Hades (The Underworld Saga)

15. Drevi

G ulping, I almost throw up when I spot Hades with Brittany. Fuck, this can't be good. I stroll and try controlling my breathing and my nerves. I can't have another incident like the one last night. I've had enough embarrassment in front of Hades.

Hades... I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I had a date with the Goddess of the Underworld. My brothers and I knew there was something different about her, but never once was a goddess in the realm of possibilities.

Plastering a smile on my face, I walk around Brittany and the man she has by the ear. I can tell that she isn’t saying anything nice to her man by the scowl on his lips.

I slip my arm around Hades and she snuggles up next to me, and Brittany frowns but doesn’t let go of her husband.

“So this is your whore now? She’s not even pretty,” Brittany complains, a look of disgust on her face.

“Now, now Brittany. If you wish to speak to Hades or myself, you will watch your tone and tongue. I’m one of the owners, so I can boot you out of here,” I remind her more gently than I normally would have if Hades wasn’t at my side.

“Jealousy isn’t a great look on you,” Hades comments with a warm smile. “I trust that my nephew is keeping your bed warm?”

Ares frown deepens as Brittany goes to open her mouth again, “What the two of us do is none of your business. Let’s get out of this budget place and go somewhere nice.”

Brittany releases his ear and wraps her arms around him, “I agree. We are too good for this trashy place.

I know that the two of them are just trying to get under my skin but it’s not going to work this time.

“We will not refund your money,” I call after them, “but I’ll have the staff pack up your belongings for you.”

Ares grunts and Brittany huffs in disgust just before they disappear outside.

“Are you really going to have their stuff packed up?” Hades asks.

“Nah, I just said it to piss them off. If they start tearing up the place we really will.”

After a short car ride we arrive at a little oasis, a green spot in the desert of Nevada.

Parking on the edge of the grass, I climb out and head toward Hades’s door, opening it for her and offering her my hand. She takes it with a sweet smile, and I take advantage of the moment to admire her long naked legs. She didn't change out of her suit before we left and I’m thankful for that.

Hades must notice me watching. She winks as she climbs out, a tank top and shorts appearing out of nowhere to cover her suit.

"This place is lovely. How do they get the greenery to grow in the desert?"

"I’ve been told this place was blessed by the gods or cursed. No one really knows, but most of the locals think it's cursed so they don’t ever visit."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "So, you bring a lot of girls here?"

"What, n-no," I stammer out. Sweat beads on my brows, her question catching me off guard. "I have had a couple dates here and there, but I am not the casanova my brothers are.”

There’s a twinkle in her eye. “Somehow I don’t believe that.”

Pulling out a blanket from the basket I grabbed out from behind Hades’s seat, I throw it down and help her take a seat.

“Hungry?”

“A little,” she replies, “but I’m curious to know more about you and your brothers. Tell me everything.”

Smiling at her I take a seat across from her. “What would you like to know?”

“Everything!”

“There’s not too much to tell. As far back in my memory it has always been the four of us. Our beginning is a little fuzzy, but we were born to fight, gifted with unnatural talents. The first time I sucked the life from a person, I enjoyed the sensation a little too much. The four of us pushed the limits of our powers, it was a dark time in history,” he muses. “I will not name names, but I know who started the plague.”

Pyro rode to our manor with the girl covered in boils and a grimace on his face.

“I may have made a mistake,” is all he said. “How can I fix this?”

He muttered more to himself and then the next day she passed and there were more like her at our door, for him to heal. It took him too long to figure out a cure and thousands died. After that, he was celibate until we opened up the 4 Horses.

Hades doesn’t even bat an eye, she’s hanging on my every word, completely unfazed by the new information. She just motions with her hands for me to continue.

“Once we hit our thirties, we moved every ten years or so. If someone started to question us or ask our secrets to staying young, we’d pack it up and head out. We took turns attending college and studying business, helping start empires before moving on. The 4 Horses is the first venture we took on just for ourselves.”

“How can you stay in one place without anyone raising a red flag?” Hades asked me.

“For the staff we have a glamor that does age us and we retire and come back to take over the family business,” I explained to her.

“And no one questioned it?” She countered.

“There are a few that try but they are usually old timers that are close to retiring, so no one pays much mind to them,” I tell her.

“That’s strange to me, humans are all about drama, but what if I asked you to follow me to the Underworld? Would you? It is mine to rule, I can’t just leave it.”

I sit back and think about it. She is the first woman that has given me pause. There hasn’t ever been a woman that I’d move away from my brothers or this place for. Could I give it up? Is she the one that I’ve been waiting for?

“Maybe we can compromise, each of us four months in the Underworld. Kinda like a rotating schedule, but a vacation for the five of us topside?”

Hades taps her finger on her chin before answering. “I think that could work. That is, if your brothers agree.”

“Now it’s my turn to ask about you.”

She raises an eyebrow. “What would you like to know?”

“Why’d you pick Vegas? What made you start your search for a soulmate?”

“One, Vegas is warm, my partner would have to do well in a dry heat.” She laughs. “Intuition, I had a gut feeling that who I was longing for was here. The Underworld wasn’t the place I’d find him. That, and I was in need of a vacation.”

“When was your last one?”

“What year is this?” she asks with a serious look on her face. The way her eyes drew down was adorable as she tried to figure it out.

“That long, huh?” I laugh.

“I’m what my brothers call a workaholic. I'm not a micromanager, but it's my way or the highway. I was put in charge of the souls and to make sure they get where they are going. It's not a job that can be taken lightly, and I don't. It’s hot, dark and gloomy, and I love it."

"So, if I came back with you what would I do?" I cant my head to the side.

That devilish smirk returns. "That is something I have to think on."

I pull out the bounty of food I prepared, and Hades’s eyes light up when I bring out what I packed for desert.

"What is that?" she breathes.

"Would you like to forgo lunch and skip to the ice cream and cheesecake?"

She reaches a finger out and swipes at the ice cream. "Brr, that's cold."

I can't contain my laughter. "Yes, it has to be kept cold or it ruins. Would you like me to dish you some?"

She nods her head rapidly, eyes as wide as saucers. "After this ice cream, you may have to warm me up."

"So tell me, why does Ares want your throne?"

"He's an idiot. Ares, being the God of War, is not only blood-thirsty but power hungry. He doesn't realize that ruling the Underworld isn't what he expects. There aren't any battles to be fought. Most of the souls already know where they are headed when they arrive, and are content. You do get the occasional troublemaker, but one glance at Cerberus and they settle down. It's not a glamorous job, but it's what I am meant for."

"Will you fight Ares if it comes to that?"

She huffs out a sigh. "Yes, he seems to forget that I was the one that trained his sorry ass. He was a cute kid that grew up to be a little bitch. He had a chip on his shoulder from the moment he figured out he wasn't the future King of the Gods like his father. Being just the God of War was too mundane for him. I love my nephew, but I will put him back in his place.”

There’s a fire burning in her eyes now as she speaks. Hades is glorious in all her indignant glory.

“I am Hades, and I am the ruler of the Underworld."