Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2)

Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2) Page 11

The wardrobes were fil ed with clothes - gorgeous, expensive, silky robes in every color imaginable

- but al of a similar style. Loose, long skirts, some slit up the side and some not, high waistlines and form-fitting bodices designed by wrapping lengths of fabulous material around and draping the folds over her chest. They were al beautiful and exceedingly feminine, which was in direct contrast to how Lina usual y dressed. At home she usual y chose comfortable velour sweat suits or shorts and T-shirts, depending on the weather. For work she had several wel -tailored, professional looking suits, some with slacks, some with skirts. She tended to choose neutral colors, so that she could mix and match and expand her wardrobe. She let her hand slide across the silky material, enjoying the feel of the fabric as wel as the bright, contrasting mixture of colors. When had she started dressing like a corporate matron? Probably about the time she had given up on romance. The thought was an unpleasant realization, and she pushed it aside, refocusing her concentration on the wardrobes.

In the wide, deep drawers there was a plethora of filmy undergarments, as wel as delicate leather slippers and long, feminine nightgowns that reminded Lina of something an old-time movie star would have worn.

"Wel , they did cal them goddesses of the silver screen," Lina whispered as she fingered a particularly beautiful wrap.

The vanity had been stocked with more makeup and hair paraphernalia than a beauty supply store.

"So this is Hel . I've got to remember to be a real y bad girl when I get back," Lina muttered, picking through a glittering pool of eye shadows.

The bathroom was another marvel. The bathtub was more like a bathpool, and someone had already fil ed it to brimming with steaming water that beckoned, making Lina realize just how grubby her journey had made her feel. She'd take a quick bath, change her clothes, freshen her makeup, then she'd cal Iapis or Eurydice or both of them, Lina sighed, and be escorted to have refreshments with Hades. What did one eat in Hel , she wondered as she wandered around the huge bathroom.

"Hope it involves more ambrosia," she told a col ection of colorful glass bottles of various shapes and sizes covering a marble ledge. Lina pulled the stoppers off each of them, sniffing appreciatively at their oily scents until she found one that she particularly liked, which smel ed of lilies, then she poured it into the pool. From another ledge she grabbed a comb and used it to secure the mass of hair she piled atop her head. Undressing quickly she slid into the gloriously hot water and settled gingerly against the bottom with a long sigh of satisfaction.

She could have stayed there forever, but she reminded herself that Hades was waiting for her, and she certainly didn't want Iapis bursting in on her. She hurried through the wonderful bathing experience, promising herself that very soon she would pamper herself with a real y long soak. Rising out of the water she searched for a towel, which she quickly located on a shelf near the huge mirror.

And Lina froze, transfixed by her reflection. No, it wasn't her reflection, she reminded herself. It was Persephone, and she truly was a Goddess. Of course she had realized before then that her body was different. Of course she'd known that her soul possessed a younger, prettier woman's body. But she had had no idea...

Her slender hand reached up to trace a path along one of Persephone's perfect cheekbones. Her face was stunning. Luminous eyes, a remarkable shade of violet, were framed by thick, black lashes and arching brows. Her lips - Lina touched them - were full and the color of a blush. Lina knew, because as her eyes traveled down the rest of her naked body her cheeks flushed to that same lovely tint. Persephone was lush. Her breasts were high and round, as perfect as the rest of her. Her hand moved lightly over one smooth mound. When the pink nipple hardened instantly in response, sending a sweet, tingling sensation through her body, Lina watched the lovely lips open in surprise as she uttered a little gasp. Was this body ultra-sensitive, or had it just been so long that Lina had al owed herself to have sexual feelings that she had forgotten the thril of arousal?

And what about Persephone's love life? Was the goddess a virgin? Or did she have many lovers?

Lina's gaze continued to study her new body while she considered the questions. The Goddess was slender without being gaunt. Her waist curved in gracefully, but her hips swel ed, ful and sexy. Her legs were long and beautifully shaped; the area between them was covered with a V of soft, dark curls. Her hand moved to touch that inviting triangle.

