Goddess of Legend (Demi-God Daughters) (4 page)

*
***

Hades smiled to himself. He was a lot smarter than Zeus gave him credit for. His brother’s unexpected arrival had changed nothing. After all the time he’d waited nothing was going to get in his way. He’d suffered long enough. An image of Persephone flashed across his mind
, and he frowned. He’d been completely smitten with her. Beautiful blonde hair and sea green eyes sparkling with mischief. If only he’d known the cruelty those eyes could hide, he might have saved himself some heartache. Unlike Zeus and Poseidon, who had no trouble getting any woman they desired, he’d always struggled. He was well aware that he had a complex. He feared rejection, and he knew for a fact that his illustrious and incorrect title as Lord of the Dead had a lot to do with it.

What woman, goddess or mortal, would want to live in the Underworld? Hindsight was
twenty-twenty, but he realized now that he should’ve spoken with Persephone and spent time with her before settling on the course of action that he had. Maybe things would’ve been different.
Yeah, right.
Now, he was being facetious. No matter what he would’ve done he and Persephone would never have made it. There was nothing that he could have done to make her happy. It wasn’t until she was gone that he’d finally realized that.

Persephone was spoiled, vain
, and egotistical beyond belief. She was incapable of caring about anyone but herself. It didn’t matter that he’d tried his best to love her and give her riches beyond her wildest dreams. To her he’d always be the creepy Lord of the Dead. Nothing would ever change that. He knew that a part of him would always feel connected to her in some way, but the love he’d felt for her no longer existed. He knew the cold person who lurked behind that beautiful face. Persephone was his past, and he was confident that Cameryn was his future.  She was longing for him, and she just didn’t know it yet. They were destined to be, and he was willing to do whatever it took to prove himself to her and earn her love.

Chapter
Four

“Cameryn, come to me.”

Cameryn was
almost completely surrounded by darkness. The only light came from a faint glowing orb in the distance. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a loose fitting, silver toga-like gown. She turned around frantically trying to see through the almost impenetrable darkness. Where was she? What was going on?

“Cameryn
, my love … my queen,” the voice echoed through the darkness.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” she called out into the void.

“I’m your destiny, and you are mine.”

She turned around
, and that’s when she saw him starting to approach her. He was heart-stoppingly handsome. His hair was sharply cut and black as the abyss that engulfed them. His eyes were the same inky black and matched his immaculately groomed goatee. His stare was bold as his hungry gaze roved over her body. She swallowed nervously. Her breath caught in her throat when he grabbed her and pulled her close. She looked up into his dark eyes, and a shudder of fear raced through her body. Her body went limp in his arms as his lips sought hers kissing her passionately.

Cameryn nearly lost her balance when he abruptly released her.

“Who are you?” she asked again.

“You will know soon enough, beloved,” the strange man said before disappearing.

“Wait! Come back!” Cameryn yelled.

It was no use. He was gone, and she was once again alone in the darkness.

She woke up gasping for breath. What in the hell? She sat up in her bed looking around. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She was
twenty-nine years old, and she couldn’t ever remember having a dream so intense.

“It was a dream
, Cam. It was just a dream,” she told herself trying to calm down.

She lay back down and looked at the clock. It was a little after midnight. She needed to relax so that she could go back to sleep. She was meeting her mother and her sister in the morning. Cameryn fluffed her pillow and closed her eyes. In minutes she was asleep.

****

“Morpheus
, is that the best you could do?”

“My
Lord, your instructions were not specific.”

“I told you I wanted her to dream about me, not for her to be scared half to death,” Hades
said.

“A thousand apologies
, my Lord. I was not sure if you wished specifically for it to be a romantic dream or not.”

“Why else would I want her to dream about me?”

“Again I apologize. Let me correct this
, my Lord.”

“No. You’ve done enough. I will handle this myself. Now leave me,” Hades said dismissing the God of Dreams.

He rose from his throne and paced angrily. Morpheus’s bumbling could very well have just made things a lot harder than they needed to be. He was already certain that things with Cameryn were not going to be easy. This fiasco with Morpheus had only proven that if you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself. It was time for him to go topside.

*
***

“Well if it isn’t the Queen of Lateness herself
.” Deena snickered as Cameryn joined her and their mother, Kyrie, at the table.

