I glanced at the vase on the bed stand. The orange and pink blossoms filled the room with their rich fragrance.
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “Of course. It is a small thing, but I thought it might make you happy.”
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Not long. A few hours. You needed to rest. And here in my home, you can replenish your energy. Have I mentioned how extraordinary you are? Simply being around you makes me feel peaceful.”
“Well, I am the goddess of peace. Maybe that has something to do with it,” I replied ruefully. “Is that why you were watching me sleep? You enjoy tranquility?”
He examined me for a moment, his dark gaze thoughtful.
“I enjoy peace at times,” he answered slowly. “There is a time and place for everything.”
He stood and approached the bed, sitting on the edge near me. “Harmonia, I am not what most people think that I am.”
I raised an eyebrow as I tried to inconspicuously move away from him.
“Oh, really?”
He nodded.
“Really. It’s true. Think about it, Harmonia. Are you what everyone thinks that you are? You are the Chosen One. Everyone thinks that you have a plan, that you have the knowledge and the power to put Zeus back into his rightful place. That you are confident and assured that every move you make is the right one. Is that the case?”
He studied me again. “Because I think it is not. I think you are a beautiful woman who has been forced into a position that she hates. So much pressure has been placed upon you and you have never asked for it. You don’t know exactly what to do especially now that everyone around you has betrayed you.” He picked up my hand. “Am I right?”
I swallowed hard. He had long fingers and they were curled around my own. And he was not wrong. I hated my position because I had no idea what to do.
“I thought so,” he said with satisfaction. “So, see, lovely one? People are not what others sometimes think they are.”
“If you are not the dark lord that people believe,” I started tentatively. “Then, what are you?”
I couldn’t help but study his face as he spoke. He was handsome in a very exquisite way. I knew I should be running as far away as I could from him, but I ached to be closer and that scared me. I dropped his hand and scooted across the bed.
He chuckled, but remained where he was.
“I know you feel it, too,” he murmured. “But I’m patient. So I will wait. What am I, you ask?” He pondered that for a moment, running his long fingers up and down the length of the bed next to him idly as he thought.
“That is a very complex question. But here is a truth. There is no one person, god or mortal, who is all goodness and light or all darkness and shadows. Each of us is comprised of varying shades of gray.”
“And what shade are you?” I asked tremulously. I felt my lower lip shake as I spoke. “Are you lighter shades or do you fall more toward black?”
He smiled. “I’m not a color wheel, Harmonia. Like anyone else, I’m comprised of a little bit of everything. I’m not a monster, I assure you. I’m just a man and I do what I need to do.”
I snorted. “Just a man? You’re a god. The god of the Underworld, no less. And the things that you ‘need’ to do are sometimes heinous, horrible things.”
His dark eyes glittered and I felt as though he was impaling me with them. I felt like I couldn’t move away from the pillows that I was propped upon.
“What about my brother?” he asked quietly. “Do you feel that Zeus is kind and gentle? He is not. He forced you into thousands of years of misery- simply to ensure that you would save him at a later date. He was willing to sacrifice you for himself.”
“Not just for himself,” I protested. “I don’t like what he did, but I do understand that it was for the good of everyone in the Spiritlands. And I haven’t been sacrificed. I’m not dead. I’m still here, alive and well.”
Hades shook his head slowly, as if he was lamenting the fact that I was an innocent child.
“Are you well? You’re cowering in one of my guest chambers in the dark and your beautiful eyes are red from crying. Harmonia, you don’t always need to be so good and kind. Just once, you can curse him for doing this to you. It’s alright. No one will hear you but me.”
I met his gaze and lifted my chin.
“Yes, sometimes I feel like cursing and screaming. But it won’t do any good. This situation is what it is. And I don’t actually understand it, to tell you the truth. What is your part in this? Why are you still so interested in me?”
“What a strange question, Chosen One.” He moved closer to me and ran his fingers along my forearm, lightly circling my birthmark. “You are exquisite and kind and beautiful. And something about you is so very vulnerable. I have this unexplainable urge to protect you.”
His black gaze caught mine and he moved his fingers to my face, rubbing his thumb lightly along my bottom lip. “Let me protect you, Harmonia. Please. You wouldn’t have to fight anymore or carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. I would fight for you.”
Breath exhaled from my lips in a rush. Until he uttered those words, I didn’t even realize how weary I was of all the pressure that had been placed upon me. It was truly exhausting. And I ached to simply hand it to Hades. He made it sound so easy. But a truth that I knew was that when something sounded so easy, it was never the right thing to do.
“I can’t,” I answered simply. “You’re asking me to switch sides… to change from good to bad. I cannot do it.”
He threw his head back and laughed a mirthless laugh. “From good to bad? Have you not listened to me at all? Zeus is not good and I am not bad. We are simply what we are… comprised of both good and bad. Both of us… we each simply have a different agenda. That is all.”
“His agenda is better for me,” I replied coolly. “His plan includes my husband, while yours is simply keeping me here in the Underworld with you. And speaking of my husband, where is he?”
His expression changed to one of neutral innocence, something that made me wary.
“He is here,” he answered. “I’m keeping him from you for the time being, as you requested. You wanted some time alone to think and you shall have it. Don’t forget that they all lied to you, darling.”
“As if I could,” I muttered. “Are they safe?”