Flowers for the Dead Ch. 05

She sat upon a towering throne. It was crafted from cold, hard iron and adorned with radiant garnet and onyx. All around her was the melody of harp and flute. Her posture was regal and commanding as faceless subjects mounted the steps of the dais leaving offerings of jasmine and honeysuckle at her feet. As each devotee bowed their head in reference, she touched their crown in blessing. All of those who came and gave of themselves to her would receive bountiful benediction, as she was generous and loving to those who served her. Warm sun rays cast her in an angelic glow as she smiled down on each of her attendants.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from the masses, "Long live the queen!" A figure with brown hair and green eyes lurched forward, bearing a dagger in hand.

Her heart rose to her throat as the man leapt onto the dais, cornering her. She held her breath, anticipating the sharp stab of metal into her flesh. Instead, she felt strong arms surrounding her. She had nowhere to run. In desperation, she screamed.

"Persephone!" a pained voice called her, "Persephone, dear one, please awaken!"

Hades shook the shrieking form of his beloved from her nightmare. The visions that haunted her slumber played clearly in his mind. Through Daphne's subconscious, he could see the green eyes that she could never forget.

Daphne continued to scream. Her brow was covered in a thin sheen of perspiration. Her delicate hands were clenched tightly in her cloud of hair. Still trapped in her nightmare, she writhed between the sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Hades pulled her to his chest, afraid that she might cause herself harm. He leant close to her ear and whispered loving and encouraging words, hoping to draw her from her terror.

"Persephone, my love...do not succumb to the dark shadows of the past. No one will hurt you here. Follow my voice. You are not in his grip, beloved. You are in my arms. You are safe in my arms!"

Daphne's eyes flew open as she clutched Hades' arms frantically. Hot tears streamed between their bodies as the pair held fast to one another. They heaved heavy breaths as their hearts raced to the same thunderous cadence.

"You are safe, Persephone. Breathe, my love. Breathe," Hades comforted. In the mortal realm, he had seen her wake in the night from some sort of fright. But, he had never known what. Their bond had clearly strengthened after their last coupling. The visions of her sleep had woken him. It dismayed him that her past continued to torment her in this way.

Daphne inhaled shaky breaths as she took in her surroundings. She was not sitting on any iron throne. She was not disoriented in a fraternity house. She was here, in the arms of someone who had promised to never hurt her. She stared up at the glowing ceiling and registered the warmth of the embrace she was cradled in. Her breathing steadied, but the tears continued to fall.

"I just want it to be over," she whispered hoarsely, "Why won't it stay in the past?"

Hades listened in silence. He could hear the storm of thoughts swirling in Daphne's head. She blamed herself for leaving campus in so little clothing. She blamed herself for leaving her drink unattended in a place full of predators. She blamed herself for getting into harm's way.

"It is not your fault, Persephone." He drew her form ever closer to his. He wished he could take her pain away. If he had only protected her. What purpose did he serve if he could not at least shield her fr—

"It's not your fault either, Hades," she mumbled. His thoughts were beginning to mingle with his. Between her nightmares, her thoughts, and his, Daphne thought her head might explode.

"I apologize for thinking too loudly," he said with the ghost of a wry smile.

"I guess I'll get used to that, huh?" she asked, turning to face him.

"In time, my love. It is quite new to me as well." Hades sat up, bringing his consort with him. He took note of the feverish heat of her skin. "Perhaps a bath is in order? It may calm you somewhat."

Daphne nodded as he lifted her from the bed. She rested her cheek against his chest and concentrated on the steady thrum of his heart as they entered the bathing room. Hades set her on her feet as he began to prepare the bath. Daphne covered her breasts with her arms, feeling exposed without the cover of bedsheets. Hades, on his part, seemed unabashed by his own nudity. In the brightness of the chamber, Daphne could quite clearly see the splendor of the god before her. His back was turned to her, and what a back it was. The expanse of toned muscles dimpled and rippled along his great height. Every inch of him radiated athletic strength. Daphne turned away as she recalled the ease with which he had slung her over his shoulder...

Hades turned to face her, a grin playing on his dark features.

"You are thinking quite loudly, my dear."

Daphne's eyes widened as her face grew red.

