was a foolish thing to even consider. She would have seen her in the Underworld... Or at the very least, she would have heard about the beautiful nymph dying.
But when she looked at Artemis’s face, she knew it was true. Sorrow turned the huntress’s usually fierce expression into something hopeless and lost.
“How?” Persephone asked.
“Athena.” Artemis glared at the other goddess who walked through the crowd as though nothing had happened at all. “They were in a duel, showcasing their prowess. Athena says it was an accident, but I don’t know how true that is. She always was jealous that Pallas could fight better than her. She’s never actually liked the nymph.”
“They were sisters,” she whispered. Athena was brutal, that much was true. And the goddess was more likely to kill someone than to allow them to leave her sight. But that didn’t mean she would kill her own family.
“That’s what everyone says.” Artemis tossed the goblet over her shoulder and reached for another. “Do you believe it?”
She believed nothing about the Olympians anymore. Not after her first experience here and seeing what the Underworld was like.
Mount Olympus could be something glorious. Zeus could have turned this into a haven for mortals so they could actually find solace. They could climb the mountain to speak directly to the gods who should listen with benevolence and kindness.
Instead, all these gods shirked their responsibilities. They cared little for the mortals, and if they did, it was merely for their own entertainment.
Sighing, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think she cares if they’re sisters at all.”
“Welcome back to Olympus then, Your Highness.” Artemis toasted her with the nectar and staggered away. “You’re just as cursed as the rest of us.”
She supposed she was.
Persephone remained where she was, standing at the edge of the crowd and hoping she would catch a glimpse of dark fabric. Everyone here was dressed with white or gold. Opulent. Blindingly beautiful.
All she desired was a single glance of someone dark.
Unsurprisingly, the next god found her quickly. Perhaps they were waiting in line to speak with the new Queen of the Underworld, although this was not a god she would have guessed.
Zeus himself walked up to her side and looked her up and down. “So you’re the one all the fuss has been about. Do you know how much work you’ve made for me?”
“Father,” she replied with a snarl.
Once again, he surveyed her body. The lecherous smile on his face made her shiver in fear. “That’s a shame that you’re my child. Pretty thing, aren’t you?”
“What do you want, Zeus?”
“I just wanted to meet the woman all this fuss is about.” He straightened a little more, puffing out his chest and making a complete fool of himself. Was he trying to impress her? After all that he’d done, he was obviously forgetting who she was.
Or maybe he just didn’t care. She couldn’t be surprised if Zeus wanted to cross the line of what was acceptable to a normal person. He regularly took the form of an animal to create his children. Would a daughter he previously fathered be too far for him?
Likely not.
She set her nectar down on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. “Where is Hades?”
“Who?” He frowned at her before realizing why she asked the question. Zeus rolled his eyes. “Still thinking about that husband of yours, huh? Listen here. He’s not invited to dinners like this. Spoils the mood.”
“Apparently so do I then.” She glared at him, anger sparking in her gaze and power gathering in her fists. “What a shame for you. I understand that people from the Underworld remind you of your own immortality, but Zeus, even gods can be killed.”
He let out a snort. “Oh little goddess, you obviously haven’t been around that long. A god cannot be killed.”
A hand slid around her midsection. She tensed for a brief moment before she felt the heat coming off the palm. Calluses clung to the fine fabric of her peplos, sticking to the embroidery of the stars and pulling at them just a bit. There was only one god she knew who had callouses like that.
Pleasure bloomed through her skin, spreading until she could hardly think straight. Swallowing hard, she tilted her head back until it rested against his collarbone.
Hades' voice shook with power and barely leashed rage. “A century for a century, immortality for immortality. Strip a god’s soul with a galaxy of power beneath the murderer’s fingertips. A god for a