Drunk. He was so gods-damned drunk and it took a lot for a god to get inebriated. If he wanted, he could will it away. That would not happen. Not tonight. Not after what he’d just done.   

Trembling fingers still ached from the heat of her immortal soul. He’d squeezed until he was sure it would burst, but it wouldn’t. Immortality made the soul impervious to mortal wounds. Only the body remained mortal. They popped into their pantheon’s afterlife, stayed for the briefest of moments to file paperwork, and then promptly sent back to fight another day. Champions were never meant to stay, not even Pandora. That’s how things were. How they were meant to stay. Even if he longed for it to be different.

It took two more swigs of the third bottle he’d opened to get his fingers to stop shaking. Another two for him to decide he needed a shower. Unwilling to dilute the Nectar, he placed it on the counter across from the shower. He wanted to keep an eye on it, as if it were a petulant child. 

Rivulets of scalding water ran over his head, down his body, and steam clouded the air until he felt suffocated. He sprawled himself on the tiled floor, propped against the wall, and disassociated himself. Time slipped before thoughts of the night returned.    

The feel of Pandora’s body against him.  

Nope. Couldn’t keep that thought.  

Their shared release.  

Also no.  

Shattering the locket…  

Fuck. It was a mistake to think.  

Her fading away…  

He slammed his head against the wall, wishing it would knock him out. It wouldn’t. It was just annoying. Still, his thoughts persisted.   

Persephone had been outside the bedroom door. A wicked pain rocked through him as his body tensed, and his mind seized that thought. It spiraled deafeningly through his head.    

Persephone had been here.  

She had seen Pandora.  

She knew about his woman.  

“I won’t say anything to anyone…” she said, her gold eyes widening in horror.  

No conscious thought went through him before he appeared in Persephone’s chambers, unannounced but thankfully dressed in another tailored suit. Darkness welcomed him, snapping him out of the momentary mania that consumed him.  Silence told him that she wasn’t here. 

Persephone was still in the Underworld; he felt her soul. He didn’t remember the last time she left the throne cavern. She stayed in her room, frequently visited his office to annoy him, and rarely entered his chambers. She wasn’t in any of those places now.  

Reaching out with his powers, he felt the tug of her soul across his realm. He didn’t  teleport there; he needed a clear mind before speaking with her. He walked, trying not to draw attention, but failing.   

“My lord,” Lamia hissed welcomingly through fangs too large for her slender face. She was tragically stunning.  Blinded by her own hands after being cursed by Hera to kill her children, most would consider her monstrous. Hades saw through the scarred sockets and snake-like features to her soul. Tainted, but still pure. Beautiful. “It is a pleasure.”   

“Lamia,” he said, stifling his sigh so she didn’t sense his unease. “Has a nuisance been through here?”   

“The Golden Princess?”  

“That’s the one.”  

“She was here about fifteen minutes ago, headed towards the residential caverns.” Her head swiveled in the direction Persephone had headed. If he didn’t know better, he might mistake her for having sight. “She didn’t speak, but I scented desperation on her.”   

“Thank you,” he said, placing a hand on her pallid forearm where her scales gave way to flesh. “Be well.”   

He entered the open garden of the residential area, ambient light glowing from soul lights. Nyx sat at a picnic table, one hand absently stroking one of Cerberus’s three puppy-sized heads while the other two fought for attention. Her other hand was propped under her chin, eyes locked on Hypnos’s door.  

Noticing Hades, Cerberus yipped and bounded over, shapeshifting to the size of a small horse. Massive paws slammed against his chest, forcing him to stumble. He caught himself quickly. Each head received deserved pets, given distractedly. Over the canine’s head, Nyx hadn’t turned her attention from the door. Cerberus, satisfied for now, resumed his spot beneath the picnic table. He’d shifted back to puppy size and snuggled against Nyx’s leg, three massive tongues lulling from mouths as she stroked his fur.   

“She’s in there, isn’t she?” he asked.

The goddess nodded, slowly turning her attention toward him. “You sent her away.” She didn’t need to explain who she was. “I sense turmoil in you, Hades. Now might not be the time to walk through that doorway. You might not like what you find.”  

“Persephone knows about her,” he said, his voice almost a plea.   

Shock twisted her motherly features, and a sudden burst of falling stars streaked across her skin. “Will she tell Zeus?”  

“I will do whatever is necessary to keep Pandora safe. You know that, right?”  

More starfall crossed her skin in flashes of pink and green and blue, and gold. She rarely lost control of her galaxies, but she could not rein in her emotions now. Whatever happened next involved her son, and that worried her. Hypnos had barely gotten back to his old self. He wanted to comfort her, to reassure her that Hypnos was free of the fallout, but he couldn’t promise that.     

“Don’t be cruel,” she called as he walked through the threshold to Hypnos’s chambers. He waved over his head in acknowledgement before shutting the door behind him.  