"Come," he chuckled, offering his hand. He helped her into the warm bath.

The scent of lavender and chamomile flower filled her nostrils. Hades joined her, leaving some distance between them.

"As much as I do desire to hear your thoughts on my body," he paused, "I believe we should discuss these nightmares."

Daphne said nothing. Instead, she watched the tendrils of steams as they swirled higher into the air.

"When you awake in the night, is that what you see always? That beast trying to kill you?" Hades spoke carefully. He didn't want his hatred for her attacker to frighten her. He had a dangerous temper.

"Not always," she wearied, "Sometimes, he's just there in whatever dream I'm having. Other times, I'm back in the fraternity house. It replays in my head constantly, no matter how much I try to forget it..." Her voice trailed off. She thought back to every dream those green eyes had appeared in. She used to write the nightmares down, hoping that that would somehow help her process the trauma. When they continued, she gave up trying.

"I hope that you will forgive me," he began.

"I don't blame you for what he did to me, Hades. He's a monster that I couldn't defend myself from. It's not your fault." She sank deeper into the water until it nearly reached her ears. She wanted to wash the memories away.

"Am I not the same as he?" Hades asked, more to himself than to the weary figure across from him.

Daphne watched as his expression darkened. She could feel the guilt rolling off of him.

"I hurt you," he strained, unable to meet her brown eyes. He had bound her and ravished her, even when she had protested. She had been afraid, but he had indulged his desires anyway. He could have waited, surely. He could have romanced her until she had given herself to him willingly. He was just as much of a brute as her mortal assailant.

"You're not the same," she emphasized, interrupting his self-deprecation.

"Why?" he demanded. He met her eyes with a fervent stare. "Because I brought you pleasure? Because I have waited so long for you?"

Daphne faltered. She didn't have a reason. She just felt that way. Even if Hades had wrenched her from the life she'd had...even if he had claimed her body against her will...it hadn't been out of malice. It hadn't been for his pleasure. Right?

Daphne shook her head. It didn't make sense. She should have hated him, fought him. But, try as she did, there was something about him that was earnest and caring. It was magnetic, what she felt for him. It scared her.

"Is it because we are bound to one another? Does that give me a claim to your body, to your consent?" His voice rose. The anger he had felt toward her attacker, he now felt for himself.

"Hades, I don't know!" Daphne struggled to keep the exasperation from her voice. "It's you that owes me the explanation. Aren't you as old as humanity itself? You should have the answers!" She flung her arms out in frustration, sending water over the edge of the bath and straight into Hades' face.

Daphne covered her mouth, her face coloring in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Daphne watched his face, expecting to see anger.

Hades merely brushed his wet hair from his face.

"You're right. I have much to explain. It will not excuse my actions, but perhaps it will clarify my desperation." He rose suddenly from the bath. He hastily wrapped a linen around his waist and strode toward the bedchamber.

Daphne sat perplexed. Is this where she was supposed to find her answers? In the bath water?

"Are you coming?" Hades asked. Daphne wasn't sure if it was his voice or his thoughts calling her. Nonetheless, she hurriedly covered herself in a towel and followed.

She found Hades dressing quickly. He was already wearing a stormy grey chiton and copper adornments. His dark, wavy hair continued to drip as he laced his caligae.

Daphne followed suit. She donned a marigold-colored drape and hurriedly fastened it at her shoulder and waist. Using a leather zoster from the wardrobe as a hair tie, she gathered her hair into a puff high on her head. When she looked up, Hades clutched her hand and pulled her into the dark library. With a wave, Hades ignited the multitude of candles that lined the walls.

"What are we doing here?" Daphne jumped back in surprise as Hades began tearing volumes from shelves. She retreated behind a high-backed stone chair as tablets, scrolls, and thick tomes clattered to the floor. "Hades!"

The frenzied deity gathered an armful of scrolls and books. He dropped them haphazardly onto a tall granite table. He chose the oldest of the bunch, a thin slate tablet, and placed it before them.

"This is your first incarnation, a Grecian maiden from a family of farmers."

Daphne inched closer and gazed at the image delicately chiseled in stone. It was the portrait of a young girl carrying a sheath of wheat under her arms. Daphne saw no resemblance.