Lina's eyes snapped guiltily up. She shook her head, laughing nervously at her reflection.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. I have to live with this body. I can't be embarrassed to look at it." Lina grabbed a towel and began to vigorously dry herself, purposefully going intimately over every part of "her" body. "Or anything else." But as she chose a new dress and absently combed through the tangle of her long hair, questions kept circling around her thoughts. What kind of life had Persephone lived? She must have had a lover - at least one. With this body, how could she have been celibate? Was that real y why Demeter had made this exchange? Maybe she wanted to get her daughter away from an undesirable boyfriend. Lina sighed and rubbed her forehead. Too much had happened too quickly. She had no idea if the gods required sleep, but she certainly felt exhausted. She needed to get the refreshments over with so she could come back to her room and real y relax and refresh.

Clearing her throat she cal ed aloud, "Iapis! I'm ready for refreshments now." Within two breaths there was a firm knock at her door.

"Come in," she said.

The door swung open and Iapis bowed to her. "Goddess, please fol ow me this way." He motioned down the hal the direction in which they had come.

"Thank you, Iapis. I am very hungry."

"I believe you wil be pleased with the delicacies Hades has chosen to honor you." Lina raised her eyebrows. "Hades cooks, too?"

Iapis laughed. "You shal see, Goddess."

Lina bit her lip and fol owed him from the room. What was she thinking? There was probably no cooking in Hel . Like spirits would need to eat? She remembered Eirene pul ing wine from an invisible fold in the air. Goddess of Morons, that's what she was. She needed to keep her mouth closed and her eyes open until she learned the ropes of her new job.

Iapis interrupted her self-chastisement. "Goddess, shal we include Eurydice? I would not want the little spirit to think I am attempting to usurp her position."

"Yes, that's very thoughtful of you, Iapis." Lina raised her voice. "Eurydice! I need you." Almost instantly a door down the hal opened and Eurydice burst out, rushing to her Goddess's side in a flutter of wispy clothing and flying hair.

"Oh, Persephone! I am so glad you cal ed," she gushed, hugging Lina.

"Your Goddess thought that you might wish to accompany us so that you could find your way back easily if she cal ed for refreshment at an odd hour."

Once again, Lina was impressed by lapis' kind treatment of the girl.

"Thank you, Iapis, for putting it so nicely," Lina said.

"Of course." Eurydice nodded her head several times, reminding Lina of an exuberant puppy trying its best to be obedient. "I need to know many things so that I can properly care for Persephone." With an effort, Lina kept from sighing aloud.

"Persephone, Eurydice, if you fol ow me, I wil be pleased to escort you to my Lord." Iapis led them through a maze of corridors, al the while explaining, mostly to Eurydice, mat even though the palace was large, it was real y not difficult to remember one's way around it. Hades had designed it in sections. The frontmost part of it was designated as the Great Hal of Hades, where he held court and heard the petitions of the dead. There was a smal er central meeting area, which was where they were headed. It was linked to the guest wing - where Persephone and Eurydice were staying - complete with two bal rooms. Lina wondered briefly why Hades had bothered to build an entire wing for guests and two rooms for dancing, when he obviously wasn't used to receiving visitors, but she kept her thoughts to herself and let Iapis speak uninterrupted.

"There is an entire wing of the palace designated as Hades' personal chambers. So, as you can see, Eurydice, you need only become familiar with the positions of the different wings of the palace to know where you are."

"Yes, I understand. Perhaps I could be al owed some material with which to draw, so that I might sketch myself a simple map," Eurydice said, looking expectantly at Lina.

"Absolutely. I think that's a great idea. Maybe it could help me find my way around, too. I'm terrible with directions," Lina said. "Iapis, do you think you could find some drawing materials for Eurydice."

"Of course, Goddess. It wil be my personal pleasure to be sure your friend has al that she requires," Iapis said.

"Thank you," Lina and Eurydice said together, grinning at each other as their words mixed harmoniously.

Iapis turned another corner and stopped between a huge set of double doors, which, of course, opened without his touch into a large room in which there was one focal point -  an enormous black marble dining table. Directly over the table were suspended three massive crystal chandeliers. Lina squinted her eyes against their bright, faceted beauty and suddenly understood that the glittering stones were probably not crystals at al .

"Diamonds," Eurydice said in a hushed voice.

"Yes," Iapis said. "My Lord chose to hang the diamond chandeliers in this room because they cast such perfectly clear light over the dining table and complement the chrysocol a candelabrum." Lina dropped her stunned gaze from the diamonds to the half dozen multitiered candelabrums neatly arranged across the vast length of the table. They were made of an unusual blue-green stone into which blazing snow-white candles fitted neatly.

"Chrysocol a?" Lina asked. "I don't think I'm familiar with that stone."

