Hope Springs Eternal [11/19]

[omega_tau_pi_verse]

Hope Springs Eternal
Chapter 11: When Life Gives You Pomegranates, Make Grenadine

In which Persephone seduces Hades (yes, you heard right), Pain and Panic debate with their fists, and Hades gets a very surprising visitor.
 

 

Απαγορευω Καρπος Παθος

Hades had tossed a soft blanket on the ground beside the Lethe Pool, tucked the narcissus into a small decorative amphora, and unpacked a simple but delicious picnic for them both. Now they sat sipping chilled spiced nectar, nibbling spanakopita and chatting. Persephone had complimented the ambrosia-based dish heartily, surprised that he'd instinctively known she was vegetarian and had chosen something suited for her tastes. He smiled, pleased that she liked not only his company but his cooking.

He was actually beginning to relax, having successfully convinced himself that a simple harmless date with this young goddess was nothing inappropriate, nothing too serious. In fact he was truly enjoying it. He knew she was too young yet to pursue further, but he also knew now that she liked him, actually liked him for who he was. So he could wait. Dating her for a few decades would be fine. He was very patient when it came to getting something so important just right.

The only problem was being so physically close to her. When she leaned forward to pour more nectar for herself, her mocked-up chitonion tended to gap open a bit on top... But she always smiled sweetly at him, so innocent and unaware of how much flesh she showed. And when she took another bite of ambrosia, she licked her fingers in such a provocative manner... But of course she was just relishing the taste of food, since she hadn't bothered to eat in four days. Still, even his patience was teetering and he needed a diversion. So he talked. A lot.

Now he was telling her about Hercules. He no longer held the hatred he once had for the demi-god, since it no longer mattered in the slightest. He told stories of various adventures he'd watched – and caused – the growing hero to endure during high school, most of which had nothing to do with school at all and usually left the campus with property damage costs ranging into the quintuple digits.

It left Persephone giggling though. "I'm amazed at his persistence! He never doubted for a minute he could defeat you, did he?"

Hades laughed as well. "Ah, it's genetics I'm sure. Son of the all-powerful Zeus? How could he let himself lose? Anyway I never tried that hard to be honest. I usually sent others after him, knowing they would fail me as per usual. I rarely went after him myself even though I could probably have killed him easily. But hey, who am I kidding? The kid was a surprisingly worthy adversary. After eighteen years, I can admit that."

He leaned back onto his elbow and stretched out, genuinely relaxed. "But I don't have to think about him or universal conquest anymore. I can't set foot outside the Underworld again let alone inside Olympus, not even for Council meetings. I'm banished here forever, so I might as well do the best I can for my own kingdom. I guess it has been a little more than neglected. Though it's a far sight easier to deal with, having you around to talk to."

Persephone was quiet for half a second, then said in a soft voice, "...I guess I should have mentioned this earlier.”

"Uhhh... what?"

"That Zeus doesn't hold any serious grudge against you. He made those decisions about you based on what the majority wanted. He thinks what you did was just another ploy for attention, albeit a kind of desperate one. But you were always free to leave the Underworld. No one would have harmed you. I'm sorry, I should have told you."

Hades stared at her for another moment, as the information absorbed itself into his suddenly sponge-like brain. Then his arm gave way and he slid down onto his back.

"Ohhh... I cannot believe this. I've been wasting my time hiding out down here, thinking I was a criminal, putting myself in my own damned prison. And I could've gone outside anytime and pretended like nothing ever happened? Okay, it's probably not quite that simplistic, but close enough. Oy vey..."

"But it hasn't been a waste of time, Hades. While you've stayed down here you've had time to contemplate the changes you're now making. And Styx would still be doing what she's doing. You would've needed to make the adjustments in any case."

"Ah... true enough." She had an amazing gift for putting his mind back on track... And then knocking it right back off again. From this angle, with the way she sat – knees together, tucked underneath, her chitonion split down the front – he could see almost the full length of her incredible smooth golden thighs.

Clearing his throat and sitting upright, he said, "Okay, so who wants dessert? I make a great baklava."

