Hi everyone! I'm terribly sorry for taking so much time to post this chapter, but I got ill some days ago and having been facing the worst case of author's block. Only two days ago I was able to break it. This chapter is far longer than the last one, but I hope you enjoy it either way! Thank you for all of your support, please review! Kisses**
Chapter 9
The rest of Persephone's day was passed with her friend Nysa, making sure that the Goddess would have everything that she needed ready for when it would be time to leave. They made sure that her leather attire was clean and spotless, she had made it her mission to honor her position in the Underworld and to create a different impression in Mount Olympus about herself, even if it was just a little bit, but she didn't plan it to last very long. Soon she would take over all of her responsibilities and honors. Although she had plenty of time, she felt that she just needed a little bit more, but it was known that a little time in godly years could be an eternity to mortals. One could say that time for Gods was something dull and ordinary, that they used it in the same way they used clothes, but not for this precise deity. For her, time was as precious as everything else in life. Not just because of her current situation, but also because she liked to capture every single moment in her life as unique and different from the previous one. She took a special liking in using time wisely, so it would never be put to waste in the same idiotic fashion as most mortals usually do. By the end of the night everything had been set ready, they had even rearranged the Goddess' rooms so Cinira could be more comfortable and independent. Of course Persephone wanted her company, but she knew she couldn't be around the feline at any given hour, just like the next day. She would be away for a while and couldn't attend to her, so she made sure Nysa would take care of the small beast in her absence. The brunette was positive that they got along easily so there wouldn't be any problems, they had already proven her so. She also thought on leaving her with Thanatos, but she feared that he would send the cub to Tartarus once she started sharpening her claws on his unkempt but thick vest. Persephone knew very well that she would kill him if anything was to happen to Cinira. True that she one had her for a day and she could be overreacting just a little bit, but she already felt attached to her.
That night the feline slept in her bed, curled up against her stomach, for Persephone was laying on her side with a hand covering part of the small cub's body. Both slept soundly, but only for a few short hours. The black cub decided to wake up Persephone with rather loud mewling cries because she wanted to be fed. 'Really? You're waking me up for this? You have a bowl of milk right there' complained the sleepy Goddess as she pointed to the object that lay on the ground near her bedside table, that before burying her head back into her cetin pillow. Cinira only cried louder, 'How can something so small make so much noise?' grumbled the dark queen as she got up from bed and picked the fur ball with one hand and put her in front of the bowl , in the same fashion a mother panther would pick up her cubs. The small being still tried to fight back, not that the gesture was hurting her, it wasn't, but she seemed to have gotten used to be carried on people's laps. It seemed that she knew to whom she belonged to and acted like she was royalty. The thing is that she had never gotten the chance to wake Persephone from her rest before, so she didn't quite know what the Goddess could do to her. 'There you go, happy now?' said the Goddess, who received no answer whatsoever. The blue eyed animal quickly emptied the container and the Goddess was silently thanking her, it meant the she could go back to sleep, but she didn't go without glaring at Cinira one more time. If she didn't have to get up earlier in the next morning she would have kept the cub up all night, training her to get to her bowl by herself. The rest of the night was spent soundless for both of them.
Meanwhile, Hades was sitting upon his bed when he decided to call in Nysa, apart from asking her if the spell had really been given to Persephone by the muse Clio, he also wanted to know how his wife was handling the notion of going to the Olympus with him and to know how she had been feeling in the past few days. She was the one who knew his wife the best and he was certain that she wouldn't lie to him, even if she wanted to she couldn't. The blond God pronounced her name aloud and some short seconds later there she was in front of him, with her head bowed in a respectful manner. 'Nysa, I called you tonight because I have some questions that I believe you are the only one who can give me the answers I'm seeking' he started with an even voice. The servant lifted her head and eyed her lord carefully, 'I hope I can, my lord' she answered quietly. 'I believe you can' he went on, 'First, I would like to know if it was really Clio giving my wife that spell. She's been showing to be able to do more than she seemed to do when she first arrived'. The servant knew that her lady was given that spell, so there was no point on lying. 'Yes, she was, my lord. I was only informed of it, and of her intentions towards, it this morning' she answered politely. The God looked at her a sternly, thinking if he should or if he should not start raiding the messages Persephone got, but then he remembered of how her mood had improved with their arrival of the messages and of Cinira, that made him decide to let the matter be. 'We are to go to the Olympus tomorrow Nysa, I believe that you have already been informed of that fact' he continued his questionnaire, to which the servant answered with a short and positive nod of her head. 'How has she been dealing with it?' he went on. 'Persephone spent the day making every kind of arrangements for tomorrow, my lord. I believe that she is very eager to go, she has been talking about her siblings all day' the female ghost respectfully replied. 'Does she say anything else?' he continued. 'Only that she doesn't know what she'll do if encounters her mother, my lord' she replied in a serious tone. 'That might turn out to be a big problem if it happens' he thought worriedly. 'Hum… and apart from that, how has she been doing?' he continued. That question took a little longer to be answered, Nysa was trying to find the right words to express the feelings of her lady, she didn't want to offend him in any way. 'Well, my lord. I believe that she has been feeling rather conflicted with herself, lately' she finally said. That wasn't much of a surprise to Hades, he could see that every day in his wife's eyes, he just needed some confirmations. 'Thank you, Nysa. You may return to your duties' he said shortly. 'Yes, my lord' she answered as she bowed her head before dissipating away.
