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

her throat and nodded meekly.
    Orcus clutched his head as he recovered. "Furies! Come here at once!"
    The half-bird, half human women she had seen earlier landed in front of him. Their wings were stained red and black. They carried a man in their mouth. They ripped pieces of his flesh apart and swallowed it. As they pulled off each one, they shook their heads, splattering blood and muscle tissue everywhere. The man squealed like a pig.
    Orcus' grin grew goofy. "Aw, did you bring that murderer just for me?"
    They shrieked. They sounded neither like a human nor a bird-it was more a symphony of cats being skinned.
    "Put the murderer down," Orcus commanded.
    They dropped their meal.
    "Now, carry me back down to Tartarus."
    Hades' lips twitched and the Furies froze. "You will not leave this mess inside my castle."
    The chunk of person on the wall made it look as if it had been painted in polka dots.
    A man flew into the room. His black wings folded onto his back. "I can clean it up for you."
    He had a grin on his face and an intense look in his eye. In one hand, he held a sword. In the other, he carried a long braid that he caressed against his cheek and kissed lightly. Across Thanatos' body sat butterflies, but they were withered like a spider that had stayed in one place for too long on a wall. They fluttered their wings slowly as he moved.
    "Go ahead," Hades said.
    Thanatos bent over the dying man, growing visibly aroused as he stared into his wide eyes. He cut off a lock of his long hair with the sword, while the man continued to scream and beg for mercy. He caressed the human's cheek gently and his face froze, his eyes going glassy. Thanatos sniffed the lock of hair and a moan shuddered through him.
    "Nothing is more beautiful than watching a creature take its last breath." He lifted the man in his arms as if he was a baby and rocked him back and forth as he stroked his hair.
    Hecate entered after him. "You call that cleaning?" When she spoke, her three voices echoed everywhere in unison. "You killed him, yes, with your death touch, but you haven't actually cleaned up anything."
    Thanatos glared at her. "Do not come in here and interrupt something as holy as death!"
    Cerberus stood behind Hecate. He snarled at Thanatos.
    "Stupid dog!" Thanatos kicked him and raised his foot again as the dog whimpered.
    "Stop!" Hades yelled.
    Thanatos obeyed.
    "You're not allowed to kill the king's dog," Hecate said. "No matter how much he pisses you off. Now, let me show you how the cleaning is truly done."
    Her spirit dogs were following her as well. They, along with Cerberus, licked the man's remains off the walls and floor. They also licked the faces of the Furies who growled and nipped.
    "My most responsible subject is a Titan," Hades said. "Who would have thought that was possible?"
    Hecate was one of the few Titans that hadn't been imprisoned in Tartarus. In fact, Hades trusted her so much, he allowed her to roam the entire underworld freely. She stuck her nose in the air and smirked at Thanatos. He tensed, his muscles readying to charge.
    "Be calm, brother." A man with large droopy eyelids and rings under his eyes entered into the room. His voice was so quiet, it was barely above a whisper. Medusa was surprised any of them could hear him at all.
    "This doesn't concern you, Hypnos," Thanatos said.
    "Everything my brother does concerns me," Hypnos replied. "My touch brings sleep, which is why so many welcome me into their homes, but yours brings death. People are frightened by what your powers can do, which is why they misunderstand you. Don't let it get to you."
    Thanatos was usually treated like the freak of the underworld because of his hair fetish. He cut the hair from all his victims and kept it with him in a giant braid, flung over his shoulder. He masturbated using it. He made quick work, cutting a chunk from the man.
    Hypnos was Medusa's favorite deity. He was the only one who seemed to care for anyone but himself.
    He walked to