***  

Once the door closed, more silence greeted him. They were here. He felt them until he couldn’t. Like a rubber band snapping, their presence disappeared from his realm. Hypnos had taken Persephone to Slumber.  

Giving them a moment, Hades waited. He leisurely walked to Hypnos’s bedroom. Casually ran his fingers through wet paint. The streak would remain until Hypnos patched it. Stood before the swirling gateway. He watched the pomegranate seeds plink on the floor, each one a reminder of Persephone and the misery she brought.  

He stepped through the portal and caught Persephone’s golden hair disappearing into Hypnos’s dreamscape. Pasithea’s doorknob caught the light as the door began closing. He slipped in before it closed and hid his presence, a nifty trick Hypnos taught him.   

The woman he had desired for centuries. The only friend he had. Together. Persephone was in Hypnos’s arms, their lips sealed together in a kiss designed to scorch the earth.   

He should be ecstatic.  

If she fell for Hypnos, everything would be better. She’d keep his secret. Hypnos would find love again. They could do cheesy double date nights and be the cutest quadruplets.   

He wasn’t thinking rationally.  

And that was about to become their problem.   

“Don’t mind me,” he called, unmasking his presence. He feigned playfulness as he conjured a seat to settle onto. “I love a good show. Do we call this Lover’s Revenge?”  

The couple came apart as if  he’d set them on fire. Gods below, that sounded like a great idea. He  stayed his hand, letting the impulse simmer beneath the surface of his skin. Not gone, but not all-consuming.  

“Hades?” the pair spoke in unison.   

Wasn’t that fucking adorable?   

“The one and only.” Hades leaned back in his chair, draping one arm over the back as he crossed his legs, ankle to knee. “Did you know I have a reputation for my temper? There are scores of people who are downright horrified of me. Are you going to be the next to fear me?”   

“Where’s Pandora?” Hypnos asked, concern lacing his voice.  

“I swore I wouldn’t say anything!” Persephone squawked, hands flailing in front of her.  

They spoke over one another, voices melding together, grating his ears as his skin crawled. Lifting his hand, their voices cut off, silenced forcefully. He sparingly used his powers over other gods, never wanting to be like his brother. Sometimes he needed to remind people who he was. Feared God of the Underworld, known for a hot head and deadly power. It was the only way to make himself feel less helpless.  

“I sent her home,” he answered hollowly. “And the Golden Princess was just snooping around. I saw her leaving. I assume she came here to tell you.” He didn’t look at Persephone. Confronting her had to wait.  ”Are you conspiring against me?” 

Hypnos shook his head vigorously, clawing at the invisible vice that sealed his lips. It snapped away with a sickening pop, and Hypnos’s knees faltered. He hit the ground at Hades’ feet. Hades propped a foot against Hypnos’s shoulder, pushing him back without pushing him over.    

“If you must ask me that question, you never truly trusted me,” Hypnos snarled through clenched teeth, and the gumption brought a smirk to Hades’ face.   

“What would you have me think?” Hades leaned forward, placing his face close to Hypnos’s. “You loathed her two months ago. Now, you’re ready to fuck her while my world shatters?”   

“If I had known…” Hypnos’s voice trailed off as his eyes flicked to Persephone, who had moved to stand beside them. “I should have told you. I was going to.”   

Done listening to Hypnos, Hades removed Persephone’s gag. Excuses fell from her lips. “Whatever you think you saw is purely sexual. There is no love between us. I started it and coerced your pet into agreeing.”   

She could not lie; this he knew.  

His anger deflated, leaving him suddenly exhausted.   

She wasn’t done though.   

“I have hated you for so long that I forgot it was a lie,” she whispered as tears sprang to her eyes. “If my mother knew how much I love you…”  

“No!” Hades hollered, pushing away from her. The chair he’d been sitting on disappeared before it clattered to the ground. “Do not play these games with me! I shall not fall for them, even if they are the truth.”  

“You’re cruel,” she said, her voice still small.   

“Never to you, Persephone. I have never been cruel to you.” 

Still stumbling away from them, his back hit the door. It opened and he fell through, expelled from Hypnos’s dreamscape as horror rocked through him. Another wave of heartbreak followed. This time an old, festering wound that had putrefied. The smell of decay sharpened the sensation of his heart shattering. Over and over. Pandora was gone, and Persephone wasn’t. The Fates truly were ruthless.   

“Gods above, I didn’t realize the smell of your sorrow would be so delectable,” a familiar female voice said from behind the fountain, out of view. “You wouldn’t believe how many favors I had to call in for the chance to watch the mighty God of the Underworld crumble.”   

A shower of Slumber Sand rained down on him before he saw her face. It didn’t matter how powerful he was; Slumber Sand was more potent. He spiraled into darkness as the female laughed. The sound echoed through the onset of nightmares and demons. 

Editor: Lucy Cafiero