Thirteen

"After breakfast, Hekate wishes for you to see her," Hades spoke, putting a hand on my thigh and rubbing circles with his thumb. I guess that's what the letter in his hand says.

I put a hand on top of his. "Why? She saw me the other day at our wedding."

"I'm not sure, magnolia."

I nodded. "Oh, well. What time should I come back?"

"Return by lunchtime."

An hour later, I knocked on the door of Hekate's manor. Dilys' familiar face came into view. She smiled and curtsied. "Your Majesty, welcome. Hekate is waiting in her private parlor."

Oh, ew. I hate people calling me 'Your Majesty.' It sounds so... unlike me.

"Thanks, Dilys. Do you mind showing me where that is? I'm not completely sure of this place yet."

"It would be no problem, ma'am."

I cringed; there it was again—my title. Am I forty? Ma'am is so... matronly.

Dilys stepped back, allowing me inside the enchanting house. She moved through the maze of hallways and stopped at a particular door.

I walked into the room, spotting Hekate sitting on a window bench. She gazed out the enormous window. She had pushed it open, letting in the warm breeze. I learned that the snow at my wedding was a spell as the only season in the Underworld is summer. Hekate's head turned, and she beamed.

I moved into her outstretched arms. "Calantha, hello."

"Why did you ask to see me? Is there something wrong?"

"Not in the least. Tell me, has Hades taught you to teleport yet?"

I thought it over. I completely forgot I could do that! "No. It slipped my mind to ask."

"Good, I hoped to be the one to teach you."

Hekate linked arms with me, guiding me outside. Dilys accompanied us onto the lawn, a blanket in her arms. Dilys spread the blanket on the ground, and we all sat down.

"Before we start," Hekate began, "there are a few things that you need to know. One, you, being a beginner, will not go very far right off the bat. Don't try to push it because it will hurt, and the results might be dangerous. And two, teleporting takes a great deal of strength, so you'll need a way to gather it safely—otherwise, you'll drain yourself of energy."

I nodded, remember a month or so ago when I got a bloody nose and practically fainted.

"My go-to method of doing so is to meditate. Not only will it help you, but it's also very relaxing. Before we jump right in, I'll teach you how to meditate." She turned to Dilys. "Will you grab some water, please?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Hekate instructed me to get into a yoga pose called the Lotus. It's where you sit with your legs crossed and your feet on top of your thighs. And you rest your hands, palm up, on your feet.

"Okay, breathe in deeply through your nose and then out through your mouth."

We did that for a few minutes, breathing in and out. It was pretty soothing; it allowed me to let my stress go.

"Okay, are you relaxed?" Hekate asked. I nodded, still in a semi-trance. "Excellent. Now, in order to teleport, you must have a clear picture in your head of your desired place. Once you accomplish that, you will feel something trying to pull you. Allow that to happen. And, if you do everything correctly, you should have teleported."

I nodded along. Meditate, clear picture, allow it to pull me—got it.

"Let's start. I want you to choose a simple place."

"Like just inside the door?"

Hekate smiled. "Yes, perfect."

I closed my eyes, picturing the interior of her house. I imagined myself disappearing off the blanket and materializing in that spot. Tingling started in my hands and feet. It slowly started spreading up my body—up my legs and arms, up my stomach—and settling in my chest.

Just as Hekate said, an invisible force tugged on my body. Knowing that I shouldn't fight it, I welcomed the pulling. The floor underneath me changed from fleece to marble, and my eyes flew open.

It worked! I'm inside her manor!

I stood up but swayed. Dizziness washed over me, and the world around me went dark. When the world started to clear up, a figure leaned over me—Dilys. She had a worried expression.

"Your Majesty, are you all right? Should I fetch Lady Hekate?"

"No," I murmured, realizing I was on the floor. "Just help me stand up."

"Certainly."

She grabbed my arm, helping to pull me up. I swayed a little, but I didn't feel the need to faint. Dilys grabbed my elbow, steadying me. She and I walked back onto the lawn. Hekate stood.

"Are you all right, Calantha?"

"I'm okay—just a bit dizzy."

"Come sit." Hekate patted the spot next to her, and I plopped down.

"I left the water inside; I shall go fetch it."

Dilys hurried back through the door. She handed me a cup a moment later, and I sipped the cool water.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're most welcome, ma'am."

Fifteen minutes later, after I felt much better, we tried again. I teleported to the same spot a few times before moving to the second floor. After a headache set in, we called it quits. And it was approaching lunchtime.

"You must come back tomorrow, Calantha. We shall practice some more."

"I look forward to it."

By the end of the week, I had practically mastered teleporting. I could even teleport between Hades' Palace and Hekate's Manor! It was amazing.

Then Hekate switched the lesson. We now focused on shapeshifting. At first, I practiced turning into Dilys and Hekate, but the lesson grew more difficult—Hekate wanted me to try shifting into the opposite gender.

It was weird. I didn't like it in the least. It was too freaky.

Fast forward two weeks, and I mastered both teleporting, shapeshifting into any species, and shapeshifting into any gender or person. I felt on top of the world.

