Hi, I made a new story. And I don't own any of the characters because A&E or mythology has them (or killed them off *coughA&Ecough*).

In this story, for the sake of things making sense, please think of:

- Persephone being an orphan and a servant to the Olympian gods rather than being a goddess herself.

- The gods and titans being sort of family and ruling the world together, but they are still gods. (ex. Zeus is god of the skies and Hades is god of the dead.)

I'm still doing With A Beating Heart, so don't worry.


A LONG TIME AGO…

Hades walked around the gated gardens of Olympus as he waited for his best friend to arrive. The day had been tiring. Having to deal with his siblings from early in the morning until the afternoon was just too much. His father Cronus insisted that they join in on the meetings with the other gods and titans to learn how to rule over their own kingdoms one day. Hades couldn't help but sigh as he remembered how his brother, Zeus, suggested hostile takeovers as a way to resolve land disputes.

Now, all Hades wanted was to sit and relax, maybe even read a book. He walked off the garden path and slipped through a small patch of trees, leading him towards his private oasis. As he pondered over what he might do with his free time, the god failed to notice the red-haired beauty that was about to pounce.

"Hades!" Persephone launched herself towards Hades' back, making said god stumble forward as a result. She wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her forehead on the space between his shoulders.

Hades grinned as he tried to look behind him to see her beautiful face, but her grip on him was too tight. "Hey, I can't breathe. You're suffocating me. Let go."

Persephone moaned, "No. This is too comfortable. Don't ruin it by trying to breathe." Unfortunately, her words came out muffled since she buried her face into his clothed back. She loosened her arms anyway.

Hades turned around in his new found space. The goddess adjusted to the new position and laid her head on his chest, just above the heart. Hades chuckled at her antics. "Miss me?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No, I wished you stayed in the meeting longer so you could have suffered more." Persephone said sarcastically. She lifted her head from his chest and shoved him away playfully. "Serves you right for making me wait here for an hour."

"Sorry, I really couldn't get away sooner." Hades leaned back on a tree and crossed his arms as he looked apologetically at his best friend. "But, since I'm here now, what would you like to do?"

Persephone bit her lip and pretended to think about it for a moment. Then, she pushed him down to the base of the tree and sat there with him. Hades stretched his legs out in front of him to get comfortable since he figured out what her plan was. Persephone placed her head on his lap and looked up at him. Hades just stared at her in amusement. She magicked a book and glasses to appear. Persephone, then, shoved the frame-less glasses onto the god's face and the thick storybook in his hands. "Can we just stay here and read?"

Hades smiled. It was a genuine smile, one that only came out around very few people. He opened the book to the chapter that they previously left off of. Hades levitated the book so one hand would be free for Persephone to play with while the other stroked her hair. "Once upon a time…"

They stayed there until dusk.

As the sun sank, it grew darker and darker by the second until Hades could barely make out the words on the page. He closed the book, making Persephone pout. "Can't we stay here a little longer? Make a ball of light and keep reading?" She said lazily. She tilted her head in Hades' lap.

There was nowhere Hades would rather be at that moment. But the Fates were not so kind as to just kill him off in order to give him a break from the early morning meetings that he was forced to attend. "As much as I want to stay here with you, I have to go to another meeting tomorrow. Sorry," he said, "But we could spend some time together afterwards?" Hades made her sit up while he stood and shook his legs awake.

Persephone nodded reluctantly. She sighed as she forced herself to stand up along with him. Hades held out his hand for her. She accepted it, hugged his arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright? You seem more tired than I am." He asked as they walked to the servants' quarters.

"It was a busy day cleaning and decorating for the big celebration."

"Ah, sorry?"

"Why are you saying sorry? It's not like you asked for the extravagant party that would celebrate your claim on the Underworld."

"Well then, I apologize for my family trying to show me off like a prized puppy."

"Oh please, you like being a show-off. But at least you're a cute puppy."

"I am not cute. Cute is not how you describe the Lord of the Underworld."

"Would you rather have me say that you're drop dead gorgeous?"

Hades stopped walking and looked at Persephone in disbelief, "I cannot believe you just said that. To me."

Persephone bit her lip to keep from laughing but it was no help. She started laughing and soon Hades joined in as well. He managed to calm down enough to start poking Persephone's sides. The red-haired goddess yelped at the action. Hades kept tickling her, but Persephone went ahead running and giggling towards her house. He went running and giggling after her.

Arriving at Persephone's door, the two took a moment to calm down. It actually took more than a moment for them to calm down since whenever they turned to each other they kept bursting out laughing. Persephone watched as Hades laughed so care-free. She felt a pang of regret for what she was going to do later that night. It must have shown on her face when Hades asked why she was looking at him weirdly.

"Nothing…"

"C'mon, don't be like that. You can tell me anything."

Persephone sighed and hugged Hades. She responded, "You know I love you, right?"

Hades grinned, "Of course I know, but it's nice to hear it out loud. I love you too. But what brought this on?"

"I just hope my best friend doesn't forget about me when he's being all high and mighty as the ruler of the dead."

"I don't think I'll ever forget you, Persephone." They stopped hugging and smiled at each other.

Persephone turned slightly towards her door and opened it. "Well, I'm afraid this is where we go on our separate ways." She curtsied as if they had only come from a ball rather than their sanctuary in the woods. "Goodbye, good sir."

Hades bowed his head and played along, "Until we meet again, m'lady." He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on its back.


PRESENT TIME…

Zelena, seated by the window of her old country house, looked deep in thought as she stared outside the window. Her sister, Regina, watched her with concern from her seat by the table in the middle of the room. "Maybe it's just a dream… It could be nothing, Zelena."

"You don't believe me. Do you?"

Regina sighed. She replied, "Hades is a god. He's probably lived longer than Rumpelstiltskin and the both of us combined. I'm sorry if I don't believe that you seem to remember hanging out with him when he looked like a teenager. Especially when you remembered while you were asleep. For all we know Zelena, you were just dreaming."

Zelena bit her lip. Her sister had a point, but… "I can't explain it. It was real like they were memories. But at the same time it wasn't, as if they were someone else's rather than my own. It can't possibly be just a dream. Or at least, I couldn't have imagined all of it." In her need to vent her frustration, Zelena stood up from her seat and began pacing back and forth.

"Okay, I hate to say this, but why don't you just ask him?" Regina asked, exasperated. "And stop pacing. You're making me get a headache."

Zelena scoffed at the idea. "Asking Hades about why I'm dreaming about him is a terrible idea. One that would probably result in him laughing at me or something. So, no. That will be my last resort. What's your next wonderful idea, Evil Queen?"

Regina arched an eyebrow. "Oh, so now I'm giving you ideas as to how to deal with your fantasies about Hades. Nuh-uh. I don't think so, Wicked Witch. In case you might have forgotten, I'm helping Emma and her family defeat Hades."

"Wow, you're such a helpful sister," Zelena rolled her eyes.

A bright blue light flashed from the direction of the town. A burst of magic swept through the country house and a short breeze made its way through. Both sisters gasped at the power that radiated.

"That power… Where did it come from?"

"I think it came from the town. Let's go."


Okay, just to make sure, Hades and Persephone are best friends here, but their 'I love you' was platonic (at the time). Hades and Zelena are the main pairing for the story.

Review or PM anything that you guys might want to see on here.