Hades

delectable

Stella

Lucinda wasn't in the kitchen. I ate more cake, and Hades had an actual meal. We talked about his work, and I told him how I'd found the closet.

Then we went back to his room and shut the door.

"You fell asleep," he said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not feeling any fatigue. I was just, you know, it hit hard you had put my letter up there," I muttered and pulled off my boots.

Hades pulled me into his arms. "Stella, don't sweat it. It's just the only place I know, where I won't forget where I've kept it."

"Why did you tell me I couldn't go to the attic?" I asked and put my arms around his neck.

He smiled, it lit up his features. "Because I can't remember how many letters of different sorts are hidden up there."

"Fine," I said. "Bath?"

"I can't concentrate if we're naked in a bath, together."

"Am I that delectable?"

"That's a weird choice of word, but yes." His brows were pulled together.

I lifted my hand and touched his brow, making him quit frowning. "Bath. Just, let's try and not touch each other until we're out of the bath."

Hades laughed and hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me to his bathroom. "I can try, I can't make any promises."

I snorted.

He put me down in the bathroom, and we helped each other out of our clothes. I was in my black underwear when he, too, was only in black boxers.

"Why is everything down here kept in such dark colors?" I asked and traced the elastic band of his boxer shorts.

"Don't know. You can buy other colors in town, I just prefer it a bit darker, I guess. After being in Olympus I just like to have a bit more, I don't know, not so vivid colors."

I raised an eyebrow. "You hate that place?" I guessed.

He laughed and opened my bra. "Nah, I just prefer my home to Olympus."

I nodded and let him drop my bra to the floor.

We stepped out of our remaining underwear and got into the water. Unlike the previous day, we didn't touch each other, we just sat close together, his arms around me.

It felt safe, somehow. Unlike anything I'd experienced before.