For some, love comes as easily as breathing. For others, it's as hard as drinking hard alcohol.
It was months after Hades had tried to capture me. I was scared of the slightest thing, and I rarely left my rooms.
Olympus was supposed to be where everybody could meet in Harmony, but I was scared that I'd walk out and Hades would try to take me again.
One of the doors opened and I found myself curling further up into a ball, trying to hide from the world. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I shrieked, starting to cry.
"Seph, it's just me, Apollo," my half-brother whispered into my ear. "I'm worried about you," he told me as he rubbed the shoulder facing him.
I looked up at him, right into his amber eyes. I rarely saw anyone anymore, but Apollo came to me.
He gave me his beautiful smile before he sat down on the other end of the couch. I sat up, watching him. I pulled my knees up to my chin, not saying anything. It was easier not to, and let the other person initiate the conversation.
"So what have you been doing?" he asked me.
"Painting; sleeping; eating; repeat," I told him.
"That's good," he said softly, meeting my eyes. I bit my lower lip, trying to find something to say to that. "Seph, I'm here; I want you to feel comfortable talking about it with me."
I looked away from him. I hadn't wanted to talk about it for the longest of times. I didn't want people to know what had happened because I knew they would see me as even frailer then they already did.
"He raped me," I told him softly. "I can't shake the feeling of him touching me, Apollo. I always feel so dirty and horrible. I can't look other people in the eyes because I think they'll know…and they'll hate me because of that…"
Apollo had slowly moved closer to me. As I finished, he slowly put his hand on my shoulder.
"I don't hate you, Seph. I love you. I love you because you're strong; you made it through that and you're here now." The older man leaned in, and I found myself not scared, like when Hades had done the same. I wanted my half brother; I wanted the sun and his warmth; I wanted his love; I wanted him to be mine, and for me to his.
His lips slowly met mine. My hands tangled into his hair on pure instinct. So this is what love is supposed to be.
For a long while, we didn't tell anyone. We thought that they would be upset, and I knew I wouldn't be able to take that.
In fact, the only reason we told the fellow inhabitants of Olympus that Apollo and I were lovers was that I was pregnant. The first person to congratulate us was Artemis, then it was Aphrodite, and then the rest of them did, Zeus being last before my mother. I knew she was unhappy by the look in her eyes.
"Honey, to you really love him?" my mother asked me later.
"Of course I do!" I told her, "I've nearly always loved Apollo."
"Then I hope you are happy with him.
I was. In the end, I was more happy with Apollo then I thought I would ever be with anybody else after what had happened with Hades.
It was a few years after our third daughter had been born that I was sitting in a garden at Mount Olympus, listening to Petaloúda* playing the harp while I sketched when a shadow seemed to loom over me.
I looked up and saw him. I felt all of the joy around me suddenly disappear and my daughter stop playing.
"Hello, Persephone," Hades said, his voice as calm as ever.
"Hello," I said, but only out of politeness.
"I assume you are still upset after all these years?" he asked me.
"'Upset?' Uncle, you traumatized me!" I said to him, getting up.
I saw him look over to Petaloúda. "I see you got over your trauma."
I swallowed hard. "Get away from us," I told him.
He looked back at me, his dark grey eyes sweeping from head to toe. "I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you, Persephone. I truly regret it."
With those words, he walked away.
Later, when Apollo came to our bedroom, I found out the reason why Hades had actually been here today.
"He wanted to get Zeus's consent for his marriage," my lover told me as he held me in his arms.
"Marriage?" I echoed. "Did he kidnap another girl?"
"No, his bride is a woman by the name of Julia. Pretty thing, or so I've heard. I'm sure they'll live a long, peaceful life together," he explained to me.
"That's nice for him," I said before reaching up to kiss Apollo.
In all honesty, eternity turned out well for all of us. In total, Apollo and I had four sons and four daughters, and rumors had surfaced that Hades and Julia had three children (of what gender is completely unknown to anyone.)
I was just glad that I was able to heal, and even more so that it was Apollo, the god I loved.
-Persephone
Author's Note: Just a quick oneshot I thought of. I never really liked Persephone and Hades together, but realize I don't like to think of Hades as a creep who raped his niece. So… please review!
Oh and "Petaloúda" means "butterfly" in Greek, according to Google Translate! :)
~HolleringHawk65