“How do you know I am here to ask for help?”
“Am I wrong?”
She was silent, and the god laughed.
“So tell me, Lady Persephone, what do you want that your lover will not offer freely?”
Life.
All of a sudden, Persephone felt a rush of heat through her body. She hated that she was here, hated that she had come to Apollo for help. Hated that he knew she was here because Hades could not give her what she wanted.
“I need you to heal my friend,” Persephone said. The words felt like thorns on her tongue. She knew she should not say them or ask Apollo to defy Fate...but here she was.
Apollo stared at her for a long moment, and then he threw his head back, laughing. Persephone despised the sound of it. The tone was off, full of false amusement. Except that when the god looked at her again, his eyes sparkled.
“And why would I help the journalist who slandered my name?”
Persephone’s hands shook, and she clenched her fists to keep him from noticing. After a beat of silence, she spoke.
“Because. I am willing to bargain.”
That got Apollo’s attention. He sat up in the bath and stood, completely naked.
“You’re willing to bargain with me?” he asked.
Persephone turned her head away, swallowing hard. If she were being honest, seeing Apollo naked was no different than seeing the statues in the Garden of the Gods at New Athens University, but there was something different about seeing flesh rather than stone.
“Yes, Apollo. That’s what I said.”
Water sloshed and she knew without looking that he had gotten out of the bath.
“This...friend. She must be very important to you.”
“She is everything.”
“Apparently,” Apollo said, amusement in his tone. “Especially if you are so willing to defy Hades and bargain with me.”
Persephone’s eyes snapped to Apollo. He had done nothing to cover himself.
“Will you help me or not? I did not come here for polite conversation.”
“You call this polite?” the god scoffed.
Persephone’s fists clenched tight and Apollo narrowed his eyes. She wondered if he could sense her losing control of her glamour.
“Beg,” he said. “On your knees.”
Persephone was disgusted. “Never.”
“Then I won't help you.” He started to turn when she called out, “Wait!”
Apollo paused, lifted a brow, and waited.
Persephone worked to keep her anger under control as she made her way to the floor, and when she spoke, her voice shook.
“Please.”
“No.”
Apollo started to walk away just as vines erupted from the floor with no warning, trapping him.
“Well, well, well, you are full of surprises,” the god said.
“I said please.” Her voice was venom. She would torture him and she would take immense pleasure from the act.
“You are a goddess. A goddess masquerading as a mortal!” Apollo ignored her plea, his eyes glittered with excitement. “No one knows, do they?”
That wasn’t exactly true but instead of answering, the vines that held Apollo grew thorns. A sharp splinter exploded near his face and cock, silencing him.
“I believe we were having a conversation,” she said. “That involved you saving my friend.”
Apollo narrowed his gaze, then attempted to snap the vines holding him. After a few tries, he gave up, panting. “What are these made of?”
Persephone blinked—she didn’t know. But she was surprised that Apollo hadn’t been able to break her magic. Maybe her anger and hatred for the god had something to do with their strength.
He met her gaze, eyes inquisitive. “You are a powerful little creature.”
“I am not a creature.”
“Yes, you are. You are a leech, sucking the fun out of my evening.”
“You’re the one who made this difficult.”
“I hardly thought you were capable of...” he looked down at himself, narrowly missing having his face impaled by the massive thorn.
“Defeating you?” Persephone supplied.
“Restraining me,” he corrected, and that mischievous glint entered his eyes again. “Am I correct in guessing this is one of Hades’ favorite parts?”
“I’m not here to talk about Hades.”
“Of course. Because if you were, we’d have to address the elephant in the room. He doesn’t know you are here, does he?”
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” She complained. “I don’t have to ask for permission to be here.”
Apollo’s lips curled. “Perhaps not, but I am certain he will feel utterly betrayed when he discovers you came to me for aid. After all, he offered up a favor of his own to save you from me last time.”
Persephone ignored the guilt. “That was Hades’ choice. I have also made a choice. I propose a bargain, Apollo. You heal my friend and I’ll—I’ll—”
Well, she wasn’t exactly sure what she would do.
“You’ll do whatever I want.”
She hated how interested Apollo appeared at the prospect of an open request.
“Not whatever you want,” Persephone said. “I won’t do anything that will hurt Hades.”
“Oh, but you already are, little goddess,” he paused. “Fine. I’ll bargain with you, but only because this will entertain me.”
She waited. She wanted the terms of their agreement.
“I can’t think with this thorn in my face.”
She considered telling him to deal with it but decided she should be a little accommodating. She was at his mercy when it came to this bargain.
She dismissed her magic and Apollo stretched, still naked.
“Is it too much to ask for you to get dressed?” she asked.
“Yes. Now, what do I want from you?” he considered the question as he walked to the corner of the room and retrieved a floral robe. His back was to her as he slipped it on. He did nothing to secure it, however, and it hung open, exposing his nakedness. She rolled her eyes.
“I want you to hang out with me.”
“What?” Persephone thought he was joking but the look on Apollo’s face said otherwise.
“You’ll be my...friend. We’ll party together, we’ll attend events together, you’ll come to my penthouse.”
“You want me to hang out with you?” Something didn’t seem right about this. “For how long?”
“How much is your friend’s life worth?”
Persephone wasn’t going to answer that.
“What if we hate each other?” Because she was sure she would only hate him more by the end of this.
Apollo shrugged. “You’d be surprised by what I can handle.”
She had never wanted to roll her eyes so much at one person.
“What does hanging out with you entail?” She asked.
“Someone’s taught you well,” he said.
“I won’t sleep with you. I won’t hurt people for you. I won’t use my powers for you, either.”
“Anything else?”
“If your healing fails to work, the deal is off.”
Apollo seemed to think that was particularly funny. “If my healing works? Little goddess, do you know how many healers I have fathered?”