He took another slow sip of his wine as he stared into his empty throne room. The torch less flames silently burned, his mind walked through memories of the days long past. He could remember it all, the first time he looked into her eyes, it was the first time anything had ever enchanted him. From that moment she consumed his thoughts and his dreams, her desired the sight of her face, the touch of her lips. And he chased after her like a lovesick boy, how times had changed. What had been a bright dream had faded into a dark, bitter reality. He had her, but in so many ways he didn't. He poured the rest of the wine down his throat as he heard the throne room doors open.

Persephone and her mother Demeter walked in with the grace only goddesses could muster. His eyes went to his wife; the bitterness of their marriage could not change how beautiful she was to him. Her flame colored hair glowed in the dim light of the throne room. Her dark, jade eyes were lowered away from his gaze as she walked. Her slender body was clothed in fabrics of the night and stars. Hades smiled to himself as he felt an emotion he could not erase. Demeter walked beside her daughter; the Goddess seemed as gentle and as beautiful as ever. Demeter was the only sibling who cared anything for him; the other Olympians had long since forsaken him in their eyes and in their hearts. Persephone and Demeter stopped and at the foot of the steps that led to his throne. Persephone raised her head and met his gaze, a vicious glare burned in her eyes.

"Why have you called me here? It is not yet time for my return," said Persephone.

Hades paused for a moment before answering.

"I called you and your mother here because I did not wish to come to Olympus. And somethings are better said in person," said Hades.

Demeter looked on curiously, Persephone's eyes slightly narrowed. Hades had been thinking of this moment endlessly day and night. He had wondered how she would look, what she would say. His eyes greedily admired her beauty; she was the setting sun before the endless night.

"I wish to divorce you Persephone,"

Mother and daughter mirrored each other with looks of shock and disbelief. It slightly pleasing to see Persephone's demeanor change so drastically.

"What?" asked Persephone

"I wish to end our union, Demeter you will you bare witness to this?

Demeter looked closely at him, as if trying to see through an illusion. She had been greatly displeased when he had taken Persephone as his wife, mainly because of how he had taken her. But in time she accepted the arrangement for what it was, she still had enough love for her brother to warrant forgiveness. After a few moments she answered.

"Yes, I will bare witness,"

"Is this some kind of joke Aidoneus?" asked Persephone.

She is the only one who called him Aidoneus; it was his name before he became king of the dead.

"It is no joke Persephone, I have thought about it for quite sometime now and I know you have desired it for much longer than that,"

A silent moment followed, the words froze in his throat. A part of him was calling out to her, asking him not let her warmth leave this dark and lonesome place. He would not listen, not this time.

"Persephone, do you agree to the end of our marriage?"

Demeter looked to her daughter who looked to her then back to Hades. Her lips lightly parted.

"Yes,"

It nothing more than a whisper but rang loudly in Hades' mind. And with that a union of thousands of years was forever broken. It was just as he had imagined, just as painful.

"Mother could you give us a few moments," Persephone said to Demeter.

Demeter seemed a bit surprised but agreed, she bowed her to Hades and let the room as gracefully as she had entered it. Hades had expected Persephone to leave immediately and never look back, this was a surprise.

"Why now? After all this time Aidoneus why now?" she asked.

"Does it matter?"

He saw anger flare up in her eyes.

"You've kept me here for countless Millennia; you could have done this so long ago why do it now? What has changed?"

Her voice was loud and uneven, it was alive in a way it had never been before.

"Such a shame it took this for me to arouse emotion of this magnitude in you," said Hades.

"Answer me; have you finally found another to ease your loneliness?" Persephone asked.

Hades couldn't help a smile even as she glared at him.

"I have always had others Persephone, so have you,"

Her stern look remained. Hades felt his smile begin to fade, this would be the last time he would ever see her. There was no need to hold anything back; he leaned forward in his throne.

"It's because I've given up Persephone,"

"And what have you given up?" she fired back.

He sighed as he moved his hand through his black hair.

"I've never truly understood why I am despised by my brothers and sisters, what do immortals have to fear from the king of dead? Perhaps my domain simply disgusts them, I do not know. But the contempt I saw in their eyes wounded for so long" said Hades.

"After a while I resigned myself to being the forsaken one, in time I embraced. Took pleasure in the songs of torment the mortals cried, I started to take pleasure in the reaping of lost and desperate souls. But after a few centuries that lost it charm. I realized that everything desires something, the dead desired life and I desired someone. Someone who would understand me, that desire led me to you,"

Persephone's eyes had softened a little, it was a strange thing to see.

"You are beautiful Persephone, but even more than that I was drawn to the tenderness of your heart. I... wanted to feel that tenderness, I wanted to feel your embrace. As much as it grieves me to say I drowning in loneliness, I wanted you no matter what the cost. So took you, deep down I hoped I was right, that you would be the one to understand me. But I was wrong,"

Hades stood from his seat and in an instant he closed the distance between them. Persephone took a cautious step back; Hades raised his hand signalling to her that she had nothing to fear.

"I realized long ago that you would never understand me let alone love me. But held onto you because..."

Hades' looked away from her from her; his words had unchained so many emotions.

"Because I was afraid, afraid of an existence without you, I... I've said enough,"

He waent his throne and sat down. Persephone's eyes had that tenderness he had seen so long. She stood still, he felt false hope flood into him. Maybe she would stay, maybe she would-

"Aidoneus..."

She paused stopping time itself.

"Goodbye," she said.

The words were a cold winter wind that swept through the throne room. She turned around and started to walk away, Hades looked away. It was a sight he could not bare; he hated how weak he felt, how much he wanted her.

"Goodbye Persephone," he said to her as much as to himself.