Vowed to Hades (Romancing the Seas #4)

2. Persephone

PERSEPHONE

D rip. Drip. Drip.

The sound of dripping water cut through the silence, a constant reminder of Persephone’s confinement. The sound was unrelenting and drove Persephone to near madness.

She curled into herself and clamped her hands over her ears to drown out the sound, feeling trapped in this dark and damp cell.

Time moved slow to the point of standing still. With no sunshine or moonlight, it was impossible to tell how long she was left in that dastardly space.

She wanted to scream for help, but what was the point?

No one would hear her cries.

The darkness was thick and clung to the back of her throat, making every breath a great effort.

Was this punishment for her actions or simply a cruel twist of fate ?

Exhaustion finally claimed her, and she drifted into a restless sleep.

A fresh nightmare came swiftly, engulfing her in its haunting grip.

She stood in a vast, barren field, the sky a bruised shade of purple that seemed to bleed into the earth.

Adonis lay before her, his body stark against the desolate landscape. His skin was a pallid white, drained of all warmth and life, and the wound on the side of his head still oozed crimson blood.

His once piercing eyes were now dull and glassy, but they seemed to call out to her, pleading for help.

A chill ran down her spine as she gazed at him, feeling helpless and haunted by the vision.

Panic seized her body, rendering her legs immobile as if they were anchored to the earth.

She opened her mouth to shout, but not even a whisper escaped her lips.

A looming shadow towered over her, suffocating her with its oppressive weight until it consumed her whole being.

The icy touch of despair clutched at her heart, constricting it in a vise-like grip that made it impossible to draw a single breath.

The darkness morphed into the body of a cloaked figure.

He pulled back the hood, and a mop of black hair came into view. Two glowing orbs stared at her.

Her heartbeat thundered at the sound of Hades's voice as he growled three words that shook her to the core.

“You’re mine now.”

Persephone woke with a start, her heart pounding, the taste of bile bitter in her mouth .

She wretched until her stomach was empty. Then she clawed at the walls of her cell, her nails breaking and fingertips bleeding as she fought against the stone.

But her attempts to break out were in vain.

Defeated, she slumped to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

The reality of her situation crashed over her like a wave until she was drowned in her own despair.

She refused to eat or drink, turning away from the food that was brought to her. She didn't want to sustain herself in this prison of shadows and despair.

The thought of Hades filled her with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

How could he keep her here, knowing the pain she suffered, the longing for the life she had lost? The life that he cruelly took from her.

The door to her cell creaked open, and she looked up to see Hades standing there, his expression inscrutable.

He stepped inside, his presence filling the small space, and closed the door behind him. He studied her for a moment, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Then his gaze turned to the untouched bowl of soup in the corner of the cell. Beside it, sat two crusty pieces of flatbread.

He hummed as a line formed between his furrowed brows.

"You must eat, Persephone," he said, his voice low and commanding. "You cannot continue like this. "

She turned her face away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Why should I? What is there to live for?"

Hades sighed, a sound filled with a mix of frustration and something else.

Disappointment? Resignation? She didn’t know.

He knelt beside her, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Because I need you,” he said quietly. “What will it take? I see it is fruitless to keep you here if you do not want to be. What if I revived Adonis and let you go with him?”

Persephone's heart lurched at the mention of Adonis. She turned to Hades, her heart fluttering. "How? How can that be possible? I saw what you-you did. He’s gone. There’s no bringing him back.”

She broke eye contact and blinked at the floor as a fresh wave of agony rippled through her chest.

Hades lifted her chin with the pad of his index finger.

When she looked at him, his gaze was steady. "I need your help with a sensitive matter. In return, I will convince Isis to bring Adonis back from the dead, and I shall let you go.”

She stared at him, trying to gauge the truth of his words.

"You can do that?" she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of the possibility.

He nodded slowly. "I have the means to persuade her, but we need to do something first. Will you help me?"

Persephone hesitated, the thought of seeing Adonis again warring with her distrust of Hades .

But the desperation in her heart was too strong to ignore.

She nodded, a faint flicker of hope kindling in her chest. There was no choice but to trust Hades. To cling to the dream that she would be reunited with her dearest Adonis.

"Very well," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I will go with you.”

Hades nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Then eat and regain your strength. We have much work to do."