Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2)

Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2) Page 20

" Honey, I think you have the makings of a real artist." Lina studied the charcoal sketch on the parchment. She had expected Eurydice's map to be a crude little drawing, but when the spirit unrol ed the parchment Lina had immediately been impressed by the quality of her work. The palace blueprint was laid out with strong, clear lines, each section labeled in a flowing script, but what impressed Lina the most was the meticulous detail with which Eurydice had symbolized each section of the palace. To mark the main dining room she had reproduced in miniature the ornate table, complete with candelabrum. The Great Hal had been labeled with a dais on which she had drawn Hades' throne. She had even sketched in the flower-fil ed courtyard and outlined the massive fountain in its center.

"Do you real y like it?" Eurydice asked breathlessly. "It is not completed yet. There are stil many finishing touches I should add."

"I love it. Have you always been an artist?" Eurydice's face was animated with excitement. "Yes! I mean, no, not actual y an artist. My father did not believe drawing was a proper pastime for a young lady - even as a hobby. But I used to draw things in secret. I sketched pictures of flowers on dry patches of ground with a sharpened stick. I dipped a bird's quil in my mother's dye and drew animals on old rags." She grinned impishly at Lina. "My father would have been very upset if he had known."

"Wel , I think being an artist is the perfect pastime for a lady, and I give you wholehearted permission to draw and draw and draw," Lina said.

"Thank you so much, Persephone!" Eurydice did a happy skip-step. "I cannot wait to tel Iapis. He said he thought that I drew very wel , and that he could find more supplies for me if I wished to keep sketching."

"Did he?" Lina raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Eurydice's face, already luminous, took on a decidedly pink hue. "Yes, he did. I thought he was just being kind, because he is always so kind, but if you agree with him then I know it must be true."

"Tel Iapis I said to load you up with supplies. You are now official y Personal Artist to the Goddess of Spring." Lina raised her arm regal y to punctuate the proclamation. Eurydice's eyes grew round with wonder. Impulsively she threw her arms around Lina, hugging her tightly. "You are the most wonderful goddess in al the world!" Lina laughed. "That is exactly the opinion I expect from my Personal Artist."

"You must task me with a commission. What shal I draw for you?"

"Shouldn't you finish the map first?"

"That wil be done soon. Then what would you like me to draw?" she demanded eagerly. Lina thought for a moment. Then she smiled. "The narcissus is quickly becoming my favorite flower. Why don't you draw me a big, beautiful picture of a narcissus?" Eurydice's face glowed as she curtsied deeply to her goddess. "Your artist wil do your bidding, Goddess of Spring."

Lina inclined her head in her best goddess-like gesture, pleased at how happy she had made Eurydice. "I wil try to wait patiently for your first commission." The little spirit popped up from the curtsy. "Oh! My first commission!" Two firm knocks sounded against the door to Lina's room. Eurydice danced to open the door.

"Iapis!" she gushed. "Persephone has declared that I am her Personal Artist!" lina observed the daimon closely. His expression was warm and open as he congratulated Eurydice, and his eyes never left the girl's face. Lina's grandma would say that he looked very much like a man who was on his way to being wel and truly smitten. Lina noticed that Eurydice touched the daimon's arm twice during her excited recitation. The girl's body language definitely said she was returning his interest - no, Lina corrected herself - she was going to have to stop thinking of her as a girl or a child. Eurydice was a young woman who had already been unhappily married once. In actuality the body Lina currently possessed didn't look to be much older.

"Goddess, may I commend you on your excel ent taste in artists?" Iapis said gal antly. Grinning, Eurydice hovered at his side.

"Thank you, Iapis. I think we are just beginning to discover Eurydice's talents." Iapis smiled fondly at Eurydice. "I must agree with you, Goddess." Then he bowed to Lina. "Hades awaits you at the stables. He asks that I relay to you that Orion is growing impatient." Lina's stomach gave a jolt at the mention of the God. "Wel , then, it's a good thing I'm ready. I wouldn't want to keep a dread steed waiting."

"They scare me," Eurydice said.

