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He was waiting for the arrival of a group of Impious who had taken to calling themselves god killers. Normally, he was not opposed to isolated acts of violence by the Impious, but he drew the line when they became boastful. And these particular men could not stop talking about how they had dehorned a goddess.

“Where are they?” Theseus asked no one in particular, certain one of them would answer.

“On their way,” Damian answered. He was the son of Thetis, a goddess of water.

Theseus bit back his frustration.

A tension had been building in his body since Helen’s departure, and it had nothing to do with lust or a desire to fuck.

This was a different need—a violent one.

The doors opened, and five men entered.

The one in the middle, who was large and bearded, carried in each of his hands a long, white horn.

“My lord,” he said and bowed low for Theseus. “I have come to lay offerings at your feet.”

The man set the horns on the ground, and Theseus stared at them.

“Well, are you not pleased?” the man asked, his voice booming. “Are they not what you asked for?”

Theseus did not speak, but he bent to take one of the horns in his hand, testing it. They were rough and light.

Then he slammed it into the man’s chest.

“I am pleased,” Theseus said as blood burst from the man’s mouth.

“What the fuck!” one of the men shouted.

Another man vomited.

Theseus jerked the horn free, and the man groaned and then fell to his knees.

The other four men scrambled, screaming as they sought an exit from the warehouse. Two were struck with bolts of electricity by the twins. Another began to convulse and turned to ash as if he were burning from the inside out. The last began to gurgle and spewed water before he spun and fell onto his back, drowning.

“But unfortunately, I cannot have you live to tell the tale,” Theseus said when they were all dead.

CHAPTER XXV

HADES

Hades teleported to his office at Alexandria Tower.

He was anxious, and given that he planned to meet with Zeus today about his future with Persephone, it was no surprise. His hope was that he could convince his brother to agree to the marriage without his usual demands. Perhaps he would even agree that it was best that they marry in secret given Demeter’s obvious disapproval.

It was a lot to hope for, but when it came to Persephone, he preferred to dream.

He hadn’t expected to find her in his office when he arrived. She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, eyes focused on the street below. He thought perhaps she was worrying over the weather—over her mother, which meant she was likely thinking about all the lives she had taken.

His chest felt tight.

In the aftermath of that horrific crash, he had feltcertain Persephone would leave, and it would not be because she wanted to but because she felt like she had to. But instead, she’d remained by his side and greeted souls as they entered the Underworld as if she were already his wife—as if she were already queen.

He closed in behind her and placed his palms flat on the glass, trapping her between him and the window. He let his nose drift up the column of her neck, lips trailing along, leaving light kisses. He recalled the first time she had visited here, the first time he had seen her in this room and how much he had wanted to fuck her on his desk.

“It will be the most productive thing that happens here,” he had said, and that remained true.

“Careful,” Persephone said, though her voice was quiet and a little breathless. “Ivy will scold you for smudging the glass.”