 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "rancid”. This week we are catching up with Hades in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Another napkin laid on the cold stone floor. Hades bit back a growl as he bent down and scooped it up. It was the third one that night that ended up on the dirty ground. There were probably more in its wake along with various pieces of cutlery.
He shuffled back to the hovel that served as a kitchen to retrieve another. The strong, rancid scent of decomposing fat hit him like a brick wall. It did every time he stepped in here. What sucked was that the two thin blankets next to the stove doubled as his bed. This stinking, molding room was home now. He took a last careful step to the pantry to dispose of the napkin in his hand and pluck a new one. If he didn’t, the collar on his neck would choke him back. He was sure his father set it up like that to make him suffer. This ritual of fine dining had to be a new thing for Cronus and Rhea. The poor excuse for linens had at least an inch of dust on them when he was ordered to use them the first time. He hurried back to the table to place the napkin in its spot. He spat out a string of curses when he made it back into what served as their dining room. He was right. Three forks and a spoon not waited for him on the floor where the cloth had been. His father’s shitty little creatures knocked them off the table. He was certain Cronus trained them to. At least he had some room to move around now. For the first few days, he was never further than an arm’s length from Cronus. He slept on the floor next to the Titan’s bed like a dog. He was close enough to be slapped, punched and kicked by his father. There was more than one night he went to bed coughing up splatters of blood. If he would have been mortal he would have been dead by now. As an immortal he just suffered. Guess his Dad was still bitter over being sliced open so he and his siblings could escape then being banished to Tartarus. Cronus finally relented when Rhea issued an ultimatum to let Hades go. Not that Mom could go anywhere really. She was just as exiled as Cronus. Cronus gave him space but the beatings still came. Now Hades was no more than a tormented household slave. It was his eternal punishment. The once all-powerful, feared king of the dead was now a slave chained to his masters. Zeus would love to see him now if he had the balls to come down here. However, nothing here hurt as much as losing Persephone. He tried to forget her but she was everywhere, in the random and few things of beauty in this hell. She lived in his dreams both awake and asleep. He ached to hold her.
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 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "colorful”. This week we are catching up with Freddy in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  He split his time between the bar and the palace in the Underworld. Once things were cleaned up and the liquor put away, he ghosted to the palace. The rends in reality were a non-stop task. It seemed he only got a break to shoo away a wannabe king sent by Zeus. He barely wrapped things up before he had to head back to the club.
Freddy exhaled a shaky breath. Every thought he had was of Demeter. He ached to touch her, to taste her. He didn’t even want sex, not that he would turn it down. He just wanted to sit on the step to the front door of their house and wrap his arms tight around her. He did his best to send her a message or two everyday but it seemed hit or miss now. He didn’t always get an answer anyway. She was busy too. He knew that. He hoped she knew how much he loved her. He would love her with his last breath. He nudged the door open a little further with his elbow then redirected his steps to the coffee table next to the couch. The office was becoming a pigsty with how busy they had been. He’d have to work that in his schedule too. He caught something dark behind the desk out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to see someone standing there. It scared the shit out of him. No one was supposed to be in there. He let off a colorful slew of curse words ranging from Gaelic to English to Greek. He snarled as he adjusted his grip on the crate, his gaze focused on Ares. The god of war was dressed in a suit as he leaned on the desk staring at Freddy. Zeus got his claws in him after all. “You have some balls being here,” Freddy snapped. “It’s my office for one,” Ares retorted. “I need your help.” “Don’t give a shit. You turned your back on Hades. You turned your back on all of us. You can fuck off. I have work to do.” Freddy dropped the case of bottles on the coffee table in front of the sofa and stormed to the door. He stopped as he reached for the door knob. “He said he’d banish Juliet,” Ares near shouted, his voice breaking. Freddy turned to him. “What did you say?” Ares dropped his head and stared at the top of his desk. He might have been trying to put on a show of bravado by clenching his hands to his hips but Freddy could see him shaking. “Zeus threatened to banish Juliet to Tartarus if I didn’t help him with Hades. I thought we were going to lunch. The bastard guilts me into one every month. Instead we ended up at your house. Hades can survive that pit until we can get him out. Juliet can’t. She’d…” Ares’s voice trailed off as he bit his lower lip.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "pick”. We are actually with Ares and Juliet in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  “What are you doing here?” Ares near spat at her.