"Remember, just think of them as big dogs," Lina told her. The spirit and the daimon hurried after her as she walked briskly down the hal way and through the courtyard, fully aware that now she was the one who felt like dancing happily.

"Was your bath satisfactory last night, Goddess?" Iapis asked. Lina was glad that she was walking ahead of him. She knew the expression on her face would give away just how satisfactory last night had become.

"Yes, it was lovely. Thank you."

"Persephone said she slept very wel ," Eurydice added.

Lina smiled. She had slept wrapped in Hades' cape, fal ing in and out of teasingly erotic dreams.

"It pleases me to hear it," Iapis said to Eurydice. "Especial y after the restless night my Lord spent. I do not believe Hades slept at al ."

"Perhaps you should try bathing him as I did Persephone," Eurydice said. Lina quickened her pace, letting the soft breeze that drifted through the courtyard cool her flushed skin. Her body already felt like a spring that had been tightly wound. She definitely didn't need to start visualizing Hades' naked body being bathed and covered in oil. Lina hurried past the central fountain and the lovely sculptures, relieved when she final y reached to the wrought iron gates.

"I think I wil stay here, Persephone," Eurydice cal ed from behind her. The little spirit pointed to a cluster of narcissus flowers. "I can begin some preliminary sketches while you are riding with Hades."

"And I must procure the proper supplies for your artist," Iapis said, but his eyes never left Eurydice.

"Behave yourselves. I'l be back soon," Lina said.

The pair waved her away and she hadn't taken more than a couple of steps from them when she looked back to see that they already had their heads together. Eurydice's girlish giggle was fol owed by the deep sound of the daimon's laughter. She was going to have to remember to talk to Hades about them. Iapis seemed like a good guy - if guy was the right word to use when referring to a semi-deity -  but what exactly were his intentions? Eurydice was recovering from a bad relationship, not to mention the fact that she was newly dead. That had to make her doubly vulnerable. Didn't it? No matter what, Lina was definitely responsible for her and she didn't want to see her hurt. Iapis should be told to take it slow. Eurydice needed to be treated careful y and with respect.

An ear-splitting neigh brought Lina up short and she stopped her inner tirade. Orion was standing outside the stable. His mane had been combed and braided with ribbons the color of moonlight, which was the exact color of the narcissus tucked under the crownpiece of his bridle. He caught her eye, arched his neck and snorted, taking a few frisky side steps to show off. Beside him stood another stal ion that could have been his twin, except that the other horse's night-colored coat was broken by a single white splotch on his forehead in the shape of a lopsided star. The two steeds were almost as magnificent as the God who held their reins. Hades was scowling impressively at his lead stal ion.

"Settle down you great foolish beast!" Hades told Orion. "You see that Dorado is not making such a fuss."

Lina hurried to join them, trying not to be obvious about staring at the way the God's arms and shoulders bulged as he pulled Orion to order. He was wearing another short tunic which exposed an excel ent amount of his arm muscle as wel as most of his legs. His black cloak bil owed around him. Batman. A delectable, ancient version of Bruce Wayne. Lina fought the urge to fan herself.

"Don't scold him. I've decided that he's incorrigible, but loveable," she said, heart fluttering. Laying her cheek against Orion's soft muzzle when he nuzzled her in greeting, she averted her eyes from Hades. "You're just glad to see me, aren't you, handsome boy?" Hades thought he knew exactly how the stal ion felt; he had the ridiculous urge to strut and shout at the sight of her. Persephone was swathed in a long length of fine linen with a skirt that was full enough so that she could ride comfortably. When the breeze stirred it pressed the semisheer fabric against her body, outlining the swel of her breasts and the delectable curve of her waist, making Hades wish that he had thought to cal up more wind. He watched jealously as she caressed Orion, even though he felt like a shal ow clod for being jealous of a horse. Dorado nickered at the Goddess and looked bereft. Instead of doing the same Hades said,

"Persephone, I do not believe that you have been formal y introduced to Dorado. He does not lead as wel as your Orion, but he is the swiftest of the four." He patted the horse's glossy neck affectionately.

