Medusa's Desire (The Fate of Eros #1) (The Fate of Eros Series) by E.B. Black

to punish her someday.
    Hades sat on his throne a lot. He didn't do much, except sneer at people and tell them what to do. He also liked to slick back his greasy, black hair and gaze at his gaunt face in the mirror.
    His throne was made of skulls and bones, encased in silver. Medusa flew inside the castle and hovered near the ceiling. She loved how high it was.
    "You take a sip first." Hades sloshed the silver goblet of wine all over the ground as he shouted at Persephone. "Or I won't drink it at all!"
    Persephone crossed her arms. She was as intimidating as a withered flower. Her hair hung limply on her head in the underworld. The flowers that grew in a trail behind her as she walked, turned brown in seconds. Her blue eyes were dulled and her movements weak. Everyone could see that she missed her mother.
    She sat on a throne made of skulls and roses, encased in silver as well.
    "But I fermented it myself," she said.
    He threw it at her, spilling the purple liquid all over her body. "That's exactly why I can't trust it. Do you know how many times I've been poisoned?"
    Persephone leaped from her seat. She wore a light gray gown that was now ruined. She looked down at herself and glared at him. "Maybe people wouldn't try to hurt you so much if you'd stop acting like a prick."
    "I am this way because everyone wants my power! I can't trust anyone, least of all
you
. Last time my drink was poisoned, a man used Lethe water to make me forget who I was. The underworld was thrown into chaos and the Helm of Darkness was stolen."
    The underworld had done fine without him. The Stygian nymphs were behind the attack. They helped a ghost get across the Acheron River in exchange for tricking Hades to drink the water. They were the ones who stole the invisibility helmet and they used it to fly unnoticed past the monsters that lived in the Styx. They claimed to fly up to Hades on occasion and make faces at him that he knew nothing about. They once rearranged Hades' furniture and giggled about it for days while he paced back and forth, ranting about a conspiracy.
    Orcus approached Persephone. As usual, he wore only blood and leather. "You look upset, Your Highness. Why don't you sit down?" He gestured to her throne and handed her a towel.
    She glared at him as she took her chair. "What do you want?"
    "Just to serve you, my queen," he said, lifting a silver platter. "I thought you might be hungry." Inside was a plate filled with pomegranate seeds.
    Hades laughed hysterically as Persephone's face fell. He hardly let her eat anything but pomegranate seeds.
    The food represented her imprisonment. Once, she had been free to live with her mother, the Goddess of the Harvest, on Earth. She loved to dance through the flowers and help the crops grow, but then she had been invited into the underworld, not knowing that if she ate or drank anything she'd be trapped there forever. She took just a few pomegranate seeds–they weren't even as good as the ones she enjoyed on Earth. Because of it, she was forced to spend most of her time in the underworld, married to Hades, and rarely got to visit her mother.
    Hades forced the food into her mouth. "Eat! Eat!"
    She spat the seeds on the ground.
    "You don't like being forced to eat or drink things either, do you? Now you know how I feel when you try to make me drink your wine."
    Persephone spat in Orcus' face. She didn't dare to make a move against her husband.
    Orcus grabbed her by the throat, lifting her several feet off the ground as he choked her. She pounded her fists against his chest. The veins in his forehead throbbed as a grin spread across his face.
    Persephone was turning blue. Hades grabbed Orcus by the hair on his head and slammed his head backwards against the wall. He dropped Persephone as his eyes rolled backwards.
    "Don't touch my wife." Hades voice was low and gravelly. "If she is to have a bruise, they will only be given by me. Isn't that right, dear?"
    He turned towards Persephone, who fondled