho answered. 

"Why Alaska?"

"She knows how much you hate the cold." Clotho said as she laughed. 

"Well she doesn't know me well enough. I will go to Alaska."

"Who will watch over your Underworld?"

"I will have Charon look over for me." 

"I wish you well. We all do." Atropos said, as the two other sisters nodded their heads.



Hades Ch. 02



Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that read, posted comments and voted on Hades Ch 1. For those that have not read Hades Ch 1, chapter two may not be able to fill you in on the tale thus far. Please bear in mind, it is my own unique retelling of the love affair between Hades and Kore/Persephone and I have taken some serious liberties with the characters and story- hopefully not offending any mythology buffs out there. As always, hope you enjoy it and I consider myself a very lucky girl when I receive input from readers. I'd love to continue the story as long as the interest is there. Kindest regards.

**************************************************

  After the festival, Kore returned to her home and fell into bed to sleep and dream of a man she had seen not with her eyes, but with her heart. In the dream she looked into his grass green eyes beneath a bronze warrior's helmet and in a flash she saw his naked body above her, consuming her. She awoke frightened and confused by what she saw in her dream. She had never dreamt of men or boys. This was no man she recognized, and maybe not a man. 

 He was a stranger that entered her life through a dream. 

**************************************************   

"Are you alright?" asked Mina. Kore's friend noticed she was out of sorts since the previous day. 

  Kore didn't answer her. She looked out at the hills behind her home. From the balcony of her bedroom she saw the sun set a short time before and the silhouette of the hills had turned bright red. The hills themselves had turned black in the night and eerily resembled the musculature of the stranger.

 "You're so far away," Mina said, urging her friend to speak. It was unlike Kore to be so quiet.

 "Do you dream of men, Mina?" responded Kore, still looking at the hills.

 "Men? What men? The ones that I'd like to marry?" She sat next to Kore and knudged her with an elbow. "Or the ones that I would like to take as lovers?" They both dissolved into laughter. 

 Mina covered her mouth and gasped, "Don't tell me you've never dreamt of being with a man?"

 "Well, I have. I did. But..." Kore didn't know how to describe what she'd seen in her dream. She didn't know how to describe what she felt in the meadow. She suddenly felt out of place around everyone. She felt distinctly different since the afternoon in the meadow. 

 "What do you think it'll be like? You know, on our wedding nights." Kore said and smiled at her friend. She could trust that Mina would give her the most fantastically romantic stories to occupy her mind, to distract her from the stupor she had fallen into since the day before.

 "Oh...let's see. It'll all depend on whom we become betrothed to, my sweet girl," Mina was enjoying this and laughed again into her hands.

 "Well, I already know who my parent's will choose for me," Mina said teasing Kore.

 "Really? Who? You must tell me! Is he handsome?" Kore was now fully engrossed in this conversation.

 "They shall choose Castor for me," Mina joked and Kore clapped her hands and laughed.

 "The hero? Oh really? And who shall I have?" asked Kore, playing along.

  "You shall have his brother Polydeuces, of course! So that we might be sisters and our children would be cousins and we shall compare our husbands' verilities when they are gone on their great adventures!" Mina could hardly keep herself on the bench next to Kore.

 This was all great fun, but Kore still held in her heart a sense that something, someone had watched her in the meadow and that nothing would ever be the same for her. She was no longer a child.

**************************************************

  High above the girl, at the great fountain in the main courtyard where Zeus gazed into the waters to view his beloved mortals in battles of love and war, a goddess comes upon him seeking to ask for her daughter's return.

  "My lord, your daughter has grown into a splendid young woman," Demeter says to him smiling as her head tilts to one side and she remembers the day she conceived her only daughter from Zeus. She catches herself biting the side of her bottom lip. She examines his broad back, strapped with well defined muscles. Surely, they were not developed through the work of battle. 

 He pursued her as he pursued every goddess or woman he fancied, passionately and with total concentration, until his labors were rewarded. After the conquest that concentration would inevitably be drawn elsewhere. She still loved him, despite his eternal philandering and despite his ultimately belonging to another goddess, Queen Hera, the great matron. She thought "the great fool" would be more fitting a title for his wife.

 "Mmm...?" he muttered, his famous concentration was elsewhere, as ever. Demeter looked down into the glowing water of the fountain and caught a glimpse of what he was so interested in. It appeared to be a mortal princess. A blonde one. 

 "And, do you remember that one's name?" asked Demeter, sarcasm in her voice.

  "Wha...? Why yes, it's Princess Semele, daughter of Cadmus. He...ummm," he broke off and, just as suddenly, was again consumed by the princess he saw in the waters.

 "I pity her," said Demeter, turning her back to him and looking down at the polished stone floors. He had not caught any of the mockery in her tone, nor the sting in the last comment she offered, but she expected nothing less.

 "Well, it seems I have caught you at the perfect time," said Demeter, knowing full well that he was distracted by lust. She was often astonished by the amount of time it would take for him to realize she was making a fool of him. This banter usually terminated with his angry outbursts, but also with her having her way. Enduring his tantrums was well worth the secret enjoyment she derived from playing these games with him.

 "I've come to speak to you about another princess, my lord," she spoke more forcefully this time. "You're daughter from me. Do you remember her name?"

 He turned to her now, face flushing slightly red from annoyance. She had to turn her face away so as not to laugh. 

 "You ask me about names? Are you implying that I do not love my children, goddess?" the volume of his barritone voice clipping higher.

 "My lord, I know that your love is limitless," she said looking directly into his eyes and working hard at feigning sincerity. "I only bother you with the best interests of our daughter in mind...my lord," she added.

 "What? Has something happened to Kore? The family I placed her with has been taking care of her to this day. Have they not? That falcon was supposed to be looking after her!" He began to panic slightly. As if he were a shepherd awakening to find his flock has dissapeared. His love was indeed without limit. It was his attention span that was considerably limited. 

 In truth, he had forgotten about the girl since he sent her to be raised with a mortal family when she was an infant. Demeter wanted to raise her on Olympus with the rest of the immortals, but Zues had insisted she'd be better off for it. Demeter, thought it was for the benefit of his marriage bed, though beds were of little consequence to him.

 This falcon was not her daughter's constant companion as Zeus believed. Demeter had looked in on her child everyday in secret, and had seen the falcon Zeus had spoken of. He merely looked in on her from afar and mainly when she was outside. Demeter would often take the appearance of the villagers or servants in the household where Kore lived so that she could go unnoticed. Demeter knew her daughter very well, her likes and dislikes, her intellect was strong and most of all, she was kind. She knew this just as any devoted mother raising her child herself might. 

 She also knew her daughter was innocent and pure of heart. The girl had grown into the sweetest flower, generous, loving of nature and of the mortals. The prospective suitors that began to pay visits to her foster family, had been received too eagerly for Demeter's taste. She knew that when this girl fell in love, it would be boundless, like her father's love, but all enduring. The heavens and the earth would not be able to rival the beauty and scope of it. She feared her daughter would take a mortal lover and be lost forever. She would be unable to bear children from a mortal man and her lover would inevitably die. She would live on, an eternity would be spent heartbroken by the unfairness of being born immortal and believing she was human, like the mortal family that had cared for her.

 "No harm has befallen her, my dear Zeus. I merely seek to begin her education. She is, after all, the immortal fruit of your loins. Is she not entitled to grow into her full potential as all immortal children are? At least as all of the immortal children of my lord and his wife are." She had gone too far. He was well aware of the disdain that many of the goddesses had for Hera, and it was a direct consequence of his illicit affairs. He tolerated no one speaking of her in a harsh manner. It was his own shame that incited his great loyalty to his long suffering wife. 

 "All of my children enjoy the benefit of being the child of Zeus!" his shouts echoed off of the pillars surrounding the court yard and back to Demeter. She could feel the vibrations of his voice in her torso and they seemed to exit her body through her breasts.

 "My lord, forgive me. I know that you love Kore as much as I do. With her becoming a young woman now, a young goddess, it would be prudent for her to be brought to me so that I might protect her and guide her, teach her about her growing powers," she was thinking of the love she once had for Zeus and it showed on her face. 

 "Forgive me, but I do not wish for her to suffer the hearbreak of having to leave a mortal man that she has fallen in love with, after she has been betrothed and then discover that she is one of us and not them," her voice softened now. She spoke to him the way that she spoke to him so long ago, when he had willingly given her his loving attention. These days, she had to incite his anger in order to gain any favor from him, good or bad, no matter.

 "Has she been offered for marriage?" he asked, the concern showing in his voice. "I specifically instructed them not..."

 "She is so beautiful. Have you looked upon her? The time is fast approaching, Sir," she was begging him. "Please, my lord."

 It was no secret that women could encourage him to do just about anything, given the right approach. His only weakness was, of course, women. Though he may have lost romantic interest in one, he always remained greatful to his former lovers for having shown him affection. As if a debt were owed to the women for having suffered his childish demands. He had benefitted from Demeter's affection once and a child had come from it. His payment, to date, had been to send their baby away and out of sight of his wife. He knew that it was time to right this wrong. 

 After the baby, Kore was sent away, 

Demeter continued her celestial duties, providing bountiful harvests and bestowing fertility on the mortals, despite the sorrow of losing her daughter to them for the sake of Zeus' comfort. He had told her that Kore would be better off being raised by the mortals. Demeter would have a daughter that knew and loved the mortals like no other goddess would. She would gain useful insite into the needs of the mortals that she could bring back to Demeter when the time was right for her to take over some of Demeter's duties. It was all folly and Zeus had been so pursuasive that he had ultimately convinced himself that this was the right thing to do. 

 He got close to Demeter and took her hands in his. "I would never wish for any of my children to suffer any heartbreak. I will forever think of her as the baby she was when I sent her to the mortals." He brought her finger tips up to his mouth and kissed them. Though she had grown to hate and resent him for taking her only daughter, he could still send chills through her. 

 "If you feel that she needs her mother's care now, then she shall have it," he said looking into her eyes. She knew that he was sincere by virtue of the crackling electricity that fired in his blue eyes. She thought the power he used in his lightening bolts must come from his eyes and the fiery mind behind them. She took his hand and kissed the top of it as she knelt before him.

 "My lord, you shall see what a beautiful young goddess she has grown into before your very eyes tomorrow. I shall make the preparations myself." She stood up and leaned forward, stroking his face and kissed his cheek before leaving.

 He watched her leave and sensed someone in the shadows. "Dear, is that you?" he asked, but no one responded. He knew that his wife had come upon them toward the end of this conversation. He didn't speak again, only went back to his fountain, which now glowed green and blue. The mortal princess was bathing in the ocean and he watched her. 

  The falcon flew upward, higher in to the heavens than any other real bird could. The air began to thin and soon the clouds and mist dampened his wings. He faltered, plummeting for a second to shake his wings then shooting back up. The flight for him would soon end at the top of the golden mountain in the clouds. Zeus had instructed him to watch the girl for anything unusual and what he had to tell his master was very unusual. 

 "Peregrine, your master is busy. This way. Come," Hera, the matron, beckoned him. "Have you any news of the girl?" she said to him, checking the anger from reaching her voice. Was she to interfere in the homecoming of this bastard child of Zeus, she would use this bird. 

 The falcon lengthened and landed on legs that changed to those of a man, and standing just as tall as Hera. His head remained a falcon's, twitching side to side, his eyes black and blinking.

 "My queen, I do have news of the girl. My lady, I found her with Hades," the falcon said, poking his beak behind a wing, straightening a crooked feather. The bird had been granted the gift of seeing all by Zeus, for the purpose of guarding his daughter. He was able to see Hades as clearly as he saw Kore in the meadow. 

 "Hades? Really... tell me everything, bird," Hera eyes narrowed as she tried to understand the significance of this. She guided him under an arbor in one of the gardens Zues had created for her around the time that the girl, Kore was born.

 "My lady, I don't believe the girl saw him. Or perhaps she did," said the falcon cocking his head to one side.

  "The girl is the daughter of Zeus, of course she saw him..." Hera interrupted the bird, but was so eager to hear more, she held her tongue.

 "Hades was in a meadow and Kore went to him. They remained there together, standing very close for quite some time. She then ran off, laughing. He stayed there watching her and now I am here, my lady. That is all I know," the falcon offered. The bird was restless on the ground and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. 

 "So, the girl is in love with Hades. How delicious! They call me 'the matron', 'the fool', we will see about that," this she said to herself. The falcon's stripped down explanation of what he'd seen left Hera much room to infer what ever she liked into the scene he described.

  "Bird, listen carefully. Her parent's will be so dissapointed if they learn of the affair between Hades and the girl. Don't you think?" She was standing behind the bird stroking his head like a pet.

 "Zeus would be devastated if he knew his precious innocent girl was didling Hades, the morbid. The king would surely be angry with you for allowing this to go on. What d'you think he shall do with you, when he finds out? I think, better for you...and the girl, if you leave this to me." She spoke softly to the bird as if she were protecting him from a certain, painful death.

  "My lady, I... it's not my fault. I knew nothing of this going on between the two. Surely you see that I have done nothing but looked after the girl. And now with her stupidity, the girl shall bring death upon me?" The bird's face remained blank as the animal he was, but his voice shook now and his wings began to fan the air. 

 "Now, now, I understand. You did your best. The girl is nothing but trouble and you should not be sacrificed for merely doing what you were told. Don't you worry. I will find a way to help you. But, you must be willing to risk your life in order to save your life, my dear bird. It's the only way," Hera was no longer smiling, thinking of how Demeter would cry rivers and lakes over her sweet child when she found out who she had become involved with and that the young goddess would never come to stay on the mountain with the rest of the immortals. 

 "The angel of death would be any mother's nightmare for a son," she said, patting the falcon's head. "We shall fix this, you and I."



Hades Ch. 02



With his black robes flowing behind him he entered the Underworld furious at what the Moirae had told him. He walked into his study that was surrounded by black marble; he paced back and forth next to his stone desk. "Damn it!" Hades screamed, as he slammed his fist down on the table. The information the Moirae had given him, made him start to doubt the quest to Alaska. 

"My lord, is there something wrong?" Hades turned his gaze toward Charon; he looked at the centaur that was an inch taller than him, had longer shiner black hair that reached the middle of his back, and was wearing a breastplate with Hades symbol in the center. 

Hades sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, "Nothing is wrong." 

"Sir, I have known you for centuries I can tell when you lie." Charon said to Hades back, he had noticed how tense Hades had been since Persephone's death. He stared at Hades' back and realized he didn't know the man in front of him anymore. 

"Pirithous is not in Tartus." 

Charon whistled loudly, "How did that happen?" 

Hades turned and faced him. "I have no idea.....Who is watching the ferry?"

Charon shrugged a shoulder, "Thanatos."

"What!? Why would you let him watch the ferry?" Charon looked at Hades, with a confused look on his face. 

"My lord, Thanatos has watched the ferry before." 

"I'm sorry Charon; it's just that we have to keep our eyes on Tartus, now that I know Pirithous somehow left without anyone knowing."

Charon took a deep breath, "My lord does any of this have to do with the death of Persephone?" 

Hades turned to his second in command, "Of course it does." 

"My lord what did the Moirae tell you?" He watched as Hades sat down in chair that sat in the front of the table. Hades moping and being depressed was something that was foreign to Charon, Hades was all powerful, most feared, and indestructible God, until Persephone, he had watched the powerful Hades become weak the moment Persephone told him that she loved him. 

"Demeter killed her, took her soul and put it into a human body." He looked at Charon and saw that there was no surprise on his face. "You don't seem surprised by the news old friend?"

Charon struggled not to roll his eyes at his Master; he knew Hades thought he was behind Pirithous escaping. "It's not a secret that Demeter hates you. I knew she would take desperate measures to get her daughter back." 

Hades slouched in his chair, "Sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, old friend." He twirled the bracelet on his left wrist that Persephone had made him; it was a thin piece of leather that wrapped around his wrist three times before it was secured, in the middle there is a metal piece that had a flower imprinted on it. It symbolized the time when he saw her picking flowers. 

"My lord?" Charon looked at Hades and watched as his face grew blank indicating that Hades was thinking about Persephone. "My lord, I really hope you have a plan."

"Demeter is not happy with six months with her daughter. She doesn't want to share Persephone. She put Persephone's soul into a human, and will have Pirithous try and seduce her. Then she will have Persephone under her domain again, and if she is successful she will keep a better eye on her since she knows I will be after her. What I will have to do is find the human carrying Persephone's soul, and seduce her myself."

Charon looked at Hades, "It looks like you know Demeter's plan."

"Of course I do, I always think ahead."

"Then why are you still here?"

Hades looked at the dark wall to his left. "Is this chase worth my time Charon? What if I get her back and Demeter takes her from me again? I don't think I can live through another death of Persephone." 