Lina rubbed Dorado's head. "It's nice to meet you, Dorado. Faster than Orion, huh?" She slanted a sassy look at Hades. "I guess that means that we won't be able to run away from you." Hades swal owed past the sudden thickness in his throat. Just being close to her made him feel powerful and helpless, hot and cold, al at the same time. He was probably going mad - and he didn't care. Moving close to her so that the sides of their bodies pressed against each other, Hades caught her teasing gaze with his own. "No, you wil not be able to escape me." Lina felt like she was fal ing into his eyes. Escape from him? Not likely. She wanted to climb under his skin.

Orion butted her back and snorted. She laughed, breaking the spel between them.

"Okay, impatient boy!"

"The beast is not impatient. He is jealous," Hades said, sending the stal ion a black look, which Orion pointedly ignored and lipped innocently at his Goddess's shoulder.

"Jealous?" Lina pretended to be taken aback. "Just because I petted Dorado? That's very sil y of you," she cooed to the horse.

"You have no idea how sil y," he muttered, but he wasn't talking about Orion, "Come," he took her elbow, guiding her to the horse's left side and helping her mount. "The Elysian Fields await the presence of the Goddess of Spring."

They rode side by side, fol owing the black marble road. The steady clip of the horses' hooves mingled with the lyrical sound of songbirds cal ing to one another from the boughs of the imposing cypress trees that lined their pathway. The fragrance of narcissus blooms perfumed the air. Every so often they would pass spirits, sometimes in groups, sometimes a solitary soul walking alone. But al of the reactions were the same. First, the spirits would step off the road, giving the dread steeds a wide berth. Then the realization of who was riding the steeds would hit them. The dead bowed solemnly to their dark God, al the while keeping wide eyes fixed on Persephone. The men would smile at the Goddess and bow to her, some of them even cal ed greetings to her, but it was the women whose reactions moved Lina the most. When women recognized that they were in the presence of the Goddess of Spring, their faces became alight with joy. Many of them addressed her by name and asked for her blessing, which Lina readily gave. Some even dared to approach Orion so that they could touch the hem of the Goddess's robe.

Lina couldn't believe what a difference her presence seemed to make to them. She had to admit that Demeter had been right - for whatever reason, the spirits of the dead needed to know that a Goddess stil cared for them. It was an awesome responsibility, but it made Lina feel needed and cherished. If, just by being visible in the Underworld, she could spread happiness and hope, then Lina was very glad to be there.

At first she worried that Hades would be upset, or even threatened by al the attention she was receiving. But though he said little in words, his pleased, relaxed expression spoke volumes. The dark God was obviously glad that the dead responded so joyously to her. Eventual y, the road climbed sharply uphil . They topped a rise and Lina pulled Orion to a halt.

"It's like someone divided it in two, and then painted it -  one side dark, the other light." She shook her head in disbelief, even though she knew her eyes didn't lie. The road they were on stretched in front of them as the dividing line in a radical y different landscape. It was the most bizarre thing Lina had ever seen.

"Painted different colors, dark and light, that is an apt description of it," Hades said. He pointed to their left where the land reached down into a vast darkness ringed by a distant red line of fire.

"That is the flaming River Phlegethon, which borders Tartarus, where darkness reigns." With his other hand he gestured to the brightness to their right. "And there you see Elysia, where light and happiness exist perfectly together and the only darkness that is there is what is required for the spirits to rest peaceful y."

Quickly, Lina accessed Persephone's ghostly memory. Tartarus, the voice whispered within her mind, the region of the Underworld where eternal punishment is meted out. It is a place of hopelessness and agony. Only evil dwel s there.

It was Hel . Lina couldn't take her eyes from the dark abyss. Suddenly she felt chil ed. The darkness seemed to reach for her, like tendrils from a malevolent creature.

"Persephone!" The sharpness in Hades' voice drew her attention from the void of Tartarus. She met his intense gaze. "You may roam anywhere within my realm, with or without me at your side -

except for Tartarus. There, you may not enter, nor may you travel near its boundaries. The realm itself has been tainted by the corrosive nature of its tenants."

