A Game of Retribution Bonus

A Day at the Beach Persephone stood on the beach.

The sun was hot and blinding, reflecting off the sea and sand, but it made for a pretty scene, the waves glimmering like fragmented mirrors under light. A breeze came off the ocean, cooling her heated skin, carrying the smell of salt, and tangling her unbound hair.

When she had first moved to New Athens and met Lexa, they’d come to this beach, waded into the depths, and sunbathed on the sand. It meant something to her, the time she had spent here with her best friend, even if being here now made her feel a little hollow.

She looked up at Hades standing beside her, scowling at the sea as if it were the vilest thing he had ever seen, and she laughed.

Hades tilted his head toward her, still glaring. Despite his disapproval, he looked the part, wearing black swim trunks low on his hips, showing off his well-honed body—toned abs, wide shoulders, huge arms folded one over the other. His hair was pulled back, tied into a knot high on his head.

He was a masterpiece, and while she never forgot it, there was something about seeing him like this, as she never had before, that drove the point home.

He made her mouth water, her body hot and tense.

He made her want more than she had ever wanted before.

Hades raised a brow and Persephone realized her smile had gone slack and she was staring.

“If you no longer wish to swim, I can think of about five sexual fantasies I’d rather act out today.”

“Do any of them include the beach?” she asked.

He tilted his head the other way. “If it weren’t my brother’s realm, then perhaps.”

“I thought you would take great pleasure in defiling anything that belongs to him.”

He enjoyed defiling anything that belonged to her mother, Demeter. So much so, she was starting to think he considered it a sport.

“Except that my brother is a sexual predator,” Hades said, and Persephone shivered.

She knew Hades did not get along with his brothers. Both Zeus and Poseidon were guilty of many crimes against humanity, but the worst of them had been committed against women— yet somehow, though their deeds were public, they maintained a level of worship that kept them in power.

Persephone would never understand, and one day, she would do something about it.

“Do you think he will show up?”

Hades shrugged. “It’s possible. He likes to draw attention to himself.”

Persephone frowned, and as if he sensed her worry, he added, “Though last time I came face-to-face with him, I embarrassed him in his own territory, so it is likely he will keep his distance.”

That made her feel better, though she was now curious.

“What did you do?”

“You mean to ask what did he do? Gave a mortal a relic, so I restrained him with the Chains of Truth and interrogated him.”

At the mention of chains, Persephone’s chest tightened, and a warmth spread from there like an ember smoldering inside her lungs. She never considered herself to be shy when it came to sex with Hades, but those chains made her shameful, and she wanted to use them on him. If

she told him, he would likely say he did not need them—he had no filter when they were together like that—but she wanted more than depraved words and fantasies.

She wanted truths.

“Do not let me keep you from enjoying this,” said Hades. “I know why you wished to come.”

She gave him a smile, though it was sad. “I want to enjoy this day with you too.”

“I am all yours, my darling,” he replied.

Persephone led the way across the beach, closer to the water, and spread the blanket she had brought, weighing it down with her bag and a few other items she pulled from inside. Once she was finished, she untied her white cover-up, and as it fell to the ground, she caught Hades’s gaze as it raked her from head to toe. There was a hunger in his stare she felt deep in her stomach, and for a moment, a sense of dread overcame her.

Would he disapprove of her swimsuit?

Normally, she wouldn’t worry, but this was Poseidon’s territory.

“Why is this the first time I am seeing this bathing suit?” he asked.

She smirked. “Likely because we always swim naked in the Underworld.”

“Hmm.” She dipped her head, looking at him through her lashes. “Do you…like it?”

He took her chin between his fingers and kissed her, and while no other part of them touched, the way his lips moved against hers left her breathless and yearning to the point that when he pulled away, she groaned.

Hades’s lips curled, fingers brushing the curve of her lips. “I love everything you are.”

His words trapped her breath in her lungs, and for a moment, her love for him felt completely crushing.

“I love you,” she said, because she could never say it enough.

“More than anything,” Hades replied.

She averted her gaze, noticing curious stares and a few brave beachgoers taking photos.

She nodded toward them. “Did you have a plan for the media?”

Hades turned his head, and the two women who snapped photos went pale.

“Nothing will make it to print,” Hades promised.

