"Kore! Kore, my baby, where are you?" Her mother's sheiks were loud enough to cause the birds to flee from the tree tops.

She watched them flap away wishing one would come back for her and take her away too. She'd never been outside the garden in her five years of existence, always in her mother's line of sight.

"Kore answer me!" Her mother's cries were more frantic now.

Persephone rolled her eyes, but climbed out of her hiding place in a hollow tree, knowing her mother would find it sooner or later. She walked slowing to where her mother's voice was coming from, like a criminal walking to the gallows.

"I'm here mother," she said in a quiet voice, hoping her mother wouldn't hear her.

But her mother's sharp senses always seemed to home in on her. Demeter whirled around, her long white peplos whipping around her ankles.

"My little Kore!" She was soon engulfed in her mother's arms where she was squeezed like a lemon. "Don't ever do that to me again, you are always to stay in my sight Kore," she told her five year old daughter, pulling away just enough to look her in the eye. "Anything could have happened to you!" she wailed again, bringing Persephone back into a bone crushing hug.

Persephone sighed, "What could possibly happen in our own garden mother?" Her voice was muffled by the fabric of her mother's gown, but Demeter still heard her, she heard every word Persephone had ever uttered.

"You could have fallen and gotten hurt, what would you have done then Kore? You're too young to go out on your own!"

Persephone perked up at this, "So you're saying when I'm older I can go out on my own?" Her jade eyes sparked with excitement at the prospect of going out, as in outside the garden.

Demeter sighed. "Don't start putting words into my mouth Kore, you shall always need your mother," she tutted at her, stroking Persephone's soft red hair back from her face. "Now come along, it's time for your bath and then bed." She finally let go, but never removed her hand from Persephone's shoulder, guiding her towards their small cottage.

"But mother, its not even sunset yet!"

"Just because Apollo's sun hasn't gone to bed yet doesn't mean you can't, besides there are too many things the hide in the darkness. You are meant for the light Kore, which is where you shall always be." Her mother's voice carried finality, and Persephone knew not to argue, but that didn't stop her from being curious. What things were out there in the darkness?


Hades faded closer to the shadows as Demeter whizzed by, pulling a protesting five year old along behind her by the wrist, the same wrist that held her gold and ruby bracelet.

Hades sighed, of course his little Persephone would cause a fuss, and every waking moment all she would do was hatch plans to get away from her overbearing mother.

He'd come to the garden when he could, watching over her and making sure in her quest for freedom she wouldn't hurt herself, using his helm of invisibility to be undetected by all the nymphs that roamed through the trees.

Now that he knew his Persephone was safe in her small cottage with her mother guarding her he had to get back to the souls. He sighed again; it got rather tiresome judging souls all day.


Persephone squirmed as her mother undressed her for her bath, "Mother, I can do all this myself," she whined, pulling away from Demeter.

Demeter huffed and crossed her arms, "No you can't Kore. What if you have your bath too hot and scold yourself? Or you could slip, or you could get tangled in your peplos and choke yourself." Persephone rolled her eyes, her mother always was one to over exaggerate.

Demeter uncrossed her arms and continued to undress a struggling Persephone, when she finally got the garment off her daughter she checked the bath water again for the nth time making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold.

Persephone was about to climb into the bath on her own until her mother gasped, "What on earth do you think you're doing child?" She lifted Persephone under her arms and dangled her over the bath before settling her in gently. "What if you had slipped and hurt yourself?" she chided, wagging her finger.

Persephone shrugged her small shoulders, tracing patterns in the scented water that was only waist deep sitting down, her mother couldn't let her drown now could she?

"You are a silly girl," Demeter told her, stroking her daughter's shoulder length red hair that was a shade lighter than hers. She filled a clay jug with lukewarm water, "Close your eyes baby, we can't have the water stinging your eyes." Persephone complied, not that it mattered if she did or not as her mother already put a hand over her eyes anyway before tipping the jug over Persephone's head.

She used a cloth to wash her daughter's skin, saying that a sponge was too rough for her delicate skin, before lifting her out of the bath and patting her dry, claiming that rubbing would cause her sweet little Kore's skin to blotch red.

Persephone happily got into her bed after her mother helped her dress in her night clothes, despite her protests that she could get dressed just fine by herself, knowing that her mother would finally leave her alone.

"Here is your cup of water baby," she said placing it on the table by her bedside, "I'm right in the next room, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything my baby," Persephone nodded, her mother said this every night. "Sweet dreams my sweet little Kore." Demeter kissed her daughter one last time on the cheek before making her way out of the room, leaving the door ajar.

Persephone let out a sigh of relief and flopped back onto her bed. She loved her mother, truly she did- but freedom would be nice once in a while. She wasn't tired at all, but she waited until she knew her mother would be asleep before stepping a foot out of her bed.

A few hours later, after she pretended to be asleep when her mother checked on her, she heard the telltale rustle of bed sheets in the next room followed by the snores of her mother.

She slipped carefully out of her bed, pulling the pot of soil from her windowsill. Her mother wouldn't let her try to use her powers, saying that she would overexert herself but Persephone knew she could do it!

So she sat on the floor, concentrating very hard on the soil in front of her, trying to imitate what her mother usually did to get plants to grow. She had no idea what she was to do really, her mother have never told her how she got plants to grow, she tried again and again, but always ended in the same result- nothing.

