so obviously i suck
but i hope this update makes me suck less

i have to warn you, finals are coming up so the bad news is idk when the next update is, but the good news is school will be over so i'll have hella time to write

Persephone…

He's calling me. And I must respond.

I look down. My toes hang from the balcony, teasing me. The mountain is too high, the jump is too dangerous. His life is in danger.

But it must be this way. Some force is telling me to jump. A strong force that I cannot seem to fight.

My neck is tingling. I can feel the sweat glide from my neck down my back. I close my eyes.

'I'll always catch you, my darling…'

At his beautiful voice, I open my eyes. I've changed my mind! I can't jump!

Falling

Falling

Darkness, it calls me. It will always call me.

And I must respond.

Lily gasped as she bolted upright, her neck feeling the tingling sensation as she had in the dream. Pressing a warm hand to the nape of her neck, Lily massaged it tenderly, feeling the groove of a small scar she had received since childhood. As the sensation dulled, she sighed loudly as she threw herself back onto her bed, staring up at her canopy.

The dream, again, felt so real. The height of the mountain she stood upon made her feel nauseous, and the feeling of falling was so lifelike, she shuddered at the memory of it.

How could she have this dream again? And the voice calling Persephone, why did Lily answer to it? She mused that it had been a product of the stories Henry had told her the day before, about the sleeping goddess who had tragically jumped off of Mount Olympus in the name of love.

But then why did she have the dream before? She had absolutely no knowledge of the goddess Persephone's story, and yet she had a similar dream.

Musing to herself, Lily was interrupted as Cherry opened her large, bedroom door, moving towards her large French door windows and pulling back the blinds.

"Come now, Miss Lily. I've made a delicious breakfast for you and your mother."

Lily sat up lazily, rubbing her eyes as the sun's rays flooded into her bedroom. "Pancakes?"

Cherry smiled, "Chocolate chip ones, your favorite."

"What would we do without you, Cherry?" Lily asked, grinning.

"Oh, Miss Lily, you're too kind. Now, come on, up and at 'em! It is a beautiful Saturday morning, and I would hate for you to spend it at home."

Playing with her comforter coverings, Lily sighed. "My friends are busy today. It looks like I'll be spending the day with you and Captain Propolos," Lily chuckled at the nickname she had given her mother.

"Oh no, no, no!" Cherry tutted, pulling back Lily's covers, "You will do no such thing. You don't need friends to have a good time in Nawlins, honey. Plus, I have to make your bed, so go on, scooch."

Lily giggled as she stepped off her bed, pulling on her silk robe and slipping into comfortable house shoes. Watching Cherry make her bed, Lily spoke up, "Maybe we could catch a film at the old cinema later on today? I've heard wonderful things about the new James Stewart film."

"I wish I could, Miss Lily. But I've got so much work to do, I'd make a bee look lazy." Fluffing her pillows into a bouncy state, Cherry looked towards Lily apologetically, "Besides, your mama has a very important meeting today from what she told me."

Lily cocked her head, "With who?"

"Some investors, I believe." Tidying up the rest of the room, Cherry turned to Lily, pushing her towards the door, "Now go on, Miss Lily! Your pancakes are fixin' to get cold, and you don't want your mama to be late for her meeting!"

Laughing lightly, Lily allowed herself to be pushed down the marble staircase and into the dining room. She found her mother sitting at the end of the long, wooden table, her light red chemise contrasting with the pastel blue hues of the room. Her face was hidden behind the Weekend Edition of the Picayune, and a plate of breakfast foods sat in front of her, untouched, adjacent to another plate filled with chocolate chip pancakes.

Lily walked over to her mother, bending to kiss her cheek before sitting to her mother's right, ready to devour her favorite pancakes.

"Morning, Lily," she said slowly.

"Morning, captain," Lily murmured, taking a drink of milk.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Again with the captain thing?"

Lily chuckled, "You're the captain of this ship, mom. The house, the company, all of it is under your control."

Haley pursed her lips as she folded the newspaper onto the wooden table and began to eat her breakfast. "I suppose so. Does that make you my first mate?"

Lily took a bite out of her pancakes, relishing in the delicious taste. "Aye, aye captain,"

Haley laughed as she forked a piece of bacon to her mouth, "So, do you have any plans today?"

Lily shook her head, "Unfortunately not. I may stop by the bookshop on St. Charles today, though. I need some books for geology."

Smiling secretly, Lily thought about Henry's offer of his geology books. However, she didn't know where he lived, and arriving to his office on a Saturday afternoon seemed too much.

