A Touch of Darkness

The night of the Ascension Ball, Hecate takes Persephone to a new part of the palace, where she gets ready in rooms built for the mistress of the Underworld. Hades arrives, and the two share a tender moment before they both drop their glamours and go to the party in their divine forms. While she is dancing with Hermes, he reveals that he thinks that Hades wants to marry her. When Persephone sees Hades sitting on his throne with Minthe beside him, she asks him to dance. They leave the dance and have intercourse on a balcony. Then, they watch souls ascend from the Underworld to reincarnate. Hades asks for permission to worship Persephone, which she grants.

Several weeks pass, and Persephone bonds with Hades. She realizes she is falling in love with him. He invites her on a date, promising that he will protect her from paparazzi.

Persephone receives an email with a threatening subject line; it contains intimate pictures of her and Hades on the balcony. Adonis threatens to release the pictures unless he gets his job back. She approaches Demetri about rehiring him, keeping Adonis’s threat secret and pretending she simply feels bad for him.