I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to publish this chapter, but I only finished my finals' season a couple weeks ago and caught the flu right after it.

Please follow and review, I would like to know your opinions on this one!

WARNING: Gore and violence up ahead. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Kisses**

Chapter 10

Hades strode down the throne room, his thundering footsteps echoing through the dark walls in menacing manner. He still had to figure out what he would do with the filth that was going to be dragged into his presence, and for that he needed to know how Demeter had lured them into help her and what they expected to gain in doing so. The God couldn't even picture what he would have done had they gotten the opportunity to take his wife away. As far as he knew, it surely wouldn't be anything near pleasant. He was caring for her even more each passing day, and with that came a strong need of protecting her. She was his and no one else's, and it wasn't really a smart idea to steal virtually anything from him. 'If they think that they can cross the God of the Underworld, they've never been so wrong', this had become his personal mantra since the incident back at the Olympus.

The blond male sat on his throne and glanced over at Thanatos, his twisted mind was the perfect choice. He was the only one he needed for the interrogation process, which should be spiced up with bloody and painful torture of course. The less commotion he had around him the better, he had to think very carefully about the souls' punishment and he had to have the right person near him. Just sending them to Tartarus wouldn't do, it had to be something special, something suitable and very peculiar. The dark figure standing next to Hade's steps smirked slightly, it wasn't every day that someone was stupid enough to do what those two had done. He didn't even had to ask the God what occurred, the palace's working souls always knew when their master was present and the news of two souls being dragged out of their bodies by the guards had travelled fast. Plus, it was nice to have some fun once in a while, even if it meant to deal with an angered God.

'Bring them!' Hades bellowed, his voice resonating violently through the stone barriers. With that, the same guards entered the room while dragging the battling souls on the floor. The serpents were still tightly attached to their necks, constriction whenever one tried to free himself from their grasp. Sometimes, when they became too restless, one could see squirts of a transparent liquid coming from the reptiles' fangs and burning the souls' skins. Both men were dragged until they were both on their knees in front of Hades' steps, their terrified eyes avoiding taking any glances at the dark lord and the embodiment of Death. The blond lifted his hand and the beastly ropes disappeared from the men's scruff. Both let out an exasperated breath, it was like they were trying to eat the air itself.

'Names!' demanded Hades. The condemned cringed at the sound of his voice, after that nothing else was heard apart from their hoarse breathing. For some moments, the souls' fear was too great to let them speak. Seeing that neither would open their mouths, he motioned Thanatos with his head. The latter smirked. The ragged figure promptly approached them and, with an expert wave of his crippled hand, burning lines emerged abruptly on the souls' scalps, creating small symbols on their skins. Thanatos hand remained open for some minutes as the screams begged for him to stop the curse, but ceased as soon as that hand was closed. 'Again, names!' the God ordered, he had little patience and was determined to get the information from them by any means possible. The other two looked at each other and bowed their heads. 'I… I'm… Theseus… He's Pirithous' the one that had been preparing the carriage stammered. Hades eyed them intently. For some reason, their names weren't entirely strange to him.

'What was Demeter's plan?' he asked, now resting his chin on the palm of his hand. Theseus spoke once again, being tortured and punished wasn't part of the deal they had made with Demeter, she had guaranteed them that nothing would go wrong. Apparently that had been a lie. 'She said that we were supposed to help her take Persephone'. 'Where?' the God continued on asking, but not before taking a good look of the other man. He saw Pirithous jaw clench and his lips forming a thin line when Theseus mentioned her name. 'She didn't say' the man quickly responded. Hades eyed the other man, 'Pirithous, what was your payment?' he asked, almost as if guessing the answer. 'And you better not lie.'