"You should have a day to yourself, Lily. Go and shop, eat, the possibilities are endless. Now that the tourist season is over, the city should be emptier."

"You don't want to come with?" Lily asked.

"I'd love to, dear, but I have an important meeting today. Some investors want to sign with the company, so I agreed to meet with them. I shouldn't take long, I'll be back before dinner."

Grabbing the paper from the table, Lily leafed through it, skimming the articles. Her eyes caught the weather section, a warning of a potential hurricane hitting the city in the near future. Her eyes furrowed in worry, reading the article.

"Something wrong?" Haley asked while buttering a piece of toast.

Lily looked up, then brought her gaze down back to the paper, "It says there's a hurricane coming. A strong one, too."

Haley waved her hands, biting down into her toast. "Nonsense. They always make it seem like it's raining buckets of water, but never amounts to more than a teeny drop."

"Still, shouldn't we be a little worried?"

"Lily," Haley began, motioning outside the dining room's large windows, "Do you see any sign of a hurricane? The sun is shining, the birds are singing. I'd bet my top dollar no hurricane is hitting."

Lily chewed her pancakes slowly, thinking over her mother's words. "You're right."

Haley smiled, "Of course. Now, you didn't even tell me about your museum trip. How was it?"

Lily grinned, "It was wonderful,"

Haley raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, "So wonderful you missed the bus?"

Lily's smile dropped. How was it that she knew she had missed the bus?

Seeming to read her thoughts, Haley began to pick at her plate as she spoke, "Claire stopped by yesterday, asking if you got home alright. She told me you missed the bus, after seemingly disappearing from the tour group. Where'd you run off to?" Her mother's light, teasing tone eased Lily a little, "You've been to the museum countless times. What could possibly distract you from the group?"

A soft smile graced Lily's lips, remembering her encounter with Henry and his impressive collection. "I got caught up in this…exhibit. It was so beautiful, mom. I've never seen anything like it. I actually got to touch some of the artifacts! I can't believe Mr. Mavros even allowed me to see it, let alone touch-"

Lily's babbling was interrupted as a fork rattled onto her mother's plate. A stony expression replaced her light one. "Mr. Mavros?"

Lily hesitated. Her mother's views of relationships didn't allow her to have a paramour, and for a time, it never bothered Lily. The boys who chased her were immature and interested in her fortune, so Lily had respected her mother's restrictions. But now, with Henry consuming her thoughts, she couldn't see why her mother could reject a man like Henry as a potential suitor. He was more than financially stable, intelligent, and seemed to care about Lily and her personal goals.

"Yes," Lily began slowly. "Henry was a patron to the museum, so he had access to-"

"Henry?" Haley repeated.

Lily gulped. Apparently, her mother didn't see Henry in the same light as she did.

"Lily." Haley quietly began, laying her utensils down, "I've told you countless times that I don't approve of you having a relationship at such a young age. You are too young-"

"But if you could just meet him, mom. He's so wonderful and kind. He's truly-"

"I'm not finished, Lily Propolos." Haley interrupted, leaving Lily to quietly back down. "You are too young for him. Those millionaire playboys chase the prettiest girls in town to love them and leave them soon after. Now, I've taught you to be a decent, young lady. I hope you don't become attached to Mr. Mavros in the near future."

Lily frowned, pushing her unfinished pancakes to the center of the table, losing her appetite. "Yes ma'am."

Haley stood up to leave, sighing as she placed a hand onto Lily's hair, smoothing her brown waves. "I'm just looking out for you, Pe-Lily."

Catching her mother's slip-up, but not wanting to make a scene, Lily patted her mother's hand. "I know,"

Haley bent to kiss Lily on the forehead before looking at the grand clock in the room. "I've got to run. I need to set up the room for our visitors today." Her heels clicked along the marble floor, and she turned back as she exited the room. "I meant what I said, Lily. Go out today, enjoy yourself! I'll be back in a while. Love you, Lily!"

The door slammed shut, making the grand, diamond chandelier above Lily's head rattle. Looking up to it forlornly, she was met with her frowning reflection in the hanging diamonds and the echoing silence of the mansion.

"Love you too," she whispered to an empty dining room.

Hecate glared out the window of her town car the entire trip to the Roosevelt Hotel.

Her anger and worry over the young Persephone consumed her greatly. The look on her face at breakfast was one of pure love and adoration. Persephone's powers surpassed Hecate's greatly, and if Hades succeeded in some way for her to regain her memories, the curse claim the young queen once more.

