Spring & Death

Spring & Death

Ariel Eyre · Ongoing · 58.7k Words

731
Hot
731
Views
137
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Persephone grew up with only her mother, Demeter, and the nymphs on her mother's estate. She was taught certain things about the world, but only from a jaded Demeter's viewpoint. She was taught that all the Gods, especially Hades, are the worst in the world, despite the fact that she is one of the 12 Olympians who run the world.
When Zeus calls Hades to meet at Demeter's, it is discussed as a rebellion against the Gods. A plot to perhaps release their father from Tartarus has Zues stressed and demanding that his brother makes sure their father is tightly locked away in Tartarus.
With the arrival of two other Olympians on Demeter's estate, she shuffles her daughter away. She doesn't want her to be around any of the other Gods. She wants to keep her daughter intact in her own image, as Persephone is all she has. Unfortunately for Demeter, Hades caught a glimpse of Persephone, and one glance was all it took. He wants her. With tensions between the rebels and the Gods and Demeters' temper, it does not seem a good time to be falling in love.
This is a modern take on the tale of Hades and Persephone.

Chapter 1

Gods are the only constant among the heavens. Many of our stories have been told by humans and the gods themselves, but mine seems to be a carefully fabricated lie to gain sympathy. My mother Demeter has told the world that I was stolen away by the being that the world fears, the god of the underworld, Hades. He is not what people perceive him to be. My mother’s lies about my history and what happened in the War on Humanity are completely inaccurate. So, this is a story of what happened just years ago. A true firsthand account of the war and how the god of the dead did not kidnap me but, how he saved me, in a way no one else could.

My story begins on my mother's estate. It was the only life I had ever known. My mother had kept me close to her, when she had to visit Olympus, I had nymphs to keep me company. From a young age, my mother taught me about just how horrible the world was. Humanity was far from perfect. However, we needed them. They were there to worship us and in turn we would give them what they needed to survive.

But humanity was not the only thing that was corrupted, the Gods themselves were arrogant, vengeful, and above all dangerous. The worst of them being Hades. I had been told that he was evil incarnate. He relished in death, that is why he had been named the God of the Dead and given the position of king of the underworld. According to my mother, Zues gave him the position just to make sure he didn’t spew his poison onto the other Olympians. He had his own dominion to wreak havoc on.

My mother had made me feel safe on her estate. I was far from the gods, and their heathenistic attributes. I was kept from the mortals who constantly wanted more than they should have. Mortals who had no morality, I was valued and loved. I had nymphs that were my friends, my best one not being a nymph but my mother. I loved Demeter more than any human ever would. She was my everything, and I was Her's. So, when she told me to hurry off and stay away from our home for a few hours I did it without question.

I took to the rose gardens that were just behind our house grabbing some of my art supplies. I had been determined to sketch the beautiful flowers my mother and I planted. I wanted to capture some of the enormous fountains that littered the large floral garden. The sun was shining, and I deemed it the perfect day to spend in one of my favorite places on the estate. I could have chosen one of the ponds on the property where I liked to swim with the nymphs, but I was drawn to the lush roses and how their smell stroked my being and made me feel my magic come alive. I wondered if I could somehow capture that I felt myself in those flowers.

I got lost in my small world. Focusing on lightly putting lines down on the paper. Outlying the forms of the flowers and a fountain closest to me. I knew I would spend many hours out there trying to capture the environment. But I didn’t mind, my mother had asked me to go find something to do outside of the house. I didn’t know how long I had been working when the sky began to fall very grey. Then a flash of lightning struck, and I shook at the force of it. I looked to the sky to see the dark clouds suddenly evaporating and I was left once again to sketch.

Once again something sounded drawing my attention from my art. I watched as my mother was storming out of the house. Her dark red hair was tied in a neat loose bun at the nape of her neck. She was spewing curses as she stormed from our home. Her hands fisted at her sides as she walked at a fast pace until she was out of view. My face pinched together. I didn’t often see my mother frustrated.

I wanted to know what had caused my mother so much affliction. I knew my mother could handle herself, she required no protection from me. Though I was a goddess in my own right, my mother was one of the twelve. The most powerful of the gods and she didn’t require me to fight her battles. But something in me felt drawn to investigate what had driven my mother from our home. I stood and set down my supplies and began to creep toward the house, curiosity driving me.

I snuck through one of the French doors near the back of the house. I found no one inside. That was unusual seeing as my home was always filled with nymphs running about doing one thing or another. I continued deeper inside, keeping my body close to the walls. If whatever had sent my mother into that fit was still in there, I didn’t want to face it. I just wanted to see it. I finally heard voices coming from the library. They were loud and much deeper than any I had ever heard. The wooden door was closed.

I had a deep rush of insecurity about what would happen if I just opened the door and walked inside. Whomever was in there must have been horrible to send my mother off like she had. But I wanted to know, so I opened the door slowly just a little. Just enough to see, I thought. There I saw them. One had their back to me. He was larger than anyone I had ever encountered. I assumed it had to be a man. I had only seen a few of them in my lifetime and had never spoken to any of them, so I couldn’t be sure.

I looked at the closest figure. His white curly hair draped down his large back. I looked past him wanting to get a look at the other figure in the room. As I looked, I knew he was of the male form, his arms reminded me of tree trunks. His figure was intimidating. His body was colossal, and the definition of his muscular frame was apparent as his clothes hung close to him. Not to the point of defining everything on his body but enough to tell me this was someone who could crush me if they chose. I found he too had long hair. But it fell to his shoulders rather than down his back, and it was as black as coal. I then looked at his face; he had a beard. The same color as his wavy black locks, but it was trimmed and neat.