"It's awful there, isn't it?" Her face felt bloodless.

"It must be. You know that there is great evil in the world. Would you have it go unpunished?" Lina thought about her mortal world. Snippets of news stories flashed in her memory like nightmares: the Oklahoma City bombing; the horrors of grown men and women who abused and kil ed defenseless children; and, of course, 9/11 and the cowardice of terrorists.

"No. I would not have it go unpunished," she said firmly.

"Neither would I. That is why I command that you do not enter its borders." Lina shivered. "I don't want to go there."

Hades relaxed his stern expression. He nodded toward the brightness that il uminated the right side of the road. "What I would like to show you is a little of the beauty of Elysia." With a conscious effort, Lina turned her back on the horrors of Tartarus, smiled at Hades and patted Orion's warm neck. "Al you have to do is lead the way. We'l fol ow you." Eyes sparkling, the God gathered Dorado's reins in his hand. "It is wel that you fol ow me. You ride the slower steed."

Lina narrowed her eyes at him and she drew out her words in her best John Wayne imitation. "You shouldn't talk about my horse, pilgrim." Then she pointed down the hil . "See the big pine at the edge of that the field down there?"

Hades grinned at her and nodded. "Dorado and I wil reach it first. He is the faster horse."

"He may be the faster horse, but he's certainly carrying more dead weight," Lina quipped. "Oops, that's probably a bad pun to use in the Underworld, but - YAHH!" She yel ed, catching the grinning God off guard. Orion responded instantly by leaping forward and lunging past Dorado to fly down the embankment. The wind whistled past her cheeks as the stal ion ran. Lina leaned into his neck and he increased his speed until the world blurred by her. Close behind, she could hear Dorado gaining on them. "Don't let them catch us!" she shouted into the stal ions flattened ears and Lina felt him respond with another burst of speed. Then they were past a tal , green shape that was the pine tree and Lina straightened in the saddle, whooping with victory as Orion slowed to a snorting, prancing trot before he stopped. Breathing hard, Dorado slid to a halt beside them. Lina laughed aloud at the expression on Hades' face.

"The fastest horse, huh? Don't ever underestimate the power of a resourceful woman."

"I believe you cheated," Hades said in mock seriousness, trying unsuccessful y to hide his smile.

"I like to think of it more as using al my resources to win than actual y cheating."

"I had no idea you were so competitive."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Lord of the Underworld," Lina said, stil stroking the stal ion's neck. "I am not your typical goddess."

Hades snorted. Orion snorted back at him. Dorado tossed his head.

The God gave his horse a couple quick pats. "Don't feel bad, old steed. We wil have our day of victory." Adding in a staged whisper, "We must keep a close eye on her - the Goddess is wily," Hades said, more to himself than Dorado.

"Uh-huh," Lina agreed and they both laughed.

"Persephone!" A young voice cal ed. Lina turned to see who had spoken.

"Oh, it is the Goddess of Spring! I knew it!" A lithe figure broke from the grove of pines that ringed the lovely lit-tie meadow in which the horses stood. She was fol owed quickly by several others who skipped and danced with excitement toward Lina. The entire group was made up of young, beautiful women. Their flowing wraps were draped al uringly around their strong, young bodies. If they hadn't had the semi-substantial look that marked them as spirits of the Underworld, Lina could have believed that she had stumbled into a sorority toga party. Hades kneed Dorado so that he was close to her, speaking in a low voice for her ears alone. "They are maidens who died before they could marry. They tend to frolic a great deal before choosing to drink of Lethe."

When the group got close to the two horses, they slowed, making an obvious effort to contain their excitement so as not to get too close to the fearsome steeds. The spirit who had cal ed her name dropped into a deep, graceful curtsy, which the rest of the maidens mimicked. When she rose she was the first to speak. "I heard that you had been seen, and with al my heart I wanted to believe it. Oh, Goddess! It is so wonderful to have you with us." A chorus of "Yes! We are so pleased!" fol owed her little speech.

