Chapter 1

“Stop that! Don’t touch me,” a shrill, yet beautiful, voice rang out from behind a black wall. The piercing cry reverberated off the dense smoke walls as a tall woman with long black hair and shining blue eyes ran through the wall beside me, wearing nothing but a small white dress that clung to her curvy body. Eyes rolling, I waved my hand and the wall disappeared revealing my husband, who was pulling up his pants with an apprehensive smile gracing his full lips.

“Darling, I did not know you were coming home today. Welcome back,” he said, holding out his arms to embrace me. Shaking my head, I rested my hand on his muscled shoulder and sighed softly. He stepped back a little and hung his head ashamedly.

“Hades, please stop forgetting that I am the Queen of the Underworld. I know when you have your mistresses here, especially Persephone,” I spoke slowly, locking my forest-green eyes with his red ones. “No amount of blocking power will hide that from me. Oh, and next time, tell her that pretending she does not want to be with you is ridiculous. Now, please leave so I can rest before my next assignment.” Hades leaned forward and pressed his lips to my head.

“I am sorry, you know. Your mother will be here to see you soon. Goodnight, Lynus.” With that said, he stalked out of the room, waving his hand and the black wall reappeared, and then solidified. I snapped my fingers and the small piles of clothes left behind by my husband and Persephone vanished. I staggered over to my feather bed and collapsed onto it. It was then that a small light made itself known in the corner of my messy room and I threw my crumpled pillow at it.

“Get out of here, Ares,” I muttered as I closed my eyes.

“You should not let ‘im do that to ya, babe,” Ares’ lilting southern accent filled the room. I felt my bed tilt slightly as he sat down next to me, setting his hand on my arm comfortingly. I pretended to swat him away and I could almost feel him grinning.

“Don’t you remember the last time ya tried to hit me, Ly?” I growled softly and poked his arm as I opened my eyes. Ares’ mischievous smile lit up his face almost as much as it did during the Winter Solstice on Mount Olympus. He leaned forward and snatched me into his arms. I squealed before settling into his lap with a big sigh.

“I just do not understand why he has to be so damn promiscuous,” I mumbled, folding my arms over my chest. “I’ve never cheated on him, so why does he insist on doing it to me?” Ares leaned his head on top of mine as he wrapped his arms around me tightly.

“You could always cheat to get back at him for what he’s done to you. We are gods, you know,” he said quietly. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. 

“And whom would I cheat with? Mortals are no fun and none of the gods would ever interest me,” I said indignantly. Then, I looked up at Ares, who was grinning cockily. My green eyes widened and I crawled out of his lap quickly.

“Buggar off, Ares. And don’t come back until I let you know that I want you here.” He shrugged a little before blowing a kiss towards me and disappearing in a small flash of light.

That was when I heard a clear voice say, “Do not be so mean to your friends, Lynus. Sooner or later, you shall not have any more.” Turning around, I saw the tall, majestic figure of my mother, Aphrodite. I glared at her a little before nodding my head in agreement. She smiled radiantly, the dimples that I had inherited from her showing clearly on her flawless face. I could not help but smile back.

“There’s that beautiful smile of yours,” she beamed. “I was wondering where it was hiding.” I rolled my eyes at her playfully before settling onto the edge of my bed.

“I suppose that I have another assignment,” I guessed, observing my mother’s face for any indication that she opposed. Aphrodite pursed her lips a little then sighed.

“Yes, you do,” she stated. She then waved her hand, conjuring a manila folder with one white paper inside. “His name is Sawyer Holmes. Your assignment is to first ‘impress’, then kill him.” I leaned back onto my bed, huffing.

“Let me guess, this is another enemy of Father’s?” My mother nodded and set her perfectly manicured hand onto my knee. I glowered at her, knowing the real reason why so many people were my father’s enemies.