"Chrysocol a hides itself wel within the earth." Hades' deep voice made Lina jump. She hadn't heard him come into the room. "I enjoy its unique blending of the colors of turquoise, jade, and Iapis lazuli, but the reason I chose to display the chrysocol a candelabrums on the dining table is because of the stone's properties." He paused, as if deep in thought.

"What are the stone's properties?" Eurydice asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Hades smiled warmly at her. "Chrysocol a is a stone of peace. It soothes the emotions." Eurydice's eyes widened. "I think it is the perfect choice. for a dining chamber."

"I agree with you, little one," Iapis said, causing the girl to blush. Then he bowed to Hades and Persephone and gestured to the table. "If you wish to be seated, I wil inform the servants that you are ready to be served."

Hades nodded curtly and strode to the table. He pulled out a high-backed chair that sat in front of one of the two place settings near the end of the massive marble expanse, and motioned for Lina to take her seat.

"Thank you," Lina said, smoothing the silky folds of her skirt as she sat. She'd been so entranced by the chandeliers and the candelabrums that she hadn't even noticed the beautiful china and crystal dishware.

Eurydice had fol owed Iapis from the room, leaving Lina alone with the God. She smiled nervously at him and tried not to fidget. Hades had changed his clothes. His robes were as expansive, and just as black as the toga-like attire, but these were trimmed in an intricate silver-edged design. His hair was stil tied back in the same thick queue, but he was minus the cape. Any other man would have looked ridiculous and probably even effeminate in such an Errol Flynn-meets-Zorro-meetsGladiator outfit. Hades did not.

"I hope your chamber is to your liking."

Good, Lina thought. She'd just make conversation with him. Like he was a normal man.

"It's lovely - just like the rest of your palace," Lina said, "Iapis tel s me that I have you to thank for the warm welcome of fresh flowers and a newly drawn bath. Thank you, everything was just perfect. It's like I was an invited guest instead of one who barged in al on her own." She gave him a chagrined smile.

Hades thought he had never seen anything as beautiful as the embarrassed flush that warmed her cheeks, and he suddenly felt himself doing something he hadn't done in centuries. He smiled, leaned forward, captured Persephone's hand and raised it to his lips.

"You are most welcome here, Goddess of Spring."

Lina thought she might fal off her chair. In forty-three years she had never had a man kiss her hand. She wasn't sure of the correct protocol. Did she leave her hand in his? Did she pull it out?

Hel ! What she real y wanted to do was to kiss him back. Instead, she felt her mouth form what was probably a goofy smile.

"Th-thank you," she stuttered.

Hades dropped her hand and looked away from her. Impulsive! He was acting like an impulsive fool. She was a Goddess; he could never al ow himself to forget that. Lina watched his expression change and a hardness settle on his features. What was wrong? It wasn't logical, but Lina had a sudden thought that this aspect of Hades - this stern, expressionless God - was a facade he drew over himself as a cover. But why?

Merda, just listening to her thoughts made her want to slap her own face and tel herself to snap out of it! When had her disciplined, wel -ordered mind begun having such delusions of romance?

She knew the answer already. It had been that damn narcissus...

Uncomfortable silence crouched between them.

Think of something to say, she ordered herself. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"It's interesting what you said about chrysocol a. I don't know very much about the properties of stones." She glanced up at the bril iantly lighted chandeliers. "For instance, I think diamonds are beautiful, but I have no idea about their properties."

"Diamonds are complex gems." Hades' gaze turned upward, too, and as he warmed to the subject of precious stones his voice began to lose its hard edge. "They promote courage and healing and strength. When worn by warriors they can actual y increase physical strength, which is why some mortal cultures go to war wearing them set within armbands of platinum or silver."

"And al this time I've only thought of them as a girl's best friend," Lina quipped.

"Are they the gem you prefer?" Hades asked.

Lina opened her mouth to give him an automatic yes!, but his penetrating gaze stopped her. Something in his eyes said she should think about her answer more careful y. She closed her mouth and reconsidered.

She didn't have many diamonds. Actual y, the only diamonds she'd ever worn had been gifts from her ex-husband. She frowned, remembering how her beautiful, expensive wedding ring, with its large center diamond surrounded by a wealth of glittering baguettes, had become a symbol of bondage rather than of fidelity. Her diamond earrings had been a guilt-induced gift given to her after one of his drunken tirades because he found the growing success of her bakery intimidating. The diamond necklace and gaudy cocktail ring had belonged to his mother - a shal ow, manipulative woman who had never liked Lina. Every time she'd worn either of the pieces she had felt shackled to her husband's cold, aloof family. Consequently, she'd stopped wearing them long before she'd stopped being his wife.

