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much prettier down here than in the Above. Her curves were no longer built of flesh but of water, and she shone like a pale-blue beacon.
    The temple suddenly buzzed with life as glowworms crawled from out of their hiding holes to come and witness the rarely seen spectacle.
    Aphrodite smiled, and I couldn’t help but return it.
    “What?” I asked around a mouthful. I wanted to visit with Nimue as soon as could be, and as much as I enjoyed Love’s company, I had places to be.
    “How goes the seduction, Caly?”
    I shrugged. “Is that all you think about?”
    Giving me wide eyes that clearly read “What do you think?” she nodded. “Of course.”
    “Fabulous.” I swallowed my bite of apple, took another, swallowed that one too, and then grinned. “He sports quite an erection when around me. I think I should have my wicked way with him this evening.”
    She giggled, and I frowned.
    “Oh, this should be fun, I’ve been waiting for the day that Hades was forced to yank the stick out of his ass.”
    I wasn’t entirely sure what that had to do with me, but I said, “Mmhmm.” Then, quickly switching subjects, I asked, “Any news regarding Persephone?”
    “None yet.” She shook her head. “It is like she and Cerberus vanished from the face of the earth. Apollo is scouring the grounds of Elysia as we speak. After that, he’ll head into the Above while he still dominates the skies of Olympia.”
    “Hm, well, let us know.”
    “Will do.” She seemed as though she meant to vanish, but with a small shake of her head, the Goddess of Love turned back to me. “Calypso, I’m well versed in matters of the heart. You should know that while Hades appears coarse and even at times cruel, he is lonely. More lonely than any one of us. Treat him kindly.”
    I’d had no intention of not treating him kindly. “I would think having sex every night would be a boon and not punishment, Dite.”
    “He is a man, darling. But that is not of what I speak. Be yourself with him. Do no other, beneath the hard exterior beats the heart of a man. Remember that.”
    That literally made no sense to me. But I nodded anyway.
    “May I come and visit again?” she asked.
    “Of course. But no other, I find the lot of you Olympians to be thoroughly disreputable.”
    Her tinkling laughter rolled through the waters, casting a dizzying spell on all that heard it.
    With a gentle pop, Aphrodite vanished.
    Smiling from ear to ear at this point, I downed three more apples, washed them down with a jar of honeyed mead, and drew a hand down my body., twisting my form yet again into the one Nimue was now familiar with, that of a scullery maiden who also happened to be one of Nim’s very best friends.
    Humming happily to myself, I made a mental note to ask Nim which position men liked best before our visit ended.

Chapter 4
    Hades
    I dropped my head into my hands. Here I was, sitting on the tongue of a massive clam, alone in a room that smelled heavily of flowery perfume and dripped with chains of pearls and prisms of radiant crystals that cut through walls of coral, and I wondered all over again if it’d been worth it.
    I was used to the disdain of my family. Used to the side-eye glances and even, at times, disdainful looks.
    I was Death.
    I dealt in it.
    Lived among it.
    It was not a life I’d chosen for myself, but it was one I’d grown to respect and appreciate through the turning of the centuries. But to be so easily discarded, to be told that I could not return to my own realm, my people, made me seethe. Made me murderous.
    I clenched my fists, breathing heavily.
    I was a god, yes, but one against many. Alone, even I didn’t stand a chance. My touch could not kill any of them. Hurt them, yes, if I choose it. With Cerberus by my side, I might have at least stood a chance of defending my gates, but with him gone, I’d known I’d had little choice but to submit.
    The indignity of it infuriated me most.
    Suddenly the pressure of the room