Page 9 of Summer's Seduction
“Then, spit it out already,” Larkspur practically growled, her voice reverberating with the faint echo of persuasion. “Why are you here?”
Hermes’s brown eyes flashed with violence as her head snapped toward Larkspur. Her features seemed to shift, the darkness of her eyes lightening and changing into a bright hazel, the undertones of her hair growing more vibrant, warping into a bluish-black. That was one reason Hermes was so skilled at collecting information: she could alter her appearance. Nothing extreme, but the subtle changes made all the difference when one was thieving or spying.
Larkspur’s spine stiffened as Hermes cocked her head to the side, the mannerism akin to a hawk. Hermes was sizing Larkspur up as if seeing a hare among the mice and debating if it were clever enough to avoid her talons. Hermes’s dusty-red lips split into an unnerving smile that had me standing straighter, but my little monster only lifted her chin.
“You must be the blood witch. The one who nearly caused Lady Persephone’s death and, in turn, the downfall of the realms.”
“Lark saved me,” Persephone protested, but Hades was determinately silent. “She’s already opened her mind to Hecate and proven her innocence. If your only goal is to condemn her for a crime she’s cleared of, then you may go.”
Hermes glanced between them, the blaze of indignation in her swirling gaze easing into disbelief. I knew what she scented, what everyone in this cursed grove did: Two witches, onesmelling like a dark one who’d recently fed on a cheap meal. A bloodwhore. A freak. And the other was the Queen of The Underworld. It made my blood boil.
The messenger for the gods looked upon them and laughed. The harsh sound was more alarming than any threat she could’ve issued. Judging by the way Hades gathered shadows around himself and how Hecate’s palms flared with primed magic, it was clear I wasn’t the only one who was preparing for a fight.
After a moment, Hermes straightened, her eyes now a cold, pitch black. “Such surprising company you keep, Lord Hades. Zeus looks forward to meeting the witches. I do hope Father finds them just as entertaining as I have.”
Persephone and Lark shared a glance as Hermes turned, both having realized they’d unintentionally entered a game neither wanted to be part of.
Light shimmered above Hermes as her fingers whirled. She withdrew a slim, silver staff with a pair of snakes coiling up it. They were arched toward each other with a great pair of wings extending from the silver ball at the center: The Caduceus.
Lifting her chin toward the condensing clouds, Hermes closed her eyes as her staff started to glow. The air pricked with electricity, raising the fine hairs along Larkspur’s arms. A chill raced down her spine, causing her to shiver as my own fists clenched at the threatening display of power. Lord Hades appeared just as tense as I was, his posture rigid as Hermes turned to face him.
“Zeus is arriving shortly Uncle, and he’s eager for answers.”
MORPHEUS
Ineeded a fucking drink. The moment Hermes left, Hades and his shadows transported us out of the pomegranate grove and into The Dark Palace. Since then, there had been a constant chorus of Hecate, Hades, and Persephone chattering with the staff about how to prepare for Zeus’s arrival. Larkspur had tried to flee in the chaos of planning, and she might have made it had it not been for Hecate.
“Sorry, Larkspur,” she said as a net of light flashed across the grand doors of the ballroom. “You heard Hermes. You and Lady Persephone are expected tonight.”
“And why the fuck would I stay here, waiting for an entitled asshole to judge me?”
Hecate raised a dark brow, allowing the silence to stretch under her glare.
“I’m sorry,” Larkspur breathed, the expression across her face looking almost like regret. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, Goddess Hecate. But is it really necessary to wait? This war doesn’t involve me, and my sister?—”
“Yes, little monster,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “Everyone is aware you’re eager to find your sister, but when The God of Gods requests a meeting, all must obey. Isn’t that right, Lord Hades?”
The temperature dropped as Hades’s shadows thickened. My lips twitched when his icy gaze met mine from across the room. It was almost too easy to elicit a reaction from him now that Lady Persephone had restored his emotions, but I was pleased to see The Goddess of Spring was just as angry. I was nothing, if not talented, at infuriating people. But there was always a reason.
“My brother is not my god,” Hades nearly growled.
“No?” I poked, pushing off the spot on the wall. Taking leisurely steps, I circled the ballroom as servants rushed to decorate the black walls and obsidian-marbled floors with flowers and precious gems. Garlands of diamonds were being strung in the image of clouds with citrine stones crafted in jagged lighting bolts beneath. “He sends your niece down, and with one swipe of her blessed dagger, you’re on your knees for him.”
“Morpheus, stop.” Hecate stepped in front of me as the temperature grew colder.
Ice pricked along my cheeks, biting at the exposed skin. Several servants gasped, glass and basins clattering to the floor as they fought to ward off the bitter cold. Persephone tugged on his arm while Hecate muttered something about me being an asshole, but we held each other’s gazes in a silent challenge.
Enjoying how easily the pieces were falling into place to stoke the embers of disquiet between the holy brothers, I smirked, letting all that arrogance and delight show with the tips of my gleaming fangs.
The precarious thread of control Hades had been clutching to snapped. Dark tendrils of shadows lashed out at the decor, breaking strings that had so delicately been woven and adjusting them until they were stretched across the ceiling, reminiscent of the night sky. Hades had arranged the citrine stones in groups around the edges of the diamond-clustered stars to resemble patches of dandelions.
“Please have the table set and dinner arranged,” Hades said, tearing his eyes away from mine to focus on the servants nearest him before sweeping through the double doors with Persephone on his arm. The shivering servants nodded, the bolder ones shooting me glares as they hurried to complete their tasks.
Such loyalty was rare. I was glad that Lord Hades was generally kind to his staff despite his heart having only been recently thawed. That would serve The Underworld well. It had been nearly a decade since Hades had ventured into The Darklands of The North for anything other than submerging a wraith across The Lethe.
With death magic consuming pieces of our realm and my lovely father itching for a chance to send Hades’s essence back to the void, it was no wonder The Lord of The Underworld had grown neglectful of my people. Persephone was the shield that stayed the hands of war, having come just in the nick of time to disrupt my father’s plans.
But Hades needed to remember who he was. Death magic no longer tore his realm apart, and his powers were no longer focused on preserving The Underworld. He needed to command just as much respect as Zeus did, more so if the balance of power was tipped in his direction.