With that, she sat, found her sunscreen, and covered every part of her exposed skin. The problem with the sun was that it was Helios’s magic, and it could burn if he wanted it to. Given that he and Hades did not get along, Persephone wasn’t taking any chances.

She handed the bottle to Hades. “Could you cover my back?”

“I’d have done your whole body if you’d asked,” he said, lowering to his knees as she rested on her stomach.

The first touch of his hands upon her skin was cool but quickly warmed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the feel of him as he worked from her shoulders down her spine. As he went, his fingers dipped beneath the strap of her top, grazing her breasts. She shivered, digging her hips into the ground beneath her, then suddenly Hades grabbed her ass and bent over her, pressing his lips to the hollow of her neck.

“You are far too tempting,” he said, tracing the curve of her shoulder. “I could call up my glamour and fuck you here.”

Persephone bent her head back, whispering, “Why don’t you?”

Hades smiled and released her, sitting back on his heels. “Because I hate sand.”

Persephone burst into laughter, then rolled onto her back, supporting herself on her elbows.

“To think, all this time, your greatest weakness was sand.”

“Trust me, if I fucked you on this beach, you’d hate it too.”

His comment stole her smile, and a strange tension bloomed between them. It hinted at his past with other women, and despite all the work she had put into releasing any feelings about it, there were times when it inevitably got to her.

She took a breath.

“Persephone—” “I’m going to swim,” she said, rising to her feet.

Before he could stop her, she hurried to the shoreline, wading into the shallow water. The waves were calm, and the water was a strange mix of temperatures—warm on top, colder on the bottom. The farther she wandered, the warmer she grew. It wasn’t until she dipped beneath the water that she felt better.

As she broke the surface, she met Hades’s gaze. He sat on her blanket, body rigid, and she got the sense that he was doing everything in his power to remain rooted to his spot rather than retrieve her from the ocean.

She’d just needed a moment to process the surge of jealousy that came with the knowledge of his past. At some point, she knew it would not faze her, but there were always moments that caught her off guard, feelings that surfaced and surprised even her.

She smiled at him, then dove beneath the surface once more. When she rose again, the water was at her waist, and she expected to find Hades continuing to gaze at her. Instead, his attention had turned to a small girl of about two or three who had wandered near him. He was smiling at her, watching as she tried to catch a beach ball, which she only managed to kick or drop each time she got close.

When the ball rolled close to Hades, he stopped it and held it out to her. The child seemed hesitant at first, but then took it and smiled at him.

The interaction wasn’t the first she had witnessed. Hades often played with the children in the Underworld, and despite his usual dark, glowering appearance, all that melted away when he came face-to-face with a child, and it made her chest ache.

As she watched, a woman ran to the little girl and dragged her away, as if her closeness to Hades would surely mean death, and the brightness that had lit his face was smothered, replaced once more with a scowl.

Persephone felt a rush of anger at the mother who tore her child away as if Hades were evil, but also deep sorrow, knowing that Hades could not have children—that they could not— and that he wanted them despite his continued claim he would always want what she wanted.

And what if she wanted children?

How would he give her what she wanted then?

Hades’s gaze snapped to hers, and she managed to smile at him despite what she had witnessed. She made her way to shore.

As she approached, his eyes darkened, but something made her pause, a feeling that lifted the hair on the back of her neck.

Then the screaming began, and Persephone whirled in time to see massive waves were rushing toward shore, driving those in the water under and farther out to sea.

Persephone shifted and managed to call Hades’s name before the wave hit her. The water felt like a solid thing, stealing her breath upon impact, drawing her under into its cold depths. As she struggled to return to the surface, she opened her eyes to find two glowing eyes staring back.

She screamed and tried to flee but could not move, no matter how hard she kicked or pushed against the water. It was as if she were anchored to the sandy floor below.

And while she thrashed, swallowing more and more water, the creature watched.

Then she felt the water shift around her, and it seemed as though the sea was parting. She took a desperate breath once her head was free, vomiting water, as she landed on the muddy floor of the ocean.

“Persephone.”

She felt Hades’s hands on her shoulders. He had managed to part the sea. Given that he was one of the three, he had power over all realms, though Poseidon would not be happy that Hades had used his—and he wasn’t.

Persephone’s gaze had fallen to the creature who had watched her drown. Poseidon stood opposite them, his eyes still aglow. Of all the gods Persephone had met, he took his divine form most often. She imagined it had something to do with power. He wanted to remind everyone that he was one of the three. Perhaps he felt inferior in comparison to Hades, who did not need to flaunt his status.

