In a sparkling cave several thousand feet below the surface of the earth there was an explosion of blackness. Out of this stepped the Lord of the Underworld, with the Goddess of Spring in his grasp.
Persephone's scream was paused in the moment Hades transported them away, and therefore when they reappeared, she was still shrieking.
"MOTHER!" she yelled desperately.
Hades held her as she struggled, his powerful grip pinning her arms to her sides.
"Your mother can't hear you, sweet girl," he told her with some level of sadistic relish.
Persephone kicked him in the knees repeatedly and he winced, glad he'd decided to put on leather guards that morning. Her wet hair soaked his tunic, and she thrashed futilely against his vice-lip hold.
"Let me go!" she screamed. "Return me to my mother!"
"I apologise for this," Hades said, searching for the chariot he had parked here earlier.
His grey horses nickered uneasily from somewhere in the darkness, and he caught sight of their glinting eyes. This cave was one of the less known entrances to the Underworld, possibly because it was buried. Torches hung from the walls, which were heavily laden with jewels. Sapphires and topaz winked and glittered from all directions, even under their feet.
Hades lifted Persephone, still kicking and yelling, and forcefully dragged her towards the chariot.
"I demand you bring me back!" she protested angrily. "How dare you kidnap me!"
"I didn't particularly want to do that, you know," Hades told her, leaping over a gap in the cave floor. His dark eyes were already adjusted to the gloom. "You could have come of your own will."
"Oh, and I suppose that justifies kidnapping me?" Persephone snapped fearfully. Grief entered her voice, and she abruptly stopped fighting. "You killed my servants, you monster," she whimpered.
Hades reached the chariot and pushed her unceremoniously in before him.
"Do you even know their names?" he demanded, looking flames at her. She was silent. "No? Then don't lament their demise! I couldn't have them go running to Demeter, telling her who took you."
Persephone's face was one of fury, and she felt an overwhelming level of fright and anger inside. Backed into the chariot, she was trembling from fear of what Hades intended to do to her. His eyes travelled over the shape of her body. The wet summer dress she wore was stuck tight to her skin due to that crazed leap into the stream, leaving very little to the imagination. Hades took a deep breath, resisting the instinct to tear the fabric off altogether. Another god, his brother for example, would have had no compunctions in taking her right there. But he looked into the girl's terrified emerald eyes, glowing in the gloom, and reminded himself that she was his queen, and he loved her. He needed more from her than stolen physical pleasure.
Persephone flinched when he climbed in and reached towards her. The intensity of his eyes did not leave hers, but he reached past, grabbing a piece of cloth on the floor of the chariot. His face came uncomfortably close, making her shiver from a fear she didn't even fully comprehend. With odd gentleness, he wrapped the rag around her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked, hating the way her voice betrayed her fear.
"This entrance to my realm is secret. Let it remain that way to you."
Hades' fingers lingered in her hair after tying the blindfold, but he was conscious of time limits, and grabbed the chariot's reins. The horses, having been waiting for hours, kicked and snorted, eager to be moving. Blinded and seeing no further point in struggling, Persephone slumped to the floor of the chariot, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Don't call me a monster," Hades muttered before they started moving. "There are much fouler monsters than I in this world."
With a snap of reins, the chariot started moving, plunging them into near total darkness. The greys knew where to go in the blackness, having been bred and reared in the shadows of the Underworld. Hades urged them on into a breakneck gallop, conscious of how fast he had to get beyond Demeter's reach before she figured out what happened to her precious daughter.
Persephone did not cry during the juddering descent into the dark. She was tempted to, but at the same time she knew it would do her no good. Lord Hades did not seem likely to have pity on her tears. Unable to see where they were going, she concentrated on trying to map out in her head how many times the chariot twisted and turned on its downward trajectory. However, after about ten such turns, she had already forgotten the first, and gave up. Chances of escaping were very limited.
Even behind the blindfold, she could see the darkness deepen ominously, and then she noticed odd flickering lights. Eerie flashes lit up her face every few minutes. Then they appeared with increasing frequency, until the glow was omnipresent; an undulating mysterious light. After some time, she felt the chariot's movement even out, and then stop.