“Hephaestus has too many enemies. Don’t you think so?” Aphrodite scowled at my implication and I smiled smugly, knowing I had gotten to her. She took a small step towards me, then sighed softly and stepped back.

“I’m almost as bad as your husband, aren’t I?” she said dejectedly.  My eyes widened as I realized what she was thinking and I jumped up from the bed. I pulled her into my arms, wrapping them around her porcelain figure. She immediately returned the gesture and I smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I should not have been so short with you,” I spoke quietly, trying not to upset her any more than I already did. “You could never be as bad as that b*****d.” I felt Aphrodite stiffen in my arms slightly and I held my breath, ready for her rant. My mother still thought I should be with Hades, no matter what he did to me.

“Why don’t we change the subject, Love?” she murmured into my glaringly white-blonde hair. I said yes quietly and she pulled away to sit down on the edge of my bed.

“Father wants you to start tracking Holmes right away. This is a very important job,” Aphrodite said. “Your father is very �" and I mean very �" angry with him.” I giggled a little.  No matter how many times I was asked to do this, it still made me laugh when I heard about my father’s anger.

“Would you like me to go now?” I asked, grinning at Aphrodite. She giggled quietly, and nodded. I saluted her, and orbed out.

 

Bright sunlight shone into my eyes as I appeared at a white, sandy beach. I groaned quietly. Gods, why do people even like the sunlight, I thought to myself.

“Maybe you do not like it because you spend so much time in the Underworld.” I jumped, startled at the clear dialect being cast toward me. Turning, I eyed the imposing figure of my father, Hephaestus. At seven feet tall, my father’s white-blonde hair, which matched mine in colour and texture for now, rustled slightly in the sea breeze while his green eyes bore into mine. I smiled apprehensively, worried about what his appearance on Earth might ensue. Hephaestus rarely visited the human world, preferring his role upon Olympus to their mundane existence.

“I trust your mother has given you the new assignment,” Hephaestus rumbled. I nodded silently.

“Sawyer Holmes, your mother’s most recent conquest, is to be dispatched immediately. I no longer wish for him to be able to roam around the world.” Hephaestus patted my shoulder roughly, causing me to stumble slightly. He grimaced and backed up, nodding his apology. Sometimes, I could not see why my mother stayed with Hephaestus, but I could see it clearly now. He was a gentle giant.

I pointed to where the humans were sunbathing behind the rock that concealed us. “Would you like me to seek him out now, or is there something else you need?” I asked politely. Civil conversations were the only ones I had with my father, since he still thought I was a result of my mother’s ill-advised consort with Poseidon. Even I could admit that my personality and unusual admiration of water matched Poseidon’s, but Hephaestus was my real father.

“You may seek him out now,” he murmured. “Thank you.” I smiled widely, a reaction to his rare expression of gratitude. Hephaestus managed a small smile before he disappeared. I bounced a little before snapping my fingers, making a navy blue bikini appear on my body. Smiling, I walked around the large boulder towards where Sawyer Holmes was lying. I watched as his golden eyes widened when I lay down a yard away from him.

I carefully peeked at him through my thick eyelashes. His golden brown and tan complexion stood out from the pale, sunburned tourists that walked around us. His muscular body and rugged good looks were also exceptionally rare. Suddenly, my mother’s choice was not that badly selected. Holmes was remarkable. 

“Didn’t your mum tell you staring is rude?” My eyes widened at the rough Scottish accent, as Holmes turned his head to look at me. Recovering, I arched a perfect brow in his direction.

“My mother taught me to appreciate the finer things in life, and that’s just what I’m doing,” I retorted, smiling impishly. Holmes grinned and held out his hand.

“Very nicely put, lass. My name’s Sawyer.” I pushed myself up onto my elbows and shook his hand, saying, “I’m Lynus, Lynus Inferis.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Lynus,” Holmes replied, holding my hand longer than was necessary. Sitting up, I pulled my hand from his and ran my fingers through my hair, dislodging sand and other debris. Sawyer reached up and tugged on one of my wide curls.

