The Curse of Hades *MATURE*

Chapter 10; city of stars

Yoohoo *waves* how is everyone? I know after my last author's note you're all eager for some loving and doving, hanky panky, fiddling and diddling, etc, so I'm just gonna give my usual ***Warning*** that there is MATURE content in this chapter. BUT before you get all excited it is NOT the full deal. Just something something *wink wink* It goes without saying that if you are under the age of eighteen or whatever the legal age is in your country, please avert your eyes, or at least be conscious of the smut because who am I to stop you? lol Anyway, enjoy but not too much, kay?  ;) This chapter is extra-long btw.

Ps please read the AN at the end as I'd like your guys' opinion on something.

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Harper wore a long periwinkle gown that was slit on the sides, exposing a good amount of leg, and a flower crown was woven into her loosely curled hair which hung down her back like a waterfall. 

They were riding in a midnight black carriage that was pulled by nothing but magic. Hades sat opposite her, one leg leisurely resting over the other, and like most days he wore a suit, though this time it was grey and tight fitted with a periwinkle handkerchief tucked into the front pocket to match her ensemble.

Isabella and Jasmine had spent the better part of an hour getting her ready, though Harper had opted for a minimal amount of makeup, save for some rose blush, mascara and lip gloss; too much of that stuff made her wolf snarl and these days Harper had enough trouble controlling the beast as it was. In the end, the girls had shoed her out with devilish winks and smiles which only fueled the excitement that fluttered in the pit of her belly. 

Hades had acted every bit of the gentleman she had expected which was a stark contrast to that time where he made her dine butt naked, save for his jacket, of course, something which she still hadn't gotten over. Though, really, she wasn't sure what made her more nervous; at least then she could have used her anger as a shield yet this time she was exposed, laid bare for him to take apart and dissect.

The carriage left the palace grounds through a tall obsidian gate, clearly a new addition to the palace judging by the lack of deterioration usually brought by time. Hades had likely had it built when the sickness started to spread, or perhaps when Persephone - she - had gotten sick. The reality that Harper had been a Goddess in another life hasn't fully sunk in, though she couldn't deny the fact that she was curious about that life.

Persephone and Hades had, after all, shared eons together and those were thousands of years of memories that Harper didn't have access to. Cerberus was certain that with time, and as her powers progressed, she'd be able to access them once more. That thought was more daunting each day and something which she had made a point of avoiding discussing.

For the long months that she had been in the underworld, Harper was left wondering what her new home was like. She had explored what felt like every inch of the palace but everything else was new and unknown. So it was to be expected that when she saw the snow-covered mountains, rolling green hills, and the purple night sky, she couldn't help but gasp. The sight was enough to draw her out of her slightly melancholic thoughts. 

There were obvious similarities between the underworld and earth; the trees were still green and the water still blue and yet, here in the land of the dead, everything was simply more; brighter, sparkling, magical. Trees loomed on either side of the road and Harper rode the entire way with her face plastered to the carriage window, marveling at the dancing twinkles of fairies that could be made out from between the trees, or the bright flowers that were unlike anything she had seen before.