Persephone was jolted awake out of a restful sleep by the sound of her name being called. The cries sounded as if they were coming into her head. Yes, they were certainly cries; someone was distraught and sobbing as they spoke her name. Her bedchamber was dark save for the soft red glow that outlined the curtains of her balcony, and her husband's snoring as the only noise in the room. No, that couldn't be right. There was most definitely someone calling her name, but where were they?
Persephone rose from the bed and slipped a chiton over her head and wrapped a silver cord around her middle. Behind her she heard the bed creak.
"Where are you going?" came her husband's voice.
"Can you not hear the crying?" she asked him.
"What crying? There is no one else here."
"Someone is crying," she persisted, "and calling my name."
She heard the bed creak again as Hades shifted and a few seconds later his hands found hers in the dark. The room lightened faintly as the curtains drew back at his will. Now she could just faintly make out his face and saw it smiling.
"Someone is praying to you, my queen."
"Praying to me?" she was confused. "Why would they be praying to me? Down here?"
Hades shrugged. "Well, you are more approachable than I am," he chuckled. "No one ever wants to speak with the God of the Underworld."
Persephone giggled at this and then became serious once again. "What do I do?"
"Answer their prayer," he replied. "You are the goddess; answer it how you see fit."
"Should I…should I go and meet them?"
"If you wish," he answered. "If you can hear them, they are surely in your temple or one associated with you."
"How do I speak with them?"
"Downstairs behind the ebony door with the gold trim you will be able to communicate with this mortal if you so choose, but remember that you do not have to answer if you do wish to."
Persephone stood still in her husband's embrace, not knowing what to do next.
"Come," Hades kissed her forehead. "I will walk with you."
He led her down the dimly lit corridor through the meeting hall and out the far door. At the end of the hall the ebony door, usually so dark and cold, was shining bright and light was protruding from around its edges.
"I cannot go in with you," Hades told her. "It is not my prayer."
"I don't want give them the wrong answer."
Hades chuckled. "You are a goddess; no answer you give is wrong."
"You know what I mean," she told him, annoyed.
"Yes, I do," he answered. "And I also know that you have a gentle and pure heart. Listen to it. You will be able to help this troubled soul."
He held her hand out to the door and encouraged her forward. Persephone opened it slowly and shielded her eyes at the blinding light. When it closed behind her, Persephone found herself in the Nekromanteion, the temple erected in honor of her husband and herself. She was behind the statue of her husband and could hear the same crying and moaning that she heard during her sleep only now its source was right in front of her.
"Oh great Persephone," a feeble voice pleaded. "Hear me. Help me."
It was a young woman, a young woman who was not afraid to say her name, Persephone saw. Most mortals did not speak the names of the Underworld Royalty; this poor child must truly be seeking help. Persephone watched her in awe for a moment. The girl's dark hair and dress was disheveled. She was barefoot and on her face before the painted wall depicting Persephone seated next to her husband on their thrones. She sobbed and then raised her head, crawling on her knees towards the portrayal of the deities.
"Sweet Persephone, mighty queen and fair ruler." She braced herself against the wall. "And wife to a man you did not know."
A bride. Persephone gasped. A bride had come to her? Her? The goddess of the Underworld? Marriage and death did not belong together. Why did this woman not go to Hera? She was the goddess of marriage and birth both. She protected brides and mothers. Of course, this girl was not yet a bride, and Hera was most definitely not the best example of piety and fidelity.
"Please, great queen, how did you do it? How did you marry a man you did not love? Did not know anything about?"
Persephone understood and her heart filled with pity for the girl. She stepped out from behind her husband's likeness and spoke. "Who calls?"
The girl looked up and screamed, first in fright and then in awe. She bowed in front of Persephone, lowering her face all the way to the stone floor and began to tremble.
"Gr-Gr-Great a-a-and mighty g-goddess." Her voice failed her in her fright.
Persephone touched the girl's shoulder and she stopped trembling.
"You said my name." Persephone did not know what else to say. She had never been prayed to before.
"Forgive me, Highness. I forgot my place."
"Please rise." She offered the girl her arm and helped her to her feet. "How can I help?"
"I did not know who to turn to," the girl explained. "You were the only woman I could think of."
"You are a bride, are you not?"
"Not yet," the girl whispered, "but very soon, the next full moon."
"Why has a bride come to me?" Persephone asked the girl. "Surely Queen Hera would be a more appropriate choice."
The girl shook her head. "You are married to a man you did not know and yet you found love. Please, Queen Persephone, tell me how you did it. How did you find love in a place that should hold no warmth or kindness?"
Persephone led the girl to a stone bench that faced the painted wall depicting her likeness. She stared at it for a long time, not ever really seeing herself that way before. She had been painted wearing black linen and bedazzled in rubies and diamonds. A crown of golden Narcissus flowers sat on her head. Her husband had been painted in regal darkness, his bident clasped in his right hand and Cerberus at his feet.
