That Fatal Kiss (37 page)

“Curse your taunting,” Persephone muttered, “and my husband’s tardiness, too. He keeps me cooling my heels while my mother looks daggers at me from across the way.”

“Ah!” Eros exclaimed, lowering his head to speak into her ear. “That reminds me, I just spoke with Hades a few moments ago, outside the palace.”

Her heart leaping into her throat, Persephone whispered, “What did he say?”

“He said to tell you not to worry,” Eros whispered back, “and if worse comes to worse, he has hit upon a plan to which even your mother could not object.”

“Has he?” she asked with some surprise.

Eros was about to speak further when the sudden hush that fell upon the group alerted them to Hades’ presence. They turned and saw the huge frame of the King of the Dead striding purposefully into the room.

Vaguely conscious that all eyes were riveted to this reunion between husband and wife, Persephone sought to maintain her composure as Hades came to stand before her. Hades clasped Eros’ hand, then indicated that the God of Love should take his seat so that the hearing could begin. As Eros left them, Persephone looked up at the imposing figure in front of her and felt herself becalmed by his mere presence. Her senses tingled with heightened awareness of his dark good looks and her fingers itched to run along his broad shoulders. Feeling she should make some wifely gesture, Persephone strove to produce a sentimental greeting but what came out was, “What took you so damned long?”

There were assorted articulations of shock at that remark, which were echoed when Hades traded conspiratorial smiles with his wife. No one had ever seen the Lord of the Underworld express anything other than bloody rage, and the fact that he and Persephone stood so close together, and seemed to want to get closer still, was not lost upon the other Immortals.

“I wanted to make myself pretty for you, Wife,” Hades said, setting off another round of exclamations as he executed an elegant bow. “What do you think?”

Persephone’s lips trembled with repressed laughter. As he raised her hand to his lips for a kiss, she said, “The thoughts inspired by your appearance ought not be spoken aloud in mixed company, Husband.”

Artemis happened to bound into the room at that moment and her steps stilled at the sight of Hades. She cast him a withering glare before taking her place by her twin, and Zeus took advantage of the disruption to call the gods to order. He summoned Hades and Persephone closer to the throne, saying, “Very well, let us get this over with.”

“Wait!” Hermes interrupted. He also sat near Apollo, and he gestured meaningfully toward the empty chairs behind them. “Poseidon and Dionysus have not yet arrived. We cannot commence without them!”

About to respond, Zeus hesitated when the two missing gods stumbled into the chamber. They staggered in, arm in arm, their faces red and full of drunken levity. Poseidon hung on Dionysus’ shoulder, unable to walk alone, and they slurred their apologies while collapsing into the nearest available seats. Dionysus, the more lucid of the pair, propped his uncle up as well as possible and turned to Zeus. “Forgive us, Father, we were simply—hic—testing a new batch of wine from my sacred vineyards! Let the council of the gods begin!”

Persephone gave Hades an approving nod before turning her eyes to her father. As she did, she saw Aphrodite give the Lord of the Underworld a look that should have been reserved for her own husband. She caught the Love Goddess’ gaze and arched her brow in warning, disliking Aphrodite’s spiteful smile and longing for an opportunity to wipe it off her face.

“How good of you to put in an appearance,” Zeus said, waiting for the inebriated gods to settle down. He turned his eyes to Hades, nodding at him in welcome. “I understand you have a matter you wish to bring before the Olympians?”

“I do,” Hades stated simply. “I have come to reclaim my wife.”

“You mean you wish to reclaim the girl you stole!” Demeter cried, rising to her feet, heedless of Hestia’s restraining hand.

“All will speak in turn, Demeter” Zeus reproached her lightly. “For now, Hades has the floor.”

Demeter heaved an angry breath but sat down. The goddess, however, needed no words at that moment, as her eyes might have annihilated Hades with their venom.

Zeus turned back to his brother. “Before we discuss this matter, you must swear the customary oath, by the Styx, that you will speak nothing but the truth during this hearing.”

Hades readily made the oath and, at Zeus’ nod, began to speak. “I regret to say that Demeter is correct. I did steal my bride.” The gasps which followed that declaration were not due to surprise, for all knew by this point exactly what he’d done, but to the fact that Hades opened his argument with an admission of his own guilt. He waited for the gods to grow quiet before he continued. “I had little reason to believe that she would accept me willingly and so I plotted to kidnap her. Nine days ago I broke through the ground on Mount Etna and carried her off. This, I’m sure, you all know by now.”