The God of the Sea was bare-chested, only wearing a skirt of leather strips and a few gold pieces—a crown of spikes and cuffs on his forearms. His blond hair, which should have been wet given that he had just been underwater, was dry and two marakhor horns spiraled from either side of his head.

Persephone took a ragged breath, then rose to her feet. Hades stood close, body cradling hers, hand on her hip.

“Do you have a death wish, Brother?” Hades asked.

“You trespassed in my realm,” he said. “Hopefully a lesson was learned.”

The God of the Sea began to turn away when Persephone spoke. “The only thing I learned today was how much of an asshole you really are.”

Poseidon froze, eyes flashing bright. “You trespass and insult me?”

Hades’s hand flexed on her hip.

“You deserve that and more,” she said. “Imagine being so threatened by the presence of another god that you cause harm to innocent people. It’s pathetic.”

The sea walls Hades had created around them trembled.

“Persephone,” Hades warned.

“Keep the bitch in check, Hades, or you will regret it.”

Each word was like a match, fueling her power.

“Not as much as you will regret that statement,” Persephone said, and out of the water burst leaves of seaweed, twining around Poseidon’s arms and legs. He pulled hard, muscles bulging, but as Hades had discovered before, her bindings were strong.

“It’s too bad you can breathe underwater,” Persephone said. “Oh, wait, I have the perfect solution.”

As she spoke, another leaf of seaweed wrapped around Poseidon’s neck, tightening until he gasped for breath.

“Much better.”

“Ruthless, my darling,” Hades said, pressing his lips to her ear.

She turned her head and kissed him with only an ounce of the rage she still felt. When she pulled away, she asked, “Is everyone safe?”

“Yes.” “Then take me home.”

Poseidon screamed, though his cries were muffled from a lack of oxygen.

“Anything you wish,” he replied.

As they vanished, the sea began to close, trapping Poseidon beneath the surface. His bindings would not last once she made it to the Underworld, but at least he would feel the fear he had sprung upon her. *** When they appeared in the Underworld in Hades’s bedroom, he took Persephone’s face between his hands, studying her. “Are you well?”

“I am,” she said, fingers closing around his forearms. She frowned, feeling ridiculous for pushing Hades to go to the beach. She knew he hadn’t wanted to go, but he’d given in so quickly when she’d explained that she wanted to go for Lexa. To celebrate a long-ago memory. She’d thought it would be okay. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested—” “Do not apologize for my brother’s inferiority complex,” Hades said. “He targeted you because of me.”

She started to say something, but the only words on the tip of her tongue were another apology, so she swallowed it.

“You handled him well,” he said, fingers brushing over her cheek. “He underestimated you.”

Persephone preferred that, especially when facing the Olympians who were fond of eliminating anyone who might rival their power.

“Will he go to Zeus?”

“No,” Hades replied, and she was comforted by his certainty. “He would be too embarrassed to tell on you, though, for now, you should stay away from the ocean. He is stupid enough to attempt revenge.”

Hades let his hands drop to her bare shoulder and skim down to her waist.

“You’re cold,” he said.

She hadn’t noticed.

“Perhaps you should shower and rest a little while.”

Persephone lifted a brow. “Where are you going?”

He smiled softly. “To have a word with Ilias.”

“Are you going to fuck with Poseidon?”

That made him chuckle, and he pulled her against him. His body was warm.

“What can I say?” he said, his lips hovering over hers, and as he spoke, he called up his glamour, now dressed in his usual black suit. “I am a petty motherfucker.”

Then he kissed her, a gentle press of his lips that was a stark contrast to how his body felt—rigid, hard, restrained.

Persephone smoothed her hands over his stomach and down where his arousal had grown, straining against the seam of his slacks. He groaned when she touched him there, and his hand snaked into her hair, tightening, lips moving hard, tongue diving into her mouth. As he

kissed her, she ground her palm against him, and his hips began to move, his fingers biting into her skin.

“Fuck,” he whispered harshly before breaking away, breath ragged.

“Are you certain you wish to leave?”

“If you wanted me to stay, all you had to do was ask,” he said.

“Asking is far less fun.”

He smiled, then pressed his forehead to hers. “I admire your tactics,” he said. “I will only be a few minutes, half an hour at most.”