“I’ve never seen hair this colour, is it bleached?” Holmes asked, as he curled my hair around his finger, holding it up to the light. I giggled flirtatiously, tilting my head to the side.

“No, my father has the same colour hair as me,” I answered. Sawyer nodded slowly, still inspecting my hair. I silently cursed myself, knowing I had used some of my power on him. All daughters of Hephaestus could use the power of coercion, to make others believe what we say. This gift is not one I use often.

Smiling, I took Sawyer’s hand from my hair and stood up, pulling him with me. He followed dutifully, grinning.

“Where we going, lass?” I smiled as his casual use of Scottish endearment, and gestured to the water. Sawyer nodded, then smiled mischievously, and bent down to pick me up bridal-style.

Blushing brightly, I wrapped my arms around his neck, quietly admiring his show of strength. I could feel his abdominal muscles against my side, and, with an unusual display of confidence, pulled one of my hands down to run my fingertips across them lightly. His muscles tensed and he pulled me closer to his body. Grinning, I looked up to see him watching me daringly. He smiled, and I contemplated the cacophony of emotions dancing in his blue eyes. I could see excitement, curiousness, and one other that I could not place.

Suddenly, I felt his body lurch as I was yanked out of his arms. Flailing, I dropped down to my knees and cursed as the sandy grains dug into my skin. A pale hand wrapped around my upper arm and pulled me to my feet roughly. Growling, I looked up at my captor. Bright red eyes met mine, and I shoved Hades away from me.

“What are you doing?” I said loudly, glaring up at Hades. He glowered back at me, his mouth set into a grimace.

“He wanted to do… unsightly things to you in front of the entire beach,” Hades murmured, looking into my eyes. I huffed and counted to five slowly in my head, to manage my temper.

“He’s one of my assignments, you dipstick!” I shouted, shoving Hades’ chest. He didn’t even step back, taking my anger silently. Cursing under my breath, I turned away from him to face Holmes, who was being held by one of Hades’ guards, Polluc. I waved him away, and he obediently stepped back, taking his hands off Holmes. Behind me, I could practically hear Hades roll his eyes at his guard’s compliance. Smiling slightly, I looked up at Holmes. His golden eyes were wide as he looked back and forth between Hades and me. I reached up, setting two fingers against his forehead. He collapsed, and I sighed.

“Are you happy, now?” I asked Hades, turning to look at him. He grinned ferally and nodded.

“Ecstatic,” he replied sarcastically. “Now, come, I need your help with the newcomers in the council hall.” Hades reached out to take my hand, and I skipped away from him to the guard.  

“Shall we, Polluc?” I asked, smiling sweetly up at him. Polluc’s eyes were wide as he glanced at Hades, who shook his head emphatically. With easy grace, Hades glided over to me and reached for my hand. Huffing, I let him take it as he murmured a Greek body-transitioning spell and we were transported to the council hall, leaving Polluc to take care of the body. Expecting an empty room, I was astonished when I saw that the council hall was full to the brim with souls. The reflective high arches of the ceiling, and large marble pillars made the hall seem twice as large as it normally was when it was empty.

“Hades! What is going on here?” I yelled, yanking my hand from his and facing him. Hades just stalked past me to his tall black throne chair. At ten feet tall, it towered over my more modest chair, a gleaming gold with white lacing. Hades always was one for theatrics.

Still gaping at the sheer amount of souls, I followed him slowly. As I reached my chair, I started to notice that a number of the dead were watching me with wide eyes. My face flushed, and my green eyes stayed glued to the ground as I sat. I heard Hades chuckle softly, and I glared at him hotly. Suddenly, a loud gasp escaped from the mouths of the souls in the front row as they watched me glare at Hades. My gaze snapped to them and they cowered slightly. Again, I heard Hades chuckle as he put his hand on mine gently. I glared at him, yanking my hand away. Once more, the souls gasped loudly. My face crumpled as I felt their disapproval wash over me.

