Vowed to Hades (Romancing the Seas #4)

11. Hades

HADES

H ades crouched beside Persephone under the invisibility cloak as he listened to the conversation unfolding around the campfire.

The fabric of the cloak shimmered slightly, its magic barely containing the God seething with fury that simmered beneath it.

The sight of Loki, standing there with that smug grin on his face, made Hades's blood boil. But for now, he held back, his mind racing to gather every detail, every scrap of information that could be useful.

Four figures were seated around the fire, tearing into the roasted boar and drinking wine from goblets that gleamed in the morning light.

Aphrodite was among them, her beauty as striking as ever, her golden hair fell like rays of sunshine. She leaned back, her eyes glinting with a predatory interest as she spoke .

“So, did you get them? The two siren princesses?” she asked, her tone almost too casual, as if she were discussing a trivial matter rather than the fate of two powerful beings.

Magni, his broad frame casting a shadow over them, nodded with a self-satisfied smirk. “Yes, they’re secured. No trouble at all.”

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharpening. “You’re sure they’re the right ones? From the prophecy?”

“Yes.”

Aphrodite was not convinced, though. She leaned forward. “How can you be sure? We cannot afford to get this wrong, Magni.”

Before Magni could answer, Loki stepped forward, his presence commanding the attention of everyone present. “Because I know them,” he interjected smoothly, his voice dripping with confidence. “I have spoken to them, fought alongside them. And now they belong to me. Well done, my son. I never doubted you.”

Hades sensed the heat of his anger rising to a boiling point, his vision tinged with red.

Loki, that treacherous snake, was standing there, reveling in his plans, while Georgette and Serena were imprisoned.

And worse, Persephone was at risk, surrounded by enemies.

He couldn’t remain hidden any longer.

In one swift motion, Hades threw off the invisibility cloak, the shimmering fabric dissolving into the air as he stepped forward, his gaze locked on Loki.

The campfire flickered wildly as if in response to the storm brewing within him.

Loki’s smug grin faltered for a fraction of a second as he registered Hades's presence, but he quickly regained his composure. “Ah, Hades,” he said, spreading his arms wide in mock welcome. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Enough of your games, Loki,” Hades snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “What are you doing here? And why have you captured the siren princesses?”

Loki’s smile widened, the glint in his eyes mocking. “What do you care about them?”

He cocked his head to the side and studied Hades for a moment. Then his brows twitched as he seemed to catch something behind Hades.

Or someone.

Hades craned his neck to see Persephone standing tall and strong, her long hair waving out from the sea breeze.

“Hello, Persephone, it’s been a long time,” Loki said, his tone friendly.

Hades clenched his teeth, wanting to rip Loki’s jaw off for even looking at his wife.

“Don’t talk to her,” he warned.

Loki’s eyes gleamed as he returned his gaze to Hades. Then he raised his palms.

“Ah yes. I heard about your…situation.”

He snapped his fingers. “To prove that I have no fight with you, I have a piece of information that you may find… illuminating.”

From the shadows, Hermes stepped forward, his usual bravado nowhere to be seen. The messenger god’s face was pale, his eyes downcast as he approached.

“What is this?” Hades demanded, his patience wearing thin. “What are you doing here, Hermes?”

Hermes knelt before Hades, his voice trembling as he spoke. “I have a confession, my lord. Adonis paid me a great sum of gold to retrieve a book from Atlantis.”

“A book?” Hades's eyes narrowed, his suspicion deepening. “What book, and what has this got to do with me?”

Hermes hesitated, his gaze flickering toward Persephone before he answered. “A book on forbidden magic. Specifically, spells on altering the mind. Forgive me, I did not know he was planning to poison the Dark Queen.”

“There, Hades. You wish to destroy someone and enact your revenge. Here is your opportunity,” Loki said, his voice silky and pleasant.

Hermes's curly brown locks shook as he trembled from head to toe. He stayed bowed, waiting for his destiny.

Hades froze, his mind racing.

Forbidden magic… spells… If such a book were in Adonis's possession, it might hold the key to restoring Persephone’s memories.

