Demeter still had no idea where her daughter had disappeared to the night of the garden party, but she wasn't happy about it. Persephone had gotten into bed hours after her curfew and it was unacceptable. This was her main argument when Persephone asked to attend the Summer Solstice Ball on Mount Olympus.
"Absolutely not," she snapped. "If I can't trust you to behave at a party at our own home, why should I let you go to a ball on Olympus?"
Persephone had dreamed of going to the Summer Solstice Ball for as along as she could remember. Every year she watched her mother wear the most beautiful gowns she could imagine and head off to the most anticipated event of the year. At 18 she expected to be granted more freedom from her mother, but she unfortunately had been mistaken.
"I'm just doing what's best for you," Demeter said, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Remember that."
Persephone didn't see it that way, but she smiled and agreed, wanting to appease her mother. She excused herself from the table and said she wanted to go plant flowers in the field, the seemingly one thing Demeter allowed her to do nowadays. She was able to hold in her tears until she reached the lake. Hades' roses had wilted and left icy blue petals covering the clearing floor, but she ran right through them to the willow tree. She dove under the curtain, grateful for the privacy, sat against the tree and released her violent sobs. A few moments later she saw a silhouette approaching the willow curtain.
"Mother please just – " she stopped when she saw none other than Hades parting the leaves and peering in on her, concerned.
"May I join you?" he asked. She stared at him silently, a few tears still streaming down her cheeks. He walked over to her slowly and sat next to her, giving her more distance than last time. He hardly knew her, but it still broke his heart to see her like this. "Would it be out of line for me to ask what's wrong?"
Persephone was unbelievably embarrassed. Hades looked devastatingly handsome, as usual, and here she was crying her eyes out. He stared into her wet eyes, willing her to understand that he wanted nothing more than to help her. She did her best to compose herself before replying.
"It's nothing; I'm just being stupid," she saw Hades shaking his head. "No really, I'm being childish. It's just the Summer Solstice Ball. My mother says I can't go."
"Because of the garden party? It's my fault then; I'm the one who stole you away," he wiped a tear off her cheek, letting his hand linger there for a moment. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said, feeling strangely comforted by his touch. "And if I remember correctly, I'm the one who led you away."
He laughed, glad that she seemed to be feeling better. Still, he felt guilty that she wouldn't be able to attend the ball. He imagined how beautiful she would look in a ball gown in jewels; none of the other goddesses would even compare to her.
"I have a proposal for you, Persephone," Hades said, grinning. "Sneak away from your mother and have one night of freedom. Do me the enormous honor of accompanying me to the ball tonight." Persephone stared at him, unsure. "I want to assure you that you're free to refuse."
The problem was that she really wasn't. His crooked grin and the way his eyes shown down at her gave her no choice. He was too smooth and persuasive for his own good. Persephone looked down and saw her hair ribbon tied around his wrist. That sealed it for her.
"Yes."
Hades paced back and forth by the lake, anxiously awaiting Persephone's arrival. What if she had changed her mind? Did he scare her again? He stared down at his reflection, wondering what she thought of him. He materialized a single blue rose in his hand, identical to the ones he'd made for her before. And then she appeared, and he felt as if time stopped.
Persephone didn't exactly have ornate ball gowns lying around, so she had worn a simple lavender chiffon dress that flowed with her every step. She didn't have many jewels, which Hades vowed to fix, so she had a simple gold chain around her neck and nothing else. Even though her outfit was incredibly simple, she was absolutely stunning. His lips curled into that irresistible smile of his as he offered her the rose. She smiled demurely and tucked it behind her ear. Hades felt as if he were in a dream as she took his arm and stepped into his chariot. He leaned down and put his lips close to her ear, making her shiver slightly.
"You are beautiful, Persephone," he whispered. He flicked the reins and they were off to Olympus.