He walked up beside Hades, "No I don't think you can. My lord I couldn't stand Persephone I believed that she was weakening you. As much as I disliked her I realized that she made you happy; you weren't torturing people to celebrate every New Year's Eve, and for the first time in centuries you walked among the humans. My lord, you even started to have a relationship with your younger brothers. All of that would not have been possible if not for Persephone. You need her love, and she needs your love. If you let her go she will end up just as you are." 

Hades turned his sea blue eyes toward Charon, "Well thank you for that lovely Oscar worthy speech." 

"All I know is that the love of your life is out there in Alaska, and you sit here, accepting the fact that you will let your mother win." Charon took a deep breath and waited for Hades to make up his mind. 

"Who will run the Underworld?"

"What was your answer to the Moirae?"

"You know me to well; I think it's time for your retirement." Hades grumbled. 

"Ha! If only I could. The last time I threatened you with retirement you chained me to the ferry." 

"Make arrangements for me in Alaska, I hope you will not have any problems with that?"

"Of course not, what would you like to live in apartment or house?" 

"House, I couldn't ever live with other humans."

"True, it should take about two weeks if not less."

"Thank you." Charon bowed and exited Hades' study. He got into the extra ferry and rowed his way toward the river of Acheron, where Thanatos was accepting coins from European men. Once he saw Charon he stopped what he was doing, "So? What's going on?" 

"He's going to Alaska to find Persephone's soul."

"Finally! I'm so sick and tired of him being depressed. I swear I saw him staring at his pancakes, when I asked him why he wasn't eating all he said was 'Persephone loved pancakes.' I swear almost stabbed him with a knife." Thanatos said as he brushed his blonde lock out of his face, he and his brother were the only demons that had a human figure as well as a demonic figure. Of course Thanatos and his brother were attractive men, standing six feet tall both had blonde hair with jade green eyes, and had a body that many Greeks would envy. 

Charon looked at Thanatos; he saw that the demon didn't understand Hades' pain. "The love of his life was killed, and she was carrying his child." Thanatos mouth dropped. 

"How did you know?"

Charon moved into the main ferry, and took the row that Thanatos was holding. "She asked me one day if Hades' liked kids. I told her that it would be interesting to see what Hades would do if he had to babysit. I didn't think much of it." 

"Do you think he knows?" Thanatos asked still collecting the coins and helping the souls onto the ferry. 

"Yes, the Moirae wouldn't have kept that from him. The death of his unborn child is the only reason he is going to Alaska. Otherwise he would let Demeter win." 

"Why? He loves her more than anything."

"That's exactly why. Hades' always wondered what would happen if he would've left Persephone alone, would she have had tons of children like she always wanted? Would she have been happier with someone other than him? Each question he asks himself causes him to draw further and further away from who he is." Charon said as he pushes the boat into the Acheron River. He hoped that Hades would end his suffering and went to Alaska.



Hades Ch. 03



Author's note: As always, your pleasure is mine if you enjoy my work, so please let me know. This is written as much for you as it is for me and any input you feel fit to send me, I love to read. Thanks...until next time.

**********************

"A girl, she's just a girl. She... " he muttered to himself, holding his head in one hand. He was sitting in a pool in the center of his bed chamber. 

"What is this, that's happened to me?" He could see the pain etched in his face reflected back to him in the water.

His private chamber was a vast geode lined with sapphires. The gems were unfinished, jagged and the darkness of the room made them appear black. He thought if the girl were with him, perhaps the walls and curved ceiling would shimmer in deep and brilliant blues. 

The floors were buffed smooth showing the beautiful striations of diamonds and clear quartz amid the blue-blackness of saphire, radiating outward to the walls. His own constellation and the galaxy surrounding it gleamed from the floors. He imagined the clear stone stars, coming alive and revolving in orbit around the girl. Had she been there with him might she delight in such a display? Might she forget who he was and where this was long enough to smile for him again? 

"My melancholy love, we've been waiting for you," whispered a witch in his ear. She pressed her breasts to his back and stoked his hair, enticing him. Her two sisters were on his bed, watching.

"Do not speak to me." He turned to her, and lifted her up high by the hips as he got out of the bath. She bent down to him and bit the muscles on his neck and shoulder, tasting him and he relented to her. This was not an act of love, nor even melancholy love. This was a diversion from his torment that had worsened into this boundless sadness since his meeting Kore.

He placed the witch standing on the bed and her eyes began to glow amber, just as Kore's had.

The witch read his thoughts when he, himself couldn't make sense of anything lately. Furious at her intrusion, he threw her to the floor. 

"Isn't that what you desire, my lord?" she shouted, confused by his reaction.

"How dare you! Get out! All of you leave, at once!" He turned to the others and pulled them sharply from the bed. They hit the stone floor in all manner of dissaray. One witch landed ackwardly on her face and rose crying, blood spilling from her mouth. 

The witches ran to their sister. All of them were screaming now. They were too afraid to spew threats at the god, but their shrill cries were enough to send shooting pain through his skull and down his spine. 

"Enough! Get out!" His hoarse bellowing voice shook the ceiling and glittering dust fell to the floor. 

"Phix, come! See that these witches leave here!" He called to his servant.

"Yes, sire," Phix answered his master and went after the three sisters. He prodded them like cattle with a staff.

Another servant appeared at the doorway to the bedchamber.

"Lord Hades, a shade, sir...Pathos is holding it. He says this one may be of interest to you, sire," this servant knelt on one knee at the door, his eyes looking at the floor, and Hades could see that his legs were shaking. He assumed the raising of his voice was what unsettled the boy servant. Hades hadn't realize that he was still naked and bleeding from the bite on his neck and scratches on his shoulders. The sight of him like this in combination with the scene that preceded would frighten anyone. The boy thought that he might be next in line to suffer his anger for disturbing him with the message.

The pain in his head blurred his sight. Hades touched the wetness on his neck. Only then did he became aware of the mess that had come from dealing with the witches. Blood and dust covered the floors. He snapped his fingers and various maids entered and went to work cleaning and dressing him. One wiped blood from his neck. Whatever wounds may have been there were long gone. She put the cloth to her mouth. "What does immortal blood tast like? Will it make me immortal?" she thought. The other maids swept up the dust from the floor. 

Hades met his faithful Pathos in the hall where souls entered the dark kingdom before being sent to their final resting places.

"My lord, this shade claims to know of a girl," Hades saw that Pathos had bound the man. Red glowing bands circled his chest and arms. 

"So, my Pathos thinks this one is a threat to us. Is that right?" Hades said, observing the man with the strange carriage of body. Erect. Motionless. He lacked a human quality Hades could not quite pin down and he walked around him in a slow circle, inspecting this creature that pretended to be a human shade.

"What do you call yourself, shade?" asked Hades.

"My lord, I am but your humble servant, Peregrine," answered the captive shade. His eyes blinked rapidly and a blank expression hinted at his innate animalism. The slip of his mouth curled up at the corners in a pseudo smile. His cold eyes were divorced from the lower half of his smirking face.

"Peregrine? Why do you pretend to be a human soul? What do you hope to gain from this pretence?" He could hardly muster enough interest in the beast to care why he was so important that Pathos would disturb him. 

"Sire, I do not pretend to be human. True, I was once a majestic beast of flight, but here I stand in the form of a man...a dead man. Sire, I do not know how I came to be here in this form." 

"He spoke of a girl, my lord," said Pathos. He suspended the bird-man high off the ground. The beast was leaning to one side desperately trying to take a breath, unware that he no longer needed air.

"Yes, sire. The sweetest girl in creation," Peregrine began to weaken from the vice around his chest. He felt what he thought was blood drain to his feet. The last sentence was also a complete lie, for he did not think the girl was sweet and in fact hated her for causing him so much bother.

Hades glanced at Pathos, who tightened the grip on the restraints around the beast-shade. Souls were not relieved of pain by the simple act of dying. They were only relieved of this sense when Hades ordained it. If this bird did know of the girl that Hades was so captivated by then he would be far from done with him and he could make the pain last for an eternity if he so chose.

"What makes you think that I would care what you have to say about a mortal girl?"

"Well, you and the girl were together only yesterday." With this, Hades flung the bird across the rocky bottom of the hall. He stopped him, suspended over an empty pit that blasted cold air up from it's depths.

"Not only do you spy on me, but you have the gall to tell me so in my own domain?" Hades barked at the shade.

"Who are you?" Hades stepped closer to the pit. He held out one hand before him and began to squeeze the grip around the bird. There was a strange fracturing sound coming from the bird's rib cage, despite no longer having bones to break. His soul was crushing from the force being exerted on him.

"She was my charge," he struggled to take in another breath, "to protect and I am no longer able to do so in my current state, sire." 

"Under whom do you serve?"

"Sir, she will surely be in danger very shortly." 

"You make the assumption that I know or care about this girl that you have failed to name, bird," Hades turned his back and loosened his grip on the shade. The bird began to slip free of his binding which meant he would certainly fall into the black pit below him. He was not accustomed to fear of falling and this only made him more agitated.

"Kore! Surely you know the girl I speak of." His breaths were now the panting of an exhausted animal.

"You have yet to tell me who you serve," Hades turned away from both of them.

"Sire, I served Zeus. He charged me with the girl's safety, but his wife struck me down when she learned of his interest in the girl. I only tell you this in the hope that you will protect the girl from Hera, sire," said Peregrine. With this, Hades tightened the grip again on the bird and who's black eyes bulged. 

Pathos' gaze moved to his master. Could this be true? Hades had been absent so often recently. More and more, Pathos and his brother Hypnos had been given more responsibilities. Was Hades in love with a mortal? But, he had always been so indifferent to them. The thought of Hades with a mortal woman confounded him. Hades and feeling were two entities never meant to coincide. He thought that his master was superior, above the carnal weaknesses of the other gods. This knowledge didn't enrich his master with depth in Pathos' mind. Instead, it shook his complete belief in his master as the supreme power in the universe.

"That's ridiculous! If this is one of Zeus' girls then he will protect her from Hera's wrath. I think that you are angry for losing your life over this mortal and are seeking revenge on the gods you hold responsible. This is a matter between Zeus and his wife. Why should I be brought into this quarrel?" Hades was not surprised that Zeus had noticed this exceptional girl. But, it did anger him that she might fall prey to Zeus.

"Sire, it is much more than a quarrel. Hera fears that this girl might take her place beside Zeus. She plans to eliminate the girl today. With me out of the way, she'll be free to do with her as she likes. I only thought you might be inclined to help the innocent girl, given that she was with you only yesterday. If Zeus knew that she was with you, she might be in danger from him as well. So you see, you are the only one that can help her now." 

"Enough lies! I do not know if anything you said is true. I know this, she's an innocent and does not deserve anyone's wrath, your's or that of the gods." Hades flicked his arm at the bird and he was instantly released from the bindings that suspended him. He fell screaming and flayling his arms into the pit. It glowed red and seconds later Peregrine flew out from the abyss, transformed. He was changed into another, more enduring bird, a phoenix and nearly doubled in size to that of his most recent human-like form. 

Peregrine, in his newest form flew upwards in a flurry of red and orange feathers, Hades unfurled a whip that leapt up and snatched the bird from the air and caught fire when it made contact with him. He dragged him back to the ground and pinned him down with a boot on the neck.

"Listen to me, bird. Your life has been renewed to you. By pain of eternal torment you are bound in service to me. You have far more power and strength than you've ever been given before. Never forget that you are my slave. Dou'lo will be your name, slave," Hades bent down to look in the bird's eyes. Pathos watched all of this, transfixed. Not even he had dared to look in his master's eyes for fear of what he might see. Perhaps his own possible punishments awaiting him, were he to ever dissapoint his dark lord...

When the bird looked into Hades eyes, he could see the eternity he had threatened him with. Unceasing, unfathomable torments awaited him should he fail the god and for once his blank eyes showed the fear that he felt down to his core.

"Go to the girl. Pathos will go with you. Kore shall be protected at all costs. If there is an army, you will fight them off or suffer for it! Whatever you do, fight them off," Hades released the bird again to Pathos who stood dumb struck, wondering what he had done to deserve this task and mounted the bird's back.

Lies. His kingdom was full of lies and contradictions, but even the god of darkness, could not see through all of the bird's lies. The love that had infiltrated the fortress of this god's heart blinded him. Kore's survival was all that mattered and every bit of his energy was concentrated on saving her. 



Hades Ch. 03



The smell of sulfur filled her senses, she knew she was home. The moans and screams of souls still chilled her to the bone but she stared start ahead waiting to return to the man she dearly loved. 

"He is going to be very happy to see ma'am." Said the blurry figure that rotated the oar, she found it strange that she could see the oar clear as day yet couldn't see the figure. 

She smiled, "I hope so. I miss him like crazy."

The blurry figure stopped the boat next to a dark palace that looked as if it had been built into the brimstone wall. The long dark columns that had Greek stories written all around them, she knew they were there but she couldn't remember any of them. She gathered the middle of her green robe up so she wouldn't trip going up the stairs. She pushed the doors open and instantly smelled his scent, he always smelled like roses. She always wondered how he smelled like that since sulfur surrounded him. 

She entered their room and in the large bed was the man she loved and craved, he was lying on his stomach, the sheet that had been covering his body was tangled in his legs, and his long hair that reached the end of his waist was like a mass silk blanket that covered his back. Walking to over to the bed, she sat down on the right side and studied his body, his shoulders strong and broad, strong arms that carried her to bed every night they were together, long slender fingers that traveled every inch of her body, slender hips that she clutched during passionate nights, and had an ass that a quarter could bounce off of, and had long, strong legs that prevented them from taking baths together. His face though was a thing of beauty in her eyes; he had a straight nose, full lips that pouted when he slept, a goatee that added to his bad boy looks. She smiled then leaned over and then bit him right on ass. 

"Ow!" Hades screamed as he slightly jumped and grabbed his left butt cheek, "Damn it Seph, how many times do I have to tell you not to bite my ass." 

She giggled, "I'm sorry do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" She asked hopefully. 

"No! I'm not making that same mistake twice. Last time you bit me you left a huge bruise." He said while sitting next her with his legs hanging off the bed. "What time did you get here?"

"A couple of minutes ago, your six months with me begins." 

He put his large hand on the left side of her face, "I don't want just six months I want forever." She sighed, "Please don't make me choose between the two of you."

"Fine," he said while getting up and revealing his naked body to her, she tried hard to stop the moan that eventually left her body. He looked over his shoulder at her as he entered their bathroom, "Like what you see?" 

"Don't I always?"

"Seph," she watched as he turned facing her and opened his arms wide, in less than a second she was in his arms. He pulled back and kissed her, "I missed you," he said in between kisses. 

She laughed, "You're just saying that so you'll get laid." He smiled 

"Of course I am I'm tired of jerking my dick off with lotion." She laughed as he loosed his hold on her and let her feel the tree trunk that had formed in less than three seconds. 

"Oh you poor thing," she said as she wrapped her hand around his shaft. She watched as his sea blue eyes disappeared from her view. She let go of him and sat down on the bed, he walked over and she became leveled with his thick shaft she raised her eyes to his and saw the small smile that he sported. She licked his purple head, and then attempted to take all of him down her throat. "Damn Seph." He moaned as her mouth moved up and down on his shaft. She loved the taste of him in her mouth, all she did was focus on his pleasure she knew that later she would be rewarded in the same manner. Getting all of him in her mouth was difficult he was a big man and therefore he had a big member that was ten inches in height and five inches in width. 

He grabbed a handful of her hair, a sign that he was close; he then pushed his shaft down her throat and came, unable to pull away she swallowed every last drop. Once his heart rate had slowed down he laid back on the bed, "I really needed that." He looked back at her and smiled. "Now it's your turn." He then grabbed her by the waist and threw her on the bed. 

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Looking at the clock and realizing that she had a ten clock class in about one hour forced her to get out of her warm bed, and begin to get dressed. "What a strange dream." She muttered to herself as she got ready for class.



Hades Ch. 04



Gifts of every decadent form began arriving at the estate of Kore's foster family that morning. Fragrant floral arrangements, statues in effigy of the soon-to-be betrothed, sweets filled with nectar and honey and nuts, pastries piled high on Long tables, silk fabrics of every jewel tone hue imaginable. All of these had been streaming in for days, trumpeting the arrival of the prosperous Certese family. The servants worked for days cleaning, cooking and creating a fitting house to greet the arrival of the would be husband's family. They had expressed more than a casual interest in a marriage between Kore and their son, Andres. 

"Kore has grown into such a beautiful specimen," Kore's foster mother mused to her husband. "She shall garner such a dowry as never before seen. Don't you think?"