Juliet's restraints kept her from wiping away the tear that trailed down her cheek. “I would like ask you the same thing.” “I belong here. You don’t.” “So you chose power over your family.” Ares let go a chuckle. “Zeus is my father.” “He’s not your family.” “Then tell me who would be?” Juliet paused for a moment. “Annabelle and me. We’re your family.” She thought she saw something flicker in the endless cosmos that radiated in his eyes. It was too dark to tell for certain. His voice rumbled with a growl. “Get out.” It was Juliet’s time to laugh. There was a hopelessness to it. “Wish I could, baby. It’s a little impossible for me to pick the lock from here. I’m just hanging around until your Dad does away with me for good like he did with Hades.” Ares glared at her for a cold, long minute before he issued one last warning. “Get the fuck out of this house. I belong here. You don’t.” He spun on his heel and stormed off into the darkness, slamming the cell shut behind him. Juliet exhaled slowly as she stared up at the ceiling. Maybe it would stop the tears pooling in her eyes. She doubted it. She frowned and lowered her head as she felt the steel that encased her wrists grow lighter. She caught sight of them moments before they disappeared. The chains wrapped around her ankles evaporated into thin air. She rubbed her flesh as she wandered across the cell to the door. There was no way it would open. She heard it latch behind Ares but she nudged it anyway. It swung open with ease at the slightest touch. She wiped the tears off her cheeks as she gasped at it. Did Ares do this? Did he just release her so she could escape? Juliet shook her head. She wanted answers so much it hurt but she wasn’t stupid. She needed to get out of there. She raced as fast as she could down the hall without making noise. The dark shadows crowding around her messed with her bearings. She couldn’t stop though. The guards could show up at any time. Skidding to a halt, she found the open cellar door just beside the steps leading to the first floor. She didn’t see it when she was dragged down here by Zeus’s goons. Sucking in a deep breath, she rerouted her steps and ran out the door into the night. She didn’t stop until she was off the property and down the street.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s is a Picture Prompt. We are back with the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Juliet’s arms and legs ached as they were stretched across the cold cement brick wall, held there by cold, steel chains. Even though she was bound tight she was locked behind bars. She had no idea the basement of a colonial mansion could be so creepy. She used to be a vampire so that was saying something.
Her makeshift cell was at the end of a long empty corridor. The only light anywhere in that area came from cocked open doors and the occasional lamp. Despite the darkness she could see anyone who approached. The hallway was the only way in or out. Her only visitors were men dressed in black suits and ties. Zeus himself certainly wouldn’t bother with her. He hated her from the get go. Each man in the corridor wore a pair of sunglasses reminiscent of a secret agent yet they stood a few inches taller than the average man. They reminded her of the guards that worked for Hades in Las Vegas when her and Ares visited him shortly after they met. Did the big shot gods have their own security detail? She closed her eyes as tears threatened to escape. Ares. She hated him. She missed him. She wanted answers but knew she would never get them. She had been here for awhile and never saw him once. Her arrival made enough ruckus that he had to know she was here The sound of her cell swinging open caught her attention. No footsteps approached or she would have noticed them. Juliet gasped as she looked into the dark eyes of her lover. “Ares.” He stood before her alone, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a suit like the others. It wasn’t a look Juliet was used to.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "grassy”. We are with Hades and Persephone in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Every flat surface in the sunroom was stacked with books a little taller than Juliet. Most of the tomes were covered with leather older than the over three hundred years she had been on this planet. Every other pile had a modern Greek history or romance mixed in.
