A Confession in a Coffee Shop

It was dead. By that, Persephone meant there were next to no customers in the coffee shop as of that moment. There was something about Wednesdays that made people go out instead of in.

"Gods, where on Olympus is everyone?" Arachne whined, leaning back against the counter as she sipped at her four-shot coconut latte. "We haven't had anyone in the last half hour. It's dull."

"Probably because it's Psyche's day off," Persephone replied as she checked the terminal reports on the till for that day. Only a couple of hundred in a few hours. Yikes. "You know she attracts customers like flies."

"I wish I attracted customers like flies," Arachne lamented. "I'm starting to feel like I should have put five shots in this latte. I might need another drink soon."

Persephone examined the empty shop in front of her, sighed, then fished the milk out of the fridge below the counter and went to make herself a hot chocolate. Cassandra, their boss, didn't mind the girls helping themselves to free drinks, as long as they made them when there was no queue. Arachne, being lactose intolerant, would alternate between coconut and almond milk lattes, whilst Persephone usually opted for a hot chocolate, with or without cream depending on her mood. Whenever Psyche was in, she would have a milkshake, sometimes experimenting with the different syrups to create unusual tastes. Cassandra would simply have a green tea.

"What I'd do to be at home doing some crochet right now," Arachne muttered. "You know, I bet I'm better than even Athena."

"Don't say that aloud, lest a god hear you," Persephone teased as she leant back against the counter, next to Arachne.

"As if a god is going to hear me!"

Persephone simply gave Arachne a secret smile. Of course, at the coffee shop she was only Peri. No one knew she was a goddess.

Though her smile slipped when she silently reminded herself the girls at the shop were her only friends. Her chest tightened whenever she thought about how she was lying to them about who she truly was. But, if everyone knew she was a goddess, that would defy the reasoning she snuck out from home to work in a small mortal establishment. One day, maybe she'd tell them. Besides, Arachne notoriously hated the gods. Thought they were useless and mostly cruel.

She did have a decent point.

As Persephone stirred her hot chocolate to make sure the flavour had mixed in right, Arachne squeaked and nudged her in the side.

"Peri!" she whispered. "It's him!"

Persephone had been too engrossed in her own thoughts to even detect the presence of another god in the coffee shop. Her head shot up in alarm, but when she saw who it was, she gave him a warm smile.

Hades smiled back at her as he stepped through the door, having left Cerebus outside. It was such a sincere smile, even if it was awkward, as if he was still trying to learn what a smile actually was.

Persephone danced up to the till as Hades pulled out his wallet. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, since you are next available next week, I thought I would come and see you here instead," Hades replied as he handed her a few coins. "Luxury hot chocolate, please."

Persephone handed off the order to Arachne, who was staring with her jaw wide open. She then nudged Arachne gently towards the coffee machine, and Arachne nodded numbly as she fished out some milk from the fridge.

"Your eyes are more of a yellow today," Hades remarked as she turned her attention back to him. His eyes didn't change colours like hers did, but they were a brilliant shade of royal purple. Green had always been her favourite colour, but purple had slowly been creeping up to a close second.

She also noted he'd taken better care of his appearance now than he had when she'd first met him that fateful day. His hair - long and white and rather conspicuous for a man that had an appearance as young as he did - had been brushed for once. There were no tangled in the end, and it didn't look as limp as when she had first met him. Just looking at the difference made her smile.

"My eyes do that when it's cold," she replied wistfully, watching as he slid his wallet back into his coat pocket. "And it's quite chilly today."

"Yes, I noticed you were wearing a cardigan."

Persephone peered down at the black, hand knitted cardigan she wore. "Oh, yes. Arachne has an amazing skill for knitting and making clothes."

"And crochet," Arachne muttered as she finished steaming the milk for Hades' hot chocolate.

"She made everyone who works here a cardigan to wear in case it gets cold," Persephone added, waving a hand at Arachne, who was wearing a similar cardigan, only a little smaller.

"You have superb skills," Hades told her.

Arachne merely wrinkled her nose as she finished up on his hot chocolate and headed it over. "Better than Athena."

"Don't let Athena hear you say that," Hades replied as he took the hot chocolate. "Is it just you two in today?"

"Cassandra - our boss - is out the back on a break, but besides her it's only the two of us in today," Persephone replied. "And you, I suppose. Just us four."

Hades nodded as he looked around the empty shop, and then his gaze drifted to the shop's logo on the cups sat on the edge of the counter. "Cassie's Coffee. Sounds appropriate."

"You know each other?" Arachne questioned, her eyes narrowed at Hades.

Hades frowned back, of course not knowing anything about her distaste for the gods. "Yes, I met her here."

Arachne turned her displeased expression to Persephone, who shrugged in response.