"Well, we should not be too hasty, dear. Perhaps the other family from the south might offer more for her hand. One never knows." Cooing to his wife. The family had grown tired of the burden of this child's fostering. They knew where she was from and who she was. It was only a matter of time before she would be taken back as one of the gods she was related to. They sought to recoup their costs a million fold before that would happen and her hand in marriage was the only way it was to happen.

"My sweet, we must work quickly, before news of this reaches the ears of Olympus. Do not forget the warnings we received when we were given the baby girl Kore by the creature that brought her." They were entrusted with protecting the girl from anyone wishing to harm her and most of all she was never to be married off. Her future would be decided upon by the gods themselves and no one was to interfere. 

The Certese entrance into the estate was as to be expected, full of pomp and circumstance fitting their perceived importance in the land. Their son, Andres was presented to Kore and the two would-be spouses were left together for a sparse few minutes to acquaint themselves.

"Well...this is the beauty that will cost my family a dowry fit for seven wives?" he smirked at Kore who looked on dumbfounded. Was this scoundrel meant to be her future husband? How could this be? 

The suitor, Andres, promised to be a brute as many stories of his violent conquests swirled throughout the countryside. The pampered eldest son of a rich family, he was accustomed to having his choice of girls and doing with them as he pleased even to the extent that some of the girls would never be heard from again after they were brought to him. Knowing all of this, Kore's foster parents rationalized that the generous dowry price would justify sacrificing the girl they were all too eager to rid themselves of.

"Were it up to this girl, she would skip this entire affair and remain in the meadows, content to live a life of peace and solitude." She looked down, cheeks burning, but proud that she had not relented to this man just yet. He would have to do better than merely paying for her and intimidating her, before she would ever allow him to have the upper hand.

Andres, infuriated by the insult, grabbed her and forced his hands under her gown. Kore pulled away so violently that her garments ripped to shreds in his hands. She ran away from him crying, clutching her ripped gown. She managed to reach her bed chamber, locking herself safely inside. During the struggle she refused to utter any scream and in fact the man had no chance of overpowering the goddess, for neither of them knew of her innate physical strength inherited to her from her true parents.

At Zeus' fountain, Hera conjured Kore's image. He was away again, enjoying himself with the doomed princess Semele. 

There was much work to do before anyone else could get to the fledgling goddess. Hera had already used the bird to bait Hades into rescuing the girl. Now, to attend to the matter of stopping Demeter and her procession from getting to the young goddess.

"Go to the girl, you and and your kin. See here?" She pointed to a map. "Bring all your battle gear, your most ferocious beasts and make a stand at the gates of the village. You are to make a big show of your intentions not to allow anyone to enter. Demeter's convoy will travel from the west," she spoke to Argus, the giant. He and his brethren agreed to guard the girl with the false assumption that Zeus directed it. 

"Stupid. Demeter wishes to make a grand entrance and sweep the girl off her feet. She thinks the girl will accept her at first sight, at the first mention that she is immortal and go with her so that she can take her away from the only family she's ever known . Ha! The girl will surely spurn her. She's known nothing but the mortal way of life. Why would she long for anything else?"

"My lady, you say Demeter intends to harm Zeus' daughter?" asked Argus.

"She thinks Zeus will replace her with this girl. She has exceptional abilities in the realm of nature and fertility, far beyond that of any other goddess. He only wants for his mortals to prosper and thrive. Apparently Demeter has failed him in this. Kore's ability suggests that she may be more capable than Demeter." 

"Yes, my lady. We shall make the stand. If we are but for show of brawn alone, who will do the work of fighting them?" 

"I will take care of that. Another army will be waiting for them in the ravines outside of the village. They wont know what hit them. They think this will be a pleasant journey." The giant nodded dumbly. His confusion played him into Hera's plan only too well.

"Zeus is sending the girl's uncle, Hades to get her and keep her safe. He is not to be stopped. Do you understand?" Argus nodded slowly.

She had already instructed her army laying wait in the ravines. They were to kill everyone with Demeter, but leave her unscathed. Hera's name was not to be mentioned in any of this.

Duo'lo and Pathos scouted the valley. They spied two groups. One advanced from the west-- the procession sent by Demeter to regain her daughter. The other army, made up of giants sent by Hera, stood their ground at the gates of the village. Hades was able to see through the phoenix's eyes finding at least that which the bird had expressed to be true. There were in fact two armies readying for battle over the girl just as the bird, the new Dou'lo had informed him, but to Hades the armies appeared to be those of Zeus at the stand still and that of Hera advancing. 

The bird flew over the balcony of Kore's room and saw the girl inside lying on her bed crying. Hades also saw the girl through Duo'lo eyes. Did the girl know of her impending death? The thought of this girl in such fear and misery nearly broke Hades focus on the scene that was unfolding in her village and the surrounding country side.

Hades briefly considered a retreat. He assumed the army of giants was placed there by Zeus to protect the girl from what he thought was Hera's army coming in from the west. Perhaps it would be best to leave this battle to the husband and wife. The giants formation faced west and they were at a complete stand still. Surely they would keep out Hera's advancing army. 

The sight of a distraught Kore, renewed his resolve to save her. He decided neither Zeus nor Hera should be allowed access to this girl. 

He summoned from the depths, his own army, one of scorpions and commanded them to attack the giants and their beasts. They were essentially defenseless against the insects and they fell dead, poisoned and stung by the deadly creatures. Hades swept through the village making his way to Kore's family home.

Inside Kore's chamber, she was unaware of the battles being fought for her. Her only thoughts were of her disappointing future. What a cruel dose of reality that'd been fed to her. She saw before her a barren life. No more fantasies about heroes and passionate nights in marital bliss. The bounds of matrimony now looked to be just that... restraints for the purpose of torture and abuse. She was about to be owned by heartless monster. Her future reality would indeed contain some heartless monsters, but nothing like she imagined and the man that would ultimately become her husband would turn out to be much more than any man she had ever encountered.

Storming the gates and bounding through the estate, Hades comes upon the door to Kore's chamber, where Andres is pounding, trying to force his way in. Eyes narrowing on the brute as if a nusuance, Hades charges through the door, trampling him under horse. 

"Girl, you must leave this place now!" Dismounting, he picks up a crying and disoriented Kore from her bed. From the corner of her eye, she can see the lifeless body of her suitor and realizes this man, this thing has already saved her from a certain painful existence. 

What is he, it, saving me from? How can it be? My dream, here before me... What is happening? She didn't fight him, surrendering to him completely, trusting that this being, this dream, would do only what was best for her. She could see it in his bright green eyes and for a split second she had a vision of the scorpions covering the grounds outside and the destruction around them in her mind. 

In the ravines, Demeter's procession encountered their own battle with the army sent by Hera. The few that made it through to the village found more death and chaos. Demeter, finds her daughter is gone.

"What is this? Why has this happened? Just when I was to bring her home...Someone has done this to me and my daughter!" 

Her heart began to break, from worry for her disappeared daughter, from sorrow at having been denied a joyous reunion with her sweet baby girl, terror at what or who could have done this to them. The world closed in on her as she wailed for her daughter. The sound of a grieving mother, no one ever wants to hear. This painful cry echoed throughout the land and sky. Soon, word traveled through the world of mortals and gods, that Demeter's daughter had been taken from her. Apollo's sun would be blocked out by a cold blackness covering the land and in time the world of the mortals began to die.

They entered the realm of the dead with no obstruction. No one blocked their way as free entry was given to them, and in fact a welcoming, almost reverence was felt from this place's inhabitants. Kore's total surrender and trust quickly turned to confusion at the realization that she was entering the world of the dead. Who was this being that brought her down to the depths of the earth? Surely he must be some type of immortal, or creature, as he was able to fly her there with no effort and no need of horse. Her gratitude at being spared from her suitor turned to terror at her uncertain future. Was she merely spared in order to die down here? And why? She was consumed by fear and it paralyzed her.

"Are you disappointed that Zeus did not come for you himself?" Hades studied her. Again he could feel her energy pulling, drawing him towards her and for the first time, it occurred to him that this was no girl.

He studied her, this time he was uncloaked and indeed fully visible to her. She could see the look in his eyes. Was it lust, hunger, or murderous intent written on his face? She stood unmoving, trying to utter any words and found she could not. She was overwhelmed by all that had happened and too utterly confused and afraid to move or speak.

He drank in the sight and smell of her once more. Himself unsure of how to proceed as he was also dumbfounded by the presence of this girl, so full of life and light in his dead realm. He surveyed her body and found that she was lithe and willowy with womanly curves, her dark hair flowing, mirroring the shape of her silhouette. His gaze came to rest on the tattered garments, revealing slender milky white ankles and bare feet. 

Her captivating beauty had distracted him from her obvious fear and once he realized that she was terrified of him, he felt a sudden burning shame. He had indeed sought to save the girl from the hands of Zeus and Hera, but he couldn't deny his own desire for this girl, this...what was she if not a girl? She appeared so heartbreakingly fragile and innocent, but the unnerving sense that she was more than she appeared confused him only more.

He cleared his throat, "I will send maids in to care for you." With that he moved to leave.

"Wh-who a-are you?" She blurted out involuntarily, quickly covering her mouth with both hands as apparently hearing her own voice had startled her.

Hades turned to look at her and their eyes locked, for the first time, both seeing in person each others eyes and the persons, or entities behind those eyes, his green and hers hazel. Moments passed as an eternity until his lips parted to speak to her.

"Do not worry yourself. You will know much more than you care to soon enough, my child." With that he left her.

Something was wrong, very wrong in this whole affair. Someone had worked very hard at setting this scene. He was about to find out much more than even he could imagine.

"Pathos, bring Duo'lo back to me at once." 

The phoenix, thoroughly pleased with his new form stood before his new master. He expected congratulations and praise at a job well done in his service to Hades.

"You appear quite satisfied with yourself. Is that so?"

"Yes, master."

"It would please me if you told me the truth." He again bound the bird, crushing him.

"You have conspired against me! Why?" Hades pressed.

"Sir! What...?"

"Answer, or suffer..." his last warning.

Duo'lo, too enamored with his own newest form to bear the thought of giving it up, quickly gave all the information Hades demanded.

"Kore is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter...Hera discovered their intent to bring the young goddess home...I told Hera that I saw you with the girl in the meadow together and she conspired to have you take her away from her parents...She used you, sir! She is jealous and wanted to hurt them...she used you to do this...it was all a trap meant for Hera's revenge against Zeus and Demeter. I was also used, sir! Please forgive your lowly servant! Please, don't kill me...or change me back... I can be useful to you sir, very useful."

"Pathos, deal with this bird..." with that, he left them. Pathos smiled, nodding his head.

"We shall see if this girl is indeed a goddess." Hades muttered under his breath.



Hades Ch. 04



Hades woke up from the most intense wet dream he had ever had. Lying on his back with his left hand on his flat stomach he continued to heavy breathe. 

"Sir? I noticed a change in your heartbeat." Hades lifted his head up to see Thanatos standing in his door way. He let his head fall back on his pillow, "Get away from me." Hades sighed. 

Thanatos looked at Hades and noticed how sweaty the God was, "Sir, were you having a pleasure dream?" He asked curiously. 

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Hades screamed at Thanatos, while looking at the ceiling of house that he had bought. Thanatos gave him a bored look. 

"You know I really don't know how Persephone dealt with you." 

Sighing heavily Hades answered, "By giving me constant blow jobs." 

"That's gross," he watched Hades sat up on the left side of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Why do you keep looking at me?" 

"Sir, I mean no offense, I mean I know you've been here for about three months and you're frustrated, but I just want to let you know that we all miss Persephone, you're not the only one who suffers from the loss." 

Hades looked at Thanatos with the intent to kill, "If you still want your head attached to your body you will leave my house right now and don't come back for at least a month." Getting the hint, Thanatos faded away leaving Hades with his sorrow. Hades got up out of bed, and walked naked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower to blazing hot, then stepped in and instantly wetted his hair, he then remember how Persephone loved his hair long. She loved it so much that he decided to grow his to the back of his knees if that made her smile. Leaning on his right hand that rested on the shower wall, he felt the water slide off of his body; he realized in that moment that he hadn't enjoyed anything since Persephone's death. "God damn it! I'm starting to think like a damn chick." He muttered to himself. After lathering and rinsing he got dressed and headed out to 'school'.

****

Claire sighed; her being in Alaska and in college was hard on her mental and physical self. It wasn't the cold. She'd been born and raised in Alaska, and loved the thirty day s of night, which was one month away. The hardest thing about college was the fact that college professors didn't want you to have a life. She had yet to find a good boyfriend. But those thoughts were erased, school was more important. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her purse. "Bye Claire I'll see you tomorrow." Mrs. Brinn said. 

Mrs. Brinn was the Universities nicest and best librarian. "Bye Mrs. Brinn."

Claire opened the door and the cold struck her leaving her momentarily breathless. She pulled her purse higher on her shoulder and started walking to her first class which she already disliked. 

Greek Mythology.

She did sign up for it on a celerity thought. Right now learning about the whole Hades thing really wasn't all that great. Once she entered the warm class room, she sat down in the back in her regular seat and put her purse next to her feet and took in a breath of the warm air surrounding her. Then suddenly a band next to her made her jump in her seat. 

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you there."

Claire looked up at the deep voice and saw well.......Mr. McSteamy but with dark hair. His long black hair reached the middle of his back; he had deep sea blue eyes, once he reached down into his bag to get a pencil she noticed a tattoo on his left forearm. The guy stood at least six foot six inches maybe more, he had on tight black pants; long shelve t-shirt, with converse with his black petticoat that was hooked in his right arm. 

"Hey." He said in his deep voice, looking over she realized that his face was flawless he had a well-trimmed goatee, and had gauges in both ears. He had a strong jaw and had a great smile. "Cat got your tongue?" He asked with a smile. 

"N-No." she managed to croak out.

"You didn't mind that I took this seat did you?"

"No." She said while trying hard not to stare at him. Never in all her life had someone like him sit next to her. She didn't have a low self-esteem but she wasn't dumb either, she was too curvy for men like him. 

****

Hades sat down to the well-developed women, who caught his eye for a second. The only thing he had on his brain was to find Persephone's soul. He didn't have a very well thought out plan; this college was the easiest way to find her soul. Today it seemed for him to be a rough day. It had been three months since he started searching but nothing. He took a deep breath; having to find Persephone's soul and keep his mother at bay was a tough job that had no relief. "So are you new?" He looked over to see that the girl looking at him, "Yeah. I just moved here four months ago." 

She giggled, "And let me guess you're freezing your butt off."

"Yes. I really don't like the cold." He said with a laugh. 

"You poor thing, if you don't like the cold why are you here if you don't mind me asking." 

"I need to find someone, someone who is very dear to me." He said in a sorrowful voice. Whoever it was he truly cared for them. 

"What happened?"

"Her bitch of a mother." He growled almost scaring the girl. 

"That's a bit harsh."

"Well she took everything from me."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." She said. 

"Its fine you couldn't have known." 

Hades then saw the little old man with crazy white hair, round glasses, a white mustache. He had on a white dress shirt, sweater vest, and khaki pants. He walked with a cane and was holding a pile of papers in his left hand. 

"Quiet down please students."

The professor said in a silent voice. Hades looked around and saw the class which was huge. Not since the age of the Romans had seen this many people in a Greek Mythology class. The only reason he took this class is because Persephone loved Greek myths and stories. "Okay today's lecture is about Hades and the Underworld."

Hades snorted. He knew all about the subject. 

Next to him he heard a groan. The girl next to him had her hands covering every inch of her face. "What is it?"

She removed her hands and looked at him. "I really hate Hades." Those words shocked him. What had teachers been telling the younger generation about him? "I happen to like Hades."

She scoffed and mumbled, "Sure if you like Satan." 

"He's not like Satan." Well he lied he wasn't like Satan when Persephone was alive, but now you said one bad thing it set him off.

"Okay students." The professor said as he put down the papers on his stand. "What do we know about Hades?"

A kid in a hood-jacket raised his hand and spoke without being called on, "He was ruthless."

"That's correct." The professor said, "He didn't like many of the other gods. They had light, and he had Darkness."

Hades started at the professor; yes he did hate all of the gods. They did have light, and he had his dark Underworld. Once he saw Persephone he knew he found his light. 

"He was also insane." The plump girl next to him said. Hades looked her and his mouth dropped. In all of his years of living he had never heard anyone call him insane, at least to his face.

"Yes that's correct. Thank you Miss Erikson. It is told that Hades was insane. They believed he was only sane when Persephone was by his side."

"When did anyone ever say this?"

Claire jumped as the man next to her asks the question. "Well... young man many think we he was insane because of his actions, for instance stealing and raping Persephone because he simply like her." Hades saw red, yes unfortunately he did rape Persephone and for that he'll have to live with for centuries, but she had taken him into her heart and showed him love, happiness, and most of all light. 

