Lucifer's Test
[LuciferXHades]
Hades was testing me again.
He did this every time I'd done something to accidentally piss him off. And trying not to piss him off was like walking on egg shells and most of the time, it was entertaining, until he sprung these tests on me, like he was trying to figure out if I truly cared for him or if I was just toying with him. That was the part that irritated me.
Hades was beautiful. He was intelligent. He was powerful, clever, handsome, perfect in every way and I normally didn't give anyone that title, except my Father. Hades was the only one I could label with perfection. There was just the tiny problem of his self-esteem... Or rather, it's non-existence.
He was constantly convinced that our relationship was merely a passing-fancy, despite the fact that it's lasted for over a year now, since the Great Titan War had ended and the world seemed relatively calm now. He was still insistent that my feelings could be corrupted, and it was only triggered by certain things that I did and, unfortunately, I'd made the mistake of doing one of those things.
I had told him I loved him, urging him to say it back, and he didn't. When he didn't, he drew the conclusion that because he didn't say it back, that must mean I hated him or I didn't care about him anymore, but he was just being ridiculous.
The words were merely a formality to me. No mere words could even begin to express what I felt for Hades. But if I told him that, he'd laugh. Hades wasn't exactly the best when it came to emotional attachments. Because he had no one to teach him what emotions were like, he just made up his own definitions for them.
When he was happy, he was in the lab, tinkering with things, ripping apart things just to put them back together again and spend hours on the computer writing about it before he'd come find me, talk for hours about it, before we had sex and he fell asleep taking up half the bed so I had to try and gather him in my arms to make room for myself... or drag us both off the bed when he squirmed in his sleep.
When he was angry, he drew into himself. His responses were short, crude, nasty. He had to make sure everyone else around him knew he was angry without him actually having to say it.
When he was scared, he locked himself in his room and I never saw him. He'd put up a barrier, literally, to keep everyone out so he could deal with it alone.
And it was agonizing. I didn't want him to deal with it alone. I knew what that was like, and I hated it. I wanted someone to know how I was feeling, someone I trusted, and that someone was Hades. But Hades was the exact opposite when it came to expressing his emotions. He kept them under lock and key.
So I turned my anger at his behavior toward Zeus.
Hades's bastard younger brother, who completely destroyed Hades in one night. Hades had saved Zeus, saved his pathetic worthless life, and was repaid for his mercy with Zeus attacking him and throwing him out. I wanted Zeus's heart for it. I wanted to do everything I could to torture him for what he'd done to Hades. The Devil the humans so feared inside me salivated to see Zeus weeping in agony and begging for mercy.
And worst of all was that Hades didn't want that. He'd told me countless times when the subject came up that he didn't care what happened to Zeus, so long as nothing took Zeus from his throne. He actually believed Zeus was a worthy leader and it drove me insane. How could he say such a thing about that monster? How can he have so much power and not even use it to destroy the person who ruined his life?
"He's my brother," Hades had told me once while we bathed at his house and he was talking with a mouthful of bread, "The day you kill Michael is the day I'll consider it for Zeus." I had said nothing to that, because I knew he was right. He was always right, when it came to that anyway. Despite Michael's curse, despite his violent reaction to me whenever my mere name was mentioned in his presence, Michael was still my brother. There had been a time when Michael and I stood side by side. And it was that time that kept me away from Michael's wrath, and my own.
Anyway, that part of our life was over. Now, I had to worry about what Hades's new test was. Because I'd uttered those three words, Hades was now convinced he could get me to break up with him, so he'd locked me out of his house-- again. The last time he did was because he'd had a nightmare and refused to see me because of it, which led me to believe it had something to do with the fact that I'd bitten him the night before. That was nothing new. I bit him every time, but that night had been particularly painful because it was the first time in weeks we'd managed to get together because of our busy schedules.
If I could just figure out how Hades was going to test me, I could get rid of this whole thing and we could go back to the calm we had before the storm.
And there was only one person I could think of to discuss this with. Someone who wouldn't run back to tell Hades.
