Orion's fluid strides covered the distance from the entrance to the Underworld to Hades' palace in what seemed like minutes. Even the ferry ride was faster and easier with the big horse beside her. As the palace came into view Orion slowed his pace to a gentle canter. Without having to be guided, the stal ion carried her around the side of the palace and directly to the stables. A uniformed stableman jumped to attention at their appearance, catching Orion's bridle and holding him steady while Lina dismounted.
"Thank you," she whispered to the stal ion, kissing his silky muzzle. Orion nuzzled her affectionately. "It was a wonderful ride." Before she gave a final pat to his sleek neck, Lina reached up and pulled the narcissus from his bridle. She hesitated just a second, then tucked it behind her right ear before she turned to the stableman. "Do you know where Hades is?"
"Yes, Goddess. He is at the forge. You may fol ow that pathway. It wil take you to Hades." Lina smiled her thanks to him and started down the path. She knew Eurydice would be waiting inside with her meal, and she was hungry, but first she wanted to thank Hades for sending Orion to her. She thought that she also might ask him if he would mind if she rode the horse occasional y. The stal ion was definitely a horse-lovers dream come true.
The path curled around the stables. It was lined with a hedge of roses the color of cream. She took deep, even breaths, enjoying their fragrance as it mixed with the tangy sweetness of the narcissus behind her ear. The little path angled to her left, and Lina could see that it led toward a smal building that sat a little way from the main stable. From it a rhythmic clanging drifted to her on the wind. It was metal pounding on metal, proclaiming that she was heading in the right direction. The door to the building was slightly ajar, just enough so that Lina could slip silently into the dimly lighted interior. She blinked, trying to adjust her vision from the brightness of outside. She heard a strange whooshing noise, which was fol owed by more clanking. In the far corner of the building flames from an enormous, openmouthed furnace flared, licking the air and adding sudden bursts of light to the darkness.
A man stood before the furnace, magnificently silhouetted against the orange fire. His back was to Lina. He was almost naked, covered only by a loincloth-like wrap that fit snugly around his hard buttocks. With long, powerful strokes he hammered a flat metal object held firmly in place by an ancient looking pair of tongs. With each fluid movement his muscles tensed and released. His body was slick with a glossy sheen of sweat, highlighting the strong ridges of his wel -shaped form. His hair was tied back in a thick, dark queue.
Lina felt a jolt of recognition. It was Hades. Of course she'd already thought of him as handsome, and she had definitely been attracted to him... but... but... merda! She'd had no idea just how scrumptious he was. Until then he had always been so... fully dressed. Her mouth felt dry. He was so... so... not dressed. And muscular. And absolutely the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Apol o had been almost as scantily clad, but seeing Hades nearly naked was different. The God of Light was handsome, but his beauty was a tame kitten compared to Hades' wild and feral masculinity. Seeing him so gloriously sweaty and under-clothed cal ed awake fantasies within Lina that she thought she had permanently put to sleep.
Fantasies... charmed like a cobra, Lina stared at the God. Fantasies... she felt an ache deep within her body. It had been so long. Her thoughts flew free. If only Hades would stroke her with the same intensity with which he was working metal against metal. He looked so incredibly powerful. Lina shivered and imagined hot, sweaty flesh against hot, sweaty flesh. If only...
When she was younger Lina had dreamed about being passionate and unrestrained in bed; she had longed for it. Instead of finding a partner who matched her desires, she had married a man who thought quantity in bed equated to quality. So they "did it" a lot, quickly, and with boring regularity. Her husband didn't have the imagination or the inclination to experiment with passion. At some point in her marriage Lina's fantasies had died in a bed of boredom, and by that time she had hardly noticed their passing. Of course she had had lovers before and after her husband, not many - but enough. Long ago she had resigned herself to the fact that she seemed only to attract men who were more cerebral than sensuous. Her love life had been a bust. So it was with unexpected intensity that Hades' body resurrected her youthful fantasies. Not realizing he was being watched, Hades wiped his dripping face with the back of one hand and straightened, stretching his back to first flex and then release his massive shoulders. A little aching sound slipped from Lina's throat.