He met Demeter’s glare and spoke to her directly. “What you do not know is that I did not intend to abuse Persephone. I wanted her, yes, but not as my plaything, and not as my slave, but as my most beloved wife. I did my utmost to please her, as best I might, and though I would not allow her to leave, neither did I force her to do anything against her will while she was below ground.” He paused then, exchanging an enigmatic look with his wife. Looking back to Zeus, he said, “I hoped that, in due course, she and I would come to an accord, and that she would herself wish to stay with me, of her own volition. It was the day that Hermes came to fetch her that she demonstrated her desire to remain with me, as my wife.”

“And how did she do this?” Hermes asked angrily.

Hades fixed Hermes with a repressive look before saying to Zeus, “Persephone abstained from the partaking of any food or drink while in Erebus until that moment, when she finally consumed the seeds of a pomegranate.” The gods began whispering again and Hades had to raise his voice to conclude, “As you all know, the Fates have decreed that the consumption of any morsel in the Underworld, no matter how small, is an irreversible covenant. It binds one to my realm forever, unless I give permission for release to the Upperworld.”

Persephone felt a pang of guilt strike her at the profound look of shock Hermes’ face wore, but would not allow it to assume permanent residence. It was through Demeter’s encouragement alone that Hermes could have ever believed Persephone would accept him, and yet the young goddess’ heart ached for him. Then Persephone saw that Hades was frowning quizzically at her and realized that he had caught her pitying glances toward Hermes. She gave a slight shake of her head, hoping Hades would understand that she would explain herself to him later. His eyebrow arched slightly as he looked back to Hermes, and Hades finally gave Persephone a brusque nod, indicating his comprehension…and displeasure, if Persephone had any insight into her husband’s character whatsoever.

Zeus could have ended the meeting then and there, for Hades was well within his rights in reclaiming Persephone. But the King of the Gods turned to Demeter, asking her courteously, “Would you like to speak now?”

“You know I would,” Demeter snapped. She stood again, but did not move closer to the pair. Her gaze contemptuous, she said to Hades, “You took my daughter, without respect for her wishes or my own. You stole her away from her home, from her family, and her friends. Say what you will; I know that you cannot esteem Persephone or you would have courted her, with all the deference due an immortal goddess. Instead, you forced your will upon her, and I have no reason to believe that her ingestion of the pomegranate seeds was voluntary.”

“But it was,” Persephone said. “Mother, you know that, ultimately, I do exactly what I want to do. Hades could not, and did not, force me to eat the seeds. I ate them knowing full well the consequences of my action.” Her eyes swept the room as she said, “Hades has spoken the truth, as he is bound to do by his sworn oath. He did steal me away. He did keep me in Erebus against my wishes. But he did not force himself upon me, when he could easily have done so.” The young goddess focused on her aunt Hestia’s kindly eyes as she said, “Though we did not immediately get past the barriers of our…difficult situation, in time, he heeded my pleas for mercy and acknowledged me as his equal. He made me his queen, sought my opinions, and yielded to them. He showed exquisite consideration for me, in what he said and in what he did, which is always the more telling of the two.”

Persephone drew a breath, then addressed Demeter. “I have come to understand that it is the most natural thing in creation for night and day to follow one another. Light and darkness may complement, rather than battle. And though I cannot claim full intimacy with his nature, I believe I have seen enough to know that there can be no mate for Persephone other than Hades.” The goddess turned to her husband and the love she bore him was plain for all to see.

But Demeter said, “What utter rubbish! Can you not see that she is incapable of reason? He has used some charm against her, bewitched her. Her will has been thoroughly subjugated by his. He took her, ravaged her, and destroyed her innocence. By intimidation and sensual coercion, he wove his inexorable web around her mind, body, and soul. He has somehow seduced her into desiring to spend eternity as his glorified whore!”

Persephone was horrified at the depths to which Demeter stooped to get what she wanted. “Mother!”

“Madam!” Hades barked at the same moment, his arm going around his wife’s shoulders protectively.

No one was prepared for the great burst of laughter that erupted from Poseidon at that moment. All now looked toward the Earthshaker, who struggled to his feet and swayed unsteadily as he spoke. “Ha! You are a fine one to talk! You want to make us believe your daughter demure, chaste, and unaware of the ways of males, when by your own example you educated her in an entirely different manner!”

