Now, this relationship is meant to be volatile. This will not be a healthy dynamic just yet, Hades is one of the more mercurial of the gods and I'll take any chance I get to display his rapid change from hot to cold and back again.
i: I corrected the mistake in the first paragraph. Anything in italics is a memory of Persephone herself, a past life or a thought, for future reference. Thank you for the feedback!
As always, read and review, but most of all, ENJOY.
Chapter 9: Gravity
Following Hades' outburst, Paige stares at him for only a few seconds before bringing her hand up and violently slapping herself across the face. She gasps, startled moreso by the fact that she wasn't dreaming than the pain itself.
"Well... fudge," she breathes out, her wary gaze settling on the irate god before her.
Infuriated by her display of disbelief, Hades bolts forward and grabs Paige by the wrist, yanking her forward and bringing her against the chest plate of his armor. He picks her up bridal style; the woman shivering from the cold touch of metal and his skin as he stalks out of the pantheon. A gasp escapes her when she takes in the scenery before her. All the trees, vines and various other plants that were withered just moments ago had sprung to life; the trees, all bearing pomegranate, are heavy with fruit and the vines are blooming fragrantly with tiny flowers. As Hades walks down the path with her, the plants recoil from him, then tentatively reach for her.
"They recognize you. Don't be surprised," he snaps coldly, stopping halfway through the courtyard. His fury abating, he sets her down on her feet.
"I strongly advise against running anywhere else without myself or another proper escort as this realm accommodates beings that would love to sink teeth into a mortal such as you," says Hades. Stopping the question that forms on her lips before she can even voice it, he continues.
"You are the queen of the Underworld; a goddess reborn. Nevertheless, you are still mortal until certain criteria are met. You will be staying in my chambers at night, yet during the day, you are free to do as you wish within this courtyard and in your room. Almost anything you desire will be provided to you."
"Almost anything?" Paige inquires, looking up at him.
"There are certain circumstances I will not allow to come to pass," he replies, softly yet sternly. "I will not be returning you to your mother for quite a long time."
"But you will return me to her?" she asks, earnestly searching his face for a sign of deception.
"It's inevitable. Now, follow me... Unless you prefer being carried; I would be elated to be able to hold you against me." Hades gives her a lascivious grin, which widens the moment her cheeks burn scarlet.
As the two continue down the path, Hades extends a hand out to snatch a pomegranate from one of the trees. The branches recoil from his reaching grasp, but he successfully plucks a fruit and relinquishes it to her.
"I believe you were hungry, and I recall you were halfway to getting one open before I-"
"Kidnapped me?" interjects Paige.
"That word leaves something to be desired, my pet. You aren't a child; from what I've noticed, you're a remarkable woman." he says, grinning again at her. She remains silent.
They continue their walk as they enter the hallway, passing by the chambers she had awoken in. Arriving at the following door, he pauses.
"This is the bathing room. You need only to imagine whatever clothes you desire and the nymphs will attend to you."
"Nymphs?" she asks.
"Your attendants. Of course, you don't remember. However, they will certainly remember you." With that, Hades pushes open the door and allows her to walk into the room.
"I'll leave you here to bathe and dress. I suggest you collect yourself before I fill you in further," he concludes before closing the door and walking away.
Paige's eyes widen as she steps into the room, expecting porcelain baths and elaborate shower-heads and instead finding large, smooth boulders and a sizable spring in the middle which she finds is much more to her liking. Two markedly female figures, as clear as the water that they are made from, splash and disappear into the depths of the pool. She sits upon a rock in the grotto, dipping her bare feet into the steamy water before she's suddenly jerked from her perch and dragged under, her dress being ripped from her as hands stroke and pet over her body. The feeling isn't invasive, in fact she finds it quite comforting and she has no difficulty breaking the surface, gasping for air and staring at two nondescript faces, seemingly made out of water.
"What…" Paige trails off.
"We're nymphs!" they say in unison. "Water nymphs to be exact, or Crinaeae to be exactly exact, and you are Persephone!" Hereafter, the nymphs' unified speech ceases and transitions into a bombardment of excited babble.
"It's been such a long time!"
"Too long!"
"We've missed you!"
"Minthe hasn't, though."
"Minthe doesn't comprehend what's healthy for her, obviously."
"Obviously! However, that's beside the point. The significant point is that you're back!"
"Home!"
"With your husband!"
"Ahhh, Hades..." one of them sighs dreamily, an unwelcome pang of jealousy tugging at Paige.
"So handsome… his devotion to you is legendary."
"Hush, don't let Zeus hear you say as much. That man's awfully prideful; you remember what happened to Narcissus."
"Oh come off it. We're off point again, sister."
"He's not my husband, I'm not Persephone." interjects Paige the moment they pause long enough for her to speak.
"Oh, you are, no doubt about it. You're just flawed."
"Excuse me?" inquires Paige, a slight scowl adorning her features.
The nymphs continue chatting, ignoring the young woman's protest.
"Tsk. Mortal still."
"And a virgin. Though that's fitting, isn't it?"
"He'll be quite amused, I think. It'll be their story, all over again."
"Wait, what story? How are you even aware I'm a vir-" is all Paige can spit out before she is cut off again.
"We just know," quips one of the nymphs. "Now, how about washing up?" she continues, leading Paige to the other side of the grotto and giving her sister a slight nod.
Taking the hint, the other nymph reaches for the previously dropped pomegranate and slips back over; her grin hidden in her aqueous form as she offers it to Paige.
"Your breakfast, my dearest friend," she says silkily, handing the fruit back to her.
The nymphs take turns dragging and playing with the woman; talking as easily as if they'd known her forever. A few of Paige's fears subside while they chatter incessantly and put her at ease, guiding the water to massage and caress her skin and muscles until she's fully relaxed and in danger of falling asleep. As they pull her out onto a low, flat rock they instruct her on how to conjure her wardrobe, progressing so far as to outfit her the first time in a sheer, silver gossamer. Once they part ways, Paige grips the pomegranate and steps back out into the hall, the cold air immediately making her shudder and quiver. All the warmth the spring instilled in her falls away as the weight of the situation she's found herself in settles back onto her shoulders.