"Hades," I said. "How long have I been here for?"

Hades met my eyes, pulling me closer from across the bed. "It is a little bit into February, so a good five months. Why?"

"We should have a six months anniversary party—on the twentieth of March."

He grinned, kissing my forehead. "What a brilliant idea, magnolia. We should start planning after breakfast."

~~~

"Zeus, why haven't you rescued my daughter yet?" Demeter screeched. "It's been three weeks since you found her!"

"Patience, Demeter," I said, giving it my all not to strangle the banshee. "We need time to formulate a plan. We can't just run in there, all willy-nilly."

To be honest, I forgot about the girl for a bit. Whoops.

"Oh, please, how hard is it to come up with a strategy?"

"Well, it certainly takes time. But we have some good news—"

"What is it?"

"I was just getting to that. Hermes and I have successfully implanted a spy. Now we can learn a bit more about the situation."

Demeter gasped. "You have? How is my Calantha? Is she doing okay? Oh, that monster, Hades, has probably locked her up in his room, never to see sunlight!"

"I'm not sure. Our first intel mission is coming up tomorrow."

"How much more time are you going to take?"

"Demeter, you don't rush things like that. We need more info in order to return your daughter."

"But—"

"Demeter, I think it's best if you leave. You need rest—you don't want to stress yourself out too much."

"Yes, yes..."

I signaled for a servant. He stepped forward and guided her by the elbow out of the room. All the way, she rambled about an article she read on a new plant to help someone fall asleep.

~~~

"My lord," I said, curtsying.

"Hello, my dear," he responded, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles.

"How do you do, Lord Hermes?"

"I am wonderful—now that you are here."

I blushed beet-red as he moved closer. He released my hand, sliding his hand down to rest on my waist. I giggled as the goosebumps popped up and down on my arms.

"Do you have any information for me, my dear?"

"I do, Hermes."

When I stopped speaking, his eyebrows rose. "Are you going to tell me, my lily?"

I shook my head, feeling mischievous. "No, Hermes, you have to work for it."

A smile spread across his face. "You little monkey. Come here."

I giggled again, ducking out of his grip. I darted for the door, but he caught me with ease. He swung me around as I laughed. He silenced my laugh with a kiss. "Shh," he murmured. "We don't want them to find us."

Hermes pushed me against the wall, his fingertips digging into my thigh and waist. He trailed hot, open-mouth kisses down my neck and collarbone. Heat pulsed between us, accompanying our labored breathing.

As his hands slid under my ass, he lifted me. The soft mattress pressed into my back, and I knew he brought me over to the bed. I moaned into the kiss as he settled between my legs.

"Now, will you tell me about your findings?" Hermes asked, a half an hour later.

I rested my head on his bare chest with a smile. "Yes. You've earned it. Calantha is learning how to use her godly powers; Lady Hekate is teaching her. I believe that she's learned how to teleport, and they're working on how to change forms."

"Excellent, my lily. Anything else? Any rumors among the servants?"

"Well, there is a rumor that Calantha is pregnant, but I know for a fact that it's just speculation."

"Well, that won't do. Can you think of anything else?"

I stopped for a moment, pondering all that's happened since the wedding. "Not much has happened, Hermes."

He reached up and traced my shoulder blade. "That's okay, my lily. What about their attitude, their dynamic? Violent?"

"I'm afraid not. Calantha doesn't have bruises or such. In fact, Hades and Calantha seem rather infatuated with each other—barely parting ways for more than a few hours."

Hermes sighed. Oh, no. It's not what he wanted to hear.

"I will try harder next time," I said, lowering my eyes. Shame flooded through me.

"No, no, it's not you, my lily. It's just I need solid evidence that Hades is harming Calantha."

I met his eyes once more. "Well... you could just lie."

"I suppose..." Hermes reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "What the Olympians don't know—won't kill them, right?"

I kissed his cheek. "Of course. But when Calantha leaves, I'll still have a spot next to you, correct? I will be out of a job then."

"Most certainly, my lily. I can't just let those thighs leave my life."

~~~

"You sure took your time, son," I said as Hermes strolled into my office.

Hermes grinned. "Oh, yeah. That maid is a damn good fuck. She can go for much longer than these nymphs."

I like the sound of that. "Oh, really? Will you let me have a few rounds with her?"

"I don't know, father. She's a valuable lay."

"Oh, come on, Hermes. Be a good sport. I'll let you have a go with my personal nymph."

Hermes paused. "For a whole night?"

"Of course."

"Deal; when this is all over, you can have a night with the maid."

"Wonderful. Now, to business. What has our maid informant told you?"

"Calantha is learning to use her godly powers. It seems that titan witch, Hekate, is teaching her how to teleport and shapeshift."

I scratched my beard. "Hmm. Is he hitting her?"

"Not according to the maid. Apparently, they seem to rather enjoy each other."

I frowned. "Well, no one wants to hear about me breaking up a good marriage. What do we do?"

"The maid suggested that we lie. What the Council doesn't know—won't hurt them."

"This maid is pretty clever; I shall do that. If you get bored with the girl, send her to me. She seems rather useful."