Hades helped her find a rhythm that suited them both, and together, they reached for nirvana. He remained slow, steady, measured. He had thousands of years to learn a woman’s body, and each one had been preparing him for this moment. To ensure she enjoyed herself.
Then Kore flexed around him. Her legs caught his hips in a vise and she tilted her head back. Eyes wide in shock, she stared at him like he really was Lord of the Underworld. Like this was the first time she’d ever seen him as such.
Grinning, Hades plunged into her harder. Deeper. Letting her ride the waves of her own orgasm while he sought his own. Only then did he allow himself to find his own release.
Hades slumped onto the bed beside her, yanking the covers up and over them both. He tucked in the edges before holding her close to his heart. She settled, pressing her cheek against his heartbeat.
“You know,” he said, his voice a dark whisper. “You aren’t a maiden anymore.”
“No, I suppose I’m not,” she replied with a chuckle. “I think you thoroughly took care of that.”
“I don’t know if I can call you Kore anymore.” Hades ran his hands up and down her arms, soothing the goosebumps that had popped up. “It would be like we were calling you a lie.”
“My name's meaning has nothing to do with my status as a maiden.” Kore paused, then added, “Well, I suppose it does. What would you suggest?”
He thought about it long and hard. There were many names that would suit her stature as a queen, but few that also would allow people to know the true power she held within her.
Finally, he settled on the only name that would work. The only name that resonated with truth within him.
“Persephone,” he said.
“I’ve never heard it before.” She tapped her chin while she thought about it. Finally, Kore asked, “What does it mean?”
Hades’ face heated, and he was happy the lights were dim so she couldn’t see how red his face was. “Bringer of Death.”
He wondered if she would think that was ridiculous. She was, after all, the daughter of a harvest goddess. But the name had come to him as surely as the design for the Underworld.
Bringer of Death might not be the most accurate name, but it would ensure the humans feared her. And in the end, it was the truth. She might not be the goddess collecting their souls, bringing about their death, or even harming them. But she was Queen of the Underworld, and she had a part in the play.
“I like it,” she said. “I like it a lot.”
“Persephone,” he repeated. The word seemed to bloom in the darkness surrounding them. “My queen.”
Chapter 29
Persephone, she thought. The name suited.
It was still taking her some time to get used to it, of course. She’d been known as Kore for most of her life, and that could only mean it would take some time.
But everyone in the Underworld called her Persephone now, and that was quite nice.
Queen Persephone.
Bringer of Death.
She could really get used to people calling her it.
Persephone walked through the Elysian Fields, speaking to all the heroes she could find. After she’d met Heracles, she was interested in knowing more about the mortals connected to Mount Olympus.
What were their lives like? What great deeds had they done?
What horrible deeds had they done?
Most of them had tried to be honorable in their lives. They wanted to be good men with a history that would be talked about for ages to come. Others were led astray by the gods.
The more Persephone looked into their lives, the more she realized how horrible the Olympians were. They messed with the lives of mortals like they were dolls to play with. Forcing one to fall in love with another who would never love them back. Sending a nymph to be raped and then cursing her with hair made of snakes. Over and over, the stories the heroes told weaved together into a horrible tapestry of pain.
Persephone didn’t know how much more she could hear. What other stories would these people tell her that made her heart rip apart at the seams?
She ran her fingers over the fluffy tips of the wheat fields. She let the sun play on her face to soothe the ache in her chest. But none of that would ever satisfy her need to fix things. Not when she knew how