The Passion of Hades - Eliza Raine Page 0,28

had more power, maybe you wouldn't have broken them. Or you'd be able to heal them faster if you had.'

'Let's not talk about this just now,' I said, noticing that the girl who had been talking to me was raising one eyebrow quizzically. 'Sorry,' I smiled at her. 'Just got to sort out my dog. It was nice to meet you.'

Skop followed me as I moved away from her, scanning the crowd for Hecate. I spotted her talking to Hedone and Morpheus. 'Where've you been anyway?' I asked Skop.

'Oh, erm, the water nymphs in the pool don't have any clothes on. I got a bit distracted.'

'Right. You were so glad to see me alive that you only ogled some naked women for half an hour before coming to talk to me.'

'Exactly. That's a pretty big deal. Half an hour of breasts is really not long enough to truly appreciate them.'

'Huh.'

'Especially when there are many breasts. In fact, now that I have ensured your safety I might just go back and check on them again.'

'Check on the many breasts?' I repeated.

'Yes.'

'See you later,' I sighed, and he trotted off towards the pool, tail wagging.

'That kobaloi is a menace,' I said as I reached my friends. Morpheus laughed and Hedone gave me a sympathetic look.

'They are known for being pests. I hope he's not giving you too much trouble?'

I immediately felt bad for moaning about Skop and shook my head quickly.

'No, no, he's fine really, as long as you're not a naked mermaid. I actually think he cares about me.'

'Really?' Morpheus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Yeah. As long as there are no breasts between him and me, I reckon he'd do whatever he could to keep me safe.'

'Well, he is your guard,' said Hecate. 'Did you chat to the boss?'

'Erm, yeah,' I answered, trying to keep any emotion from showing on my face.

'Oooo, always nice to spend time with the man you might end up marrying,' beamed Hedone, and Morpheus wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders.

I stuck close to the three of them for the whole party, talking politely to anyone who came up to me, and doing my best to avoid Minthe and any of the gods. Hades flicked in and out of my view, always in smoke form, and always looking at me long enough to give me a glimpse of his silver eyes. I was already regretting doing the right thing and ending our brief encounter.

I listened to Hedone's husky voice as she pointed out various domes in the ocean, telling me about their famous inhabitants or shops. A huge group of turtles swam right up to us at one point, and I reached out delightedly as a little one turned somersaults. The dome was cool and solid, and could easily have been glass, though I suspected it was something more mysterious or godly than that. The little turtle bumped his head against the dome on the other side of my hand, then hurtled back towards his family, who were drifting away.

'This place is awesome,' I said. And it could have belonged to Hades, if the brothers had been given different realms by Zeus...

'Yes, it is one of my favorites,' Hedone replied.

'Where do you live?' I asked her.

'Pisces, Aphrodite’s' realm.'

'What's it like?'

'A tropical paradise. It's very beautiful. And exclusive; not many are allowed to live there. But parties are frequent so many folk of importance have visited.'

'It sounds great,' I said. Hedone gave a soft laugh.

'I'm not sure it's the right place for someone who dislikes parties, or sharing their partners,' she said.

'Huh,' I answered. No. Maybe not my thing after all.

As amazing as Aquarius was, I found myself grateful when Hecate flashed us back to my rooms at the end of the evening. I was exhausted. And my head was still buzzing with what I had been told about Hades that night. One of the first things Hecate had said about him when I first got here was that he was different from the other gods, that he wasn't what he seemed. And she had been right.

'Skop, what does Dionysus think of Hades?' I asked the kobaloi as I climbed under the covers.

'Bit of a weirdo. And grumpy.'

'Hmmm.'

'Why, you starting to like him?'

'I might be, yeah.'

'Well that can't be a bad thing, if you're going to marry him. Although why anyone would get married is beyond me.'

'Limiting the number of breasts not appeal to you?' I asked him.

'Nope. Definitely not. Unlimited breasts all the way, please.'

I'd never