Old Gods

Chapter Three

She stumbled into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Ramona went to the mirror and stared her reflection. Her wide brown eyes were underlined with dark circles. Sleep. She needed sleep.

Turning on the shower, Ramona stripped, her entire body heating when she realized she'd threatened the Lord of the Underworld in her underwear.

"Fuck."

.     .     .

Hades didn't know what to do with himself, so he sat on the roof of the girl's apartment building and tried very hard not to think about the way she'd looked in her lacy black underthings.

It had taken all of his will not to look at her chest the entire time he'd been in her room. He felt horrible for appearing when he did and intruding on her personal space like that, but he had to get through to her, and soon. Thankfully, it seemed she was finally beginning to consider him.

A nauseating cocktail of dread and mortification swirled in his gut. She'd bent him to her will. Easily.

If his brothers caught wind of this...

The hours passed far too slowly for a god for whom time had no real meaning. Hades stared at the night and all its twinkling stars. There was beauty in the darkness that hung above the mortal world, but it was too open for Hades's comfort. He preferred the rocky, cavernous ceiling of home to the vast infinity of the sky above him.

Eventually, the murky darkness bled into something softer. The sun rose over the horizon and what few clouds drifting lazily glowed pale and pink.

Once the city woke in a rumble of sleepy chatter and rumbling engines, Hades chased the scent of roasting coffee beans to a small cafe a few blocks down. He didn't bother attempting to interact with anyone. Simply slid into the shadows beneath tables and booths and waited until a barista made a cup of something sweet and frothy for a customer. Then, while their back was turned, took the very hot cup and left just as he'd arrived.

He made sure to knock on the girl's door this time. She answered moments later, a scowl on her face as she gestured for him to come inside.

"I hope you didn't make that," she said, taking the coffee from his hands.

Hades stood in the foyer, eyeing the ceiling that was so low it made him want to stoop or else risk bumping his head. "It's from some place called Starlucks."

"Starbucks, you mean?"

"I'm not sure," he offered hesitantly. "I didn't pay attention."

She laughed at this, and Hades fought the blood that rushed to his neck and face. Clearing his throat, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and jumped straight to the reason he was even suffering through all this humiliation.

"Tell me what happened to her."

The girl sighed and plopped onto a couch as red and fresh blood. "And here I was thinking you'd finally learned some manners since you actually bothered to knock on my door this morning. You know, you still haven't asked for my name, and we've spoken three times now."

Oh, he thought lamely. "Well...you didn't thank me for the coffee."

"You barged into my room and saw me half naked last night! I don't think I owe you a 'Thanks Hades' just because you got me a shitty cappuccino!" She stood and marched over the kitchenette and dumped the steaming liquid in the sink. "Ramona. My fucking name is Ramona."

Hades kept his mouth shut. The space between him and Deirdre's daughter--Ramona--it was taut, seconds from snapping. He almost feared what she might do with that voice of hers.

Swallowing the lump in throat, he bowed his head, and quietly said, "Please accept my deepest apologies. I've not behaved in an acceptable manner. My head has been...elsewhere. Truly, I only wish to know what fate befell my friend. Your mother was a good woman, a strong woman. Hearing that she died, it leaves me wondering how something like that could have possibly happened."

"She was a siren, not immortal," Ramona said, arms crossed.

"But she was far too young to pass. Sirens live upwards to a thousand years. "

"True," she agreed softly. "Unless someone takes a siren's voice."

"Who could have...?" Hades trailed off, feeling a weight press down on his chest as Ramona's eyes hardened like ice.

Ramona stalked towards him, deathly silent. Then, once her chest nearly brushed his, said with enough venom Hades was surprised he didn't drop dead at her feet, said, "You really don't know, do you? That absolute fiend of a woman you call a wife shares your bed and you don't know what heinous bullshit she's really up to while you're frolicking about the Underworld like a love-struck puppy. You wanna know who took Deirdre's voice? Who killed my mother?"

Hades couldn't breathe. This couldn't be true.

Ramona's grin was sharp as a knife and just as lethal. "Ask Persephone."

a/n: aaaaand that's chapter three folks! so. persephone is looking to be a bad guy, huh? interesting. interesting. also, don't y'all feel like ramona is being a lil too hard on hades??? ITS NOT LIKE HE KNEW JEEZ GIRL EASE UP ON THE BURNING HATRED lol

anyway, have a good day everybody!