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 😍

Twin Prince Alphas Student Mate

Twin Prince Alphas Student Mate

4.7k Views · Completed · H.A Shah
Caught in a web of forbidden love, conflicting loyalties, and hidden truths, Lyla finds herself at the epicenter of a love story as complicated as it is intense. "Fate's Chosen Mate: Bloodmoon Chronicles" delves into the tumultuous life of Lyla, a young student at a prestigious academy for supernaturals. Lyla isn't just any student; she's linked by destiny to Cameron and Samuel, her warrior trainers who are also the enigmatic alpha princes of the werewolf race.
As her 18th birthday approaches, her brothers warn her about the powerful pull she might feel toward dominant wolves. But it's not just any wolves they need to worry about—it's her teachers. Cameron and Samuel are more than just older, wiser, and off-limits; they might just be her fated mates.
While navigating complex relationships, academic pressures, and the normal trials of young adult life, an unexpected threat jeopardizes the academy. Explosions rock their world, forcing Lyla and her love interests into a chaotic swirl of heroism, heartbreak, and hard choices.
Will Lyla follow her heart and let destiny lead the way, or will the very rules that bind their world tear them apart? Amidst turmoil and taboo, Lyla must make choices that could forever change the course of her life and the lives of those she holds dear.
Discover a story where love isn't just complicated—it's forbidden, ageless, and defies all rules. In a world of supernatural beings and extraordinary stakes, will Lyla's love life be another casualty, or her saving grace?
Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Sherryann Martinez
R18 MATURE CONTENT

Beautiful Aubrianne Ivanov, raised by her single mom, had a tough childhood. With low self-esteem, she became an outcast and was alone one too many times for her liking. Time spent at her part time job, she eventually grew into a brave, confident, and determined young woman who walked right into an opportunity that would change her life forever.

Will Aubrianne truly feel whole? Will she find what has been missing in her life? Will she allow herself happiness and joy? Will she find love, and most importantly, will she survive what's to come?

Join Aubrianne on her journey as she discovers who/what she is and navigates all the heartbreak, betrayal, drama, and exciting and thrilling events that come her way...

Excerpt:

She lay before him in all her magnificent beauty draped across his king-size bed in the most compelling and provocative way known to man or beast. And for Alpha Zayne, it was the most captivating view he had ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.

She stared at his every movement, lips slightly parted, her stunning brown eyes scanning every inch of his gorgeously toned and glorious body while heat radiated off of hers. He was HERS.

Her body trembled in delight and anticipation; she was ready and wanted to be with him in every way.

As innocent as she was, she wanted him to...no need him to take her in the worse ways, bringing her to heights of pleasures she had never experienced before.

Fuck she is beautiful, one fine specimen, and she is all MINE, MY MATE. A wave of pure unbridled possessiveness vibrated through Alpha Zayne. He thanked the Divine Moon Goddess, for she has truly blessed him.

He drank her in, eyes trailing up her toned sexy legs spread wide for him, and she gave him that come-and-get-it look.
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

950k Views · Completed · 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!
After One Night with the Alpha

After One Night with the Alpha

542.2k Views · Completed · Sansa
One Night. One Mistake. One Lifetime of Consequences.

I thought I was waiting for love. Instead, I got fucked by a beast.

My world was supposed to bloom at the Moonshade Bay Full Moon Festival—champagne buzzing in my veins, a hotel room booked for Jason and me to finally cross that line after two years. I’d slipped into lacy lingerie, left the door unlocked, and lay on the bed, heart pounding with nervous excitement.

But the man who climbed into my bed wasn’t Jason.

In the pitch-black room, drowned in a heady, spicy scent that made my head spin, I felt hands—urgent, scorching—searing my skin. His thick, pulsing cock pressed against my dripping cunt, and before I could gasp, he thrust hard, tearing through my innocence with ruthless force. Pain burned, my walls clenching as I clawed at his iron shoulders, stifling sobs. Wet, slick sounds echoed with every brutal stroke, his body unrelenting until he shuddered, spilling hot and deep inside me.

"That was amazing, Jason," I managed to say.

"Who the fuck is Jason?"