“Angel, I do believe that they are upset with your obvious animosity towards me,” he said, grinning. At Hades’ smile, I saw a few souls move towards us with doting expressions.

Leaning closer to Hades, I whispered, “Since when have they cared about what I think? Usually, none of the souls even notice me! I’m not used to them staring at me.” With an award-winning smile, Hades peeked at me through his delightfully long lashes. I had to stop myself from biting my lip. When my father first set us up, Hades’ eyelashes were my favourite part about him. Apparently, according to my racing heart, they still were.

“You are wearing one of the most beautiful, yet absolutely most revealing, bathing suits that I have ever witnessed on such a lovely body,” Hades murmured with a small smile. Blushing brightly, I snapped my fingers and my blue suit changed into a fitted sleeveless, short, navy-blue dress. Hades nodded in approval and leaned towards me again.

“I also may have announced to the entire court, including these dear souls, that I have finally ended my eight-thousand year rebellious stage, and that I intend to be with you more often. If that’s okay with you, of course.” Hades’ bright red eyes met mine cautiously. With ungraceful dignity, my jaw dropped.

Finally, I thought. Only had I hoped he would ultimately stop his conquestial nature. Many of his mistresses still resided down here in the Underworld, and he had easy access to them all. Never had I thought he would stop for me.

“Um, yeah,” I whispered. “That’s totally fine with me.” Hades then stood and beamed out into the crowd. I sat back in my chair, the feeling of astonishment stealing my ability to breathe. Closing my eyes, I took in a big gulp of air and relaxed slightly. That is, until Hades decided to address the inquisitive souls.

“My dear wife, Lynus, has agreed to help me sort through you this fine morning,” he boomed with a big smile. My eyes flew open as I shot up in my chair with a loud whine. Hades glanced back at me, raising his eyebrow teasingly.

“Yes, Darling?” he drawled. “I thought you had agreed to spending more time with me, but that whine says you disapprove of my choice.” My mouth gaped open; I was unused to him addressing me with such civility.

I stood slowly and approached him. “You know I hate talking to the souls, Hades,” I whispered. His eyes went alight with understanding. Since the very first day down here in the Underworld, I had been exceedingly afraid of souls unwilling to make the transition into what some think as Hell.

Hades leaned towards me, and murmured, “If you wish, I can dismiss them for you, Core.” Instantly, I felt my face heat up. Hades had not used that name for me since I first arrived in the Underworld.

“Daeira can accompany the ones who do not wish to speak to us into the Great Hall,” I whispered. “I would like to try, Aidoneus.” Hades’ face lit up with a wide smile, relishing in my almost forgotten nickname for him.

“Everyone who wishes to continue peacefully to the Great Hall may do so now. Those who wish to speak with the Great King and his Queen may stay,” Daeira had appeared beside us and was conducting the souls into the Great Hall. I pulled away from Hades and sent a grateful smile towards her. She winked at me conspiratorially. My face flushed and I hid behind Hades. I felt his back shaking slightly as he chuckled. Annoyed by his amusement at my expense, I poked his spine.

“You should know better than to delight in the jest of your queen, High King of mine,” I said, trying not to smile. Hades turned and pulled me close to him before planting a kiss on my head.

“My apologies, Dearest Core, I did not mean to offend,” he said, grinning. I swatted at his chest and he let out a roar of laughter. I mockingly scowled at him, folding my arms.

“I am sorry, Lynus,” he managed to say through his laughter. “I had completely forgotten just how peculiar your sense of spirit is. I enjoy it immensely.” I began to grin like a Cheshire cat as I sauntered over to my chair and sat upon it.

“I am ever so glad you revel in my wit, Dear King, but I do believe we have more obligations that to sit back and take pleasure in my wondrous humour.” I gestured to the lone female soul who had stayed behind from Daeira’s herding. Hades chuckled a little before settling himself into his throne with a wide smile. He was about to address the soul when I interrupted him.