Resting her head on the seat, Hecate closed her eyes. Why her? Why Persephone? The only thing she succeeded in life was to love Hades, and her love for him brightened the dark lord. She was doomed from the day she was born.

But Hecate had reversed the spell! She had another chance to be by Hades' side for eternity, but even that was denied. Loyalty to her king and queen forced Hecate to take Persephone, and loyalty had kept the spring goddess alive. But Hecate had seen the fire in Hades' eyes that day in his office. His days of agonizing pain were long gone, and he seemed determined to regain Persephone at whatever cost.

She had thought of telling Hades about her second curse, but Hades would simply accuse her of lying, and then start a war against the Fates for cursing his love a second time, and doom the rest of the Olympians. Another side of Hecate reasoned that Hades would stand aside, dooming himself to love Persephone from afar, allowing her to live. But after seeing Hades that fateful day and his frequent encounters with Persephone, Hecate knew that Hades would not stand by idly.

He was determined to fight, possibly to the death, for her.

It was always for her.

She groaned as she opened her eyes and the illustrious Roosevelt Hotel came to view, dreading the meeting with the 'investors'. In reality, the Olympians who had been found had scheduled a meeting during the Wildlife Ball in order to begin the search for the others. This meeting was the first after many centuries, and Hecate did not know what to expect. For now, she knew that only herself, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hera would be in attendance, but there was the possibility of others being discovered since the day of the ball.

Stepping out of her car with the aid of the chauffeur, Hecate strolled into the Roosevelt, her glamour matching the elegance of the hotel. Making her way across the lobby into the elevator hall, she watched as hotel guests mingled throughout, the sound of soothing jazz pouring and echoing across the lobby. Stepping into the elevator and signaling the elevator boy to the top floor which held the presidential suite, Hecate grew nervous. From their history, Hades had always despised meetings between the Olympians, and she was sure this was no exception.

After the climb to the top floor and exiting the elevator, Hecate was met with a short hallway leading to two large, golden double doors. Knocking on the doors, her eyes fell upon a frail servant boy, who beckoned her to enter. Slowly passing through the doors, Hecate took in the luxurious presidential suite Zeus had occupied for the time being. Gold encompassed the room from the carpet to the curtains, and a large dining room held the said King of the Gods, seated at the head of a golden covered table. Hera sat to his right, Hades to his left, and Poseidon next to Hades. The seat next to Hera sat vacant, and once the group acknowledged her presence, Zeus called the boy from the door to seat Hecate next to Hera.

"Welcome, Haley. We were just waiting for you in order to begin." Zeus smiled warmly, then called for the boy once more. "Travis, please retire for the night. We won't be needing your services."

The boy nodded tersely before exiting the dining room. At the sound of the double doors closing shut, Zeus began again. "Olympians, it's been quite a few years. Hecate and I have called you here today in order to plan our search for the others. Have any of you seen or heard of another Olympian?"

Hera spoke up first, "Aphrodite is alive. The last I saw of her was in Venice around the turn of the century, other than that I have nothing."

Zeus nodded, "Anyone else?"

"While I was on the seas, I thought I saw Apollo in a port city in the Caribbean. This was also at the turn of the century, and I have not heard or seen him since. His immortal aura was glowing, so I'm fairly certain it was him."

"And Ares?" Hecate asked, ignoring Hades' glare.

"Hermes has informed me that he saw Ares last fighting in the second World War, around the city of Normandy. After the victory, he stayed in Europe."

Hades sat up straight, finally interested in the conversation. "You've found Hermes?"

Hera nodded, "He was a journalist in New York. We found him on a day of a press conference after the crash of '29."

"And where is he now?" Hades asked.

Zeus shrugged. "I'm not sure. He keeps in contact, but I can't pinpoint his location." Staring at the table, Zeus spoke again, "Anything else?"

"Persephone."

At his voice, all heads turned to Hades. He looked up emotionlessly, "She's alive. And here in New Orleans."

Zeus sighed, "We know, Hades. We all saw her at the ball."

Slamming a fist onto the table, Hades snarled, "Then why is she not here? Is she not an almighty Olympian? Or have you forgotten that Hecate," he spat, pointing towards the said goddess, "poisoned her memory, and won't even allow her to discover her heritage? Really, Hecate! To not even let her learn about her history-"

"I will not have this discussion with you, Hades." came Hecate's cold reply.

"You have no choice," Hades growled. "I am still your King. And she is your queen."

"She is my daughter!" Hecate bellowed.

"She is not yours!" Hades yelled. "You've deluded yourself to the point that you actually believe she is yours to keep? Or have you forgotten that you stole her from me and hid her for centuries?"

