I gulped.
His delicious scent wafted to me on the breeze and without meaning to, I closed my eyes to inhale it. Before I re-opened them, Hades was standing behind me, his hands on my shoulders as he murmured into my ear.
“Why has he left you alone, Empusa? At a time such as this, when you are feeling so very alone and vulnerable, he shouldn’t have left you.”
I wanted to step away from him. I truly did. The fact that he could reach into my mind and my heart and see what I was feeling was alarming and dangerous. But it was difficult to move. His voice was tying me to him like a ribbon of steel and it grew stronger by the second. Gathering my most inner reserves of strength, I gritted my teeth and yanked away. Whirling, I faced him from three feet away. For good measure, I took one more step backward. He smiled. He was well aware of the effect that he had on me.
“Why are you here, Hades?” I asked tiredly. I really wasn’t in the mood for this. He looked surprised and I had to give him credit for appearing genuine.
“I’m here because I’m concerned for you, of course,” he answered. “If you continue on your current path, things will grow very dangerous for you, very quickly.”
“And you care because…?” I knew I was being sarcastic and unfriendly. But I was dealing with the god of the underworld. He always had an ulterior motive and I wasn’t in the mood to try and figure out what it was this time.
“Honestly? I care because it’s in my best interest to ensure that you win.”
And that honestly surprised me.
“What do you mean?” I asked suspiciously. “Are you still under the assumption that if I win, Brennan and I will cause an apocalypse and all the mortal souls will come knocking on your door? That might have been the case, but no longer. I’m sure you are aware of the new developments. You’ve probably been lurking around here and saw for yourself.”
Again, he looked genuinely surprised. “What new developments?”
“You honestly don’t know? I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it,” Hades answered patiently, his gleaming teeth white in the night. “Please fill me in.”
I took a few minutes and explained my mother’s visions to Hades and included the part where Brennan thought he should offer himself to Zeus in exchange for my life and that of the entire mortal world. When I was finished, Hades looked flabbergasted.
“Apollo’s son would sacrifice himself in such a way?” he asked in surprise. “He doesn’t take after his father, that is for certain. Apollo doesn’t have the depth for an act such as that.”
“I think you are formed more by who raised you than by your genes,” I said absently. “Clearly, it is so in Brennan’s case. His mortal parents are good people.”
“I know,” Hades replied. “His mother dwells in the Underworld now. She passed on years ago. I know her personally. She has pure energy.”
“You know his mother?” I exclaimed. “You should tell Brennan. He would be happy to hear any news of her.”
“I care not, Empusa,” Hades said quietly. “You mistake me for having a soft-heart. You know that is not true. Brennan will see her for himself in the near future, I am certain, one way or another.”
“No. Not if I have anything to say about it,” I answered angrily. “Brennan owes the mortal world nothing. If I can help it, he will not sacrifice himself. It likely will not appease Zeus anyway. He will find entertainment in it, then he will demolish the mortal world anyway. He will certainly carry out this foolish game.”
“It is true that my brother has grown hardened throughout the years,” Hades acknowledged. “In fairness, it is hard not to become that way. Time turns us calloused, I fear.”
“Are you defending your brother?” I asked. “Because that is not like you.”
“No. I’m not defending him. I would never do that. I am simply pointing out something that you already know. A thousand years ago, you would have been railing against Zeus and the unfairness with which he handles the mortal world. You would have been anguished over the fates of the poor mortals. But here you are. Not one tear shed, except over your precious mortal. Time turns us calloused.”
“Time is nothing!” I snapped. “Zeus will not touch one precious hair on my mortal’s head.”
“What would you give to make sure of that?” Hades asked solemnly. “What would you do for him, Empusa? What would you give?”
I backed up one more step and studied Hades’ face. He was very serious, his dark eyes fixed on me.
“What are you asking me to give?” I asked stiltedly. “I think that is the question here.”
“You’ve always been an astute child,” Hades observed. “So smart, so impetuous. How will your impetuous nature serve me now, I wonder?”
In a flash, he blurred into motion and was standing behind me once again. With one slender, graceful hand, he grasped the back of my hair and bent my head back. Lowering his face, he ran his nose along the length of my neck inhaling me like a hungry man who hadn’t eaten in a thousand years. His chest was rock hard beneath my hand and as I gathered my wits, I pushed against it.
“Get. Away. From. Me!” I managed to rasp. Wrenching away, I stood with heaving breath, facing him once again. “What the hell was that?”
“My apologies,” Hades said quietly. “You just seem so fragile. And I have a weakness for beautiful, vulnerable women…I have a penchant for trying to save them, I suppose. Please accept my apology.”
He was completely unbothered, not a hair out of place. I, on the other hand, felt like I had come undone. My breathing was ragged, my hair was disheveled, and my heart was racing. I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that Hades had a weird pull on me. I loved Brennan. My heart knew that. But my body- it was under Hades’ spell and I hated that.
“Please control yourself,” I told him irately.
“I would tell you the same,” he said with a grin, “But we both know how well that works.”