My blood turned to ice. Light slashed across his face—Brad Rayne, Alpha of Moonshade Pack, a werewolf, not my boyfriend. Horror choked me as I realized what I’d done.

I ran away for my life!

But weeks later, I woke up pregnant with his heir!

They say my heterochromatic eyes mark me as a rare true mate. But I’m no wolf. I’m just Elle, a nobody from the human district, now trapped in Brad's world.

Brad’s cold gaze pins me: “You carry my blood. You’re mine.”

There is no other choice for me but to chose this cage. My body also betrays me, craving the beast who ruined me.

WARNING: Mature Readers Only
Kaged In

Kaged In

3.1k Views · Completed · BurntAsh3s
Kage enters the foster system in New York at the age of five. The reality of his life seems bleaker each day as his circumstances worsen, and he becomes closed-off, cold and distrusting of others. When he gets adopted at the age of sixteen, his belief in humanity has withered. Kage doesn't live, he exists, day by day. He has lost all hope, and he doesn't dare to dream of something better. Alexander Hawthorne gives him a new lease on life, a family and most importantly, hope. Kage has his own past trauma to deal with and he carries that burden with him when he gets drafted into the NHL. Hockey is his life, his passion and the only thing that is a constant form of happiness.
Follow Kage's journey as he tries to heal, falls in love and faces his inner turmoil.
The Ice Between Us.

The Ice Between Us.

1.7k Views · Completed · Nora Obeche
In the world of elite hockey, discipline is the only currency that matters. For Julian Thorne, the perfectionist Captain of the Northwood Olympic Center, every stride is calculated, and every emotion is frozen solid. He is one season away from the pros, but the team is drowning under public scrutiny and a board of directors looking for any reason to cut the cord.

​Then comes Jax Miller.

​Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.

​Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
BROKEN TRUST

BROKEN TRUST

7.9k Views · Completed · O.J Thewriter
She broke their marriage. He walked away.

Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.

Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.

Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
The Spy Who Left

The Spy Who Left

1.7k Views · Completed · Orion Vale
"She's naive. A pretty little socialite who got lucky marrying above her station."
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Tempted By The Enemy

Tempted By The Enemy

4k Views · Completed · rituparna darolia
Twenty-two-year-old Alyssa Van Every is in a dilemma. Her close friend, Sienna, is marrying billionaire, Lucas Donnelly who, along with his brothers, happens to be her older brother, Alex's sworn enemy.
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
First Taste in a Century​

First Taste in a Century​

1k Views · Ongoing · Sherry
Fresh out of college and fumbling through his first year in the real world, twenty-two-year-old Lysander wanders away from a friend’s party and into an isolated forest. There, he stumbles upon the high-tech laboratory hidden within the ancient castle of Vivienne—a vampire who has spent one century cultivating solitude. Disgusted by the intimacy required to hunt, she long ago withdrew from humanity, passing the endless decades perfecting homemade synthetic blood rather than sampling the countless varieties of plasma she grew tired of.

But Lysander’s arrival spells disaster. In a clumsy accident, he doesn't just ruin dinner; he obliterates her state-of-the-art scientific instruments. With her life’s work destroyed and her synthetic supply cut off, the scent of his living blood overwhelms her engineered senses. Forced to break a century-long abstinence, she takes what she needs, only to find herself addicted not just to his taste, but to the man himself.

Using the equipment as a flimsy excuse to lure him back, Vivienne battles a terrifying new obsession. She craves his body despite believing he’s taken, despising her own weakness. Meanwhile, Lysander’s initial terror curdles into a forbidden fascination. Can a relationship survive when one person feels everything, and the other only hungers?
Cursed Fates

Cursed Fates

1.6k Views · Ongoing · Taylor Ashcraft
Charlotte Sinclair was murdered at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. After dying, she wakes up in the body of another. She pieces together information from her first day as Aribella Voss, realizing that she's been reincarnated into a book she knew all too well. The only problem: She was fated to die in this story as well. She sets out on a mission to ensure that doesn't happen, but when she begins changing important parts of the story, she also changes the plot of the story she knew. Without the upper hand, Aribella no longer has idea what lies in her future.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.9m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.