The Summer Solstice Ball was the epitome of wealth and luxury among the gods. Zeus's entire ballroom was covered in gold and fine jewels; everything from the wine goblets to the instruments the musicians played so expertly screamed opulence and excess.
All eyes were on Hades and Persephone as they entered the ballroom. The young goddess was still new to Olympian society and had become the subject of nearly every conversation since Demeter's garden party. In a room full of blinding wealth, Persephone's simple look and natural beauty was quite refreshing to the other gods. They would have all swarmed her with compliments and flirtations, but her presence on Hades' arm prevented that. Most gods were intimated by him and tended to steer clear unless they knew him well. Hades was glad for this tonight as he had no intention of sharing Persephone.
"Would you care to dance?" he asked. Persephone blushed as he led her out on the dance floor. Every god attendance turned to their neighbor and immediately began speculating. What was this perfect girl doing with such a dark god?
"I never said thank you for the roses. They were lovely," Persephone said as Hades took her in his arms.
"I'm glad you liked them; and thank you for the gift you left me in return," he replied, gesturing to the ribbon still tied around his wrist.
"My hair ribbon? It's nothing. I didn't have anything else to give you."
"You don't need to give me anything, Persephone. The pleasure of your company is enough."
All eyes were on the two as they danced, but to them it felt as if they were completely alone in the world. The other gods couldn't help but notice the immense adoration Hades showed for Persephone. As his eyes roamed over her hair, eyes and lips it was as if he were admiring the most splendid work of art he'd ever seen.
"You look absolutely stunning tonight," Hades whispered in her ear. His cheek was practically touching hers. "Helen of Troy could not compare to you."
"Who?" Persephone pulled back, confused at the comparison.
"'The face that launched a thousand ships,' from The Iliad?" Hades was surprised that she had never heard of it. "It's an epic written by Homer. Have you not read his work?"
Persephone shook her head. Her mother kept her incredibly sheltered not just from people, but from culture as well. She had never read the works of Homer, Virgil or Euripides, and this saddened Hades. She had such a brilliant and curious mind, yet it was never allowed to reach its full potential. She knew only what Demeter chose for her to know. It was ridiculous how little of her life was actually hers.
Looking over Persephone's shoulder, Hades saw the one woman he now hated most. Persephone followed his gaze and froze once she saw Demeter strolling into the room.
"She said she wasn't coming tonight," she said, her voice building with worry. Running off to the lake during the garden party was one thing, but sneaking off to Olympus was infinitely worse in Demeter's eyes. She started to remove herself from Hades' grip to run away, but he held firm.
"Who says you have to run, love?" he asked. He took delight in how Persephone's eyes lit up when he called her that. "We'll just be smart about it."
He pulled a confused Persephone closer and turned, shielding her from Demeter. Throughout the song they literally danced around her. Eventually Persephone had to restrain her laughter at their game; she dug her face into Hades' chest in an effort to smother the sound but couldn't stop grinning. Demeter was completely oblivious to it all. Eventually Hades had difficulty as well and grabbed her hand, running from the room before they were discovered. They made it to the statue gallery before bursting out laughing. They had no fear of being found there. The gallery was deserted and illuminated solely by the full moon. The pale blue light cast interesting shadows across the floor and massive columns, and their laughter bounced off of the marble walls. Hades had never laughed – or smiled – so much in his life. He stopped once he looked at Persephone though. She was so beautiful when she was smiling and laughing. Living in a dark world was a part of his job, and she was the light he had long forgotten existed. As she was illuminated only by the moonlight everything else in the room seemed to vanish. Once he fell silent she stopped laughing as well, but still smiled at him.
"You know you're not how I thought you would be," she remarked, still trying to catch her breath.
"How so?" he asked, curious. He leaned against one of the white marble columns as he continued to watch her. She matched his posture and leaned against the column opposite him.
"I don't know. I suppose I thought you would be a brooding, moody soul or something. But I don't think someone tortured could laugh as you do."