"You don't have to feel obligated to come and see me," Persephone said as she leant against the counter. Arachne groaned and idled away to go do anything else but watch the two of them. Not that there was currently much to do, but she would certainly find something.

"So, how's… work?" Persephone asked, careful of her choice of words.

This didn't pass by Hades, who replied, "A certain... boat fanatic keeps asking for a pay raise, even though I gave him one last week. Things keep being sent to the wrong... places, and I've had to have a word with a certain judge about keeping things in line, and he responded by complaining about the heat. It is quite difficult to provide suitable air conditioning where I work, as you surely know."

"So, nothing out of the ordinary," Persephone teased, reaching forward to catch one of the marshmallows as it fell from his drink. "And how's a certain bubble gum chewing secretary?"

"You mean besides always on her phone? Always insistent on knowing everything about my-"

He paused and frowned. Persephone cocked her head to the side as she asked, "Your what?"

"My love life," he mumbled as he looked away, his cheeks reddening.

From behind Persephone, Arachne knocked over several jugs. She swore as they clattered to the floor and grumbled as she picked them up.

"Your love life?" Persephone questioned, glad he was looking away since it meant she didn't have to worry about doing so.

"It is nothing. You need not worry about it," he replied, taking a deep breath as he turned back to look at her. "I hope you don't mind that I came to visit you here."

"I'm honoured, really," she replied, tucking a loose hair back behind her ear.

"Nonsense, you really don't need to feel so honoured about me. I've already told you I'm nothing special. I'm the… least favourite out of all my… co-workers, as you surely know."

"Well, you're my favourite," Persephone replied, and it was only when she had said the words aloud she realised how awfully cheesy and far too direct they had been. She held her breath in hopes it would stop her face burn red, but her cheeks still felt hot regardless.

The blush on his cheeks still hadn't faded as he mumbled, "Well, I suppose you are my favourite too. Just make sure a certain bubble gum chewing secretary doesn't hear you say that."

"I won't," Persephone replied, giving him her brightest smile. She found it wasn't hard at all, even with all the fluttering her heart was doing. "Now, come on. Your hot chocolate it going to get cold, and someone looks a little lonely outside."

The two turned to see Cerberus sitting patiently by one of the outside tables, though still throwing them a sulky look through the window. Hades reluctantly bid Persephone farewell and went to sit outside and keep Cerberus company.

As soon as Hades had left, Arachne stomped up to Persephone and demanded, "Since when were you friends with a god?"

"I never said he was a god."

Arachne pointed an accusing finger at Cerberus. "He has a three-headed dog! Are you trying to tell me he's not one? Plus, he came in here a while ago. We all know that's Hades."

"Well, when you put it like that," Persephone mumbled.

"I'm starting to think I should have put five shots in this latte," Arachne grumbled. "Since when were you friends with Hades? You realise he's the God of the Underworld, right?"

"He's not evil, if that's what you're implying," Persephone butted in before Arachne could continue to object. "He's actually very sweet."

"Who's very sweet?" another voice asked, and the two baristas looked up to see that their boss, the weary eyed Cassandra, had returned from her break. Cassandra was known for dressing entirely in black, with the only splash of colour being her glasses and her earrings. They alternated colours, but always matched, and today they were bright red.

"Him," Arachne huffed, pointing to Hades sat outside.

"Oh, Hades," Cassandra said, speaking in her monotone way as she usually did. Arachne gave Persephone a pointed look as if to say it really was obvious if Cassandra knew who he was.

"Peri thinks Hades, God of the Underworld, is sweet," Arachne then accused.

"He is, though," Persephone insisted. "You haven't had a chance to talk to him properly. He's rather understanding once you get to know him."

"Rather understanding?" Arachne cried. "You realise he's a god, right? They're all terrible, every one of them. Even the nice ones."

"You're just stereotyping," Persephone complained as she turned her gaze back to Hades, currently checking something on his phone. Most likely a dozen texts from Hecate.

"Do you like him?" Cassandra asked. Persephone's head whipped around, her cheeks bright red, and Cassandra added, "Do you?"

"Oh, come on, have you seen the way she's been looking at him?" Arachne asked.

"Well, he's just, I guess, maybe?" Persephone stammered, and with a loud groan, Arachne downed the rest of her latte. "I mean, I haven't known him for too long. He's just, cute, I guess."

"He looks like a living corpse, but whatever floats your boat," Arachne muttered.

"What are you going to do about it?" Cassandra inquired as she pulled out some paperwork from beneath the till, deciding she might as well do something to keep herself busy. "He is a god, and they can be dangerous."

"Yes, I know," Persephone muttered. Of course, she was only mortal here.

"If you want to tell him, then you should be careful about it," Cassandra continued as she flicked through her paperwork. "Don't be so upfront."

"Nonsense, don't listen to Cassandra. Her advice sucks," Arachne insisted, and Cassandra sighed. "I say march up to him and show him who's boss."