The soul's eyes widened and he gulped. What was he supposed to tell him? The God would destroy him whether he lied or told the truth, and he was too frightened to try the latter. 'She promised us gold' he blurted out and Hades' lips contorted into a grim smirk. 'Thanatos' the God remarked. She had to promise them something much less banal for the trouble they would get in if caught. Hades' partner approached the man with a sinister smiled playing on his gloomy features. His large hand found its place on top of the soul's head, this one cried louder than the ones that resided in Tartarus. A black mark started to spread across the glassy skin. The torturer left his hand there for about 5 minutes and the agonized screams kept on going. Hades lifted his hand in order for Thanatos to raise his. 'Try again' the God suggested. Pirithous was huffing urgently, as if all oxygen had been taken from him, even if he didn't need any to survive. 'She… she threatened us' tried the man that had carried the God's wife. Theseus closed his eyes but remained quiet, not wanting to infuriate the ones that stood before him. 'Lying once again, you sure are as daft as a rock…' Hades murmured displeased, as he got up from his throne and descended the stairs. In his hand appeared one of the black serpents from before. This one flew at the soul's neck and slowly wrapped itself tighter at every second that passed. 'Let's try this one more time' he stated calmly. The snake made even more pressure on the soul's neck and got its pearly white fangs closer to his left eye. Theseus looked at his partner with an exasperated expression. 'What did Demeter truly promised you?' the God pressed, his face deadly cold. The black reptile loosened its hold just enough for the condemned soul to utter the bargain. He didn't have any another choice and he was running out of plausible answers. The God was getting more restless and infuriated by the minute, even more that what he had been back at the residence of the Gods. After gulping a couple of times and with some urgent stares from Theseus, the man finally spoke. 'She… She pro… She promised me your…' he was having some difficulties breathing and paused, afraid to finish his sentence, but Hades wouldn't have none of that. He wanted answers and wanted them swiftly. 'My what?!' the blond bellowed, his face only some inches away from the soul's. Both spirits cringed on their knees. The questioned swallowed dry once again. 'Yo… Your wife…' Pirithous stammered. Hades' mismatching eyes darkened with a dangerous cloud. 'And why would that whore promise my wife to a pig?' the dark lord inquired, irony and venom dripping from his treacherous voice. 'She knew we had vowed to marry one Zeus' daughters…' Theseus answered as quickly as possible. Of the two he was the one feeling more at ease, he had already wedded Helen and had her safe with his mother, Aethra. He told the strangled man that Persephone would be a far bigger load of hassle than the one they could handle, but he had to be greedy and steal from one of the most powerful Gods. 'Why did we ever listened to Demeter? He could have just chosen Keroessa…' thought Theseus.

The God's eyes squinted, they were even bigger idiots than what he had taken them for. 'And you thought that you could just go ahead with it and expect no punishment?' he asked with a sardonic smile. His pale hand elevated into the air and, without even blinking, the God made several burning lines appear around the souls' skins. Those lines wrapped around them like the snake that circled Pirithous large neck, sweltering and cankering the translucent skin. They might not have their material bodies, but the pain was all the same, if not worse. It burned just the same. A snake appeared back around Theseus collar. Between their pained screams Hades called the guards. 'Take them to Tartarus. Theseus is to be kept in one of the smaller rocks that are on the lava river and Pirithous is to be turned into a eunuch every hour. Make sure that their chains never cool, that those marks keep on burning and that the blade is as rusty and blunt as possible' he sentenced. His darker self was gleaming with the chance to properly sentence someone. It's true that he was tired of judging souls almost every day of his life, most judgments involved a small robbery, cases of adultery and a murderer here and there, but nothing too exciting in his opinion. This case had some more personal motives involved in it, therefore the pleasure of torturing them was far greater. When the guards appeared and grabbed onto the damned souls, the God lifted one finger, motioning them to wait. 'Put e them next to the Titans and make the courtesy to leave the serpents. You can go now' he dismissed them. 'Yes, my lord' the guards said in unison before disappearing with the pair.

Hades sat back on his throne. In his mind flew in numerous ways with which he could get back at Demeter. It only frustrated him further to know that her punishment would be set by Zeus and that he didn't have a say in it. Well, that if he's brother kept true to his word. 'If you don't mind me asking, what will be done with Demeter, my lord?' Thanatos' voice broke him from his thoughts. 'Unfortunately, I don't know, that's Zeus' jurisdiction now' the God replied with an extremely unsatisfied speech. She had gone way out of line in trying to prevent the deal to be permanently sealed. She, perfectly knowing what the fates had in store for Persephone if their marriage was not consummated, had basically tried to put an agonizing end to her own daughter's life. He still wanted to figure out how the woman's mind worked, as far as he knew it was like the inside of a box full of rabid cats. Wild, hallucinating, dangerous and chaotic.