Hestia figured they could find clues in all sorts of literature. Juliet wasn’t near as convinced. Hestia’s fairy tale castle was a stark contrast to the Maine forest and grassy hills that surrounded it. The goddess of hearth, home and fire transplanted it there from some place in Europe. The sunroom was snaked with ivy and blooms covering the curved glass. It had been her home during the day for her, Athena, Demeter, Hestia and the two little ones for nearly a week. At night, Hestia would prepare a huge family dinner before each of them retired to their own room in the castle. Juliet set the book she held in her lap as she watched Annabelle from her nest in the papasan chair. The baby girl cooed at her cousin Marcus as she clapped her hands. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She was hands down the world’s worst mom. One moments she couldn’t look at her own baby, the next she was holding Annabelle so tight the tot could hardly breathe. Everything about the little girl reminded her of Ares - her smile, her laugh, even the way she pouted. She was easily her father’s daughter and it was tearing the nymph apart. Juliet glanced up as Hestia breezed into the sunroom, a cup of tea in one hand and a paperback book in the other. Her full length skirt whipped around anything in came in contact with from furniture to the playing babies. The cover on the book she held had a half naked man and woman clinging to each other in the throes of passion. Another romance. It was the genre Hestia preferred to research so to speak. For being a virgin goddess, her reading preferences indicated otherwise. “There’s a pot of lavender and hibiscus tea warming on the stove if anyone is interested,” Hestia announced. “How is the research going, my doves?” Demeter smirked at her. She managed to lounge sideways in a leather armchair despite her growing belly. “I’m willing to trade with you. You read this Ancient Greek crap the philosophers wrote and I’ll read the love stories.” Hestia just gave her a patient smile. “Do you really need to read these old things? Don’t you already have a hot, young stallion to toy with? Maybe you should switch up to something a little older like those scrolls the Titans wrote.” “I tried, Sis. I don’t understand them. You’re the oldest. You give it a shot. Or, then again, I could call Poseidon and maybe he can read them.” The quick objection was almost amusing. “I think us two girls can muddle up something.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "race”. We are with Hades and Persephone in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Hades gripped at the stones and dirt beneath him where he crouched. Everything around him was dark like it was the verge of twilight and shaded a sort of mauve. He let go a slow, steady breath. Sadly, he knew in was the middle of the day here.
He didn’t have to look around him to see where he was but he glanced around the barren wasteland anyway. In the distance, he could see Atlas still hoisting the sky up just like he had for thousands of years. He let his body collapse in the dust. Fuck. He was in Tartarus. He wouldn’t have much time to hide before the Titans found him. He raised his head then sprung from the ground like a sprinter from his blocks in the biggest race of his life. His stumbled his first steps but smoothed out his stride. Hades only made it a few yards before his whole body yanked backwards. He crumpled back to the ground in a heap. What little light Tartarus held was dimmed out by large figures surrounding him. They were far larger than any human. Hades sucked in a breath then cocked back his head to look at the Titan in front of him. “Hey, Dad.” “Dad?” the Titan bellowed. “What is this ‘dad’ nonsense?” The female titan next to him tugged sharp on his tunic. “Cronus, enough.” Cronus scowled at her. “Rhea, do not interfere. It’s about time one of these brats learns some manners.” Hades sat back on his heels and growled. “So it was alright to eat us?” “You threw us in this miserable hell hole,” Cronus shouted, his voice echoing through the barren wasteland. “Because you ate us,” Hades countered. “Was it that? Or did you and your worthless brothers and sisters want my power? How has it felt to be a god for the last few thousands of years?” Hades shrugged nonchalantly. He had a feeling deep in his gut he was going to regret it later. “To be honest, I drew the short straw and ended up with the underworld. No great shakes but all in all can’t complain.” He heard his mother huff about a split second before Cronus’s hand across his face sent him sprawling across the dirt again. “Always the smartass, Hades,” Cronus quipped. Hades tried to rub the sting of the Titan’s slap away. “Glad nothing has changed, D...I mean, Father.” He felt Cronus’s fingernails scrape the back of his neck. He was hauled off his feet until he was staring his father in the eye. Hades forced himself to be calm even though his heart nearly pounded out of his chest. Cronus has scared the living shit out of him since the moment he was born. By the slight smirk on Cronus’s lips, the Titan could sense that.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "chest”. We are with Hades and Persephone in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Freddy let go of Demeter and crossed the room to Juliet. His heart and souls belonged to the goddess. That would never change. But he and the nymph had history. She was his best female friend aside from Demeter and closer to him than his own sisters. It was obvious she wasn’t taking Ares’s actions well.
