Page 38 of Flowers Near Me
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
A GODDESS AWAKENS
PERSEPHONE
B ack in Hades’ apartment, Persephone’s no longer suffered from headaches or dizziness. Instead, she felt better than ever. When Hades touched her, her powers came alive. Those few days of full health made her recent illness a distant memory. Had she known being back with Hades would cure her, she would’ve never left.
Cerberus slept at the end of the bed like a furry donut. Eyes closed, the gentle lift and dip of his breathing made him too irresistible not to squeeze. His fluffy fur scrunched like fleece.
With a loud knock, Hecate entered the room with Hades close behind. “We figured it out,” Hecate cheered.
Sitting straighter on the end of the bed, Persephone knew he could only be talking about one thing: what had made her sick in the first place.
Hecate said, “You’ve got to purge your magic more regularly. If you don’t start using it for daily activities, it’ll get stored up and make you sick again. Hades’ power seems to draw it out, which is why you feel better when he touches you, but you’ve got to push it out as well.”
“So, I need to release and recall the poppies more often?”
Hades shook his head. “No, you need to portal when you want to get somewhere. Conjure your morning coffee, summon your clothes to get dressed, enchant your laptop to record notes in a meeting. Once you’re exercising your powers regularly, you won’t have those terrible headaches.”
A wave of relief washed over her. Thank the Fates. There was life after migraines and fainting spells. “How did you two figure it out?”
Hecate said, “After I portaled you back here from Laura’s place and saw how you immediately perked up at his touch, I knew it had something to do with the flow of your magic. Hades must’ve awakened it but you had so much pent-up power it drained you trying to escape.”
Hades cut in, “You should try to use your powers this morning so you feel your best. We’ve got a meeting with the launch team, and I want you there.”
Persephone sprung up from the bed, Cerberus hopped off and Persephone fixed the sheets with a wave of her hand, just as Hecate had shown her. “How soon until we leave?”
“We have a couple of hours.” Hades smiled at her.
Hovering her hands over her face, Persephone imagined her makeup from one photo of Hades and her on their first fake date. Olive tinted foundation, dark mascara, and light pink blush. A warm breeze radiated from her palms and brushed her skin. A thrill spiraled from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Power flowed with abandon through her, and a beaming grin spread across her face.
Opening her eyes, she asked Hades and Hecate, “How do I look?”
“Stunning,” said Hecate.
Hades replied, “Perfect.”
“Good. I’ll meet you two in the living room. I want to change my outfit with magic.”
“Great idea,” Hecate said and portaled with a purple cloud in her wake.
Hades stepped closer. “Sephy, before you finish getting ready, I have something I should confess.” He sat down on the bed, patting the open spot next to him. He leaned onto his side getting comfortable, but the strained expression on his face looked anything but relaxed. “Before we ever met in person, I asked the Fates about you.”
So this was it. Her Mom had said as much—that he’d asked them if they’d marry.
“It only took one look at you and I felt it deep in my being that our paths would intertwine.” His gaze bore into her with such sincerity that she held her breath. “I bargained with them for an answer to the question: would you marry me. I was drowning in my infatuation with you, even before I knew how incredible you truly are. There was no rationalizing or explaining why I was so captivated by you from the start. I’d never experienced a longing as strong as this and I needed to know if I had an iota of a chance to be in your life, because if I didn’t, then I needed to leave Olympus.” He paused, sucking in a deep breath. “But here’s the tricky thing about the Fates: they expect payment for their answers. Even still, I knew the answer was worth the cost.”
“What did it cost?” she barely whispered the words. It felt like her body had left her. To know that someone as strong as him was desperate for answers about her was surreal.
He sat up and moved closer to push some of her hair behind her ear. “Nothing that wasn’t worth losing.”
She swallowed. “So what did you bargain?”
With a lopsided smile, he said, “Underworld Unlimited.”
Her hand covered her mouth. There was no way. He owned and ran the empire, so why was he saying he’d bargained with it? “Did you end up not having to pay?”
“Oh, I paid. Legally-speaking, I’m the president but no longer CEO.”
Her throat went dry. “Who’s CEO then?”
He traced his finger down her cheek, trailing along the side of her neck. “You are, Sephy. The papers are awaiting your signature for it to be official, but in all practical terms, Underworld Unlimited is yours.”
Coherent thoughts evaded her. She shook her head. “Why would you bargain that?” She examined his face for any sign of jest but found none. Just his handsome face watching her with the shadow of a grin.
“Ask Charon, she’ll verify everything I’m saying. You’re Underworld Unlimited’s CEO, Sephy. We’re just waiting for when you’re ready to take over.”
“I…” Her voice trailed off. She twisted her hands together, unsure what to say.
“It’s not something you have to do anything about today. Especially since you’ve barely recovered from weeks of your power weakening your body.”
His palms held the sides of her arms. She wanted to kiss him, even if it was to keep from continuing the conversation. It was simply too much to process.
“Sephy,” he prompted, and she looked up at him. “You haven’t asked what their answer was.”
Right. Hadn’t she been wanting to talk about what she knew? “What was it?”
“Do you want to know?”
No fear, only excitement. “They said we’d marry.”
He nodded. “Are you disappointed?”
Not even a little. She frowned, worried that he’d assume she would be. “No. Are you?”
“Not at all. If anything, I’m surprised the Fates were this kind to me.”
She fussed with the hem of her shorts. Gods rarely gave compliments without a clear motive, but she believed he adored her and that made her melt. Still, she wasn’t sure what to say.
A mischievous grin crept over his face. “You said you wanted to change outfits. Should I stay and help? In case things go awry? One can never be too careful.”
The welcome change of conversation kept her from gushing her insecurities that had bloomed along with her growing affection for him.
With a snap of her fingers, two pillows flew from the bed and smacked his chest. “You can help me dress another day.” Whether it was the impressed look on his face or the lightness in her chest, she felt unstoppable now that she had control.
Hades flicked his hand, sending the pillows from the floor back to their original spots by the headboard. “I’d rather undress you, Sephy.” He winked, then whistled at Cerberus. “If I’m not getting to watch, then neither are you. Come on.” Cerberus bounded towards Hades as he exited the door and blew her a kiss.
Once the door clicked shut, she pictured the dark gray, monochromatic shirt and skirt combination Charon had set out for her weeks ago before her first in-office visit and imagined it appearing in her hands. Silk landed softly in her palms.
Setting the clothes on an upholstered chair, she stripped off her loungewear set, not wanting to ruin two outfits if it didn’t work. Her mom could change clothing, makeup, and even hair at will. Baby steps for now. She pictured the blouse and skirt wrapped around her and smiled when the clothes disappeared from the chair and reappeared on her body.
She examined how the shirt tucked into the waist, then swiped her hands down the length of the skirt. Holding her head higher, she swept fingers through her hair, creating soft, wavy curls and checked the end results in a floor-length mirror. Pleased with the ensemble, she portaled to the kitchen.