If he could only get his hands on that book …

But as hope flickered within him, it was quickly smothered by the cruel reminder of the curse that prevented him from crossing into Adonis's territory. If he dared to set foot beyond the boundary, he would be turned to stone.

Rage swelled within him, a fiery storm that roared in his chest. He couldn’t act on the opportunity that dangled before him, and the frustration was nearly unbearable.

“Do as you must,” Hermes murmured, resigned to whatever fate Hades would choose for him.

Hades's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white. The urge to strike was overwhelming, the desire to lash out at the one who had betrayed him nearly blinding.

But before he could move, Persephone’s voice cut through the haze of his anger.

“Please, Hades, don’t,” she pleaded, her hand resting gently on his arm, grounding him in that moment.

He hesitated, the fury in his chest clashing with the desperate plea in Persephone’s eyes.

His grip on the sword loosened, but his mind was still racing, grappling with the implications of Hermes's confession.

Persephone turned to Hermes, her voice trembling as she spoke. “What do you mean, Adonis asked you for a book? How do you know my sweet Adonis?”

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, there was only silence. Then, as if on cue, the other gods burst into laughter, their amusement filling the camp with a cold, mocking sound.

“ Sweet Adonis? Wow, that is a powerful spell indeed,” Aphrodite sneered, her eyes glittering with malicious delight. She leaned closer to Persephone, her voice dripping with venom. “I hear he’s dead. I’d give my condolences, dear, but that dung beetle can rot in the Underworld after what he did to me.”

“Do not speak of my husband like that!” Persephone spat, her voice cracking with emotion.

The laughter grew louder, echoing off the volcanic cliffs, and Persephone’s face flushed with anger and confusion. She glanced at Hades, her eyes searching for answers.

“Is there anyone you haven’t poisoned with your lies?” she asked.

Hades's heart twisted at the sight of her distress, but his anger only grew.

Even now, even when confronted with the truth by several gods, Persephone still clung to the illusion that Adonis had crafted.

“You did this,” Hades growled, approaching Loki. “You’re behind it all, aren’t you? Adonis was just a puppet in your sick, twisted game. And Hermes… you ignorant fool. I would cut off your head if it would stay that way.”

Loki gave Hades an incredulous look. “Whatever does that mean?”

Hades shrugged. “Hermes may be the least of us, but he is still divine. And I cannot simply execute him with a sword. ”

Loki smacked his lips together. “How short-sighted of me. Here, you may borrow mine.”

He offered his own sword, shining with the same magic that Hades had seen in the River of the Dead. It was a daring move.

With one swing, he could cut Loki down and end it.

But his fury at Hermes blinded him.

He positioned the sword over his head and took in a steadying breath.

Would it help? Would it change anything?

His anger dulled. Then he lowered his sword. “I care not about your foolishness, Hermes. Though I do have half a mind to send you to Adonis’s palace to get the book, so you turn to stone, and I never have to think of you again.”

But then his gaze rose to Loki. “It was you, wasn’t it? You’ve been using Adonis as a puppet.”

Loki raised his palms, his eyes flashing with something closer to fear. “I swear on the head of Odin. I had nothing to do with any of this––” He gestured between Hades and Persephone.

Hades scoffed. “Really? It seems convenient that you take out the fiercest goddess in all of the realms just as you form an army to… What are you doing anyway?”

“Hades, we all have our roles to play in this game,” Zeus said, stepping forward and placing a heavy hand on Hades's shoulder. “Go back to the Underworld and stick to yours. Allow us to get back to work. ”

Hades bristled under his brother’s touch, every fiber of his being screaming to lash out, to fight.

“Besides,” Zeus continued, his gaze calculating as it landed on a shocked Persephone, “you have bigger problems to deal with than fighting in a war you do not understand.”

“I’m not leaving until I know what you’re raising the Scorpion Army to do,” Hades pressed, his voice low, the demand laced with suspicion.

Zeus and Loki exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them.

After a beat, Loki was the one to speak. “The army is going to save the world, of course. As it has done in the past.”

