Sundown

Chapter 11

With so little time left before Persephone's departure, Demeter felt the hope of stopping her slowly slipping away. She was exhausted from trying to keep watch on them at all hours and unsettled by the affection her daughter showed to the God of the Dead. She began leaving the task of watching them more and more to the nymphs, who she hardly trusted to protect her daughter.

One afternoon the job was given to a nymph new to the area, a very young woman. She often openly stared at the two of them, baffled by the odd couple. Persephone skipped gracefully alongside Hades' awkward, long steps, chattering away as he listened in silence. She wore short, flowing dresses, her bronze skin glowing in the sun while his pale body was covered head to toe in the dark, heavy robes of a king. She was constantly in motion next to his stern stillness.

Most perplexing of all was how they touched. They were like heavenly bodies orbiting each other, contrasting forces of nature colliding. She would take his hand unprompted with a shining smile. He would place his hand on her lower back, guiding her forward as they walked. She would tug on his clothes to bring him closer to her when she craved his embrace. He would take her face in his hands, slow and careful as he brought his mouth to hers.

The timid nymph found herself unable to tear her eyes away as Persephone climbed into her husband's lap as if it were her throne, as though she never sat anywhere else. Hades, stiff and frightening to her eyes, let the flower goddess run her fingers through his hair like any love drunk young mortal man tasting the nectar of a woman's love for the first time. To the world he was an unyielding and merciless king, but for her he was vulnerable and tender.

This hazy late afternoon, Hades kissed his wife as if no one were watching, forgetting entirely that often Demeter sent someone to do exactly that. He held Persephone as he kissed across her shoulder, running his nose up her throat and along her jaw. The wide-eyed nymph watched as Persephone shivered, a sigh of pleasure rolling past her lips.

She flushed red and finally looked away when Persephone crawled off his lap and positioned herself between his knees, pushing away his clothing from his legs. She had never seen such intimate interactions between a man and a woman and had certainly never partaken in them herself. Flustered, she walked away, feeling more acutely than ever that she was intruding on a private moment.

Meanwhile, Helios decided it could be a cloudy, sunless sunset this day. He was already the one who had the misfortune of telling Demeter that Persephone had been taken to the Underworld. He certainly didn't want to be the one who had to tell her he had seen her precious daughter on her knees in front of her abductor.

Hades groaned as her lips encircled him, taking his length in and out her mouth. He was shocked and pleased that she decided to oblige the lascivious suggestion. He forgot entirely that they were outside in the open; as their days on Earth passed, they had become bolder with their displays of affection. She was willing, and he could only keep his hands off of her for so long.

He carefully thread his fingers into her hair, his hand trailing down the side of her cheek, running his fingertips under her chin. She shivered and took his touch as encouragement, taking him deeper into her mouth and into her throat, grasping him at the base. He was quiet, keeping his pleasure to heavy breathing and muttering under his breath, but she could tell he was close to the edge. His fingers clenched, shaky in her hair.

Persephone pulled her mouth away and released him, giving him a mischievous smile before standing and dusting off her skirts. He watched his confusion as she smoothly brushed past him and the tree he was leaning against. He scrambled to his feet and went after her, grabbing her wrist.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to go check on my roses," she answered, feigning ignorance to the situation she'd left him in. She turned to go but he tightened his grip on her wrist. She smirked. "You just wanted me to taste, right? I think I can say I've gotten more than a taste of you."

Hades took a step forward, looming over her, hunger dark in his eyes. "Maybe I'm not finished with you yet."

She stood her ground, looking up at him with challenge in her eyes. "You're in my world now, remember?"

He abruptly pulled her towards him, her back pressed against his front. He leaned into her neck.

"Is that was you think?" he asked lowly, causing her to shrug towards him, his breath tickling her skin. "That when you control my every move in my own kingdom, the realm named for me, that I'll bend to your every whim in the world above too?" Persephone smiled, aroused from this game they were playing.

"Yes."

Hades pushed the goddess of flowers against the nearby tree, placing both her hands on low branches, his lips still at her ear.

"We'll see who bends now, won't we?"

In a hurried, imprecise flurry of movement, Hades adjusted his clothes and pushed Persephone to lean forward, pulling her dress up to her waist. With no preamble whatsoever, he guided his still hard member to her entrance and thrust himself inside her.

Persephone let out a guttural, full-throated scream, stumbling forward and grasping tightly to the branches to catch herself. He held her hips steady, staying still within her to try to calm her and relishing the feeling at her warmth clenching around him.

Not far away, their new nymph companion jumped, startled out of her daydreaming. Heart racing with a building sense of dread, she followed the source of the sound. Surely that could not be Kore's scream, could it?

Meanwhile Hades kept up a merciless rhythm, chasing down the growing want she'd denied him. Each lunge pulled a short cry out of her, her toes curling tightly in the dirt as she held onto the tree branches for support. He grunted as he pushed hard into her, sweat beading on his forehead as he got closer and closer, taking his pleasure from her tight channel. He slid his hand up her back, tugging at her long, wild hair to bring her head closer to him, murmuring suggestive encouragements in her ear.

He could tell the combination of roughly driving into her and gently touching her was bringing her towards her own orgasm. Her legs trembled to hold her up, her hands wrapped so tightly around the branches they might splinter. Since he had known her intimately, he had always been careful and delicate with her. She thrilled at this new dynamic between them, his willingness to play along exciting her.

The nymph peeked over the bushes to find the source of the breathy, rhythmic noises. Upon seeing the site she stumbled back, hardly believing her eyes. The God of the Dead had Kore bent over in front of tree, panting and wincing as he took her from behind.

Persephone whined as Hades pulled most of the way out of her and held there. He brushed her hair to the side so he could speak directly into her ear.

"Was that enough of a taste for you, Persephone?" She gasped to catch her breath, throat already hoarse, struggling to respond.

"Hades please..." she whimpered, shaking in anticipation.

He leaned over her, placing his hands on top of hers, pushing back up into her, hard. She let out a piercing cry, and his hand flew up to cover her mouth to muffle the sound.

As Hades loudly grunted his completion, his wife teetering over the edge of pain and pleasure and back, the terrified nymph tore through the grass, sprinting towards Demeter.