My father hated the idea, but seeing the resolve on my face, he gave up pushing.

He just sighed, trying to comfort me. "If life in the Underworld gets too hard... maybe Evadne can help you out."

But when Evadne heard my choice, she couldn't wait to rub it in my face.

"The Hades clan? Gods, Ianthe, are you moving into a tomb?"

She faked a gasp, but her green eyes glittered with vicious glee.

"I hear they can't even afford to act like gods. Do you know what the War clan puts in my bathwater? Golden apples! Golden apples of youth to strengthen the divine blood! Three a day, just so my mortal body can adapt to the god's seed faster."

She smugly stroked her glowing skin. "And Hades? I bet they can't even afford regular apples. Don't worry," she cooed, "if you starve, I'll pack you my scraps."

She covered her mouth and laughed out loud, ignoring the awkward stares of the servants.

In Evadne's mind, the War clan had endless resources, and Deimos's loyalty would guarantee her a quick pregnancy. She was dead set on beating me to the first demigod baby.

But she had no idea how hard it was for a mortal to carry a god's child. Or how obsessed Deimos was with getting an heir.

In my past life, when I wasn't pregnant after six months, Deimos started torturing me day and night under the guise of "combat training."

The War God's violent energy tore through me like knives every time we mated. He branded me over and over with scarlet divine runes, forcing my mortal body to evolve.

I was covered in scars. Walking made me sweat from the sheer pain.

It wasn't until I used a forbidden family spell to get pregnant with Tristan, securing his power, that Deimos finally stopped.

I just smiled calmly at her. "Don't worry about me, dear sister. I chose my husband, and I'll live with my choice."

"What are you so smug about? You're marrying a penniless lord of the dead!" Angered by my lack of reaction, Evadne slammed her hands on the table, spilling nectar everywhere. "I will get pregnant first. My child will rule the High Council!"

I ignored her tantrum and went back to prepping for my wedding in three days.

She was right about one thing, though—the Hades clan was broke. I assumed they were too poor to afford a proper gown, so I'd planned to make my own.

To my surprise, Orion came in person that night to deliver my dress.

It was the first time I saw him up close.

Pale skin, silver eyes, and hair as black as midnight. A faint, ghostly starlight clung to him. He carried the quiet, heavy authority of the Underworld. He was terrifying, yet strangely comforting.

"This is for you," he said, placing an exquisite box on the table.

I opened it and gasped. It was a dark purple gown, the fabric like liquid moonlight. The corset was encrusted with black gems that shimmered mysteriously in the light.

"Soulstone crystals from the depths of the River Styx," he explained. "Each one holds a blessing from my people. They will protect you from the crushing weight of divine auras."

I brushed my fingers over the stones, feeling the raw power humming inside them.

"We have not wed a mortal in a thousand years," his voice was tight. "If the gown is not to your liking..."

"It's beautiful," I cut him off. I touched the skirt. The fabric curled around my fingers like soft water. "It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen."

Surprise flickered in his eyes before he masked it.

Just then, the door swung open.

"Ianthe, I came to see your dowry—" Evadne's voice died in her throat. She walked in arm-in-arm with Deimos and froze when she saw Orion.

Deimos was massive. Dark red war tattoos crawled up his bare arms. He reeked of blood, iron, and barely contained rage.

Evadne looked at the dress, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Oh, is that an Underworld wedding gown?" she sneered, quickly recovering her arrogance. "It looks... unique."

She stepped closer, reaching for the black gems.

"Don't touch it," Orion's voice dropped to a lethal chill. The room's temperature plummeted. His silver aura froze the air into thin frost.

Evadne jumped back, her face paling.

"No need to be so stingy!" she scoffed, pouting. "I just wanted a look. Though honestly, those black rocks do suit... certain people." She dragged out the words on purpose.

"Deimos ordered me ten gowns," she turned and clung to Deimos's arm. "Forged by the best goldsmiths in Olympus. The main dress alone took a whole mountain of gold."

Annoyance flashed in Deimos's eyes. But he glanced at her stomach and forced a doting smile. "Whatever you want."

"Of course I do!" She went on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Once our baby is born, no one will be more powerful than us." She shot me a smug, challenging look.

Orion gripped his scepter. I noticed the massive soulstone glowing at its tip.

"Ianthe." He looked up, his silver eyes locking onto mine. The room went dead silent.

"I swear on the River Styx," his voice was deep and absolute. "I will not betray you. Not in this life. Not in the next. I am yours until the end of all things."

The vow echoed like thunder. Even Deimos looked shocked.

Swearing on the River Styx was the most binding oath in the divine realm. Break it, and your soul rots in the Abyss forever.

Evadne scoffed. "Sweet words are useless. They won't get you a baby."

Now, a baby was all she could talk about. Her past-life infertility was a thorn in her side. Now, getting pregnant was her only obsession. She had even moved into Deimos's temple before the wedding.

Honestly, they were a perfect match. Both were deranged lunatics obsessed with an heir.

I smiled faintly, walked up to Orion, and took his hand.

"Focus on your own wedding, Evadne," I said softly. "Lest people think you've got your eye on my husband."

Her face flushed crimson. "What did you say? As if I would—"

"Let's go, Orion," I cut her off. "I want to see our new home."

We walked to the door, hand in hand. Evadne's furious voice trailed behind us:

"Deimos and I are going to have a baby soon! I want lots of babies! Powerful ones!"

Oh, my foolish sister. Even with a second life, she still thought a child was her only ticket to power.

Orion's icy voice brushed my ear.

"I know you didn't have a choice," he murmured, cold yet filled with a silent promise. "But I swear, I won't let you suffer."