When morning came Persephone was awoken by Nysa's voice, softly calling by her name. 'Persephone, wake up. You have to go get ready to leave' the ghost said. 'Hum… five more minutes…' mumbled the Goddess as she buried her head deep in her blue satin pillow. The servant was about to try once more when the small cub decided to take measures into her own paws. She, very ungracefully and with some lack of control of her limbs, climbed onto the brunette's back and made her way to her neck to started mewling rather loudly into the ears of the sleepy Goddess. 'Argh! Alright, alright… I'm up…' she grumbled while sitting up and glaring at the minor beast, who eyed her curiously while tilting her small head to the side. 'You need to get ready Persephone, it's almost time' continued Nysa. 'How much longer do I have left?' questioned the brunette as she got up to her feet. Her friend pondered for some short seconds before answering 'I would say that you have around 30 minutes'. That woke the Goddess completely, 'What?! And you only wake up me now?' she questioned shocked, as she ran into the bathing room in a fashion that wasn't very ladylike. That wasn't a usual behavior for Nysa. 'I tried several times Persephone, but it never worked, you were sleeping too soundly' informed the ghost with a small grin playing on her features. After that, all of the Goddess' morning activities went by in a flash, even getting her inside the leather attire was, surprisingly, a fast procedure. Persephone eyed herself in the mirror one last time before leaving, she was sure that some Gods would be shocked once they set their eyes upon her, a grand part of her conscious wasn't worried but a minor part did worry about it. It worried about how her mother would react, her whole attire screamed Hades, and possessive as her mother was, she expected for her to cause the biggest scene the Olympus had ever seen. Or, at least, as she thought so.
Once she was completely ready, Persephone made her way to hall where the doors of the throne room resided. She wouldn't be taking her breakfast with Hades as she normally did, each had taken it in their rooms to save some time. She was holding a curious Cinira when she arrived and, much to her contempt, there was Cerberus sitting at Charon's door as he always did. Hades seemed to be running a little bit late, so she thought that it would be a good idea for her to introduce the big canine to the new mascot of the Underworld. As soon as the three headed dog sensed her presence, he turned around and ran in her direction, his heavy strids echoing loudly through the ample space. He was about to jump on his female owner when he noticed the small being in her arms, thanks to which he abruptly stopped his jump and started marching cautiously in their direction, weary of the blue eyed being. When he was at Persephone's feet, the right head started sniffling Cinira, pushing her with its nose. She was about to scratch his nose, not too happy with the intrusion in her personal space, when the left one happily ran its big wet tongue along the cub's face. The later, eyeing him in utter disgust, tried to clean her head with her front paws. 'Now, come on, Cinira. Cerberus was just trying to greet you' scolded Persephone while scratching the dog's middle head. The cub eyed her caregiver in an very unimpressed fashion, as if saying 'Did you just see what he did?!' but the brunette didn't think much of Cinira's expression and put her on the ground, right in front of the unusually big and happy dog. The beast still tried to protest but it was in vain, she was already on the ground with all of the three heads sniffing her. She went to hide behind Persephone's legs but was quickly grabbed on the back of her neck by one of the heads. Cerberus seemed to be very fond of the black fur ball, for he sat down with her in front of him and started cleaning her as if she was his cub. The Goddess was left staring at the scene in front of her dumbfounded, there was something strangely cute and weird at the same time about it. The more Cinira tried to break free from the caring dog, the more he would pull her back to him, eventually she gave up trying and just sat there were an annoyed and pathetic expression. For some reason that reminded her of the relationship she had with Hades. 'It looks like Nysa is going to have less work taking care of you than I thought' commented the Goddess, very amused by the sight.