“Everyone can’t be as perfect as you
, Deena,” Cameryn said more sharply than she intended.

“Will you two give it a rest?” Kyrie asked smiling.

“Sorry, Mom,” Deena said apologetically.

“Yeah. We’re sorry
, Mom. You’re looking fabulous as always,” Cameryn said smiling at her mother.

“Thank you, sweetie. You’re looking quite beautiful as well, and you’re wearing a dress. This is a special occasion,” Kyrie said squeezing her youngest daughter’s hand.

It was a well-known fact that Cameryn was not a fan of dresses and skirts. She preferred a pair of jeans and a tank top any day of the week.

“I knew I had to dress up since I was meeting you two divas. I can’t be sitting here looking like an old maid,” Cameryn said squeezing her mother’s hand back.

Out of the two of her adoptive parents, Cameryn had always been
closer to Kyrie. Even though Dean doted on her, most of her time had been spent with Kyrie. As a little girl she’d been fascinated by her mother. She looked so much like the glamorous Hollywood icons of yester-years like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe. Before Cameryn had hit her tomboy stage she’d loved to play dress up with her mother and go shopping. Puberty had curtailed those activities as she’d struggled to get used to her new womanly body. Her mother had been there every step of the way with love and support.

As an adult, she and her mother still spent a lot of time together. They both loved to visit art galleries and museums. But their favorite pastime spent together was watching old Hollywood movies.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
was their absolute favorite.

“You didn’t have to go to any trouble for us. We’ve gotten used to seeing you in
wife-beaters and blue jeans.”

“Bite me, Deena,” Cameryn said sticking her tongue out at her older sister.

“Well regardless of why you decided to wear a dress you look absolutely lovely. So lovely that you need to let your mother fix you up,” Kyrie said.

“Mom. No.”

“Come on, Cam. It’s high time you cleared away some of the cobwebs and went out with someone. You might get lucky,” Deena said throwing in her two cents.

“Nobody asked you
, D.”

“Please
, sweetie. One of Dean’s ’s friends has a son that I know would be perfect for you.”

“Mom, I don’t need to be your pity project. I can get my own dates.”

“I know you can, Cameryn. I just would like to see you with someone who will love you and appreciate you. I know dating hasn’t been the greatest experience for you, but you’re going to turning thirty soon and I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Mom, contrary to what you think I don’t need a man to have a fulfilling life. Besides, I received an invitation to go out yesterday.”

“From who?” Deena asked leaning forward eagerly.

“Jake Massey. He’s on the police force. Sometimes he calls me in to help consult on the missing children’s cases.”

“So when are you two going out? I’ll be more than happy to come over and help you get ready,” Deena said.

“We’re not.”

“Well, sweetie, why not?” Kyrie asked.

“Jake is a really great guy
, and we get along well, but we work together, and I don’t want to mix my business and my personal life.”

“He’s ugly
, isn’t he? That’s the real reason you turned him down right?”

“Deena!” Kyrie
said to her.

“No. It isn’t. He’s pretty handsome. Six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, that sexy olive skin like John Stamos.”

“And you’re passing that up. You’ve got some issues, sister.”

Kyrie gave Deena a stern look before turning back to her
younger daughter.

“Cameryn
, he does sound a lot like your type. You both work in the same kind of career, so he knows what you go through every day. He could be a source of support after those disappointing days when your work has you burned out.”

“You’re right, Mom, but honestly I’m afraid. It’s so much easier to put up walls and just focus on my work. I’m not good with relationships. I seem to attract the absolute worst in men. I’m not ready to put my heart out there again just yet. I need some more time.”

“You take all the time you need
, honey. I would never want to pressure you into something you’re not ready for. Besides, the right man will come your way when you least expect it. Trust me. A mother knows these things,” Kyrie said reassuring her.

“Now that is definitely true. Matt came into my life at just the right time. Now if we’re through talking about Cameryn’s nonexistent love life, can we focus on my wedding?”

“You have the floor, Barbie Girl,” Cameryn said before signaling for the waiter.