"St. John." I spoke, looking up from my desk to stare around my white and gold designed office of the new palace that we'd managed to finish building a few weeks ago. A moment later, a large albino snake appeared on my desk in a tightly coiled bundle before its head rose up and its pink eyes blinked at me slowly. I reached out and ran my fingertips across his smooth scales and he seemed to shiver a little in delight before slumping back into himself, his head peering out at me as he waited for me to speak.
"He's testing me," I said, "Hades." St. John seemed to ruffle a little at that, and lifted his head, and hissed.
"He's always testing you." He replied. I smiled at that.
"It's his style." I answered. St. John scoffed at that. I wasn't surprised. He didn't like Hades. It was strange, though. St. John fed on sin. He normally liked people who sinned the most, but I suppose Hades was more of a victim than a sinner. Or could you be a victim and a sinner at the same time? I wasn't sure, which was a rare occurrence.
"I'll never understand his appeal," St. John said dryly, tongue flickering out in distaste at the mere thought of our relationship, "He's like a child."
"He never had a childhood, so I won't blame him for being a child now and then."
"Now and then," St. John mimicked, making me roll my eyes, "Try more often than not. Lucifer, you're too kind to him. He knows this. He's taking advantage of your kindness and twisting it against you. He's an awful god, and an awful... whatever you two call each other. I don't understand you people and your desperation for affection. At least your son, Akin, has the right idea in enslaving his whatever." I frowned at that.
"Hannibal is not his slave. Their relationship is complicated." I tacked on lightly, and St. John just shuddered in disagreement. Akin and Hannibal had an odd relationship. I wanted to ask about it, but at the same time, I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Akin seemed happy and I suppose that was all that mattered. However, I could never see myself collaring Hades and ordering him about. He was too wild and untamed. And I was not Michael, who sought to tame spirits and break them to his will.
Not that Akin did that to Hannibal. Hannibal seemed more than willing to do anything for Akin.
But there was a fine line between that and what Michael did, and I wasn't so sure I could stick to one side of the line for very long. At least, that was my opinion on the matter, which is why I chose not to discuss it with Akin, who tended to get a little worked up if someone pointed out the way he treated his lover, something Jaques had mistakenly done and gotten an earful of because he upset Akin so badly.
"Anyway," I said, shaking my head to discuss the topic, "That's not why I summoned you. I need advice on how to handle this situation and you're the only one I can think of who is objective enough to give me proper advice."
St. John had been the first creature I'd run into after Michael had tossed me into the empty realm of Hell. No, it wasn't empty; it just lacked rule. There was no government, no law, nothing. The realm was merely a realm of unspoken rules that the criminals had come up with so they could keep their territories. It was true to its name of Hell.
I had been thrown into the country side and had wandered for ages trying to find a village. St. John had been the one to emerge from the tall grasses to greet me. If it hadn't of been for him, I would still be a poor pathetic creature wandering a foreign land. It was because of him that I had become the ruler of Hell and become as powerful as I was. I owed him everything, which is why I had given him a name. Up until then, he'd been known as the Unknown.
"I'm not one to give romantic advice," St. John said at last, making me frown at him before he lowered his head and peered up at me, "However, I recommend you speak to Hades. His poor self-view is what has led to this test. You and other creatures hear "I love you" as a phrase of ultimate affection. Hades hears "I have to remind myself in case I forget" and that's what he's waiting for. For you to forget him, or forget your feelings for him."
"So I must play his game."
"Yes. Play his game and show him that those words are true. Words are meaningless. Actions, on the other hand, are loud and clear."
"You'd think I've done plenty of action to prove my love for him."
"Your cock inside him doesn't mean anything."
"St. John." I snapped at his crudity. St. John didn't bat an eye at that as he lifted his head to stare me right in the eyes.