He needed to distract himself with something else, his wife would be asleep for a long time and there was no use for him to just stand there watching her. Hades still had duties to fulfill and he trusted Nysa to do her job as perfectly as ever. 'Call The Moirai and The Keres, the rest of the day shall be carried out with the usual normality' the blond God stated. The sinister figure only nodded and disappeared into thin air. A side of him pitied the souls that were going to cross his sight in the next hours, he was with no disposition for spent excuses and fake pleas for forgiveness. That day he would just let his mind be has cruel as he would see fit.

Back at Zeus' home a two-sided storm took place. At one end was Demeter bawling her motherly rights over Persephone and at the other was one of her former lovers, Zeus, trying not to strike her with one of his most powerful lightning bolts. They had been screaming profanities at each other for, at least, four hours, and none seemed to be a bit tired. Zeus' throne room had been quickly deprived of any deities, guards or nymphs. All were too afraid to get caught in the crossfire, but were too curious nonetheless, most of them stood on the other side of the great doors that lead to the throne, leaning over them and listening to the profanities and threats that were being launched from one end to the other, and to the occasional sound of a vase hitting a wall and breaking into a million pieces. They would flinch every time a thunder roared in the dark skies and its light hit their eyes.

'That's it, you're going to be put into house arrest until you go into labor. You're not going to endanger another child of yours. There will be guards set at each exit and entrance and you're going to fulfill your duties. I'm tired of your mad rants of nonsense. Persephone's place is not with you, you had more than enough time to get used to it. It's over!' he screamed, he had already been listening to her and to her whims for far too long. He feared the consequences her enclosure could bring them, but he had to do something. Demeter was as unpredictable as Poseidon's world, one could never guess what was going to happen next. Zeus decided that it would be better to assign a couple of guards to keep an eye on her. Another thing that he was going to do was to diminish her powers, at least until the agreement between Hades and his daughter was consummated. The only thing she would be able to do was to help the mortals' crops to grow strong. The pair of sentinels would be granted some gifts in case she tried anything with them or with her unborn child. 'You have no right to do this to me. I don't deserve it!' she screamed outraged, she felt that she more worthy than what he was taking her for and what he was putting her through. A Goddess of her station shouldn't be treated in such a way, nor should she be punished only because she was doing was she felt it was best for her daughter. She was also having some trouble conceiving the idea that her younger offspring had been taken from her. All seemed to be a consolidation of prejudices against her, a conspiracy of sorts. 'The only thing that's keeping me from striking you is that child you're carrying, Demeter. You will comply with this punishment. I won't hear any more of your screams. There's no use in arguing, for now you won't be able see Persephone. Guards!' he called. They had been going on and on with the same arguments for hours, it was time to finish it. His duties had been by far delayed, all because she wouldn't shut up.

Two of the guards, who had been listening to all of it on the other side of the doors with the other residents of the Olympus, quickly straightened their backs and marched inside the throne hall, while making their best efforts to keep on a straight blank face. 'Yes, my lord?' one of them questioned. 'Bring me two of your best straight away and tell them to gather their belongings. They'll be spending sometime in lady Demeter's residence. I'll inform them of the rest of the details' the eldest God informed. The other two nodded their heads and moved along to get their comrades. They already pitied them. The trip was made with them deciding whether they would choose someone responsible enough to carry out with that responsibility till the end or one of those that annoyed them greatly, but then remembered that they would have their necks on the line if the chosen ones were to fail.

In less than ten minutes, Zeus was informing the chosen guards what they should do while guarding Demeter's life and duties. Neither was very pleased with the idea of how their next six months would go on, to say the least. Meanwhile, Demeter kept on trying to convince the father of her most precious daughter to rethink his decision. She was practically lying on her knees pleading. He had already taken her children from her, he couldn't take her powers away as well.

