Hades (Contemporary Mythos Book 1)

Everyone participating in volleyball gathered around the biggest pool in the center of the resort. A man in a polo shirt, shoes, and socks pulled up to his knees stood near the bar, fanning himself with a clipboard. Sara and I stood in the shade, sipping on hurricane drinks while waiting for them to get the show on the road. Keith and Guy walked over to the man with the clipboard, turning to point at us.

“Glad I wore my one piece,” I mumbled to myself.

Sara blew bubbles in her drink. “I’ll get you in that bikini again.”

“At least I can rest assured I’ll have no nip slips.” I plucked one of the straps.

She smiled, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t know. You might have a change of heart with a certain you know who around.”

“He makes me curious. Doesn’t mean I want him to see me in a bikini.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I was talking about Keith. Are you talking about—”

“Nope. You’re right. Was talking about Keith.”

“Hades? You said he was odd.”

“He—intrigues me.”

“Like a shiny new jigsaw puzzle?”

I furrowed my brow at her spot-on analogy. “Something like that.”

Keith slapped his hands together. “You ladies ready to win this thing? It’s us four and a group from Michigan.”

Sara scrunched her nose. “Michigan? Please tell me one of them isn’t sporting Green Bay gear.”

“Is one of them that guy?” I pointed at a man in a Green Bay trucker hat wearing a tank top and floral red board shorts.

“That’d be the one,” Guy said.

I playfully pinched Sara on the arm. “Play nice.”

“I will, I will. We’re on vacation. I can see past it this one time.” Sara pretended to gag.

Sara and her dad had been devout Chicago sports fans since she was a kid. Her hatred for their rival, Green Bay, covered anything related to Michigan.

Sara cupped a hand over her mouth and yelled, “Bear down.”

Two of the Michiganites snapped their heads in our direction, glaring.

I gave Sara a playful shove and laughed. “How is that playing nice?”

“You know I can’t help myself.”

“Alright, everyone! We’re going to start. If everyone could get into the pool, we’ll explain the rules,” the man with the clipboard announced.

The resort kept every pool at the perfect temperature. Not too cold, but still cool enough to be refreshing, given the sweltering heat. A dance-y, head bobbing worthy song started to play over the loudspeaker, and I swayed my arms through the water in time.

They explained the rules of pool volleyball, but I was only half-listening, spotting Hades walking to his usual spot at the bar. He still wore the same funeral-like all-black attire, only this time, he had a tank top on, revealing his tattoo in its entirety. His arms were toned and muscular, but from this distance, the tattoo looked like a black smudge.

I pressed my forearms against the edge of the pool. “Hades!” Shouting the name of a Greek god across a resort in Greece didn’t seem strange until several pairs of bewildered eyes landed on me.

“Stephanie, we’re about to start,” Keith said, his voice gruff.

I waved him off. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

Hades ran a hand through his semi-long locks and held a finger up at the bartender. He strolled over, slipping his hands into his pockets. He glowered down at me. “Yes?”

I kicked my legs behind me, splashing water like I’d done when I was little. “Why don’t you join the game?”

“Is this your way of gettin’ my shirt off?” Still no smile.

“No! I mean—you can leave all of your clothes on if you wanted to. Not to say you’d look bad or I wouldn’t—,” I cut myself off, blowing out a breath, and sunk in the water until my chin rested on the edge of the pool.

He shook his head, making his hair fall over his eyes. “Water’s not really my thing. I hate it. It’s more my brother’s deal.”

“How can water not be your thing? More than half of the human body is comprised of water.”

He bent forward. “I’m not human.” His eyes darkened.

He was close enough to make out his tattoo. A three-headed canine creature with swirling smoke, fog, and symbols I didn’t recognize.

I stared up at him. “Most days, I don’t feel like it either, but I still have to drink water.”

He stood straight, jutting his head at the game. “I’m gonna have a drink. A real drink. You have fun beatin’ a ball back and forth over a net.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing!”

He tipped his head over his shoulder. “I’ll try not to weep over it.”

This guy was about as hard to crack as a walnut. I pushed away from the wall, swimming over to Sara, my gaze glued on Hades. The volleyball collided into the side of my face, followed by Keith bashing into me. I was completely submerged underwater for several seconds before pushing to the surface, sputtering and fumbling for my sunglasses, which had gotten knocked off.