She was about to say something else when she saw Hades exiting the throne room, 'He must have been informing the others' she assumed. 'Good morning, my dear' he said with a smile when he was sure she had taken notice of his presence. To his surprise she grinned back, 'Good morning' she answered as she turned in his direction, 'Are you ready?' inquired the dark God, before catching her chin with his thumb and index finger and kissing her softly. 'I am…' she answered as she tried to regain back her composure. Hades, using as much discretion as possible, took notice of her outfit. Knowing that she could have picked something else that didn't have his name and his kingdom written all over it instead of that attire made his chest puff with pride and made him more relaxed. It could also mean that she wasn't thinking of making any attempts on leaving him, that she was endorsing the idea of being Queen of the Underworld. Moving his eyes away from her, he set them on the beastly pair that was on the ground and arched and eyebrow at the scene, trying to comprehend why Cerberus was grooming the annoying panther. The small thing wasn't there for 24 hours and she had already won the hearts of the majority of she had come faced with. Shaking his head, he turned back to Persephone and offered his arm for her to take, and that she did. 'Then let's go, they must be already awaiting our arrival' he informed her as he lead them through Charon's doors. The path that followed was very different from the rest of what Persephone had seen so far, it was like they had entered a great dark cavern. The only light illuminating their path came from a distant entrance that was at the end of the Styx. The walls were very similar to the ones of the Tartarus, the shone dimly, as did the dark waters that surrounded the rocky path, which lead them to the small boat of Charon. It was said, and it was probably true, that in the same moment a mere mortal would set a foot on those waters would be the one when they would take their last breath. As for the ones with an immortal body, the river would steal all the powers they possessed, if they had any at all, and their undying time. That would leave them with some short decades to take advantage of, if there was any advantage for a God to die as mere mortal. For some meters that was all Persephone's brown eyes could perceive. The air was slightly lighter than the one she had been used to for the past months and colder as well. Without even noticing, she brought her body closer to Hades, she was shocked on how easily her body protested to the colder environment, which wasn't very normal but she guessed that being in a warm place for so long made her more susceptible to the cold. 'Sorry, I should have warned you before we left' he said when he felt her shivering as he warped an arm around her shoulders, his hand travelling slowly up and down her arm. Persephone could swear she was feeling trails of electricity where his hand had touched, but she didn't make anything out of it since she figured that it could be a side-effect of the colder atmosphere. She smiled in gratitude, 'Don't worry, I'll get used quickly' she replied.
Their walk soon came to a stop, they were already next to Charon's vessel. The shipmaster was a well-built but spent man dressed in brownish red drapes dirtied by time and experience, they seemed to have been colored by fresh blood. His dark brown hair was extremely crimpy and there were some grey meshes of hair on his temples, which indicated that he was far older than Hades, or maybe he just aged faster than the God. His overall appearance was far less disturbing than Thanatos, but Persephone still figured that she wouldn't wish to have him as a daily company. Not that his figure screamed death like the other, but there was something about his energy, his aura, that she just didn't felt comfortable with. 'Hello Charon, please take us to the entrance' said Hades in a regal voice, while dropping two gold coins in the sailor's calloused hand. 'As you wish, my lord' answered the man, his eyes shining at the sight of those small treasures.
The dark God hopped in first so he could help his wife get inside the dark wooden boat, placing both hands around her waist. Once there, Persephone made sure to be securely next to Hades, she had no intention in falling into the cursed waters of the river and the difference in the air's density had shocked her system a bit. The air had become drastically lighter and the Goddess' body was more used to a much denser atmosphere. She never thought that travelling between under and above ground would be such an overwhelming experience. Thankfully he maintained one arm around her waist, that way she was sure she wouldn't lose her balance. The brunette eyed the God standing at her side, he seemed to be perfectly fine with the difference, maybe it was because he was used to go on that trip. Unlike what it appeared to be, the boat was far more stable, never bouncing or threatening to throw them over board.
Fortunately, the trip along the Styx was a short one and so was the headache that started taking over the female. When they arrived at a bright cave entrance, neighing sounds came in their direction. Persephone crooked an eyebrow, 'He's going to put on a show isn't he?' she thought, already trying to find a hole to hide herself in. Somehow she was not that surprised, it was the first time he had taken her in a diplomatic trip, and knowing him as much as she did, she was sure he would take that as an excuse to rub on Demeter and Hermes' faces to whom she was married to. The later couldn't do much about it except from grieving on the love he never had. The first was another story, if it was up to her, she would try to tear Olympus down if it meant that she could have her precious daughter back. She was already mentally preparing herself for all the drama that was about to take place, but she wasn't ready for the show that her husband was orchestrating.
After Hades helped her get out of the small boat, by holding her carefully by the waist once again, he led her outside of the great cave. She noticed that the walls had become less and less glistening and more opaque as she moved along the path. The ground, however, was covered in fresh green grass. She was already regretting not wearing her sandals, she wanted to feel the grass under her feet, like she had done so many times before, so she could remember the pleasant feeling once more. The neighing went on and grew a little louder, which pulled her out of the trance that the new found nature had her in. Looking to her left, Persephone came faced with what seemed to be a hárma (Greek for chariot) of considerable size. But the dimensions weren't the only things that were great, the decoration itself was extravagant. It was as black as the nightsky itself, but instead of the usual silver adornments that she had grown accustomed to, they seemed to be made out of solid gold. The shining yellow metal went around all the edges of the transport and was the base of the structure of the two large wheels. If the combination of black and gold wasn't enough of an attention caller, the diamonds incrusted in it made it even more exuberant. He was really planning on a grand entrance. Then the Goddess took notice of the four big black stallions that were paired in front of the hárma with their short fur shining brightly due to the rays of the morning sun. All of them appearing to be strong and imposing, as if they were matching their owner's own personality. She had read a bit about them, they were Orphnaeus, Aethon, Nyctaeus and Alastor. The only thing the brunette didn't know was which one was which.