His head snapped around, and he saw her. She was standing near the doorway with a peculiar look on her beautiful face. Pleasure flushed his already heated body; she was wearing his narcissus in her hair.
Lina licked her lips and cleared her throat. "Um, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"You haven't." He set aside the tongs and wiped his hands on a piece of cloth. Her voice sounded odd, like she was having trouble breathing. Perhaps the return ride from the World of the Living had taxed her strength. Concerned and wishing to put her at ease, he made a welcoming gesture with his hand. "Please, come in."
Lina walked toward him, trying to keep from staring at his chest. His bronzed skin was slick and inviting. Muscles... she wanted to moan with pleasure and run her hands up and down his sweaty torso. Act your age! she mental y scolded herself.
"I wanted to thank you for sending Orion after me."
She seemed breathless and maybe even a little jittery, which he found strange. What was bothering the Goddess? "He was happy to be of service to you." Lina's hormones shouted that they wished Hades would service her, but her voice was better behaved. "If you wouldn't mind, I would love to ride Orion again."
"I would not mind." Hades hesitated. Keep talking, don't stand there like a mute fool, his mind commanded. "I am quite sure that Orion would be pleased. Of course, there are three other steeds who wil be clamoring jealously for your attention, too," he said, wiping the back of his hand across his brow again.
His movement caused a single bead of sweat to slide from his neck. Lina watched as it traveled with agonizing slowness down his chest and over the wel -defined ridges of his abdomen to disappear enticingly under his loincloth.
Her mind refused to formulate a response. Al she could do was stand there, speechless, and stare at the damp path the drop left on his glistening skin, wishing with X-rated intensity that she could fol ow it with her tongue.
"Persephone? I only meant to jest with you. Of course you may ride Orion," Hades assured her. Why was she not speaking? It was certainly not like her to be silent.
"Th-thank you." Lina's eyes snapped up to his face. "I'm sorry. I guess my thoughts are elsewhere." Hades nodded with sudden understanding. "Of course, it has been a difficult day." He looked down at her sheepishly. "I asked Iapis to report to me if Aeneas had entered Elysia."
"Real y?" Hades' words pul ed her interest from his body. "And what did he say?"
"I appear to owe you a crystal chandelier. The warrior's soul is, indeed, resting in the Elysian Fields. And, just as you predicted, he has only recently entered the Underworld." Concern wrinkled her smooth brow. "What are you going to do about Dido?" The God sighed and wiped another trail of sweat from his cheek. "I wil not rescind my decision. I suppose I must have Iapis keep watch on her and..." he broke off. The Goddess's instincts about Dido had been correct. Why not get her input? He gave her an appraising look. "What would you suggest I do, Persephone?"
Lina felt a little flutter of pleasure; Hades valued her opinion. "Wel , I don't think it's wise to leave them in Elysia together. Dido wil never get over him like that." Absently, she tugged at one long lock of hair as she considered what to do with the spirit. "I'm assuming that you don't want to send Aeneas out of Elysia?"
"No. The warrior has earned his paradise."
"And you already said you won't send her back to that lamentation place, so I think the only reasonable answer is to let her drink from," she hesitated, making sure she had the right name,
"the River Lethe. You said that when they drink from Lethe, souls forget their lives, but remain essential y the same type of people. So send her back for another lifetime. Maybe she real y did learn something during her lamentation, something that Aeneas' presence would overshadow, but without any memory of him - " Lina gestured abstractly with her hands. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe she'l do better the second time around."
Hades' smile made his eyes dance. He wanted to throw his arms around her and shout for joy.
"Persephone, how is it that a goddess who is so young is also so wise?" Lina's heart thudded at the warmth of his expression. "You shouldn't judge me by how I look. There's a lot more to me than just a pretty young face."
Hades couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching that lovely face. "You are correct again. Of al the gods, I should know better than to judge others on appearance and rumor." His fingers were hot and Lina wanted to turn her face into his palm and press herself against him.