Keith gripped my shoulder. “Holy hell! Sorry. I didn’t see you. You alright?”

“I don’t know. How red is my face?” I laughed. My hair was in a disarray of dark tendrils over my arms and eyes.

He snickered, moving my hair away with his fingertips. “Only slightly. Red is a good color on you, though.”

I tensed and looked over at Hades as if he heard Keith—or cared.

My sunglasses couldn’t get back on my face quick enough, and I gave his bicep an awkward pat. Usually, I’d take the time to appreciate a shirtless man in front of me, but for some reason, Keith’s nipples saluting right near my face made me uneasy. A voice, like a fainted whisper, passed over my ear. Hades stared at me from his seat at the bar, sipping from his glass. I turned my attention back to the game before I got another ball to the face, making both cheeks match.

Between Keith and Guy, they had the game under control. One would set it up, and the other would spike. Rinse and repeat. It shouldn’t have surprised me they’d try to steal the show. Not that I was complaining, considering I was about as coordinated as a toddler.

“Stephanie heads up! I’m going to set it for you,” Keith said.

I shook my head so frantically my bangs fell over my sunglasses.

“It’ll be fine. Just jump up and hit it as hard as you can,” Guy added.

The ball flew over the net, Keith pushed it with both of his hands, and I shimmied forward, smacking it with my hand. I’d swatted mosquitos with more force. The ball hit the net on our side.

Keith’s jaw tightened. “No big deal. It’s only one point.”

“Why did you sign us up for this again?” I tossed a glare at Sara.

She brought her drink into the water, holding it with one hand. “Figured it’d be fun. Didn’t think we’d end up with two jocks on our team who can’t stand losing.”

The other side launched the ball, but not over the net. It zoomed off to the side, out of the pool, and rolled toward Hades’ feet. He paused, drinking from his tumbler long enough to give it a sneer.

“Hey, man! You mind giving the ball a toss?” Keith yelled.

Hades didn’t budge. He didn’t even look in our direction, turning his body further away. Keith groaned and lifted himself out of the pool.

“The view is certainly worth it, I’d say,” Sara said, smiling with her straw between her teeth.

Keith’s wet feet slapped against the concrete, dripping a water trail, board shorts clinging to his—legs. “Thanks for helping out,” he said to Hades, scooping the ball up.

Hades tipped an imaginary hat on his head. “You look like you handled it fine, kid.”

“You weren’t joking. That man is one big bundle of doom and gloom,” Sara said, momentarily resting her chin on my shoulder.

“He has a good reason. His wife left him.”

“While it does suck, excuses for behavior are distractions from facing reality. Remember what I told you my training officer always said?” She beamed at me with those pretty brown eyes.

“Results. Not excuses.” I sighed, watching Hades continue to ignore everyone around him.

“He needs to suck it up. We only have one life to live. Move along, cowboy.” She gave me a side hug before backing away.

Hades set his empty glass down and slid from his stool like he was leaving.

“You guys keep playing without me,” I said to no one in particular, making my way to the pool stairs.

“Then we don’t have a full team!” Guy said.

“You two are the team,” Sara countered.

Hades started to walk away, and I ran to catch up with him. He was within arm’s reach when my feet slid from underneath me. There was a reason resorts put “No Running” signs up everywhere around pools. I winced, waiting for the impact of concrete, but a pair of strong arms caught me.

“You’re extremely clumsy,” he said.

I let my eyes roam over his arms flexing as he held onto me, supporting my weight. He wore a tank top, but it didn’t stop my mind from imagining what he looked like underneath it. Did he have the ‘V’? Those carved tapering abdominal muscles that led down. My gaze dropped to his cloth-covered stomach.

I stood, attempting to wipe the water beads from his arms. “So kind of you to notice.”

He cocked an eyebrow, watching me squeegee his biceps. Considering my hands were also wet, it wasn’t doing much good. Once I stopped, he wiped his arms on the side of his shirt.

“Are you going to the masquerade ball in a of couple nights?” I interlaced my fingers behind my back.

“Masquerade?”

