Persephone landed on top of Jack and she took that moment to smack him in the chest a few times, muttering angrily at him.
"Ow, ow! Stop!" he complained as she pummeled him.
She stood up indignantly and huffed in anger, glaring daggers at him.
She turned and froze. Everybody in the room seemed to be enjoying the display.
Jack groaned, hugging his chest as he got up. He picked up his staff and marched right past her, giving her a look.
She stood frozen but smiled brightly as a familiar face came into view.
"Oh Bunny!" she said happily and rushed forward to hug her dear friend.
"My favorite little sheila! Long time no see!" Bunny said, hugging her back.
Jack rolled his eyes and rubbed his chest. He was right; she did pack a wallop.
"Hi Persephone!" Tooth said, coming to greet her with a bright smile on her face.
"Tooth? It's been so long." Persephone said, excitedly as she hugged tooth as well.
Sandy came up and presented her a sand flower, blushing a little.
"Oh! Sandy it's so good to see you too!" Persephone said, taking the flower and kissing his cheek. He giggled and smiled at everyone.
"Is so good to meet you, Persephone!" North said, stepping forward, "I am North."
He picked her up into a big fierce hug and she squealed a little.
He put her down and she had to catch her balance, "Wow!" Persephone said in wonder as she looked up into his big blue eyes, "I'm so glad to finally meet you! Your eyes are…incredible!"
He smiled jovially and pointed to her while looking at Jack, "I like her!"
Jack rolled his eyes again and found a seat on a desk.
"I hope the ride was not too bumpy." North said to her, taking her closer to the fire.
"Well, it could have been a little less aggravating." She said, glaring again at Jack.
"Aw, don't mind that whacker, he can't help it sometimes." Bunny laughed, winking at Jack.
Jack glared at him and laid his head back against the wall to ignore all the small talk. And here he thought she was actually kind of cool. Yeah right!
He finally started to pay attention when she finally asked them what she was doing there.
North led her to the globe and she stared in wonder at all the lights.
"What are they?" she asked, breathlessly.
"Those are men, women, and children who make a difference in the world; the white lights are all the children who believe." North explained.
"Some of them are going out?" she asked, looking concerned, "Why?"
North looked sadly at her, "We are finding out it is Hades behind this."
Persephone froze and turned pale, looking fearfully at the globe.
"We think he's been messing with the balance of nature." Bunny commented.
Persephone balled her fists tightly and Jack joined the group in time to notice she was getting teary-eyed.
"He's been prolonging winter." She whispered, "It's been him this whole time."
"You know him?" Jack asked her.
She glanced at him and Jack could tell he'd touched a nerve, only it was fear in her eyes.
She nodded and looked at the globe.
"Know him?" Bunny scoffed, "Poor thing's been imprisoned by him for years during the fall and winter seasons."
Jack looked at her, "What do you mean?"
Persephone relaxed her stance and looked down sadly, but didn't say anything.
Bunny took over from there, offering a paw on her shoulder, "A long time ago, Persephone could work her magic year round, but then this dipstick comes along and sets his sights on her. Fancy's her, he says. But without her the world would have just been cold, miserable, and dark all year round."
"You see Jack," Tooth cut in, "he wanted her but couldn't have her all the time, so he made a binding contract with Mother Earth that she be with him during Fall and Winter, but she has to do her job every Spring and Fall."
"But once my time is up," Persephone said darkly, "I'm his prisoner."
Jack couldn't believe it. No wonder the girl was so tightly wound; she only had so much time for freedom before she was locked up again. He couldn't imagine not being able to be free.
"Didn't you try to escape?" he asked her.
She smirked and huffed, shaking her head and looking at him sadly, "I've tried, but my contract is binding and he always finds me."
She looked down and Jack noticed white patterned marks around her ankles, like some kind of magical chain.
"But there is a way for you to be free now, Persephone!" Frost said as a yeti came over and handed him a book.
"Stop!" Persephone said, "I know what you're about to suggest, but I can't be a Guardian."
"You can be, and this can help you." North said.
"How?" she asked, and then pointed at her ankle, "This is binding and under no circumstances will it ever change, Guardian or not. The only way this goes away is if he or I die and you can't exactly kill death."
Frost sighed, "Look, I know it is a lot to process, but think about it. I am sure there is a way to help you." "We'll all help you, Persephone." Tooth said, smiling.