Hades reached down and carefully removed the blindfold. It took her eyes a moment to take in what was around her, but when she did, she recoiled in fear.
"Where am I?" she breathed.
High above her was a darkness that seemed shapeless and unending. All around, floating and staring sightlessly, were thousands upon thousands of glowing spectres. Each one was composed of what looked like translucent smoke. Some were clothed in torn rags, while others were naked and skeletal. Their eye sockets were empty, and many were covered in wounds. There were men, women and children; of all ages and heights and race.
"You are on the bank of the River Styx, my lady," Hades said, jumping down and offering her a hand to climb from the chariot. "We are at the entrance of my realm, and I would suggest that you don't try to run. There are creatures in this darkness which even I fear to meet."
Persephone, utterly terrified by the ghostly forms, hesitantly put her hand in his. He clasped it tight, possibly assurance that she wouldn't try to run. When she climbed out, he did not let go. His fingers were cold, but the pressure of his grip reminded her she had not died, and was not in the power of a very bizarre bad dream. Having glanced fearfully around, she saw the reflective surface of an enormous body of quiet water which had to be the River Styx. Torches emitting turquoise flames marked its edges. The souls floating on the edge of the river appeared to be waiting for something.
Hades drew his sword, held it up and muttered some words of what must have been a spell. She gaped as the souls suddenly parted before them, drawing away from their master. Holding her hand close, he strode to the water's edge and dipped his sword in the water. He muttered more words, and there was a metallic ringing noise which echoed in the silence. Ripples spread out from the bank, vanishing into the unseen distance, where mist obscured everything from sight. Persephone peered into the blackness and thought she could see fiery lights far away.
With a liquid movement, Hades sheathed his sword, and all she could hear was her own breathing. Minutes passed, and then she caught sight of a light bobbing up and down over the river. It drew closer, appearing out of a haze. A single lantern was attached to a wide barge-like ferry, and at its helm stood a ragged, hooded figure. Persephone stared at its grotesque face as it drew closer. Dressed like a vagabond, this creature had no nose, just two slits for nostrils. Its skin was brown and wrinkled as a prune, and its lips were black as lead.
"Charon!" Hades called out over the silent waters. "Some haste would have been appreciated."
When the creature spoke, its voice was like the scraping of pebbles against steel; grating and unpleasant.
"Charon is not some dog to be called to your side, Lord Hades," he hissed insolently. "Souls must be taken across, yes? Charon's eternal task cannot be interrupted."
"Silence, ferryman," Hades told him, gesturing to the goddess at his side. "You are in the presence of the Goddess Persephone, daughter of Demeter."
The ferry drew up to the bank, and Charon peered at Persephone with milky, curious eyes. She met his gaze, already too terrified to bother shying away or hiding her fear.
"Ah!" Charon exclaimed. "Lady, welcome are you to the shadows of the realm of the dead."
"Thank you, sir," she answered nervously.
"Sir?" the ferryman echoed with evident surprise. "She calls Charon "sir"? It has been a long time since Charon, the ferryman of the Dead, was ever given such respect, yes. A long time. Polite goddess, very polite. Too good for…"
"Cease your dreary talk and take us across!" Hades ordered.
"As you wish, Lord Hades, yes. Across to the Underworld, yes."
Charon threw a plank out onto the bank, and Hades gestured for Persephone to go first. Shooting him a look of hatred, she tiptoed gingerly across. Charon caught her on the other side, and pointed with a gnarled black finger to a seat on the ferry. To her, the barge appeared surprisingly small for something which was supposed to take all the world's dead across the Styx, but Persephone said nothing. Hades sat across from her, and the boat started moving of its own accord.
The river was a dark expanse, and she watched the souls receding from view as they pulled away. Hades was observing her very closely, making her shiver right up her spine. They did not speak on the journey across, and Charon did not address them, although one could hear him muttering to himself at the prow of the boat. Sparkling yellow lights appeared ahead, and Persephone craned her neck as they drew closer. What looked like fireflies drew near, and she was sure that was what they were until they come closer. Instead of insects, they were odd white-eyed hummingbirds with tiny beating wings and thin beaks.
