Forever Yours

Chapter Nineteen

Ian walked towards the massive doors. Angry voices could be heard from the other side, causing him to slow his steps until he came to a stop in front of them. He didn't want to open the doors, didn't want to deal with whatever was going to happen once he did. He knew Hades was pissed at him, however Ian also knew there was nothing he could have done to prevent the mortals from coming. Makaria wouldn't have been pleased if he'd left them behind. It was just his luck that he had to deal with the issue.

Sighing, he leaned his head against the door and closed his eyes. What am I doing? He asked himself, taking a deep breath. I need to figure out what our relationship is before this goes any further. He'd been confused since their shared kissed, confused about what he was feeling and how to deal with it. He didn't have anyone to talk to about any of these feelings. He couldn't talk to Hades seeing how it was his daughter he had kissed. Persephone wouldn't be any better, neither would any of the other gods. There was no way Ian was going to have a discussion about relationships with the two mortals he'd accidentally bought back to the Underworld. That left the dearly departed aka dead souls or shades as he called them. Watching as Dia walked away, her small frame disappearing into the darkness, Ian marked that off as a hard NO. Besides he was pretty sure they wouldn't give him any good advice since it was he, himself, who had brought their souls to the Underworld.

Pushing himself away from the door, Ian stared at it. The angry voices had died down to whispers, soft words spoken for no one's ears but the two beyond the door. He didn't want to do this. Taking another deep breath, he steady his nerves and raised his hand to knock. He didn't make it far before the door opened on its own.

Persephone blinked as she took a step back, staring at him. Her gaze went to his raised hand that was still in the air. "Thanátos," she said as she nodded her head towards him. Turning, she looked behind her to give a small smile at Hades. "I'm going to go find our daughter." Hades remained silent, his back turned towards them.

"She's in her room, visiting with her friends," Ian replied quietly. His eyes shifted between the goddess and her husband. He moved off to the side, waiting for her to pass.

Persephone walked by him, stopping briefly as she softly kissed his cheek whispering, "Don't be too hard on him." Ian's eyes went to the dark god's back before he nodded his head. Persephone moved past him as she went in search of her daughter.

Ian stepped into the enormous sitting room as the doors slammed closed behind him. His eyes flickered around as he took in his surroundings. Two large black sofas sat across from each other, a wooden coffee in between. The room was light, hints of spring pastels in the throw pillows that adorned the sofas while darkness peeked out from the walls. They mixed in together, complement each other as lovers. Shelves lined the furthest wall with rolls after rolls of volumes that were meant to be seen and not read sat upon the dark wood. That hadn't stopped Persephone when she'd first arrived there all those years ago. If Ian wasn't mistaken, he believed she read every single book within the palace walls.

A large window covered one wall. Its view was of the decaying wasteland that made up the kingdom of the Underworld. The domain of Hades. Strong winds blew by, making the trees bend to its will while tumbleweeds jumped and hopped along the dirt pathways. Ian watched as a small tree was uprooted from its spot within the desert wasteland, the wind too much for the small hardwood. Disrupting the view was a large fireplace in the middle, its metal housing separating the two panes of glass. Fire roared inside with flames licking the edges of the housing while they danced within, coating the metal in black ash. The heat emitting from the blaze heated the whole room, making it feel comfy and warm as a cocoon.

Ian waited for Hades to say something. He knew that the god wasn't happy with what was going on, but also knew that Ian had no other choice. They hadn't heard from Zeus or the other gods for a few days now, and while Persephone kept trying to reassure them; Ian had a feeling something had gone down. Something was happening in Olympus.