"Wel , thank you. I am having a wonderful visit," Lina said. The first, maiden frowned. "You only visit? You mean to leave us?" The meadow was silent as if every blade of grass and leaf on each tree listened for her answer. She didn't know what to say.

"Persephone may stay in the Underworld for as long as she wil s it." Hades' voice, rich with feeling, broke the silence.

Lina's breath caught at the sudden rush of pleasure his words brought to her. She pushed aside the oh-so-serious-and-responsible thought that reminded her that she could not stay, that she was there for only six months. Instead she smiled at the God, and thought how very much she would like to kiss him again.

"Then you have no reason to rush on. Come dance with us, Goddess!" the maiden cal ed. Lina tore her eyes from Hades. "Dance with you? But there isn't any music," she told the young spirit.

"That smal detail is easily remedied," Hades said. "Our Goddess requires music!" He commanded with a flourish. The breeze took his words and swirled around them with an odd whistling noise that grew to a crescendo that melted unexpectedly into the melodic sound of musical instruments. The God inclined his head graciously to her. "Now you have music."

"So it seems." Lina's heart was beating so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it over the music. Dance? She didn't know how to dance with those girls.

"Yes! Oh, please."

"Now you can dance with us!"

"Come frolic to the music of the God, Persephone!"

"But... I... wel ..." Lina looked around helplessly. "What wil I do with Orion?" she floundered.

"You wil leave him here with Dorado and me," Hades said, already dismounting. He strode to Orion's side and lifted his arms so that she had little choice but to slide down into them. Hades held her close for a moment, and then he whispered, "Please dance for me here in Elysia. No goddess has ever done so."

Lina looked up into his eyes, saw the desire as wel as the vulnerability that he was feeling, and she knew she had no choice. She had to dance for him.

"I would be happy to dance for you," she said.

"My dread steeds and I wil await you." He paused, and then added, "eagerly."

"Okay. Wel ." She brushed at her robes, pretending to straighten that which was already straight. "I won't be long."

"Persephone! We already have the circle formed!" a maiden cal ed to her.

"Oh, good," Lina said, starting toward the waiting group. Sure enough, they had formed a loose circle in the middle of the meadow. Lina was so nervous that she felt vaguely nauseous. Dance with a group of dead maidens? It was just something that her life experiences had not prepared her for. Her hands felt sweaty. This wasn't like the nectar gathering; she didn't have an example to fol ow. They were expecting her to show them. Should she break into an imitation of one of John Travolta's disco solos from Saturday Night Fever! She was going to mess up. She was going to make a fool out of herself. Hades and everyone would know that she wasn't a goddess. She'd be found out as a fraud.

Cease this nonsense!

The echo within her mind startled her so much that she almost cried aloud. Your body knows the dance. Relax and trust it.

Lina glanced down at herself. She had forgotten that she wasn't wearing her forty-three-year-old skin. She was young and lithe and in such amazing shape that she could probably eat Godiva chocolate nonstop for days and not have to worry about zipping her jeans.

"Goddess?"

Lina looked up to see al the maidens watching her with openly curious expressions on their pretty faces. She probably looked like a moron standing there staring down at herself. Lina smiled, straightened her shoulders, and let her legs begin walking again. "I was just admiring the... uh..." She looked down again, "clover in this meadow. It's lovely, don't you think?" Al of the heads nodded energetical y, reminding Lina of dashboard ornaments.

"It is our special meadow. We like clover and green, growing things, so it has arranged itself to please us," the first maiden said.

"Wel , I like it, too," Lina said, joining the circle.

You begin in the center. Her internal voice directed.

Lina took a deep breath and moved to the center of the circle. Then she did the only thing she could think of doing. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The music fil ed her and automatical y her body began to sway. Her arms raised themselves and she spun in a slow, lazy circle. The music was wonderful. It reminded her of something wild and feminine. Her body matched itself to the music as she began to trace intricate steps with her long, supple legs. Her hips turned and swayed. Her arms painted images in the air. She wasn't a forty-three-year-old baker. She wasn't a young goddess. She was the music.

Lina opened her eyes.