The birds flew next to the boat. Curious, Persephone held out an arm over the side. At first they veered away, but then came over to investigate, even landing on her skin. If she hadn't been so afraid of everything else so far, she would have laughed at the tickling sensation. Hades watched Persephone intensely, pleased to see that she was appreciating some part of his world, even if it was just the birds of the Styx. In the glow of turquoise flames, she was beautiful. But then, when was she ever not beautiful?
Approaching on the opposite bank was an empty plain and an enormous wall. At first Persephone thought the wall was the side of a mountain, but then realised it was too straight and smooth. It seemed impossible any structure could be so wide.
"The Walls of Erubus," Hades explained in answer to her unspoken question.
The wall stretched out for what must have been miles to either side, the corners or ends beyond sight. Ahead of them was a gate as tall as the walls, and streaming inside were crowded souls. They were gathered in orderly formation, albeit in much fewer numbers than on the farther bank of the Styx.
"Charon must continue," said the ferryman as they disembarked. "No time for those who never die, yes."
"Proceed," Hades told him.
Hades drew her towards the gate, and Persephone tried to ignore the ghosts drifting inside. As they came close, she realised that a lumpy shadow at the entrance was not a shadow at all, but a beast. It reared up and started racing towards them. She screamed and pressed herself to Hades in fear, briefly forgetting that she was afraid of him as well.
The beast had three round black heads with three mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. It had the gait of a dog, but was as tall as the tallest man, with a patchy coat and a long tail. To her surprise, Hades did not draw his sword, but drew a package out of his cloak. The beast stopped dead about three feet from them, and lowered its heads to the ground. Six wide eyes watched Hades, and the creature barked furiously when he threw a golden-brown disc through the passing souls.
"This is Cerberus," Hades told her.
The three-headed dog chased the disc, knocking aside the stream of souls. They opened silent mouths, screaming. The middle dog head swallowed the disc, and all three came bounding over again. To her surprise, Cerberus rolled onto his back, at once seeming more like a puppy than a ferocious beast.
Persephone peeled herself off Hades' side, and watched in amazement as the Lord of the Underworld knelt and stroked the belly of this fearsome creature. Three tongues stuck out of three mouths, and his tail wagged. When Hades rose to his feet, he wrapped up the package again. Seeing her confused expression, he explained.
"Honey cakes - those are his favourite."
Cerberus sniffed Persephone with great interest. Souls and Underworld gods were all well and good, but to have something new to smell was a real treat. Apparently she gained approval, because one of the heads then sloppily licked her arm. Gooey saliva stuck to her like glue. Persephone stroked one of the three heads, realising Cerberus was no more than a big softy. The other two heads whined, clearly jealous of the attention.
"Let us go, my lady," Hades said then. Refusing to go any further was not an option, and she wasn't sure anymore that she wanted to go back, so she allowed him to take her shaking hand and lead her on through the gate.
On the other side of the Walls of Erubus, a new world opened out. Persephone stared. She hadn't imagined anything real could look quite like this. It had to be a bad dream, because the Underworld was surely full of darkness and damp, not as varied as what lay before her. Each direction held something different. To the right there was nothing but darkness; deep and uncompromising, and next to it was the outline of a fortress. Right ahead she could see the souls drifting into what appeared to be an enormous temple. Beyond that was a purple expanse that seemingly went on forever without end, lit by unseen lights. To the left she could see glittering shapes in the darkness, and past that fire and mountains. A person, she thought in awe, could walk through this Underworld forever and never see everything within. She could smell a foul scent on the air, and heard the roaring of something in the distance over constant background keening. The desolation was potent, and above her head there were no stars and no clouds. Just darkness. Awful, frightening darkness. No living creature was meant to be here, she knew.
"Welcome to my realm," Hades said, with equal measures of resentment and pride.