"No need," Persephone said with a soft mysterious smile. "I have something better." She twisted her wrist in a semi-circle, manifesting a perfectly ripe pomegranate into her hand.

Hades’ brow pinched. Had it come from her grove on Nysa? Long way to manifest just a piece of fruit.

Cutting it in two, she gave him half and took the other. Her eyes were warm and purposeful when she gazed down at the fruit, peeling back the red rind with her slender fingertips. She gently parted the white inner flesh from the shimmering ruby seeds, sliding them free with her thumbs. Then she put the fruit to her lips, seeming to kiss it, tongue slightly extended, as she bit into the sweet fleshy seeds.

Hades watched her raptly as everything seemed to move in excruciatingly slow motion. Seeing her fingers dripping with blood-red juice, he blinked unsteadily as a sudden harsh image flooded his brain. For just a fraction of a moment, she appeared in his mind's eye as a death goddess gripping the heart of a sacrificial victim... His heart... Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the real goddess before him. She was smiling so sweetly, not looking the tiniest bit dangerous. It had been a foolish thought.

And she was still eating the pomegranate... so slowly... The red pulp exploded, bathing her mouth with juice. She wrapped her lips around the jeweled seeds, sucking them into her mouth hungrily, fondling them with her tongue, chewing slowly and deliberately, smiling at him. And then her tongue slid out, licking the juice from her ripe moist lips...

He gulped hard and glanced down at the slice he held in his own hand. He saw now what else there was to see in the fruit. It was moist, glistening, red and open... and so immensely sexual it nearly blew a gasket in his overheated brain's engine. His throat suddenly dry as fire, he bit into his own half of the fruit.

She saw how intently he watched her, pupils darkened, nostrils widening, hair flaring in tiny bursts he was trying and failing to control. He was definitely experiencing powerfully lustful thoughts, it was obvious to her even with her general naïveté. Yet he still held back. Up until now, this had been like being on a date with her uncle or something. The pomegranate being sometimes considered an aphrodisiac, she hoped its influence might help matters. And she was growing determined.

Reaching forward, giving him another deliberate view of cleavage, she touched his lower lip with her fingertip. "Hold still. You've got a little juice here...," she said, rubbing it away slowly.

He held his breath and didn't move a muscle. At least not one he could control very well. He watched as she took the offending droplet of juice away and then put the finger into her own mouth, sucking softly. Her smile was so sweet, so open and unhesitating... A part of his brain whispered, Holy hell, she's actually trying to seduce me! Then another part replied, No no no, that's impossible. The first part slapped the second upside its head and walked away muttering, Geez Louise, you fucking idiot...!

Persephone said then, "I have a big surprise for you. Something I want to show you."

The retreating bit of his brain whipped back around, suddenly alert. "Uhhh, okay," he mumbled.

"But first...," she said, taking up a cloth napkin, "no peeking until we get there." And she leaned forward, intending to tie it around his eyes.

The raptly interested part of his brain kicked the paralyzed half out of the way. "Ooooh," he drawled, allowing her to secure the blindfold around his head. "Getting kinky with me? Wanna tie my hands, too? I won't fight..."

Her voice smiled to him. "Maybe I should gag you instead."

"Well well, now, aren't we getting bold..." He was titillated, but even the hesitant part of his brain noticed that she no longer sounded as innocent as she should be.

Taking his hands, Persephone helped Hades stand and led him slowly away from Lethe.

 

Before dawn of the fifth morning since her daughter's disappearance, Demeter's wanderings brought her to a small well outside a tiny village several miles from Athens. Sitting on a hilltop above the well, she gazing despondently out across the bay. In her hand were the ragged remnants of Persephone's headdress and peplos, and she had pulled a long dark mantle over her head as if in mourning. She had neglected to sleep, eat or bathe since the start of her ordeal. Indeed even her aura was paling with worry, her skin fading to a washed out yellow. Without careful inspection, she passed for a mortal.

When a pair of girls came to fill their pails from the well, they met her and took pity on her condition. Demeter told them a strange garbled tale of pirates and abduction and escape, and then she fell into brooding silence. The girls offered her a place to stay and gave her direction to reach their home if she should decide to accept their hospitality.