“Yeah. Everyone wears masks, dresses to the nines—”

He smirked. “I know what a masquerade is, darlin’. I’m just surprised they’d have one. It seems old-fashioned.”

“I figured it’d be right up your alley. You can hide your face from everyone. Pretend you’re something you’re not. You could even spend the whole night brooding and sulking in a corner.”

He ran a hand through his hair, briefly exposing his entire face. “I’ll…consider it.”

“I figured you’d say th—wait, really?” I’d expected him to say no given the obvious party pooper he was.

“I said I’d consider it. But it could be refreshin’ to pretend I’m not the divider of souls for a change.” He squinted at me, canting his head like he was gauging my reaction.

“Are you a therapist or something?

He narrowed his eyes.

When he didn’t answer, I poked a finger against the elaborate artwork of his tattoo. His scent filled the air. Why did he always smell like he’d come from a bonfire?

“What’s your tattoo?”

His eyes narrowed further. “Cerberus.” He grabbed my finger, which hadn’t left his arm.

“Right.” I gulped, feeling the calluses on his palm brushing against my skin.

He tightened his grip. “I’m not sure whether to take your persistence as flattering or irritating.”

“If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that one.” A nervous chuckle escaped my belly, transfixed on his hand holding my finger prisoner.

“I think you’re being summoned, sweetheart.” His eyes lifted.

Sara waved her arms back and forth from the pool. After holding up a single finger to her, I looked back at Hades, but he was gone. How in the world did he keep doing that?

When I reached the water, Sara smiled up at me, her eyes drooping. “I didn’t want you to miss the race. Look!”

They’d lined up several lounge pool floats. Keith, Guy, the Michigan man and Rupert, the Englishman we’d met earlier, stood at the edge outside of the water.

“What are they doing? And are you—drunk?” I sat down, dangling my feet in the water.

“They’re going to race across the floats. Whoever gets the farthest, wins. It’s Canada vs. America vs. England. Fun, huh? Oh, and I could possibly, very well be on my way to drunk-y-ness.”

I laughed. “How much did you drink while I was gone?”

She held up two fingers. “Three shots.”

The men sprinted across the floats. Most of them fell in after hitting the second one, but Keith managed to make it all the way across, diving into the water after the last one.

“Is there anything athletic Keith isn’t good at?” I asked.

“I’m starting to think not. It explains a lot about his big—” She pointed downward, but then moved it to her face. “Head.” She giggled and burped at the same time.

“Come on, you. I need you sober so we can go shopping tomorrow.” I coaxed her toward the stairs.

She gasped. “You’re going to let me take you shopping for dresses? I might cry.”

“As sad as it is, I don’t trust my judgment. I haven’t worn a gown since senior prom.” I helped her up the stairs, despite her unwillingness to set her drink down.

She whined, slumping over my shoulder. “Can you carry me to our room?”

“We’d get about two feet, if that, Sara. Come on.”

“Need some help there?”

A part of me wished it’d been Hades who asked, but I knew the voice didn’t belong to him. Keith stood there, giving his blonde hair a toss, the sun sparkling off the water beads littering his tanned skin.

“Actually, yes. Would you mind?” My feet were slipping, trying to hold her up.

He laughed and slipped one arm around her waist, securing the other under her legs. It was an awkward, silent walk to our room.

“Which room?” He asked.

I contemplated ways around him knowing our room number, but came up empty. “This one right here.”

I swiped the card through the reader. Would it have been impolite asking him to drop her on the floor so I could drag her in? That way, he wouldn’t physically be in our room? Nah. Sara wouldn’t be happy with rug burn on her back.

“If you can put her on the bed over there. I really appreciate it.” I tapped the card between two of my fingers, impatiently waiting, and side shuffling to the phone on the nightstand.

After setting her down, he walked past me, rubbing the back of his neck with a snarky grin.

“Thank you! Have a good day!” I nudged him toward the door.

He chuckled, stumbling forward. “Alright, alright. What are you two up to tomorrow, though?”

“We’ll be off property.” Thank God.

“You going to be back in time for trivia night? I hear it gets pretty crazy.”

Did they stalk our names on the sign-up list or something? “Wouldn’t miss it! See ya then! Bye!” I nudged him the rest of the way into the hall and slammed the door shut.