She shook her head, sighing. “Of course they do. Though the language might be too old for even your ears.”
He laughed as she stood to retrieve the lyre Hermes had delivered. She could play well enough, but her voice… her voice wrapped about him more sweetly than any binding.
She opened her mouth, the words washing over him. She was wrong; he knew this song. He bit back his smile. He smiled too much in her presence.
He sat back, allow
ing himself the pleasure of watching her. Her eyes closed, as they always did when she sang, and her brows lifted. The higher the note, the higher her brows went. Her braid slipped from her shoulder, pushing the fabric with it. Her golden skin begged for his touch, he felt the pull of it upon his fingers…
His eyes met hers. The song was over.
He cleared his throat.
“A story?” she asked.
He lifted a brow, nodding slightly. “You owe me a story.”
He saw her hesitate, her eyes flashing at his. She shook her head then, smiling at him with unconcealed merriment. “I do. Well then, what will you hear? Would you hear of Gaia and her children? How mortal man came about?” She tilted her head as she spoke, waiting for his answer.
“Mortals hold little interest for me.”
She nodded, sitting up. “It is said that before order was found, chaos reigned. In it, all was knotted together. The elements of life, earth, sea, and sky ran seamlessly with no beginning or end. But chaos gave way to creation, for the elements’ need for order would not be denied. And from their seed the land took shape. Soil turned thick and rich, birthing all things green and clean. It rose and fell, etching valleys and jutting high above as the peaks of great mountains. The seas filled with water, overflowing into the lakes, rivers, and marshes and feeding the soil and its children. The sky, struck by such beauty, stretched as wide as it could… drawing the earth and seas into an encompassing embrace. It rained when the seas ran shallow, it shone when the earth was too wet, and it thundered when the earth’s children should be scolded.”
He listened, hearing the words with new ears. She painted their history with such a gentle brush. “What of the stars?” he asked softly.
She reached up, unbraiding her hair and running her fingers through its silken locks as she continued. “The sky could not bear to lose sight of the earth or the seas. The sky drew the stars forth, to light the skies and ease the fear of night’s darkness. Well pleased, the three wanted to share their bounty. Fish found water, birds found the sky and the beast of the field were content upon the earth.”
Hades looked at her. Her copper hair hung free, falling about her shoulders in the fading sunlight. She gazed off into the distance, lost in thought. Her shoulder, smooth and gold, caught his eye again. The moon had come and gone since he’d last touched her. And yet he could still feel her beneath his hand. He fisted his hand, tearing his gaze from her.
“Is that how you imagine it?” he asked her.
She turned to him, brows raised in consideration. He could tell her thoughts without her words, her face hid nothing. If he was uncertain, her eyes told the rest.
“Why not? It is a peaceful tale.” She smiled. “I am fond of peace.”
He nodded. “As am I. Even the mortals seem eager for it. I only hope it will hold.”
“Is there news? I know Hermes has come and gone since last I saw him. I see the boats passing by and know their purpose. How fares Greece?”
He sighed. “It is over. Persia met defeat at Salamis. The enemy flees, but they leave true destruction in their wake.”
“It is some comfort that they do go?”
He nodded.
Hermes carried news that disturbed him. The champion Ariston was soon to meet an ill fate, if Olympus did not intercede. And he knew better than to hope for such benevolence. Greece was done with the soldier, soon Olympus would be too. It was the loss of his wife, so ill used and cast aside, that concerned him most.
“What troubles you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I pity them.”
“Mortals?”
He nodded. “Their lives are not their own.”
She pulled her legs into her chair, resting her chin on her knees. “No?”
His eyes found hers. “Olympus interferes. Too many souls cross over because they’ve lost favor with the Gods.”