"I'm far from perfect," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper. "I made a mistake in my decision about Eurydice."
"But you were wise enough to correct your mistake. You saved the little spirit. Al is as it should be now." As he spoke, his hand moved from her face to touch the moonlight-colored bloom she had tucked behind her ear. Hades glanced from her eyes to the flower. "I hoped that you would approve of Orion's decoration."
Lina sounded out of breath when she answered him. "He looked very handsome with it tucked in his bridle; it's a beautiful flower."
Speak your thoughts aloud! Hades' mind spurred him on. He drew a breath and said, "It is, indeed, a beautiful flower, but it pales in comparison to your loveliness, Persephone." Almost as if it acted on its own, his hand moved from the blossom to trail down the side of her throat, caressing her smooth skin with gentle fingers.
The Goddess's breath caught and a little surprised "oh!" sound broke from her lips. Instantly, Hades stopped, his hand hovering near the curve of her neck. His eyes met hers.
"Would you rather that I did not touch you?" His voice sounded rough and foreign. Persephone blinked twice - quickly.
Hades tightened his jaw and turned away from her. What a fool he'd been! He had read the look in her eyes. He had not seen desire or acceptance there; instead, he had clearly seen shock and confusion.
"Wait!"
Hades took another deep breath, steeling himself. He turned to face her.
"It's not that I don't want you to touch me. I'm just... it's just..." Lina forced herself to stop babbling. Then she started over in a more control ed, rational tone. "Demeter told me that you weren't interested in women, and it's a wel known fact that you don't cavort with nymphs or chase after goddesses, so it's a surprise to me that you're so... so..." She sighed, frustrated at her inability to explain. "Hades, you are definitely not the boring, dour God that Demeter had described to me."
Hades' body became very stil . His eyes met hers and held and she read good-humored surprise reflected within their expressive depths.
"The rumor was correct," he said slowly and distinctly, his lips curving up. "I did not cavort with nymphs or chase after goddesses because I had met none who interested me."
"Oh," Lina said, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. Sexy - he was just so damn dark and sexy.
"Until you entered my realm," Hades said with finality.
He stepped forward, and in one swift motion, took her in his arms. Lina felt herself melt into the simmering heat of his sweat-slickened body as he bent and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips parted and for one delicious moment the kiss deepened. Then, too soon, he released her. She felt dizzy, like she had been underwater for too long and couldn't catch her breath.
"There is more to me than appearance and rumor." Hades echoed her earlier words.
"I believe you."
Hades bent to taste her sweetness again. Lina moaned huskily against his mouth and the sound inflamed him. The ful globes of her breasts burned into his chest. He felt his wil power begin to dissolve as his passion for her consumed him.
The shudder that passed through his body became her own, and Lina slid her hands up his bare chest and wrapped them around his neck.
"Don't stop," she whispered. She took his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down teasingly. With a groan of unleashed desire, Hades cupped her buttocks and lifted her from her feet so that her softness was pressed firmly against him. In two strides he had her pinned against the wal of the forge. One hand slipped up to entrap her breast. The sweet, enticing nipple puckered against his palm and he molded and stroked it. Beneath his other searching hand he found an opening in her silky robe and his hot fingers grasped her naked skin. His pulse thundered in his ears as his world narrowed to exclude everything except his raging need for her.
Caught between the hard coolness of the stone wal and the hard heat of Hades, Lina felt that she was being consumed by him,
Eurydice burst into the forge like a Fourth of July sparkler.
"Persephone! There you are! Oh - " She broke off, her eyes widening as she took in the rumpled, flushed condition of her Goddess and the dark intensity with which Hades had her pressed against the wal .
" What is it!" Hades roared, causing the floor of the forge to shake in response.
"Forgive me!" Eurydice's pale face blanched, and she backed fearfully toward the door. Fighting to catch her breath, Lina pushed firmly against Hades' chest. The God stared down at her. His eyes stil burned with need.
