Free Seeds: Volume Two by M.M. Kin Page A

Aethra, her younger sister, reported he same thing, calling his eyes 'beady'. It was an apt description, and she wondered what he had to do at night. He disappeared around a corner, apparently unaware of her presence, and Thalassa frowned to herself.
     
    o0o
     
         The River Styx churned on as it had for all time, standing as the border between the realm of the living and the dead. Unlike the tales told above, coinage was not required to cross the Styx, but the deities of the Underworld did nothing to dispel that rumor. Wealthy and poor souls alike were admitted onto the ferry, for in death everyone was the same. The coins that Kharon received were whisked out of sight, disappearing under the cloak of his robe, presumably never to be seen again.
         Kharon slid out invisibly from his cloak, leaving his doppelganger to operate by itself, shadowy hands gripping the oar. One of the nice things about being such a powerful deity was that he did not have to be on his boat for all Eternity. That would be a boring prospect, indeed. The doppelganger was an effective simulacrum of himself and an extension of his will, performing his duty without his physical presence. The passengers were never the wiser.
         He followed the course of the Styx, disappearing into its blackness. A body wrapped around him, arms and legs hooking around his limbs, softness pressing against his chest. Styx's flesh was cold, but then, Kharon had never liked heat. Her lips were like ice, but he became impassioned, feeling her hands roam along his body, fingers scraping along like icicles as she welcomed him into the abyss.
     
    o0o
     
         Hades stared out one of the windows of his bedchamber, peeking through the heavy curtains as Persephone made her way out from the main room, her feet gliding along the dark marble as she came to the railing. Her pale skin stood out amidst her dark clothing and the shadows that surrounded her, making her seem like a ghost, her skin glowing almost ethereally due to the loss of her light tan. The sky above, dark to represent night as it was on the surface world, glittered with the diamonds Hades had casted up there for his bride-to-be to enjoy. She looked despondent, her gaze distant as she followed the railing, her fingers sliding along its polished marble surface. At one side of the balcony – really more of a terrace due to its wide dimensions – was a set of stairs that led down to the gardens. Oddly, Persephone did not go down these stairs – he was certain she would have, given her attitude – and remained where she was, looking out at the garden that sat below.
         She looked ravishing, her hair tied back loosely to show the curve of her neck. Womanhood suited her well, he mused as he studied the delicate plane of her jaw. He imagined the feel of her soft body against his, and what it would be like to finally deflower her, to make her feel like a woman yet again with his attentions.
         Oh, Persephone. Do you not understand how much I need you? How much you need me? I am one of the most powerful gods in existence, yet my heart is yours. I would lay the world at your feet if you would but commit yourself to me. He pressed his hand against the cool glass of the window as he studied the captive goddess. As if she sensed his gaze, she looked up at the window, and like a love-struck boy, he felt his heart do a quick pitter-patter within his chest.
     

 
    Chapter XXIV
     
    o0o
     
         Persephone felt his gaze as she stood outside, and turned her head to see his palm pressed against the window, pale fingers stretched across the glass. She could feel him beseeching her silently, his eyes fixed upon her. She rebelled against Fate. The captive goddess did not want yet another person to dictate her destiny. There had to be more than one way out of the Underworld. She remembered the wish that Zeus had offered her all these years ago. If she could contact him, she would wish for her