He reached out to brush her shoulder. “Juliet.” She stretched from her spot on the crate as she gaze met his. Her red swollen eyes flashed from sorrow to rage in a moment. She launched off the box at him, pummeling her tiny fists against his chest. “That lying, deceiving, two-faced bastard,” she near screamed at him. “Why didn’t you stop him? Why didn’t you warn me about him?” He gripped her biceps gently, allowing enough room for her to continue her assault. Fuck knows he wanted to hit something too, primarily Zeus or Ares. “One, I did. I told you he was a self-centered, conceited ass. Aren’t you glad you haven’t tied the knot with him yet? But this isn’t like Ares. Turning on us and Hades isn’t honorable and he’s all about honor. So I’m as confused as you are.” Juliet collapsed against his chest as a sob escaped her throat. Freddy hugged her to him. He glanced over at his wife as his heart twisted. Demeter had the shimmer of tears in her eyes as she gave him a small small. Of course she would be more worried about Juliet’s broken heart than the hug they were sharing. He had the coolest wife ever. He looked at Poseidon. “Where did you come up with this dump?” Poseidon motioned around him flippantly. “It belongs to Dionysus. He wants to make a pub or something out of it. But you know him. He gets distracted by the littlest drop of alcohol and is plastered most of the time.” “Where is he? Is he coming later?” The god of the sea sighed heavily. “He not. He wants to help but he knows that siding with us openly will be seen as defiance to Zeus. And most of the gods and goddesses feel that way. We should be thankful he did this. I hate to break the bad news to you but these are our numbers.” “Fantastic.” Poseidon swept his arm towards Artemis and Athena. “Have you been formally introduced?” Freddy nodded to them. “Not formally but in passing at the wedding.” Apollo approached him slowly as he cocked his head to the side. “Yes. The dark leprechaun. I thought leprechauns were much smaller?” Freddy scowled. “The god of the sun, healing, and knowledge. I thought you’d be much smarter.” “Freddy,” Demeter chided. “Boys, we don’t have time for bickering,” Poseidon warned. Apollo cocked his head as he grinned at Freddy. “No worries, Uncle. I like this one. He’s feisty.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s is a Picture Prompt. We are hopping over to the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  The three story brick building was boarded over and looked like it was in need of some desperate work. Scaffolding lined part of the sidewalk in front of it. Freddy squeezed Demeter’s hand as he let go a low whistle. It sure as hell didn’t look like a meeting place of the gods. He was certain he didn’t want to take his pregnant wife in there.
She tugged on his arm. “Looks can be deceiving.” “Doubtful.” He led her up the staircase to the weather beaten door to find a rather large, imposing, antique lock strapped to it. Demeter reached past him. “I’ll get it. I’m…” “One of the original six that defeated the Titans,” Freddy interrupted. “And I’m a demigod and your husband. I’m fully capable of unlocking the door even though I wish you would have stayed home.” “Baby, it’s going to take all the firepower we have to undo this.” “I know.” He laid his hand on the lock. It convulsed against his skin for a few moments before it popped open the door. It must have been searching for some sort of divine blood. He didn’t come by his naturally. He nudged the door open further and they ventured inside. The interior wasn’t much better, many of the rooms empty other than discarded wooden crates and a thick layer of dust. In what must have been the living room stood Poseidon, Mack, Athena, a woman with dark hair dressed in blue jeans and a biker jacket, and a tall man with blond shoulder length hair and a five o’clock shadow. From their brief interactions, he knew they were Artemis and Apollo. Juliet was curled up in a ball on one of the boxes rocking herself back and forth. He saw her body shudder with a sob.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "tax”. We are with Hades and Persephone in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Freddy snarled at Zeus as he flexed his fingers into fists. “Get the hell out of my house.”
