Page 1 of Hades
Loneliness grows slowly, twisting its hold around you like a rabid vine, growing and covering you until you can't escape.
As I walk down the halls of the palace I feel that familiar ache start creeping in.
Generally, I would distract myself with the souls I oversee or sparring, but it's growing harder and harder to ignore.
Stalking down the hallway, I stop so quickly I nearly topple over.
Maybe it's time...
“Lainie!”
My voice echoes through the empty halls accompanied by the loud clicking of my heels as I resume my search. The combined sounds bounce off the slick black granite wall that make up the labyrinth of my palace.
Where is that girl?You’d think after centuries at my side, I would know where to find her.
Lainie is the only servant who is loyal and trustworthy, she does the job of a dozen and doesn’tbat an eye.
Even if she is a servant, we’ve grown close over the years. But the halls are far too empty with only her as company.
I love that she is here with me as my constant companion, but I long for the touch of a man. It’s been decades since Seph and I broke up.
I start my search in the kitchen, the sleek blood red appliances hum but the room is empty. I head to the lounge, maybe she’s tucked in watching one of her shows, but the empty black couch tells me that I’m wrong. After scouring all the other rooms of the palace in search of my missing servant, I finally locate her in the library.
There she sits in front of the fire, nose stuck in a book and utterly ignoring my calls. This is Lainie’s favorite room, the walls lined with shelves full of books. They range from classics to modern day new releases.
Why didn’t I think to explore this room first?
Oblivious to anything but what she holds in her hands, she doesn’t notice when I lazily stroll up behind her. A wicked grin spreads across my face as I lean in close, my blue hair swinging almost too close and giving me away.
“Lainie,” I whisper in her ear. Startled, she sends her book flying into the air. With a swipe of my hand, the weathered tome soars back to its spot on the shelf, instead of the fireplace where it had been heading.
“Lady Hades,” she exclaims, her hand resting on her chest as she takes in heaving breaths. “I’m sorry. Did you call for me? That book is enthralling! Please, forgive me.”
She stands and her eyes fall to the floor, “I’ll do better to keep an ear out next time.”
I wave off her excuse. After spending my time looking for her I don’t want to focus on anything else.
“I have come to a decision, Lainie,” I say, raising my chin and straightening my spine.
“Lady Hades?” she gasps, a dainty hand covering her mouth. “You mean…”
“I will no longer wait in the dark of the Underworld until my one true love arrives. I’m going to reap his soul.”
“It’s about time, my Lady, and what is it that you need from me?” Lainie questions with a huge smile on her lips.
“Please book me a suite, I will start my search in Vegas,” I inform her as I return her smile. Lanie seems to melt at my words.
“Oh, Hades, Sin City, what I wouldn’t give to go with you,” she replies with a wistful sigh. “What made you decide to begin there?”
“The location is comparable to the Underworld—surrounded by a lot of nothing and glorious heat. I think if I am to find my mate, that’s as good of a place to start as any. If I return empty handed, at least I know that I didn’t just sit around and do nothing,” I say as I prop my elbow on a high backed chair opposite of Lainie.
As if on cue for his dinnertime meal, in trots my precious pup, Cerberus, tail wagging as he places two of his heads on Lainie’s lap and extends the last toward me. I reach down, scratching his soft smoky gray fur behind his ear as he nuzzles my arm in contentment. He smells like embers and a small tuft of smoke forms above his nose as he sighs in contentment. His icy blue eyes on each head scan the room once more before all six land on Lainie.
“I swear, Lainie, if I didn’t know better, I would think that Cerberus likes you more than me.”
“He is only sucking up because I’m the one that feeds him,”she replies with a laugh. Her fingers dig into his scruff on both necks so his tongues lull out.
So much for a fierce, three-headed hellhound.
