Hades and Persephone
By: CrystallicSky
Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown, or any of the characters in it, nor do I own the myth of Hades and Persephone, but then, nobody owns that, do they? Hmm, interesting. O.o
Warning(s):All I can think for a warning this time is malexmale relationship, kind of forced marriage, and reference to a male as a wife. But, then, if you were looking for chack in particular, then I don't see why any of that should offend you, but if it does, complain to your heart's content, I probably deserve it for some reason or another.
Notes: Well, ever since I've started actively participating in chack fandom, I've seen a few stories based on fairy tales and myths, etc. Whether it be Silvarbelle's "Spicerella", SteelAgainstIvory's "The Juniper Tale", or even kanna2415's "Beauty and the Dragon", but regardless, my point is, that while reading these lovely fics, I was mildly surprised no one had written with, or at least thought of the Hades/Persephone premise, so I decided to take the initiative and write it myself! Hope you enjoy it!
:D
Jack groaned as awareness flooded back, a very slight vertigo still clinging to him. His head felt fuzzy, and for a full minute after waking, he was unable to produce a single thought. When the ability returned to the half-human, however, the first thing to cross his mind was, "...Where am I?" quickly trailed by, "What happened?"
His mind obviously working at a slower rate than usual, memories hadn't yet come back to him, and so Jack settled for simple cognition. He was in a bed, that much was almost immediately clear from the soft surface he was lying on. The sheets were silk, and his eyes belatedly informed his mind that they were of a deep red with the slightest hint of purple when the light hit it correctly. The light itself was rare, and so he couldn't tell much else of the room from his eyes, but the soft, fluffy pillow underneath him induced a fatigued lethargy in him that very nearly compelled Jack to simply snuggle further under the covers and go back to sleep.
And then memory struck him all at once, and the swiftness with which the drugged feeling left him was stunning. "Chase..."
"Ah, you're awake, I see." Well, speak of the devil, indeed!
Jack frowned, his red eyes glaring indignantly at the man before him. "Where am I?" he sharply demanded, "What's going on?" The youth's attempt to stand failed miserably as his muscles vehemently protested any motion with a faint, weak feeling, and the halfling groaned quietly before falling lifelessly back to the bed.
Chase laughed condescendingly, moving to the bedside and placing a strong hand on the other's forehead. "I don't believe that's a good idea so soon, Jack; the sedative is still in your system. It would seem the effect lingers a little longer on the living."
"Th-the living?!" the boy spoke, almost curious, but more frazzled and upset at this point. "Who do you usually kiss like that, the dead?!"
Jack struggled to get up again, only to be pushed back down by the other's hand to his chest. "No." came the firm reply, "The dead have never felt my kiss, but they have felt my venom; you have had the pleasure to receive both."
Realizing the complete seriousness in Chase's tone, Jack stopped, giving Chase a blank stare. "What?"
The man smirked proudly, declaring, "I am god of the Underworld."
A gasp escaped the youth's lips, and he backed away from the other as much as he was able in his limited position. "Y-you're...Hades?"
Chase nodded. "That is the name I am called by mortals, yes."
Jack's eyes were wide and frightful as he looked at the powerful god before him. "What do you want from me?" he practically squeaked out, throat tight with fear.
"Not your soul, if that's what you're wondering; despite what your mother's told you, that isn't my only enjoyment in life."
Jack was silent for a moment, utterly baffled. "So...what am I here for, then?"
"I have ruled this kingdom for centuries, Jack, and for centuries, it has been mine and mine alone." The half-god was even further confused, now; what did this have to do with anything? "As of late, however, I have begun to consider...other options," and at Jack's curious gaze, he clarified, "marriage. I have decided that the Underworld needs a queen, and I, a wife."
"That," Jack meekly interjected, "doesn't explain why I'm here."
"Oh, but it explains everything,"Chase insisted, "because you see, Jack, the wife I've chosen..." Golden eyes (with slitted pupils, the youth absently noted), locked with Jack's red ones as the god finished, "is you."
And for the second time since meeting Chase, Jack's heart stopped. "...Wife?" he forced out, wondering if the lightheadedness he was feeling meant he was going to faint.
Chase became gentler with the boy now, as if sensing his distress, and he pulled Jack onto his lap while stroking his hair. "Relax, dear one, this is not the end of the world. I'm offering you so much: my kingdom, my power, a place by my side; a new life, Jack."
Jack paused, allowing his mind to wander on that topic while his body lay near-useless against Chase. A new life? Could...could he really have that? Everything that this god was offering...could be his? Without any conseque-..."And what are you taking from me in this exchange then, if I agree to it?"
"Ah, so this is the root of all your doubt, is it? Well, you needn't worry about losing anything; all I want from you is your complete and utter devotion to me. If you say 'yes', all I will ever ask is for you to love and respect me. If you will do that, I will be your slave, and you will have anything that you could ever want, I promise you this." It wouldn't be long before the halfling's will crumbled under the temptation, and then he would be Chase's.
Jack felt his resolve waver once more, but he held tightly to his last shred of determination. "If...if I say 'yes'...what about mother? Will I at least be allowed to see her?"
The answer was immediate. "No."
"What?!" Jack exclaimed, shocked. "But-she's my mother! Why not?!"
"Your mother has done naught but pollute your mind with nonsense." Chase informed the youth in a blunt growl. "I refuse to allow you to further associate with her."
Something snapped in the half-god, and he tore himself away from the man holding him, finally finding the strength to stand on his own as he glared defiantly at the elder male. "You try to take me from my mother, my only family; I'd sooner die than marry you!"
Chase's expression darkened monumentally, and somewhere in medieval Asia, a farmer broke into a coughing fit, gasping as blood droplets littered his now-grey discolored hand. The god of death stood from the bed, fastening an iron grip around the pale halfling's arm. "Unless I am mistaken, before I took you from her care, you truly were contemplating suicide!" he roared, furious.
Jack cried out in pain as the hand on him tightened even more, flinching away from Chase in fear.
The god seemingly took no notice, shoving the boy roughly away from him and into the cold arms of a suddenly-apparated ghoulish servant. "Take him to the guest's chambers," he instructed, refusing to even spare a glance towards the scared and confused creature of whose fate he spoke so casually, "he is not to leave."
--
"Where is he, you miserable excuse for a man?!" Demeter screeched at Dashi, practically purple with rage. "Where is my Jack?!"
"I'm afraid," he answered in a delegating tone, "that I can't tell you that, Demeter."
"What do you mean, 'you can't tell me'?! I called you here, the King of the Gods, to help me find my son, and you can't even do that?! Some king who can't even keep track of his subjects!" Demeter was a kind, caring woman, but she was much alike in nature to a mother bird: beautiful and gentle, but if her chick was endangered, just as likely to peck your eyes out as look at you.
"Oh, no, that's not the issue; I'm perfectly aware of what has happened to 'your Jack', and I can assure you that he is safe."
A moment of quiet, almost certainly the calm before the storm...
"If you know where he is," Demeter began coolly, before screaming, enraged, "then why is he not by my side, now, Dashi?! Why is he still missing, damn you?!"
The man gave her a knowing smile, eyes glinting mischieviously as he answered, "Because I would rather not interrupt the honeymoon." A heavenly lightning bolt struck the earth and when the flash of light faded, the thunder god was gone.
Demeter was speechless...honeymoon...? Her precious Jack...married to some, some strange woman?! A worldess shriek of pure fury shattered the air.
A/N: ...Nothing to say, except Chase totally is the reason for the Black Plague. o-o