Hades had been watching the young goddess try to use her powers and it amused him to watch her, with her tongue sticking out of her mouth and brows furled in concentration. It wasn't so amusing when her bottom lip quivered and tears started to fall from her jade eyes and trickled down her rosy cheeks. He felt a sharp pain from the depth of his cold heart at the sight and before he could stop himself, found that he was materializing from the dark corner of her room, taking off his invisible helmet, leaving him in plain sight.

Persephone didn't notice as she continued to weep, could she get nothing right?

"Why are you crying Persephone?" His voice carried in a soft whisper around the small room, causing a gasp to escape from her lips as she whirled around to the source of the melodic deep voice.

Stood in the corner of the room was a tall man, dressed in black with shoulder length ebony hair and dark grey eyes that seemed to see through her to her very soul. She was only young but even she could feel the power radiating from him in waves, "Who are you?" she found herself asking in a quiet voice, wiping the sticky tears from her cheeks.

"I am Hades, the King of the Underworld. I ask again, why are you crying little Persephone?" His tone was not unkind, and he walked leisurely over to where she still sat on the floor.

"Oh, I was just trying to make it grow," she whispered, feeling foolish at having cried. "Why are you here Hades, and how do you know me?"

The only man she'd ever come into contact with was her father Zeus when he sometimes made the effort to visit her on earth since her mother forbid her from venturing to Mount Olympus.

"I have known you for many years now little goddess, I am here because I have come to visit you," he told her, his voice patient as he answered her question.

Seeing that he was not getting frustrated with her inquisitiveness she continued, "Why have you come to visit me Hades?"

He liked that she said his name without a trace of fear, nor did she hesitate to look upon him, her eyes only giving way to curiosity. "I always come to visit you, you just never see me," he told her truthfully.

"Why don't I?" She'd long forgotten her failed attempts at getting a shoot in the brown soil and was enrapt in the Lord of the Underworld.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, something he rarely ever did, and crouched down to her level to answered her. "Your mother doesn't take kind to visitors as I'm sure you're aware, so how about we keep the meeting our little secret?" He told her playfully, putting a finger to his lips in a shushing motion.

She put her own finger to her lips, "Shh!"

"Now why don't we try this again," he nodded towards the plant pot.

Persephone shrugged, uninterested. "There's no point, I can't do it," she told him dejectedly.

Hades hated to look of defeat in her green eyes, and he downcast gaze- she was a stubborn little thing most of the time, with her chin high in the air- it should always be like that.

"Hey," he whispered, tilting her chin up when she didn't with his finger. "You can do anything if you believe you can little goddess, look I'll show you."

He took both her tiny hands in his large ones, turning the palms so they cupped around the pot without touching it. "Now concentrate on what you want to do."

"Make a flower grow," came her small voice in reply. She always thought the King of the Underworld would have cold hands, but they were surprisingly warm.

"Good, now close your eyes. Search within yourself for your power, you have it- we all do," he told her so surely that she had to believe him and trust his words. She did as she said, visualizing her power and what she wanted it to do.

Her eyes were closed so she didn't see a small golden glow emit from the soil. She didn't see a green shoot wriggle its way would of the brown blanket and reach towards the ceiling, little leaves forming and a small pink bud take shape.

He smiled at her obliviousness to what she was doing.

She kept envisioning what she wanted her power to do, but felt nothing. With a sigh surrender she opened her eyes, staring right at the dark god. "It didn't work."

"Are you sure my flower?" he asked her coyly, tilting his head to the side in amusement.

She risked a glance down at the pot, and gasped at the beautiful pink lily that had sprouted, standing tall and proud in the centre of the clay pot. "I-I did it…" she muttered in disbelief, half expecting the flower to shrivel up and die.

"Yes you did," Hades agreed, pride evident in his voice. All he did was show her how and held her hands, he'd not helped her at all in doing that.

"I did it!" She squealed, and launched herself at the dark god, throwing her little arms around his neck, causing him to wrap his own arms around her back- supporting her weight against him. "Thank you Hades," she said more softly, tiredness taking over.

Hades' stunned body finally relaxed, and he settled her more comfortably into his embrace. She was the first being to ever give the god a hug and look upon him without fear- he loved her for it.

Persephone felt herself growing exhausted from the day and what she'd just done, and soon she couldn't keep her eyes open. Her body relaxed closer into Hades' warm body and she nuzzled her face deeper into Hades neck feeling almost protected by the soft veil that his ebony hair created around her as sleep took over.

He held her for just a few more seconds, taking in the sweet scent of her hair and felt her soft even breaths against his pale skin. The god stood up and he gently placed her into her bed, covering her with her pink sheets to ward off the cold. He placed a soft and lingering kiss to her forehead, "Good night my flower."


I didn't know how popular this story would be but wow! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter... if you could keep it up that'd be brilliant, I'm so glad that you all liked it!

I wasn't going to put this chapter up so soon, but you've all inspired me so much that I had to write, so here it is! I hope you all enjoyed and please drop a comment to let me know what you thought of it.

Do you think Hades is too sweet on her? A bit out of character? Or do you envision him like this with Persephone?

Am I making Demeter too much of a 'bad guy'? Should I let her lighten up? Or do you like her like this?

Do you think Persephone's cute? Would you like to see more little girl Persephone? Or maybe tweenage age Persephone (so like 10-12?) Or shall we go forward a few years to 18? All up to you!

Thank you again :) xx