"Making love is not how you show your love for him. Hades is more complicated than that. You should know that by now. Love comes in many forms. But why ask me that? The only form of love I know is destroying anyone who threatens you, Lucifer." He told me sternly. I tried not to smile at that. St. John was one of the first demons to come into existence. His emotional knowledge was almost as non-existent as Hades's. St. John only ever showed his gratitude and loyalty to me by taking down anyone who threatened me or my children. He was the ultimate bodyguard. A great beast that could take the form of anything and anyone.
A demon born of the darkest depths of the Source.
"All right," I said at last, "Then I must find a way to show Hades I care. And how would I do that? He's already shown me that if I attempt to kill Zeus, he'll never forgive me. And his parents are both dead. He doesn't want me to get revenge for him. What else is there left to do?" St. John gave me a sort of shrug.
"I don't care much for the Greek, so I can't say that I know. But when you know, be sure to inform me. The more I know about this god, the better I can understand why you can even stand his presence without wanting to gut him," He replied and I rolled my eyes at that, "Now, I will leave you to the romantic endeavors. I'm going to visit Akin before I vomit." He vanished and I shook my head, watching him go before I looked down at all the paperwork on my desk with a frown.
I had so much work to do lately since the Titan attack. They had destroyed two realms, and Hades had done severe damage to Helheim during his little temper tantrum, and Seth was insistent that we also send him funds to repair the psychological damage done to his people. He just wanted an excuse to be a thorn in my foot. Meanwhile, I still had own my realm to worry about. We had our fair share of difficulties as well. The few Titan supporters of my realm were furious and attempting to take it out on the anti-Titan organizations. I had never dealt with this much before.
I pinched the bridge of my nose before sighing heavily, scribbling down on more documents and papers before I decided to call Ambrosius for assistance regarding his father.
Since the Titan war, Ambrosius had gotten significantly closer to Hades, who pretended not to care about it, but we learned that Hades only did it so he could protect himself in case Ambrosius decided last minute that he hated Hades. Something that would never happen, Ambrosius had assured me.
So I logged onto the computer and called Ambrosius via video camera and he picked up after four rings.
Ambrosius had a striking resemblance to Hades. The same blue eyes that seemed to always glow, and I had learned were also capable of night vision, and the silky flowing black hair that fell like an link spill over his shoulders. Ambrosius had allowed his hair to grow out and he currently had it coiled into a loose bun, sweat trickling down the sides of his face and down the center of his black tank top, indicating he'd been working out before he picked up.
"Hey," Ambrosius greeted, eyes glinting with curiosity and his brows furrowing in the same way Hades's did whenever he was confused, "What's wrong, Lucifer?" I smiled in reassurance.
"Nothing, Ambrosius, not really. I just wanted to ask you something about your father." I replied. Ambrosius wrinkled his nose, an adorable habit he also picked up from his father. I could easily see why Thorn fell head over heels for Ambrosius.
"Uhm, okay. I don't know that much bedroom wise and I really don't want to." He answered warily. I chuckled.
"It's not that. It's just... I accidentally made a bit of a mistake and I'm trying to make up for it. Your father seems to be testing me and I need to pass." I said. Ambrosius tilted his head at that. Lord Above, he was almost exactly like Hades.
"Uh, well," Ambrosius said slowly, pressing his fingertips together across the desk thoughtfully, "I guess that would depend on what you did and what he's doing."
"I think I said the wrong thing and now he's locked me out of the house again."
"He's locked you out or blocked you out? Cuz there's a difference."
"Oh... Uhm, locked me out. I tried to open his door, but he had it locked, so I assumed he didn't want me in."
"Oh," Ambrosius said, dragging the word out in understanding now, "No, just knock the door off the hingers and go in."
"Beg pardon?"
"Yeah," Ambrosius said with a nod, "Just kick the door down and go in. He's making fun of you. He's saying even a locked door will keep you out, haha. He's probably laughing at you whenever you go to the door. Just go inside and do your thing."