When she bought jewelry for herself she never even considered diamonds. She smiled as she thought about the lovely, dangling earrings she'd gifted herself on her last birthday. Yes, they would definitely qualify as her favorite stone.

"Amethyst," she said firmly. "My favorite gemstone is amethyst. What are its properties?" Hades looked surprised, but not displeased. "Amethyst is a spiritual stone, with absolutely no negative side effects or associations with violence or anger. It is the stone of peace. It calms fears and raises hopes. Amethyst soothes emotional storms. Even in situations of potential danger it can come to your aid. It is a wise choice as your talisman."

"I'm so glad to know that." She grinned at him. "No wonder I've always loved it." The Goddess's beauty stunned Hades. When she smiled she shined brighter than the diamonds over their heads. His stomach tightened. He had forgotten the power of a goddess's beauty and its overwhelming al ure. His response to her was basic, his need raw. He felt his buried passion stir, and desires he thought he had entombed eons ago began to stretch, and breathe. Hades felt powerless in the wake of the surge of foreign emotions.

"Amethyst matches your eyes perfectly."

His voice was rough and dangerously sexy. Lina's borrowed body responded to it as quickly as her soul and she looked deeply into the God's eyes.

"Thank you, Hades." This time experience took over and she didn't stutter or blush, she purred. Hades was overwhelmed by the rush of heat that coursed through his blood. Persephone couldn't possibly know what a temptation she was to him. She was a goddess. She was accustomed to commanding the attention of males, mortals and immortals alike, but she was not accustomed to the Lord of the Underworld. She could not know how painful it was for him to see her there before him, so young and beautiful and desirable. With the return of passion, the old emptiness reared alive within him as the ancient difference between Hades and the other immortals reawakened. He forced his gaze from the velvet trap of her eyes.

"Would you like wine?" he blurted.

"Yes, please," Lina said, confused as he suddenly lurched from the table, shouting for wine like he was in the middle of a fish market. What had just happened? He had complimented her eyes, and she had thanked him. Electricity had passed between them. Even a young woman would not have had trouble recognizing that spark, and Lina was no young woman. She had even thought he was leaning toward her, then pain had flashed over his face and the attraction had been shattered. Lina felt like someone had thrown cold water on them.

Two servants rushed into the room, each carrying a pitcher of wine. Hades glowered, pointing to Persephone.

"Do you desire red or white, Goddess?" one of the servants asked.

"Red, please," Lina answered automatical y, not caring whether Hades was serving fish, fowl, beef or pasta for dinner. She just hoped that the red was dark and rich and strong. She took a long drink. Thankfully, it was al of the three.

"Leave this wine and bring more," Hades ordered the servant after he had fil ed the God's goblet. The two immortals drank without speaking.

Hades studied his empty plate, wishing that he were different... wishing that her very presence didn't remind him of why he must remain withdrawn from the rest of the immortals.

"The wine is excel ent," Lina broke into the silence.

Hades made a sound somewhere in his throat that might have been a grunt of agreement.

"I like red wine best," Lina said. Now that she had started speaking she didn't seem to be able to stop. She held up the crystal goblet and let the diamond light sparkle through it. "This wine reminds me of rabies."

Hades cleared his throat and al owed his eyes meet hers again.

"Rubies," he repeated her last word, pouncing on a harmless subject. "Did you know that jewelry set with rubies can be worn to banish sadness and negative thoughts?"

"No, I didn't," Lina said, studying the blood-colored wine. "What else can it do?"

"Ruby-set jewelry can also produce joy, strengthen wil power and confidence as wel as dispel fear." Hades noted the irony of his words. Perhaps while Persephone visited his realm he should take to wearing rubies.

"I had no idea jewels could be so fascinating," Lina muttered, looking from the diamond chandeliers to the gleaming chrysocol a candelabrum and then back to her ruby-colored wine.

"Actual y, I haven't given jewels much thought at al , especial y lately." Hades quirked one dark eyebrow up at her. "A goddess who hasn't given jewels much thought. That would make you a unique goddess indeed."