“Have a care, Brother,” Hades cautioned.

Poseidon took a step toward them but had to grab the back of Athena’s chair when he slipped. “You seem to have forgotten Persephone’s willful nature, so like your own! Has anyone ever moved her where she herself did not wish to go?” Casting droopy eyes at Hades, he shrugged, “Present company excluded, of course.” Looking back at Demeter, Poseidon went on, “Breaking with all tradition, you raised your daughter to be both headstrong and wild, and it now surprises you that she should choose to take pleasure from her spouse?”

“Poseidon!” Hades said tersely.

Demeter said, “Persephone was not
given
a choice—”

“Nonsense!” Poseidon said. “Just as you yourself are an immovable force, so is Persephone. By the Styx, if she had not wanted Hades, she would not have eaten those seeds! This entire state of affairs is ridiculous! Yes, yes, my brother behaved badly in taking her, but it is clear to see, from the way she looks at him and speaks of him, that Persephone is more than happy to be his queen. If we are truly going to interfere in a matter that is surely only the concern of the two gods involved, then I cast my vote in favor of the match. I say Persephone was not forced to eat the seeds and that she should return to Erebus whenever it so suits them both!” Though he had managed the impressive monologue in his impaired condition, he failed to realize that he had utterly upset the order of the meeting, as the gods leapt to their feet and began to shout at one another.

Persephone regarded Demeter as she stood frozen, unable to speak. The younger goddess met her mother’s eyes and wished she might somehow offer Demeter some comfort.

Hades looked back to Poseidon, who watched him expectantly, and gave an exasperated shake of his head. Mistaking the gesture for thanks, Poseidon gave a shaky nod in return and collapsed into the seat behind him, soon filling the room with resounding snores.

Zeus struggled to regain control over the proceedings and had to resort to shouting over the raised voices of the others to be heard. “Silence! Silence, everyone!” When he had their attention, he told them to resume their seats. “It seems we must come to some consensus on the matter of Persephone’s consumption of the pomegranate seeds. While her actions would bind her to Hades, the possibility that she was forced to consume them, as Demeter insists, must be taken into account. Let us then cast our votes as to whether Persephone
voluntarily
ate the seeds.” Gesturing toward Demeter, Zeus asked, “I take it your vote is
nay
?”

Demeter gave a sharp nod and sat down, apparently stunned that the resolution of the matter was now in the hands of others.

“With Poseidon’s earlier vote, that’s one in favor, one against,” Zeus stated. “Who’s next?”

“I am,” Hephaestus said, raising his hand and rising to his feet. He finally met Persephone’s eyes and returned her encouraging smile with a shy one of his own. Looking worriedly at Hades and then down at the floor, he began, “Father, at first I was op-p-posed to this union. I did not think that my sweet, gentle sister could b-b-bear making her future with my implacable uncle. Everyone knows how much she l-loves the world a-b-boveground, how she thrills in the fresh b-breezes and hot sun that cover the m-m-meadows of Sicily. I did not think she could ever ch-choose to make her home in that damp, dark Underworld.” He raised his eyes to Zeus. “But as P-Poseidon said, it is more than clear that Persephone has m-made her choice. Aye, Persephone ate the seeds, n-n-not out of fear, but out of l-l-love.” He turned to his own wife. “Is that n-not right, Aphrodite?”

The Love Goddess, who regarded Hades with the delighted eye of an experienced courtesan, paid not the least bit of attention to her husband’s words. “Hmmm?” she hummed, biting a fingernail as her eyes settled on Hades’ belted torso.

Showing uncustomary annoyance with her, Hephaestus prodded, “Did P-Persephone n-not eat the seeds of her own w-will?”

“Castrating Cronus, look at him! Of course she did!” Aphrodite exclaimed, causing a few of the gods to explode in tense guffaws at her lusty assertion.

“You may all laugh,” Artemis said, “but I cannot believe that Persephone would wish to give up the tender solace of her mother, or the existence she knew above ground, for the dubious charms of that…” Persephone and Hades’ eyes swiveled, and the warning in hers, added to the displeasure in his, made the Huntress choke back her words. Tearing her gaze from theirs, she said with far less bluster, “Nay, she could not have eaten those seeds voluntarily.”