He chewed on his bottom lip as he watched the sword in Hades's hands like it was a hot poker stick. “We have the Vikings on our side, now the Triton army has allied with us too. You’d be quite impressed to see them all together.”

Hades stiffened.

Poseidon would not be happy to hear that his sons had crossed to the opposing side. “How did you convince the Tritons to join you?”

Loki scoffed. “Their king is dead. Their whole existence has been about protecting Poseidon. I simply offered them a purpose, a reason for existence. No man can thrive without a purpose, you of all people should know that.”

Hades's gaze bore into Loki, his hatred for the mischievous god burning brighter than ever.

“You expect me to believe a single word that comes out of your lips?” he growled, his hand itching to raise his sword again.

Loki sighed theatrically, pressing the pads of his fingertips together. “Hades, our little disagreement happened what… a thousand years ago? Tell me you haven’t held a grudge all this time? It’s all water under the bridge now.”

The flippancy of Loki’s words was the final straw.

Hades lunged forward, Loki’s sword flashing in the firelight as he swung it toward Loki.

But the trickster was quick, his body moving with a fluid grace as he dodged the attack, a sly smile playing on his lips.

He pulled out another blade from inside his cloak and met Hades's attack.

The two gods clashed, their movements a blur of steel and power.

The air crackled with energy as they fought, each strike filled with the weight of centuries of animosity.

Hades's fury drove him forward, his attacks relentless, but Loki was slippery, evading every blow with infuriating ease.

“You always were too hot-headed, Hades,” Loki taunted, his voice dripping with condescension. “It makes your attacks sloppy. You never did learn to control that temper of yours.”

Hades roared in response, his sword swinging in a wide arc. But before he could land a blow, Loki stepped aside and kicked him in the stomach. Then he stuck the tip of his sword into his shoulder and split open a chunk of flesh.

Dropping his sword, Hades fell to his knees with a grunt as a flash of burning pain ripped through his body.

Fighting through it, Hades jumped to his feet again and lunged forward, but before he could strike, the ground trembled violently beneath them.

Thunderbolts cracked through the sky, striking the earth with a deafening roar.

Zeus stepped forward, his eyes blazing with power as he raised his palms toward Hades and Persephone. The two of them rose with an invisible force and were thrown deep into the caves.

“Hades?” a startled Serena said from behind bars.

For a splinter of a second, he glimpsed the shocked faces of the people he was there to save but then the floor cracked, forming a chasm beneath his feet.

Hades grabbed Persephone, and they made for the exit, but a rainfall of rocks barricaded them in.

Persephone cried out with warning, and Hades hopped to the side just as a bolder landed on the place he had been standing.

“It’s all right, I’ll get us?—”

A rock smashed Hades on his shoulder, sending a blinding pain through his senses.

Another rock struck the side of his face, and his ears rang .

He crumbled to his knees and this time, he did not get back up again.

With a ferocious roar, the ground opened up and swallowed him and Persephone.

The horrified cries of Serena and Georgette trailing behind them.

Then there was silence. A deafening sound that made Hades question whether he had stopped hearing at all.

But then his ears took in the sound of panting.

The rocks formed a new ceiling, crushed together above their heads. And they were stuck in a small space, not quite big enough to stand.

Persephone was at his side in an instant, her hands trembling as she pressed her palms on the ugly wound on his shoulder.

“You’re hurt. I need to stop the bleeding,” she whispered, her voice filled with a desperation that cut through the pain.

Hades mustered a weak smile.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would believe that you cared whether I live or not,” he muttered.

Persephone did not reply, but ripped off a piece of her shirt and tied it around his shoulder. Then she applied pressure to the wound again.

The pain dulled, giving way to the delightful notion that Persephone seemed concerned for him.

But then his limbs grew heavy, and his mind began to spin.

“Persephone, you must get out. Go,” he whispered, his eyelids closing. They became heavy like lead.

“I’m not leaving you,” Persephone said. Her words settled on Hades like butterfly kisses all over his body and everything began to tingle.

“Well, I’m too tired to argue with you,” he whispered.

Then everything went black.