Hearts of Greek Fire - A Hades/Meg Love Story

Chapter 12 - I Won't Say It...

I'd spent the entire day with Wonder Boy. Traipsing through the market, watching a play, talking over things that normal people talk about. The man was so strait-laced it almost made my teeth ache. It also made Hades' request to find his weakness to kill him that much harder. It's probably why I'd still yet to try even as night settled in and we made our way into the courtyard garden.

I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders with a sigh, hating myself more and more with each passing minute. A deal was a deal. Reaching the last step, I pretended to trip, knowing Mr. Hero would catch me, and so he did, giving me the googly eyes.

He was falling for me. I could see it in his eyes, his actions. It seemed like the entire universe tried to push us together, and I drove it back. The muses themselves whispered in my ear.

"Go to him."

"What are you afraid of?"

"Go to Hercules."

The problem was...they had the wrong "H."

"Careful," Herc said.

I forced my cheeks to blush. "Sorry. Weak ankles."

"Well, maybe you better sit down." He picked me up, resting me on a nearby stone bench.

I bit on my lip, going through potential dialogue in my head. "So, do you have any problems with things like this?" Raising my ankle to his face, I watched his expression dive into nerves that trumped even Panic.

If an ankle got him all jittery...

"Weak ankles, I mean?" I nudged him with my sandaled foot.

"Oh, no. Not really." He politely pushed my leg away like it'd burn him and scooted backward.

I was beginning to doubt if this guy would know what to do with a woman even if she laid naked before him, ready, willing, and waiting.

"No, weaknesses?" I slid across the bench, leaning into him, ignoring the strap of my dress that'd fallen over my shoulder. "No trick knee? Ruptured..." I pressed my hand against his chest, squeezing my breasts together, all the while wishing I was anywhere else but here for far too many reasons to count. "Discs?"

His throat bobbed as he gulped, quickly pulling up the strap of my dress.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...was this guy for real?

A flash of smoke blasted behind me. A thick arm wrapped around my waist, and in an instant, I was back in the Underworld, standing before a very miffed King.

"What are you doing? I was this close to getting the information," I yelled, flicking my wrist in the air.

Pain and Panic sneaked into the room through the cracked open door, crawling to a corner and staying out of sight.

Hades' chest heaved up and down. "If I...didn't...know...any better...I'd say you were seriously developing—" His fist shook violently at his side. "Feelings...for this guy."

Got him.

"And if I was?" I curled my lips into a villainous half-grin, crossing my arms and turning my back on him.

He appeared in front of me. "A guy like him would douse your fire, Meg."

"A guy like him? What? You mean, good, kind, decent?"

"Boring...mediocre," he added, his gaze lighting on fire.

I stepped closer, trailing my finger up the front of his robe and hooking it in the opening at the top. "Mediocre?"

"A half-god." His stare burned into me, thoughts of the power he possessed, exuded, driving me to the point of madness.

I threw my arms around his neck and planted my lips against his. At first, He tensed under my touch; arms splayed at the sides. But when I showed no signs of backing out on what I'd started, his hands slipped over my shoulder blades and lower back, pulling me closer against him.

The taste of ash and smoke coated my tongue as I poured everything into that kiss, ignoring the rough texture of his lips. He groaned into my mouth, pulling me tighter and tighter until he was bending me backward, holding me captive within his grasp.

It started as a deal made for all the wrong reasons, forced into imprisonment and slavery under the God of the Underworld's plea. I never expected to find such a kindred spirit through him. Never dreamed I'd ever fall for one of the gods or that they'd have even a sliver of interest in me—a mere mortal.

But he saw me for me. And it didn't matter to him. As his mouth claimed me with every swipe of his tongue, every nibble on my lip, he wanted me. And I loved him for it.

I love Hades.

Suddenly, the coarseness of his lips smoothed out. When he nipped at my lip, it wasn't with pointed teeth but with...human-like ones.

I peeled away, flying my eyes open with a gasp. My hands clapped over my mouth, and I stared at him wide-eyed.

"Meg?" He still sounded like him.

It was him, but...now his once gray skin was bronzed and smooth. His eyes were of a golden-hue and so human-looking. So very, very human.

I stepped up to him again, tears welling in my eyes as I reached for his hair. Gone were the blue flames, replaced with midnight cerulean wavy tendrils, falling in a cascade down to his chest.

Hades' brow furrowed, and he reached a hand to his face, his nails black and slightly pointed. His expression was a mix of confusion and terror. As his fingers touched his changed lips, his hair, his skin, he backed away, stumbling into a table behind him.

"Holy Tartarus," Pain yelped.

Panic jumped up and down. "It actually worked!"

A/N: WHAT did you all think? Did the first kiss happen like you thought it would? Surprised? Don't forget to vote and comment to spread this story further!