Demeter sat for a while longer then was greeted by another woman who, along with her son, had come to fetch water. She offered the unknown goddess a sip from the dipper and it was drained thirstily. At that moment, Demeter was suddenly gripped with a vision. In her mind's eye, she saw...

...the shape of a child... a boy...
no one she had ever seen, yet intensely familiar…
smiling at her with love and humor...
...around him voices cried out "Iakche! Evoe!"...
cheers of celebration, discovery, good fortune...

Puzzled by this vision, she felt herself longing anew. Not merely for her lost child... but for another child as yet unborn...

Then something happened which annoyed and deeply insulted her. And once again she lashed out in a way no one had ever seen before. The woman ran away from the spot, leaving behind what had been her son to scuttle away on four legs. Demeter, feverish and angry, wandered on, seeking out the home of those who had been more polite.

 

"Are we there yet?" Hades teasingly asked. Again.

"Cut it out," Persephone warned with a laugh, "or I'll have to hurt you."

"Oh, baby. Can't wait..."

She rolled her eyes at his banter although she too was enjoying it. "Okay, three more steps and we're there." Pulling his hands, she led him forward then stopped and removed his blindfold.

Surprisingly there was daylight. He blinked a bit, adjusting to the brightness and then looking around. It seemed as though they were in her grove.

"What the--? How did you get us all the way to Nysa without dematerializing--?" Then he saw the differences. The trees weren't quite as enormous and there was no stream running through the center of the grove. "Wait a minute. Where are we?"

"The Elysian Fields!" she said happily.

This stunned him to silence. He walked to the edge of the nearly-duplicate grove and looked outside. Beyond the fields, which looked far greener and more lush than he remembered, was the rest of the Underworld, dark and gloomy as ever. The force-field was altered, thinner but still separating the climates. "You did this... you... changed the Elysian Fields...?"

"Yes! Isn’t it amazing? The power that maintained this place apart from everything else, it's inside me now." She raised her hands, and the glow emanating from them was noticeably paler, the gold mixed with white. "It was no wonder you couldn't enter before. The field was actually pure life energy and you command only death. I've talked to some of the souls here and they told me what it's about. The Elysian Fields is life inside of death, a place they can feel nearly alive and solid again. That's why the dead hero could touch me so directly. For which, by the way, he has effusively apologized.”

She came to stand beside Hades. "The souls also explained why only heroes have come here. Most mortals believe that when they die there's nothing to expect but misery, so they never seek anything else from the Afterlife. Heroes, however, spend their lives seeking brightness and fame and glory. So when they die, they seek the same thing and thus they make it to the Isle of the Blessed. It's a pity because any soul could've come here at any time." She smiled up at his furrowed brow. "It just proves that you only get what you feel you deserve, in life or in death."

Hades nodded, not really paying much attention. "The plant life here. It's real now. I've never been able to keep a plant alive before. You grew it all. How did you do it?"

She raised her eyebrows, smiling. "Well, I am the goddess of Springtime, you know. It's kind of my schtick."

He almost laughed but his voice was disappearing along with certain parts of his sanity. He shook his head, trying to make the sinking feeling vanish as well. It seemed that she didn't understand... what she'd just done was supposed to be impossible.

Persephone walked over to a pomegranate shrub, the one from which she'd manifested the fruit they'd shared. "The fact that this place is a pocket of life-within-death explains why I was able to affect things, even before the force-field came into me. I touched the ground and it came to life. It's why I can use my powers to grow things here." Brushing the shiny leaves of the bush, a faraway smile danced over her lips. "I guess, it was all kind of... waiting for me to come along."

Hades just stared into the air, weighing the enormity of what was happening. Then it hit him like a missile and his brain began a rapid downward death-spiral into nullification. "The Fates were right... you are The One..."

Seeing his expression of such clarity and shock and a bit of dread, made her worry. "The one... for what?"

"They told me I'd find you..." He recalled the poem with irony now. "'A dark flower, filled with never-before-seen power'... and that 'in death is renewal'... I'd say this qualifies. You have a totally unique power, Persephone,” he finished almost breathlessly. “The power of life over death."