What she didn't realize was that she was putting her children into a lot of danger in taking only into account what she so desperately wanted. There were limits and she had to understand them. She wanted to deal with something that wasn't at all part of her jurisdiction, like always, and that had to stop. Soon, she would be leaving her former consort's home, escorted by two of the most stoic men they could ever have assigned.

Many hours had gone by since their arrival and the judgments when Hades received Hermes' hurried visit with a letter from the boy's father. It said what had been set as the blond Goddess' sentence and it required Persephone's decision as soon as possible. To say that he was pleased with Zeus' judgmental capacities would be a lie. But on the other hand, he had always had a much more condescending mind than Hades. All the dark God could at that moment was to wait for her to wake up. He wasn't sure what would happen when she did. Explaining the reason why she was lying on his bed would be quite something. Hades wasn't also sure of how the brunette would react when she found out that her mother had drugged her, tried to kidnap her and offered her to a pig of a mortal.

Dismissing the group that stood in his throne room, Hades made orders that his supper should be served in his room and, after that, no one should bother him unless he called or if the Underworld was under a massive attack. This time he dissipated back to his quarters, he wanted to be there once she woke up. He was almost certain that she would, probably, open her eyes in the morning but he wanted to make sure she would spend the night evenly.

When he arrived, the first thing he saw was Nysa's translucent figure sitting beside his wife's slumbering figure. The latter was curled on her side, snuggling and clutching her pillow. It seemed that the servant had changed her into a white cotton nightgown, which must have been far more comfortable than the leather attire from before. Looking closer he noticed that there was something small cautiously moving beneath the sheets, it certainly was Cinira that came in following Persephone's friend. 'I can't believe that pest is in my bed' he mentally grumbled. After sitting down in his usual pose, Hades informed the spirit of what had taken place at his brother's residence, so that she would know how to deal with Persephone during the next few days and dismissed her services. Right after she left with a respectful curtsy, another servant appeared with the God's supper and left as soon as it arrived.

The God hoped that the night would pass by as lightly as possible. The feline seemed to be more worried in finding a comfortable position and spot against the brunette's stomach than in antagonizing Hades, so he didn't bother much in trying to remove her from his bed. Once alone, the blond dissolved from his sitting spot to take over the one where Nysa once was. He stayed there for a while, observing and taking in the scenery before him, and taking some bites of his food. She was slumbering ever so peacefully. One part of him was thankful for that, it gave him time to think of how he would explain that her mother had drugged her and sold off to a measly, disgusting and poor excuse for a mortal. It also gave him time to decide what his next steps should be. He feared that something similar could happen again, with Demeter under surveillance or not, and he didn't know what would the slumbering Goddess' reaction be when she learned that, maybe she would finally see how her mother's twisted mind worked. The blond was in hopes that it would make her have more trust in him, but first he needed her to believe his word on how she ended up in his bed, since when the time for her to wake up would come, she would have no memories of the whole ordeal. The other part of him was curious to see what would be Persephone's decision. She could be a caring creature, but he had seen in what state she would leave a room after an angered rampage, it should be rather interesting. But for the time being, it was in Zeus' hands to control the feeble minded Goddess, it wouldn't last long though, and both brother's knew it very well. Demeter just had to wait for the child she was bearing to be born, then she would try another scheme, which she would be probably plotting at that precise moment. Because of that, Hades knew that something had to be done, or at least planed.

His mismatching eyes travelled through his ample bed chambers and a deep breath escaped his lips. Mutely he thanked Despôine, hadn't it been for the small girl and his match's soul would haunt Tartarus for eternity. A small voice inside the depths of his mind, maybe his conscious, wondered if he hadn't fallen completely at the headstrong and wild female's mercy or lovestruck by her captivating demeanor. If he wasn't already, it wouldn't take long for him to be. She was marking her place in his life with such force that it would be impossible for the darker God to ever let her leave it. Was he being a complete self-centered bastard? Yes. Did it bother him? Not even a hair on the back of his head. It was simply part of his nature. Had he been any different, then Hades wouldn't be the eternal and rightful ruler of the Underworld. He wasn't one to let chances slip through his fingers or to let go of what was just his and his alone. Even more, he couldn't bear the thought of another being, God or not, to set its hand on her flawless skin without having the need to wipe out with the flames of Tartarus more than half of the mortal world.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his senses, before setting his gaze back on Persephone. The small cub had already found its sleep against her caregiver's bent legs. A stray thought came to him, wondering what would happen if he just lied down next to her. She would probably slap him out of the bed, most likely thinking that she was on her own one, but it was his bed and he would not settle for the floor or a chair. The food barely made its way down to his stomach and he was still too tense. Hades made his way to his bathing room, hoping that a soothing bath would ease him and help him solve some of the questions that troubled his mind. As usual, the small pool was already heated up. It had been an extremely tiring day, one that he did not wish to repeat anytime soon. Making his clothes progressively disappear, he entered the small pool, letting the warm scented water surround his well-built body with a relaxing effect.

