That Fatal Kiss (18 page)

“Oh, but she did. Selene handed Artemis the reins of the moon’s chariot and now takes her leisure here in Elysium.”

“You’re joking!”

“I’m not,” Hades said, “though she, like Hecate, comes and goes as she pleases.”

“So that is why I haven’t seen her at the feasts in so long!” Persephone said. “You say you learned this from Hermes…then, you and he are friendly?”

At that, Hades let out a bark of derisive laughter. “We are
not
. My nephew dislikes me as much as the next Immortal, and he dislikes his role as escort to my kingdom even more, I’d wager. But he is such a chatty little fellow. He makes a point of seeking me out on nearly every journey to give me the latest bit of gossip from above, as if we were long-lost friends. Why he thinks I am deceived by his pretenses, I cannot say. Or rather, he must think me a fool, for I know full well that as soon as he rejoins the other Olympians, he mocks me with impunity.”

Persephone remembered how she’d been audience to more than one of Hermes’ uncomplimentary discourses regarding Hades and looked away, feeling guilty. “You must come here often,” she speculated aloud, plucking a flower from the ground and twirling it between her fingers.

Hades reached into the basket for a peach. “I don’t.”

“Why ever not?”

“It’s hard to say…” Hades began, almost absentmindedly gazing at some point in the distance. He squinted against the glare of Elysium’s sun, to which he was unaccustomed, then turned to Persephone. “It is rather dazzling here, isn’t it? I must tell Helius to tackle his post with a little less zeal.”

Persephone smiled at that, then shook her head firmly when Hades offered her a share of the fruit. “Come, now, you are not as wary of light as you claim.”

Hades shrugged, took a bite of the peach, and looked back at the shades. “They seem happy, don’t they?”

Persephone followed his gaze and observed the radiance that emanated from the souls whose good deeds earned them their stay in Elysium. “They are doing all that they might have done above ground, with none of the cares, toil, or familial duties. There are not as many souls here as there are in the Asphodel Fields.”

“Not as many have led exemplary lives,” said Hades. “Tell me, do the mortals above ground pass their spare time this way?”

“Some do, when they have it,” Persephone answered, pressing a hand against her stomach as the delicious scent emanating from the peach tickled her nose. “But spare time is rare…most of their time is spent working or praying to us.” She gave a short laugh and Hades, who was throwing the peach pit away, gave her a questioning look. “Oh dear, how vexed my mother grew with me when we visited our temples. The pious would be there, offering their first grains and fruits, asking for our favor in return. Some wept piteously and there were times…well, there were times I couldn’t bear it. To cheer them, I would cause a shower of narcissi to fall over them. Except that didn’t comfort, it terrified; they’d leap to their feet and run off, screaming.” Persephone could not help grinning at the memories and Hades smiled appreciatively at her tale. “The first time that happened, my mother was so furious she chased me all the way back to Olympus, threatening to beat me with a stalk of wheat one of the supplicants left behind. I ran to the home of my nephew, Eros, and begged him to hide me. He led me to his stables and hid me under a large bale of hay. Shortly after, Demeter appeared, demanding that he reveal my hiding place.” Persephone laughed. “He sweetly convinced her that he had seen neither hide nor hair of me. He spoke with such winged words, complimenting her on her gown, her hair, that by the time she left, she’d forgotten all about her ire toward me and was humming happily to herself! When he was sure she’d gone, he pulled me out of the hay, saying ‘Kore, you were lucky this time, but I swear that I shall not aid you the next time you misbehave!’”

“Kore?” Hades asked, “He is your nephew and yet he calls you ‘young girl’?”

“Well, he is my nephew due to our parentage, but in truth, he is older than I am.”

“Kore…” Hades said again, the word rolling smoothly off his tongue. “I like it. You shall be Kore to me from now on.”

Persephone clicked her tongue. “Naturally, you would call me by the name Eros uses to annoy me!”