She felt excitement well up at his words. "Then I truly was fated to be here… To be with you."

His brain was crashing and burning within his skull, and he knew he would never be the same again. "You don't realize, do you, what this actually means? You have a greater power than I do in the Land of the Dead, my own kingdom." Now he turned to look at her, seeing her expression had grown as shocked as his was anguished. "With your power you could literally... conquer the entire Underworld and... everything in it..."

She shook her head fervently at dazed fear in his eyes. "No, oh no, Hades! I wouldn't do that!"

But he was walking away. His steps were shambling, carrying him vaguely away from the site of his ultimate defeat. Nothing in his life could have prepared him for such as this. The last few days alone had brought him events that were unprecedented, but this was the topper. Another had vied for control of his kingdom, ironically on the very day he'd met Persephone. Now second one had accomplished what the first could not. And he couldn't do a damned thing about it.

But she's a goddess, and she's so sweet and kind, his brain whispered, So is it really such a bad thing? Apparently the sentimentally irrational half of his mind had survived burning up on re-entry and crawled from the wreckage without a scratch. He drop-kicked it over the horizon. Yes, he muttered internally, it's bad... Very bad.

Persephone followed quickly and reached out to touch his arm, stopping him. "Hades, I'm serious! I'm not trying to take over the Underworld. I just… I only wanted to help you any way I could." Her eyes were beginning to mist, so worried was she about his attitude.

"Help me?" he muttered. "You've taken over half my kingdom. Of course it's a part I never really had control of to begin with, but--"

"That wasn't my intention!" she sniffled. She hadn't realized just how badly he would take it. He must think she was awful for having done something he could never accomplish. It was his world, not hers, even though she felt deeply attracted to both it and its king. "I'm so sorry. You can enter the Elysian Fields anytime you like. It's open now, to all gods and all souls who truly deserve it." Tears fell over her cheeks then, and she wiped them away. "I'll just leave. I shouldn't have come at all..."

Before she could run away, he put his hands firmly on her shoulders. He hadn't consciously done so but there they remained. For a long unsteady moment the two gods stared at each other, his eyes saddened but unwilling to release her, and her eyes shimmering with regret. He knew she wasn't deliberately trying to control his kingdom. He knew, had always known somehow, that she belonged here. He had let her stay because he wanted her to. Wanted her to be with him. Wanted her in every way possible...

She choked out softly, "Hades… please believe me... I would never conquer you."

Nodding slowly to show that he knew this, he let go of her shoulders and took her hands. The he placed them over his heart which, until he'd met her, he would have sworn hadn't pulsed in centuries.

"It's too late… you already did."

Persephone, stunned by the fact he had admitted something of his feelings, could only look into his eyes, those penetrating golden orbs. Perhaps there was still a chance to repair things. A chance to become everything she knew they were meant to be. Together.

Her fingertips grasping his chiton, she whispered in return, "I didn't mean to..."

They stood thusly for another moment as the air began to hum around them. Or at least it seemed to do so. Their heads were really what buzzed as the emotions coursed through them, and the chemistry stirred irresistibly.

He could feel how soft and pliant she was against him, and she gazed at him with the same longing as the day before. He hadn't pushed it then. But now... what more did he have to lose? The two parts of his brain that had warred for days called a momentary truce. Just this once, he told himself, just once. After all, surely she was old enough for one little kiss...

She had seen the debate behind his eyes for days now, wishing she could allay his fears and doubts especially concerning her own desires. Perhaps she should just kiss him... But now he was lowering his head to hers and she held her breath, thrilled he had made the move himself at last. She was ready, more than ready for it, and tilted her chin up expectantly, eagerly.

Then his full dark lips met hers, lush and red as pomegranates themselves. And the world began to spin along with the humming.

He shut his mind off completely, refusing to listen to either side in this endless moment. Tasting the sweetness of pomegranate on her lips... or perhaps it was just her... his mouth moved softly over hers, drinking from the suddenly over-flowing well his soul had become.

Lips urged gently apart by the pressure, she could feel everything with the sharpest clarity. The warmth of his mouth, the soft wetness of his tongue, the edges of his teeth... and the shared rising heat of their bodies. An unexpected sharp tingle pulsed through her and she almost gasped aloud.