"I'm just trying to protect her, Hades." Hecate responded, the desperation in her voice oozing.

Hades scoffed. "I can protect her! You had no right to erase me from her memories. She needs me, Hecate, as I need her."

"Enough!" Zeus yelled, interrupting the quarrel. Hecate could feel Hades' murderous gaze on her, but she refused to meet it.

"Hecate," Zeus began, "I believe you had no reason to eliminate Persephone's history from her. By blood and soul, she is an Olympian, and no one should stand between her and her heritage."

"What is it that you can't understand?" Hecate spat, her anger boiling. "I'm doing it to protect her!"

Hades then stood, slamming the chair into the table and exiting onto the lavish patio before slamming the glass door behind him.

The rest of the gods stared after the fuming Hades, afraid to confront him and his mood. Taking a deep breath, Hecate excused herself from the table, exiting onto the patio behind Hades. His broad back was facing her, and she decided to keep her distance and stay by the door.

They stood silently for a moment, Hecate watching the muscles in Hades' back tense in anger. She tentatively took a step forward, "Hades,"

"Don't." His voice cut sharply. "I don't want to hear anything from you."

"If you'd just allow me to explain, I could-"

Hades swirled, his glistening eyes boring into Hecate's. "You could what? Cause me more pain? Twist the knife you planted inside of me all those years ago? You don't know what it's like, Hecate. To see her so close, but for her to be so far at the same time." His voice had taken a slight tilt, but then returned to its harsh tone. "And it's all your fault. You did this to us."

Hecate shrunk under his accusing glare. "Hades, I'm trying to-"

"Stop it, Hecate! I don't want your explanations. I want Persephone back. And if you think for one moment that you can stop me, you're sorely mistaken."

Unable to contain it longer, Hecate blurted, "She's cursed, Hades!"

He scoffed, "You lie."

Tears falling down her face, Hecate shook her head. "No."

Hecate felt the harsh pull of Hades' strong grip on her arm, "You have one minute to explain."

"After you left, Atropos came back. I had told her that we had broken her gift, but she simply cursed her again. The dark man would permanently extinguish her light if he found her again."

Dropping her arm, Hades spat, "Atropos."

"I had to take her, Hades. I needed to hide her, and protect her from… from.."

"From me." Hades finished.

Hecate said nothing as she placed a hand on his shoulder, surprised that he didn't shrink away. "Hades, I truly didn't want to. But Atropos' curse scared me. I didn't want you or Lady Persephone to suffer again. I watched her sleep all of those years, and I came up with the plan to give her a mortal life once she awoke. She wouldn't remember any of us, or her past on Olympus, and she would be safe. But I was wrong."

Hades turned to her, and Hecate's heart fell at the sight of the broken God before her. Moments ago, his fiery temper flared igniting fear in everyone, and now, tears fell out of his eyes, heartbroken. "What do you mean?"

Hecate laughed softly, "Even with her erased memories, she loves you. The way she speaks of you, it reminds me so much of the times before. She adores you, and none of my spells can be rid of that."

Closing his eyes, Hades ran a hand through his hair. "Why her, Hecate? I'm causing her destruction again, by simply loving her."

"It's happening all over again."

Hades walked over to the balcony, his hair waving in the breeze as he looked over the French Quarter. "I have no other option."

"Hades?" Hecate questioned.

He didn't look up to face her as he whispered, "How does one kill a Fate?"

After a light lunch, Lily found herself browsing through her favorite bookshop on St. Charles Avenue. Her search for geology books became fruitless, so she decided to give up and look through the Fiction section for new books she desperately needed.

Pulling some books from the shelf, she carefully balanced them onto her left arm, making her way to the counter. She smiled at the cashier, a handsome man with the kindest eyes Lily had ever seen.

"Find everything alright?"

Lily smiled, "As always." Wait, Lily frowned. Something about those eyes had seemed so familiar.

"I'm sorry, have we ever met before?" Lily asked.

The cashier simply smiled, though it didn't reach up to his eyes. "No, I'm afraid we haven't."

Lily nodded as she placed the books onto the counter. I could have sworn I've met him before.

While he bagged her purchases, Lily's eyes roamed over the counter, her gaze stopping on Greek Myths and Their Origins next to the register. The cashier must have noticed, as he chuckled, "Do you like mythology?"

Fishing out her money to pay for the books, Lily responded, "Me? Oh, well just recently, yes."

Reaching out for the money in her hand, the man pushed the book towards Lily. "Go on and take it, I insist."

