ONYX

Chapter Twenty Three

“I have more questions.”

“I have more answers.”

Alessa tried to ignore the amusing glint in his eyes, but she couldn’t stop the nervous bubbling in her stomach whenever he looked at her like that. Like, there was no one else in the world but her. The distance between them was short and tempting for both of them. Alessa cleared her throat before she continued, “Why do you call yourself a God?”

Hades couldn’t believe that she still needed to be convinced that this was all real and he had to prove his true self to her once again. He reigned in his annoyance. “I am a superior being, just like my siblings and the rest of them.”

“You have siblings?”

“Yes. Two brothers.” The last thing he wanted to talk about were other men, let alone his brothers, that were pushing a little too persistently to have him come to Olympus. He had to leave soon, but he wanted to make sure Alessa was taken care of.

Alessa hung on to every word that he said just in case she might have missed anything. She wanted to thoroughly absorb this information. “You said the other Gods weren’t like you, so what do they do?”

“Zeus is my younger brother and the God of the Sky. He is the prime ruler of Olympus. It is his home where he reigns with his wife, Hera, and his children, also known as Olympian Gods. Poseidon is my other brother who is the God of the Sea.” He answered.

“And the others?”

Hades didn’t want to tell her out of fear that she’ll be overwhelmed. Besides, he didn’t want to waste precious time with her dedicated to the other Gods. “If you want, I can deliver to you books detailing our history. It’ll probably be better than having me tell you the long, boring story of our past.”

And it would consume less of his time with her.

“There are books?” If so, she hadn’t seen them in the libraries of Evyon. Then again, her mother had certain books that she wanted her to read, but she never did it.

“There are many books on record to choose from. I can show you the library later, if it would please you.”

Alessa nodded. “Okay.”

"Tell me Alessa, do you still dread being here?"

Hades set a plate down for her, and allowed her to pick from the array of choices before her. There were many fruits, some of which were strawberries as red as blood, blueberries, and grapes of green and purple. There were a few yellow bananas, and pre-cut melons in a smaller bowl wrapped with cloth. 

The meats were slices of salami and pepperoni, both spiced and bitter for the cheddar and swish cheese. There were also small crackers and pre-cut slices of rye and sourdough bread. “Courtesy of Lady Ryes.”

Alessa smiled. She hadn’t seen Lady Ryes as often as she saw Winnie. She wished she’d made more of an effort to visit her.

"It is different here. The land is barren; there are times it seems lonely and desolate. With no court to appease, it is rather quaint. I’ve always been used to so much activity all at once that I haven’t allowed myself to adapt to silence.”

“I hope Winfred has been a good hostess to you in my absence.” Hades said. He picked up a strawberry and bit into it, sucking the juice before he bit off a piece and swallowed.

Alessa watched his mouth work as he chewed and then his throat bobbled when he swallowed. Ordinary movements like that made her squeamish. She looked away when he caught her staring. “Yes, I’ve grown a liking towards her. It has been just Winnie and myself for the time being and her company is most comforting. I learn more about her everyday.”