Chapter 57 Consequences of defying destiny

Chapter 57 Consequences of defying destiny
Daphne
I step out of the dorm to find Hades waiting for me outside with a BMW. He stands near the passenger’s door, holding a bouquet of roses. My favorite. He is handsomely dressed in an expensive designer suit that suddenly made my black gown feel inadequate.
He stretches out a hand toward me as I approach him. I place my hand in his palm; he turns it backward and kisses it softly. “My, my, you look splendid. Beautiful. Gorgeous. There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe the way you look right now,” he says.
I blush, my cheeks burning up with red. “Thank you.”
He holds the car door open for me to settle in. “I intend to be a perfect gentleman tonight. A man worthy of you.”
Soft, R’n’B drifts out of the stereo. He reaches for my hand with his free hand while the other one holds the steering, weaving the car expertly through the streets. Occasionally, he’d smile at me and make small talk.
For the first time since I met him, I feel his nerves radiating. He fumbles his words; he drives nervously like he’s anxious about the date.
I am, too. I can’t stop thinking about what might happen if we get there. It could turn out to be that we are only good at sex and beyond that, there’s no real chemistry between us. I am afraid he might listen to me, find me annoying and all the affection he has for me will vanish.
I haven’t really been on a lot of date but then again, I haven’t really dated the ruler of Hell before.
When we get to the restaurant, a charming valet shows us to our private corner. The restaurant is upscale, making me feel immensely underdressed. Thankfully, the private booth has a red curtain separating each table.
The lighting is dim. The music is played live by an orchestra. Rose petals are scattered across our table. Hades pulls out a chair for me. “My lady,” he says as he pulls it out.
“Thank you, my liege,” I reply with a big smile on my face.
A middle-aged woman comes up to us with the menus. She is dressed in a pantsuit, middle-aged, with white hairs gracing her head. She has a warm face, a kind tone.
“Welcome to Rina’s. I am your host for the night. We’re gonna start you off with some wines. I’ll be back in a few minutes for your order,” she says. The wines are poured into glasses for us.
Finally, when we are alone, Hades raises his glass. “To a wonderful night,” he says.
We clink our glasses together. He takes a sip of his glass, staring at me with an expression I can’t even begin to describe. His eyes mellows when he’s in this mode.
I laugh, shyly. “What?”
Hades interlocks his fingers, placing his elbow on the table. “Nothing, just….I can’t believe we are here. I can’t believe you left Olympus. Dalia’s going to lose her mind,” he says.
“I don’t know. It just didn’t feel real. She was trying to police me. I know she’s my mother and all but I’ve come too far to allow myself to become just another prisoner. Especially for a woman who gave me away.”
Hades sighs. “Will you go back?”
I fall silent. I can sense the double meaning in his question. He’s trying to ask if I would consider returning to Hell with him.
“I don’t know. Probably. She’s my mother. We deserve to have a relationship. I just don’t know if I can do that now.”
The host returns for our orders. Hades places the orders for us. He speaks with such authority. He is relaxed here. The host listens attentively and jots down everything he orders. Then, she leaves once again and we are alone.
“I’m really sorry to throw you into this. Olympus is difficult to navigate when you are family and used to it, I can’t even imagine what it must be like for you as a newcomer. I never actually considered it until now.”
I shrug. “Oh, it’s not so bad. The parties were fun.”
“Yeah, I imagine it’s easy to party in heaven,” Hades retorts with a bitter tone.
“It’s hard being the lord of hell, isn’t it?”
He picks up his glass. “You have absolutely no idea. Sometimes, all I want is to abandon it all. You’re the only reason I’m still holding on. All these years, all these life cycles, the only time I look forward to is when I leave Hell to try and woo you.”
I lean forward, curious. “How many times have you tried now?”
Hades whirls his wine in a circle. “Oh, I don’t know. A million? It’s been ages, who’s keeping count?”
“Apparently, you, the fates, my mother, everybody. Seriously, no one thought to tell me the truth about myself. I had no idea at all. I mean apart from the weird dreams I have and all.”
Hades leans forward, too, our noses inches apart. I can smell the wine on his breath. The hairs on the back of my hair stands.
“Look around, at any given time, there are probably more divine creatures walking the earth than there are humans. We love earth. We prefer this realm to our domains. My brothers, Theo and Alex, love nothing more than to roam the earth. Our stepbrother, Michael, is a famous movie star in Hollywood. Hollywood attracts them. All the glit, glamor, cameras, is the closest earth has to the kind of worship these gods are used to,” Hades explains.
“Celebrities are basically mini-gods here so that’s understandable,” I reply.
I feel heat dampening my armpits and sweat ruining my makeup, so I push my chair aback. “Excuse me, do you mind if I use the bathroom? I’ll be right back!”
The host notices me rising and rushes over. “How may I help?”
“I need to use the restroom so could you point ---?”
“Oh, come on, I’ll show you!” she says, leading the way. We walk out of the main dining area into a short hallway, past the kitchen to the toilet. She opens the door wide for me.
“In here,” she says with a big smile. She follows me in. I head over to the mirrors to powder my face while she stands behind me. I briefly wonder why she’s standing guard for me.
“I can find my own way back,” I tell her. She remains rooted, her smile still wide on her face. There’s something unnatural about her smile, something stiff about her entire appearance.
I become extremely nervous and try to dig through my purse, ignoring her. Soon, I hear a low growl behind me. Peering through the mirror, I watch as the host transforms into a winged half-bird, half-woman creature. A harpy.
Shit.