"You know we did not love each other right away," she told the girl. "Well, I did not love him right away. He says he had loved me for quite some time before we actually met one another."
"How?" the mortal asked again. "I'm so frightened. I barely know this man!"
"Have you met him?" Persephone asked her.
"Twice," the young woman answered. "Just twice, and I am supposed to marry him!"
"Alone?" Persephone asked. The girl nodded. "And was he kind to you?"
"Yes," she answered slowly. "He was very kind to me. He was sweet." The girl looked up at the goddess.
"Well, when I first met my husband, he was very kind to me. Hades made me feel welcome and comfortable; that's not what I expected to find in the Underworld."
The girl smiled. "Do you miss him when you are with your mother?"
"Very much," Persephone answered quickly. "I count the days until I come home."
"I suppose if you can find love with the king of the dead, I shouldn't be so afraid." The girl wiped her eyes.
"Prewedding nerves are nothing to be ashamed of. Marriage is a new journey, a new adventure, and not knowing who you are going on that journey can be nerve-wracking, but he has already shown you that he can be kind."
"Yes." Persephone could tell that that girl was not convinced.
At the far end of the room, Persephone saw the white and yellow Narcissus flowers that had been planted for her husband. They gave her an idea. Persephone left the girl on the bench and moved gracefully across the large hall to the flowers at the far end. She plucked the tallest flower and the whole plant bowed to her. Persephone brought it back to the girl and held it out for her to see.
"What is this, Highness?"
"Just watch." Persephone gripped the flower between her thumb and forefinger. The flower began to glow brightly and turned to gold before the girl's eyes. She gasped and looked back at Persephone. "Keep this flower," Persephone told her. "It will never die, and it will never wilt."
The girl took the flower from Persephone and held it to her heart.
"This is my blessing to you. May you have a long, happy, fruitful marriage."
"Thank you, great goddess!" The girl fell on her knees and kissed Persephone's skirt. Persephone touched the girl's shoulder again.
"There is one condition to this blessing however."
The girl looked up confused.
Persephone smiled. "You must take the time to get to know one another. No marriage will succeed if you do not learn from each other."
"Of course, Highness. Thank you! Thank you!"
"You are very welcome. Now, it is time you return to your family. Remember to keep the flower close to you. Take care of it, and you shall have a prosperous marriage."
The girl kissed Persephone's skirt one last time and raced out of the Nekromanteion. Persephone leaned back and smiled up at the painted face of her husband feeling pleased with herself. For her first time answering a prayer, Persephone appeared to have given the answer that her worshipper was looking for.
"A blessing, huh?"
Persephone jumped and huffed in frustration as her chuckling husband came around his statue. His steps echoed around the empty stone chamber until he joined her on the bench. He sat and wrapped his arm around Persephone's shoulder, bringing her in close and kissing her cheek.
"Yes," she answered. "Is that wrong?"
"Not at all. In fact, I believe that's what they came in here looking for. My, my, my," Hades looked up at the painted wall with her. "The Queen of the Underworld, wife the Lord of the Dead, has blessed a marriage." He clicked his tongue. "What will Hera think?"
"She did not pray to Hera," Persephone told him, swelling with pride. "Besides, I know exactly how she felt. I was just as frightened before I married you."
"Were you?" Hades looked at her quizzically.
Persephone nodded. "I hadn't really met you before you brought me to the Underworld, and before I got to know you the only perception I had of you was what my mother told me."
Hades grimaced. "Yes, I'm sure she painted such a charming picture of me."
Persephone rested her head against his shoulder. "I know the truth now, and I've never been as happy than I am with you." She kissed him. "Why not gift that same happiness to someone else?"
Hades nodded. "Not bad for your first prayer."
"Do mortals ever pray to you?" she asked him.
"Yes, but usually they ask for family members back, or they curse me for the death of their loved ones. Sometimes they leave offerings and beg me not to kill anyone they care about." He sighed and turned to her. "Do I look Thanatos to you? Or the Fates? I don't choose when people die, I just rule over their souls when they're dead. So, I stopped listening to many of the prayers and I only accept certain offerings."
"No need to be so crass about it, dear. I'm aware that you are not the one that decides when the mortals die."
"Forgive me, my love, for my tactlessness, but it does get tiring being blamed for the inevitable."
"I'm sure." She yawned, and Hades squeezed her shoulders once more. "Shall we go home? I'm ready to go back to bed."
"Of course." He took her arm and led her behind the statue to the glowing door. "Come, my queen. We shall celebrate the successful answer to your first prayer." Hades grabbed her bottom and kissed her neck.
"Hades!" she gasped in ecstasy and he scooped her into her arms and carried her over the threshold.