"Why?" she asked, looking helpless and Jack actually started feeling guilty for being so rude earlier.
"Because the Man in the Moon and Mother Nature believe in you. And so do we." Bunny said.
She smiled at him and sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear, "I don't know how I would even be able to help you all or what's expected of me."
"Then ask them." North said and moved aside as he led her to the lights on the floor from the moon and sun.
She walked over, straight into the light and looked up at them, first at the Man in the Moon, then at Mother Nature.
She took a few breaths and tried to ignore everyone staring at her.
"Mother…" she started, "I…I don't know what you want from me…but is it true? Am I supposed to be a Guardian?"
She waited a few moments and Jack understood her frustration at not being answered.
"Mother." She cried tearfully, "If this is what you want, I will do it, but please…give me a sign, I have to know that there's hope for me…for everyone."
She sank to her knees and closed her eyes. She seemed to be thinking to herself for some time as they all watched her, waiting.
Suddenly, her eyes closed and she started panting and crying, "NO! OH NO!" Her hands flew to her ears and she shook her head violently.
She gasped and opened her eyes, crawling backwards on the floor, panting.
She breathed heavily, her hand on her chest.
"What is it?" North said, coming to her.
Bunny aided him in helping her sit up while Tooth took her other hand, "Persephone…what did you see?"
She shook her head and bit her lip, "It was horrible…the whole world, everyone, everything…they were dead. All dead."
They all gave each other grave looks.
"And I saw him…" she said angrily, wiping the tears from her eyes, "He was actually proud of himself. There was no more sun, no more moon, no more…anything…"
"What do you mean? There had to have been a moon and a sun." Jack said.
She shook her head darkly, "He's finding a way…he's been planning this for a long time. I was just the first step in getting what he wants. With me gone…" she sighed, "All this time and I never saw it."
"You couldn't have known, love." Bunny said.
"But I should have!" she cried, "I was chained in that place, in the dark and cold. I would see things…hear awful things…but I never thought that as each year passed in that terrible place, things were getting worse down there and up here."
She took a breath and finally sat up straight, wiping her eyes, and looked up at the sun and nodded, "I'll do it. I'll become a Guardian…my mother expects me to…it's my destiny."
North smiled, "And I promise that we will all help you find a way to break this bond to Hades and we will stop him. It is our purpose to unite both Guardians and Destinies to save the world."
Persephone smiled up at him and nodded, "I love this world, and I'll do anything I can to save it."
"We'll be there with you to fight the whole way." Bunny added, helping her up.
"Absolutely, now you're one of us and we stick together." Tooth added.
Sandy made the sign of a sword and shield and heart.
North nodded proudly.
Jack stepped in and smiled, "You're not alone now. And we won't let anything happen to you."
Persephone smiled at him, "I'm ready to fight back."
…..
"It's weird, this Guardian business." Persephone commented to Jack as they explored North's busy workshop.
"How's it weird?" Jack laughed, his staff over his shoulder as he lazily walked next to her, nodding at all the different yetis.
"Well, I took the oath and all that, but I don't feel any different." She shrugged, "Does anything change when you become a Guardian?"
He shrugged, "I guess once you get believed in it feels pretty great, but, nah, nothing changes."
She nodded, "Well, considering I'm not believed in I guess I can't expect much."
"Hey." He turned towards her, "Don't say that. I wasn't believed in for hundreds of years and then one night a kid believed in me and from there…" he smiled remembering that night and how amazing he felt to be believed in.
"I wouldn't know what to do with that." She laughed a little, "I mean, I love doing what I do, but to have an audience is kind of…strange I guess."
"You do pretty good work." Jack commented.
She smiled at him, "You do too, Jack."
"Really?" he smiled.
She nodded, "Frost is beautiful in the winter time and sometimes I enjoy seeing it on my flowers. They shimmer."
He felt pretty good about himself and smiled.
"But don't get any ideas that you can do that all the time." She warned.
He put his hands up and laughed, "I'll try not to."
She seemed fine with that and stared in awe at North's workshop, "I've never seen anything like this." She gasped.
"It's pretty cool, huh?" Jack said.
"Do you get to stay here during the spring and winter?" she asked him.
"Sometimes. Mostly I just find a snowy place and hang out." He shrugged.
She giggled as a toy whizzed by them, causing them to duck.
"Seriously Tim?" Jack said to a yeti.
