Gods Save the Princess (Grace of Gods Book 2) (18 page)

"What did I ever do to you to deserve this punishment?"

"You tricked me! You lied to me! You took me away from my family."

"A family that didn't appreciate you! That didn't love you... If Zeus cared about you as much as he said he did he wouldn't have turned you over to me as my wife so easily."

"He was forced to because you tricked me into eating the food."

"I remember it differently." He said flippantly, waving his hand at us before walking toward the couch.

"You are controlling and manipulative, you are like a child. You need to have your way or you throw a temper tantrum and act dramatically."

"Nothing about this has been dramatic."

"Everything about this is dramatic!" My arms lifted above my head, signalling to the room around us. "Why couldn't you just play by the rules for once? Maybe I would've come to you..."

"She would've never come. The boy is weak."

"The boy is the perfect vessel for you!" He was up in a flash, towering over us with his hand tightly clamped around our neck. I felt myself panic, fearing I wouldn't be able to breathe but Persephone was the picture of calmness.

"I am not weak."

"You are. That's why you are King of the Underworld and nothing more, only the wills of ghosts may be bent by you because you'll never have the ability to command men."

"I was never given the chance." He tossed me away from him and my back hit the bookcase where Persephone steadied us.

"Gods, you're arrogant." I huffed, moving away from him and rubbing at my neck. I moved into the kitchen and found a glass, filling it with water.

"You can fight me again but this time I will have you entirely to myself."

"Why can't you see that leaving things alone is in your best interest? I hoped that maybe you had learned, that maybe this time it would be different and I could let myself love you organically. But instead you resort to archaic methods out of fear."

"Again with this fear, this weakness.... Woman, you know me not."

"Nor you I. I hoped we might have a thoughtful conversation but apparently I was wrong. You're dismissed."

Hades laughed again and moved toward me, taking the glass from my hand and setting it down on the counter.

"You're suited to be Queen and yet you settle for Princess."

"I have no interest in challenging my father for his throne and I won't help you either. Besides, did you see what happened to your father just yesterday?"

"I meant of the Underworld. You don't need to command men to control the world."

"Control the world, such superfluous talk. It will do nothing but endanger you. Settle for what you have, thank Zeus and be happy for once. Holding grudges and plotting behind his back is the way of the past. You have a second chance, work with your brother and maybe he will raise you once more into glory if that's what you desire. But give up this sad fight for power against Zeus. We're here to work together once again... You heard the Titan; singular Gods have no place in this world anymore. The mortals need us to be united and strong."

Hades stared at me long and hard for a moment, she might actually be getting to him. She was the voice of reason that he always needed, I saw that now. But he was struggling, old habits died hard - that much I knew. He turned away from me and started toward the door.

"You're leaving then?"

"You're not ready yet."

"You just don't like that I'm right." He didn't answer as he conjured the door and I moved from the counter toward him, "bring our dog, she can't be here alone."

"She has you, you both need time to catch up to the rest of us."

"Hades, please." The inflection of my tone made him pause and then, in a barely perceptible motion, he nodded his head as he stepped out of the room and into nothingness. The wall sealed itself again and I took a deep breath. I hadn't even noticed how tense she had gotten through the exchange, she had been holding all that tension in her shoulders and as she relaxed I started to feel myself grow a little more in control.

"Not yet." She said to me, walking us both over to the couch and sitting down. "He is going to come back and you're not prepared to fight with him yet. That was a milder fight, believe it or not. It can be worse sometimes and I wouldn't subject you to that. I know this isn't easy nor is it the way I would like for us to meet and be united, but Hades has put us both in a very terrible situation. I am worried about your friend Griffin; if he does not regain his control over Hades soon, he might be lost entirely. I will try and speak to Hades one more time but after that it will be up to you to guide your friend back. I, too, cannot stay too long. Hopefully after this we will be able to be united and from here on out things will get easier." I tried to open my mouth to tell her I understood but I remembered I couldn't and resolved to just agree silently.

Persephone occupied us for the next few hours, moving around and making changes to the apartment like she knew its personality and how to make it work for her. By the time she was done it was far less gloomy and more welcoming, it suited both of us better. While watching her work I realised that Atlas was right - we were one in the same.

By the time Hades came back his demeanour had changed but he had Cerberus with him. The dog seemed to sense the change in me, brightening more than before as he bounded across the room and leapt up onto my shoulders licking at my face happily.

"Hello my love, hello... Yes, I missed you too." I laughed as my hands stroked down each face, kissing each nose before commanding him to sit at my side. I turned coolly to Hades who was watching with both amusement and some form of jealousy.

"I never understood why he liked you better than me."

"I understand love better than you do."

"I understand love perfectly."

"Love is not a possession you can simply grasp." He waved his hand dismissively before conjuring another glass of wine.

"Have you changed your mind?"

"Of course not, I stand by my original position. Let us go and let love form organically. Maybe there is a place for you in my heart but you will never know so long as you try to worm your way in like the maggots which claim home in the vessels of your subjects."

"Beautiful imagery my love."

"It's true. You act like nothing more than a parasite. And I will think of you as nothing but a parasite until you show me that the last few thousand years have changed you." Hades scoffed as he drank his wine and moved toward us.

