My father would have a fit if he found me with the servant. My mother would be more understanding, but she would feel obligated to tell my father. And in truth, I didn’t see what the issue was. Since the beginning of time, gods had fallen in love with mortals. Zeus himself had fallen in love with more of them than I could even count. I truly believed that it simply boiled down to the fact that I held a special place in my father’s heart. It was doubtful that he would ever consider anyone good enough to be with me. I sighed at the thought.
I plucked another blossom from a rosebush, careful not to stick my finger on a thorn. I had been out here, idly trying to find the perfect bouquet of fresh flowers for my bedroom for over an hour now. I was simply trying to do anything that would occupy my mind and my time so that I wasn’t dwelling on thoughts of Cadmus, my Phoenician prince. But it was a futile effort. Every thought that I had was of him.
Sighing, I knelt and sniffed at a perfect white rose. And then startled when a deep voice came from behind me.
“Little Harmonia,” a voice drawled. I spun, dropping my basket of flowers. Hades, the god of the Underworld, leaned on a nearby lotus tree.
I stared at him in confusion. “Hades. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be—“
“In the Underworld?” he interrupted. I nodded, watching him. Hades was a very interesting god. He carried with him an edge of danger, an air of mystery. He was startlingly handsome with his dark hair, olive complexion and dark eyes. His teeth flashed white as he smiled at me.
“And what brings you out here to the edge of the palace grounds, little Harmonia?”
His voice was like honey, smooth and sweet. As he talked, he walked closer to me. And the closer he came, the more I wanted to be near him. It startled me, this magnetism. I had heard of it before, how Hades had an impossibly strong charisma. He drew everyone to him, either with their permission or against their will. It didn’t matter. Something about him made you think that you wanted him. You felt like you wanted anything that he wanted. It was a dangerous position to be in and I took a step back.
“Why are you here?” I asked quietly. I glanced around, but I knew I was alone. I meant to be alone. It was my purpose in coming out this far. I wanted to escape my mother, to be where my thoughts were private so I could think on Cadmus without interruption.
“Cadmus,” Hades mused, reading my thoughts quickly. “Your father’s slave. Interesting that you would think of him in such a way, Harmonia. Scandalous!”
“It’s not scandalous,” I replied quickly. “Not at all. He’s simply a mortal.”
“A mortal indentured to your father,” Hades amended. “How do you know that he returns your feelings, Harmonia? As a servant, perhaps he just wants to use you to gain an early release from his bond.”
A horrible feeling grew in my chest as Hades’ words. I hadn’t even considered that.
“Of course you haven’t,” Hades answered my thought. “You’re still so young, so fresh. So beautiful.”
He trailed his slender hand along my cheek and I sucked in my breath at his nearness. He had such a dark energy, such a strong energy. It was difficult to resist even though my mind knew it to be a trick. I didn’t want him. I didn’t want anything about him. But my body thought that I did.
Hades smiled.
“I’m not so bad, am I?” he asked softly, stepping closer. “I mean you no harm, Harmonia. I am simply here to speak with my brother, Zeus. I decided to walk by way of the scenic route and happened upon you. Completely by happenstance, I assure you. But what a happy accident.”
“If you say so,” I mumbled.
“Oh, I do.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked uncertainly. It was well known that Hades didn’t bother with a person unless he wanted something from them. He threw his handsome head back and laughed.
“I want nothing from you, Harmonia,” he answered with a smile. “What could I possibly want with the goddess of peace?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
Whenever Hades was near, the air itself became heavy and thick, like a premonition almost. I found that I wanted to flee, but that I was afraid. I didn’t want him behind me. I wanted him to remain in front of me where I could see him.
“Oh, Harmonia. You are such a delight,” Hades smiled again, calmly and confidently. “I am not here to hurt you. I assure you. You must believe me. I just came upon you and happened to overhear your thoughts. But now I feel that I must offer you a warning.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A warning?”
Hades nodded. “A warning. My brother Zeus is not what he seems to be. I sense that he will somehow use you to his benefit. I see Cadmus in your future, but I see great distress, great sadness. Use caution when moving forward on this path, young one.”
My heart quickened in my chest at the tone of the dark lord’s words.
“Great sadness? Of what kind?”
“Sadness is sadness, Harmonia. It matters not what kind. And I do not know. I cannot see the specifics.”
“But you definitely see Cadmus with me?” I was both relieved and elated at the thought.
Hades studied me. “Yes. But you are missing the point. I see that you will suffer. You might want to try and avoid that.”
“By not being with Cadmus?” I couldn’t believe I was asking such a question of Hades. As if he would give me an honest answer. He had to have some sort of angle here, I just didn’t know what it was.
He nodded. “If it were me, I might choose to avoid Cadmus. In doing so, you might avoid the heartache that I see in front of you. But I doubt you will do so. The heart wants what the heart wants, does it not?”
With that, Hades winked and continued on his way. He stopped only to pick up my flowers and replace them into the basket, handing it to me. As his fingers brushed mine, he leaned in and kissed my cheek smoothly.
“You’ve been warned.”
And he was gone.
Chapter Four
“He’s a mortal, sister.” Ortera, my half-sister, stared at me in consternation from across my bedroom.
She stood in the light of the window and I marveled, as I always did, at her muscled form. She was as thick as a tree trunk, but there was not an ounce of fat on her. She was a lean, efficient warrior, a status that served her well as a queen of the Amazons.
“So?” I raised an eyebrow as I slipped on a clean white shift. Belting it at the waist with a jeweled golden belt, I returned her gaze. “Yes, Cadmus is a mortal. I don’t see the issue.”