Hades

Chapter Thirteen

"Are you kidding?" I laugh. "Spencer, it's Hades. He's a..."

"God?" Spencer finishes for me when I hesitate. I nod. He shrugs. "So am I. That didn't stop Alexander the Great. Or Cleopatra. Or you, that one time when you were thirteen. Betcha never told anybody that lil' secret!"

I stare at him. "You are on fire tonight!"

Spencer waves his hand dismissively. He drapes an arm around my shoulder. "E, lemme tell you something. Out of all of us, Hades is the most human of all. Now, I know you like him and all—"

"Spencer!"

"—but that man over there is seriously, and I mean seriously, damaged." Spencer continues, ignoring me. I follow his gaze across the room to where Hades is standing in the shadows, his expression impassive as he watches the other party-goers mingle around the room. "He's suffered more heartbreak than most of the people in this room, he's stuck down here all alone and he has to listen to dead people moan about their regrets 24/7."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "What exactly are you trying to say here?"

Spencer sighs dramatically, like I'm overlooking the most obvious elephant in the room. "I'm saying that you and Hades are a lot more alike than you think. Think about it, E. Maybe your lives are more connected than you initially thought. Maybe the Fates have woven the threads of your lives together without you realising."

"Wait, what?" I frown. "The Fates are real?"

Spencer shudders. "Oh, the Fates are real alright. They're like voodoo; and everybody knows you don't mess with voodoo."

"This conversation is confusing me."

"That's not surprising; you think your feelings for Hades are complicated." Spencer spots something over my shoulder, and grins mischievously. He spins me around in a circle and whispers in my ear. "But what do we have here? I do believe that our friendly Underworld hottie do be heading this way. And I do believe that there is no time better than the present to tell him how you feel. Let's uncomplicate this complication!"

He shoves me forward before I can even so much as think about protesting. Yelping, I stumble over my skirts and topple forward. I throw my arms forward in a desperate attempt to break my fall, but just before I hit the ground, two strong arms wrap around my waist and steady me. I falter and shyly glance up into an electrifying gaze.

"Evie?"

I audibly gulp. My heart falls into my stomach. "Hi. Hades. Hi, Hades. Hi Hades."

Hades smiles. Unabashed emotion crackles in the depths of his midnight blue eyes as he steadies me on my feet. He steps back and formally offers me an arm. "Would you care to dance?"

"If I said I couldn't dance, would you listen to me?"

His eyes twinkle with amusement. "No."

"Then I guess my answer has to be yes." I curtsy and place my palm on his forearm. I grin cheekily. "Your highness."

A small chuckle reverberates through him as he leads me to the middle of the room. I try not to focus on the stares that prickle my back as we walk past the other guests, blushing a little when I hear Spencer wolf-whistle. A soft, lilting orchestral melody starts up, but when I search the room for the swelling sounds of the violins and piano, the source eludes me. I smile a little to myself.

These gods sure love their elaborate displays of mystique.

Hades pauses in the middle of the dance floor and steps back into a bow. He looks up at me, his lips turned up at the corners, and offers his hand.