"Are you sure? I don't want to upset him if he's having one of his episodes." And by episodes, I meant the times where he truly needed to be alone. It would be an understatement to say that Hades suffered from depression. He was all right most of the time, but on occasion, he'd have a really bad day and need to be alone in his room in silence to sleep it off. I didn't want to ruin his peace by invading his privacy during those times.
"No," Ambrosius shook his head, "If it was one of those days, he's set the barrier up and a big fuck off sign on the door. You're good. Just go ahead and talk to him... or whatever." He made a face and I smiled.
"Thank you, Ambrosius."
"No problem," Ambrosius replied, then paused to wrinkle his nose up again, "And tell Thorn to hurry up and come home. I'm bored." I nodded and we cut the line. Thorn had left Purgatory to come to Hell for a report and had already stayed two days, mostly so he could catch up with his siblings, but like Hades, Ambrosius was a little demanding.
I sorted my papers and locked my office off before I teleported from my realm to Hades's. We had opened up our realms to one another in alliance, so teleportation was now available back and forth between the realms. It just used up a significant amount of power because of the natural barriers between the realms. It was mostly just Hades and I that used it, occasionally our children as well to make quick and important visits.
I appeared outside Hades's palace and entered on my own. He'd made it so that teleporting in and out of his palace was not available so has to maintain his privacy, which I respected... most of the time.
I walked down the tall, narrow halls that were almost entirely black, save for the lights over head that were made to look like the Aurora Borealis, Hades's favorite natural phenomena. I smiled at the beautiful, brilliant greenish lights that made the halls almost glow. I finally made it to Hades's room, at the back of the palace that was built into the side of the mountain range between this realm and the next.
I stood at the door for a moment, staring at the black paint on the wood, debating whether to go with Ambrosius's plan of just knocking it down or knocking before coming in.
So I settled for something a little more my style. I waved my hand in front of the door, unlocking it and throwing the door open. I came inside and, sure enough, there was a lump on the bed under the blankets. Hades laid with his back to me, his long black hair spread across the pillows and the blankets pulled up under his arm that was tucked against his chest. He wasn't sleeping, and I could tell by the way his breathing rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
He was faking it.
"You're ignoring me." I stated. Hades said nothing. I narrowed my eyes at that. I came to the bed and stood beside it on Hades's side, frowning at his face. He kept his eyes shut and his lips pursed in a thin line. Yeah, he was definitely awake. I sent a blast of power through the room to get his attention, causing the things on the shelves, book cases, and dressers rattling and papers fluttering. The blankets flew back off the be, Hades's hair blowing from his face before his eyes flickered open and glared up at me. Eerie glowing blue orbs that challenged me, and normally if someone looked at me like that, I'd take them up on the challenge by removing their eyes, but I liked where his eyes were.
"I think the locked door means I want you to fuck off." He told me dangerously. I scoffed.
"No. If you really wanted me gone, you'd have set up a barrier. We need to talk if I did something that upset you."
"Your existence upsets me."
"You're deflecting."
"I'm about to be deflecting your ass out of my palace."
"I'd like to see you try. We both know we're even in a fight." I warned. Hades narrowed his eyes at that and I could see the glint in his eyes that meant he was about to attack me. I prepared myself for it this time. During the worst of our disagreements, we fought physically and it almost always led to sex. Bali had called it abusive, but Dania and the rest called it "a man relationship".
A second later, Hades send a blast of power at me and almost knocked me off my feet, but I managed to stand against it and even pushed it aside, causing the things on Hades's shelves to shatter to the floor. He cursed at that and got off the bed, lunging for me, but I caught him around the waist and threw him up against the wall, listening to him grunt. I pressed him against it and caught his wrists, pinning them to the wall on either side of his head, leaning in close to his face.
"Was it because I told you that I loved you? Because I'll say it again. It may not mean much to you, but it means everything to me. You don't have to say it back, but you have to let me say it." I told him sternly. Hades curled his lip at me and bashed his head against mine. I cursed in pain, taking one step back and he sank his fists into my jacket, throwing me against the wall. I expected him to throw a punch, but instead, his lips found mine and he kissed me with a hunger that made my knees weak.
