A review by lezreadalot
By Pain of Death by Suzanne Clay

3.0

“I want to be better than this...”
“You are exactly who I want you to be.”

3.5 stars. Very lovely little short story, a retelling of the Hades/Seph myth with a trans guy Seph and Hades who suffers from chronic pain. I really liked the imagining of death in this world, how it comes to Hades, how he deals with the souls, the way that translates into pain for him. It's a condensed story of love and acceptance, how these two men provide just the exact type of bulwark that the other needs. It isn't my favourite reimagining of Hades and Demeter, but I did like it, and the language was lovely. Too short for me to feel a whole lot for it, but I loved the intent.