truly filled his realm with light, then there was a chance for us. A real chance.
'I love you. I love you so much. Look what you've done to this place,' he said, gripping my shoulders and turning me around slowly.
We were standing in a glade, willow trees waving softly in a gentle breeze. Birds tweeted somewhere in the distance, and butterflies flitted between meadow flowers dotting the lush grass.
'Is the whole surface like this?' I asked, breathless. I wasn't sure how much I'd done.
Hades pulled my back close against his chest, wrapping his huge arms around me, and flashed. We hovered, high above the surface, where I'd been with Buddy just moments before. There wasn't a dusty, barren bit of rock anywhere. Streams meandered across the landscape, trees of every type and stature, flowers of every color and species filling the space. I could see a huge forest in the distance, and beyond that a green-covered valley, waterfalls cascading down one side.
Hades flashed again, and we were back in the glade. I spun in his arms, looking up into his eyes.
'This is still part of Virgo, so can you live here?' Hades raised his eyebrows at me, then closed his eyes. I felt his power rolling over me.
'We are far from the dark, where my power is most needed, but... you are right, this is still Virgo. It is still my realm.' Excitement lit up his stunning eyes as he opened them, and hope made my chest swell to the point it ached. 'Yes. Yes, I think I can.'
'We can live up here half of the time! We will get respite from the darkness, but you will still be in control of the Underworld!' Elation made my words fast, my voice high-pitched. We could be together. We would be safe, together, light and dark as one.
He pushed his hand into my hair, stroking his thumb down my jaw.
'Persephone, you... You complete me. You make me strong. You make me whole. You saved us.' Happiness gripped me, and I felt a lump in my throat as I stared back at him. 'I love you,' he said, his voice the softest, most sensual thing I'd ever heard.
'In that case,' I whispered, letting the happy tears come as I stood on tiptoes to kiss him, 'it's a damned good thing that I'm your new Queen.'
Thirty
Persephone
As I realized what my words meant though, panic swelled through me. The Trial... Morpheus!
'Sam and Hecate! Hedone has them hostage! We have to stop Morpheus!'
We may have survived, and Cronos may still be trapped in Tartarus, but this wasn't over yet. Guilt swamped me as the emotion and power crashing through my brain started to clear, and the full impact of everything I'd learned in the last hour began to filter through. The volcano. Zeus. My brother and Hecate.
Hades’ face darkened, and the world flashed around us.
I gaped at the scene before me in the judgment hall, my power-addled body and brain simply not keeping up.
'Persy!' My brother charged toward me, lifting me off my feet as he reached me. 'Thank god you're OK.' I squeezed him back as I stared over his shoulder.
Tied up with chains made from some sort of glowing metal, were Morpheus and Hedone, and they were both sitting on Minthe's red chariot. Kerato and two other guards had spears pointed at them and Morpheus bared his teeth at me.
Minthe and Sanape were standing nearby, and were both covered in blood. The spirit who had been driving their chariot appeared to be tending their wounds.
'What happened?' I breathed, as Sam let me go. 'Where’s Hecate?'
'I'm here,' she said from behind us, and I whirled, relieved to see that she looked fine as she strode forward. 'I'm sorry, boss. She knocked me out.' Her eyes dipped to the floor as she reached Hades.
'They managed to manacle me, so I'd be a hypocrite to reprimand you,' Hades said, an edge of steel to his tone.
'They manacled you?' Hecate gasped. 'Zeus is a fucking asshole, I swear if he ever-'
'Who detained Morpheus?' Hades said, cutting her off.
'Minthe,' answered my brother. 'It was pretty amazing actually.'
'Yeah, we owe her,' said Hecate. 'Ask her yourself, we were both out of it, so she can tell you best.'
'Minthe?' called Hades, and the mountain nymph looked over at us, wincing. I glanced quickly at Hades, then hurried over to her, my gold vines snaking from my palms before I reached her.
'Let me help you,' I said, expecting an argument. But she