Lina felt a prickle of warning. Had she said too much? She had been so involved in what Hades was saying she had forgotten to remember that she wasn't herself - as confusing as that seemed. A stream of semitransparent servants carrying trays laden with food, fol owed by Iapis and Eurydice, entered the room. Lina breathed a sigh of relief at the distraction. "Oh, Persephone, wait until you see what has been prepared for you!" Eurydice gushed. "I've never seen such delicacies." Lina was already staring at the trays, and she couldn't agree more with the little spirit.

"It smel s fantastic," Lina said, and watched in hungry anticipation as trays fil ed with color and scent and texture were laid reverently before her. There were clusters of white delicacies that Lina realized were several different kinds of flower petals, al of which had been sugared, crystal ized, and frozen in perfect bloom. Olives, ranging in color from light green to black crowded against blocks of cheese that were thick and almost as fragrant as the slabs of warm bread that rested beside them. But it was the fruit that kept drawing Lina's eye. It commanded one tray by itself. Its dark pink skin had been broken open, and fat, red beads spil ed forth, begging to be consumed.

"Pomegranates." Her lips felt numb.

"Do you not like pomegranates, Persephone?" Hades frowned at her troubled expression. "I can have them taken away."

Lina glanced up to see the covey of servants peering at her with large, pale faces fil ed with concern.

Don't be paranoid, she told herself, it's just a sil y coincidence. "I love them. Everything looks absolutely perfect." She purposefully scooped up several of the drops of red fruit and popped them into her mouth. Flavor burst against her tongue and she sighed with delight. "They're wonderful!" She slurred through the sweet juice.

The servants let out a col ective breath of happiness.

"Al appears to be to my liking, too," Hades said sardonical y. Persephone seemed to have cast the same spel over his servants as she had over his horses. "You may leave the platters. If we need more, I wil cal for you."

The servants scurried back to the kitchen.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Lina asked Iapis, looking from him to Eurydice. Did the dead eat? She had no idea, but it seemed rude not to ask.

"No, Goddess," Iapis said.

"Iapis and I have much to discuss," Eurydice added eagerly. "We are going to get the drawing supplies."

Lina smiled at the girl, glad that she appeared to be so at ease.

"Go ahead. I'l see you tomorrow," Lina said around another mouthful of pomegranate seeds.

"Oh, but you must cal for me when you retire tonight so that I may help you ready yourself for bed!" The panicky edge had crept back into her voice.

"I'l be sure I do," Lina said quickly, not wanting to disappoint the child. Satisfied with her Goddess's reassurance, Eurydice was smiling happily as she curtsied to Persephone and Hades before fol owing Iapis from the room.

"She wil become more secure with time," Hades reassured her.

"I hope so. She's going to wear me out." Lina sighed.

"The dead require a great deal of care."

Lina nodded in agreement. "It's like the jewels - I had no idea until now." Hades smiled, charming and relaxed again. "Which is why I have had the food of the Underworld set before you. Refresh yourself, Persephone, so that the little spirit need not be concerned that her Goddess is wasting away here below the world of mortals."

"Ha!" Lina began heaping her plate full. "It's not likely that could happen, not surrounded by" - she gestured with the long silver spoon - "al of this."

"It pleases me that you appreciate the beauty of the Underworld," Hades said, helping himself to the olives.

"Who wouldn't?" she said between bites, and was instantly sorry when she saw his expression begin to change again. She thought suddenly that it was as if he placed a blank mask over his face so mat he could cloak his emotions at wil . She kept glancing nonchalantly at him, waiting for him to discard the mask and become approachable once more. For the next several minutes they ate in silence, until she noticed that the tension in his shoulders seemed to be easing and his features had begun to thaw. She took a sip of wine, considering. Yes, he definitely appeared more at ease with his fork full. Her lips twisted. He was a God, but he was stil male.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions about the dead?" Lina asked. His eyes shifted from his plate to her and back to his plate again. He chewed and swal owed. "I do not mind," he final y said.

Lina hurried on. "It's just that I don't know simple things, and I don't want to say something that would embarrass Eurydice, or upset her again, like when I mentioned her drinking from that river, urn..." She floundered.

"Lethe," Hades provided.

"Right, Lethe. See, that's exactly what I mean. I don't know enough about the Underworld."

"Ask as many questions as you desire," he said.

"Okay, wel , the delicious food that we're eating makes me wonder if the dead can eat."