Persephone's eyes opened wide after a simple but, for her, dreadful thought passed through her mind, 'You're not expecting me to ride in that, are you?!' she asked him, in fear while pointing at the exuberant hárma. The chariot seemed to be anything but safe to her and she knew for a fact that the Gods' means of transportation usually involved flying, flying meant heights, and heights meant that she would have a panic attack. 'Yes, I am. Unless you want to go back with Charon' he stated calmly, but amused by her reaction, it was just like the one he had envisioned. She shivered at the possibility, 'Isn't there any other way we could get there? Maybe teleporting?' she asked hopefully, but his smirk and the glint in his mismatching eyes put all of her hopes at lost. 'We could but we shan't. I don't feel like it' he said while walking to her slowly 'And they haven't been out for a long time' he continued as he pointed at the stud. 'I'm not going in there, you know I'm afraid of heights' she complained as she took some steps backwards. 'Yes, I'm aware of that, but I advise you to think of this as a way of fighting that fear' he held. Persephone only shook her head, her brown waves bouncing around her. 'No, I'm not going in there' she insisted, as her regressive walking made her backside hit against an oak tree that was nearby and her eyes narrowed, his way too friendly behavior was starting to become suspicious. He didn't say anything else but kept the grin on his face, 'That smirk is not a good sign' she thought alarmed. Taking two large steps ahead, Hades skillfully scooped her up onto his shoulder like she was a sack, making her yelp in surprise. 'Hades, what are you doing?! Put me down now!' she screamed while kicking his stomach and throwing punches at his back as her hair covered her vision almost completely. Nevertheless, Persephone could swear that the horses were mocking her. 'Save your energies, my dear. You're not hurting me in any way, you'll soon get tired and we are already running late' he commented plainly while giving a small squeeze at one of her thighs. That didn't have the effect that he was hoping since she only punched and kicked harder, 'I pity the idiot that even thinks of trying to kidnap her while she's in her right mind' he alleged amused as ever. 'Hades, I said: Put. Me. Down!' she yelled again. Luckily for her, or not so much, the blond God already had his feet set inside the hárma. 'Don't need to tell me twice' he said as he dropped his wife on her bottom on the transportation's floor. Taking a good look at her, he noticed that she was breathing heavily and her cheeks were as red as the seed of a pomegranate. 'Idiot' she mumbled as she got up and tried to quickly leave the chariot, but her husband was faster for. Before she could set a foot on the fresh green grass, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. As he did it, motioned the horses to start galloping, taking in some balance to start moving upwards, in the direction of the Mount Olympus. 'I hate you…' she mumbled, as she buried her face in his chest and clung to him, not wanting to take notice of the distance that was starting to form between their feet and the ground. He laughed loudly and squeezed her even more to him, his hand knotting between her brown locks and his other hand holding the reins, controlling the direction the horses had to take. 'We both know that's not true, my dear' he answered back smiling, before kissing the top of her head lovingly. 'Now, would you please turn around? You are going to regret to miss this sight' he asked her. 'When my feet are touching solid ground I'll do it' she replied, there was nothing he could say or do to make her turn around, if it was up to her she would never set her feet back inside the wretched hárma. But she forgot exactly to whom she was married to. 'She's going to throw me out of the hárma, but I don't see any other way of making her loose her fear' he thought after creating a very simple plan. Slowly and teasingly, he made the hand that was holding her to him descended down her back, sending very small jolts of energy through the fabric of her vest. He was on the small of her back, almost reaching her bottom, when she abruptly twisted around, having her back turned to him. Hades didn't let go of her though, he could feel the irritation and slight anger flowing from her, 'Sorry, but you weren't making my life any easier' he said. Persephone turned her head in his direction, her eyes throwing daggers in his direction, 'You could have asked' she fought back, her voice cracking just a bit. She was trying hard not to start hyperventilating, unfortunately she had already peaked down and her anxiety was starting to break loose. 'I did, my dear' he answered, he knew he had to be patient with her.