As the God relaxed away his worried, Persephone's peaceful dreams started to become as disturbing as Tartarus' darkest corners.

The enchanting paradise she was in withered with a breathtaking speed. Her mind started to rotten the fresh and lenient grass where her feet were set upon, the soft feeling rapidly becoming a burning sensation on her soles. Her brown eyes travelled to the sky above her, the bright blue was losing its tone, diminishing into an ashy grey. Along with that come a harsh blast of air that could cut through the thickest of skins, the brunette felt like she was being scratched by a million sheets of the thinnest paper. Soon the ground started to shake, as if Thera had awoken once more to shatter and destroy the Minoan civilization. Before she could command her legs to carry her away from her crumbling mind, the earth beneath her started to open up into deep abysses. There was nothing that her panicked eyes could see coming from the blind and dark pits.

The wind never ceased with ear-piercing shrieks attacking her. Persephone's legs became paralyzed, as much as she tried to, she couldn't move. She had to endure the mind shattering sounds that came from the voids, they were cries of men, women and children pleading for help and mercy for their doomed souls. Persephone tried to obliterate the sounds by pressing her hands against her ears, but it was no use, it had already engorged her in an overwhelming capsule. Along with those tormenting echoes came the stench of a thousand of rotting corpses, of flesh that time had deteriorated into a viscid slime. The bitter taste of her bile was rapidly making its way up to her mouth, but she quickly swallowed it. Soon enough the earthquake and the fissures on the ground reached such magnitude that she was now left standing on a thin, rocky and unbalanced column, surrounded by nothingness. The brunette felt an immense urge to scream, but every time she tried no sound would form, it was like someone had ripped out her vocal cords. The more she tried the more the tasted of rust mixed in her mouth. Her throat was burning from her efforts. Persephone found herself begging and calling for help, but no one came.

The rocky walls surrounding the rickety column grew with haste and the light started to fade, enveloping the Goddess in a mass of obscurity and despair. At this point she had fallen to her knees and bowed down to the fear that consumed her mind, as if she submitting to it. She didn't even acknowledged the scrapes the gravel was making on her skin. Her trembling hands gripped her slender neck, trying to choke out the sound that was blocked inside her. At one point she found herself trying to holler Hades' name. The increasing realization of helplessness caused hot tears to layer on her rounded and pale cheeks. Something about those tears felt wrong, they seemed thicker than usual and Persephone could feel that they left what was like rough patches of dry dirt on her skin. In a hurry, she wiped her face and her hands reappeared stained with a dark red substance, it was blood. Her eyes became as wide as the moon at its fullest moment. It was then that the Goddess noticed that the skin of her arms was starting to lose its complexion, becoming as grey as the sky above her. 'What's happening to me?' she mutedly asked.

Before she had the chance to process the changes her body was going through, the brunette felt something fiercely gripping her dirt covered dress. Looking down, she found a bony and rotten hand piercing the fabric with its sharpened fingernails. While she focused on the changes her body was going through, she had barely noticed that the screams had grown to be louder than ever and the dead remains of human beings had started to slowly and cryptically crawl up the column she was trapped in. Quickly, her trembling legs brought her up to a standing position, trying to avoid as much as she could the limbs that craved to drag her down with them back into the dark abyss. But there was nowhere for her to run, she felt like she was doomed to rot alongside those demoniac corpses.

