Love from first sight

The day was bathing in golden sunlight and as usual Persephone and her friends the Oceanids were enjoying while they were chasing themselves in green grass which was covered with diamond dewdrops. This was bringing them such joy that they laughter could be heard miles away resounding under the blue skies like a fairy song which Zephyrus was carrying away to unknown lands.

He got down from his chariot and he left it hidden behind some big rocks which were rising up like they were the rulers of this wonderful meadow in the middle of the forest. The man took off his helmet – now he was visible for everyone. In principle he was his shyness and the feeling that he was hatred by everyone and everything and no one has actually understood him has made him hide behind this strange artifact which he really loved and he didn't like when it was far from it. He took of his sword, heavy armor, his rings and everything that could expose him as the king of the Underworld. Now he was able to go to the girl who was made him fell in love with her at the first sight when he saw her in his huge mirror at the throne room where he usually was watching what was going on the earth. He was so taken aback of the beauty of the daughter of Demeter that he forgot to make the daily register – a large book in which he was writing good and bad actions of people. This stopped the work of the three judges in the Underworld because they didn't know if the person before them is good or bad. Minos was furious at Hades and he told him that in his opinion Hades should go to the upper world and watch Persephone from there. Hades didn't punish Minos, because he didn't want his subjects to know why he couldn't cope with the work.

Hades approached the girls trying not to frighten them raising his hand for salute, smiling when he saw his Persephone. The Oceanids lost their tongues. You could read in their eyes "By Olympus, he is really handsome". Persephone kept cool but she liked Hades a lot, too.

"Who are you?" – Persephone asked

"I'm a traveler but I think I've lost my way. My name is Tereus. Can you tell me where I am?

Persephone laughed and the echo repeated her laughter long time:

"You are in Sicilia. I'm Persephone and these are my friends – the Oceanids."

Hades bowed before Persephone. Well, he was really good at playing a stranger.

"Maybe you've traveled a lot and you are tired. You can stay with us if you want to, if not for a couple of days, then at least for today. – She smiled and winked at him.

Hades couldn't image happier result and he couldn't refuse Persephone's offer, too. The god and the goddess sat on the grass and the nymphs gave them some fruits to eat (ambrosia was forbidden for "mortals") and after that they went to giggle where nobody could hear them.

"Mom will be furious if she finds out that I've talked to a mortal stranger. I just won't be able to imagine her face if I tell her that you've stayed for a couple of days.

"You mother must be proud of you. – He tried to say something even he wasn't talkative at all. You know, he lived in a place where it was strange to talk with someone. – She has really beautiful daughter. I can't imagine so much beauty that I can see before me, but it's normal … You are a goddess I … I … I'm a mortal (it was difficult for him to offend himself with such a lie!). You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

She smiled:

"Thank you, you are so kind!" – And after that she huddled Hades up in such way like she would do it with her mother, her father or her friends. Tereus (or Hades – as you wish) was kissed on the cheek.

It was such naïve burst, but it bring him such warmth and tenderness that he could feel how the ice around his heart was melting. He wasn't going to fight … actually he wanted to indulge in his temptation.

He came near her slowly and hugged her, and then she could feel that his arm was deathlike cold.

"Wow – she thought – those mortals become cool really quickly."

She thought the problem was in the setting sun which was colored the sky in different nuances of red, pink and orange, but these flames couldn't give the warmth which the radiant god Helios was giving at noon. He explained her that everything was okay and he was a little cooler than the other people by birth. Then he smiled foolishly and pulled her so she could feel his breath then. He ran his fingers over her cheek and then trough her shiny blonde curls which were falling down to her waist. Persephone folded Hades' neck in her little, but gentle arms. Hades was happy at last and he was thinking that he had some charm like his brothers and the problem was that he didn't know that until that moment. His patience was gone then, like he had never ever had it because obviously it was part of the ice around his lazy heart. Then Persephone had melted it and she took his ability to wait all eternity away. His lips wanted to touch hers and his heart was beating like drum waiting to leap together with hers. He touched her lips with his and if it was depending on him, he would continue doing that all eternity.

She stopped the kiss first. For Hades, It was like she cut off with sharp knife his huge wings. He plumped in the real world really painfully because he saw Persephone crying. Well, Hades was in reality again, so thoughts like: "I'm disgusting and clumsy, look what I have done with this wonderful girl!" weren't so unexpected.

He hugged her and told her with low and gentle voice (like never before!):

"Is everything okay?"

"Nothing is okay, stranger! – She sobbed – I didn't have to allow a man to touch me. Now I am dishonored! What will I tell mother?"