Her little intake of breath pushed him right to the edge and he leaped over, hungrily seeking more. He put his arms fully around her, behind her slender waist and caressing the nape of her neck, pulling her body tightly against his. Then he thrust his tongue deep into her sweet mouth. She surrendered with a tiny moan, lifting her own hands to his broad shoulders and then around them, letting him guide her wherever he would lead, willing to follow.

It felt so instinctively right... and so incredibly warm, it was almost painful. The kiss was melting both their brains to mush. Their bodies began to melt together as well, seeming to flow into one another. Soon everything would be one big warm melted puddle of passion and there would be no stopping, no turning away, no holding back...

- o - FOUR - o -

Four pairs of round interested eyes observed as the two gods, unaware of spectators, remained lip-locked like there was no tomorrow.

The imps and the kings had finished their snack and card-playing break and were returning to their assigned areas, which took them past the Elysian Fields. The place itself drew some attention as it had vastly changed since their break time. And boy, was the view inside entertaining.

The demons had never seen the Boss kissing anyone. Ever. They couldn't even conceive of the idea. But upon seeing it in action, Pain sniggered lecherously. Nudging Panic with his elbow, he grinned toothily in approval. "I guess this means she does kinda like him."

Panic however was breathless at the tableau of tawdriness. He had been stewing in his juices over the goddess for days, resenting her presence and what it did to the Boss. But this... well, this not only took the cake, it hacked it into little pieces, coated it with cyanide and shoved it right down his unwilling throat. He gawked and gagged at the scene. Barely able to speak, he rattled, "Ye gods... what's the Underworld coming to?"

"Aw, you're just jealous," Pain scoffed, while continuing to ogle the view. "Just 'cause no girl that gorgeous would touch your scrawny butt with a ten-foot pole."

Panic bristled, especially since it was true. But it did jerk his attention away from the offending sight. "As if you could do any better, Blubber-boy!"

Rounding on him with a growl, Pain declared, "Take that back, Twitchy, or I'll snap ya in half like the green twig ya are!"

An infernal brawl then ensued along the banks of Acheron, leaving only the kings to watch the charming scene unfold as they continued toward their jobs.

Aiakos, the more romantic of the two, sighed as he strolled along. "Ah, there's nothing so heartwarming as young love."

Rhadamanthys just shook his head slightly. He was more realistic. Muttering under his breath, he added, "And really, really, reeeaaally old love too..."

 

Hades had submitted to some of his fate. Even if he had lost part of his kingdom, it didn't matter. Somehow they would find a way to share it... and who knew what else as well. Things might not be so bad once they worked out a compromise. But right now... he'd died and gone to heaven. Persephone was passionately kissing him back, sighing and moaning softly in his arms. Who could ask for anything more?

His hands began to roam slightly, up and down her back, over her sweetly curved hips but still within civilized boundaries, just enough to tantalize. His lips covered her gorgeous face, skimmed her jaw, nibbled the lobes of her ears, ventured down her neck. With tender breathy sips, he trailed his mouth down her throat, softly uttering half-words of endearment. When his tongue pressed against her pulse there, she gasped and quivered, clinging helplessly to his arms.

He smiled to himself and returned his mouth to hers, sucking the sweetness from within. She was so incredible and he was sooo enjoying this. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, she was so young and innocent... But it was just a harmless kiss... a harmless, delicious, soul-stirring, mind-erasing, potentially-body-coalescing, passionate-beyond-coherent-words kiss... He could stop anytime he wanted to. Eventually. Maybe.

Persephone draped herself against him weakly. She was lazily thinking along the edges of her brain while his kisses and caresses made the center of it turn to pudding. It felt so perfect, just as she'd known it would. Yet she wanted more, much more. She'd tried in her own unskilled way to seduce him earlier. And now she was totally ready to give in to fate. Hades was quite aroused and she was fully aware. His ardent hardness, pressing so heavily warm against her, was driving her mad with longing. Writhing slightly, she impelled their hips closer together, drawing a small moan from him. She wanted so much to touch him, to please him, to hold him within her...

