Hades Rewound (Hades Series #2)

BONUS CHAPTER: HADES

[sidenote: I know heaps of you really wanted another Hades' POV, so here it is! Here's a short window into his version of events from Chapter Twenty-Five - the chapter where he finally remembers who Evie is! :)]

Chapter Twenty-Five

H a d e s' P O V

For the first time in his entire existence, Hades had no idea what he was doing.

He had always prided himself in his ability to logically sort every situation out into a neat box in his mind; every action and reaction was carefully planned out, with all possible repercussions meticulously prepared for, leaving absolutely no room for the unknown to take him by surprise.

That was what he thought, anyway. Until he met her.

He'd known her for almost three months now, yet he still couldn't decipher what it was about her that was so entrancing that it sent his perfectly organised mind into complete chaos. And though he would never admit it, he secretly relished that feeling of utter ataxia; he had never felt anything quite like it, and it made him feel more alive than he ever has in his entire existence. It was like she had a magnetic hold on him, and the harder he fought it, the easier it was for her to draw him in.

But that right there, that was the enigma he was faced with. Because the more he fell for her, the stronger his desires to protect her became. So he tried to protect her the only way he knew; by throwing up his reliable walls of ice, and fighting his irrevocable feelings for her. But like all good intentions in the world, that decision was a double edged sword; for the harder he fought, the more he succeeded in pushing her away, he could see it in her eyes. And though that was the only way he could ensure her safety, he still couldn't help second-guessing himself; a habit that was entirely new, and completely because of Evie.

He sighs, staring into the golden glow of the flickering fire before him. At first, his reasons for pushing her away were entirely logical. She was the embodiment of everything he did not know; the reminder that he had, against all better reason, wiped his own memory. And for someone who valued logicality and order so highly, the knowledge that he had been that desperate enraged him; enough to treat her with a caustic demeanor without care for the way his behaviour would affect her. He never thought he would ever act that impetuous without thinking about the consequences, and the fact that he did act that way, and over a girl - particularly after Persephone - both bewildered and infuriated him.

But then, against his better reason, he let his defenses down, and suddenly, his reasons for pushing her away became entirely emotional. He didn't know how she did it, but she managed to break through his walls with an ease that was almost embarrassing. She was the most fascinatingly intriguing person he had ever met, and he often caught himself unintentionally attracted to her even when his better reason advised him strongly against it. Yet, she was also the most infuriatingly headstrong person he'd encountered, and her refusal to back down when she thought she was right led to them arguing over the most bizarre of things. To say he enjoyed these arguments was a vast understatement; never before had he met someone so quick on the uptake, who so easily and readily challenged him without worrying about the repercussions of their actions. She was like the most invigorating breath of fresh air, and he felt himself longing for her exhilarating company more than he would care to admit.

Yet, the more she wormed her way into his heart, the more his fury was replaced by an emotion that was exceedingly more dangerous: worry. Evie was the most blindly brave person he had ever met; she liked to think that she was audacious and could protect herself, but the reality was, she had no idea what Poseidon was capable of, or what he could do to her. That thought alone worried him more than he let on, and the more he came to care for her, the more his desire to protect her surmounted. He felt torn; like a starved man who's happened upon the cornucopia of feasts, but knows he shouldn't indulge in it because it would surely kill him.