with imposing dark-wood furniture and soft black fabric. But as I looked up, I gave a little gasp of surprise. Instead of the starry rock ceiling in my own rooms, his was glowing with golden vines.
'So I always think of you, last thing at night and first thing in the morning,' he said, laying down beside me.
'How did I spend so many years not even knowing you existed?' I murmured, stroking my fingers down his stubbled jaw.
'I'm sorry,' he said.
'You need to stop saying that. I've forgiven you.' And it was true. I still hated a hundred or more things about Olympus, but I knew that whatever Hades had done, he had done it for me.
'I promise I will never leave you again,' he said, raw intensity making his voice thick.
'Good,' I said, and happiness blossomed in my chest. 'Now, I believe you said something about worshiping me?'
'You wish is my command, my Queen,' he said, the wicked gleam back in his eyes.
He rolled on top of me quickly, the feel of his hot skin making mine burst to life with tingles. I stared up at his beautiful, godly body and he licked his lips slowly. I squirmed.
'I recall you telling me you would make me forget my own name,' I ventured, my breath half held.
'So I did,' he answered, and lowered his head. He took my nipple in his mouth, nibbling and sucking, and I arched into him, instantly ready for him again. He kissed his way down my stomach, trails of heated sensation burning in his wake. When he reached the apex of my thighs he slowed, his tongue teasing me, as he kissed and nipped the tops of my thighs, coming dangerously close but never quite there.
'Please,' I panted, and his beautiful eyes flashed, before his tongue finally settled right between my legs. 'Oh good gods,' I moaned as I sank back, pleasure consuming me.
He was right. A few minutes later, I couldn't have told anyone my name if my life had depended on it.
Five
Persephone
We made love over and over, neither one of us able to get enough of the other. Every time the uncomfortable thought of Tartarus or the Trials entered my head, I kissed him instead of voicing my fears, and he kissed me back like there was nothing in the world more important. He made me feel incredible. He made me feel like I was worth a thousand times what I had spent most of my life believing I was. He made me feel like a queen.
And I was discovering that the advantages of being with a god went further than mind-blowing sex. Whenever we were hungry or thirsty, he snapped his fingers and whatever we wanted appeared out of nowhere. From coffee to cake, if I craved it, he made it happen.
'You know, we're going to have to face the other gods soon,' I said as I lifted a cup of deliciously hot coffee to my lips.
'They can go fuck themselves,' answered Hades, his eyes flashing dangerously. 'You're staying.'
'Then you'll have to try to be diplomatic about it. Will they make the rest of the Trials harder for me?'
'Probably, yes. But you must win them.'
'What if I don't?' I didn't want to ask the question, but I had to. 'What if I lose? Will I be sent back?'
'I don't know, but I would be forced to marry Minthe.' Rage instantly flared inside me, and I felt the black vines pushing at my palms.
'Not a chance,' I hissed.
'Then you must win.' He leaned over and took my hand, and I forced myself to keep my eyes on his, instead of flicking down his delectable naked body.
'Right. No pressure then,' I said. A thought occurred to me abruptly. 'I was never judged after the last Trial.'
'No. That will have to be rectified.' He let out a long breath, and squeezed his fingers around mine. 'Persephone, you must be careful. We still do not know who is behind these macabre gifts you've been getting, or how you ended up in Tartarus. Zeus swears he had meant to send you to his own realm, and I believe him. Even he is not so stupid to play games with stakes that high.'
'You're going to lock me in my room for the rest of the Trials, aren't you?' I said, with a sad smile.
'No. I'm going to lock you in mine,' he grinned back at me.
'Well, that doesn't sound so bad.' I set my coffee down on the bedside