"He'd taken Persephone out of love." Hades told the Professor. The plump girl next to him laughed. 

"What's your opinion Miss. Erikson. 

"It wasn't love, it was lust. He liked her, took her, and raped her. He was a selfish bastard, a rapist and an even sicker version of Marilyn Manson." Hades unconsciously rubbed his chest. This plump girl had claws and really sharp ones. Hades realized his legacy that he believed was dark but worked, made people think his a sick, twisted, bastard, that raped his wife. 

"Persephone grew to love him." The plump girl scoffed, "Please rapist brainwashes the victim to believe they love them."

"Children, calm down. The subject of Hades always gets a bit heated." The kids in the classroom started to giggle. The plum girl sighed and leaned back in her chair. She began to twirl her pencil between her fingers. 

"Why do you hate Hades so much?"

"I just said why." 

"His wife forgave him for all of that stuff by becoming Queen of the Underworld."

"Oh wow, sure all he had to do is offer her a title and she'll forgive anything." Claire stopped as she looked at Mr. Goth's face; she thought for a moment that he might hit her. 

"What is wrong with you?" Claire asked. He then forced himself to take and a deep breath and relax. 

"Nothing, it's nothing." He looked back to the teacher. Man this girl tested his patience. 

The professor continued his lecture and it shocked Hades. The professor talked about him being crazy, insane, and a mad man who didn't listen to reason. He realized how much people hated his guts. "Okay class, remember tomorrow more slides." The class laughed and packed up their things as the bell rang. The plump girl next to him packs up her stuff without saying a word to him. 

Hades packed up her things and looked at the girl; she put her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her books. He opened his mouth to try and talk to her. But nothing came out. He watched as she walked while he stood there like an idiot. Hades walked out of the classroom, with his bag over his shoulder and his head down. 

"Hey, you okay?" He looked to see a petite blond girl with big blue eyes. 

"Fine." 

"You looked kind of bummed out." She said as she smiled. 

"Well you can say that." 

"You're new here?" 

"Yes, I am."

"Where did you move from?"

Hell. Hades shook his and smiled, "Greece."

"Wow. That's really far from here."

"Yeah." He said as he looked at the girl. 

"My name is Shelly and yours is?"

"Ha-Hector."

"Well nice to meet you Hector."

"Shelly?" Hades watched her turn and saw the plump girl that he sat down next to."

"Shell, you told me after class. What is the big problem?"

"Oh nothing, just meeting Hector."

"Hector?" Claire turned to see Hades. "This asshole?"

Hades blinked, this girl had a mouth on her. "Claire what is up you and that mouth?" Hades stared at the two girls. Shelly was about five feet three inches, Claire was about five feet nine inches. It was an odd match. 

"Nothing, it's just this Satan lover pisses me off."

Shelly covered her face with her hands. "Oh no." She put her hand down and looked at me. "The lecture was on Hades, wasn't it?"

Hades laughed, and Shelly groaned. "He was crazy Shells."

"He was a romantic, Claire." 

"No, Shelly. He was insane."

"Oh, please tell me we're not talking about Hades." A taller girl about Claire's height walked over with a purse on her shoulder and books in her hands. 

"Unfortunately, yes it was." Shelly said. 

"Claire, must we always have the same argument about Hades."

"Come on, the guy was horrible and you know it Steph." The girl rolled her eyes and laughed. 

"Please Stephanie you it isn't true." Shelly said. 

"Calm down, it's not all that bad."

"Please." Claire scoffed. 

Stephanie looked at him. "Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm here to make sure that they don't' kill each other." She stuck out her hand and Hades shook her hand. 

"Hector." 

"Well nice to meet you Hector." He looked at the three girls, Shelly was blonde with blue eyes, and had a petite, but a curvy figure, Hades looked at the girls and realized that they all had a curvy figure. Stephanie had red-hair and had green-blue eyes. But had a well-brought up type of aura. Claire had a black-brown hair, brown eyes, and long lashes. She had the more curves out of the three, it reminded him of an hourglass. "Well I'll just get going." Hades turned and walked away from the three girls. He knew that any girl could have Persephone's soul trapped in her body, and he had to find her.



Hades Ch. 05



Author's Note:

I have found an awesome editor, LadyDraco who worked extremely hard for me. I'm currently working on the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

BeastLover18

************

"He's really hot," Shelly said as Hector the Goth walked away. 

"He is really hot," Stephanie agreed as they both stared at his ass. 

"You guys act as if you have just seen Brad Pitt when looked good."

Shelly turned to Claire with a grasp, "Claire, are you kidding me? That man is gorgeous."

"Oh please, he's okay, at best." 

"Okay?! Claire do you have eyes?"

"Yes I do, but he's really not all that great."

Stephanie turned and looked at Claire as if she had grown another head. "That guy is like dark hot; it's like he would be Hades running the Underworld."

Claire laughed, "That I can't argue with." They walked as a group to the apartment they shared. Once inside, Claire walked to her room, put down her purse and books, and changed into shorts and a baggy t-shirt. She went to her desk and opened up her Greek mythology book. She began reading about Hades and his dark Underworld. Then she skipped to the part about Hades kidnapping Persephone picking flowers and Hades taking her to the Underworld. Claire started to drop off to sleep, but she quickly shook her head and got up to make coffee. It was six p.m. and she hadn't had a decent night sleep in the past two months. Some days she sleeps peacefully. Some other days she'd dream about horrible things. 

"Hey we need to talk," Shelly told Claire as she took a sip of her coffee. 

"What's up?" She asked as she looked at Stephanie and Shelly over the rim of her coffee mug. 

"We know you haven't been sleeping right," Claire rolled her eyes at them as she cupped the mug with both hands to warm them. 

"Trust me guys, you'd stay awake too if you had my dreams."

"Claire honestly, two days ago we heard you screaming." 

Claire frowned, "Why was I screaming?"

"I don't know, but I do know that it was in Greek." 

Claire laughed, "Greek? You guys are too funny."

Shelly rolled her eyes, "All I know Claire is that if you don't start doing something about these dreams we will."

Claire nodded; she knew they would send her to a crazy hospital if she didn't. Once she told them that she would, she grabbed her purse and coat then left the apartment. When the cold hit her she put her hood over her head and put her hands into her pockets; she took a deep breath and then walked to the store that was a block away from her apartment. "Hello Claire." Claire glanced at the guy behind the counter Carl, who had a two year old daughter at home. "Hello Carl, how is Susan?"

"She's good; been driving me a little insane, with her constant tantrums."

"You poor thing."

He laughed, "Yeah, but I love her like crazy."

Claire laughed as she walked down the aisle looking at the medications he had for sale. She knew that her friends would go and rat her out to the school, saying that she was under a lot of pressure. "Well, well. What is a lovely lady like you doing here?" Claire turned towards the deep voice coming from behind her.

"What in the heck are you doing here?"

He laughed, "I asked you first."

"I'm getting some sleeping pills."

His eyebrows raised, "Sleeping pills?"

"Yes sir, I'm getting sleeping pills."

"Having a hard time falling asleep?"

She took a deep breath and then released it, "Well, I haven't had a good night sleep and my roommates threatened me so here I am. I'm hoping that the sleeping pills will knock me out to the point that I won't dream at all."

Hades stared at the plump girl. "What kind of dreams?"

"Bad ones."

Hades blinked, "That sucks."

"Well everyone suffers from bad dreams at least once in their lives."

"Really?" he asked curiously. 

"Yeah, but somehow I don't think you would understand." She laughed,

"What do you mean 'you wouldn't understand'?"

"No, that is not what I meant. I mean, come on look at you, you're all Goth-ed out." Hades looked down at his black outfit. 

"What is wrong with the way I dress?"

She giggled, "Never mind." She shook her head and looked back at the pills.

"Come on, what kind of dreams?" Hades again asked as he got closer to her. 

"I don't know. I have dreams, sometimes I'm scared and other times I feel just fine." He looked at this curvy woman as she continued to look at the aisle of pills. She was like no one he had ever come across before. "Aha!" she said as she grabbed a box with the word Melatonin written on the side. "Thanks." Hades shook his head and watched her pay for the pills and walk out of the small store. Once she, left Hades walked outside and over to the payphone behind the store, he made sure no one saw him as he slowly faded away. He hated new technology. It made the God's lives so much harder. He placed himself in front of his throne and the frustration surrounded his body. The loud rocks falling around him easily comforted him will he stood looking into the flowing lava. "Hello, Hades." Hades tensed and turned to look at the bitch that had destroyed his life. 

"Get the hell out of my Underworld. I hope you die writhing in pain you monstrous bitch!"

Demeter lifted her small slender fingers to cover her lips as she laughed, "Oh Hades, you always did have a way with words."

"GET OUT!" He roared at her. 

"Hades, are you still mad at me because Persephone died while under my care?" She asked unaffected by his yell. 

"Mad is not even close to the word I would use to describe how I feel right now. I wish to see you burned to death repeatedly in my Underworld." He turned his back to her and looked at the throne that Persephone had sat in she was alive. "Did you know about the baby?" 

"Of course I did. I'm just glad she died before she could give birth to it." She admitted as she leaned against the throne room door. 

Rage filled Hades. In all the years that he had been alive he had never hit a woman, but his mother was really testing him. "Get out." He said in the calmest voice he possessed. 

Demeter didn't budge while taking in his choice of clothing. "Where have you been?" 

"I just visited Theseus." Hades said wanting to see the panic enter eyes. The lie had been worth it; once the name left his lips Demeter's face paled and she stood erect. "Why would you go and visit him?"

"I'm still making sure that he suffers daily. I was planning to visit his friend in about two more years. His punishment has gotten more....intense over the years." He watched as Demeter had relaxed, "What are you still doing here?"

She smiled, "I just love seeing you suffer."

Hades held his breath for ten seconds then released it, "Get the fuck out Demeter, or I'll make sure that Zeus and his monthly whore find your head in their bed." 

Demeter smiled then faded away, and exited his domain. Hades sat down on his throne, put his head in his hands, and began thinking. He knew he had to find the girl and unlock the memories she held. He rubbed his forehead, and inhaled the taste of ash and hot air. 

"Hades," he looked up to see Athena once again in his doorway. "What has you so sad?"

He sat back and watched as her flew overhead and landed on his arm rest. "I have yet to find the girl that carries Persephone's soul, and I fear that when I do the girl I find will hate me."

Athena scoffed, "Of course she will, Demeter made sure that this new Persephone will not be attracted to you, well at least initially. When you find the girl you must get her to see the real you, the self that Persephone fell in love with." 

Hades felt a sense of déjà vu; he had had a very similar talk with Athena days before he took Persephone from her mother's domain in the very beginning. 

"I don't know where to begin." Hades admitted sadly. 

Athena laughed, "Didn't we have this talk before Hades? Do what you did in the past to win Persephone's heart."

"I raped her before I loved her." 

Athena smiled sadly. "You always loved her Hades. Aphrodite just made it twofold. Once your lust was spent you realized that you loved her unconditionally. If you can win this girl's heart you'll have Persephone without the six months of absence. You will be able to have her in your domain forever. She must see her mother at least once a year, but that is up for both of you to decide. 

Hades exhaled, "So, I can keep her?"

"Yes. Well....Unless Pirithous gets to her first, then her mother wins."

****

She didn't know if she was dreaming or not, but it felt like she was. She was in a bed that had satin sheets. Next to her was the warmest body she had ever felt, she could tell by the hardness of his chest and legs that it was a guy. She felt happy, which was something she hadn't felt in a while. Then he put an arm around her waist, and nuzzled her neck; she sighed and settled against him. "It's almost time to wake up," his gruff voice said. 

"Today is our last day together," she said as tears started to form even though she knew that he hated it when she cried. 

"Damn it woman! You know I hate when you're sad. Baby, please stop crying. I feel so helpless when you cry." He pressed his body closer to hers.

"I'm sorry, but I will miss you so much." 

"I know, but I'll just torture someone until you come back."

"Baby, you can't do that." 

He started kissing her back, "I can do whatever I damn well please; it's my domain." 

She laughed, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me forever?" he moaned as she brought his hand to her mouth and kissed the center of his palm. "Of course I'll love you forever. We're immortal."

"There are ways to killing immortals," he said sadly. 

She frowned, "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. I guess I'm just so used to you or my mother protecting me."

"I know. I should stop and let you see what life is really like. It is harsh my love, really harsh." She rubbed the forearm that was wrapped around her and sighed.

"Baby, you know that I wish to find the good in others."

"Yeah well, I believe everyone is evil, and that few people are willing to do good a deed without wanting a reward in return."

"Believing there is good in others is what helped me forgive you after you took me with force."

The warm body tensed, "I suffer daily with that memory." He rolled on his back with his left forearm covering his eyes. 

She laid her head on his chest and put her leg around his waist. "Please stop being so hard on yourself, my love. I forgave you and you should forgive yourself too."

****

Hades sighed; he was sitting in the college library wondering how he could find Persephone's soul. "My lord?" Hades head jerked up to see Thanatos standing two tables in front of him; he was wearing black skinny jeans, and a tight Rolling Stones t-shirt. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked quietly between clenched teeth. Thanatos smiled and sat down across from him. 

"Helping you find Persephone."

Hades forced himself to calm down and take ten deep breaths. "Really?"

"Yes sir, I've been looking for local oracles you can go to. I found just the one you can go to. She's reliable and you already know her." Hades stared as the demon reached into his back pocket and pull out a piece of paper. 

"Here," Thanatos handed him the paper that had been ripped from the local phone book. "It took me forever to find her."

"Klee? What's so special about her?" 

"Well, for one she's old. I'm talking Greco-Roman old. She was the Pythia in the temple of Apollo."

Hades jaw dropped, "I thought she was forced into isolation because of the fight she had with Apollo."

"She was, but as you know oracles will go insane if isolated. 

So, she got Theoris to cast a sensory block spell and she went back to telling her prophecies."

"You think that I should go to her?"

"Yes, at least to see if you're on the right track. Hopefully you can give up this going to college crap."

Hades smiled, "Forty percent of Eagle River College Students are women ages 18-29."

"Wow, you sound like an infomercial, but who said that Persephone's soul is locked in a woman age 18-29?"

Hades leaned back in his chair, "I hadn't thought about that. What if her soul is locked in a five year old?" 

"Don't worry if the girl is five years old, you can just wait until she's fifteen." 

"Sounds like you haven't read a law book in about fifty years. The 'legal' age is now eighteen."

"Eighteen?! Man you're screwed." Thanatos leaned over the table, ignoring the look that Hades was giving him.

"You have always did have a way of pissing me off."

****

Stephanie's phone started to ring; she answered the phone knowing who was on the other end. "Yes?" 

"She wants to see you in her temple." 

"I'll be there in two minutes." Stephanie ended the call, then changed into her traditional grey robes and faded to the temple. She pushed the white marble door and with her face lowered to the floor she walked toward the gold throne. Once the goddess entered, Stephanie kneeled on both knees looking straight ahead. The goddess sat in her throne, on her left shoulder the grey owl looked at Stephanie with a wisdom no other animal possessed. 

"What news on Hades?"

"He has made contact, but he doesn't know it."

"What of the girl?"

"She has been having dreams; I can see them through our link."

"Interesting, and yet she doesn't recognize him?"

"She doesn't remember the dreams after two hours." 

Athena looked at her beautiful handmaiden, "How is that possible?" she asked as she stroked her owl's back. "Well, it seems that Demeter didn't cover everything."

"I'm not sure what to expect when she is around Hades for too long. They have only talked to each other for a short amount of time." 

"Expect the unexpected." 

Stephanie tried to hide her confusion, sometimes Athena liked to speak in riddles only she could understand. "I will. Are there any other request?" 

"Protect her Stephanie. If Hades loses this battle he will kill Demeter." 

"She deserves it." 

Athena sighed, "Yes she does, except that would put an end to the seasons. But, if he can find Persephone's soul before he kills Demeter we will have nothing to worry about." 

"But Athena, you just said that if he killed her there would be no more seasons." 

"If he can find her before Demeter, dies Persephone will inherit her powers thus giving us a new goddess of seasons."

****

"Claire? Are you listening to me?" Claire looked up from her notebook to her physics tutor, Jim. 

"I'm sorry Jim," Claire said as she looked at the Spencer Reid look-a-like. 

"It's okay; I should already know that your attention wanders after three hours." He brushed his hand through his blonde shoulder length hair. 

"I really am sorry. I just really hate physics." He smiled as he folded his hands on top of the table. 

"Well how about you make it up to me by accompanying me to dinner?" 

Claire blinked in surprise, "When?"

"Are you free tonight?" 

"I don't think I have anything planned," Jim smiled. 

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven?" he asked as he hurryingly put his books and notebooks into his backpack. 