There was no Hades to save her soul, no Demeter to protect her from decay and no Zeus to ensure the safety of her future, she was alone, left for dead with no one to rely on.

Soon enough her hair became thinner and colorless, it became so weak that the skin cutting wind made it fall as easily as dandelion seeds on a Summer afternoon, it flew in a turmoil around her in large strands. Even her skin was being peeled off painfully from her muscles, just like fabric shredding due to the effects of time. She had never felt so much agony in her life, her muscles burnt from the exposure to that wind and from the wounds that were increasing. Persephone was putrid and fading into Tartarus. It didn't take long for her body to be covered with the burning hands and arms of the screaming souls, pulling her down with them into the infinite darkness that was awaiting beneath her. It was then when her voice found its way back. Persephone screamed vociferously, maybe even louder than the sounds that pierced her ears and shattered her mind.

Right before being engulfed by the pain and the wretched destiny that was inside that pit, Persephone felt herself fall and hit cold ground. Still inside her nightmarish visions, the Goddess had jolted from bed and fell to the floor, fighting the cetin sheets that surrounded her figure as if they were the wretched corpses. When a pair of hands grabbed her wrists, she started screaming again since, in her nightmarish captivity, she was still trying to escape the stench filled skeletons. She tried to struggle as hard as she could to break free from such fate. In her fuss and delusional state, the brunette didn't even realize that those hands were much firmer than the deteriorating ones and much cooler as well. Tears kept streaming down her face and broken sentences like 'Let go' and 'No' left her lips in terrified cries.

Those hands untangled the sheets from around her and one of them had to grab her wrists once again before Hades face received another blow. Her eyes were still closed as tightly as possible. She was still a prisoner of her nightmare, writhing against the hands that grasped her dress and legs. The blond God decided, for his own safety, to move so that he was sitting behind her, with his arms secluding her in place and locking her struggling arms. From where they were he could see that Cinira had gotten herself under his bed, spooked from the sudden outburst that probably had thrown her down as well. She was crouched into a black furry ball and her azure eyes were widened in fear. The poor thing never saw it coming, and neither did the God, for he had just gotten out of the small pool and wrapped a soft towel around his waist when the sound of Persephone's screams started echoing.

They sat on the ground, his wet back supported by the dark ligneous nightstand, his chin resting atop the terrified brunette's head and his legs entangled with hers. They stood like that for some long minutes, Hades deciding on whether he should wake her or not and rocking her gently and Persephone calming down terribly slowly. Her cries had been replaced by small whimpers, but tears still streamed down her red cheeks. Figuring that it would be best if they got off the cold hard ground, the God carefully got them into a standing position. Maybe that way she would break free from whatever she was locked in. Hades turned her so she was facing his front and his still wet hand gently caressed her wrinkled forehead. Pulling her close against him, he called her name sometimes as he continued to caress her front. 'Persephone, wake up' he whispered in her ear, not wanting to scare her any further. It didn't take him many more tries before her earthy eyes fluttered open once more. They held a gleam of panic similar to the one he had seen earlier that morning, but this time it appeared to be much more enhanced. Still with an arm circling her waist and holding onto to her, and before she became disoriented, Hades sat the brunette down on the bed and crouched down in front of her, just enough for him to be eye leveled with her, still gently caressing her features.

Persephone looked around herself. Her head felt heavy and her vision was somewhat blurred, the sound of Hades' voice seemed to be blocked by a watery wall and her mouth felt dry. The feeling of dizziness remained for a while, but soon faded away with the help of the cold wet palm that covered her forehead and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Thankfully, she knew it had all been just a nightmare, but a terrible one nonetheless. She was certain that there was a meaning behind it, it was like it was telling her of her possible future. The Goddess could be a little dazed, but she held the notion that she had to start doing something about it, and soon. She shook her head, it had to be a thought for another hour, because it came to her that she had no memories of how she ended there and of what had happened and she wanted answers. 'What…' she tried, but her voice came hoarse. Before she tried to continue her speech, Hades conjured and gave her a crystalline cup of fresh water. 'Here, drink this first' he whispered, before sitting down next to her.