"You want me to tell him I like him?" Persephone asked. "I thought you disapproved of me knowing a god."

"I do!" Arachne cried, and she went to take another sip of her latte, only to remember she had finished it a few seconds ago. With a scowl, she said, "Us mortals still gotta show them gods who's boss, though."

"If you want, you can go on your break now," Cassandra told Persephone. "Go outside and speak to him. Your hot chocolate is getting cold anyway."

Persephone nodded, and before Arachne could make another complaint, she grabbed her hot chocolate and ran outside to meet Hades.

"Is something wrong?" he asked when she plonked down in the seat in front of him. "You are not smiling like you usually are."

"Arachne disapproves that I'm friends with a god," Persephone explained as she leant back in her chair. Now she was sat down, she didn't want to get back up.

"I assure you, I chose my words carefully so they would not figure out," Hades replied, frowning back at her. She pointed down at Cerberus. He looked down at Cerberus too. The three headed dog barked, and Hades' mouth opened in a small 'o'. "Yes... That's a good point."

"Arachne hates gods," Persephone muttered. "Thinks they're all arrogant."

"She does not know you are one too, does she?" Hades asked, his gaze focussed on her name badge. "They think you are a mortal."

"I hate it," Persephone moped as she leant forward on her elbows. "The girls here, they're my only friends. Besides you now, and Hecate too."

"She would be displeased if you had forgotten her," Hades remarked. "But, what is wrong with having a little amount of friends? Hecate always tells me it is quality over quantity."

"It's not that, it's the fact I'm lying to them," Persephone explained. "I feel... I feel terrible. I want to tell them the truth."

"But you think that is a bad idea seeing as Arachne does not approve of gods?" Hades asked as he swapped his hot chocolate with hers. She frowned and asked what the purpose of that was, and he simply said, "You look like you need a luxury hot chocolate more than me."

"Thank you," she whispered, and she paused so she could take a sip, licking up the cream and marshmallows. "But, yes, I am scared about what Arachne will think, but they deserve to know. I can't keep lying to them. If worst comes to worst, I'll have to quit my job here. It's not as if I need the money anyway."

"You are always welcome in the Underworld if the worst does come to the worst," Hades told her, and he leant forward and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Still, you should have faith in your friends."

"I do, but it doesn't make the whole ordeal any less terrifying," Persephone replied as she reached up to touch her ear. From her hair, she pulled a black flower that Hades had left there.

"I... I was practising some new tricks in my spare time," he muttered, glancing away from her. "I apologise that it is not very good. Black is not a very happy colour."

"No, I love it," she said, and she finally smiled at him as she put it back behind her ear. She then leant across the table so she could create a brighter flower for him to wear.

"Anyway, I was thinking about what to do on your next day off," he said as she picked up the luxury hot chocolate to take another sip. She nodded to show she was listening, and so he continued with, "I have heard there is an excellent dog park close by, so I was thinking about taking Cerberus for a walk. Would you like to come too?"

"I would love to come," she replied as she put down her hot chocolate, only to frown when she saw he was frowning at her. He reached over and wiped his thumb across her lips to remove some cream, then sat back and looked satisfied she no longer had a creamy white moustache. She stared at him, her cheeks blazing scarlet, and it suddenly occurred to him what he had done and his cheeks also burned scarlet and the pair looked away from each other.

Persephone spent the rest of her break with him, telling him bits and pieces about the girls she worked with, though careful to avoid any personal information. After she had wrapped up with the story about how Cassandra had to wrestle a seagull out the shop one time, Hades told her the latest gossip from the Underworld, or as much as he could when nothing all that interesting happened. Eventually, he had a call from Hecate, and so Persephone bid him farewell as she slipped back inside.

"So, how'd it go?" Arachne asked, another latte in her hands.

"I thought you weren't interested in gods," Persephone replied, disappearing behind the back of house to put the empty mug of hot chocolate in the wash. When she reappeared and found the other two staring expectantly at her, she said, "We talked about other matters entirely."

Cassandra gave a short sigh, and Arachne gave a drawn out one. "Are you kidding me? I told you to show him who's boss!"

"We were talking about more important matters, thank you," Persephone replied. "Look, there's something I need to tell you all. Someone needs to call a Psyche because she can't miss out. Tell her to bring whiskey and wine because a five shot latte isn't going to be enough?"

"That serious?" Cassandra asked.

"That serious," Persephone replied.

A/N:

I was supposed to post this a while ago, but I somehow deleted the whole chapter and had to rewrite it, sorry! Anyway, Persephone finally gets a POV, we get to know about some of the people she works with. Yes, it really is that Cassandra and that Arachne, and that Psyche you (hopefully) all know and love will turn up next chapter, so stay tuned! In probably, like, a month >.

~Kate