"Sure, I'll be ready," she was writing her address down on a piece of paper, when she looked up he was already at the door of the Study Room, "Don't you want my address?" she giggled as he stopped and turned around.

"That would help," he said sheepishly, as he grabbed the piece of paper. 

"See you in five hours!" she said to his back as he practically ran out of the study room.



Hades Ch. 06



Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post the new chapter. Hope you enjoy. 



Stephanie had just changed out of her ceremonial robes to a pair a jeans and white tank top, when she heard the front door slam shut, "Hello?" she asked as she left her room and entered the living room. She watched as Claire put ten shopping bags on the table. "What's going on?" 

Claire laughed, "I have a date." 

Stephanie's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You have a date? Who's the lucky guy?" 

Claire rummaged through her shopping bags as she answered, "My physics tutor, Jim." Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a long, earth green dress and held it to the front of her body, "What do you think?" 

"Great," Stephanie answered as she sat down in the seat facing Claire, "Where are you guys going?" 

"I'm not sure, I'll find out when he picks me up at seven."

Stephanie stared at Claire as she pull out a pair of black gladiator flats, a slim black belt that would show off her tiny waist, and a long necklace that would bring attention to her large bust. She looked at her longtime friend and vowed she wouldn't fail her again, "Why are you going on this date?" She knew that she hit a nerve when Claire shot a censuring look back at her, "What I mean is, you like being single. I'm just wondering why now?"

Claire sat down, a shocked look on her face. "I'm not sure. I do know that it gets lonely being single, but the reason why I said yes is because you're the one who always tells me that I should get more." 

"How can you be lonely? You have me and Shelly."

"You know that's not what I mean." she said through clenched teeth, "I want a man with strong arms to hold me at night Steph. I know how desperate that sounds but I haven't even been touched by another man." 

"That's a good thing." 

"I'm twenty-three year old virgin. How is that a good thing?" 

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Well...It's—um well—Mmm." 

Claire scoffed and walked over to her room with her clothes and bags in her hands, "Yeah, you see it's not a good being a virgin. Most guys don't like virgins because they don't have enough 'experience'," she said over her shoulder as she put her stuff on her bed.

"Guys don't like your attitude." Stephanie said under her breath not realizing that Claire had heard her. 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She asked standing in the doorway, her hourglass figure emphasized by her hands on her waist. 

"Well it's just that you seem to portray yourself as tough." Stephanie watched as Claire slowly moved toward her, her hands still on her waist, a sign that Claire was a moment from doing something very irrational, yet she kept on. "You portray yourself as a dyke." 

****

Claire regarded her friend sitting at the table who just revealed that she portrayed herself as a dyke. She felt her eyes start to burn, felt the tears forming in eyes, and noticed her vision getting blurry. "Wow... I had no idea that I was portrayed as a dyke." She turned her back on her friend liking her a lot less; Steph and Shelly knew how she felt being called a dyke. She had no problem with lesbian women and gay men but during her high school years her mother lost her job, her family got kicked out of their house they had lived in for nineteen years, and then her father died, all of these disasters happened in the same year. She was forced to wear hand be downs from her older brother Zackary, and once she showed up in his clothes people started to take notice and began to not only make fun of her clothes but also her hygiene. Her high school days were rough, in the locker rooms girls would make fun of her weight, boys called her a dyke because of her weight and the clothes that she wore. 

"Claire?" 

She looked at her friend and then walked into the bathroom without answering Steph. Once inside, she turned on the shower and began to undressed while the water got warmed up. Once all of her clothes were removed she looked at her reflection. Her hands went to her shoulder length brown-black hair, down to her shorter length neck, to her full triple D breast, to her not so flat stomach, back up to her waist that curved in and then curved out to her 49' hips. She looked at her face and saw a decent looking woman that had regular brown eyes, long lashes, full lips, strong jaw, and adorable pronounced dimples that showed even while she talked. She took a deep breath and then got into the shower. She put her head under the water, loving how the water felt like a caress that spread over her body. She then grabbed her cucumber and melon body wash and began lathering her body.

While she showered, she stared blankly at the shower wall, reasoning with herself on why she acted the way she did, but the only thing that kept popping into her head was the famous Marilyn Monroe quote, 'I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.' When she had told Stephanie and Shelly about Marilyn's quote, they both believed that the quote described how every woman felt, but for Claire the quote was her way of life. After she realized that her hands were turning into prunes, she turned off the water, dried off, put on her robe and walked into room without a look in Stephanie's direction, entered her room to get ready for her date.

****

Stephanie watched Claire as she walked into her bedroom wearing just her white robe; she remained sitting at the kitchen table wondering what to do. Not realizing that she had been in deep thought for about thirty minutes, she heard a knock at the door. She swung the door open and saw Pirithous, "What the hell are you doing here?" 

Pirithous smiled holding a bouquet of white roses, Persephone's favorite. "I'm here for my date with the lovely Claire." He moved past Stephanie as he looked around the apartment before sitting down on the couch. 

"You're the infamous Jim." she stated. Without losing eye contact with Pirithous, she closed the door, watching him as he observed the vast number of pictures they had from his perch on the couch. "You haven't told her anything have you?" 

"No, I know how this works. I'm supposed to let her choose for herself, I must say though, that Hades is quite behind." 

Stephanie sat on the other side of the couch, "He will win her love...again." 

Pirithous smiled, still holding the white roses, "We shall see."

Claire's door opened, "Hey did—Oh hi I thought I heard someone knock."

Stephanie's jaw dropped. Claire looked like the goddess that she was, and the green of the dress made her look as if she was the Mother Earth Gaea.

Pirithous' smile widen as he laid eyes on the goddess, "Yes, I was just having a wonderful conversation with your friend." 

Claire looked at Stephanie as if she had just tasted something bitter, "Yes, she's always been an interesting conversation starter. Are you ready?" 

"Yes, um—these are for you." He handed her the bouquet of white roses. 

"I love white roses," she shared as she put the roses in a vase. "How did you know?" 

Jim smiled, "Lucky guess." As Claire laughed, he told her, "Well we better get going, I have reservations." 

"Okay, led the way." Claire completely ignored Stephanie.

Jim held the door open for Claire before smiling at Stephanie. "Thank you, I think you just made my job easier." Even though he was outside, he could still feel her anger radiate through the door. He knew that Hades was too late, Persephone would finally be his. 

****

Hades entered Kylee's psychic shop, "Hades? I never thought I'd see you again."

He turned around to see Pythia aka Kylee. She still stood 5ft even, her waist length brown hair braided and she was wearing a long light blue dress that hugged her toned body. She didn't look a day over 30. She smiled which then faltered as she turned to see Thanatos standing to his left, "Honestly Hades why do you still hang out with such trash." 

"It's good to see you to Pythia." 

She stuck her tongue out at him then gently grabbed Hades' right hand as she stared into his eyes. "You are on the right path Hades; she is very close to you. The problem is that you have been looking so far ahead that you don't realize she is standing right in front of you. Now it may be too late. Pirithous makes his move." 

Hades grabbed both her shoulders with his hands, "Tell me. Give me a hint. Please Pythia I beg of you." 

****

Stepping out of Jim's Honda Civic, Claire realized that she may have made a mistake. Jim had parked in front of Eagle River's most popular restaurant. Johann's restaurant was so popular because of the good food and warm atmosphere. She looked at the yellow building and began to get more nervous with every step she took.

"Do you have a problem with Johann's?" Jim asked as he took notice of Claire's facial expression. 

"What makes you ask that?" 

Jim chuckled then opened the door to let her enter first, "Well you seem...nervous. I don't make you nervous do I?" 

She entered the restaurant that thought about her answer. Just as she was about to speak, the hostess interrupted and showed them to their table. 

****

Thanatos sighed heavily once again as Hades continued to pace back and forth in the front of Pythia's psychic shop. "My lord, shouldn't we be trying to find Persephone?" He watched as Hades ignored him and began to bite on his fingernails – a nervous habit that returned with the death of Persephone. 

"She said something. 'The friend of the one that hates you will be salvation.'" 

Thanatos thought carefully. "What the hell does that mean?" 

Hades stopped pacing and ran to his car, "Hurry up Thanatos. We have to go back to the campus." Thanatos got into the car while Hades turned on the engine. Before Thanatos could get on his seat belt Hades had zoomed out of the parking lot and was going fifty miles per hour. They pulled up at the college in less than thirty minutes. Thanatos ran behind Hades as they headed for the library. Once there, Hades flirted with the older librarian for Claire's apartment complex since she knew Claire considerably well.

Hades found the apartment and began to knock continuously until the door opened. Stephanie was wearing a black tank top and baggy pajama bottoms and her eyes were puffy, indicating that she had been sleeping. "Yes?" 

"I'm looking for Claire have you seen her?" 

"Hey hold up." Thanatos said breathlessly as he tried to catch up with Hades. Once he stopped, and breathed in deeply as he saw the beautiful red head in the doorway. When he saw her he leaned against the doorframe and smiled, "Well, hello there beautiful what's your name?" 

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention toward Hades, "She's at Johann's on a date with Jim, her physics tutor, and you can talk to her tomorrow." she told him as she shut the door on the two men. 

Hades looked at Thanatos then faded out right in the middle of the hallway, "Damn it, my lord?" 

Just when he was about to fade, he felt a source of energy that was coming from the red head's apartment. He faded into the house then heard her voice, "I have told Hades where to find Persephone... Of course my Goddess I will continue to give updates." Thanatos watched her from the doorway talking to Athena's shadow figure. 

"Don't I get a kiss?" 

She gasped and quickly faced him, "It's not polite to ease drop." Once she stood up to her full height Thanatos took it upon himself to take in her curvy body. She had breasts that were extremely large -it would take two hands just to cover one. Her long red hair looked soft and silky; her pale skin is what attracted Thanatos and it made him itch to kiss every inch of it. 

"Tell me handmaiden how long have you been on his assignment?"

"I was assigned four years ago when she became a freshman in high school." she told him as he walked behind her and inhaled her scent. She felt his rough hands first on her shoulders, as they made their way down to her arms. The further down he went the closer his chest got to her back. Once he reached the top of her pajama bottoms, her breathing started to change. His fingers then slipped into her boy short panties, to rub her clit. 

"This is assignment is very dangerous," he told her as he put more pressure on her clit. "I think you should just ask that lovely Goddess of yours to reassign you." 

She gasped in the pleasure that she always received from him, "You know that I can't. Zeus has had his eye on me for a couple of months before Athena assigned me this." She felt him tense and his affection toward her clit ceased. 

"What?" 

She gently took his hand off of her clit and out of her pajama bottoms and faced him, "I caught the attention of Zeus unwilling, before this assignment took place he was asking Athena about me and if she would consider giving me to him as a father's day gift. Athena declined." She saw his eyes turn red, but she ignored it and continued, "I tried to summon you, but everything was chaotic at the time and I assumed that you were taking care of Hades' and his lost. Athena found out about you and I, so she decided to send me here to protect the soul of Persephone."  

****

Hades was about to enter Johann's when he saw Claire and who he guessed was 'Jim' walk out, watched as 'Jim' put his arm around her and pull her closer to his side. It took everything him not to go up to 'Jim' and rip his soul from his body and send him to Tartarus. There was something fishy about this 'Jim' character. He seemed to be trying really hard to capture the interest of Claire. The sight of Claire took his breath away-she looked like the goddess that she was. There stood the love of his life, the woman that held the very fate of his sanity in her hands.

****

Claire forced a laugh at a joke that Jim that told her; their date didn't go as she hoped. All she wanted was a nice dinner with good conversation. She got one of two. The food was great, but the company wasn't. Jim was a nice guy, or so she thought. All he did was talk about himself during the entire hour they had been out, and when they arrived at Johann's the hostess, waiter, cook, and even the owner told her how great Jim was. She felt as if her date had turned into the process of buying a car. She didn't even think he was interested in her. She saw his eyes looking over her shoulder as she was talking to him and it felt as if he were expecting someone more attractive to walk through the door. All she wanted to do was change into her silk nightgown, eat a carton of pistachio ice cream, watch the A Long Hot Summer, and then fall asleep. As he opened the door for her, the wind picked up and she smelled something. "Did you smell that?" 

Jim looked at her as if she had told him she were crazy. "Smell?" 

She looked over toward the side of Johann's where the smell had come from, "Never mind, I think it was just my imagination." she said and giggled at the look Jim still had on his face. 

During the drive back to her place, they didn't talk but instead they listened to the Motown Oldies. He walked her to her apartment, placed a kiss on her cheek and left. She walked inside and dropped her purse on the table before heading into the kitchen to search the freezer for her ice cream. 

"You're back," Stephanie stated as she entered the kitchen. 

"Yeah," she answered while continuing looking for ice cream. "You were right my date sucked. He's not my type what so ever." She paused. "Do you know where my ice cream is?" 

"You ate it all, remember? You got really nervous about the mythology paper. I've never seen you eat a carton so fast." 

"Well, I better go get some ice cream," she grabbed her purse before sailing out the door, without even changing. 

****

Hades waited until she was safety in her apartment before he walked over to the bench not too far from her apartment building. He sat there for a couple of minutes wondering about his next move. The clicking of heels tore him from his musings as he realized it was Claire. 

"Hector? Is that you?" 

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. What are you doing out here so late?" 

"I'm going to the store around the corner. I'm in dying need of ice cream. Would you like to join me?" 

"Yeah," He walked beside her with his hands in his pockets. "So you're a bit fancy for just going to the store for ice cream." 

She looked down at her dress and sighed, "I was on a date, and let's just say that I won't be going out with that guy again." She said with a chagrined look. Her hand flew to her mouth as a thought occurred to her, "Oh no! I just realized I'll need a new physics tutor." 

Hades saw her expression of horror and knew he still had a shot, "I know someone who's a physics tutor." 

She looked up at him with her wide brown eyes, "Really? That would really help me out." 

"Yeah, I'll give you his number." 

Once they reached the store he bought chips, soda, and Raisinets his favorite candy. He saw Claire pick up her ice cream and a bag of Oreos. 

She sighed as they stood in line. "I should put the Oreos back, but I really want them after that horrible date."

"Then you should buy them." Hades suggested. 

"No, I really need to lose weight." 

"Who said you needed to lose weight? I think that you look great." 

She looked up at Hades, "You think so?" 

"Yeah, well I was raised by old fashion Greeks, and my father believed that the bigger hips the woman has the smarter the boy. Or something like that." He was surprised to hear her laughing. 

"That's a new one." 

"Let me pay for those," he offered as she put her items on the counter.

"What? No, Hector, you really don't have to." He felt her hands wrap around his left arm as he reached for his wallet, forcing him to grab her with his other hand.

"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" he grunted as he tried to keep both of them off of the ground.

"No, you can't pay for my ice cream and Oreos!"

Hades looked around the store and realized that people were laughing at the scene. 

"Claire, people are staring. Please stop. I'll let you pay for your ice cream and Oreos." 

She immediately let go of his arm and looked at him with her big brown eyes, "I thought you were going to pay for it." 

"I was but –"

"You are such a sweetheart Hector."

Hades stared at Claire for a good minute wondering what had just happened. 

"$16.87 is your total." Hades handed over his credit card while Claire flipped through the People magazine. As they were leaving, he asked, "What was that whole episode in the store?"

"Just me making you squirm," she answered with a laugh.

Hades scoffed, "It worked." He shook his head at Claire and realized that he was one step away from strangling her. But her personality did seem like a mixture of the characters Bill and Ted. That movie brought back his memory of Persephone. He remembered watching that movie in the nineties with her, and he remembered her watching the Reeves character with an interesting gaze Hades wanting to torture the actor but all Persephone had to do was look at him and pout and he immediately forgot what he was thinking.

"You know you remind me of someone who was very dear to me."

She stopped dead in her tracks, "Please don't tell me I remind you of your mother or little sister." 

"What?" he asked with a laugh. "No, the woman that I lost, she reminds me of you."

Her face light up with interest, "Really? What was she like?" she asked as they continued toward her apartment.

Hades smiled in sadness. "Funny, weird, and sensitive." 

"That doesn't sound like me at all." she said jokingly. 

"Do you like the Bill and Ted trilogy?" he asked suddenly 

She gasped. "Of course I do. It's one of the best trilogies of all time." 




Hades Ch. 06



"She loved that movie, her favorite character was Ted." He watched her jaw drop in disbelief. 

"Ted's my favorite character too!" 

Hades laughed as she got excited. "Well, here is your lovely apartment." Once they reached the building, he handed her the bags that held her items. "It was great experience getting you ice cream and Oreos." 

Claire smiled, then leaned her head to one side. "Would you like to hang out sometime? I don't know if you've made any friends here, but if you get lonely you know where I live." 

Hades smiled, "Yeah, I might take you up on that offer soon. Good night." 