Faces glowing with pleasure, the maidens circled around her, trying to match her movements. They were beautiful and many were obviously talented dancers, but the difference between their mortal dance and that of Persephone's was clear, even to Lina. Persephone moved with the inhuman grace of a Goddess. Lina's heart swel ed with joy at the power she felt within her. This must be how a prima bal erina felt at the peak of her career. She leapt and twirled and shouted with joy.

She could have danced forever, but one of the maidens stumbled and then col apsed into a laughing heap in the middle of a bed of clover. Soon after, several of the other girls were obviously struggling to keep up the dance. Lina quel ed her disappointment, and with a glorious final twist and flourish she brought the dance to an end. While the girls cheered and clapped, she sank into the deep curtsy of a prima bal erina. Then the spirits surrounded her, gushing their thanks and asking when she would return to frolic with them again.

As they giggled and talked, Lina tried to unobtrusively search the background for Hades. She found Orion and Dorado first. They were grazing contentedly not far from the pine tree that had served as their finish line. Her eyes traveled back. Hades was standing under the tree. He was leaning against it, his arms crossed nonchalantly and his body relaxed. But his eyes were bright and his hot gaze was locked on her. His lips were tilted up in just the hint of a smile. When he saw that she was watching him, he slowly raised his hand to his lips and then gestured toward her, as if sending her a kiss.

It was the most unabashedly romantic thing that a man had ever done for her.

"Wel , ladies, it has been wonderful to dance with al of you. We'l have to do it again very soon, but Hades and I must move on," Lina said, extricating herself from her circle of admirers. Several of them shot shy glances at the waiting God, and then there was much whispering, of which Lina could only catch the words Persephone and Hades linked together. Giggling and waving good-bye, the maidens disappeared into the pines.

Hades walked away from the tree to meet her in the middle of the meadow. For a moment neither of them spoke. Then, he reached out and brushed a damp strand of hair from her face.

"I have never watched anything as graceful as your dance," Hades said. Lina suddenly felt more breathless than she had been while she was twirling and leaping to the music.

"You must be thirsty," he said.

Until then Lina hadn't realized that she had been thirsty or sweaty, but in actuality she was both.

"Very."

"There should be a spring near here." He took her hand and started toward the opposite side of the meadow. "Things never stay completely the same in Elysia, but they do tend to reflect the same elements."

"So it's kind of like a changeable fantasy?" Lina asked, letting her hand trail over the clover that was knee-deep at that end of the meadow. Instantly, tufts of white flowers sprang from between the shamrock-shaped leaves, emitting a perfume that smel ed of summer and freshly mowed lawns.

"Yes, a little." Hades smiled at her. "Elysia is divided into different parts, but those parts can mingle and change, according to the desires of the spirits."

"Different parts? You mean like there's one place for people who have been real y, real y good, another for people who have been mostly good, and another for people who were just ordinarily nice?"

Hades' laughter fil ed the meadow. "You say the most unexpected things, Persephone. No, Elysia is divided into different realms. One is for warriors. One is here" - he gestured around them - "for maidens to come and frolic. And there are several others. Royalty exists in one. Another is for shepherds." His smile turned lopsided and Lina thought he looked twelve years old. "Oddly enough, shepherds do not like to mingle with others."

"Who would have guessed?"

"Exactly."

"So they can't mix? What if a warrior wants to court a maiden? I'd think even the most dedicated warrior would get tired of only doing manly things after awhile."

"They may mix, but it is rather difficult." Hades paused, considering. "But perhaps it should not be difficult. Perhaps they do not realize what they are missing because they have been so long without." The God stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

"Can you make Elysia rearrange itself according to your wil ?" Lina asked. Hades' gaze returned to her. "Yes."

"Then have the meadow of the dancing maidens placed next to the warriors' practice field. The rest should work itself out."

Hades barked a laugh. "I think you are correct."

They entered the forest of pines and after some searching, Hades found a smal path. They fol owed it until it crossed a stream that bubbled and tumbled over smooth rocks. Hades left the path and led Lina downstream and around a bend where the water pooled into a little sandybottomed basin before continuing its trek by splashing noisily over one side of the rocky ledge.

