same. If Cerberus could have followed her to the end of the earth, he would have. At least he knew the guard dog would protect his wife with his life.
He patted Cerberus one last time before striding over to Kore’s side. Hades used the corner of his own chiton to wipe slobber off her cheek. “Ours, then. I don’t think he’ll mind being shared.”
“I think he’ll like it.” She leaned around him to look at the dog. “Does he always have to guard the gate?”
“Yes, why?”
“I just wondered if he’d like to visit the castle sometime.” She pursed her lips. “I’m still uncomfortable hearing some sounds at night. I might be less nervous if I had a guard dog to investigate for me.”
There it was. His heart cracked open and all the love he could muster spilled out onto the floor. Hades knew his voice was choked when he replied, “Yes, well. That would be all right. I can find someone else to look after the gates when you’re resting. I’m sure he would love that.”
She grinned, and he watched a dozen baby’s breath flowers bloom in the shining locks of her hair. “Oh, really? I didn’t think you’d say yes.”
He wanted to shout that he could deny her nothing. If she wanted to rip the Underworld open and let the sunlight spill in, then he would fight the rest of the Olympians for eternity to make that happen for her. He would unravel the very fibers of the world if she so craved.
He took a deep breath. “Whatever will make you more comfortable here, goddess. Anything you desire, I will provide.”
Maybe it was hope that made him see a spark of fire in her eyes. More than heat. It was want. Need. An aching burn that was mirrored in his own chest when he looked at her.
Hades knew the thought was foolish. She didn’t look at him as anything other than a god who had stolen her away from her family without her permission. Perhaps she might come to see him as a friend.
This dark place was too terrifying for her to love him. Or at least, it would take centuries for her to finally give in to their feelings. He’d known that when he had stolen her away. No one wanted to live in the Underworld, even if they thought they might want to.
But when she reached up and placed a hand on his jaw, he knew he wasn’t mistaking the fire in her eyes. “You’re too kind, my king,” she whispered. “Thank you. Now, why don’t we go through the gates to the afterlife?”
“As you wish,” he murmured, leaning down until he could feel her breath ghosting across his lips.
“Wonderful!” she chirped. Then she spun out of his arms and darted through the gates like that wasn’t a dangerous thing to do.
He blinked a few times, staring down into his suddenly empty arms. He glanced at Cerberus, then back to the space she had just inhabited. “What just happened?” he asked the dog.
Cerberus appeared to shrug before taking off into the afterlife as well. At least the dog knew he had to watch over the queen. Hades was still standing frozen like an idiot.
Shaking himself out of the stupor, he raced after the other two. The last thing he needed was for her to run right into the arms of some hero that would steal her heart away with the charms only a mortal had.
Walking through the gates always felt like he was trudging through some invisible barrier. The magic of this place clung to his shoulders, trying to toss him back since he was still living. It didn’t want him here when this was a place for the dead.
Hades always convinced it to let him through just because he was the King of the Underworld. How had Kore gotten through with no issues at all?
The magic flung him out into the realms of the dead, and sunlight blasted his face. Throwing up an arm, he covered his eyes until they adjusted to the blinding light. He was still squinting when he finally searched for Kore.
She wasn’t hard to find. She was the only person standing in the middle of the wheat fields. They had overgrown since the last time he’d been here. The waving gold reached up to her elbows and nearly swallowed her whole.
Wading through them, he stood by her side and watched the emotions flicker across her face.