A deep intense kiss that stole my breath away, and was only intensified when he lifted his knee to massage between my legs. I growled and trailed a hand up his back before sinking it into his hair, clenching tight and jerking his head back from me. He licked his lips and gave me a smug smirk.
"And why would those stupid words make me angry?"
"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one who locked your door."
"Just because I locked my door doesn't mean--"
"Yes, it does. I know you. You leave your door unlocked because you want me to walk in like it's my bedroom too. It's you inviting me into our room. But you locked it, which means you're angry or upset or hurting and I want to be here for you when you are. I want to know what upset you. If it wasn't what I said, then what did?" I asked. Hades gave me a long hard stare, then went to kiss me again, but I jerked his head back and he hissed, reaching up to sink his fingernails into my arm.
"Ouch! Bitch!" He spat at me, but he wasn't really hurt. He was trying to make me feel bad. I knew full well by now that he could take a lot of physical pain without it really hurting him. Though, I was still careful when we were in bed.
"We're talking now." I told him sternly. Hades narrowed his eyes at me, giving me an angry smirk, but for once, he didn't fight back. He stood eerily calm, letting me grip his hair, his arms at his sides now. I watched him warily for a moment, then slowly released his hair, very slowly so I could feel the soft locks sliding between my fingers. His eyes flickered for a moment, as if he appreciated the gesture.
"What's wrong, Hades? And be honest with me, or else we're not going to get where we want to be again. And I can tell you want to get there as quickly as possible." I added, glancing down at his groin to see the bulge in his jeans. He cocked his head at me and I met his eyes. He studied me for a moment, before the smug look on his face faded and he appeared irritated.
"I won't say it." He stated. I frowned.
"Say what? That you love me? I already know you do without you having to say it." I replied. He didn't reply. He didn't deny it, which pleased me. But he still appeared troubled by the conversation.
"Are you afraid I won't love you anymore because you won't say it back?" I asked. Hades said nothing again, but the way his eyes darkened for a split second was enough of a reply for me. He was afraid I would leave him because he didn't say it back. But I understood fully why he didn't say it back. The last time he told someone he loved them, they left him. Be that the whore he met in Styx, one of his sons, Persephone, it didn't matter. Hades was used to someone taking those words and throwing it back in his face. It'd happened so many times that the words held no meaning for him anymore and for a moment, I felt guilty.
I didn't want those stupid words to ruin our relationship.
Our relationship was stronger than that. I didn't need to hear him say it when he showed me plenty how much he felt for me. If anyone else treated him the way I did, he would kill them, torture them, give a whole new meaning to hell. But he let me do whatever I wanted. He let me make love to him while he was on his back, something he hated doing for obvious reasons. He trusted me enough to do it. And that spoke far more than three little words.
I stepped forward and reached up to cup Hades's face. He snapped his head away from me, but I caught him again, this time, around the waist and pulled him against me. His eyes met mine, snapping fire that only Hades could do. I captured his lips and he groaned. He was putty in my hands from there on.
I backed him up until he was on the bed, laying on his back, hair a sexy disheveled mess on the sheets, his lips swollen and pink from kissing hungrily. I managed to slid his jeans down, reaching down inside to take him into my hand and he growled, arching his hips up against me, meaning he forgave me. I smiled at that, leaning down to kiss him again.
"Do I pass your test?" I murmured against his lips.
"With a B." He replied under his breath. I chuckled at that and accepted it, kissing him deeply now, stroking him until he was hard and wet. I pulled his jeans off the rest of the way and tossed them aside, kissing a hot trail down the center of his chest all the way to his cock, taking him into my mouth to taste him.
Hades rewarded me with a breathy moan, tilting his head back against the sheets and closing his eyes in bliss, arching his back to slide himself deeper into my mouth. I teased him, tortured him, until I felt his muscles tense in the beginning of an orgasm, but I cut him off instantly by taking my mouth away and squeezing the base of him. He made a noise of supreme disgust.