When I got to his eyes, I noticed they were staring right back at me. Fixed on me instead of the person in front of him. A chill ran up my spine as I felt I couldn’t pull my eyes from him. His dark gaze felt like they were burrowing into the deepest part of my being. I tried to look away, but his fixation was powerful and kept me in place. Suddenly, his eyes broke contact after what felt like an eternity as he looked at the other massive figure. I saw a slight lifting of the corner of his mouth.

I was about to leave when I heard the word “Kronos.” I knew that name. He was the father of the 12. Mother had said that he had tried to kill all his children including her and wanted to rule everyone and everything. I had been scared he would come for my mother when I was little, my mother assured me it would never happen, and I had come to believe her. But here these men were openly using a name I had only heard a few times. I didn’t want to know anymore I had seen who was in my mother’s house and that was good enough for me. I quietly shut the door and crept back to the garden.

I tried to pick back up the drawing I was working on, but my mind kept wandering back to those dark eyes staring at me. I flipped to a new page in my notebook and began to try and recreate those eyes. Suddenly my heart began to pound. My skin peppered with goosebumps. I looked up to find the man from the library looming over me. It felt like I was no longer breathing. A smirk fell across the man’s marbled face and then he spoke to me in a deep voice that radiated power. “You, know curiosity is never a bad thing, but listening in on a private conversation between two gods is probably not the wisest. But then again if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known that Demeter was keeping such a rare flower all to herself.”

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Biker's Fate

The Biker's Fate

1.1m Views · Completed · Piper Davenport
"You are absolutely my fucking woman, Dani. Got me?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

602.9k Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

270k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

767k Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Badass in Disguise

Badass in Disguise

388.5k Views · Completed · Sherry
"Everyone out," I commanded through gritted teeth. "Now."
"Jade, I need to check your—" the nurse began.
"OUT!" I snarled with enough force that both women backed toward the door.
Once feared by Shadow Organization that drugged me to replicate my abilities into a more controllable version, I had escaped my restraints and detonated their entire facility, ready to die alongside my captors.
Instead, I woke up in a school infirmary with women arguing around me, their voices piercing my skull. My outburst froze them in shock—clearly they hadn't expected such a reaction. One woman threatened as she left, "We'll discuss this attitude when you get home."
The bitter truth? I've been reborn into the body of an overweight, weak, and supposedly dim-witted high school girl. Her life is filled with bullies and tormentors who've made her existence miserable.
But they have no idea who they're dealing with now.
I didn't survive as the world's deadliest assassin by allowing anyone to push me around. And I certainly won't start now.
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

443.8k Views · Ongoing · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.6m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

514.8k Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
Mr. Ryan

Mr. Ryan

262.2k Views · Completed · Mary D. Sant
"What things are not under your control tonight?" I gave my best smile, leaning against the wall.
He came closer with a dark and hungry expression,
so close,
his hands reached for my face, and he pressed his body against mine.
His mouth took mine eagerly, a little rudely.
His tongue left me breathless.
“If you don't go with me, I'll fuck you right here.” He whispered.


Katherine kept her virginity for years even after she turned 18. But one day, she met an extremely sexual man Nathan Ryan in the club. He had the most seductive blue eyes she has ever seen, a well-defined chin, almost golden blonde hair, full lips, perfectly drawn, and the most amazing smile, with perfect teeth and those damn dimples. Incredibly sexy.

She and he had a beautiful and hot one-night stand...
Katherine thought she might not meet the man again.
But fate has another plan

Katherine is about to take on the job of assistant to a billionaire who owns one of the biggest companies in the country and is known to be a conquering, authoritative and completely irresistible man. He is Nathan Ryan!

Will Kate be able to resist the charms of this attractive, powerful and seductive man?
Read to know a relationship torn between anger and the uncontrollable desire for pleasure.

Warning: R18+, Only for mature readers.
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

139.8k Views · Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Goddess Of The Underworld.

Goddess Of The Underworld.

339.6k Views · Completed · sheridan.hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her. Then finally into lycan princess, stronger, faster, the moon finally answering back, giving her exactly what she needs to protect her family.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armor, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of a border pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to stay; of cake, iron, and daylight negotiations. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Son of Red Fang

The Son of Red Fang

180.7k Views · Completed · Diana Sockriter
Alpha werewolves should be cruel and merciless with unquestionable strength and authority, at least that’s what Alpha Charles Redmen believes and he doesn’t hesitate to raise his kids to be the same way.
Alpha Cole Redmen is the youngest of six born to Alpha Charles and Luna Sara Mae, leaders of the Red Fang pack. Born prematurely, Alpha Charles rejected him without hesitation as weak and undeserving of his very life. He is reminded daily of his father’s hatred for him paving the way for the rest of his family to become the same.
By adulthood, his father’s hatred and abuse towards him has spilled over into the rest of the pack making him the scapegoat for those with the sadistic need to see him suffer. The rest are simply too afraid to even look his way leaving him little in the way of friends or family to turn to.
Alpha Demetri Black is the leader of a sanctuary pack known as Crimson Dawn. It’s been years since a wolf has made their way to his pack via the warrior’s prospect program but that doesn’t mean he’s not looking for the tell tale signs of a wolf in need of help.
Malnourished and injured upon his arrival, Cole’s anxious and overly submissive demeanor lands him in the very situation he’s desperate to avoid, in the attention of an unknown alpha.
Yet somehow through the darkness of severe illness and injury he runs into the very person he’s been desperate to find since he turned eighteen, his Luna. His one way ticket out of the hell he’s been born into.
Will Cole find the courage needed to leave his pack once and for all, to seek the love and acceptance he’s never had?

Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of mental, physical and sexual abuse that may trigger sensitive readers. This book is intended for adult readers only.