"Hades," she breathed against his mouth, "please..."

Reluctantly lifting his head, he saw the smoky gaze in her eyes. Did she want to stop? She did look somewhat bewildered. Even though his control was straining at its leash he would do whatever she asked. It was already beyond his wildest dreams to be making out with her on the first date. "Is something wrong?" he queried gently, one hand brushing a long strand of hair from her cheek.

"Yes," she whispered, then dropped her gaze. "I don't exactly know what to do... Please," she asked, leveling half-closed eyes back up to his, "show me..."

At first his brain froze. Rather an amazing feat beneath a headful of fire. A laughing thought skated across his glacial cranium, to check and see if the rest of Hell had frozen over and he'd missed it. However, the heat of her tender body began to thaw his head, enough to stutter, "..Sh-show you...?"

"...Everything..."

Her pleading eyes, her soft voice, that single word, drilled a hole through the ice over his brain and went fishing for the big one. The hell with making out... she wanted to go all the way! Goddamn, that was fast work. Was this still the same innocent little teenager he'd started kissing?

With a desperate choking sound, he managed, "Do you know... do you understand... the full implication of what you're asking...?"

"Oh, yes," she murmured, putting her head closer to him again, nuzzling her lips along his neck the way he'd done to her. It made him tremble in a most satisfying way. "See I was thinking... I'm supposed to be Springtime itself... Mother and so many of the others think that means innocent... untouchable... You probably thought that yourself..."

He realized now he had made his assumptions, subconsciously, based on that ideal. Hesitantly, he said, "Yeah... I guess so."

She brushed closer to his ear, feeling the heat of his hair against her kiss-swollen lips. "Well... Spring is the time of year when everything is blooming... giving birth... opening up to be pollinated... During Spring the whole of nature is, in essence, having sex..." Her breath ruffled the flames, making him moan weakly. "And I'm the embodiment of Springtime... So therefore..."

It came to him in a flash. Just like Leuke had been at that time of year. Filled with lust for life. And just plain lust. And if a nymph felt that kind of heat during the Spring... what did it mean for a goddess who literally WAS Spring?

Quivering, he swallowed. Hard. "...Uhhh... Therefore..."

"How, then, is it right for me to be Springtime... and never have sex?" Her voice husky, her eyes sultry pools of blue fire, lips moist and sweet and ready, she gazed at him. Her look expressed total certainty and helpless longing, beneath which was unassailable innocence. "Please... Hades... I don't want to be a virgin goddess... I want you..."

He found it impossible to argue with such devastating logic, presented in such a profound and heartfelt manner. All rational thought ceased fire, his brain waved a little white flag and raised its hands in surrender, as long-suppressed physical need declared autonomy and desire took no prisoners. He had only one (very easy) choice to make: Who would be on top?

Holding her tightly, he manifested them to smoke and they were in his bedroom before his lips dropped to kiss hers again.

 

Pain and Panic hobbled wearily back toward the spot they last been dragging the river for souls. They were both bruised and battered from their fight, but at least Panic wasn't fussing so much about the Boss. He complained about his injuries instead. Pain found that slightly more tolerable.

After a few minutes of work however, Panic snarled and tossed the net aside. He was still fuming over what he'd seen and nothing would deter him from pursuing it to the bitter end. "That's it! I can't stand it anymore!" he shouted. "She's no better than-than... that Hecate witch person! She's trying to take over too!"

"Geez, get a grip, Panic! She's not that bad. At least the Boss likes her."

"Well that's because he's blinded by lust! He can't see what she's doing!"

"Oh, I think he sees it pretty well… And he's liking it, too!"

Panic growled, "You're not helping."

"Then maybe you're in need of a less-biased opinion," Pain stated, making an annoying amount of sense. "Ask someone else what they think of her. Besides me, 'cause I happen to like her, so tough patootie." Spotting the infernal boatman rowing in the river, hauling another load of souls toward shore, Pain called out to him. "Hey, Charon, you got a pretty good look at the goddess the Boss brought home. What do you think about her?"

"Yeah, what kind of person is she?" Panic inquired, his voice etched with concern. "I mean, is she nice? Is she from a good family? Does she have Hades' best interests at heart?"