"My world can be bleak at times, but I do manage to find the occasional relief," he grinned wolfishly. "Like when I'm with you."
She blushed, suddenly finding the ground rather interesting. Her shyness and modesty only amused him more.
"Have I made you uncomfortable?" he asked, still grinning.
"No, that's not it. I've just never really been spoken to like that before."
"Like what?" he slowly started walking toward her, never breaking eye contact.
"Complimentary, I suppose…" she replied, suddenly at a loss for words. He finally reached her and placed both hands on either side of her. She was pinned to the column and completely at his mercy, but she wasn't afraid.
"Well, Persephone…" Hades said, stroking the petals of the blue rose in her hair. "If anyone deserves to be spoken to like that, it's you." They were silent for a moment, still taking each other in.
"I'm glad I came with you tonight, Hades," Persephone said, breaking the silence.
"Anything I can do to give you the freedom you deserve,"
"But do you really think I deserve it?" she asked. Hades looked down at her, puzzled. "I mean I'm not anything spectacular. Everyone thinks I'm still a child – "
"You are not a child, Persephone, and you are beyond spectacular," Hades asserted firmly. Had Demeter really done nothing to build a sense of self-confidence in the girl? "You are a goddess, in every sense of the word."
He moved his hand from the rose to her cheek, marveling at the smoothness of her skin. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. Hades made a promise to do everything within in his power to prove it to her. The way she smiled up at him at his sweet words intensified his desire to retrieve that lost kiss.
He leaned in slower than last time, feeling her eyes upon him as she thought through what was happening. The hand not cupping her cheek moved to her waist, gently pulling her closer to him. He heard her breath hitch at his touch, but it wasn't enough to deter him. He moved in even closer, to the point where his lips were only a hair away from hers. He paused, both savoring the moment of anticipation and giving her one last chance to refuse him. To his immense pleasure, she didn't.
Assuming that this was her first kiss, he went slowly with her. He brushed his lips against hers barely at first, but added more pressure gradually. Her lips seemed to mold so perfectly against his, and he couldn't keep from grinning when he felt her arms wrap around his neck. As he felt her relax he deepened the kiss, and she responded. Their breathing became more shallow as he pressed her firmly into the column and intensified the kiss. She gasped for breath when his lips left hers, trailing across her cheek and down just below her ear. He could feel her pulse quicken under his caresses, and this only excited him more.
Before he lost himself completely, he pulled away, not wanting to frighten her. The second he broke the kiss he was tempted to capture her lips in his again, but somehow found a way to resist. He could see that she was disappointed that their moment was over, and this made him enormously happy. This kiss was well worth the wait, but now the only thing either of them could think about was when they could do it again.
Persephone felt as if she were in Elysium. The feeling of Hades on her lips and neck still lingered there even once they'd returned to her cottage. Luckily Demeter was not yet back from Olympus. Hades held Persephone's hand in his and brought it to his lips once they reached her door.
"I wish this night wasn't over," she whispered.
"Well I would hope it won't be our last," Hades said, smiling down at her. Every time he did so Persephone felt as if she were privy to a stolen moment, witnessing a side of him that few others got to see. "But you must go now; your mother will be back any moment."
Persephone turned and entered the house, but Hades reached out quickly for her and brought her back to face him.
"The lake. Be there tomorrow at dusk," he said. Persephone answered by kissing him lightly on the cheek before retreating into the house. Once inside she slid her back down the door until she was sitting on the floor, covering her broad smile with her hand and replaying every moment from the night in her mind. Their dance, their laughter, their kiss… It was all absolutely perfect. Hades returned to the Underworld feeling the same way. She drove him absolutely crazy with every move and he loved it. Dusk couldn't come soon enough for either of them.
Author's Note:
Thank you so much to everyone who's written reviews so far; I try to respond to as many as I can as I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my work. I'm having so much fun writing this story and I hope you're having just as much reading it. Another update coming soon!