“Annoys you, does it?” Hades asked. At her nod, he said, “All the better.”

Persephone swatted at his arm in retaliation but Hades caught her hand and held it up to his lips for a kiss. Jolted out of her playful mood, she flamed at the look in his eye. Remembering the real reason for their outing, which was to pick up where they’d left off the day before, Persephone once again felt herself grow unaccountably shy. As Hades leaned over to kiss her, she freed her hand to push his shoulder away and hastened to her feet. Hades looked up at her with some confusion. “Persephone?”

She assumed a combative stance. “Hades?”

“What are you doing?”

“I am challenging you, you dolt.”

“Did you call me a dolt?”

“I did,” Persephone confirmed, shifting about him, taunting. “And what are you going to do about it?”

“What am I going to do…?” Hades echoed.

“Thundering Zeus! Yes, what are you going to do about my challenge?” She punctuated her mock-aggression with a harmless kick to his leg.

“What challenge?”

“I am defending my honor against your insult. If you mean to call me by that accursed appellation, then I demand satisfaction.”

Hades gave a decisive shake of his head. “I’ll not give it.”

“No?” she asked, aghast.

“No. I will not accept your challenge, not even in jest. Divinely robust you may be, but you are still no match for my might.”

Though she issued the challenge as a joke, she took umbrage at his condescension. She narrowed her eyes at him and kicked him again, with greater force. “Come now, stop making excuses and show some mettle. Unless it is lacking, which I’m beginning to suspect is the case.”

Hades fixed her with a resolute stare. “No.”

She danced about him, reaching out to land sound blows on his arms and shoulders. “Coward.”

“Persephone,” Hades said, attempting to grasp her merciless fists.

“Craven,” she said, running behind him and landing a good kick to his backside.

“Persephone!” he shouted, twisting to reach her.

She suddenly wrapped her arm about his throat and pulled him up hard against her stomach, whispering in his ear, “What now, old thing?”

He reached behind him to pull her up over his head and flipped her onto her back before him. He winced at the thud of her body hitting the ground and stretched over her to see if she was hurt. “Kore?”

Stunned by his unexpected rebuttal, it took a moment for Persephone to register the word. Then she gasped her outrage and made to rise. Seeing that she was well, Hades held her down and claimed her lips in a kiss. She reared up her legs and pressed her sandaled feet against his stomach, hurling him back. Now she stretched out over him, oddly delighted by the feel of his rock hard body beneath her. But her victory was short-lived, for he rolled her over, resuming a superior position. They wrestled in that manner for a few moments, their breaths growing shallow from their efforts, until Hades finally managed to get her back down on the ground, putting a strong knee between her legs and resting his full weight upon her to keep her there. He secured her hands high above her head and this time his kiss could not be avoided.

Aroused by their tussle, Persephone welcomed it, returned it lustily. Their scuffling gave way to passion, and her wrists broke free from his grasp so that she could wrap her arms around his broad shoulders. Hades groaned against her lips, his tongue snaked inside her mouth. His hands busily removed both her concealing garments and his, until he could feel her soft warm flesh beneath his own. His erection was ready, brought on by their earlier flailing about, and he took her legs locking about his waist as invitation to enter.

Indeed, she wanted him, was eager to join with Hades in love, but was unprepared for the suddenness with which he plunged himself within her. He overwhelmed her but her protest was smothered by his mouth. She stilled as he pushed into her with a fast, steady rhythm and willed herself to loosen and yield, to lose herself to the raw heat of his excitement and better accommodate him. But just when she felt that same thrill coursing within her, he raised his head and gave a guttural cry. With one final thrust he achieved his climax. Her eyes flew open to see his tightly shut. She waited for him to open them, saying when he did, “Hades?” When he looked down at her with a sated, sleepy expression, she knew nothing more would be forthcoming. Persephone heaved against him furiously, causing him to fall over onto his back.

