Chapter 12: Be The One

                                    

                                          
Faint light slivered through the curtains, the breeze slightly chilled as it always was. Katherine shivered and snuggled into something warm, a small smile on her face. Her arm and leg was wrapped around something hard yet soft. It didn't register that she was wrapped around the God of the Dead. 
                          
Hades was still wide awake, his mind buzzing from the events of yesterday. How was he supposed to tell Katherine that she had to testify in front of his family about what happened? She was petrified of telling anyone; even her own sister. 
                          
He was still angry at himself. He should've protected her from his nephew. A small part of him hoped that Apollo wouldn't come, or it he did, not take an interest in the human. But no... Apollo did much worse to her. 
                          
Seeing her cry before she passed out from exhaustion made him stir in every emotion. Sadness, anger, revenge, pity...and scared. 
                          
The fearful Hades, God of the Dead, was scared. 
                          
He was scared because she would revert back to her shell. 
                          
He was scared that she would see him and all the other Olympians as monsters. 
                          
He was scared of losing her. 
                          
Hades was scared of losing Katherine. 
                          
That was what both frightened and confused him the most. Katherine was a mere human with a troubled past of living in the shadows of her own mind and her sister.
                          
Hades knew all too well on what that was like.
                          
Despite being one of the older and original gods, he had always felt shadowed by his brothers. No mortal liked a god in charge of the dead. Except...maybe Katherine.
                          
He felt Katherine stir beside him, bringing herself closer to him, her arm and leg wrapped around him. The god's face flushed red, something abnormal to him, as she snuggled into his side, a small smile on her face.
                          
Hades took the moment to see her.
                          
She looks so peaceful, he thought to himself. Even with the dried tear streaks on her cheeks, she looked beautiful. Her long black hair looked soft and thick enough to run his fingers through, her pale skin seeming to glow in the morning light. The long night shirt went to down mid-thigh, which gave him a view of her legs.
                          
Hades saw a few of the painful red bite marks from Apollo against her pale skin, sticking out like a sore thumb. They were scattered all over, most of them in her inner thight close to her core. 
                          
It took all of his restrant to not want to do something to Apollo. Athena said that he could not do anything to Apollo until she has looked through the photos, met with the Counsel, and arranged the court. Hades knew better than to mess with a goddess of war and justice. Even though he had much more power than her, he would never win against her.
                          
He moved the covers to cover up her legs, and carefully got out of the bed. Katherine stirred, causing Hades to stop. He didn't even breathe, afraid that even a breath would wake her. When she didn't wake, he realised his breath and got out of the bed.
                          
He instantly missed the warmth of her body against his. He resisted the urge to get back under the covers with her.
                          
Before he left, he placed a gentle kiss on the human's forehead, his lips lingering on her skin more than normal.
                          
When he left, he missed the huge smile on Katherine's face.
                          
***
                          
All day, Hades had some of the maids check in on Katherine. He could've used Namie, but the older sister didn't know about the rape. That was something Katherine would tell on her own time.
                          
The maids reported back that Katherine seemed well considering. She was eating some. But all throughout the day, she had this small twinkle in her eyes, one so small, one might not notice it. But if you looked really close, you could see it.
                          
Hades wondered if Katherine knew that he stayed with her throughout the night, felt the hesitation when he got out of the bed, and the lingering kiss on her forehead.
                          
The god knew she was no way near ready for anything intimate, so he knew he had to put all of his growing feelings for the girl on the back burner until she said so.
                          
He needed to get a handle on his emotions. He hadn't felt anything since Persephone's passing. Even though she was a goddess, she chose death with a mortal than to be with Hades. It had taken a toll on the god, making his heart stop cold in mid beating.
                          
At first, he ran everything smoothily with the help on Charos and Hermes with the sortment of the dead. But soon, more and more people began dying. Everything was getting out of control. The stress had caused the god to stop rational thinking and decided on whatever afterlife he chose for the soul.
                          
No soul had a fair trial, souls were confused as religions became more complex as more of them appeared. 
                          
Without Persephone, he couldn't do the one thing right.
                          
The three brothers needed queens to help keep their rein in check. Zeus has Hera; Poseidon has Amphitrite; Hades...had Persephone. 
                          
Seeing Katherine on Persephone's throne during the ball made Hades think that maybe, Katherine was the one that his brother's hoped for. Despite her inner darkness, she was kind to the servents and nymphs; every time she came into the throne room, the souls looked at her in admiration; and already, his nephews and nieces were placing bets on when their uncle would do something...not if.
                          
The thought of Katherine sitting on the throne next to his made his heart skip a beat. She looked like she was born to sit on it. It was like she was born to lead.
                          
Hades knew that he didn't have much time left before his existence disappeared. Hopefully Katherine would be the one that would put him back together.