Everyone has fears, some bigger than others, ones from previous experience and others for no reason at all. They just were. Hades didn't know the reason for the phobia that attacked Persephone when she had to deal with heights, for that he had to make a mental note to find out later. In that precise moment he was more concerned on trying to have her fight that fear. 'And before you even try to throw me out of the hárma, may I remind you that I am the only one here that can ride this. And you couldn't do it even if you wanted to' he continued while smirking, feeling that he was starting to take some more control of the situation. Apart from her irritation, the blond God could also feel her body trembling a bit. Taking hold of the reins with both hands, he secluded her between his arms, also taking notice that she had her eyes shut tightly. His lips formed a thin line, it didn't bring him much enjoy seeing her so distressed. 'Persephone' he called her softly, but from her all that could be heard was the soft sound of her heavy breathing. Hades got closer to her in hopes of making her more relaxed. 'I'm not going to let you fall, you have to start having some more faith in me, my dear. Come on, open your eyes, you are not going to regret it' he whispered in her ear, in hopes of soothing her. For some moments he didn't get any reaction from his wife, but he could feel her muscles starting to become less and less rigid. Persephone tried to concentrate only on his voice and not on the wind that hit her face and on the movements of the hárma. It soothed her, until that day she hadn't quite realized the weight that his voice had on her nerves. Slowly, her brown eyes opened and slowly she took notice of the vast and mesmerizing sight that painted her vision. For a moment she was left in awe, the Mount Olympus growing in its entire splendor. It was set on the greenest and highest mountain that surrounded the sight. Her father's white home shone in the distance, the bright sun light barely letting her distinguish any details of the structure. Hades had been right, the sight was truly worth watching. But her eyes betrayed her moved way to soon downwards again and the distance became conscious once more. All her fears came back and the Goddess had to take a hitched breach and stepped back with more force than the one she was counting on. Her back hit hard against the blond God's chest, if he hadn't both his feet well set on the chariot's floor probably both of them would have fallen off of it. One of his arms quickly found its way around her waist, pulling her to him and securing her in place. 'Wow there' he exclaimed both at Persephone and the four horses that became stressed with the sudden. Hades was starting to become slightly worried about her, 'Maybe trying to make her get over her fear today wasn't such a good idea, but there's no going back now …' he thought. Persephone tried to turned around, hadn't it been for his arm tightening around her waist, she would have succeeded. 'Are you sure there's no other way we can get there?' she asked, her distress starting to show through her voice. She was feeling dizzy and it was starting to get harder and harder to breathe. Every time she looked downwards, her head would start spinning around at an uncomfortable speed. 'There is, but if you don't fight this fear now, you'll never do it' he answered in a gentle voice, while pushing her a little bit further with his body as he rubbed her arms in a soothing manner. 'Do you trust me?' he asked at her hear. Persephone gulped, one side told her not to for he, knowing about her fears, still made her get into the damned hárma, but there was one strong side of her that fought desperately to convince her that he cared for her enough to keep her safe, and she believed that. Since the first day he had always vowed that he would keep her safe, he had told her so many times. The brunette also knew that sooner or later she would have to conquer what frighten her the most. Then there was the part of the political and social outgoings she knew came with her new title, it would be somewhat out of place to always appear through teleportation. 'I do…' she finally answered, as she let out a small breath. Hades smiled at that and kissed her cheek lingeringly, 'Thank you, my dear. We still have a while to go until we arrive, so we are going to do this slowly, is that ok?' he questioned, she gripped his arm. Thankfully he couldn't see the distressed expression that her face held, she was starting to feel like a complete fool, she was perfectly safe where she was and with whom she was with, there was no need for such reactions. 'Yes, sorry I shouldn't be reacting this way' she finally said, slightly embarrassed. 'No need for apologies' he replied softly. They were just two steps away from the front of the black and golden chariot. Prying her eyes open, Persephone, ever so carefully, took a trembling step forward. When that part was over, it was time to prepare herself for the other one. It was like she was going to step into quicksand, any wrong movement and she would be engulfed by the heights. She peeked down at her left and tried to perceive what laid on solid ground, while attempting to ignore the distance. A house could be seen here and there, they seemed to be so small that a mere mortal wouldn't have been capable of spotting as many details at that distance as she could. It was the middle of the summer, the fields should have been swarming with diligent mortal peasants working on them, but there was nothing instead. In their place there were only patches of dark brown dirt, dry and untreated. That made Persephone's fear of heights to become forgotten and to be replaced with others. 'So it is true, she really is rioting…' she concluded, for some moments the Goddess had hoped that Zeus' letter was exaggerating, but in that moment she realized that that wasn't a small matter, but the complete contrary. Everything was desolated, that had to change, they just had to figure out how. Going back to live with her mother was out of the question, but she couldn't just leave the mortal world to fend for itself. She took another step ahead as she felt him urging her on. She never let go of the arm that was around her waist, it was having the same effect on her that a blanket has on a toddler. It also felt right and comfortable, but she wouldn't admit it anytime soon.
Once she was on the other edge and looked around, without the feeling of having her head spinning around, she could feel as if a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was still cautious of the height, still afraid of falling, but she felt safer than she did in the beginning of their trip. Her rapid breathing had slowed down and the worried expression softened a bit. When the Goddess lifted her head and looked forward, she came faced with a much clearer view of her father's home. They had arrived.