Hades was watching silly at Persephone. He knew she was the little, pampered Demeter's child but he was shocked when he realized that Persephone wasn't explained at what have to happen so she could name herself "dishonored". He had to explain her that she wouldn't be dishonored even if he kissed her 1000 times:

"Persephone, look … you have your honor even after our kiss. There are other things which women and men do to change that … anyway … I just wanted to tell you that there is nothing to cry for.

"Is that so even if I kiss you two times?" – She asked.

Hades laughed loudly, deep from his heart. He hasn't done in since the Titanomachy when Zeus had been spotty teenager who was in love with Hera, but she couldn't stand him.

"It's the same." – He winked.

She kneeled before him and covered his face with kisses. Hours became minutes and minutes became seconds. Before they went to bed, Hades tried to explain her who he really was but he understood that this might ruin their happy life. He had heard Persephone was afraid of him without a clear reason. He decided to play Tereus to make her love him for that he was. Then he would ask Zeus to give him her for his wife and then, only then Hades would tell her who he really was.

Hades kissed her when she finally fell asleep and went to his kingdom to finish some urgent work.

He couldn't do anything, because he wasn't able to concentrate on anything but Persephone. He spent the night in front of the mirror, because he wanted to look perfect the next day. That was something nobody has ever expected from him.

HR

The sun god came finally out of his golden palace and began his daily tour around the earth once again. He was making a present to everybody who lived on Earth – it was a huge reddish smile which was waking gods and people up. Hades hasn't been receiving his presents for a long time, but then he remembered that sweet caress which every men received, but not he – the god. It was really ironically. He was watching the first rays coming down but he didn't realize that they were more valuable than all his gold and diamonds at once.

Hades was melting at the sight of Persephone and he was waiting for her to wake up. He had brought her a present. They weren't diamonds or gold – things that could easily let him out but beautiful flowers, bloody roses, which Persephone really liked. "Her lips are like the roses which grow at the shores at Styx." – He thought – "They belong to her and she belongs to them." He could wait no longer he wanted to share his kingdom and wealth with her and to give her his heart. He put the roses down near her, because something or someone attracted his attention. He saw Thanatos, the god of death calling him. It was something really important because Thanatos was really troubled. Hades went to him and he wanted to break his head and to make him suffer all the pain in the world:

"What's so important, Thanatos? Are you full idiots? Can't you handle it for a day without me?"

"You can't understand, master! There is a war in all of Greece and hundreds of people are dying for minutes. There are 2000 new comers only for the morning and if you asked me I would tell you that the shores of Acheron look like a beach in the middle of the season! There is no space to breathe … the time when they wouldn't be able to go in will come very soon! They have to go to the court! We can't judge without you, you know …."

"Okay, maybe you are right and we have a lot of work to do. I will come with you." – He said with a pity.

He didn't want to wake Persephone up, he thought he would finish the work quickly and he would return to her before she had opened her eyes. "It's not so bad, Thanatos likes to exaggerate things."

But when he came down he understood that Thanatos was right and there was no exaggeration at all. There was a huge crowd at the shores of Acheron. The shades wanted to be judged and to rest in peace. Hades could hardly pass them through and the bad thing was Thanatos was bringing more and more. The king of the Underworld began his work despite he wanted to be at other place. Hades was a hard worker. That meant he had never ever judged somebody without care. He always wanted to find the truth and to be just in his estimates. He was terrified when he understood that the day was just over but his work was just begun. He wasn't going to finish it the same day or the day after that. In the Upper world, at Nyssea a heart was dying because it couldn't find its beloved one. Persephone couldn't sleep well at that night. She was really worried and this could be seen from her mother. Demeter wasn't able to understand actually why her daughter changed so much, because Persephone knew her mother wouldn't understand her. For the goddess of the harvest mortals were just wretches – they are at the Upper world that day, but at the next they are in some other place, you know … Days were elapsing with fastness and despite of Persephone's hopes Tereus didn't come to her. Her heart was worried no longer, it was broken then. She thought he had abandoned her without even saying "goodbye". Five years passed and for Persephone Tereus was just a memory – banished at the bottom of her thoughts where she had left him because she wanted to drown him, to forget him. For Tereus the memory of Persephone was still alive like everything happened the day before. He remembered every single second of what they had experienced together. At the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth the war in Greece was over and the work in the Underworld have been normalized. Hades had much more freetime and he was able to leave the work for that day for the next day. He could go and see Persephone at last but he knew that he couldn't come into her side like he had been away for a day. He was wondering if his beloved one has found somebody else to love and if she remembered him at all. To begin everything once again and to play mortal meant that he had to wait, but he hadn't patience to do that. It was time to take her away and to make her a queen of the Underworld. He decided to go to Zeus's palace the following night.