“I will count,” she said, though she wasn’t opposed to him leaving. She did need a shower, and she had a few ideas for how their evening would be spent, so she needed to prepare.

“Rest,” he said, as if he could command her to do so, then he vanished.

Persephone showered and changed into her robe before setting about her plan. She checked Hades’s drawer for the small black box that contained the Chains of Truth. They were a versatile weapon, and while she knew Hades had used them on his enemies a fair amount, they’d also used them in the bedroom—but only on her.

Tonight, that would change.

She placed the box beneath the pillows. Hopefully he was in the mood to let her take the lead. Once the box was in position, she crossed to his bar and poured herself a glass of whiskey.

While it had not become a usual drink for her, she sipped it now and then and enjoyed the taste.

It reminded her of Hades.

She turned toward the fire, and as she did, she felt Hades’s magic flare as he returned to the Underworld. She shifted toward him.

He wasn’t smiling, and there was a darkness to his eyes that ignited something desperate in her stomach.

“Isn’t this a sight,” he said as she approached, handing him the glass.

“Twenty-five minutes,” she said.

“I rushed,” he replied. Once he downed the glass, it vanished, and his hands were on her, dipping below her robe and shrugging it from her shoulders. As it puddled on the ground, his jacket followed.

“You wear far too many clothes,” she said.

Hades chuckled, and the cool touch of his magic shivered down her spine. Then he was naked and their middles were flush as Hades wrapped her hair around his hand, tugging gently, and kissed her neck. She gripped his biceps, holding her breath, wondering if this was a sign of the control he wanted tonight. She hoped not. She wanted to dominate.

Persephone trailed her fingers up Hades’s arm and neck, into his hair, nails grazing his scalp before tightening. He pulled back and she kissed him, her lips moving quickly from his mouth to his jaw and ear where her teeth scraped. Hades sucked in a breath that made her smile, and in the next second, she took his cock into her hand, moving slow, thumb teasing the soft skin of his crown.

“Let me pleasure you,” she said.

Hades’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say no and he let her nudge him backward toward the bed. She followed, straddling his body. She kissed him once more, her tongue colliding with his, and as she tasted him, she guided his hands up and over his head before sitting back, palms planted firmly on his chest.

“I like you like this,” she said, her voice hushed. Hades’s brows rose in surprise as metal snapped around his wrists, his body tensing beneath her. He spent a few seconds looking at each manacle, and when he met her gaze again, the corner of his lips curled.

“Eager for control, darling?”

She gave a breathy laugh and bent to kiss him before touching the cold metal, transforming the restraints into soft leather.

“Comfortable?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say comfortable,” he said, lifting his hips, pressing his erection into her heat.

It stole her breath, and for a moment, her body clenched, overcome with a desperate need to be filled with him, but she resisted and pressed a kiss to his chest.

“Let me help, then,” she said quietly, prowling down his body, trailing her lips along his warm skin. Now and then she used her tongue and tasted him, traced him, and his chest heaved and the chains clanked as he pulled against them.

She looked up from where she hovered, over his stomach, her breasts cradling his cock.

“What are you thinking?”

“Fuck,” he said and let his head fall back. “Just fuck.”

She laughed, then settled between his legs, where she took his cock into her hand and pumped.

He groaned and lifted his head, meeting her gaze as she licked him from root to tip. “Fuck,” he said again. “Suck me.”

She ignored his command and continued licking and stroking him until his heels were planted into the bed and his hips lifted.

“Persephone,” he growled.

She took the crown of his cock into her mouth, sucking lightly, teasing with her tongue before going deeper, inch by inch, savoring each second.

Beneath her, Hades writhed. “Don’t make me come in your mouth,” he said—another command, though this time she listened, releasing him.

“Where do you want to come?” she asked.

“Where I belong. Inside you.”

“Hmm,” she hummed and bent to press a kiss to his swollen length before crawling up his body. His hands were fisted, the chains pulled tight.

“How do you feel?”

“Fucking fantastic,” he said, and the edge to his voice told her he was frustrated.

She rose and climbed up his body, straddling him once more, her heat cradling his length.

He ground his teeth.

“Hades,” she said, a shy whisper that was misplaced between them. He knew it, too, because he stilled, studying her.

After a moment, he said, “You have a question.”