They had been welcomed by the other two rulers of the world: Zeus and Poseidon. Unlike his brothers, the God of the Seas had long straight hair that was combed back perfectly, its color has dark as Hades' horses. His skin tone was of a slightly darker tone than the one of the rest of the Gods, but in his eyes blue and green swirled together like waves of different seas clashing against one another. The black haired God was the broadest of the three brothers, but not the tallest. Nevertheless, standing next to them made Persephone feel smaller than ever but not insignificant, it was like she had entered a world of giants. Thankfully, none had treated her with less respect than the one she deserved and, inwardly, that had made her ego jump higher just a little bit. Well, maybe not that small. Before the meeting, Hades left her in another room, where she would await the arrival of her two younger siblings. Meanwhile, the trio had to discuss every single option that was available to them with Demeter. Once that was done, they would call the new Queen of the Underworld for her to decide if she would accept, or not, their deal and to see if it would work in any way with Demeter. In spite of having chosen her destiny so early on, they knew that she, and Hades for that matter, wouldn't have them doing it again without her conscious consent.
The room she was left in wasn't has vast has she remembered it to be, maybe because the last time she had been there she was much smaller than what she was at that moment. The cloudy white walls were wrapped with the same beautiful vivid green vine, covered with flowers that contrasted elegantly with a vibrant deep blue color. Those she remembered perfectly, she liked them so much as a child that she used to make them grown around her bedroom window. In one end of that room there was a table of food set, apparently with what she and her siblings most liked. That made the Goddess smile softly, she had missed so much that it was almost unbearable, at least she was going to see them once more, even if it was for the smallest of times. Looking around herself once some, she took notice of everything else that was set on that particular room. So much had changed since she was younger, that was the room she would stay in whenever she was at her father's care, at least until she got old enough to take care of herself in Demeter's absence. The room was round and the biggest window was set in the sunrise's direction, opposite to it used to be her bed, which was replaced by a wooden ottoman covered with deep red velvety cushions. Persephone surprised herself when she caught her mind preferring the cetin ones she had back in the Underworld. Apart from the divan and the food table and the bed, the room didn't have much more furniture. The rest that fill the room were the white statues and clay vases of various Gods, Goddesses and other spectacular beings. She made her way towards the table, put some grapes and pineapple on a plate and made her way back to her sit. Now all she had to do was to wait while she ate.
She crooked her head to the side, the brunette could sense that her mother was near, but how near she couldn't figure. It was like Demeter was trying not to be found, 'That's strange, if she was so eager to have me back, why not make her presence known to me?' her curious mind questioned. There was something else wrong but not with something external to her, it was with her. Her head was starting to feel a little heavy and everything around her was becoming duller. She figured that it might have been due to the trip she had made that morning and decided to let it slide.
Soft and hurried footsteps came to her ears, she could recognize them anywhere, they were Despôine's and Aerion's. The Goddess was going to get up to open the brown wooden door when it opened in a rather briskly manner. There were them, her eight year old sister with golden straight hair bouncing around and her three year old brother with a big toothy smile and dark green eyes glistening at the sight of her. Both came running towards her before jumping on the Goddess. 'Persephone!' they both screamed, or at least attempted to, since what came out of the younger one's mouth was something similar to Pesephoe. The brunette barely had any chance for say anything, the children were way too ecstatic asking thousands of questions at the same time. Their inquiry had questions that ranged between the usual 'How are you?' to the more specific ones like 'Why haven't you written?' and 'Is he as bad as momma says he is?' obviously the one asking more questions was the girl, the smaller one was too busy hugging and kissing Persephone. She spent most of the time with her siblings sitting on that ottoman, with the boy curled up on her lap playing with her brown locks and eyeing her intently and with Despôine sitting Indian-style at her feet. One question started to pop and pestering her mind, 'Where is she? She couldn't have sent them alone…'
For some time the dizziness had faded away, but it was starting to come back, as much as she wanted to keep paying attention to the youngsters she didn't seem able to keep it. It was like something was pulling her down, the air turned much denser and the minutes longer. Soon her vision wasn't sharp anymore, it was getting fuzzier and fuzzier by the minute, so were the voices of the children. Her head was starting to hurt, like someone had their hands pressuring her brains. Everything was spinning around her. It didn't take much longer before all around her to become as black as the night and for her to lose all conscious. The last thing she heard before her head landed on one of the red cushions was the distressed voice of her blond sister.
Meanwhile in Zeus' throne room, the three brothers sat in a round stone table and discussed the problem they had in hands. They were supposed to wait for the cause to appear so she could have a say in it, but Demeter was nowhere to be found. The God of the Seas had already been with the two children she had given him, but found it odd for them to be standing alone. Seeing that she wouldn't appear anytime soon, they decided to go on with their meeting. One of the options that were proposed was for Persephone exchange home every three months, going between the Underworld and her mother's home, or to stay there for six straight months and the others with Hades. None of the options pleased the dark God, he feared that if she staid that much time with Demeter, that the later would try something on her daughter. Those had been Poseidon's prepositions, he thought that, if she spent an equal amount of time with the two, the matter would be solved and all parts would benefit from it. The problem with these resided within Persephone, for Zeus and Hades highly doubted that she would willingly comply with that. Just discussing those two options had taken them some hours. No one was going to accept them, they knew that Demeter wanted the wedding arrangement to be put off permanently and Hades wouldn't have that.