"Night," She said before she walked into the apartment building. 

*

Special Thanks to my editor HaydenBraeburn. Don't forget to vote and leave feedback.



Hades Ch. 07



The next day Hades waited for Claire outside their mythology class. As he leaned against the wall before class began, he studied the people walking by and realized that he really stuck out like a sore thumb. The boys wore long sleeve dress shirts and sweater vest over them paired with khaki dress pants. He was in a country club. 

"Who are you waiting for?" came a voice from behind him. Turning to his right he found Thanatos' twin Hypnos, dressed in his usual attire, an Armani suit. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"Just visiting my brother, I haven't heard from him this morning and it's starting to worry me." He explained as he too leaned against the wall. 

Hades frowned, "You know what, I haven't heard from him since last night. I left him at Claire's apartment." 

Hypnos' eyebrows rose, "Really? So you finally realized that she has Persephone's soul." 

"What do you mean?"

"After Thanatos told me what Kylee said, I knew that Claire was the one that carried Persephone's soul." 

"Well not everyone is as smart as you Hypnos." 

Hypnos smiled, "Of course not."

Hades noticed several girls looking at Hypnos, probably wondering what he did for a living; most thought he was a self-made millionaire because of his expensive life style. Little did people know that all you had to be was the God of Sleep in order to get the life style Hypnos had. Thanatos and Hypnos were identical twins but very different in style and attitude, Hypnos was a gentlemen to the T, he would open doors for women, never hit or disrespected a woman, or told his friends about how good the woman was in bed. Thanatos was the God of Death and being surrounded by death made him the bad boy who didn't care about any other feelings except his own. He treated women as objects that had an expiration date on the side of their body, even mortal women disgusted him. To him they were cows and he was the butcher looking over them and seeing which one to drag to the Underworld for Pirithous to carry in his ferry. 

"Hector?" Hades turned toward the small voice. 

"Hey, how are you?" 

"Hector?" Hypnos questioned as he looked at Hades. 

"Yes that's me, so what's wrong Shelly?"

Shelly smiled and looked toward Hypnos, "I thought I just saw you leaving the apartment, how did you get here so fast?"

Hypnos smiled, while Hades frowned. "Well that must have been my younger twin brother..."

"Thane," Hades finished for him. "We were actually waiting for Thane." 

"Oh, well I'm sorry for the confusion." Shelly said, "I had no idea that you guys were twins." 

"No worry, my name is Hy...."

"Harry. That's his name Harry." Hades again finished for him. 

"Yes," Hypnos agreed while never looking away from Hades. "My name is Harry," he said as he looked back to Shelly, "and what is your name?"

"Shelly." 

"Pleasure to meet you Shelly," he said as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. 

Shelly was taken by Hypnos, Hades could tell. He had seen "the look" for so many centuries, he knew when a girl blushed and giggled at Hypnos they ended up being the flavor of the year. It dawned on Hades that the reason why he respected Hypnos was because he never showed interest in a woman that wouldn't become a long term relationship. The longest relationship Hypnos had was six years, and even then the only reason the relationship ended was because of his never aging issue.

"Are you guys coming to my birthday party?" Shelly asked suddenly, pulling Hades away from his thoughts. 

"I didn't know you were going to have a birthday party." Hades replied.

"Yeah. Claire, and Stephanie usually throw me an unsuccessful surprise party."

"Well count me in," Hypnos said as he put his hands into his ten thousand dollar Armani pants pocket. 

"I'd never pass up free cake," Hades replied with a smile.

"Great! It starts at eight, but you guys have to be there a whole ten minutes early." 

"All right," both men answered at the same time. 

As the three of them were still in conversation a voice greeted them. "Hey what's going on?" Claire asked as she approached the group. 

"Oh nothing. Just talking to Hector and his friend Harry who is the twin brother of Thane who left the apartment early in the morning. You wouldn't have sneaked your date up to the room would you Claire?" Shelly teased knowing that Claire would never do something that scandalous. 

"What?" Hades said through clenched teeth, "Thana...Thane was in your room?!" 

"What? No. I would never bring a guy I don't know or have never met into my bedroom."

Hades instantly felt embarrassed, he should have known that there was no way that Thanatos would have betrayed him, but that left the question of why Thanatos had been in their apartment. 

****

Four Hours Earlier

Thanatos pulled on his faded Levi jeans, and put on his Rolling Stones t-shirt that Stephanie had bought for him from a store called Hot Topic. He looked at his beautiful red head as she was tangled in her sheets, her silky red hair covering her entire pillow. He pulled on his black socks and black boots, and left the room walking backwards toward the door, never taking his eyes from Stephanie. It wasn't until his back hit that wall that he opened the door. 

As he closed the door quietly, he stood there looking at it for about three minutes, wishing he were still on the other side. Finally, he turned and left her apartment, ignoring the small gasp that came from her other friend, Shay or Shell something- he never did pay attention to a woman's name. He walked down the halls just thinking that Stephanie had already caught the attention of the most powerful man whore in all of Olympus. 

He couldn't dare bring Hades into this mess considering the fact that he'd have Zeus on his ass after he finds out Persephone will no longer be bound by the six month rule. His only hope was that when Persephone's soul is released, Claire and Hades would remarry and get Demeter and Zeus off their ass. Maybe then he could ask for their help. 

Once outside he went into Hades' house and sat down on his expensive leather couch. Rubbing his eyes he thought back to another incredible night with Stephanie that would haunt his memory if he wasn't successful in keeping Zeus away from her. After she told him the whole story about how Zeus became more and more interested in her, he jumped her.

He realized now, he was going to have to buy her a new tank top and pajama bottoms. He'd torn them from her body, exposing her overflowing breasts. She'd thrown her head back in pleasure as he cupped them before guiding his head toward her rosy pink nipples. He'd teasingly licked her nipple, and then took the bud into his hot mouth, causing her to shout his name. His hand slid down into her, shuddering due to her wetness. Once he entered two fingers into her tight pussy, it was her turn to shutter at the sudden invasion. Her face flushed, her breath short, her hands pulling at him to take off his clothes. When he stepped away from her to remove his clothing, she laid down on her bed rubbing her clit while watching him strip. He laid down with her, brushing the hair out of her face, and kissed her deep red lips. She whispered her love for him and how she would never let Zeus have her heart. He looked down into her beautiful green eyes and knew that he was going to be in deep trouble for touching her, but he loved her with something that he had never felt with another woman. 

He looked deep in her eyes and thrust all nine inches of himself into her. "Who does this pussy belong to Steph?" she gasped at his invasion, not hearing what he asked her. When he didn't receive an answer he stopped. "Who does this pussy belong to Steph?" he asked again and she grabbed his ass trying to pull him deeper into her. "Yours Thanatos, this pussy belongs to you." she answered breathlessly. Satisfied with her answer, he took her hard and fast until they both reached their orgasm. They realized they would never be together; there was nothing that they could use to bargain with Zeus, and Zeus would never willingly give Stephanie up since no one has told him he couldn't have her. 

There Thanatos sat; replaying his and Stephanie's love making, for it would be the last time he would be inside the woman he loved. At that revelation he rubbed his hands over his face and looked at the clock. It had been one hour since he left Stephanie's apartment. When Thanatos stood up and stretched the power of his brother hit him instantly and he stilled. He knew something was up; Hypnos never ventured into the Earth realm without a good reason. 

****

"So," Hades said to Hypnos as Claire and Shelly walked ahead of them talking, class had been cancelled so they all decided to go to the Diamond Center, "what brings you to the Earth realm? It's not every day you venture up here."

"I have news for you," Hypnos told Hades as he watched Shelly's ass move side to side. "It seems that my twin has been in some trouble."

"What kind of trouble." Hades asked mindlessly as he watched Claire's ass. 

Hypnos turned his attention to Hades, "Like sleeping with Zeus' next flavor of the month trouble." 

The news caused Hades to turn his head sharply toward Hypnos, "What? This is not the type of drama I need right now." He breathed deeply and counted to ten, "Who delivered the news?"

"Hermes. When asked to see you in person, I naturally told him that if he wanted to deliver the news then it was at his own risk." 

Hades took a relieved breath. That would have to be their little lie since so many people thought he was still in his throne room waiting to throw lava in anyone's face who dare mention Persephone, Demeter or Zeus. "That's why we can't find your brother. Who is the next flavor?"

Hypnos turned his attention back toward the two friends, "The third amiga." 

"Stephanie? How did she capture the attention of Zeus?"

Hypnos scoffed, "She is one of Athena's handmaidens."

"That's impossible." 

"Athena had a vision that Persephone would be reincarnated. The only reason she didn't tell you is because you know that her visions can be wrong due to human's choices in life. So she kept a close eye on the girl, and when she was nineteen she sent Stephanie down to befriend her and get her ready to become a goddess and to keep her pure for you."

Hades tried to keep his temper in check, "I still don't understand why she didn't tell me."

"What would you have done if she told you that she found the girl that holds Persephone's soul? Come to Earth taken her and force her to marry you? Hades, this is a great opportunity to make up for the wrong that has happened in the past centuries."

"You're right," Hades agreed with a heavy sigh looking at Claire with such a longing that even Hypnos felt his want. "But I miss being able to do things the easy way."

Hypnos smiled then it faded as he felt his twin enter the Diamond Center, "He's here." 

"Stephanie!" They heard the girls shout.

Hades looked at Thanatos while Hypnos looked at Stephanie, "They fucked." They announced at the same time.

"What did you say?" Claire asked as she stood next to Hades. 

He immediately looked at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders while he smiled at her almost making her forget what she had been thinking, "I don't know what you mean." 

She folded her arms, "Don't talk about Stephanie, she's had a rough patch with this guy that she swears up and down that she loves." 

"Why?" Hypnos asked before Stephanie and Thanatos reached them.

"Her family doesn't want them together. According to her family there is a more 'suitable' gentlemen caller," she said in a southern accent. She let Hades keep his arm around her as Stephanie and Thanatos reached the group at the same time.

"So Steph, how did you sleep?"

Stephanie blushed, "Good real good." 

"I'm hungry." Claire suddenly announced, not realizing who Thane really was to Stephanie. 

Hypnos held out his forearm for Shelly to hold on to, Hades still had his arm around Claire's shoulders, and Stephanie and Thanatos were forced to watch the intimacy grow between their friends. 

"Do you like her?" Thanatos mentality sent to his brother. 

"Of course I do. I can just imagine her lush ass jiggling at the force of my thrust." 

The sudden image had him thinking about taking Stephanie in the very same position. "I love, dear brother, how many women think that you're the gentlemen." 

"I am. And please keep from thinking about your red head, I'm trying to have my own fantasies that involve a dirty blonde. I wonder just how dirty she is." The statement caused Thanatos to shake his head in amusement.

****

Hades was relishing the fact that Claire had yet to flinch from his touch and hadn't asked him to remove his arm. He watched as men looked at her body with lust then looked at what was attached to the hand that lay on her shoulder. Many of them looked at him with open challenge, but while they looked at him he was looking at the person under his left arm, once Claire and her friends decided on pizza they walked into Round Table. They all found a seat and Claire went to go order, when Hades went to ask the group what soda they wanted he saw that the cashier was flirting with Claire. 

"Well I happen to think that the Meat Lovers is the best pizza." 

Claire's eyes bulged, "I could never handle that much meat." 

"Of course you can, you prove that to me every night," Hades said, interrupting their conversation as he gave the money to the cashier, and waited to take the drinks back to the table.

He felt a pull at his elbow after he set down the drinks and turned to face Claire. 

"Can I talk to you privately real quick?"

"Sure," Hades followed a not so happy Claire out of the Round Table restaurant. "What's wrong?" 

"You just told that cashier that I suck your dick every night." she said a little loud, causing some passers by to stare. 

"It's just a joke," he told her. 

"You made it sound as if you and I are dating," Hades looked at her with wide eyes.

"Do you like that chump?" he asked pointing his thumb at the cashier. 

Claire blushed and folded her arms under her breast causing them to push up. "Yes, if you must know. I think he's cute."

"What about us?" 

She looked at him confused, "What do you mean us? We're friends right?" 

Hades put his hands on his hips and looked at his feet then back to her. "You don't find me attractive?"

"Hector, you are very attractive, but that's just it- you can get any girl here and you are telling me that you want to settle for me? You haven't been here long. Give it a few months girls will be knocking down your door." 

"I don't want any other girl!" he yelled, causing her to get a little scared of the man in front of her.

****

"What's going on?" Hypnos asked as he tried to look at Hades and Claire.

"He killed her game." Shelly answered looking at the New England vs. Indianapolis football game that was on the HD television. 

"Game?" Thanatos asked.

"She likes the cashier, Gavin I think his name is." 

"Oh no," Thanatos and Hypnos said in unison, "This is not going to end well." 

"Why?" 

"Well Hector likes Claire a lot," Thanatos told Shelly.

"No way, well that can't be good." 

"Why not?" 

"Claire once had a hot boyfriend- I mean like David Beckham hot- and she dumped him two weeks into the relationship." She took note of the confused looks on Hypnos and Thanatos faces and explained, "He made a bet with his friends on how he could get her virginity in less than a month." 

"That rat bastard," Hypnos viciously said, "Sorry, me and my brother have known guys like that and have taken a woman's virginity with force when they are turned down." 

Shelly looked at Hypnos and realized that even though he'd known Claire in less than four hours he acted as if Claire was an old friend that he truly cared about. 

****

Hades saw the fear enter her eyes, so he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. "I just don't understand why there couldn't be a possibility that we could be more than friends." 

"Hector," Hades clenched his eyes shut. He hated the fact that she didn't know his real name, "I don't know what or why you are attracted to me. I think that it's because you have not been around other girls." 

He opened his eyes to gaze into her big brown eyes, "I see something in you that drive me into a calm state that I haven't been in for a while now." 

Her brown eyes were filled with sorrow, "I'm not her Hector, and I never will be."

"Don't... don't you dare— I know you are not her. I know that, but when I'm around you I feel more alive than I have ever felt with her." It was the truth. In the last decade of their marriage Persephone had been distant, refusing his touch, wandered aimlessly as the souls who didn't take passage with Pirithous. Given the latest news, he realized that Persephone was planning her death and was devastated with leaving him behind. Claire brought back the happiness he felt with Persephone. She was different altogether from Persephone; she was louder, more open sexually, and willing to challenge him head on. Not at all like Persephone. She was a peaceful character who never raised her voice to anyone, and never made Hades angry for any reason, if she noticed a man looking at her she would stand next to Hades holding his hand making him note that she was not flirting, and when he wanted to make love she was always wet and willing. Claire was a different species altogether. "Just don't rule me out of the equation just yet; you know what my attentions are."

"I do." She noticed the sadness that radiated from him against her better judgment she walked up to the giant and wrapped her arms around his waist trying to comfort him. Her action left Hades stunned. He wrapped his arms around what he considered 'little' body and inhaled her scent. "I just don't want you holding back because I remind you of her." she said against his pecks. He loosened his hold on her and she looked up into his eyes, "Promise me you won't close yourself off from better opportunities." 

He pushed her long brown hair away from her face, "I promise," then he kissed her on the cheek and they walked arm in arm into Round Table. 

****

"What do you mean the date was a disaster?" Demeter asked as she walked around on her back porch of her temple that was surrounded a breath taking field of different flowers. Pirithous sat on the white stool on the porch of Demeter's temple. 

"We went to dinner and the conversation was horrible. All of the information you gave me ended up being a damn debate." 

She looked over her shoulder to look at him, "What the hell do you mean?"

"Well for one, she doesn't like Michangelo. The only thing she says he did right was the statue David. She doesn't like to pick flowers in her spare time, she doesn't like talking about her problems, she isn't nice, and damn sure doesn't give a rats ass about anything other than movies. 

"That doesn't sound like my Persephone."

"Maybe that's because it isn't Persephone!" Pirithous yelled at Demeter, "She wasn't raised by you she was raised by mortals. She wasn't brought up around flowers, she was brought up around movies, her father was a television producer, whatever the hell that is, and her mother wrote books. Demeter, wake up and realize that this girl isn't Persephone. She may have her soul but her personality is that of Claire a mortal raised woman."

*

Special Thanks to my editor HaydenBraeburn.

Don't forget to leave feedback!



Hades Ch. 08



Author's Note: 

I'm so sorry that it took me quite a few months to post this chapter. I know it's quite short, but I'm already sending chapter nine to my editor. I should have the story up by next week.

Enjoy!

BeastLover18

**** 

"You guys okay?" Shelly asked without looking up as Hades and Claire walked arm in arm back into Round Table. 

"We're great," Hades answered for both of them as he pulled out Claire's chair for her.

"So who's winning?" Claire asked Shelly who was glued to the television.

"Colts," she said smiling at Claire.