“You can move closer, Soul,” I said, encouraging the soul to approach us with a smile. “I promise I will not bite. Of course, I can’t say the same about the King.”

Peeking at Hades, I saw his eyes light up with mirth at my suggestion. “I only bite those who deserve it, like my Dear Queen,” Hades hinted. I let out a mock gasp, and swatted at his arm. The soul who had moved closer during our banter smiled at us.

“I am glad to see that you two have gotten over your previous differences,” she remarked. I let my gaze run over her transparent body. She was in her mid-twenties, with long golden-brown hair and blue eyes that sparkled even in death. Her medium build suggested a life of hard work, while her sinewy legs made her a runner by nature. It was then that my mind registered her words.

“How is it that you know of our differences, Soul?” I inquired, tilting my head slightly in confusion. Hades mimicked my pose, and then snapped his fingers in realization.

“It was the paintings you all viewed before you entered this room, was it not?” Hades questioned. The soul nodded. Hades turned to me and leaned close, beckoning me to move towards him.

“There are many paintings in the hallway that Nyx shows them before they come in here to meet me. Or, us, rather,” he explained. I acknowledged this with such obvious confusion that he continued.

“The paintings show depictions of the thousands of years that I have been unfaithful to you. One in particular shows you smiting a river nymph that had wondered into the palace during one of the times you were away on an assignment,” Hades clarified.

“Ah, Minthe, of course,” I said, remembering. Minthe, the naiad in question, was one of many who tried to seduce my husband. To no avail, of course, since Hades was quite busy entertaining Helen of Troy at the time. I scowled slightly at Hades as I recalled the long stint he had had with Helen. Hades’ face flushed and he turned back to the soul.

“What is it that you wished to talk with us about?” Hades asked. The soul fidgeted a little, wringing her hands.

“I-I was killed by a man. He was a horrid murderer,” she whispered. “He k-killed my son, and my sister, before moving on to me.” My heart wrenched for her, and a tear ran down my cheek.

“That man was a serial killer, and I know he’s moving on to other innocent people as we speak. In addition, he is… different. His eyes and hair were golden, and he was tall. And, he was one of the most beautiful men I’ve seen in my twenty-two years of life,” the soul said. “I also know his name and I know where to find him,” she then declared with apparent triumph. I leapt out of my chair.

“Tell me, and I shall dispose of him immediately,” I announced with conviction. Hades took my hand and pulled me down to sit in his lap. I gasped loudly and scrambled to get up. Hades growled quietly and grabbed my chin so my eyes met his. I trembled at the fierce protectiveness that shone out of his blood red irises.

“You will not go anywhere near this man, Lynus,” Hades seethed. The tone of pure hatred that rang through his baritone voice shocked me. His free hand gripped my arm tightly.

It was then that I noticed the soul had approached the throne, eyeing Hades fearfully. I squirmed a little, trying to escape his firm grip, but he held me securely. The soul gasped as bruises started to blossom under Hades long fingers, and I looked towards her.

“Please, Hades, you are hurting me,” I whimpered quietly. His beautiful face crumpled for a second before he stood and set me down in front of the soul. Turning towards his throne, his brooding voice rang out, “I am sorry, Lynus. I should not have handled you in such an awful manner.”

I took a step towards him and he spun around, saying, “Don’t, Core. Just don’t.” I caught sight of his tortured expression before he stormed out of the side doors that lead to the palace’s chambers.

“No! Hades, please wait!” I cried out, before turning towards the soul. “I am so sorry, I must go, but I will be back. Give the name of your killer to Daeira.” She nodded emphatically and shooed me out. I threw her a grateful glance before hurrying out of the doors Hades had just raged through, shouting his name.

Reviews

[Larry Dyson]

consistently well written and good story line choice..tell me a little about yourself and read a little of my stories and chapters?..LAury