Another chariot was ready at the gate. Something about this entire setup gave Persephone the impression that her kidnapping was planned. And, if so, why? Suspicions crowded her mind. The chariot pulled away, Cerberus loping along not far behind.
As they crossed the empty bleakness of the Underworld, Hades explained to her that the souls were entering the Judgement Pavilion, where each one received their eternal punishment or reward depending on their respective lives. The chariot was charging across the Fields of Asphodel, where souls who had done neither good nor evil wandered in miserable aimless misery. Their wails were audible and mournful, but their eyeless sockets were empty, barely aware of their Lord and his captive goddess. Such agony saddened her, and she covered her ears.
"Why do they cry so?" she whimpered, wishing this nightmare away. The question hadn't been directed at him in particular, but Hades answered it anyway.
"Their fate was decided long ago," he intoned, as if that explained or justified any of this suffering.
Hades' palace reared up like a mountain before them, tall and imposing. Hideous gargoyles and windowless walls stood motionless and watching as their master rode over the drawbridge. Every stone seemed to pulsate with a dark, ominous power. This was a place of deep magic, Persephone felt. Before she knew it, she was inside the palace, and dark veiled servants with skeletal hands and unseen faces were stepping out of the shadows of a dank courtyard to take the horses. Cerberus bounded in, sniffing and growling at nothing in particular.
Hades' cloak swirled around him as he leapt from the chariot. He was in his natural place, she could see. She was not. When she hesitated he seized her hand and half-dragged her through rocky doors. They emerged into a high-ceilinged hall where a group of oddly formed elemental beings stood waiting. The hall was round, ringed with fire pits, columns and black banners. Ahead was a flight of curving stairs disappearing into the bowels of the palace. Persephone felt exposed, conscious of thinness of her damp dress.
Hades dropped her hand, and she was frozen in place as the dark strangers dropped into bows and curtseys to him. One of them did not. A tall woman cloaked in night with eyes like cloudy stars and skin as black as coal stood a little behind the others. Her hair was wispy and grey, and an aura of ancient power clung to her visage. The rest were clothed similarly to each other, in black and greys with some sparkle of jewels or weapons.
"Welcome back, my lord," wheezed one of the gods.
Ignoring their welcome, Hades gestured to his captured goddess.
"May I present Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and Goddess of Spring," he announced.
All eyes fell on her. The gods and goddesses of the Underworld examined her and seemed to find her very interesting. There was an awkward silence, before one of the gods rushed forward. He was round and large, with green skin and a smooth jaw. Like a snake, he lunged for her hand and pressed oily lips to it.
"My dear Persephone," he simpered. "Your beauty lightens these dark halls."
On the borderline of trembling, Persephone managed a short reply.
"Thank you," she shivered. "Lord…?"
"Thanatos," the green god said pompously, bowing low. "God of Death. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She was confused all of a sudden.
"God of Death?" she repeated, resenting her own ignorance. "I thought…"
"No," Thanatos smiled, guessing her question before she asked it. His smile revealed yellowed teeth, and his breath smelt of something rotten. "Your divine captor is the God of the Underworld. He is my overseer. And our King."
Hades cleared his throat, and she jumped, anticipating being thrown in a revolting, vermin-filled cell where she would be manacled to a wall.
"I am not her captor," the Lord of the Underworld said.
"No?" Thanatos asked, with a raised eyebrow. "She has the quaking demeanour of a prisoner."
"Be gone!" Hades ordered, and Thanatos retreated. "Persephone," he continued, much gentler, "you must be tired, and your leg needs binding."
With a snap of his fingers, two Shades materialised from positions next to the walls. Until that moment, she hadn't noticed the trickle of blood tracing a path from her knee.
"Take the lady to her room," he ordered, gently pushing Persephone towards them with a cold hand on her exposed back. "Find her a suitable wardrobe."
Without a word, the Shades, two females as far as one could tell, ushered the fearful goddess up the curved staircase and into the lavish dark of Hades' palace. Persephone had just seen more in that day than any sane person should see in a lifetime, and was beyond resisting whatever fate was in store, so she meekly allowed herself to be taken along.