Part Sixty

“So the sex was that good huh?” I asked him. Hades sang a lyric of the song and danced to me.

“Incredible.” He confirmed.

“I LOVE YOU.” He said, causing me to giggle.

“Now showing up, for real this time. I have a special day for us.” Hades said to me, bopping my nose and leaving me under the warm water.

“Oh right, what is it?” I asked him. He chucked to himself in the mirror.

“It’s a surprise.” He said to me,

“Ugh.” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” He asked, I just giggled at his stern face.

After getting ready and being put in tight black warrior training clothes, Hades brought me to his car. This one was different, and it appeared that he would be driving.

“We’re going alone?” I asked him, checking out the luxe sports car.

“No, we’ll have eyes.” He said, and on cue Andre pulled up in one of Hades typical black cars.

“And you’ll be driving?” I asked him. Hades never drove.

“No you.” Hades said, throwing me the keys.

“Nice.” I said, taking the keys and climbing into the driver's seat.

I had never driven before, but luckily Hades and I were both immortals.

After driving slowly in the safety of the castle, I finally ventured out to the sleek black road. Hades had never looked so nervous in his life.

The second the long road in the dark forest opened I pressed hard into the gas, flooring it and having an absolute blast.

“We’d survive a crash, right?” I asked Hades, laughing maniacally at the adrenaline and freedom.

“Well we might be physically altered, WATCH OUT.” Hades said, I turned back to the road and veered back on to it, I had almost hit a tree.

“Just go straight, about half an hour.” Hades said, sinking back into his chair with his eyes covered.

“You got it!” I said, flooring the gas again with an excited scream.

Hades had brought me to a beautiful open field. There was a sweet picnic set up for us when we arrived. He popped a bottle of champagne for us and filled my cup with that and sweet ambrosia.

“This is beautiful.” I said to him as he popped a strawberry into my mouth.

“There’s more.” He said, helping me up and leading me across the field.

A small cabin came into view, along with fields of beautiful strange black horses.

I approached a small horse slowly, they were dead and it really showed, but they were still happy and playful.

“Do they feel pain?” I asked him.

“I don’t subject any animals to pain here. They are simply recreations of their healthiest selves on earth.” He said to them,

“So dead children.” I said, petting the foal.

“Children who pass away did not grow up, so they come down here and also remain at the age in which they were healthiest.” Hades said.

“That’s so interesting.” I said to him,

“Do you find it fair?” He asked me.

“I-I do, but it’s sad that children remain children forever.” I said to him,

“Their brains didn’t organically develop, I can’t give them their lives back to genetically grow. I give them the healthiest version of themselves on earth here.” Hades said to me.

“And adults in your city, that’s the age they were healthiest, it’s why everyone is mostly under the age of forty?” I asked him.

“For the most part, yes. Some humans spend their entire lives overweight and are healthiest when they are sixty, but the majority are reverted back to an age between sixteen and thirty five.” Hades explained to me.

“Fascinating.” I said to him,

“I’m glad you agree with my chosen justice. That’s only something I implemented about a thousand years ago. Before then I just let everyone be old.” Hades said.

I laughed at this for some reason.

“Are the people who are sent to Tartarus still young and healthy?” I asked him curiously.

“Well, no. The opposite in fact.” He said to me,

“They’re the most unhealthy version of themselves.” I said. Hades nodded.

“A fair punishment.” I said to him, He looked relieved.

“Let’s ride them.” He said to me, extending his hand to help me onto a horse. I smiled and rubbed the soft hair of the horse I was placed on.

“I think you’re a good ruler, Aidoneous.” I said to Hades as he climbed onto his own horse.

“I think you’d be better.” He said to me with a wink, softly kicking his horse and gliding gracefully away from me. I laughed and pushed my horse to do the same.

Hades and I explored the small surrounding area of the cabin. Ever so often we heard the whir of a watchful helicopter, or steps of a nearby soldier. I was grateful for the protection for Hades and I were truly allowed to be ourselves.

The memory of my mothers disappointment completely melted away on the beautiful tour of his world's strange land.

We bathed in a huge waterfall naked, kissing and touching one another as much as we possibly could.

By night time I began to figure out what was going on. The war was tomorrow. That’s why we came out here.

“Come sweet girl, let’s start a fire and watch the stars.” Hades said to me, extending his arm open to me so I could snuggle underneath it while we walked into the cabin together.

I stood in silence, staring at him. He knew that I knew. I let the silence hang in the air for a while.

Hades didn’t want to say it and neither did I. We wanted to be happy.

“Let’s do it.” I finally said to him, going under his arm and walking into the cabin with him.