"Colts will win, they always do. You know Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL."

The statement caused Shelly to finally turn her attention toward her friend, "Like hell! Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL"

"Please, the only reason people say that is because they won three Super bowl rings, but am I the only one that remembers that they cheated to get those rings?" 

Shelly's eyes bulged. "Take that back." 

Claire put her elbows on the table and leaned over toward Shelly, "No."

"Okay ladies," Stephanie said as she rubbed her eyes. "We are in public." 

"What is going on?" Hades asked Stephanie, having no idea what Claire and Shelly were arguing about. 

"Claire's favorite quarterback is Peyton Manning who plays for the Colts, and Shelly's favorite quarterback is Tom Brady who plays for the Patriots. Both are very good teams, but the Patriots were caught cheating back in 2007, it was a football version of Bring it On." She took note of the confused look on all three male faces. "Bring it On, the movie," she elaborated. When the men still continued to look confused, she moved on. "Never mind. To put it mildly they got caught taping opposing team games, which is highly illegal."

"You like the Indianapolis Colts?" Hades asked Claire

She nodded her head, while looking at the television. "The team altogether is really good, but I think that Peyton Manning is the jewel behind the Colt's success." 

Hades laughed looked at Claire and realized that she talked a lot of shit. "Wow, you are just a big shit talker aren't you?" 

Claire looked at Hades with her jaw dropped. "I'm not talking shit." 

"Yes you are," Hades said as he put his arm on the back of her chair and rubbed his thumb over her back. "Poor Shelly's team is caught cheating and you constantly rub it in her face don't you?" 

"You bet your ass she does," Shelly interrupted before she went back to watching the game.

****

Claire was trying to keep her eyes from rolling in the back of her head; Hector's touch gave her more pleasure than the small vibrator she had bought. She looked toward him and saw him looking at her with his deep sea blue eyes; she didn't realize that the others at the table were watching at them except for Shelly. Once the pizza came they all started to eat and talk about each other and how Claire, Stephanie, and Shelly became friends. 

"My mom, dad and I just moved into town and I was sitting under a tree reading a romance novel my mom had just finished. Then I heard a voice say that she was wondering what I was doing in her favorite spot, I looked up and there was a red haired girl with boobs probably bigger than mine at that time standing with her hands on her hips. I was scared to death."

Hades looked at Claire as he took a bite out of his peperoni pizza. "What did you look like as a freshman in college?" 

"Mmmm...Let's see overweight, thick glasses, and frizzy hair," Claire answered giggling. "I happened to get rid of two but as you can see I still have one flaw that I have yet to correct."

"I bet you were cute," Hades commented. 

"I really doubt that," she said as she realized that he was going out of his way.

"I don't you think you understand," Thanatos said to Claire. "I have known Hector all my life and he hardly pays any complements to anyone." 

"Thank you for that lovely input Thane," Hades said as he took a drink of his water.

"I have to go use the restroom," Stephanie stated as she pushed her chair back, stood up and looked at Shelly, "You coming?" 

"I guess I am," Shelly said as she reluctantly got out of her chair and followed Stephanie to the restroom. 

Once Claire saw that the two were out of sight she leaned on her forearms, "So did you guys want to come to Shelly's surprise party?" 

The three men paused looking at her with some surprise, "When is it?" Hades asked as he wiped his mouth with the paper napkin.

"Later on tonight, you guys have to be there at eight." 

"Eight?" Thanatos repeated.

"Yep, you see we throw each other surprise parties unsuccessfully almost every year, so we decided to change the time and location." 

"Where is it going to be?" Hades asked.

"We aren't sure," she said as she began biting her nails. 

"What about Hector's place?" Hypnos offered.

"What?" Claire and Hades asked simultaneously.

"Well, Hector has quite a bit of space in his three story place."

Claire turned to Hector, "Would you be willing to let us have it at your place?"

Hades looked at her and realized what Hypnos was doing, "Of course you can use my place. How many people are you planning to invite?" He asked.

"Less than fifteen people. We all don't really have a lot of friends outside of the three of us." 

"Why is that?" Hades asked.

"Probably the same reason you guys do. You're surrounded by friends who watch your back, tell you the truth, and love you even with your faults." 

All three men looked at each other, and laughed causing Claire to slightly jump in surprise. "No, that's not why we hang out with each other." Hades stated.

"Then why do you guys hang out with each other?" 

The question caused all three men to look at each other, "We are all we know." 

Claire looked at them with a frown, "That sounds really sad and depressing."

****

Hades watched Claire and Stephanie talk about what type of decorations to put on the staircase. He grabbed one of the many beers out of the fridge and uncapped it. Once he raised it to his lips a shiver went down his spine. He put the beer down on the nearest counter and looked out of the window to see Jim and Demeter walking arm in arm and each one holding a present in their free hand. 

They rang the doorbell and Claire rushed over to open the door, once she opened it Hades saw her happy smile disappear in an instant.

****

Claire ran to the door and opened it; there stood her date from hell with a tall skinny blonde. She immediately put on a fake smile and greeted Jim and his date, "Hi Jim, and..."

The blonde smiled, "I'm Debbie, and I'm Jim's sister." She handed over the small gift bag to Claire. 

Claire grabbed it and stepped back for them to enter, once they stepped in she felt a presence behind her she looked back and saw Hector behind her and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Jim, Debbie this is my..."

"Boyfriend, Hector." He finished for her as she pulled her closer to his side. She noticed Jim raise his eyebrows.

"Boyfriend?" Jim questioned as he handed her his present. 

She smiled. "He's joking."

They walked in and saw that they were the only ones there, "Are we early?" Debbie asked as she looked around. 

"Yeah, it doesn't start until eight." Claire said without removing Hector's arm that had moved from her shoulder to her waist. The movement caught the attention of both Jim and Debbie who looked quite unhappy about how close Hector was to her. 

"Oh, Shelly told us to be here at seven," Jim said as he checked the time.

Claire laughed. "Yeah, before it used to start at seven but as you can tell Shelly already knows what time her 'surprise party' starts."

"Claire?" 

Stephanie walked up to Claire holding the party cups once she looked up and Jim and Debbie she instantly froze. 

"What's up Steph?"

Stephanie shook her head. "Um...what cups do you want me to put out?" 

"The martini cups." 

"I can't find them." 

Claire sighed. "I'll go find them." She looked over at Jim and his sister and excused herself.

"Athena sent a handmaiden to look over my little girl." Demeter said once Claire was out of sight. 

"Demeter, what are you doing here?" Stephanie asked as she put the cups down looking at Demeter. 

"I came to see what has become of my daughter." Demeter unlinked her arm from Pirithous and walked up to Hades. "I see that you lucked out."

Hades didn't remove his gaze from hers. "I see that you took something from Tartarus." 

Demeter sighed looked down. "Well, I had to fix what you broke. Once I found out about the baby I had to take matters into my own hands."

Hades clenched his jaw; he looked at his mother turned her back toward him and started walking around his house. "You should leave Demeter."

She turned back and looked at Hades. "Why? We are here for this awesome party." 

Hades counted to ten knowing that the method wouldn't work causing the night to seem unending. 

****

Athena walked up to Hades house looking at decorations that covered the house; she smiled with the knowledge Persephone was indeed found by Hades. She rang the doorbell and instantly felt a tense but powerful presence.

Demeter.

She instantly froze, not knowing what scene lay behind the door. 

"Hello," Athena jerked her head up to find Claire in the doorway smiling. 

"Hi, I'm...." 

"Thena?" Athena looked over Claire's shoulder to see her handmaiden Stephanie. 

"Oh? So you're a friend of Stephanie's? Well come on in." Claire stepped back to let her in. 

Stephanie looked at her in shock. "Would you like me to get you something?" Claire asked.

"That would be great, thank you." Stephanie and Athena watched as Claire walked into the kitchen to get Athena a drink. 

"I see things are doing well," Athena commented as Stephanie continued to gape at her. "I know everything." 

Stephanie closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." 

Athena smiled while looking at all the mortals walk around conversing with each other not realizing that they were in the same house as three of the most powerful Greek gods. She looked at Stephanie out of the corner of her eye; she had her red hair covering her entire face showing not only her defeat but also submission. "Stephanie, is there a room where we can talk? I really don't want to have this discussion next to the staircase."

"Of course," Stephanie answered, refusing to look Athena in the eye. Once they reached the guest bedroom, Athena walked over and sat down on the bed. 

"Come sit," she told Stephanie as she patted the spot next to her. Stephanie sat down next to Athena. "I know you love him. I know he loves you and you both can make each other happy, but my hands are tied. My father has taken a liking to you, and my father is not someone who is told 'no'." Athena sighed she watched as the strongest of her handmaiden's crumbled before her eyes. 

Stephanie looked into Athena's eyes. "I will do whatever is needed of me." 

Athena's heart broke, and at the same moment that Thanatos—who had heard their conversation—walked out of the house. 

****

Hades watched as the smile on Claire's face widen when she saw that he was in kitchen, "Hey you."

He took a drink of this beer, while she poured punch into a tall cup. "Hey what are you doing?" 

"Getting a drink for a guest," she told him while focusing on her task instead of the man at her right. "Why?"

"Nothing," he said staring at her. Just as she was about to leave he grabbed her free arm and pulled her body against his. "What are you going to do now?"

She laughed. "I'm going to go give the drink to the guest." 

"Interesting," he said as he took a swig of his beer, all the while his arm was around her waist. 

"Not really," she answered. Hector was still staring at her. "Are you going to let me go?"

"Nope," he answered. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting." 

Hades looked over the top of Claire's head to look at Pirithous standing in the kitchen doorway. He did notice how Claire moved closer into his front almost as if she was asking for protection. "You are," Hades answered truthfully. 

"Yeah, we were having a staring contest," she added with a nervous laugh, as she looked back at 'Jim'. 

Hades looked down at Claire with a smile on his face and looked back at 'Jim' who he now learned was Pirithous. He grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen without breaking eye contact with Pirithous. 

"That was intense," she said jokingly. 

****

Special Thanks to my editor HaydenBraeburn.

Don't forget to leave feedback!



Hades Ch. 09



Author's Note: Hello, I want to start off by saying that I'm deeply sorry about the hiatus. I currently lost two editors within this month, so it will be a while before chapter 10 can be submitted, due to my on going search for a new editor. 

BeastLover18

**** 

Once finished with the her talk with Stephanie, Athena walked back down into the living room just in time to see Hades walking outside with Claire right behind him. Athena smiled and shook her head at his caveman behavior. Just when she was about to go out and join them, Demeter stepped in her view. 

"Well, I now know who to blame for Hades finding Persephone before Pirithous." 

Athena calmly stood there with her hands folded in front of her, "We both know that if you had let Persephone give birth to the baby we wouldn't have gone through this mess." 

Demeter's eyebrows lowered in anger, "I would not allow my daughter to give birth to that thing." 

"You decided to play with fate, and you know how much they hate when people do that." 

"That thing would have killed her." 

Athena used every ounce of patience she possessed and told Demeter what she feared, "If the child was born Hera would have killed you, and you know this. I haven't told Hades that you killed his unborn son because you didn't want an angry wife to take your immortality."

****

Hades looked at Claire without hiding his emotions, "I really wish you would start taking a chance on me." 

Claire laughed, "You hardly know me. I told you we could be friends first, and see where it goes from there."

Hades looked at her and sighed, he knew that even though her mind told her to slow down her body would start to refuse. 

"Fine," he said looking up at her with a smile. "We will be friends." 

Claire smiled, "Great, now can we go inside its freezing." Hades chuckled, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders leading her into his warm house. Once inside Stephanie told Claire that Shelly was on her way. Hades watched as Claire announced to the party members that Shelly was only a few minutes away, everyone started wondering where they were going to hide.

Claire looked out the window and saw that Harry had just pulled up into Hector's driveway. "They're here, everyone hide." She said in a hushed tone, while walking over behind the couch to hide. She jumped as she felt someone put their hand on her lower back.

"I hope you don't mind but all the other places are full," Hector whispered. 

Hades watched her smile and did the same; he could tell that he was slowly breaking down the wall she had built. The more he tried the more he was convinced that her wall might not be as thick as the Berlin Wall. 

"We really must hurry Harry; I know that they will be waiting at the apartment...." Shelly said right before Hypnos turned on the light and everybody revealed themselves.

"SURPRISE!" The guests shouted, as an extremely surprised Shelly grasped her chest. 

Both friends walked up to her and hugged her while laughing at her scolding. Once finished, Hypnos took it upon himself to escort Shelly around the house. Hades watched as his friend turned into the perfect date; not crowding Shelly, talking when necessary, and not making a fool of either of them. Hades was about to walk into his kitchen to grab a drink but he paused immediately when he felt the power of his mother. Realizing that his mother-in-law would ruin his mood he decided to bypass the drink, causing him to nearly bump into Claire. 

"Oh, sorry I thought you were going in." 

"No, I had a change of heart."

"Well, I need to go get another bag of chips." She stated as held up an empty glass bowl and walked around him to enter the kitchen. 

He took a deep breath and followed her inside, the last thing he wanted was for his mother to poison Claire's mind. They walked in to find Demeter standing next to Pirithous; they were both looking out the window was over the sink. 

Claire put on the fake smile that Hades hated and began a conversation with them. "Are you both having a good time?" She asked as she grabbed a bag of chips and emptied it into the glass bowl. 

"Yes, of course. It's a wonderful party." Demeter told her with a flawless smile. Claire smiled and excused herself as she went to put the glass bowl out to the party and left the three standing there. 

"How long have you known?" Demeter asked. 

"Long enough," Hades said. "I have always hated you Demeter, but I thought when I married Persephone that we could put our differences aside for her sake."

"You kidnapped my daughter, took her to your realm, and raped her." Demeter stated through clenched teeth. "Was I supposed to forgive you because you decided to marry her?" 

Hades clenched his fist, "I know my taking of Persephone was a mistake that will never be able to escape from my memory, but that did not give you the right to kill her and our child." 

Demeter raised an eyebrow, "You know... how?"

"It was whispered into my ear." 

Demeter rolled her eyes, "Those damn fates..."

"Come now, we aren't all that bad." Hades turned to see the Moirae standing in the swinging door entrance. 

Hades immediately bowed, "What have I done in order to be blessed with your presence?" He asked while keeping his gaze on the floor. They all chuckled. 

"You have always been nothing but polite to us." Lachesis replied. 

Lachesis then looked at Demeter, "Where are your manners?" 

Hades assumed that Demeter and Pirithous both kneeled, soon after Atropos began to answer his question. "We wanted to wish our cousin Happy Birthday." 

Shock rippled throughout Hades' body, "Do you mean Shelly?" 

"Of course," Lachesis answered. 

*****

Athena walked into the kitchen and was faced with the Fates, and two very powerful Greek Gods. Once her presence was known she lowered her head, "To what do we owe this pleasure?" She asked with her eyes still lowered to the floor. 

They all three smiled, "We have come to celebrate the birth of our dear cousin." Atropos answered. 

"Cousin?" 

"Yes, you might know her as Shelly." 

"Is there any blood relation?" 

"There is," Lachesis said not giving any indication of continuing. 

Athena looked at the Moirae with absolute confusion along with Hades. He looked at the Moirae and was rendered speechless due to the earlier news of Thanatos and now the revelation of the relation of Shelly. 

"Hades, how does the quest go for capturing Persephone's heart?" Atropos teased knowing full well how difficult Claire was becoming. 

Hades smiled knowing that Demeter was becoming more irritated due to the lack of knowledge in Hades' pursuits. "It is going as planned, my dearest Moirae." 

Atropos smiled, "That sounds promising." She looked at Demeter's furious face, "Demeter? What seems to be the problem?"

"There are no problems that are becoming conflicting to my reign." 

Lachesis smiled cruelly, "Good, you always know just what to say Demeter in order to save your ass from being incinerated."

Hades, who still remained kneeling, saw Demeter clench up her fist wanting so bad to attack Lachesis, but knowing the outcome if she did. There was a time where Lachesis and Demeter were good friends, because of Persephone. Since Persephone's death Lachesis has been keeping a tight rein on Demeter's activities. Ever since the Moirae told him that it was indeed Demeter that killed Persephone, Hades now understood Lachesis' anger toward the Goddess. 

In the mist of all the quiet, the swinging door opened, revealing Claire. When she entered everyone rose to their feet and looked directly at her. She stopped in her tracks as she realized that she was the main attraction. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Hades smiled at her, "No, you just surprised us. That's all." 

"Oh, thank goodness. I was a little worried I had been eating one of Shelly's cupcakes but don't tell her, she'll kill me." She stated as she walked over to the fridge to pull out a soda. They all watched her exact movements. 

She noticed the Moirae, once she finished her soda, which was standing beside the cutting table. "I'm sorry I don't believe we've met.

