A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone #1)(43)

She decided she would explore his palace in his absence. She had only seen a few rooms—Hades’ office, bedchamber, and the throne room. She was curious about the rest, and it was well within her rights to explore. If Hades got mad, she could argue that, judging by the state of her garden, it would be her home in six months anyway.

As she investigated, she noted Hades’ attention to detail. There were gold accents, and various textures—fur rugs and velvet chairs. It was a luxurious palace, and she admired the beauty of it, just as she admired the beauty of Hades. She tried to argue with herself—it was in her nature to admire beauty. It didn't mean anything to think the God of the Dead and his palace were extraordinary. He was a god, after all.

Her exploration of the palace ended when she found the library.

It was magnificent. She had never seen anything like it—shelves and shelves of books with gorgeous, thick spines and gold embossing. The room itself was well furnished. A large hearth took up the far wall, flanked by dark shelves. These weren’t full of books, but ancient clay vases inked with images of Hades and the Underworld. She could imagine settling into one of the cozy chairs, curling her toes into the soft rug and reading.

This would be one of her favorite places, Persephone decided, if she lived here.

But she should not be thinking about living in the Underworld at all. Maybe, after all of this was over, Hades would extend his favor to the use of her library.

Then, she wondered idly, if there was a kiss for that.

She wandered down the stacks, brushing her fingers along the spines. She managed to pull a few history books and then searched for a table so she could look through them. She had thought she located one when she found what looked like a round table, but as she went to place the books on it, she discovered it was actually a basin full of dark water, similar to that of the Styx.

She sat the books on the floor to get a better look at the basin. As she stared, a map appeared before her. She could see the river Styx and the Lethe, Hades’ palace and gardens. Though the map appeared to sit in the black water, glorious color as vibrant as Hades’ gardens soon bled across the landscape. She found it funny that the God of the Dead, who wore so much black, took such pleasure in color.

“Hmm,” Persephone was sure this map was missing vital parts of the Underworld—like Elysium, and Tartarus.

“Strange,” she whispered, reaching into the basin.

“Curiosity is a dangerous quality, my lady.”

She gasped, and turned to find Hades behind her. Her heart beat hard in her chest.

“I’m more than aware,” she snapped. The mark on her wrist had taught her that. “And don’t call me my lady.”

Hades watched her, and when he didn’t say anything, Persephone spoke. “This map of your world is not complete.”

Hades glanced at the water. “What do you see?”

“Your palace, Asphodel,” she said. “The River Styx and the Lethe...that’s it.” All places she’d been before. “Where is Elysium? Tartarus?”

The corners of Hades mouth quirked. “The map will reveal them when you’ve earned the right to know.”

“What do you mean earned?”

“Only those I trust most may view this map in its entirety.”

She straightened. “Who can see the whole map?” He just smirked, so she demanded, “Can Minthe see the whole thing?”

His eyes narrowed and he asked, “Would that bother you, Lady Persephone?”

“No,” she lied.

His eyes hardened and his lips thinned. He turned then, and disappeared into the stacks. She hurried to pick up the books she pulled from the shelf and followed after him.

“Why did you revoke my favor?” she demanded.

“To teach you a lesson,” he replied.

“To not bring mortals into your realm?”

“To not leave when you are angry with me,” he said.

“Excuse me?” she halted, and sat the books on a nearby shelf. She hadn’t expected that reply. Hades stopped, too, and faced her. They were standing in the narrow stacks, and the smell of dust floated in the air around them.

“You strike me as someone who has a lot of emotions and has never quite been taught how to deal with it all, but I can assure you, running away is not the solution.”

“I had nothing more to say to you.”

“It’s not about words,” he said. “I’d rather help you understand my motivations than have you spy on me.”

“It was not my intention to spy,” she said. “Hermes—”

“I know it was Hermes who pulled you into that mirror,” he said. “I do not wish for you leave and be angry with me.”

She should have taken his comment as an endearing, but she couldn’t stop herself from sounding disgusted when she asked, “Why?”

It really wasn’t disgust, it was confusion. Hades was a god, what care did he have about what she thought of him?

“Because,” he said, and then thought for a moment. “It is important to me. I would rather explore your anger. I would hear your advice. I wish to understand your perspective.”

She started to open her mouth and ask why again, when he answered, “Because you have lived among mortals. You understand them better than I. Because you are compassionate.”