"You're scaring Eurydice," she hissed, and, Lina added silently, he was scaring her, too. She had never witnessed the raw power of a God's desire. It definitely had the ability to excite, but it was also overwhelming.
Slowly, through the fog of his passion Hades recognized the fear that flashed through Persephone's eyes. By Zeus' beard! He didn't want her to fear him. Hades blinked, and with a sigh like a storm wind, he moved back, setting her gently to her feet as he suppressed the hot tide within him.
"The spirit may not yet depart," Hades snapped the command and the door to the forge closed before Eurydice could scuttle through it.
The little spirit turned slowly to face the God. Her voice trembled. "It was foolish of me to interrupt. Please forgive me, I... I... did not realize."
Lina thought that Eurydice looked like she was close to dissolving into tears. "Don't be sil y, honey, there's nothing to forgive." She smoothed her hair and tried to ignore the heat that stil tingled up from her breasts, through her neck, and into her cheeks. "I was just thanking Hades for sending Orion after me."
Beside her, Hades snorted, "I'l have to send the stal ion after you more often." Lina's gaze met Hades', which sparkled with a mischievous sense of humor, and something else, something that she thought might be tenderness. He brushed the side of her cheek with the tips of his fingers before reluctantly turning his attention to Eurydice.
"Calm yourself, child," Hades said.
Eurydice gave the God a dubious look.
He smiled reassuringly at Eurydice, his voice full of fatherly concern. "Why is it you were searching for your Goddess?"
Eurydice looked from Hades to Persephone, who nodded encouragingly at her. The little spirit's expression began to relax and she smiled tentatively back at the dark God. "Iapis asked me to find Persephone. The Limoniades are cal ing for her."
"Are they indeed?" Although he hated the interruption, he couldn't help but be pleased that the spirits in his realm were not simply accepting the Goddess, they were actively seeking her out. Eurydice nodded enthusiastical y, "Iapis said they would not begin the gathering until the Goddess joined them."
Lina looked from Hades to Eurydice while she quickly accessed Persephone's memories. Limoniades - nymph-like spirits of meadows and flowers. So the spirits of flowers were cal ing her for a gathering, and Hades and Eurydice looked pleased about it. Lina tried to appear as if she knew what they were talking about. Gathering? What could they be gathering? She frantical y asked her built-in memory file.
"It is only logical that they would desire the presence of the Goddess of Spring," Hades said. In Olympus, forest nymphs are responsible for the gathering of many things: herbs for potions, grapes for wine, flowers to bedeck the palaces of the immortals -
Her internal monologue was interrupted by Hades' voice.
"It is, of course, Persephone's decision," Hades said, obviously surprised at her hesitation.
"Wel , I..." "Oh, please, may I watch?" Eurydice rushed forward and grasped her hand. "I have never witnessed the gathering of nectar for ambrosia. Nor have I even seen a nymph, not in the flesh or in the spirit." Eurydice beamed at her.
Lina smiled at Eurydice's infectious exuberance. "Of course you may watch." She felt a trickle of relief. Gathering nectar for ambrosia couldn't be that difficult. She'd just fol ow the lead of the Lemonade-whatever-their-names-were nymphs.
"Thank you, Persephone!" Eurydice danced to the door.
"May I watch, too?"
Lina looked up at Hades, surprised by his question. He was, after al , God of the Underworld. He had the power to command anyone within his realm; he certainly didn't have to ask her permission. Yet there he stood, doing just that. A little half smile played around his full lips. Sweat stil beaded his bare skin, making the bronze muscles of his chest look erotic and exquisitely touchable. Lina felt a tug deep within her, an elemental response to the virile beauty of the dark God.
"No, I don't mind," she said breathlessly.
"Good. It pleases me to watch you," Hades said. Then he repeated his earlier gesture by gently touching the blossom tucked behind her ear. When he withdrew his hand, he al owed his fingers to brush the side of her face in the whisper of a caress. The Goddess stil shivered under his touch, but this time Hades saw only the reflection of his own desire within her eyes.