"Asshole." He hissed at me. I smirked and met his lips, giving him a kiss that made his face screw up at the taste of himself on my lips. He turned his head away and I moved to his ear, suckling on the lobe until he was relaxed again. I reached down between his legs, seeking him out as I summoned a tube of lube, coating my fingers liberally.
"You really don't need to do that anymore." He muttered to me, referring to the fact that I was gently preparing himself for me. I shrugged, slipping a finger inside and watching him tense.
"I like it." I replied. He only responded with a little moan, closing his eyes to savor the feel of me probing inside him, adding a second finger, feeling the instant tense of muscles around my digits before it relaxed. Meanwhile, I scattered kisses on his throat, tasting the sweetness of his skin, and now that I thought about it, his breath was sweet too.
"Tastes like you were on a sugar binge while I was away." I murmured against his skin. He grunted as I added a third finger.
"Cake." Was all he said. I laughed at that and he shuddered as the vibrations went down through my arm into my fingers inside him. Deeming him ready, I removed my fingers, replacing them with something larger and Hades instantly trembled around me, moaning low in his throat and lifting his back up off the bed, his hands finding my chest. He dug his fingers into my jacket and peeled it off. I shrugged it away and he snaked his hands up my shirt, biting his lower lip as he massaged his fingers into my muscles.
"Remind me to send you cake for your birthday." I replied breathlessly, slapping my hips against him, filling him until he whimpered low in his throat, fingernails scraping my skin.
"Fuck, I'm too old for a birthday. Send me cake every day." He groaned. I laughed at that, leaning down to wrap my arms around him. I turned us around so I was sitting on the bed and he was in my lap, bouncing in my lap to plunge me further inside him. Sweat oozed down the sides of his face as I kissed him with a desperation born of the short period of time we spent apart.
I was shamelessly addicted to him. I savored every second our bodies were connected, the way he fit so neatly around me, the way his arms engulfed me tightly, his mouth pressed against my throat. It made me burn inside. I felt my eyes tear up, growing hot and red. My gums tore as my fangs elongated and throbbed for a taste of the sweet blood that flowed through the thick bulging vein in his throat. I growled low in my throat, and very gently sank my fangs into his skin, resisting the urge to just violently ravage him.
He tensed for a split second, a conditioned reaction he'd developed from Zeus, who used to bite his throat open for the mere pleasure of watching him bleed and choke on his own blood. And it infuriated me that Zeus would ruin such an intimate gesture with something so cruel.
But I wasn't going to think about him, not now.
Right now, I would think only of Hades.
His soft smooth skin under my hands, his beautiful masculine growls and moans, the way he easily took control and slammed himself down on top of me, desperate to reach the orgasm I'd abruptly halted earlier. I felt myself reaching my peak, the taste of his sweet blood in my mouth, his muscles clenching around me, his breath in my ear. And a second later, he shuddered, muscles spasming as he came with a low desperate moan. His fingernails bit into my shoulders, his teeth nipping at the shell of my ear, muscles clenching around me until I gave into a fierce orgasm that caused me to tremble.
A moment later, I had Hades on his back so I could tenderly lick the wound on his neck until it was fully healed. I laid myself down on the bed beside him, resting on my side, head propped up on my hand as I watched Hades lay there on his back, eyes closed, chest rising and falling.
"Maybe an A." He said after a moment. I raised an eyebrow.
"An A?"
"On your test. Maybe. We'll see how you do on the next one." He replied casually, rolling over with his back to me. I smirked and scooted closer until I was spooning him, my arm around his waist and his back against my chest, my nose buried in his thick black hair so I could inhale the natural sweet scent of him.
"I look forward to it." I murmured.
fin
A/N: A little Lucifer and Hades action for ya and some answered questions. Yes, St. John can talk, btw. He's a demon, whose original form is that of a snake. So, yup. Talking snake, sex, and Hadifer or Lades or whatever you guys call it. Either way, I'm amused. Haha, hope you enjoyed~