the forbidden fruit | sweet pea

part four: the awakening

a/n: if you're reading this on thursday june 27th, you got an early post :) 

The Lord of the Underworld tilts his head, taking in the young woman in front of him. She approaches him in a swift stride, her dark hair flowing in waves over her shoulders. Gray eyes consider him as her slender neck bends to further support her exploratory gaze.

Gentle fingertips graze over his jawline, her eyes wide as full lips hang open, slightly parted to give way to soft puffs of breath. The edges of the woman's mouth twitch in the promise of a smile when she realizes the god will not shake from his stance. He's rooted in the blackened earth of the Underworld, ankles unbending and unforgiving.

The grays in her eyes are many, darkness and light swirling around one another as the blue fire of Hades glistens against them like a mirror, tainting her irises cobalt. Her dark hair hits her shoulders, small curls winding near her temples and drawing his attention from her pupils. She has deep tan skin, freckles sprinkled across her body like constellations.

The warmth of her palm hits his cheek and her thumb brushes over the corner of his full, pink lips. A gasp parts his mouth as a tingling heat washes down his entire being. The woman feels his tanned skin, full cheeks betraying his normal depiction in the ancient texts. He is not gaunt; no, quite the opposite. He is warm and soft, in both eyes and skin alike.

Sweets has gentle brown irises that skim over her face, taking her in just the same as she is taking him, drinking one another in like aged wine. The edges of her fingernails brush over his dark hair at the nape of his neck and she wonders what it would be like to thread her fingertips through it, to pull on it to hold him close.

She steps nearer to him, their chests brushing. Her breath hitches at the feel of him, and he takes note. He blinks once, slowly, and she wonders what he's thinking. Can he hear her mind?

Every nerve in his body is on high, so much so that he can feel lightning in his fingertips. For some reason, he can't find it in himself to move, and so she lays waste to his body with her eyes. Her pale irises wash over him time and time again as if committing him to memory. He lets himself wonder for a second if she is terrified or marveled at the sight of him.

It is only the untangling of Cerberus from his earthly form to his hellish three-headed self that breaks the trance set between the god and the mortal.

Lilith pulls her body away from the god of the Underworld to rush towards the beast who is astronomically larger than her. Despite the gargantuan creature's terrifying appearance, she gushes with a smile on her face, "Oh gods, is this Cerberus?"

Cerberus stays stoic as she approaches him, all six of his eyes wandering over the tiny mortal's frame as she laughs into his fur. She tumbles against the beast's chest, scratching at his underbelly while completely inept at concealing her giggles. Her eyes squeeze shut and Hades is confused as Cerberus dips his middle head down to sniff her hair before nuzzling her with his large snout.

"What in my name is going on here?" Hades bellows, turning his eyes to the Serpents. "H-How did she-she's a mortal."

Topaz flickers her tongue between her dark lips and shrugs, "You drove the chariot through the gates willingly, my lord. That's the only way she could have gotten through."

Sweet Pea blinks blearily, clearing his eyes so he can watch as she kisses Cerberus on the nose, stepping up on his paw to get a better look. He shakes his head, "No, no. She did not just stumble into the Underworld, you snake. How did you bring her here?"

"Hey," the young woman narrows her eyes at the god, stepping down from Cerberus' paw to stalk across the ashen ground. She pokes her finger into his chest, the warmth from earlier returning as soon as her skin makes contact with his tunic.