Zeus was about to give another option when a guard had entered the room in a haste. It was obvious, from the guard's face and from the crying girl that he carried, that something had gone wrong. 'Excuse me, my lords. I just found her running in this direction' he said, while Poseidon approached them with a somewhat serious face. His daughter should have been with Persephone and not interrupting them, she knew better than that. 'What happened? I truly hope that it is something important for you to interrupt us' he asked the guard, while taking her from the guard, because she was sobbing hard and didn't seem capable of reproducing the words she needed to express herself. 'She said something about her sister falling asleep and not waking up' the guard responded punctually. Hearing that made Hades rise from his seat. 'She was *sob* she was talking and *sob* and *sob* and she just fell *sob*' she tried to explain before burying her face in her father's neck. That made Hades' worries rise up and, before the others could acknowledge, he was already gone. When he got there, he came faced with an empty room, not even the small boy was there. He took a good look at the food and, by its smell, he was able to figure out why she had passed out: it had been dusted with a powerful sedative, probably a mixture of valerian and passion flower. He couldn't feel her energy anymore, which could mean two things, she was either unconscious or deceased. He was desperately praying for the last to never be. He might not have been able to scan his wife's energy, but there was one that popped right out: Demeter's. If the hotheaded Goddess was there, there was a very strong chance that Persephone might be with her, 'Of course she didn't appear at the meeting. Why should she lose her big chance?' his mind sarcastically asked. What was happening had his sister's name written all over it, 'Start praying, dear sister. You'll wish to be in Tartarus when I'm done with you' he silently promised, if she thought that she could take from him what he held most dear, she was out of her mind. How could she forget what would hit her afterwards? He slammed the door shut with such force that a crack formed from top to bottom, right in the middle of the plank. Storming out of the room, with long strides moving along the bright hall, he came across the other two Gods that had just arrived, the little girl no longer clinging at her father's tunic. 'They are not there' he stated as he passed through them. When he said they,he was referring to his wife and Aerion, he had a strong feeling that Poseidon would take both children from the blond Goddess' care as punishment. The look that the Gods gave him confirmed his thoughts, they could be very different from each other, most of the times they didn't even get along, but they could recognize when their thoughts were in sync. Neither had to say a single word, they all marched alongside with Hades. Their meeting had the purpose to resolve the problem, not to make it even worse. The blond Goddess took advantage of her own doings to be as reckless as she could, not even pregnant she seemed to calm down. Zeus' face had hardened, he might have not been a very present father to the brunette, but he did care for her, even if it was just because she was his firstborn. Poseidon on the other hand, seemed ready to explode, his eyes had darkened is a way that they almost matched Hades black iris. The dark God could sense some worry coming from his black haired sibling, he was almost certain that it had to do with the three year old.
The three headed towards one of the least used entrances of the vast palace. Their sister might be crazy, but she wasn't entirely stupid, although being somewhat smart didn't mean that she was very fast in her plans.
When the trio arrived there, they came faced with the backs of two large men. One of them was holding Hades' sleeping wife bridal style, in a way that way to affectionate for his likings, while the other seemed to be preparing a hárma, probably for them to escape. Alongside the mortal carrying Persephone, was the blond Goddess yelling for them to hurry, while pestering her youngest child to cease his cries. The scene was chaotic. The darker brother had been right after all, it had been Demeter's doing. All he wished to know, at that precise moment, was why a human pig had his hands where they didn't belong. With all that fuss and agitation, none of the causers of that commotion had perceived the three new presences at the entrance. Before any of them could, Hades lifted his hand high above his head, making two large black serpents of red eyes appear from a black smoke that had formed in the palm of his hand. Swiftly and without any delays or difficulties, he launched the cold blooded reptiles at their necks. Both beasts worked like they were one, mimicking each other movements as they started strangling both mortals as their sibilant tongues ran across their faces in a threatening manner. The later wailed in surprise and in horror, dropping Persephone hard on the ground in a clumsy manner. Demeter turned around in shock, 'How did you find out?!' she screamed in desperation, knowing that her last chance at recovering Persephone had been completely lost. In the middle of that tumult, the small green eyed boy took the chance to break free from his mother's grasp and to run in Poseidon's direction, wrapping his small arms around his leg. 'Because you were that stupid! Did you truly believed that I wouldn't find out?!' Hades screamed. He went in his wife's direction and was about to pick her up when Demeter put herself in his way. 'She's mine!' she screeched, her face red and the form of her veins popping out. In that moment he was starting to regret not having thrown a serpent at her throat as well. He raised his hand and was about to slap her hard if Zeus hadn't grabbed his wrist first. 'Don't worry about her now, I'll take care of her punishment. Hitting her won't make the situation any better' advised the God of the Olympus. 'And you wish me to just let this slide? She's gone completely insane!' replied Hades, his eyes reddening in anger. 'I know brother, but trust me that she'll be punished with the right measurement. Starting with taking Despôine and Aerion from her care, she has proven that she is incapable of being a good mother. Their care will be passed onto Poseidon' informed Zeus. 'For her that isn't enough' countered Hades, as much as he knew, she had never been, in reality, taking care of her own children. It had always been Persephone or someone else doing it. 'I know it's not, but for now there's nothing else we can do about her. But I do believe that something can be done about these two mortals' continued the other while eyeing the men that writhed on the ground, their faces contracted in pain and purple as a plum due to the lack of air. Zeus didn't need to say anything else because knew all too well what his brother meant, 'Guards!' Hades growled loudly. He wasn't calling for the ones Zeus had in his powers, but for the souls of the warriors that guarded his palace in the Underworld. In mere seconds, four translucent gladiator like souls appeared. 'Yes, my lord?' they all questioned in unison. 'Take them and launch their souls in Tartarus… don't take the serpents from around their throats, they are to remain there until I say otherwise. I'll deal with them later' he ordered. The see-through group marched in the direction of the suffocation men. The grabbed them crudely by the arms and pulled their souls out of their flesh and bone mask, before they six disappeared away to Tartarus, the screams of the condemned souls dissipating with them. All that was left where their lifeless bodies laying across the dusty ground.