"For you, Goddess, only the best in drink and dining," Hades said with a rakish smile.

"You may be kidding," she said, hurrying to crouch at the edge of the pool, "but al that dancing has made me incredibly thirsty, and right now water looks better to me than ambrosia." She cupped her hand and drank of the clear liquid. It was so cold that it made her teeth hurt. She sighed happily and slurped another handful. After she drank her fil , Lina kicked off her soft leather slippers and let her legs dangle into the icy pool. Hades reclined next to her, leaning against a fal en log. The wind sloughed in the trees above them, surrounding them in the scent of pine and sap. The mystical Underworld sky cast an opaque glow over everything. Rose-colored glasses, Lina thought dreamily, so this is what the old cliche" meant.

"Demeter told me that the Underworld was a magical place, but I would never have believed that it held so much beauty," Lina said softly. "If the gods real y knew how wonderful it was down here, you'd have a constant stream of visitors."

Hades shrugged his shoulders and looked uncomfortable.

Lina studied him, and almost didn't press him further. Then she remembered his words from the night before. He wanted more than simple sex from her. She knew that, and in order for there to be more between them, they would have to be able to talk. About everything and anything. And, quite frankly, she was too old to play col ege dating games with al the silences and misunderstandings that went with them. She was a grown woman, and she needed to be able to say what was on her mind.

"If you didn't want visitors, why did you build such a huge palace with al those empty rooms just waiting to be fil ed?"

He considered the question. How much should he admit to her? He certainly didn't want to tel her that he had never before been involved with a goddess, sexual or otherwise, that he had spent an eternity longing for something more than the frivolity that satisfied the rest of the immortals. He remembered the last time he had visited Mount Olympus. Aphrodite had teased him with an open sexual invitation, and he had not responded to her offer. Later he had heard her smirking with Athena as the two Goddesses discussed what part of his body must be dead - along with his realm. Thinking about their cutting words he felt a rush of anger. His body was not dead. It was simply attached to his soul, and his soul required more than the insincere attentions of a self-serving goddess.

What could he say that wouldn't make her bolt away from him? He glanced at her. She appeared to be waiting attentively for his answer. He had to be as honest with her as possible. He couldn't lie or dissemble. A lasting relationship could not be based on falsehoods. He released a long sigh.

"Sometimes I have wondered myself why I built it. Perhaps I was hoping that some day I would learn to overcome my" - he struggled, trying to find the right word - "my difference."

"Difference? What do you mean?"

"I have always found it difficult to interact with other immortals," Hades said slowly. "You must know that I am shunned because I am Lord of the Dead."

Lina began to deny it. Then she remembered the look on Demeter's face when she spoke of Hades, and the offhanded way she discarded him as unimportant... uninteresting. The memory made her suddenly very angry.

"They just don't know what you're real y like."

"And what is it that I'm real y like, Persephone?"

Lina smiled at him and said exactly what was on her mind. "You're interesting and funny, sexy and powerful."

Hades shook his head, staring at her. "You are a constant surprise."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"It is a miraculously good thing."

She was a goner. She couldn't resist him, and she didn't want to. "I'm glad."

"You are not like any of the other immortals. You know how they are... so fil ed with their own importance, constantly striving to outdo one another, never satisfied with what they have." He shook his head and leaned forward so that he could brash her cheek with his fingertips. "You are honest and real - what a goddess truly should be."

Honest and real? A true goddess? Lina wanted to crawl under a rock. She wasn't even who she was.

"I... you... I..." Lina babbled, not sure what she should say.

Hades didn't give her a chance to col ect her thoughts. He slid forward and pul ed her into his arms. Her mouth was stil cold from the spring water. He wanted to drown in her. He plunged into the softness of her lips. If only he had known about her earlier. How could he have spent so much time without her? The Goddess wrapped her arms around him and pressed her breasts against his chest. Hades moaned. His desire for her was a molten, throbbing need. Lina jerked and screamed. Hailing water everywhere she scrambled to pull her long, bare legs from the little pool. Leaping up Lina rushed around behind the God so that he was between her and the water's edge.

