Hades was still in love with the former Queen of the Underworld, and it might never change.
Might being the operative word, Hermes thought. After all, Hades had never said anything to affirm or deny it, and since the Prince of Darkness had just about the world’s best poker face, there was no way to know if it was a lie—-
Or could they?
He looked at Apollo. “Does he still love her?”
The other god slowly nodded.
“CONGRATULATIONS, MILORD. Your party is once again a success.” Hypnos, the wickedly playful god of sleep with his telltale drooping eyes, spoke with a yawn.
Hades rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to act with me, Hypnos.” Hidden from the mortal world was the fact that Hypnos, despite his ability to send others to sleep, was actually immune to the attraction of sleep himself. He only pretended to and never hesitated to exploit this little-known advantage to eavesdrop on mortals and immortals alike.
Hypnos yawned again. “I do not understand you at all, milord.” But his gray, slumberous gaze held a wicked gleam that belied his words.
“Of course you don’t.”
Hypnos leaned against the wall, his casual stance deceptive for his senses were always on the alert for any kind of threat. “Shall we leave, sir?”
“Are you not enjoying the party?”
“I am,” he said easily, and it was true. In fact, it was precisely that reason why he had also been chosen to act as the king’s bodyguard. His other brothers, most especially Agon, the god of agony, despised all sorts of gatherings and more so when they took place outside the Underworld.
“On the other hand, milord—-” Hypnos glanced at his king with hooded lids. “You are not.”
A moment passed before his king said finally, “I should have brought the god of grief with me. At least I could count on him being silent all time.”
“And boring,” Hypnos countered. “You must not forget the strong and silent types like my older brother are also the boring types.” He paused. “They also have shorter tempers, and they would have turned your celebration into a complete disaster.”
“You have a point,” Hades acknowledged with a grimace.
“I serve to please,” Hypnos said, straightening off the wall to bow at his king.
“Stop that,” Hades growled irritably. “It makes you seem more like a damn fop than a warrior.”
“But my king...” Hypnos’ gaze was of sham innocence. “I am only taking my cue from your continued insistence to pretend as well.” Hade’s murderous gaze sliced into him, but Hypnos pretended ignorance. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he also knew, like all the other subjects of the Underworld, the way things were for the past two millennia could not continue.
Since the former queen had left, the king had changed into someone almost completely unrecognizable.
Once, the king had been a too-serious man, and it had been a common pastime for the kingdom’s children to see who could win a smile from their ruler.
When the queen came to his life, he had started to smile more. Talk more. Love more.
When the queen left, everyone had thought the king would change, and everyone had been prepared to aid him.
But instead the opposite had come true.
The king had continued to smile. The king had even continued to throw the most magnificent parties on his birthday. And for a while, they had been fooled, thinking that the king had not been as hurt as they had feared.
Until that day.
Remembering made Hypnos clench his fists with an impotent need to fight for his king. It was not right, he thought. It was not right at all that his king would suffer so while that woman—-
“I can feel you radiating anger,” Hades warned quietly, “and that is not good.” After all, the demons that carried out dreams and nightmares answered to the god of sleep. More of this vibration, and even the immortals around them would have trouble sleeping.
Hypnos sought control over himself. “I apologize, milord.”
“It is not of consequence, but be sure not to let it happen again.”
“Yes, milord.”
Hades shook his head. “Shake off that seriousness from your shoulders, Hypnos. You are the youngest of my Underworld’s guards, supposedly the only one who knows how to have fun.”
He gestured to the ongoing festivities behind them. With Dionysus’ powerful and vaunted wines flowing in their bloods, most of the immortals were now celebrating with passionate abandon. Restraint was all but forgotten, more so with the nymphs and fauns dancing and seducing about them and a siren was humming, the music just enough to overwhelm the senses and allow their most basic instincts to rise.
“Go and have fun, Hypnos.”
The command in the king’s tone could not be ignored, and the younger god bowed. “Yes, my king.”
Hades watched the warrior god join the crowd. Nymphs flocked around him immediately. It was a rare instance for someone belonging to the Underworld to make an appearance outside it, and bedding someone from the Underworld would add a much-envied feather to one’s cap.