Demeter, on the other hand, still hadn't moved from her place in front of Hades. The notion of losing her two youngsters not bothering her one bit, all she seemed to care about was her unconscious offspring. The God eyed her with no patience for her whims, 'Get out of my way!' he ordered, his face deadly serious. 'You're not taking her away from me again!' she clashed back. Hades clenched his fists, trying hard not to direct one at her face. 'I said, move!' he demanded, the tone of his voice echoing across the palace, the light around them dimming as his anger rose. Seeing that she wouldn't do it, Zeus decided to help. Easely he levitated his daughter into the air and moved her unconscious body into Hades' arms, with enough speed to prevent Demeter of being able to catch her in the process. At that moment Poseidon was already gone, maybe to take the girl and the boy to his home beneath the seas, they had already seen enough. 'Take her with you, I will make sure Demeter doesn't repeat her stunt again. It won't be bloody like you wished, she's pregnant once again. But I'll try to figure something out, hope it'll work. As for the other problem we were taking care of, as soon as she wakes up, and feels capable of, send me a message to tell me what's her opinion on the matter, but first explained what happened. I doubt that she'll remember anything that happened' informed Zeus as he approached the red faced Goddess, who in turn tried to launched herself at the God that held her daughter securely. 'Will do, but expect me here in the next few days, I want to see this resolved as soon as possible. I'll see you soon, brother' replied Hades. 'You too, brother' said Zeus as his brother dissipated into thin air. 'Now, us' said the God of Thunder as he faced his former consort, his face darker than usual.
When he arrived, Hades didn't make his presence known to the group of judges that stood inside the throne room, he went straight to his room. He didn't want her out of his sight any time soon. Once he arrived, he made sure to lay her comfortably on his bed, placing a soft pillow under her head for support. For some moments he stood there, sitting beside her and studying her state. She was sleeping soundly, her features soft as ever, 'Well, at least she isn't having any nightmares' he concluded relieved. Pulling some strands of hair that covered her face. After doing so, Hades came faced with a small and slightly bloodied scrap on her forehead. 'She must have gotten it when that idiot dropped her on the ground' he guessed, his lips twitching in dislike. He moved his eyes downwards and saw how dirtied her attire had gotten. He would have gotten her out of those clothes himself if he didn't know that she would kill him once the effect of the herbs had worn off. 'Nysa!' he called aloud, not worried if he disturbed Persephone or not. They had come back from a spectacle of screaming and shouting without disturbing her, so calling the servant's name wouldn't have any effect on her for sure. Hades brushed a hand across her cheek, 'She shouldn't have gone through that. Explaining everything is going to be a very interesting experience' he lamented. 'You called, my lord?' asked the ghostly girl, pulling him out of his thoughts. 'Yes, I need you to attend to your lady. Change her attire to something more comfortable, clean her and dress her wound' he informed, while sitting on the edge of the bed, next to Persephone's sleeping form. The servant crocked her head to the side, something was wrong with that picture. First of all, her friend was laying asleep in Hades' bed, then there was the thick layer of dust that covered her front. 'As you wish, my lord… I know it's not my place to ask, but did something not go as expected?' she asked worried. 'Yes, Nysa. I have some problems to resolve first, I shall explain everything to you as soon as I'm finished. Meanwhile, know that she is just sleeping, she probably won't wake up until tomorrow morning' he informed in a very serious tone. 'Yes, my lord. Is there anything else you wish of me?' she inquired. 'Not for now, Nysa. Just attend to her and stay by her side until I'm back' he informed before kissing Persephone's forehead and disappearing from the ghost's sight. It was time to deal with the two new inmates of Tartarus.