“KORE?” HADES ASKED,
still reeling from the intensity of his pleasure and incapable of quickly assessing her revolt. He could only watch, befuddled, as she snatched up her clothes and pulled them over her nakedness.

“Don’t you dare call me that!” She reached up with jerky hands to readjust her hair, which had come undone.

Struggling to make sense of his wife’s apparent anger, he asked, “Did I mistake your willingness?”

Persephone glared down at him. “No, only my readiness, you great big lout.”

Hades, though stung by the slur, knew he had somehow erred and sought to appease her. He raised his hand up to her, saying, “Do not be wroth with me, Wife, when we have just come together in tenderness.”

“Tenderness?” she sneered, avoiding his hand. “You deceive yourself if you take that rutting for tenderness. Or you seek to deceive me into thinking that tumble equal to some great, passionate love-making.” Her eyes blazed. “Well, it was neither great, nor passionate, and as for love-making…I was a fool to think you anything more than just another gluttonous god, incapable of loving anyone but himself.” She turned away and made to leave.

“Persephone!” he called reproachfully, distressed by her words and unsure of how to mend this rift between them. Then, with his customary air of command, “Return to me at once!” But she did not turn to him again and instead marched off.

Hades considered going after her but, wounded by her words, remained where he lay. He stared blindly at nothing in particular, a million thoughts racing through his head, until he heard a cheerful voice ask him, “Does the Lord of the Underworld take time away from his duties to sunbathe in the nude?”

Eros stood over him, grinning. The grin faltered and then disappeared when the God of Love caught sight of Hades’ expression. “What’s wrong?” Eros asked, more soberly.

Hades’ face set in grim lines, he reached for his own clothes and put them on. He then grasped the other god’s outstretched hand for balance as he rose to his feet. “I find myself in the unenviable position of having to admit that Zeus was right.”

“Er…” Eros said, “…was he?”

“Wives,” Hades said through clenched teeth, “are nothing but trouble.”

Eros scratched behind his ear thoughtfully before asking, “And…uh…how do things fare between you and my aunt?”

“They fared very well indeed until just a few moments ago.”

The God of Love followed Hades, who gathered up his belongings and commenced the walk back to his chariot. “Is there any way I may be of assistance?”

“Yes. I would be most grateful if you could explain to me the intimate workings of the feminine mind.”

Eros laughed. “Hah! Not even Apollo’s oracle could divine that!”

“I cannot make her out,” Hades said. “I try to accommodate her, when, really, I needn’t trouble myself so. This was
my
kingdom,
my
realm. The advantages should all be mine, but I find myself catering to her whims like a slave does his master’s. By my Grandfather’s castrated balls, it is
she
who should be wracking her brains, trying to determine how she might best please
me
, and not the other way around!”

“I take it that Kore is…displeased with you?”

“Evidently. You see, your aunt convinced me
not
to claim my marital rights, and instead allow for a sort of courtship period so that we might come to an accord. And I, stupidly stricken with guilt at how I’d obtained my bride, agreed. She has reduced me,
me
, the most dread god amongst Immortals, to a simpering, obsequious
ass
. And that, apparently, is still not good enough for her.”

“Am I correct in assuming that those rights you speak of were very recently…er…claimed?”

“They were.” Then, realizing he’d lapsed into uncustomary verbosity, Hades added, “I’ve no idea why I’m telling you all this.”

“Never mind that,” Eros said hastily, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Tell me, did Persephone indicate, whether by word or by deed, that she was amenable to…ahem…consummating the union?”

“Hurling Hecatonchires, did she
not
?” Hades came to an abrupt halt and Eros nearly bowled into him. “Any time we made physical contact, her breath quickened and her skin flushed with heat. Yesterday, though she responded to my kisses with abandon, she forestalled further pleasure until today. One moment we were clasped together in what I understood to be passion and the next she was hurling abuse at me and stalking off, grumbling something about my mistaking her readiness. By the Fates, how much more ready could she have been?”