Hades: Epilogue

My eyes fluttered open, and I turned on my side. It shouldn’t have surprised me. The bed was empty except for me, but it didn’t disappoint me any less. I smoothed my hand over the black silk sheets where Hades’ imprint was with a sigh. There was a devastating volcanic eruption in Indonesia, which meant he and I worked overtime.

I slipped from the bed, swirling my hand around myself. The satin nightgown clinging to my body morphed into the Queenly attire.

I tried to convince Hades to let me pick up some of the slack when the Underworld got overly busy such as it was now. He insisted he’d rather be the one losing sleep, not me. The man could be so sweet sometimes it made my teeth ache.

I took a seat at my desk, smiling to myself as I grabbed a piece of parchment. Hades had taught me how to write in calligraphy. Though I could communicate to him in any way I chose, old-fashioned note passing continued to be my favorite. After scrolling what I wanted to say, I held it up. The paper burnt away in floating bits of embers and smoke before disappearing entirely.

My pet scurried from the other room, slipping on the floor several times as it tried to gain traction. Pluto looked like a mix between a Pomeranian and the Chesire Cat. Wide mouth, with an elongated tongue. Poofy blue striped fur. It was the kind of ugly you couldn’t help but find adorable. Hades created him for me when he realized how much I missed Sammy.

“Good morning, boy. Ready for breakfast?” I scratched the top of his head.

His tongue fell out onto the floor, caking it with drool, and his forked tail whipped back and forth. I conjured a bowl of kibble, and he shoved his entire head in it.

I made my way to the hallway, scooping my steaming coffee cup from the maker I’d created for myself. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon wafted through the air. The caffeine in coffee would do nothing for me anymore, but it was simplistic normalcy I wanted to keep around. I made a bone the size of my arm appear in my hand, and whistled down the hall, the high-pitched sound echoing off the walls. Cerberus came barreling around the corner, and I tossed the bone. He charged past me, all three of his heads snapping excitedly.

A tingle traveled down my spine, and I closed my eyes. The sensation meant another soul required guidance to the Fields. I swirled my hand around my head, producing my winged crown. When I appeared at the hidden entrance to the Fields, a young woman with auburn hair stood there shivering. I touched her shoulder with the gentleness of a passing cloud.

She gasped and turned around. Her widened eyes and trembling lips melted from her expression upon seeing me. I smiled and waved my hand, producing a portal window. The woman’s lips parted, the sun from the Fields illuminating her face.

“It’s so beautiful I almost forgot I died,” the woman muttered.

I held my hand out, beckoning her to follow me. “Death only of the mortal sense. This is your new home. Your new life.”

She let me lead her onto the green grass. It didn’t take long for me to sense her comfort, her contentment. My job was done. They weren’t all as easy. Sometimes I’d spend hours soothing them before I felt confident enough to leave them alone. The woman ran to a nearby stream, dipping her hands into the sparkling water. I backed away, slipping back through the portal.

Hades and I spent most of the day apart taking care of our realms, but would always come together at the same time to spend the rest of the evening together. And that time was right about—

His presence loomed behind me with the scent of burning wood. He traced his fingers down my neck, and I purred.

His lips brushed my ear, making my heart race. “I got your note,” he said, making the note appear in a burst of flame.

“Florida,” Hades said monotone. “Our first time back on the surface. You could choose anywhere in the known world, and you choose…Florida?”

I held my cup of cold coffee out to him with a wide grin, wiggling it back and forth.

He touched the side of it with a single orange glowing finger and the cup steamed back to life. “And you do realize we still have months before we get to go back?”

I waved my hand through the note, making it disappear. “I’m a planner. You know that.” Was it insane how much I missed him even though it’d only been hours apart? I beamed up at him and said, “Besides, what’s wrong with Florida? It’s sunny, has Disney—”

“Surrounded on nearly all sides by water,” Hades mumbled.

I grinned and sauntered forward, curling his hair around my finger. “And then after that, I was thinking—Alaska.”

His eyes narrowed. “Water and cold,” he grumbled. “I think there are souls who need torturing,” he joked, pretending to turn away.

I laughed and yanked on his arm. He looked down at me with a smile.

“Lucky for me, you’re excellent at putting on a brave face,” I teased, running my finger over the part of his chest that poked out from his robes.

He wrapped his arm around me, pushing his palm into my lower back. “Mm and lucky for me darlin’, I married an enchantress.”