"It was during this lifetime that I learned that I had a consort. My parents, Cronus and Rhea, believed that I would be unable to fulfill my duties as Lord of the Underworld if I knew any sooner." Hades traced the carving with his fingertips. "I did not fully understand the nature of our relationship. Before I was even remotely close to deciphering how to bring you here, you perished from typhoid at thirteen."

"Why didn't I just become a part of the river Styx like everyone else does?" Daphne questioned.

"Because you are not like everyone else," he insisted, stopping to draw her closer to him. In his frenzy, he had forgotten how intoxicating her presence was. "Goddesses never die. No, they are reborn."

Daphne stood pressed between the cold, stone table and the Lord of the Underworld's cool chest. Despite the number of volumes surrounding them, it was clear that his thoughts were now on something other than reading.

"Focus, Hades," Daphne warned.

He sighed. "I am very focused. But, you're right. We are not finished here."

He gathered more tablets and scrolls in front of them. Daphne studied the carvings and sketches before her.

Gesturing to each volume, Hades described them all:

"This incarnation of you lived in the Andes. You were sacrificed during a famine. During this version of you," he gestured to a large, painted scroll, "you were the child of an emperor and his mistress during the Qin dynasty. You were poisoned by your uncle when he usurped the throne and murdered your father." Hades opened leather-bound journal and flipped to a well-worn page, "In this life, you were recruited as a Dahomey Amazon. You were killed in a battle against a neighboring kingdom."

Hades continued to rattle off over a dozen past lives. Daphne's past incarnations spanned the globe, ranging from the remote islands of Micronesia to the bustling city of London. As she listened, one detail stood out to her.

"Why did I always die so young?" she interrupted Hades' description of her life as the middle daughter of a Nordic merchant.

Hades hesitated.

"I believe you would call it unfair."

Daphne turned and faced him expectantly.

"And?" she urged, crossing her arms.

"Well," he ran a hand through his hair, "The Goddess of the Spring represents youth and fertility. We can't have a crone running about waking the earth after winter. That would be absurd."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. That's what was absurd?

"And why don't I remember any of these? Isn't the purpose of reincarnation to learn from the mistakes of each past life?"

"This is the bit that's unfair," Hades replied. "You see, you were reincarnated so that I would learn from past mistakes. Each time I lost you, it was because I failed you in some way."

Daphne frowned.

"So...I suffered because of you?" Daphne peered up at him with hurt eyes. She was beginning to feel like a pawn in some cruel game. She thought back to that awful night. She was lucky that whatever she'd been drugged with hadn't killed her. But if it had...

Hades reached for Daphne's hand, but had second thoughts. He could sense where her mind was going.

"In a way, yes," he said carefully.

"And if I had died that night, it would have been to teach you a lesson. I was raped to teach you a lesson." Daphne wasn't asking him. She wasn't telling him either. She was thinking aloud, trying to process the information Hades had just given her.

Hades' heart sank. This conversation was not going as he had intended. This was meant to put her mind at ease. Now, he was sure that she would hate him for all eternity.

"That's why you took me away so suddenly. Because I could have died." Daphne's eyes landed on the sketch of her the day Hades had brought her here. "That's why you couldn't wait and why you were so upset when I almost fell in the river Styx. Because I would have died. And if I was dead, you'd have to wait for another incarnation. You would have to watch me grow up and try to protect me from another untimely demise."

Hades watched her face carefully. He struggled to read her thoughts. They were strangely quiet. Even her expression remained impassive. Her eyes and mouth, which usually revealed her emotions quite clearly, seemed dull and neutral.

Abruptly, her thoughts rang out loud and clear.

"So, my suffering was inevitable! My kidnapping was inevitable! Our binding was inevitable!" Her voice rose as she spun away from him.

"Persephone, let me ex—"

"And for what? For you to learn a lesson?" She paced around the small library in a blur. "Is that all I am? Just some nice piece of ass for your character development? If I'm such an important goddess, why have I spent the last however many lives as a human? For what?"

She sank to the cold floor, leaning against a now empty bookshelf.

"This life was meaningless. If I had died last night, I would have just been born again someplace else. Nothing I've accomplished matters," she muttered. She rested her head on her knees, feeling utterly dejected. She had never felt so small, so unimportant.