"Why don't I show you how wrong you are?"

"Don't touch me, I am not yet yours to touch."

"That didn't stop me last time."

"Yes, I know. And that is what I am talking about. You cannot simply claim whatever you want, love is not like that."

"My perfect brother claims what he wants."

"No, he seduces what he wants."

"There is not a seductive bone in my body."

"No, but there is a romantic one. You are capable of loving greatly. I know you yearn for companionship, but not the kind Zeus craves. You are seeking a partner, someone who can love you without needing to change your dark ways..."

"You've always understood me better than others Persy..." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, making me shy back from him.

"Hades."

"Please, my love... Don't torment me like this." Was she going to give in? This was another trick, I begged. He was pretending to play by her rules but he hadn't changed. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs for her to back away more but it was useless she didn't hear me. This must be how she had felt all those times I had done things she didn't want me to do.

"Hades. You must prove to me you have changed."

He huffed in annoyance and backed off immediately like a scorned child, "and there is no way of doing that for once you have set your stubborn opinion, there is no swaying of it."

"That's not true. For if it was, your cause would be lost as I would be completely incapable of loving you." His eyes lit up slightly at the idea of hope and he nodded.

"Fine, what must I do?"

"Well, for starters... Give the boy’s body back to him. She and I cannot love you if you do not set him free. He is your vessel for a reason, there are things you must learn from him and he will help you grow. He understands your torment even better than I and only together you may save each other."

"He is weak."

"Because you smother him." It felt like we were at a stalemate of glaring, Hades bore into us with his eyes and Persephone replied back with her own passively.

"And your girl?"

"She will be here when you return, and hopefully you return as Griffin." His jaw tightened, disliking the prospect of giving up his newfound control but I arched my eyebrow at him in a challenge so he ascended his head.

"I'll think about it." He smirked annoyingly and turned like he was going to make his way out of the apartment. Suddenly he turned back and moved toward us so quickly neither of us had a chance to move back or stop him. He reached out and clasped my face between his calloused hands and kissed us.

It was different from the way Griffin had kissed me in the club, it was less tender and more the kiss a husband gave his wife after being apart for some time. In one kiss he transmuted all the feelings he had left buried for the last few millennia while he and his wife had been left to separately slumber. When he pulled back we were both breathless and Persephone had the gall to smile for a fraction of a second before composing herself.

"I missed you terribly my wife." I nodded but didn't answer him. He didn't seem to expect one either, as he turned and left the apartment again, leaving us both alone with the three-headed dog craving our attention.

Chapter Fifteen

Almost a week went by before Hades, or Griffin, returned. Persephone remained in charge for the first half of our wait before resolving to give me back control of my body. I was thankful; it was beyond strange living like a phantom and having no sense of physical reality anymore. I also began to fear she was starting to cut it a little close as each day I felt more and more of myself slipping away.

I woke up on the 6
^th
day, fully conscious and in control of my own faculties. I was so relieved I released the breath I hadn’t noticed I was holding. I felt better almost immediately; memories which had been threatening to slip away returned back with full force. I worried though that some were already gone completely as a result of being trapped so long. I had no way of knowing, as my memory would never again recall anything I had forgotten.

Sitting up slowly, my stirrings roused Cerberus’ slumber at my feet. He lumbered onto all fours while I slipped off the bed beside him and stretched out slowly. I was only aware of how much time had passed since Hades’ last visit as Persephone seemed to have a much better grip on how time worked in Olympus than I did. Were we even in Olympus anymore though? The Underground couldn’t possibly be connected to the heavenly world of the Gods if it required a King of it’s own like Hades.

This thought worried me further: if that was the case had people noticed my absence and been searching for me helplessly all this time? Or worse still, had they not noticed?

I thought back to the party and how I had turned away Savannah and Aidan. It could have been enough to let them believe I didn’t need them, so my mysterious absence might just be justified in their minds.

My worries almost had me longing for Persephone’s control again, at least she knew how not to panic unlike myself.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat.” I scratched the ears of one of Cerberus’ head. The other two heads bounced against me looking for some attention. I took a second to engage both of them before he bounded from the room to the kitchen.

I found it silly how used to companionship I had grown. Despite being nearly invisible at home sometimes I was still always surrounded by people. Even when I had been trapped at Uncle Adam’s, he was at least still there more occasionally than Hades had been here. This new confinement left me utterly alone and I knew I would never get used to it.

This kind of loneliness could stain a person. It hibernated in their bones and resonated in their every thought and movement. As I clamoured around preparing my dishes the echo of my actions only reminded me just how empty and lonely this apartment was, it pulled at my heart.

I understood better why Persephone longed to try and make Hades understand that he couldn’t force her to love him by forcing her to live in the Underworld. Ghosts were not friends; however friendly they might appear to be. He needed to free her in order to possess her heart. The freedom to come and go at her own bidding would bring her closer to him instead of pushing him away. By choosing she could choose to stay with him instead of spending all her time in the Underworld trapped, alone, and most of all: angry with him.

I opened the fridge and found three massive steaks as we had discovered every morning since Cerberus was brought to us. I worried myself with fixing a plate for each head and setting them down at just the right headspace from each other before calling him over.