"Hurry, Persephone!" Eurydice cal ed from the doorway without looking back at her Goddess. "I can't wait to see the Limoniades."
Hades sighed again, quel ing the frustration he felt at having to share Persephone. But would he real y have it any other way? No, he wanted the Goddess to be accepted within his realm, and with that acceptance went the responsibility of sharing her attention. Reluctantly, he moved from her side to reach for a length of dark material that hung from the wal behind him, which he wrapped, toga-like, across his body.
"I'm coming," Lina said, hurrying to catch Eurydice as she scampered through the door and along the pathway. Hades strode beside her, and Lina felt his presence like he was a live wire, humming in time to her own electricity. She was energized by his closeness and by the lingering thril of his touch. How long had it been since a man had made her feel breathless and excited? Too long, she told herself, ignoring the little voice of reason that counseled her to think about what she was rushing into, that reminded her that she was only there to complete a job and that she didn't know anything about immortals, or the Limoniades, or nectar, or...
The path turned abruptly around the corner of the stable and then it opened onto the expanse of the palace's rear gardens. Lina stumbled to a halt, drawing a deep, surprised breath. Shapes made of incandescent light fil ed the first tier of the trel ised lawn. As Lina came into sight, the glowing forms trembled, and then with a noise that sounded very much like the coo of doves, they surged forward until they surrounded Lina, Eurydice and Hades. Lina stared at them in wonder. Naked women! Her mind registered that the lights hovering and cooing around her were fashioned in the shapes of hundreds of naked women. They were tiny and delicate, the tops of their bright heads barely reached Lina's shoulder, but each one was unique and beautiful in her own right - like flakes of snow, or petals on a flower. And sprouting from the back of each spirit was a pair of sparkling, gossamer wings that looked as fine as mist.
Eurydice giggled. "Why are none of them dressed?"
The echo of Eurydice's youthful laughter rippled through the Limoniades like water over a pebbled brook.
"Look closer, child," Hades' deep voice answered Eurydice. "They are dressed in light and laughter and the bril iance of their souls. It is the only dressing spirits of flowers and meadows require."
"I think they're perfect," Lina said.
The sound of the Goddess's voice sent a wave of excitement through the group, and several of the spirits twirled and leapt in glee.
"Join us, Goddess of Spring. Bless the gathering of nectar, which wil become the ambrosia of the Underworld."
They spoke with one melodic voice that was magnified magical y on the soft breeze.
"Come with us, Persephone. The flowers await the Goddess of Spring." Their voices were enchanting. Instinctively, Lina's body responded. She stepped away from Eurydice and Hades, joining the Limoniades. Musical notes and the whir of hundreds of wings engulfed her. On feet that felt like air, Lina moved with the spirits out into the flower-fil ed grounds.
The Limoniades began humming. It was a sound that thrummed through Lina's blood, reminding her of the feel of warm summer nights, the smel of newly cut hay and the taste of fine dark chocolate. Entranced, she watched the glowing forms separate and descend upon the listening blossoms. Wings blurring, they hovered above the ground like elusive hummingbirds, and then, as one they dipped their fingers within the open blooms.
Lina watched the nymph spirits draw beads of golden drops from the flowers. Hades was forgotten. Eurydice left her mind. The only thought that fil ed her body was how very much she would like to join the Limoniades.
"Yes! Cal the nectar to you. Take your rightful place as Goddess of Spring amidst the Limoniades." The whisper within Lina's mind sounded restless and impatient. It was the final goad she needed. Her heart drumming in time with the song of the Limoniades, Lina approached a cluster of milkcolored tulips. Their stems were long and thick and their blooms opened to expose the crisp yel ow of their pistils.
