She sat against the cool glass, watching as the drops of water cascaded down from the sky as the weather gave way to whatever god or goddess was causing it. Her pale skin glowed almost white as it reflected against the window, as did her buttercup yellow hair that flowed down in waves and curls all the way past her back. Mother hated when she let it down. The Goddess of the earth and crops of the world would not allow her daughter to let that tangled mess of a hair loose like some mere mortal. No, Persephone, Goddess of Spring, needed to be prim, proper, and of all things, constantly under watch.
She sighed and bumped her head against the glass as her breath fogged up around her. It had been nearly a millennium since the old days where gods and goddesses ruled the land, when mortals actually believed in them. Now in this day and age, where horses and chariots were replaced by cars and planes, a god seemed almost mundane compared to the advances the mortals had made. Still, the gods knew not to try and fight change, so instead of hindering the mortals with their advances, they latched on to them. Now the once gods and goddesses of the world owned some of the most widely known and powerful companies in the world. Poseidon had maintained full control over all businesses that had anything to do with the sea, while Zeus, king of the gods, took hold of any major electric corporation he could get his hands on. All the other gods took on their own respective roles in the new world, using their powers to their own devices.
Now Persephone sat in one of the most lavish and expensive high rise apartments that sat right above her mothers own corporation that dealt with the worlds top agricultural businesses.
The walls were golden brown, with beautiful and detailed flower bouquets in expensive vases decorating the corners in various mother had decorated walls in all the original artwork of old Renaissance paintings that depicted her or Persephone herself. She always blushed at the ones about her, showing the young goddess in nothing but a robe that barely covered her breasts. As if she would have ever dressed like that, she wasn't pulling a Aphrodite. The furniture was all very high end, very rustic looking, so her mother could show a sort of earthly persona even in her own household. Demeter, Goddess of the Earth and Crops, sat down at a earth colored lavish desk scribbling notes to herself as Persephone sighed once more thinking all of it was just bureaucracy and showing off who had the more expensive what.
"Stop sighing Kore" her mother said annoyed "You know how I hate it. You've been rather melancholy lately."
"I just hate being stuck indoors all day" Persephone said, hating the name "Kore" that her mother insisted on calling her.
"Well then go in the gardens once the rain stops" Demeter said "Just take the guards along with you."
"That's the problem" Persephone mumbled "I can't even breathe outside without them taking note of it."
"Do stop mumbling dear, it's not lady like" Demeter said as she tucked away more notes into her desk.
"Mother, when will I ever be able to leave without the guards?" Persephone said finally getting up, letting the dark green dress she wore fall around her legs.
"Kore, we've discussed this" Demeter said looking up at her daughter, her bright green eyes sharp as her auburn hair was pulled tightly back against her head in a elaborate bun "Ever since that maniac kidnapped you-"
"For the last time" Persephone groaned "He is not a maniac!"
"Kore" her mother said getting up and coming over to her daughter, her suit the same color dark green as Persephone "I've been meaning to speak with you over the subject."
"Oh no" she groaned and rolled her eyes, ready to hear her mother's usual rant about how Persephone was married to a lunatic and how she needed to talk to Zeus about staying with her mother permanently.
"Now don't give me that" Demeter said putting her hands on her hips "I've spoken with your father about it and he agrees as well."
"You spoke to father?" Persephone said a bit surprised. Getting a hold of the ruler of the gods was a task in itself, especially if you were a former lover of his. Gods and goddesses had long ago accepted the fact that marrying into the family might not have been the best, but none of them ever talked about stopping.
"Yes I have" Demeter said shaking her head "And I think it's high time Kore."
"Mother no" Persephone said shaking her head "This isn't fair."
"I thought you might say that" Demeter said "So I've asked your father to come by today, in fact, I think he's here right now." Like lighting, the doorbell suddenly rang as Persephone whipped her head towards the door.
"What!?" Persephone said in utter shock, watching as her mother moved past her towards the door. This was not happening, if Zeus ordered Persephone to call off her marriage, there was no way she could say no.
Suddenly the world seemed to freeze as Persephone watched in horror as her mother opened the apartment door and let her father in, his big hulking figure almost dwarfing the entrance. He looked good for being over 4,000 years old, his golden brown beard growing big around his face as his sparkling eyes looked down over at one of his many daughters.
"I was just telling Kore about our plans" she heard her mother's voice echo in her head.
"Well daughter, you haven't changed much since last time we met" Zeus, Ruler of the Gods said as he came up to one of his many remaining offspring.
"Zeus" Persephone got out as her body was still frozen in shock.
"Now there is no need for that" Zeus said waving his hand "You are one of my children, so you may call me father."
"Father I.." Persephone began until her mother interrupted hurriedly.
"I just told Kore it's high time for her to call off her marriage to our brother" Demeter said cheerfully "And thankfully she has happily agreed."
"What?" Persephone said softly, confused for a moment.
"Well I guess I don't see a problem in it" Zeus said rubbing his beard "After all, if what people say is true, she hasn't even consummated the marriage."
Persephone felt her face grow fifty shades hot as she heard her own father talk about how she was still a virgin goddess. It was true, she had never laid with her husband, but that's because he had never pressured her to do so, after all, their marriage hadn't been about love or romance. The Lord of the Underworld had agreed to marry Persephone only to save her...
"So shall we discuss then the proper arrangement?" Demeter said thrilled at Zeus's agreement "I know you will just send the word to Hades and all will be said and done. But we must discuss who will be her next proper suitor if she is to be married again. Perhaps Hermes? Or even Dionysus?"
"Hmm there are many choices" Zeus said "Maybe even perhaps a mortal of my choosing if she fancies him."
Persephone could hear their voices, but couldn't comprehend their meaning. Her marriage annulled? But...she didn't want that did she? The Lord of the Underworld had never once pressured her to be anything but herself. He did not try and visit her when she visited his realm, he had even made a place so that she never saw the darkness that was the Underworld. She knew where his house was, knew who he was, but he had never sought her out. It was a freedom that she almost relished when she was forced under her mother's thumb for the remaining six months of the year. To give that up her freedom would mean...
"STOP!" Persephone yelled at the top of her lungs, stopping even the Ruler of the Gods in his tracts as they both stared at their child in shock.
"I will not let you do this!" Persephone said as tears started to form in her eyes "This is my life we are talking about! And I will not be talked about as if I am just cattle to be sold!"
"Kore, sweety, we only want whats best for you" Demter said trying to come towards her daughter but Persephone batted her hands away as her face grew hot and the tears started to come down her cheeks.
"No!" she yelled backing away towards the door "I have dealt with this too long mother!You cannot control me forever!"
"Kore! Don't you walk out that door!" Demeter yelled but Persephone had already turned, her hand grasping for her coat as she went flying out the door, her feet steadily moving down the hallway towards the stairs, knowing her body could move faster than her mother and father combined from how upset she was.
She felt the rain hit hard against her face as she ran out into the street, her eyes darting around in the growing darkness as she sprinted away from the tall building. Cars and people passed by her, but mortals ignored gods if they wished it. There was a reason the gods like the city of Olympus more than any other, her father had practically built it.
But that didn't stop Persephone from running away. She remembered doing it only once before, and that's how she had ended up in this situation.
She was running straight for him.
Hades, Lord of the Underworld, God of the Dead.