After some moments of waiting for her to get herself back in a more composed manner, Persephone spoke again, 'What happened? The last thing I remember is falling asleep…' she murmured while eyeing at the glass in her hands. She, somehow, knew that something had happened, it wasn't normal for her to just lose consciousness all of sudden, especially when she had been looking forward to that moment so eagerly. The blond took a deep breath. If she should break down in any way, at least he would be near to conceal whatever damage that could take place.

'First, I need you to trust my words. They are going to sound like I'm trying to turn you against Demeter, but they are the utmost truth' he asked her. That made the brown eyes of the Goddess travel to him with a well-marked frown. She already wasn't liking where that conversation was heading. Hades was already regretting that conversation, just hearing her mother's name made her whole demeanor change. 'Just trust me, please' he asked once again before starting resuming what had happened, choosing to leave the details for a later date. 'You fell asleep because Demeter managed to put some sleeping herbs into the food' he started, being cautious to give some attention to Persephone's facial expressions, as she continued staring at the glass in her hands. 'Because…' she edged him on with a serious face, not liking where things were heading. 'I swear, if she turns on me, I'll have that blond head has a trophy as soon as that baby is born' he threatened. 'As far as we know, she tried to kidnap you with the help of two mortal men' he went on, 'I've been interrogating them, and it seems that she used your hand in marriage to one of them as a bargain coin. No one can be sure if she really was going through with it though. When I got to you, they were getting ready to leave the Olympus with you' to this Persephone reacted, 'She did what?!' the outraged Goddess exclaimed as she shot up from bed, she couldn't believe what she was being told. Or maybe she didn't want to believe. 'Why would she even do something like that?!' she continued on. Her hands flew to her head, she could feel a headache already hitting her. 'Well, I have numerous theories, but let's just assume she's insane' Hades ventured with a smirk as he grabbed her arms to bring her back to her previous position, but quickly shut his mouth with the glare she sent him.

'What's going to happen to her?' she asked, choosing to ignore his statement and the other two pieces of the ordeal. Well, for a while, at least. 'Your father decided that, she's on house arrest until your sibling is born. Then it will be up to you what shall be done with the crops after she's released. Until then her powers have been diminished, she can only use as much as she needs for her duties. Zeus also asked for you to send him a message with your decision as soon as possible. The three of us thought that you would be the best person to decide that, since she tried to abduct you. But we can do that in the morning if you wish' he explained as best and as neutrally as he could, which wasn't a very easy task. The Goddess seemed to be thinking, processing what he was telling her, but nodded at his suggestion. One could see the engines of her brain starting to work, links were being made. Her soft features were distorted into a deep frown and held a murderous glare that would make Cerberus cringe away from her.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, the brunette didn't like being treated like an object, and she had made it very clear already. Persephone was in the process of creating her own self, of building who she was. Getting treated like that didn't really do much for her temper neither. She felt like one of her father's thunders, ready to blow up everything around her. Because of that a low cracking sound was heard in the room, as she pulled her hands into two fists Persephone managed to shatter in half the nearest bedside table. The piece of furniture rested in two halves on the dark stone ground. Her breathing became more intense, coming out in long deep breaths. Hades could tell that she was fighting hard to maintain control of her temper, last time she had completely lost control of it and it had cost him a new commode. He knew he had to do something fast, it wasn't a sight he enjoyed seeing much, he preferred to see her with a smile gracing her features, not the tense wrinkles he witnessed forming. Before the bed's headboard blew into tiny shards, Hades placed both of his hands cautiously on her shoulders and slowly turned her to face him. 'Persephone, my dear, I need you to breathe deeply and calm down' he instructed as his hands traveled up and down her arms in a soothing manner. She glared at him, 'Fuck, I shouldn't have said that' he thought. 'I. Am. Calm' she lightly snarled. He inhaled, she was stubborn, but he could be more. 'Come on, my love, don't give me that look. We both know that's not the truth' he tried to reason, using a sterner voice. 'I could kiss her…' his mind suggested. On one hand it could be a way to make her calm down, on the other it could make everything much worse.