Atropos smiled sweetly, "We are Shelly's older cousins, and we raised her after mother and father died." 

Claire's face lighted up with recognition, "Shelly talks so much about you three, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She said sweetly as she hugged each of the three Moirae. "I do have to ask you if Shelly has always been afraid of the mountains." 

Lachesis immediately tensed, "Mountains, which ones? There are quite a few in Alaska." 

Claire smiled, "Of course, it's the Kuskokwim Mountains, we were going to climb to its highest peak, but once we were close Shelly fainted and when we got her back up she was so scared we had to immediately leave." 

Clotho immediately stepped in and answered for the group, "She's afraid of heights. She always has been. I'm surprised she even decided to go." She stated. 

Claire's eyebrows frowned in confusion, "Well she didn't faint until we got close to the high peak." She stated before she shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "Anyway, I was just wondering." 

"How long ago did you three try to go to the high peak?" Lachesis asked with what seemed to be innocent curiosity. 

"It was pretty recent so I believe two months ago."

They all watched as Claire walked out of the kitchen. 

Hades was the first to speak, with his head bowed he asked a question that he thought might anger the Moirae."If I don't disrespect I would ask a question." 

"Ask," Lachesis said as she stared where Claire had left. 

"What is inside the Kuskokwim Mountains?"

"Demeter return to Olympus." Demeter had no choice in the matter walked out with Pirithous, he looked at the Moirae who were waiting to feel Demeter enter Olympus. "She's there." 

Clotho sighed deeply, "The Titans are in the Kuskokwim Mountains, and we put them there after they almost escaped from Zeus' carelessness." 

Hades sighed; he remembered the day that his little brother's cage for the Titans had been demolished due to his 'distraction'. His little brother had always been quite the whore, but that time it almost cost the entire modern planet. It had only happened once but it almost destroyed the earth. 

"May I ask why Shelly fainted," Hades asked holding his breath, hoping that he was wrong. 

"She is an oracle, but she is also half Titan." 

Hades breath escaped his body; he looked at his Moirae in disbelief. "Why was she not disposed of?"

Lachesis looked at him with tearful eyes, "She is of our blood, and even though we knew the consequences of our actions we did it for the greater good." 

"My Moirae, she could unlock the Titans, she herself could turn evil and destroy the world. That girl is more powerful than Zeus himself." 

Atropos laid her hand on Hades' shoulder, "She is not as powerful as you Hades." 

Hades looked at her hand then raised his gaze to her lovely face. She was right, he was born first making him the most powerful of all his brothers and sisters. The fact that he was powerful didn't mean that he was going to do anything and the Moirae knew that. He could've taken over Olympus, and killed Zeus. He would never do that due to the fact that no matter how many times his brother pissed him off Zeus was still his brother who had saved him when their father had devoured him along with Poseidon, Hera, and Demeter.

He hated using his full power, it scared him. The last time he used his full power was when Persephone died, and he almost destroyed all of Olympus. The Moirae of course covered for him, they knew how powerful he was yet they also knew that if any of the Gods found out they would try to kill Hades if they discovered that Hades was more powerful then all of them. 

"I can't do what you ask of me," He said sadly. 

"If she turns you must kill her, "Lachesis answered sadly. 

"She has grown to love Hypnos, can't that save her?"

"This isn't a Disney movie, Hades, love doesn't save us. How can love take the Gods seriously if we do not take love seriously?" 

Hades rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb; he didn't want anything to do with this crazy revelation. "If it was up to me I'd take Claire, impregnate her, and live quietly in the Underworld." 

"We don't get what we always want Hades, besides Claire wouldn't like the fact that you could do something to help her friend, but you chose not to." 

"I doubt she would like the fact that the only way I could save her friend is through her death." 

"You could train her; teach her how to handle her powers." 

Hades looked at Clotho as if she had lost her mind, "I refuse to have an unstable half-breed Titan in my domain." 

"What else are we to do Hades? If they hadn't gone to Kuskokwim Mountain then this all would've been avoided, but the fact that she fainted and was scared afterward just told us that they contacted her. They know she is the key to their freedom, and we can't let that happen," Atropos explained. She lowered her hand, pulling it in front of him and showed him the Titans; they were confined in individual cages that were made by Hephaestus himself. He watched his father standing inside his cage barely able to move, that image brought back undesirable memories of his father devouring them.

"I can't. I may be physically stronger than the Titans, but mentally I can't do it." 

"Then you must claim your Persephone and gain your mental strength."

****

Claire walked around talking to different groups spread around Hector's house. They all constantly asked her about the house, to which she just smiled and responded that a friend of hers let her use the space. She knew that Hector should've been out and mingling to get a sense of who she invited over, but for some reason she liked the feel of walking around his house and feeling as if they were dating. After she told the fourth person that a friend who was kind enough to let her use their house she decided to take a look at the backyard. Once outside she realized how many acres Hector had so she decided to stay on the porch. 

She hated to admit it, but she did feel something for Hector, she knew that it was because of the way he looked at her. When he looked at her, it was if the whole world just vanished for him and the only people left on this earth were the both of them. 

"Hey," a deep voice said, causing Claire to jump. "Are you okay?"

Still frightened she turned and saw that the cause was indeed Hector, "Yes, you just scared me is all." She chuckled, grasping her chest. 

Looking into his concerned face, she smiled lightly to reassure him, "I didn't know that you knew Shelly's cousins." 

"I didn't know that they were related," Hector answered honestly. 

"Oh, well," She answered not knowing what to say, so she decided to change the subject. "How do you like the party?"

"Well, I'm not much of a party person but it seems descent." 

"Yea, we have a lot of cool friends who won't steal anything." 

Hector laughed, "Claire what's going on? You always ramble when something is wrong." 

"I do not. I just have nothing to say." 

Hector again laughed, "Do I make you nervous? Or is it the fact that you do want to tell me something but not in front of the nearly one hundred people that are surrounding us."

Claire bit her lip in uncertainty; the fact that Hector had figured out her tell just proved how interested he was, and that he had been paying attention to every detail. "I have nothing to say seriously. I just have this feeling that things are going to hit the fan pretty soon and I almost feel helpless."

****

Hades held his breath; he couldn't believe that Claire had just said that. He knew that Persephone had an insight that both of them had to hide from their family, but he was beginning to believe that Claire had more insight than she realized; it also explained her lack of sleep. He watched Claire look out of the sliding glass door, into the night sky. 

"Why do you keep fighting it?" He wondered not realizing that he had spoken out loud. 

The statement caused Claire to whip her head towards him and glare in disbelief. Hades sighed realizing that the more he opened his mouth the more she'd fight him. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." She glared at Hades for a few more minutes, and then turned her head back toward the glass window to resume staring into the night. 

Hades also turned to see what had caught her interest. He gazed up into the star filled sky. In that moment he realized that even though he was a God he never took interest in the night sky. He looked back at Claire who was still looking into the sky. As quietly as possible he walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist while resting his hands on her wide hips. He noticed that she flinched when he made contact. Once she relaxed he rested his head on her shoulder scanning his backyard making sure that there was no possible danger. 

When he scanned every inch, making sure that there was no danger to Claire he closed his eyes and just listened to Claire's breathing. A shiver ran through her body; Hades immediately knew what that meant. "Come on, you need to get inside." 

He watched her expression, knowing she was about to argue with him. She surprised him when she smiled slightly and walked inside. As soon as she walked into the living room people started to surround her asking who owned the place. Hades walked up behind her and put his arm around her tiny waist. 

"Hector," she said after she felt his hand connect with her body. "He is the owner of this house and was so generous enough to let Stephanie and I use the house for the surprise party." 

Hades saw the lust flare in her female friends' eyes. He knew that he was indeed handsome but he also knew the more attention her friends gave him the more difficult winning Claire was going to be. 

****

Claire saw the lust that flared into each of her friend's eyes, when Hector had been introduced. "Well if you will excuse me ladies, I have to go check up on some things." 

Claire watched as her friends paid no attention to her once she left the group and entered the kitchen. She stood over the sink trying to collect her thoughts; she knew that she wanted to be with Hector but since he was quite the handsome catch, she also knew that it was only a matter of time before one of her attractive friends tried to 'conquer' him. 

Wanting to keep herself busy she wiped her eyes in order to get rid of the evidence of tearing eyes, she took a deep breath and wiped her hands down on her hips trying to recollect herself. When she turned she gasped, she had not realized that Hector was in the kitchen with her. 

"Oh! You scared me; you know I really think that you should start wearing a bell." She said while trying to lift the mood, but noticed soon enough that Hector was not smiling not one inch. 

"Why did you leave me out there with all those Gold-diggers?" Hades asked her without showing much emotion.

"Nothing much just refilling the punch bowel, I noticed that it was a little low before coming in here." She informed him without looking toward him; instead she grabbed the glass bowel next to her and walked over to retrieve the punch from the refrigerator. While continuing her duties, she felt Hector's eyes follow her every move. Without speaking she filled up the glass bowel, and then walked past Hector without acknowledging him. In the living room an aura of liveliness filled her senses while she walked to the now empty punch bowel. She looked at the bowel sighing heavily; she placed the empty bowel onto the side of the table, and then gently placed the filled glass bowel on the white cloth that lay underneath. Claire, in deep thought, did not notice the approach of Stephanie. 




Hades Ch. 09



"What's wrong?" 

Claire slightly jumped, "Nothing, I'm fine. Just filling up the punch bowel, I noticed it was running a bit low." She said as she slightly smiled without reason. 

"There is more that's bothering you," Stephanie claimed. 

She grabbed the glass bowel, not looking at Stephanie. "It's nothing." She paused. "I'm fine." 

She turned to leave, but was unable to due to Stephanie grabbing her arm in order to get to the truth. "That's a lie." 

"It's fine, Steph. Why must you constantly ask answered questions?" 

"Why must you lie to all my questions?"

Claire retrieved her arm from Stephanie's grasp, "I'm fine." 

With that she walked around Stephanie, walking into the kitchen to find Hector leaning against the kitchen counter. 

"I thought you left," she said as she walked over to the sink. 

"No, I wanted to see if you were okay." 

Claire, angry at people's unwillingness to let her be, slammed the glass bowel in the sink causing it to shatter, "I'M FINE! What is it with everyone asking if I'm okay?! Don't people listen to me when I answer their questions truthfully?!" She screamed at Hector, who continued to lean comfortably against the kitchen counter. 

Looking at the broken glass that surrounded the kitchen sink, tears began to form then fall upon her cheeks. Soul crushing sobs started to form, she covered her mouth with both hands as her vision began to blur. 

****

Don't forget to comment & rate. 

Special Thanks to my previous editor The Goddess for her hard work in editing chapter 9. 



Hades



Jake took the stairs two at a time. He didn't even bother knocking on Storm's door. He flung it open. With feline grace, Storm got up from the bed and walked over to him. Jake embraced her. 

"I love you Jake Morgan," she said. She kissed him, her lips melting into his. He tasted better than she could ever have imagined. "I love you," she whispered over and over as she rained kisses all over his face. 

"I love you too Storm Whitley," Jake said.

Storm inhaled his citrus scent. It felt so good to be so close to him. Her hands itched to unzip his pants and glory in the texture of his short pubic hair. Jake's eyes burned into her soul. The time for them to be together had come.

She clung to him. Her body came alive in his arms. His head descended slowly and she welcomed his sweet mouth. She kissed him until she feared that she would not be able to stop. Their soft lips glided over each other. Storm felt hers melting, fusing with Jake's in a passionate symbiosis. She closed her eyes as new, intense sensations flickered inside her. Jake was tender, never pushy, just allowing their lips to make love.

His soft breath flowed into Storm's body giving her strength. She opened her mouth and ran the tip of her tongue across Jake's lips. He opened his mouth and invited the curious tongue inside. The instant that their tongues touched the flickers of desire erupted into an inferno. Their wet mouths opened wider, their tongues sucked hungrily. Oh God, how could a man's mouth be this soft or taste this good, Storm wondered. She buried her hands in Jake's hair bringing him closer as their kisses turned ravenous. Jake grounded his hips against Storm, pressing her up against the wall. Her hands traveled to his hips, grabbing and lifting, deepening their contact even more.

Storm's mouth traveled to Jake's neck. She bit and licked her way down to his chest. Jake pulled his shirt over his head. Storm bit into a dark nipple a little too eagerly. But Jake only smiled at her rough play. Expertly he took a nipple into his mouth. He tasted the pink peak with the tip of his tongue. He knelt down and began kissing Storm's feet. He worked his way up to slim calves and smooth thighs that tasted like heaven. The odor from Storm's pussy was strong, earthy.

Umm the scent of a woman. It lulled him deeper into the matted soft black jungle perfumed with baby oil. He burrowed deep into its sweetness, seeking and finding the slippery, creamy nectar of love. His tongue left a wet trail down the length of Storm's spine. His hands cupped the gentle curves of her ass. Slowly he pushed Storm's body down until her head touched the floor in prayer like beauty. Reverently Jake opened the folds of Storm's ass. Her pink puckered hole twitched as if in anticipation of the tongue lashing that it was about to receive. Bending low Jake ran his tongue up her crack. Storm's warmth flowed over his tongue, invading his senses.

Storm moaned, her head wobbling on the floor as she tried to keep herself from spinning out of control too quickly. But it was the sweetest torture. That wicked tongue just barely skimming her hungry pussy before moving upwards. Her hands moved to her pussy. It devoured her fingers and begged for more. Hearing their desperate cries Jake's tongue finally descended. Storm removed her fingers and Jake's tongue found its way into her pussy.

He sucked warm pussy juices before taking Storm's entire clit into his mouth. Her screams were loud and primitive. She bucked into Jake's face. When she was about to explode Jake pulled away. Gently he inserted three fingers into Storm's dripping cunt. He massaged her back urging her to relax even more as he slipped the fourth finger inside. He waited until Storm opened a little bit more then slipped his thumb inside.

Storm rode those fingers, her hips frantic as she strained for release. Time and place ceased to exist. Her body shook violently as passion and release consumed her. Jake held her in his arms as her body danced the dance of love. It seemed to take forever before she finally went still. He allowed her only a few minutes to catch her breath. Then he pushed her down gently and slipped easily between her thighs, his tongue finding her clit. Storm raised her legs up to her chest, opening herself up to the probing tongue and fingers that had found their way into her pussy.

Jake ate her ravenously. His fingers found Storm's g-spot and he began a vigorous rubbing. Above him, Storm played with her breasts. She kneaded the firm flesh harder and faster as her body began spinning out of control. Jake could not resist their beauty. He cupped them delicately in his hands. He ran the pads of his thumbs over the hardened nipples. Then he pulled on them gently. Storm loved to have her nipples pulled. She moaned loudly as her body reacted to the sexual tension. She spread her thighs wider and Jake gazed down with amazement at the pink tipped beautiful pussy lips surrounded by a mesh of soft, black curls.

He took each swollen inner labia and pulled them apart stretching Storm's thick womanly juices like melted cheese. He slid a finger over her engorged clit, up and down while Storm pulled on her nipples.

She sat up and began kissing Jake's chest. She could feel his nervous heart under her lips. She gazed down at his impressive cock. It hung full and throbbing in the light. It took her breath away. It was like a Trojan horse, bigger and more spectacular than anything she could have ever imagined.

She opened her legs wider to him and his eyes darkened with hunger. Slowly she began to touch herself and he followed suite and began stroking the bulbous head of his cock. Raw desire swirled through his stomach. His hands moved down to his veined shaft and he began pumping slowly and steadily.

Storm buried her fingers deep inside her pussy as she watched him make love to himself. She wanted so badly to taste that purple veined cock, to feel it throbbing inside her, possessing her as his own.

"God I've wanted you for so long," she told him. She removed her hands from her pussy. Her fingers were slippery and trembling. She crawled between Jake's thighs.

She grabbed his cock and his pre-cum dribbled all over her hand. She opened her mouth slightly and began teasing him with her dripping tongue, beginning at the bottom and slowly making her way upwards. She bit into his flesh gently causing his hips to rise up off the floor in delight.

She continued her long, wet licks over the head. Her mouth lingered at the hole. She stuck her tongue into it making Jake cry out in raw, animal pleasure. She made sweet love to the cock until neither of them could stand it anymore. Jake lifted her onto his lap, fully imbedding his cock deep inside her pussy in one smooth motion. Storm cried out as his hardness filled her completely. She rode him frantically. Jake stared at her beautiful chest as she bounced up and down in front of him. He watched her come, her head thrown back in ecstasy. 

She dug her nails into his chest. The pain accentuated his release. He exploded inside her. She collapsed on top of him. Jake held her until the cold began to seep into his bones. Then he gathered her in his arms and carried her to the bed.