Persephone rushed to fill the void of silence. “Nothing!” She screamed as Hades hit her again. “Freedom! Of course he wants—he wants to be free.”

Hades rolled her over. Persephone whimpered as the movement caused friction between her skin and Hades’ chiton.

“What did he offer you?”

“Nothing. Wait!” she said as Hades tensed her hand. “He said—he said he could help me. But I refused him.” Her eyes were wide and tear-filled, pleading with Hades to believe her. “I swear, by Athena’s virtue.”

“What else did he want?”

Persephone ran through the conversation in her mind. “For his conditions to be improved.”

Hades scoffed. “When one is a tyrannical despot, one must suffer the consequences.”

“He has suffered for many a year.”

“More than your lifetime.”

“When I close my eyes,” Persephone said, “I can still see the pit, the darkness that swallows the light. I can feel the cold. I—”

Hades gathered her in her arms, and Persephone buried her head against Hades’ chest, tears running down her cheeks.

“It was too soon for you to see that place. My tasks for you are not randomly constructed; they are designed to introduce you to your new domain in the correct order.” Hades took a breath. “Do you not understand how precious you are? How fragile? We may be immortal, but we can still suffer.”

Suffer, like Hades was forcing her to suffer?

Hades’ heartbeat was steady and even. She wasn’t even breathing hard. She wasn’t angry, just as she’d said, so why did she have to hurt Persephone so much?

“I want to go home,” Persephone said. She shifted, pulling back. Hades wasn’t looking at her. She reached out and placed her hand on Hades’ cheek, turning Hades to face her. “I want to go home.”

Hades covered Persephone’s hand with her own and kissed the tips of Persephone’s fingers. “You are trying my patience.”

Persephone snatched her hand away. Hades pressed her down to the bed and bit at the hollow of her neck, re-marking the bruise that had started to fade.

Persephone made a choked sound at the back of her throat.

Hades abruptly released her and left the bed. She closed the shutters, then snapped her fingers. As one, the candles winked out, plunging the room into darkness. The burnt-out scent of wax filled the air.

When Hades returned, every inch of her skin was uncovered. She kissed Persephone’s tear-stained face and pressed herself against her, pinning her to the bed.

Persephone could hear her own heartbeat like a pounding drum within her temples. Her breath came quick and short as Hades’ hands roamed over her body, raising Persephone’s chiton as high as it would go to expose her breasts. It was easier to be with her when she didn’t have to look at her face, didn’t have to remember who was doing this to her.