All this talking had made her hungry. She ordered a plain bagel, an omelet with all the trimmings, turkey bacon
, and a side of fresh strawberries. Cameryn half listened as Deena and her mother started talking excitedly about wedding preparations. They really needed to handle this among themselves. This wedding stuff was so not her thing. All she wanted to do was show up at the ceremony. When her breakfast arrived, she attacked it with relish. She’d always had a fairly large appetite. Thank God for good genes and the gym or she’d be as big as a house. She could only hope she’d soon be able to make her escape. She was sure that she had a ton of work waiting at the office.

*
***

He had been following her ever since she’d left her townhouse this morning. She looked beyond beautiful in the silver sundress she was wearing. It brought out the beautiful mocha color of her skin. Watching her with her adopted mother and sister he could tell that she was fighting to keep her irritation in check. She obviously didn’t like being grilled about her love life. Even still, he knew she’d been lying when she said she had a fulfilling life without a man. She was lonely. Her heart longed for someone to love her, just like his. Her family needed to back off though. Cameryn belonged to him
, and just like her mother said, when the time was right he would appear.

He stood in the corner watching their table. He was invisible to anyone
who was not an immortal. His eyes were drawn to her as she delicately dabbed at her lips with a napkin. He wished he was that napkin touching her full, soft, rosy lips. He wanted those lips pressed up against his own. A smile lit up her face as she laughed at one of her mother’s jokes. It was nice to see her smile. He’d do anything to keep that smile on her face forever.

*
***

Cameryn was happy that she’d finally been able to make her escape. She prayed that they would take her advice and hire a wedding planner to do everything. Hurrying out of the restaurant
, she breathed in the sunshine filled air. It was such a lovely day. It was nice that her office was only a few blocks away. She could burn off a few calories as she walked the three blocks. It had been a smart idea to park at her office and walk over

to the restaurant earlier. The breeze blew in her hair
, and although she appeared relaxed, she was all too aware of her surroundings. A woman always had to be vigilant.

If anybody was stupid enough to bother her and they were unarmed, they were going to be
unpleasantly surprised when she kicked their ass. She’d taken self-defense classes just before opening her agency, and those skills were always up to date. As she walked on, she was starting to regret the dress she was wearing. It was blowing up like Marilyn’s in
The Seven Year Itch
. On the other hand, it was kind of nice to dress up every now and then. Her hair hung loose, and silver slivers hung from her ears. A pair of comfortable Egyptian style silver sandals completed her outfit.

She was getting closer to her office
, and traffic was starting to pick up. Cameryn stopped at the crosswalk waiting for the pedestrian light to change. She looked around as she waited. Her gaze narrowed, and her body became tense.
No. It couldn’t be
.

But from the sudden increase in her heart rate, she knew that it was. The man from her dream was directly on her left. He was staring at her like she was the only thing in his universe. He didn’t even appear to be blinking. Cameryn swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to stare. He hadn’t made a move towards her, but she could tell he wanted to be even closer to her. A small smile quirked his lips
, and she felt her heart accelerate even faster.

How was this even possible? You didn’t dream about someone and then miraculously see them on the street the same day. It was unreal. Cameryn couldn’t help

gazing at him, oblivious to everything around her. He was categorically her type: tall, dark, and handsome with olive skin.

She swallowed nervously and finally had to blink. In the split second it took to open and close her eyes, the man was gone. It was like he literally disappeared into thin air. Cameryn looked around wildly. He was really gone, if he’d ever been there to begin with. Maybe she’d been hallucinating.

Yes, that had to be it. The sunny weather was making her delirious. The pedestrian light changed to green, indicating Cameryn had the right to cross the street. She briskly walked across the street, still continuing to look for the mysterious man.

It was a waste of time. The handsome stranger was gone. Maybe he’d just been a figment of her imagination conjured up by her long repressed feelings for someone to love her. Oddly she felt a real sense of sadness. She didn’t dare hope that she would see him again.

****

Hades smiled to himself at Cameryn’s expression when he’d turned invisible. She was looking around as if she’d seen a spirit. He knew revealing himself to her might have been a little risky. After having him invade her dreams, the last thing she probably expected was to see him in the midmorning bustle of downtown New York City. If she’d been freaking out, she’d done a remarkable job of keeping it well hidden. Disappearing right in front of her probably hadn’t helped
, but it was not yet time for them to officially meet. Until then, he would have to be content with watching her from afar.