Beginning to reach for money once again, the man interrupted, "Oh no, miss. Free of charge."

"Are you certain?" Lily asked, astonished.

"One hundred and ten percent. Go on, take it."

Grabbing the bag of books and the one on the counter, Lily grinned, "Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day."

"Likewise, miss."

Exiting the shop, Lily chuckled herself. It was nice to know that goodness and kindness still existed in the world.

"Lily!"

Turning to the sound of her name, Lily's face illuminated as she saw Mike running up the street to meet her, several bags in his hands threatening to spill over.

"Mike, how nice to see you!" she happily greeted.

"Yeah, you too! Whatcha doin? A little shopping?" He asked, motioning to the bag in her hand.

Lily nodded, "You could say that. A day to myself, I suppose. It was such a nice day, so I decided to come out."

Mike grinned, "Sounds nice. I had to run some errands for my mom, since she's pretty sick. I was waiting for the trolley to go home when I saw you walking down the street, and I decided to come say hello."

Lily chuckled, "It's always nice to see you, Mike. Especially outside of History class. Have you studied for the quiz yet?"

Mike raised his chin proudly, "Don't need to. I'm top of the class, I've got it handled."

"I wish I had your confidence." Lily replied.

"I can help you out, you know. We could meet at the library and I could help you study." Mike blushed.

"That would be great! I'll let you know on Monday, alright?"

"Alright!" Mike agreed. "I'll let you get back to your day then. See you around, Lily!"

Lily waved goodbye as Mike crossed the street to wait for the inner city trolley. Admittedly, Lily was surprised Mike hadn't dropped any of the groceries he had purchased.

Continuing her trek along the streets of the Quarter, Lily hadn't realized the sudden change of the skies, turning into an ominous greenish grey. Thunder rumbled throughout the city, startling Lily. She squinted up at the dreary sky, picking up her pace as she walked, praying that she made it back to her house before the downpour began.

Luck was not on her side.

As the first drops morphed into gallons of water falling from the skies, Lily ran through the empty streets, looking for a temporary refuge. Finding a balcony roof to hide under, Lily sprinted to it, keeping her books safely tucked to her chest. Finally out of the rain, Lily placed her bag on the ground and began to twist the ends of her dress to squeeze out any excess water. She ran her hands through her brown tresses as a shiny, black town car halted in front of her.

The door suddenly opened, and Lily's heart soared as Henry's handsome figure stepped out of the car, an umbrella in hand. Jogging over to her, he stood directly under the roof placing the umbrella over them.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

Lily laughed, "I suppose so."

Looking down at her bag of books, Henry chuckled. "Nice day to shop."

Lily rolled her eyes, "I was supposed to find some books for geology, but every bookshop I visited had nothing. So, I decided to buy some personal books instead."

Henry placed a hand under his chin, "Geology books, hmm? I believe I offered a young lady, a pretty young lady, if I may add, some geology books."

Lily chuckled, "And then?"

"She had the audacity to tell me no. Can you believe it?"

"I'm sure she had her reasons at the time." Lily replied.

"At the time?" Henry asked, obviously interested.

"Well, let's just say the young lady-"

"Ah, the pretty young lady," Henry corrected.

Lily scoffed, "I need some geology books. I need to study for my exam."

Henry grabbed her hand, making Lily sharply look up at him. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't help a damsel in distress?"

Her look turned hopeful, "You'll help me then?"

Henry smiled, holding her hand tightly. "I told you, I'd do anything for you."

Lily's heart melted as she smiled back.

Holding out his arm, Henry placed the umbrella securely over them, "Well, come on. My house is close, but not that close."

Lily froze. "We're going to your house?"

"Of course. That's where I keep my books."

Lily suddenly grew nervous. Her, alone with Henry, in his home? She didn't doubt that Henry was nothing short of a gentleman, but Lily couldn't fight the gnawing feeling in her stomach, especially after her mother's words at breakfast.

Those millionaire playboys chase the prettiest girls in town to love them and leave them soon after.

As if reading her thoughts, Henry spoke quietly. "It's alright. There's nothing to be worried about."

Disregarding the nervous feeling and her mother's words, Lily followed Henry under the umbrella into his car.

She was sure she would blindly follow him to any corner of the earth.

Even Hell.

so as always thanks for the reviews/favs/foll, ily

also the roosevelt is a real place, so don't sue me

also also, i'll be editing some previous chapters, nothing too serious, just like spelling stuff so if you get an update like that just ignore it i guess

lemme know what you think, or not, completely up to you ily