Normally, he saved the southern drawl for his mortal guise, but he surprised me with it every once and awhile because he knew it drove me wild.

“Has Tartarus slowed down at all?”

“I’ve spent this time away to ensure it wouldn’t become overrun in my absence. Though the volcano was an unwanted surprise.” His finger drew absent circles over my exposed back. “But now you get me all to yourself for the rest of the night.” His voice grew husky.

I grinned. “And what should we do with our night?”

“Do you remember what you said when I asked what you missed most about life on Earth?”

I squinted and tapped my finger against my lip. “Me and Sara’s Friday the thirteenth movie ritual?”

He nodded. “Not sure if you’ve been keeping track of Earth calendar days, but today…is Friday the thirteenth.”

“What are you saying?”

He waved his arm, and we appeared in a small room with a red love seat and big screen TV. He transformed himself into his mortal self and touched a hand to my shoulder, changing me as well.

His dimple deepened as he gave a lopsided grin, staring down at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.

“The Underworld version of you is my Queen and beautiful beyond what I could imagine, but this you,” he traced the back of his hand down my arm. “Was my salvation.” Those wisps of hair fell over his eyes as he dipped his chin, and my stomach flipped.

I leaped up, wrapping my arms around his neck. He caught me, his forearms supporting under my rump. I kissed his lips and then pecked all over his cheeks and nose. He laughed, wincing like one of my kisses would take an eye out.

He lowered me to the ground. “Tonight, let’s simply be a normal couple, having a normal movie night.” He slipped my glasses on my nose with a snarky grin.

I bit down on my lower lip. “I wasn’t sure if it was possible to love you anymore. I was wrong.”

He conjured a pan of Jiffy pop and held his hand under it. A burst of flame popped the corn in an instant.

I folded my arms. “What happened to normal?”

“Except for that. It takes too long, and I don’t feel like creatin’ a stove.” He winked and flopped onto the couch. “Pick whatever you want, sweetheart.”

I sat down and patted my thighs. “Well, I think we start a new tradition. Instead of Dirty Dancing like Sara and I watched, we’ll watch…eighties horror movies.” I grinned.

He paused with popcorn in his mouth, turning to cock an eyebrow at me. Pluto trotted past us, sliding on the floor before leaping up to my lap. He panted and looked between us, one of his eyes squinting.

“I still can’t believe you named your pet after me,” Hades said with a snicker.

“Hey, I can’t help your Roman name also happens to be a beloved Disney dog.”

I scratched Pluto’s ears, and his back leg bounced. “Alright, first up.” I waved my hand at the TV. “Evil Dead.”

“Sounds like somethin’ I’m not going to like,” he grumbled.

“No brooding on movie night.” I nuzzled against him and threw some popcorn in my mouth.

Pluto did several circles before nuzzling into my lap and shutting his eyes.

Hades was reasonably quiet for the entire movie, only making the occasional scowl. It was after the third deadite soul took over a living mortal he felt compelled to express his opinion.

“Okay, this is ridiculous. Are they trying to say the evil dead can escape Tartarus and take over a living mortal just because some words were spoken in a made-up language? They’d never make it past Cerberus, let alone up to the surface.”

I slipped a hand over his mouth. “You’re missing all the best Ash one-liners.”

“Ash?” he asked into my palm.

I laughed and pulled my hand away. “Bruce Campbell. Ash. The guy in the blue shirt with the chain saw? The main guy?”

“Right,” he clipped.

We spent the rest of the movie eating endless popcorn and cuddling. He even chuckled a time or two.

When it was over, I turned to face him. “Was it as torturous as Tartarus?”

“Not at all. I quite enjoyed it after I stopped comparin’ it to the true way death works.” He smiled.

I threw popcorn at him. Pluto yipped and jumped to the floor.

His smile faded, and he narrowed his eyes before throwing some back. Several pieces landed in my hair. My jaw dropped. A sly grin slowly spread across his lips.

“Hey!” I protested through a giggle.

He tackled me onto the couch, hovering above me on his forearms. He rolled his hips against me. “Are you happy, Steph?”

“Very,” I cooed.

“Did this night of normalcy help your homesickness?”

I smiled. “Very. But I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips over my nose.

“Next time, use your wings to heat the popcorn. Because let’s face it, sweetie, this is my new normal.”

He kissed me and grinned against my mouth. “As you wish, darlin’.”