She needed to cal the nectar to her. Lina squinted her eyes, dipped her finger into one of the tulips and concentrated. The first blob of golden liquid spurted from the bloom with such force that Lina yelped in surprise as it flew into her hand and disintegrated into a sticky mess. The deep base of Hades' chuckles framed the light, tril ing sound of laughter that trickled through the watching Limoniades. Lina glanced over her shoulder at the God. His eyes sparkled at her. She tossed her long hair back and sent him a saucy look. Then, a thought drifted through her mind. She felt alive and sexy and incredibly, amazingly seductive. With a wicked smile Lina caught Hades'
gaze. She arched one brow up, raised her hand and let her soft, pink tongue slowly lick a trickle of the sweet, syrupy nectar from her middle finger. The Limoniades responded with appreciative coos and tril s as Hades froze, slack jawed and speechless.
" Gently, Goddess, gently," the Limoniades purred. " The nectar already desires to come to you. You need only coax it, not command it. It is not a god ..."
Without looking at Hades' reaction to the nymphs' words, Lina stifled a smile and turned back to the cluster of tulips. She tickled another blossom with the tip on one slender finger and sent the gentle thought to it that she might Like the nectar to come to her, please. A pearl of gold drifted from the center of the flower to perch on the tip of her extended finger. Lina smiled triumphantly at it.
"The gathering, Goddess. Join the gathering."
Stil smiling, Lina gazed around her. Each spirit nymph was creating a pile of glowing golden drops beside her as she flitted from flower to flower, cal ing the nectar forth. Okay, Lina thought. She could do that. And she began weaving her own pile. Without stopping to think or understand or question, Lina used Persephone's perfect voice to harmonize with the spirits of the flowers, and when she joined the Limoniades in their song, Hades' garden seemed to inhale with a tangible sense of joy and then erupt into glorious full bloom. Every flower opened itself. Every blossom dripped golden drops of nectar, aching to be harvested. Amidst it al , Lina shined.
Hades couldn't take his eyes from her. In his entire existence he had never desired anything as much as he desired Persephone. He was becoming consumed by her, and the thought made his immortal soul shiver.
What would happen when she left? She would, he reminded himself. She was the Goddess of Spring. She belonged to the world above. He was the dark God of the Underworld, scorned by everything living.
Everything except Persephone. But for how long?
The ache within him pulsed and took on a life of its own, and the God gave name to it, final y understanding what it was that caused him such elusive, unending pain - what it was that Persephone had awakened along with hope.
Loneliness.
Hades clenched his jaw against his inner turmoil and turned blindly away from the sight of the lovely young Goddess frolicking joyously amidst the spirits of his realm. He ran right into Eurydice. Hades stifled his groan of frustration as he caught the little spirit and kept her from tumbling to the ground. He forced his stiff face into the semblance of a smile. "I was not looking, child." He changed his path of retreat, but Eurydice's voice gave him pause.
"But, you aren't leaving? What shal I tel Persephone?" she asked in her sweet, shy voice.
"Tel her," he ground his teeth, "that I had the business of my realm to attend." Eurydice's eyes were large and round and they seemed to reach into his soul. Her disappointment was obvious, as was her concern for her Goddess. The God raked a hand through his hair. "And tel your Goddess that I wish her to ride with me on the morrow."
Eurydice's face lit in a smile. "Persephone wil enjoy that very much." Wil she enjoy it enough to stay with me? the God wanted to rant and rage and roar. Instead he pulled the familiar mantle of sternness over his features and made certain that when he spoke his voice was free of his seething emotions.
"I wil send Iapis to escort her to the stables after daybreak."
"Yes, Lord."
Hades strode away, muttering under his breath about goddesses and young girls. As soon as he was out of sight, Iapis materialized beside Eurydice. She glanced at the daimon, her look betraying no surprise at his sudden appearance.
"How goes it?" Iapis asked her.
"I am pleased," Eurydice said, sounding wise beyond her years.
"Do you think he took my advice and thought of her as one of the dead?"
"Not for long," Eurydice said enigmatical y, remembering her Goddess's flushed face and the heat with which Hades' eyes fol owed her. "Not for long..."
The daimon smiled and took the little spirit's hand in his. Raising it to his lips, he kissed her gently. Eurydice's pale cheeks pinkened slightly, but her large eyes gazed steadily at him. She returned his smile.