Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2)(48)

Oh, he had tried - centuries ago. His stomach stil tightened when he thought of his one brief mortal lover, Minthe. He had come upon the maiden during one of his rare visits to the World of the Living. She had been gathering flowers for her first fertility ritual and his appearance had seemed an answer to her prayers. He had made her his, there in that fragrant meadow, and there he had visited her often until she vowed that she loved him and that she would leave her home and cleave only to him.

Looking back, he was amazed by his own naivete. He stil shrank away from the memory of her hysterics when he had final y revealed himself to her as Lord of the Dead. In his mind he could see it al happening again. Minthe's blind flight from him as she hurled herself over the cliff, and how he had snatched her from the air before she could end her own life.

Instead of condemning her to an eternity of lamentation within his realm, Hades had cal ed forth his immortal power and changed her form into the sweet scented, ever-growing herb that retained her delicate beauty, as well as her name.

Unlike mortal women, goddesses did not fear him, but they also did not understand him. They scorned him, thinking him somber and stern because he ruled the Underworld. Until Persephone, no goddess had ever bothered to visit his realm. He scoffed. Truly, he had never had any desire to offer an invitation. Goddesses had no real loyalty, no real ability to love. Look at Athena, she even betrayed her precious Odysseus by al owing him to be led astray for twenty years before returning home to his faithful wife.

It had been easy to convince himself that there was no mate for him. Mortal women must die to reign forever beside him, so they feared him and shrank from his love. Goddesses were immortal; therefore, they could never truly belong to him.

He had been content to rule his realm and live surrounded by the beauty of the Elysian Fields and the wonders of his palace.

But no longer.

Hades' lips twisted in self-mockery. The God of the Dead desired the Goddess of Spring. Even within his head it sounded impossible.

Then he remembered the Goddess's bril iant smile and the childlike wonder with which she responded to his realm. Yet she consistently displayed a maturity that belied her youthful appearance. She was different from the other goddesses - that she had proven. But was she different enough to love him?

How to woo Persephone? He paced back and forth across the black path while he considered. Then a sudden idea halted him. His smile was fierce with victory. Hades brought his fingers to his lips. His whistle pierced the blackness, traveling with mystical speed al the way back to his palace.

Chapter 15

" In other words, there is no magic wand, or whatever, that you can wave over me that wil guarantee that I make the right decisions. Even if it means my mistakes might cause others a lot of misery." Lina knew she sounded exasperated. What was the use of being a goddess if she was stil fal ible?

Demeter's expression was kind. "Wisdom does not come with immortality, Daughter." The Goddess emphasized the word to reinforce to Lina the role she must play. "It comes with experience. And you have had many years of excel ent experience in your life. Listen to your intuition. Use your mind. Believe in yourself. If you do make a mistake, learn from it." The glass began fil ing with murky wisps of cloud-like tendrils, obscuring the Goddess's face. "Return to Hades with my blessings, Daughter." Her voice faded and her image disappeared. Lina sighed. Basical y, she was on her own.

"I hope Persephone's having an easier time at Pani Del Goddess," Lina grumbled. The instant she spoke, the vapor within the glass bal began to swirl again. Then, as Lina watched in amazement, the cloudiness cleared to reveal a scene that caused her stomach to tighten with an unexpected wave of homesickness.

Lina bent closer to the oracle, total y engrossed in what she was seeing. Pani Del Goddess was definitely having a good day. The little bakery was fil ed with customers. Actual y, Lina blinked in surprise, it was packed. She peered though the magical orb, counting the familiar faces and realizing that they were in the minority. She didn't recognize most of the customers.

They certainly looked happy. There was a lot of talking and laughing going on along with - Lina blinked again, then her face broke into a pleased smile - they were eating what she was sure she recognized as Pizza alia Romana, the pizza that had summoned Demeter. There were also several new signs placed along the wal behind the pastry cases. In bold script one read PIZZA DEL GIORNO  -  Pizza of the Day - QUATTRO STAGIONI -  Four Seasons, with al your favorites: tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, olives, three cheeses and prosciutto. Another proclaimed the vino del giorno -  wine of the day - PEPPOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO RESERVA. It was the third sign that confused Lina. Al it said was TUBS OF AMBROSIA CREAM CHEESE LIMITED TO

THREE PER CUSTOMER.

Ambrosia cream cheese? What was that?

Then Lina gasped and felt her face flush hot as she watched herself saunter through the swinging doors from the kitchen and enter the bakery. Lina shook her head back and forth, back and forth, back and forth in a repeated motion of denial.

What had Persephone done to her? She wasn't wearing one of her well -tailored business suits. She had on a little silk wraparound skirt that was bright fuchsia and a flowy short sleeved shel the color of honeydew melons. The skirt was short. Very short. And fuchsia! She didn't even own anything fuchsia! The shel veed dangerously low to expose Lina's deep cle**age. Openmouthed, Lina stared at her own body. The long length of leg that the skirt revealed was tanned, as was the rest of her body - which, in her opinion, Lina could see entirely too much of. And she had lost weight.