"Does she have a sister?" Pain leered, ignoring Panic’s heated glare.

Charon sighed. He was waaay beyond caring about such matters. "Hey, guys," he said, his voice guttural through his moldy old throat, "I just row the boat..."

With that Panic freaked out, pushing the debarking souls aside in fury. He leaped into the boat and grabbed Charon by his spindly shoulders and shook him until he rattled. "Come on, man! You've gotta have an opinion about this! It's the most earth-shattering thing to ever happen down here! It's colossal! It's titanic! It's the biggest workload we've ever ha-!"

His tirade was cut off by the force of a barge pole crashing into his skull.

Charon lifted the pole, leaving behind an indentation in the imp's head. "Now listen up, boy-o!" he snarled. "You two don't know shit about work! I've been rowin' this goddamned boat since right after Hades took over, so that's nearly two thousand years without so much as a friggin' coffee break!"

Panic rubbed his head and stared in shock. Both imps were speechless. This was the most Charon had ever said at one time.

The boatman continued. "And as for the Boss' love life... You don't know shit about that either. Let's just say he's way the hell overdue. So leave it alone, keep your noses out of it... and fuck off!" That said, Charon pushed the barge away from shore leaving them to ponder his advice. If they failed to heed it, it was their asses over the coals.

 

In the candlelit bedroom of the dark god, clothes were hastily peeled off and hands and lips stroked impatiently over inflamed flesh. Persephone's eyes opened wide at the sight of Hades' incredible body, powerfully muscled and so beautifully male it made her moan aloud. If she hadn't already been flushed with overheated desire, she might have blushed at her first real view of naked turgid male flesh. It did momentarily take her breath away, every bit as much as the sight of her unveiled tender young perfection robbed him of air. Heads spinning, they tumbled onto his bed, arms and legs entangled.

He was no longer thinking rationally and he simply couldn't stop himself anymore. It was too intense and the wait had been far too long. She didn't know precisely what to do, how to please. But he had already taken the lead and so she followed. He found her so sweetly receptive to his caresses that he pushed further and further, glorying in the texture and taste of her skin. When he kissed her deeply, she savored his mouth, sighing in pleasure. As he fondled her eagerly, she writhed beneath his hands, moaning in ecstasy. And when he explored her shamelessly, she opened like a dewy flower to his fingers and tongue, begging for the mercy of more, more, more...

Desperate now, she clutched at his body, pulling him closer, needing him completely. It was too much to bear, the anticipation of knowing he was meant to fill her, to fit inside her like a key in a lock, behind which untold secrets waited eagerly to be released. She touched him most intimately then, feeling the warmth and strength of his power in her hand, the surprising softness and adamant hardness. And she saw his pupils blacken with greatest hunger, desperate as she. Please she whispered, caressing him, please I need you...

Beyond thought now, gently but not as slowly as he would have wished, he pushed inside her. Trembling with exquisite need, groaning with pleasure, he all but whimpered in sheer gratitude for her precious virgin sacrifice to him. Gods, she was so sweet. So tight around him... absorbing, assimilating... offering all that she had, showing what he had to give as well. Breathing deeply, he held her close, kissing her face and neck over and over with tenderness. Muscles straining for control, he began to rock their bodies in a slow, smooth, delicious rhythm.

She gave a slight gasp as first he impaled her, but all pain melted under the heat of pleasure. Never had she dreamed it would feel so absolutely bottomless, this utter excess, this unending sensation of joy. He was beyond divine. Moving inside her... inescapable, undeniable... demanding she give everything, promising everything in return. It was so overwhelming her body began shaking with ecstasy almost instantly, and she cried out aloud. All but sobbing her delight, clinging to him with arms and legs, she urged his movements on, pleading for more.

Control gone, he drove deeply then, sparing nothing in the effort to become one with her body and soul, to fill her to the brim with his devotion. He could no longer fathom the totality of what he did, so immersed in physical rapture, the sensation of her body wrapped around him everywhere, her breathless cries of delight, the pure joy of pleasing her so completely. Her body pouring like honeyed wine over him and he stumbled drunkenly, slid into the depths, greedily draining the cup. Not realizing his own voice hovered on weeping, he murmured against her ear, Oh my sweet one... I am yours my goddess I love you I have always loved you...