As he debated on whether he should take that suggestion or not, Persephone's flaming eyes landed on him, ready to repeat herself, but the words got caught in her throat because, for the first time in that night, she noticed that his well-toned torso was completely bare and glistening and that he was only wearing a white towel wrapped low around his waist. That night was becoming too much for her to handle, there were too many emotions going on inside her mind. The brunette's eyes grew big and her cheeks became as garnet as the seeds of a pomegranate. Not that she didn't enjoy the sight, she did, immensely, but she wasn't willing to admit it any time soon. Though she had to be honest with herself, he did look much better in real life than in her dreams. Afraid of betraying her wisest side and giving in to the images she had locked in the depths of her mind, Persephone looked away and tried to think of something else to say.

'But yes, I'd prefer to take care of that in the morning, it's too late. I would also like to know more details about what happened today, I have the feeling that you're not telling me everything. Lastly, why I am in your room?' she wasn't ready to address the other subject. 'I can give the details in the morning, my dear, it's too late for that and I'm extremely tired. I just wanted for you to have the notion of what happened' he said. 'Well, I have, that's why I want to know more, so I can make a better decision' she argued back. Hades sighed before getting up from the bed, kissing briefly her forehead and turning his back to her to head back to the bathing room, ignoring completely the look she was shooting at his back. It was an odd mixture of irritation and self-control, 'As I've said before, in the morning Persephone. And to answer your last question, you're here because, with what happened today, there isn't the slightest chance I'm going to leave you alone in the near future. You're moving into this room. And before you get any ideas, I'm not sleeping on the floor' he continued and quickly made his way out of the room, not giving her a chance to argue back.

Persephone was left with her mouth opened and her eyes blinking rapidly at the door. Her nostrils expanded with anger and annoyance. 'Who does he think he is?! He can't do that!' her inner voice screamed, 'Can't he?' he outer finished. She understood why he had done it, but he could at least warn her first. 'Of course he would you idiot, you weren't napping all day or anything' a voice in her head sarcastically retorted. The Goddess huffed, it was all too much to take in such short amount of time, the nightmare, her kidnaping and these new arrangements. She knew that in the next day she would want to break everything in her sight, but he was right about two things, it was late and he did look completely spent. As much as she wanted to be worse than a stubborn mule, she knew she would only be acting out as a child. It would be best to think about all these different aspects of her life, some more urgent than others, in the morning and with a fresh line of thought, and not with the amalgam that was her mind at that hour.

She looked at the windows, the light that shone was of a blueish hue, making the room look gloomier than what she expected to be. Well, at least having in mind to whom the room belonged to. It was indeed a late hour. Traveling with her sight through the room, she set it on the bed. Persephone decided to go back to sleep, or at least to try to. But first she picked up Cinira, who was cautiously eyeing the brunette. 'I'm sorry for scaring you…' she whispered as she hugged the cub and stroked her soft fur. Lying back in bed on her side, and placing the sheets back above her, Persephone curled around the small animal and watched the mesmerizing waves of hot lava, calmly dancing between the sharp rocks. The sight had the effect of a lullaby to her and soon she was sent to a more peaceful and heavier slumber.

Hades had just gotten back from the bathing room dressed in a pair of black pants, ones that went in a straight light from his hipbone to his feet, when he noticed that his wife was already curled up on her side in bed. He had figured that it would be best for both if he was completely dry and covered with something safer than a simple towel. In a normal day he would sleep completely bare, but she was already upset and there was no point in unnerving her any further. Although he hadn't missed the red shade on her round cheeks before. Once he had gotten to bed, he slipped into the vacant space and looked over at her, she was sleeping soundly. Taking advantage of it, he carefully placed an arm around her waist, his fingers smartly trying not to come in contact with the sleeping beast that was curled up against her stomach. The last thing he needed that night was to get bitten. The panther might have been small, but that didn't make her teeth any duller. Laying his head on the soft pillow, Hades fell asleep instantly, the scent coming from her dark locks clouding his mind and having a relaxing effect on he. The last thought that came to him was the wish that day didn't repeat itself any time soon.

P.S.: I'm thinking about creating a playlist for the story, if anyone has any ideas please feel free to suggest them.