A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(31)

The nymph pressed her lips together tightly. “Hades kicked me out and fired me last night.”

Persephone just stared.

“I know I don’t deserve your kindness, but please. I have nowhere to go.”

Persephone shook her head. “What exactly are you asking of me?”

“Can’t you…talk to him…for me?” She seemed to struggle saying those words.

“Why aren’t you talking to him?”

“You don’t think I tried? He told me I had to go. He wasn’t going to risk losing you.”

“If he really meant that, he would apologize,” she muttered under her breath.

“Look, I know you don’t want to hear this but...Hades is an idiot. He’s probably thinking you want space and the more he gives you the better.”

“You’re just saying that because you want me to ask him for your job back.”

“And my home,” she said shamelessly.

Persephone lifted a brow. “Didn’t you call it a shithole last night?”

“It is a shithole, but it was my shithole and it had a bed,” she said. “Which was far better than the park bench I found last night.”

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, she thought.

The two stared at each other for a long moment before Persephone asked, “Why I should help you? You weren’t even thankful for what Hades gave you.”

Plus, you cheated on him.

“Because I’m an idiot, too. I guess I thought I had more...leverage. Turns out, I have nothing. I don’t even understand this world. I barely made it here because crossing your streets are almost impossible,” she paused, and looked away, and when she spoke again, her voice quivered. “Imagine waking up in a world that doesn’t even resemble the one you left. It’s...frightening. It’s...the worst punishment.”

Leuce’s shoulders fell and Persephone suddenly realized she could relate to her more than she had wanted to admit. She’d been in a similar situation four years ago. She sighed and checked her watch. She couldn’t believe what she was about to say.

“Look, I have a few more hours of work left. You can hang out in the lounge until I’m off. I can’t...promise I’ll talk to Hades today, but...eventually. Until then...you can stay with me.”

Leuce’s eyes widened. “A-are you sure?”

“You’ll have to sleep on the couch,” she said. “But...yeah.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Persephone.”

The goddess stiffened as the nymph threw her arms around her. After a moment, she pulled away.

“You won’t regret this, I promise.”

She sure hoped not.

Persephone didn’t return to working on the exclusive. Instead, she continued to research Apollo. At the end of the day, she copied everything she found into a word document and emailed it to herself before gathering her things and retrieving Leuce from the lounge. Together, they left the Acropolis through the front, braving the waiting crowd to find Antoni waiting outside Hades’ black Lexus. He opened the door as they approached, smiling.

“My lady,” he said.

Antoni’s eye become menacing as his gaze fell upon her Leuce.

“What’s she doing with you?”

Persephone’s brows rose and she looked from the cyclops to the nymph. “You know Leuce?”

“Yes,” he hissed. “Once a traitor always a traitor.”

Leuce rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“It’s alright, Antoni,” Persephone interrupted. “I’m helping her.”

The cyclops pressed his lips tight and said nothing as the two women slid into the backseat. Once the door was shut, Leuce looked at Persephone.

“Does that crowd wait for you every day?”

“Yes.”

“All because of Hades?”

“Yes.”

The nymph looked out the window. “That’s insane.”

“It is insane,” Persephone agreed. “I hate it.”

“When I was...alive,” Leuce said. “In ancient times, the gods were feared and revered. Their worshippers were serious about honoring their gods. It wasn’t...this...false obsession.”

Persephone grimaced. “Welcome to the modern world.”

Antoni dropped them off at Persephone’s apartment. Before he left, the cyclops took Persephone aside, “I’ll have to tell him Leuce is with you. He will want to know.”

She shrugged. “Tell him.”

Antoni frowned. “You’ll talk to him soon, won’t you, my lady?”

Persephone was surprised by his question. She wondered how much Antoni knew about her fight with Hades.

Her frown matched his. “I don’t know,” she said. “Probably. Right now, I am angry.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, my lady.”

She didn’t say anything, and turned to lead Leuce into the apartment, finding Sybil at the kitchen bar. She drew her forearm across her nose and started wiping at her face as soon as they entered.

“Sybil, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

But it was obvious she was lying. Her voice was thick, and her eyes were red. Persephone peered over her shoulder to find a rejection email for a job.