Mind swimming with the words, tears flowed gently from her eyes and her heart throbbed with the sense of being at last made whole, just as her body had been so lovingly ravished. Thrusting against him, pulling him still deeper, she felt herself drowning in desire. His hot mouth and body a fluid fire held her down, covered her, filled her, re-created her in a crucible of ecstasy. Frantically she cried out again, as her voice joined the refrain, My beloved god I love you... I need you I know you I belong to you always...

Heart pounding, he shuddered with love, trying to hold off infinitely but the pleasure was unbearable now. Eyes moist, she was lost forever, blinded by the swarm of emotions and sensations. Bodies and voices locked eternally together, they cried out in passion, My love oh yes please my love...!, as they arched in a paroxysm of conjoined glory.

Then everything went blissfully black.

 

Demeter found her way to the home of the mortals, a place filled with kindness. Before long she found herself holding the infant son of the household's mistress, and was so overcome with maternal longing that she began to weep. She needed her daughter back. Why did none of the other gods understand that? It was as if a part of her had been ripped out, not knowing where the girl had gone.

Yes, she knew she was over-protective, knew she needed to learn to let go. Yes, she knew Persephone was grown-up and should be allowed to make her own choices. And if her daughter had truly run away to make her own life, then she would somehow learn to accept it. But not yet. Not until she knew Persephone was safe and happy. And she would not rest nor would she stop searching until she had a satisfactory answer to that riddle.

For now she cuddled the small boy in her arms, cooing and whispering secrets to him. Perhaps, she thought, what I really need is a new baby to hold and love. To start again...

Hades awoke slowly, pulling his mind up from the delightful darkness it had fallen into. He became gradually aware of two things concerning the state of his being: First, that it felt delectably lax and liquid having had the most awe-inspiring orgasm of his entire existence, which had caused both brain and body to faint dead away. Second, that it was draped partially over the unconscious, very naked, very young, and formerly very virgin body of Persephone.

Realizing with sheer dread what he'd done, he hauled his body off hers and to the edge of the bed, appallingly awake now. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair sending sparks flying between his fingers. "Oh shit," he muttered, "what the hell was I thinking?"

But he hadn't been thinking, that was the problem. He'd allowed himself to lose control, something he prided himself on being able to maintain (usually). If he could manage to wait for nearly a millennia to try conquering his brother's kingdom, then he should have been able to wait another few years to sleep with this girl. Waited until she grew up, until she was more mature. Waited until the second date at least, for crying out loud. Even if she'd been sure she was ready... he wasn't sure he had been.

Persephone moved in her sleep, sighing softly. Her body was the most perfect thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Gilded skin, slender soft yards of it, sweetly curved and firmly flat in all the right places. Long lovely skeins of scarlet velvet hair making a blanket of flame beneath her, a delicately red-petaled flower at her core. An angelic smile curving nectar-sweet lips, a feast for the soul...

His fingers and lips and everything else ached, positively throbbed with the need to touch her again. He shouldn't even be looking at her although he'd just possessed that very same body in the most fantastically intimate way possible. And the things he'd uttered in passion, the words that had slipped uncontrollably from his mouth... Oh hell...

Groaning again, he began to seriously contemplate Lethe water for them both before she woke up. She might be better off forgetting everything and going back home. Though that was absolutely the last thing he truly wanted.

Shivering with his anguished thoughts, he covered her drowsing form with the rumpled black bed sheets. Then he gathered up his himation from the floor and wrapped it hastily around his waist, not bothering to pin it, not bothering with his chiton. He needed to get away from this room fast. He stumbled out, down, away from the palace, toward where he didn't know.

Yet... he did know. His footsteps took him unerringly to the Pool of Mnemosyne, and his memories. Where he always went when he was troubled. Where he could lose himself in the past. Where he could sort out his thoughts and feelings, alone and undisturbed.

But when he arrived, he was far from alone. And he was quite disturbed.

For on the edge of the pool sat... Leuke.


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