Hi! Back again. I like this chapter. It took me a couple of tries to work things out. Good news is: Exams are over~ yay. Only thing is. . .I think i've used up all of my good descriptive skills. (I spent a lot of my free time writing. We had to stay in the exam rooms even after we finished the test). But I am working hard to regain my skills! Not sure what's in store for next week. Please keep reviewing! It really helps and means a lot to me! And if you get a chance, check out the poll on my profile. It's about the name of this story if it was in Greek. Thanks! This week's shoutout goes to MandyJane!

We were sitting on the floor by the thrones. We were chatting, having a good time. Calantha and Styx were sitting to my right; my cane was laying to my left. I don't know how long we had been sitting there, I guess it must have been at least an hour.

Then Calantha asked, "So Persephone, how do you feel about Father? I mean how do you really feel?"

The question took me by surprise. I had never really thought about it. "How I really feel?" I repeated. "I guess I never really thought about it." I turned away from them and stared off towards the wall to my left. "Well when I met him I have to admit I was pretty afraid of him. He appeared so suddenly; I still remember his face. He looked so angry. I couldn't imagine what he wanted with me." I kept staring into space, I was afraid to look at Calantha or Styx. That's why I didn't notice when they snuck off. "He seemed so rough, so godly. I could see why people feared him as the Lord of the Dead. I knew I should have been afraid of him but a part of me was saying that there was something else there. That his anger wasn't directed towards me. I could see the man with the bow, but I couldn't see who his arrow was aimed at. All I knew was that the arrow would miss me. I tried to make him feel more comfortable around me, so that he might relax a bit." I sighed. "But I failed. When he hit me, I knew he didn't mean it. There was fire in his eyes but . . ." I picked up my cane and stroked it lovingly. "You know what? I never got a chance to properly thank him for this."

"You're welcome," his dark, velvety voice startled me.

I turned to see him kneeling next to me. He was wearing a black peplos that only covered his left shoulder. His eyes were a calm maroon today and a small smile played on his pale lips.

"L-Lord Hades!" I stammered. I was shocked. I hadn't heard him approach. I quickly scrambled to my feet; I was so flustered it took me a moment to realize. I felt myself go pale. "You did, didn't you?"

He stood as well and smiled reassuringly. "I did, I'm afraid so."

"Ohhhhh," I moaned. My cheeks turned red and I tried to cover my face with my hands. I squeezed me eyes closed, hoping against hope that I could disappear, or turn back time, anything!

Suddenly I felt the touch of his cold skin, my heart started racing. He was gently pulling my hands away from my face. He slipped his fingers in between mine and lifted my hand to his face. He pressed it gently into his cheek and held it there. He held my left hand securely in his but left it at his side.

I felt the whisper of his breath on my face; keeping my eyes closed I breathed it in. He smelled like nothing I had ever experienced. It vaguely reminded me of amber; this delicate fragrance seemed strong and powerful when mixed with the gentle musk of Lord Hades. Then I realized he had asked me a question. I quickly slipped out of my personal fantasies and back into reality. His breath danced over my skin as he repeated his question, "Is what you said true?"

I looked up at him, his deep maroon eyes. They were soft, kind but questioning. He wanted to know if I was being honest; part of me wanted to avoid his question. But looking into his eyes I felt my will draining away. I averted my gaze before whispering, "Yes."

When he spoke again I could tell he was smiling, "You miss Olympus. You miss your home," it wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement. "You would like to go home, yes?" This however held a small note of uncertainty.

I considered this. I did want to go home, I missed my mother terribly and I knew she must have been driving father mad with worry. He of course was worried too but my mother was a bit overprotective of her only daughter. But the thought of leaving here brought tears to my eyes; I knew that if I left I could never return. My parents would discover that I had been with Lord Hades and they would never allow me to see him. I would miss the girls dearly but it was the absence of Lord Hades that tore my heart in half.

"No," I whispered, "not yet. I want to go home; I want to see my mother's face. But now is not the time. I want to stay here, just a little bit longer." He seemed to understand. He said no more; for a time we stood like that. His hands holding mine; my right hand resting gently on his cheek. It was a beautiful moment. After a while my weariness caught up with me. I realized for the first time how tired I was; I stifled a yawn but Hades must have noticed.

"Long day?" He asked.

I simply nodded, too tired to form real words.

"Just relax, get some sleep. By the time you wake up, you'll be back in your room." Then, without my notice, I was in his arms. The movement was so swift and fluid that I didn't notice until I felt my cheek resting against his strong shoulder. My eyes had drifted shut but now I tried to open them, tried to enjoy every second of this moment. But my grip on consciousness was already fading. I breathed in his scent and felt my body relaxing. My hands rested on my chest, my feet dangled loosely. I felt my head come to rest against his soft robes. I rubbed my face gently into them, and sighed contentedly. I felt Hades chuckle beneath me and remember falling asleep to the rapid beating of my heart.

As promised when I awoke, I was curled up in my bed. I was still in my black chiton from the day before. After taking a careful look around my room I slipped out from under my covers. I walked over to the door and slid the small lock into place. After carefully checking my room again, I slid out of my chiton. I paused for a moment, letting the air caress my skin. Then I walked over to my chest. Sitting on the top was a small, white box. On the top was a small card with my name written on it. I opened the card and read the wavy writing.

"I hope you don't mind but the Goddess of Spring should only be clothed in the finest of robes in colors closest to her beauty. These were the best I could find."

Inside the box I found several chitons. They were made of very fine cloth and came in a variety of beautiful colors. There was a chiton in every vibrant color of Iris' rainbow and several more in soft pastels. I felt a smile grace my lips. Carefully I removed one from the box and slipped into it. After taking a brief look in the mirror I whispered, "Thank you."

Writer's note: Up a few lines, where Hades is writing that note, it's supposed to be in a fancy script but FF doesn't allow that. So use your imagination please. Thanks :)