I turned and stepped into his chest. The scent of winter pine and cold earth wrapped around me—the deep, raw scent of the Underworld.

"I chose this," I said, my voice just as serious. "I chose you."

A mess of emotions swirled in his silver eyes. Shock. Doubt. And a faint, hidden trace of tenderness.

Three days later, two very different weddings took place on Olympus.

The War clan's ceremony was suffocatingly lavish. On an altar made of solid gold, Evadne wore a dress dripping in jewels. They even dragged reclusive unicorns out of the woods just to witness the spectacle.

By contrast, the Underworld's wedding was brutally simple. No VIP guests. No rare mythical beasts. But genuine joy lit up the faces of everyone in his clan. After all, it was the first time in a millennia a mortal had married one of their own.

After the ceremonies, guests gathered in the plaza outside the temples.

"Ianthe!" Evadne strutted over, clinging to Deimos. She deliberately tilted her neck for the crowd to see. It was a canvas of angry red marks—a testament to Deimos's brutality, and a silent brag to the world.

"See this?" She touched the marks, gloating. "Deimos is so passionate. I'll give him an heir in no time!"

I gave her a polite nod. "Good luck with that."

Evadne vastly underestimated how hard it was for a mortal to carry a god's seed. We were entirely different species.

A mortal womb needed long-term divine conditioning, or it would simply shatter under the raw energy of a demigod embryo. Even under perfect conditions, natural conception took at least a year.

She thought I had it easy in my past life, so she assumed it would be a breeze for her. She even bragged to the War clan that she'd be pregnant within six months. Word spread fast.

Seeing her so cocky, Deimos—who was desperate for a kid anyway—didn't doubt her for a second.

But to Evadne, my complete lack of reaction felt like a threat.

"Whatever. You wouldn't get it anyway. You married into a nest of gravediggers. Dead men don't breed!" She threw a dirty look at the Hades clansmen nearby, hitched up her skirt, and tried to walk past me.

I grabbed her arm and stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Evadne. Apologize. Apologize to the Hades clan right now."

Her face darkened. She yanked her arm back and screamed, "Ianthe, are you out of your mind?!"

The remaining guests turned to watch us fight, eating up the drama. Finally, our father had to step in. When he realized what happened, he forced Evadne to apologize to my new family.

The Hades clan might be at the bottom of the food chain, but they wouldn't just sit back and take insults from a mortal.

Before leaving, Evadne shot me a lethal glare and hissed, "I will win this time, Ianthe. Just you wait."

Wedding night.

The Underworld bedroom was minimalist but carried a dark, majestic vibe. Black silk drapes, silver candelabras, and the faint scent of sandalwood.

When Orion dropped his robes, I froze. For a heartbeat. Nobody had warned me that the sons of Hades were... doubly blessed.

"If you don't want this..." He misread my shock. He went pale and reached for his robe.

I snatched the fabric right out of his hands and pulled him onto the bed.

"You smell good," I trailed my fingers down his chest. "Like a midnight forest. You make me feel safe."

The tips of his ears turned instantly red.

That night, we were feral.

I used to think the War God's stamina was legendary. I was wrong. The Lord of the Underworld had a staying power all his own. Orion didn't stop until dawn broke. I was literally begging him to rest. I melted into his arms, feeling a satisfaction I had never known before.

Three months later, news shook the divine realm. Evadne was pregnant.

"It's a miracle!" Deimos raised a glass in the War Temple. "No one has conceived this fast in thousands of years!"

Flatterers swarmed him, desperate to get on his good side. Everyone agreed: the next High Councilor was definitely coming from the War clan. Now was the time to kiss the ring.

Given our rank, Orion and I should have been seated at the very back of the banquet hall. But Evadne forced Deimos to put me right next to her. She wasn't going to miss a chance to rub it in my face.

She rubbed her belly and smirked at me. "Three months and your womb is still empty, Ianthe? Perhaps some bodies are just useless soil."

Demigods grow fast.

Four months in the womb is enough time to be born.

Judging by the size of her bump, she was due next month.

But she had no clue how massive a demigod baby actually was.

If she didn't starve herself, the birth would tear her apart.

I had dieted ruthlessly in my past life, and the labor still took a full day and night.

The pain was worse than death.

But when I saw my boy safe, sleeping in my arms, I knew I'd do it all over again.

I took a sip of my nectar and said flatly, "Historically, the fastest a mortal has ever gotten pregnant by a god is exactly one year. It took you three months. Only you know what dark bargain you struck to make that happen."

Evadne snapped her head toward me, panic flashing in her eyes. "What the hell do you mean, Ianthe?"

She couldn't handle even the slightest prod. She totally lost her cool.

"Good luck with your delivery, Evadne." I raised my glass to her, then walked out of the banquet side-by-side with Orion.

A month later, bloodcurdling screams echoed from the delivery room.

Evadne was in labor for three days and three nights.

Her shrieks rattled the entire War Temple.

Even people walking by on the street stopped in horror.

But seven days passed, and the temple doors stayed shut.

Even our father was barred from entering.

Another week went by before my father finally sent for me.

"Ianthe, you need to go see Evadne." His face was grim. "Something is... very wrong."

Orion went with me to the War Temple.

The grand hall was dead empty. Only Evadne sat on the freezing stone floor. She was holding a baby.

The baby boy glowed with a faint pink aura.

The whole room smelled like heavy roses.

"He is Deimos's son!" Evadne shrieked, her eyes wild with madness. "Mutations happen! It's perfectly normal!" She clutched the baby, desperate to prove it.

But she was wrong. Deimos was a pureblood son of Ares.

His veins ran with fire and iron.

There was no love in his bloodline. Only war.

Deimos stood apart, his face a thundercloud.