The yeti was jabbering to them dramatically and Jack guided Persephone away from all the chaos. He didn't want her to feel too intimidated by all this craziness.
"Oh!" she gasped and rubbed her arm where he'd touched her.
"Sorry." He said, looking guilty.
She smiled, "It's okay, just startled me was all."
He finally found a door leading to the outside. It looked incredible and he was itching to go do something.
Persephone looked outside in an almost foreboding way. But at the same time, he could see she was curious and itching to explore as much as he was.
He thought a minute, "Wait here." He said.
A few minutes later he returned with some brown Ugg boots and a purple cloak, "Here, I had a yeti in the clothing department whip this up quickly."
She put the things on and smiled at him, "Thanks!"
"Care to see my world?" Jack asked opening the door.
She giggled shyly, "Well, I won't lie, I've never explored snow."
Jack was flabbergasted at that. He was remedying that quickly, "Well get out here."
She walked outside and stared in awe at the mountains and snow, "Wow…now that is a masterpiece." She commented.
"I don't know, sometimes I think snow could use some color." He said, whipping up a snowball and tossing it in the air and catching it.
She seemed to think about his comment for a minute but then saw what he was doing, "What is that?" she asked him.
"Oh this?" he said, "Snowball, you wanna toss it?"
"Do I wanna what?" she laughed.
"Here." He said, tossing her the snowball. She caught it tentatively and giggled.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"I'll show you." He said.
She watched as he packed the snow and rolled it into a ball.
Persephone smiled, "That's amaz-"
Jack laughed as he threw the snowball and it hit her in the chest.
She stared in shock at him and then narrowed her eyes, smiling slowly, "So that's why they call it a snowball fight."
He grinned and braced for her retaliation. Only she looked at the ball in her hands and Jack was stunned speechless and it suddenly turned into a blue snowball. She grinned wickedly and threw it at him, right in the face.
She laughed, clutching her stomach and Jack was able to smear off some of the color on his now blue face.
"How did you…" he stared at her.
She wiped the tears from her eyes, "You match your sweater!" she laughed.
He grinned, "Oh ha-ha!"
She grinned back and seemed to wait in apprehensive excitement.
He quickly whipped up a bunch of snowballs and raised his eyebrows.
She looked at them and tapped her foot.
Jack couldn't believe his eyes as each snowball turned a different color.
"Now, this is fun." She said, picking up a bright red one.
"I think I found your center." Jack laughed and grabbed the nearest green one before she could throw hers at him.
By the end of their snowball fight, she was looking winded, he looked like he'd been tie-dyed, and neither could remember ever having more fun in their lives.
He found a spot near a cliff side and both sat down to watch the sun begin hiding in the mountains.
She smiled as it disappeared, "You know I haven't heard my mother's voice in so long."
"It's been a while for me too." He admitted.
"Hey Jack?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Earlier, when we were playing with the snowballs…you said something about my center. What does that mean?" she asked him.
He looked at her and smiled. He quickly told her about what North had taught him years before and how he had found his center.
She smiled and nodded, "That is true. At the heart of what I do lies creativity and color. I love art. I always have."
"You mean when you were human too?" he asked.
She nodded, looking sad, "But it was never appreciated until now."
He nodded, looking up at the moon in the sky. He smiled at it, feeling as though his life did hold a purpose and he was grateful for that.
They sat in silence for a while.
"Jack…" she said.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
He smiled feeling extremely good about himself.
"JACK! PERSEPHONE!" Tooth called, rushing to them.
They both got up. And she stopped to stare at them.
"Oh my goodness, what happened to you two?"
They both grinned guiltily.
She sighed, but then turned serious, "We have trouble, you have to come quickly."
They nodded and Jack was about to fly with Tooth, but realized Persephone couldn't fly.
"Need a lift?" he asked.
"Seriously? After last time?" she said, raising her eyebrows.
He shrugged and held out his hand, "Come on, slowpoke."
She rolled her eyes and took his hand. He held her waist again.
"Hang tight!" he told her and she screamed as she was lifted into the air.
"Cool view, huh?" he asked her.
She looked away from his face quickly.
They finally landed and she glared at him playfully, "You do realize you were going extremely slow, right?"
He nodded, "I didn't want you to throw up or something."
She huffed, "I would never." She walked towards the door and then turned around quickly, "But for the record, you fly slower than I walk. And you look like a barf bag anyways."
…..
Thanks for the reviews so far you guys!