Hades crossed the room and knelt next to his lover's curled form. The scent of rue washed over him.

"Look at me," he growled. When her face remained buried in her arms, he roughly fisted her hair and pulled her face to his. Daphne winced, her gaze never leaving the floor. "I dislike repeating myself, dear one."

Daphne rolled her eyes before finally meeting his icy glare. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed tendrils of blue flame beginning to rise from Hades' head.

He released his hold on her hair, struggling to maintain his temper.

"You survived!" he said fiercely, "I neglected you, Persephone. But you lived! These last few millennia, none of your incarnations made it to her eighteenth year. You surpassed that! And with your career—didn't you ever wonder why everything you planted grew so well while your colleagues struggled? That was you coming into your powers, my love! Never before had you been able to bring life as you had as Daphne. It is your gift! It means everything! Even when he hurt you, when I hurt you—you did not let it break you."

"But I am broken," she breathed. "I can't even sleep through the night..."

"Persephone, I want you to feel safe with me. I want you to trust me," he urged.

Daphne shrugged and twirled her hair anxiously.

"I do trust you," she mumbled.

"I know when you lie to me," he said crossly.

The flames on Hades' gradually died away. His eyebrows were knit tight and he frowned deeply.

"I want to trust you," she whispered. She dared to reach and cup his face gently. He closed his eyes and turned into her caress, a low growl escaping his throat.

"Perhaps, we could continue this conversation—"

"—in the bedroom?" she finished. His thoughts were loud and clear.

Hades lifted the maiden into his arms and whisked her into their bedroom. He flopped on the bed, rolling her onto his chest. He couldn't help but smile as he gazed up at her. The strength of their binding grew with each moment they were with one another. There was much progress to be made in their relationship, but they had all the time in the world. Hades felt hopeful as he gazed into her sparkling brown eyes. He would gain her trust, maybe even her affection, no matter how long it took.

Daphne began to blush. "Stop staring at me!" she said bashfully.

His eyes never left hers. Instead, he shifted underneath her so that his hips were pressed against hers. He began to gently run a hand along her side.

"I have a proposition for you, love," Hades said, with a hint of flirtation.

Daphne gazed at him suspiciously. She couldn't hear his thoughts.

"What sort of...proposition?" she asked, letting the word roll of her tongue.

"I want you to use my body for your pleasure," he said bluntly. He absentmindedly dragged his fingers up and down her hips.

Daphne gawked, "P-pardon me?"

"Would you like me to be vulgar?" he questioned playfully, "I want you to ride my co—"

"I get it!" she cried, clamping both hands over his mouth.

Hades raised a dark brow, very much enjoying her embarrassment.

"Are you opposed?"

Daphne looked away in an effort to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

"Well, I—"

"Let me explain," he began, "I want you to trust and believe that I will never harm you. Not verbally, not physically, not sexually. I want you to take your pleasure. I won't lay a finger on you unless you ask it of me. You may even restrict my wrists, if you so desire." To show his earnest, he placed his hands chastely on the bed.

Hades' lustful imaginings began to merge with her own thoughts. It wouldn't take much for them to be completely nude. Once naked, she could mount him with ease. She'd never been on top before. But, with the way his cock made her body quake and sing, she knew she would quickly find her rhythm. She imagined how his length would feel as it reached her depths. She could grind out as many orgasms as she could stand. The god would never tire.

"I do have outstanding stamina, dear one, but I cannot go on forever," he chuckled. "Are you willing?"

Daphne was certain that the thickness she felt against her heat was Hades' hardening willingness. She felt a growing slickness between her own thighs. She tentatively rolled her hips against his.

"Ok," she uttered shyly. She sat up and began to carefully unclasp the fibula from her shoulder. Hades did the same. Very soon, there was nothing between them. Daphne again rolled her hips against Hades' aching erection. She bit her lip as she found the perfect movement.

Hades observed Daphne's expression. He watched as she slowly sank onto his phallus, engulfing his length in her clenching heat. Hades' gripped the sheets in an effort to restrain himself. Every time he entered her brought new sensations. And to see her bare atop him, undulating in her own pleasure...he let out a groan at the sight.