“It’s not your house, leprechaun,” Zeus retorted. “He is Demeter’s husband. What is his is now hers and vice versa, including this house,” Hades countered. “You tax my patience, dear brother,” Zeus replied to the god of death. “What are you doing here, Dad?” Persephone questioned. “I’m here to end whatever coup your husband is planning,” Zeus answered. “I’m not planning a coup, you idiot. I think one of the call girls you’ve fucked recently gave you something and it went to your brain.” “Really? That fighting company that you’re putting together with Ares isn’t a plot to take my throne? Making this bastard and the mutt my precious daughter shacked up with demigods? It reeks of mutiny.” Hades clenched his hands to his hips as he shook his head. “It has nothing to do with your kingdom. Something is happening to our realms. I’m trying to stop our world from ripping apart at the seams.” “And you expect me to believe you?” Hades growled as he spoke. “Again, what do you want, Zeus?” Zeus’s grin was pure evil. “It occurred to me that I never gave you my blessing to marry my daughter.” “Blessing? You helped me kidnap her.” “A mistake I mean to correct. I am annulling your union with Persephone.” Persephone’s eyes widened. “No, Dad. Please.” Hades chuckled. “You can’t keep us apart, brother.” “I can.” Zeus raised a hand as he cocked a smile at his brother. “Consider yourself banished.” The king of the gods snapped his fingers. Freddy gaped as Hades disappeared into thin air. His faint cry was the only thing that remained of him. Persephone clasped her hands to her mouth. “No. Where did you send him? Bring him back.” “My child, I will find you a much better husband,” Zeus assured. Freddy’s heart lodged in his throat as he heard footsteps on the steps. Zeus already sent Hades fuck knows where. What would the psychopath do when he saw Demeter waddle downstairs pregnant? The goddess’s eyes narrowed when she saw Zeus. “What are you doing here?” She glanced around the room. “Where’s Hades?” Zeus bared his teeth as he took her in. Freddy launched off his toes and flew across the room until he was between the king and his wife. “It seems you weren’t doing your job as a mother,” Zeus accused. “So I ended their marriage and sent him away.” “Away where?” Demeter pried. “Tartarus.” Demeter gasped. Freddy turned to ensure she was alright. His wife rarely gasped unless she was beneath him in their bed. “How could you?” Demeter shook her head. “He’s your brother. You trapped him there. He can’t come back.” “Ask if I care. Now I’m taking our daughter home with me to find her a proper husband.” “Like hell you are. You will leave my daughter alone and get out of our house.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week’s word prompt is "road". We are with Hades and Persephone in the fourth book in the Gods of DC series, Death Do Us Part. Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Hades stood then picked up up the plate he had set on the end table beside him. “It’s getting late. We should get back.”
Demeter responded with a lion sized yawn. He couldn’t tell if it was real or faked. “Of course. Please let me know if you’d like me to make up a lunch for you.” “Of course.” The other three rose for hugs and good night pecks on the cheek. Hades led Persephone through the kitchen and out the back door. The fire pit and torches were still blazing as the wove their way through the patio towards the barn. He was grateful for the extra light. It had been a long time since he had been in a place so remote this late at night. Persephone squeezed his hand as they walked. “We didn’t have to go.” Hades stopped and gazed at her. “Freddy didn’t know about our problem, love. He wouldn’t have said anything if he did.” She gave him a slight smile. “I know he didn’t.” He stared at her as the night creatures around them chirped out a symphony just for them. He pulled her into his arms and parted her lips with a kiss he could feel in his soul. It was followed by another. They didn’t break apart until her body curved against his. “Maybe we should get back to the cabin?” Persephone suggested, her voice a warm purr that alone made his cock hard. “Maybe we should take a midnight stroll down by the creek like we always talked about?” “What if Mom and Freddy come out here?” “It sounds like they prefer the barn. And I noticed Dottie’s truck was gone. I’m certain we will be all alone out here.” |
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