"Something rubbed against me." Her voice shook as Oklahoma experience flashed visions of water moccasins and snapping turtles through her mind.

Hades patted one of her hands that clutched his shoulder, trying to pull his thoughts together. He could stil feel the imprint of her breasts against the supple leather that covered his chest and his body stil surged with hard longing.

"Persephone, nothing in Elysia would harm you."

"There!" Lina was ashamed that the word came out as a squeal. She pointed to a dark shape that flitted under the water. "There's something in the pool."

With a sigh Hades stood and walked the few feet to the bank. He crouched down and peered into the clear water.

Al of Lina's senses were on high alert. "Be careful," she said. "It might be a snake." Hades shot her a bemused look over his shoulder. "Why would you fear a snake?" Lina twisted a thick strand of hair around her finger. Snakes are closely al ied with Demeter. They are nothing to fear. Her internal voice chastised her.

"I know it's sil y, but I've never liked them," she said miserably. The God's wide brow wrinkled in confusion, but a splash from the pool cal ed his attention. Lina cringed back, not wanting to see the slithering reptilian body.

When Hades looked at her again a smal smile played around his lips. "You cannot possibly fear this creature."

"I don't real y like turtles, either," Lina said quickly, keeping her eyes averted from the dark shape that had just surfaced in the pool. "Especial y snapping turtles." Hades chuckled and motioned for her to join him. "Come. You like animals." Lina didn't bulge. "I do. I like mammals. I like birds. I don't even mind fish. I do not like reptiles. I know it sounds narrow-minded, but - "

An odd barking noise came from the water. Lina peered past Hades to see a little creature floating on its back.

She gasped. "You're not a snake!"

The otter barked at her again, kicking the water with his adorably webbed paws. Lina hurried to join Hades. She crouched next to him, leaning in against his side. "I think it's the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Don't tel Orion," Hades said. "He believes that he is your favorite." Lina pushed her shoulder against his before she reached across the water to tickle the otter's bel y.

"Orion is my favorite horse. This little guy can be my favorite otter." At her touch, the otter went into a frenzy of puppyish yips and snuffling sounds, wriggling so much that he sprayed water al over before swimming to the ledge and disappearing down the little waterfal .

"I didn't mean to scare him."

Hades smiled at the Goddess's disappointed expression and wiped beads of water from her cheek.

"You did not scare him, sweet one. The otters of Elysia are notoriously shy. Even I have never before seen one this dose. I certainly have never touched one."

Lina looked wistfully after the cute creature. "Can't you get him to come back? You are a God." Hades laughed. "As a wise God I know when it is best not to tamper with the natural order of things. And you would have more luck than I at charming the little beast. You are the animal sorceress, not I."

"I'm not real y a sorceress," Lina said. "I just like animals, and they like me, too."

"Mammals," Hades corrected her, brushing a long strand of hair back from her face. Lina tilted her head so that her cheek nuzzled his hand.

"Perhaps it is only me you have bespel ed, sorceress." Hades rubbed his thumb across her full bottom lip.

"There's no one I'd rather work magic on," Lina heard herself say as she leaned forward to meet his kiss.

When something butted her in the back she didn't jerk around in surprise or scream. She simply reached up and patted Orion's muzzle.

"You know, the uninformed would believe that the Underworld would be the perfect place to find peace and quiet."

Hades scowled at the stal ion. "They would be incorrect."

Orion snorted and tossed his head at the God, then he nuzzled Lina again, breathing warm, horsy breath on her neck and making her giggle. Lina grabbed a handful of silky mane, and Orion raised his head, pulling her to her feet.

Lina looked down at the God, who was stil glaring at the horse. She bent down and took his hand and tugged at him until he rose reluctantly to his feet.

"Would you like to see more of Elysia?" Hades asked.

Lina raised up on her tiptoes and brushed his cheek with a kiss. "I would love to see more of your realm."

Her words brought Hades a surge of happiness and he bent to kiss her swiftly and possessively before he lifted her to Orion's back.