She nodded.

He eyed the chains. “One you do not think I will answer truthfully?”

“It isn’t that I don’t think you will be truthful,” she said. “But you cannot deny that you will willfully exclude information.”

He raised a brow. “Is that supposed to be a question?”

“Do you omit details?”

Hades shivered beneath her.

“Yes,” he said. “But it is to protect you.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Yes,” he replied, adamant.

She frowned.

“Is this what you wanted to ask me?”

“Not at all,” she said.

Silence stretched between them.

“Well?” he prompted, and she could not tell if he was angry.

She hesitated and stared at his chest. “I just…wanted to know if you…if you might ever be able to…regain your ability to have children?”

“I don’t know.”

A long stretch of silence followed his answer, and she couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Persephone,” he said, an attempt to coax her gaze, but she was too embarrassed to look.

Finally, he spoke the words that would release him from the chains, which vanished, returning to the box, and he sat up. He pressed one hand against her back and the other clasped her chin. When she finally looked at him, his expression was gentle.

“Do you want children?” he asked.

She let her eyes fall once more as she shrugged a shoulder.

Whatever she was feeling was hard to describe. It wasn’t that she wanted children now, but she wanted to know it was an option when she decided it was time. Most of all, she wanted to see Hades as a father, and nothing had driven that point home harder than what she had witnessed at the beach today.

“I just…” She hesitated, then said, “Someday I want to see you as a father, and I just thought…if you lost your ability to have children because of a favor…maybe a favor might…bring it back.”

When she looked at Hades again, a furrow appeared between his brows. For a moment, she thought he was angry or maybe even hurt, but then he kissed her, and when he pulled away, his voice was quiet.

“I do not know what is possible,” he said. “But when you are ready, I will find a way.”

“We will find a way, Hades,” she said and took his face between her hands. “Promise me we will do this together.”

He did not speak for a long moment, and she knew it was because he did not want to agree—a promise was binding.

“Hades,” she whispered.

“Together,” he said, his voice sharp. “I promise.”

She smiled a little. “Thank you.”

In the quiet that followed, tension built, and Persephone became aware once more of how their bodies fit together. A swell of desire made her skin thrum, and she urged Hades to his back.

He obeyed, and as she shifted up, he guided himself to her entrance.

They both groaned as she slid down his cock, and for a moment, they were still and silent, staring at one another.

“I love you,” she said and began to move, leaning forward as she shifted her hips, feeling threads of pleasure dance through her as she ground against him.

Beneath her, Hades’s body was tense, his muscles hard. He gripped her hips and helped her move when she grew tired. Then he rose, mouth closing over each breast before moving to her lips, and as he kissed her, he laid back and rolled her beneath him.

Persephone brought her knees up, and Hades settled between them. He brushed her hair from her face before pressing a kiss to her lips.

“I love you too,” he whispered, then thrust inside her.

Persephone moaned and spread her legs wider in a desperate bid to feel more of him. At first, his movements were slow and controlled, but soon he had set a new and brutal pace.

Persephone’s fingers dug into his forearms, holding tight as he moved her body and the bed.

She ceased to breathe, her body tight and tense, clenching around him until she came in a violent rush. Hades followed, and when he rested his body against hers, he pressed his lips to her forehead and brushed kisses down the side of her face until his mouth hovered over hers.

“How long have you been planning to use the chains?” he asked.

Persephone drew her legs up to cradle him, and her hands drifted down his back. His skin was warm and slick with sweat, but so was hers.

“I have wanted to for a while,” she said. “But not for truths.”

His brows lowered. “If not truths, then why?”

“I wanted control,” she said, and her eyes lowered to his lips—anywhere but his eyes, which bore into her soul. “Even when you offer it, you eventually take it back.”

There was a long stretch of silence.

“Tell me what you want.”

She shrugged.

“Persephone,” he said. “You can tell me anything, say anything.”

She held his gaze for a moment, unsure of how to explain, but tried anyway. “I just wanted to drive you to madness. I want you desperate to touch me by the time you come but too exhausted. I want to make you feel the way you make me feel.”

“I will do whatever you ask,” he said. “But you must know you always make me feel alive.”

He kissed her again, slow and deep and savoring, and by the time he pulled away, she was hungry for him once more.

He sat back on his heels, black box in hand, and said, “Drive me to madness, darling.”