"No, the dead do not thirst and hunger as do the living, but their souls do retain the essence of their mortal life, so they carry with them into eternity their unique needs and desires. You have witnessed some of that with your little Eurydice. She carries with her fears and insecurities from the World of the Living, even though the things that troubled her there cannot touch her here," Hades replied, trying to hide his surprise at her question. Persephone was certainly not what he had expected. Unlike any other immortal he had ever known, she appeared to be honestly interested in his realm and the spirits of the dead.

"That makes sense." She frowned as she nibbled on a sugared white petal. "It's obvious that memories from her life are definitely bothering Eurydice. Poor kid. I wish there was something I could do."

"There is, Persephone, and you are already doing it. The little spirit needs to feel security and a sense of belonging. She would have eventual y found those things in Elysia, but you have brought them to her by giving her a place at your side. She feels comfortable now and useful, and much less apt to obsess about lost chances and what might have been." Hades smiled encouragement to the young Goddess. She had done wel by the little spirit. Too many immortals would have believed that noticing Eurydice's distress was beneath them. She was no longer among the living; therefore, she could no longer worship them. So the spirit was no longer of interest to them. Persephone's actions thus far told him that she did not adhere to that type of cavalier belief system. Hades watched Persephone ponder his words as she sipped her wine. The goddess was a mystery to him. She had the beauty of an immortal, but she seemed so different.

"That makes me feel better," Lina said, tel ing herself firmly that she was talking about Eurydice and not about the warmth of Hades' smile. She was quickly becoming fascinated with the dead -

and not just with their God. "Do they sleep, too?"

Hades' eyes crinkled at the edges in amused reaction to her unusual questions. He had never had a conversation like this before, and he was surprised to realize how much he enjoyed talking with the young Goddess about his realm.

"They do not sleep exactly as we do, or as do living mortals, but they require rest."

"Are your servants like Eurydice? I mean, did they choose to stay here with you rather than go on to Elysia?"

"Some did, but not out of love for me, as has your Eurydice. For most it is simply that they find comfort in holding fast to the echo of their mortal lives. Others are performing duties as a part of penance for past deeds."

Hades helped himself to the fruit of the Underworld while he awaited her next question. He could almost see her teeming thoughts. She had stopped eating and was twirling a strand of her long hair around one finger, an action that he found strangely endearing.

"So, Iapis must be one of the dead who stays because he loves you." This time Hades could not help laughing aloud. "Iapis is not one of the dead, Persephone, he is a daimon. But, yes, he has chosen to remain forever by my side."

Lina didn't know what stunned her most - hearing that Iapis was a demon and/or the effect Hades'

laughter had on her.

She reacted first to the least volatile of the two.

"Iapis is a demon?" she squeaked.

At the second burst of Hades' laughter the servant's door swung open and several startled heads peeked into the dining room then retreated quickly, but not before Lina registered their shocked expressions.

"I said he is a daimon, not a demon." Hades shook his head at the young Goddess.

"Oh, wel , of course," Lina sputtered while her mind screamed WHAT THE HELL IS A DAIMON?

Thankful y, her inner voice provided an answer. Daimon -  a spirit of a lower divinity than the Olympian gods. They are guardians and semi-deities. They are immortal.

"Young Persephone, how sheltered you must be not to recognize Iapis as a daimon," he said, stil chuckling.

The damn man was laughing at her and looking at her with the same benevolent, fatherly expression he'd used on Eurydice. And he'd just cal ed her "young Persephone!" Like she was a sil y little girl! He had no idea he was dealing with a grown woman. One who definitely did not like being the butt of male jokes. Her irritation made her forget that he was God of the Underworld and she was visiting his realm. In that moment he was just another man who had pissed her off. Without stopping to consider the consequences, she narrowed her eyes at him and edged Persephone's soft voice with her own flint.

"I suppose in some ways I have been sheltered. I've been taught to believe that one's guests should not be used as a source of comedic fodder."

Hades sobered instantly as he recognized within her eyes the coldness of a goddess's wrath. He was a fool. He had al owed himself to relax around her and had stumbled into the snare of his own fantasies. Persephone was of Olympus - he must never forget that. He inclined his head in stiff acknowledgement of her reprimand. "I ask your forgiveness, Goddess. There is no excuse for my rudeness."

Without speaking further, he stood, bowed again, and walked from the room, leaving Lina to stare after him and curse sincerely and fluently in Italian.