"Come on Persephone, this place is always hoppin!" Hecate said dragging Persephone along as they dashed across the street towards a tall building with no windows, but the boom of the music could be heard a block away. Joining them was Artemis who was tall, slender, strawberry blonde and dressed to impress as her dark purple dress clung to her body while gold earrings, bracelets, and high heeled shoes made her glow in the streetlight. Then there was Nike all dressed up in orange and yellow with her dark brown hair piled up high on her head while a big necklace hung down her neck in big chunks of silver and black. Hecate had chosen a dark green skirt and white top, her black hair loose down her back as her cunning eyes winked at Persephone as they entered the club without trouble.

Persephone could feel the music boom in her body as they entered the club, the dance floor packed on the bottom floor while people danced along the upper floor with drinks of many sizes and colors in their hands. The strobe lights bounced around the industrial looking theme of the club while Persephone followed her group steadily through the crowd. Mortal boys looked at the four with lust filled eyes and Persephone suddenly felt very exposed as she looked down at her scantily dressed she had picked out.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea" she thought to herself as Nike handed her a large drink with a big orange cut into the side.

"Don't worry!" Nike said over the music "It's not that strong!"

"Nike always picks the best drinks!" Hecate said next "and Artemis always finds us the greatest spots to hang out in between dancing!"

Artemis gave Persephone a wink that made her slightly smile. In a way they were related, both being the offspring of Zeus, but Persephone was never given the chance to talk to her half sister, either by influence of Demeter or just the simple fact that Artemis always stuck close to her twin brother Apollo.

They moved through the crowd once more till they found a nice spot by a post that held up the upstairs that was filling up with more people by the hour. Persephone watched and laughed with the others, but a growing panic was in the back of her mind for some reason. It was a bad feeling, a feeling that she was being watched...

Hades walked steadily in the shadows, watching carefully as people passed him by unnoticed. Although he was very good at walking around undetected, tonight he decided to bring along his invisible helmet he kept for emergencies. This wasn't a life or death situation, but the wrath that was growing in his heart warranted he take some extra precautions just in case some mortal man decided to get a little too close to his wife who was sipping a very prominent looking drink in her hands.

Even though he was on the other side of the club he could still make out the highlights of her face, the way her eyes soared over things, the nervous twitch in her fingers as she lay her cup down. It almost felt like a predator watching his prey, but wasn't that always them? Persephone out in the open in the sunlight, Hades in the shadows watching her from afar. That had been their story for centuries, and now they were together in reality, and here he was watching with...was it jealousy? Yes, it was, jealousy.

Quickly he stopped and thought about what he was doing. She had goated him on...his own wife had known how he would have reacted when he saw her in that dress, and now here he was spying on her!

Her cleverness made him smirk, it seemed his innocent wife wasn't as innocent as she seemed. It made him wonder what other surprises she had in store...

"Come on! Let's go dance!" Nike said finally as they finished their drinks. Persephone pushed down the anxious feeling in her stomach and continued with her group, trying her best to have a good time and not think about rushing back to Hades. After all, she was going out to have a good time wasn't she?

She got on the dance floor and started swaying her hips, letting the others build up the fun around their group as she actually smiled genuinely for the first time that night. She lifted her arms around her head and began moving with the music, almost reminding herself of the way the nymphs used to dance around her in springtime.

Soon the male population noticed the heavenly girls dancing around and the brave ones began to get closer. Persephone watched as Hecate made off with some dark man that grabbed her firmly around the waist. Boys flocked around Nike, and the young goddess did not mind the attention one bit as she played off of it with winks and giggles, her confidence through the roof as Artemis also had a group around her, only they were a little more hesitant as Artemis would not even look at any of them as she danced. Persephone tried to just relax, to listen to the music and keep her attention off of the weird feeling in her stomach, but even though she knew eyes were on her, there was a different sort of watcher in the shadows, looking at her...hunting for her...

Persephone suddenly stopped dancing, her whole body stilling as everyone moved around her. She could hear...something. Something past the beat of the music, the laughter of the crowd, the moving of feet below her, she could hear something...something...

...Growling.

Hades watched Persephone dance, watched the way mortal men and gods looked at her with gazes only Hades thought he could perceive. But his young beauty didn't notice them, her body moving fast as if to shake off some haunting feeling Hades could see in her face. He knew she had been troubled from the other night, had hoped that tonight it would ease her worry.

Suddenly he saw his wife stop dead in the crowd, her body straight as a board as her eyes grew wide as if something horrible were about to happen. It reminded him of a cat with it's back and tail high in the air from seeing something frightening. But nothing was in front of her, or to her side or behind her. Hades began moving towards her, his hands reaching up to his head to take off the helmet, but before his fingers touched the magical item, he heard the echoing screams come from the upper level of the club.

And then he heard the roar.

Persephone whipped around when the screaming started, her body ready to run if need be from whatever was causing the panic. Nike and Artemis had come up beside her as well, their bodies ready to fight as their eyes darted around for the enemy.

Then the terrifying roar echoed out in the club and people went sailing over the railings of the upper level.

"I know that roar!" Artemis yelled as a golden bow appeared in her hands "Hecate! Get everyone out of here NOW!"

Hecate who stood behind them waved her hands in the air as bright green light started to swirl around her fingers. Suddenly her hands flew up in the air and with a great crash of light she swung them down making everyone that had been in the club disappear safe outside while only Persephone, Nike, and Artemis stood in the middle of the dance floor, prepared to fight.

Hades watched the goddess cast her spell, but his power was stronger as he avoided the light and stayed hidden in the shadows ready to strike whenever the creature decided to show itself.

"Artemis what is it!?" Persephone said looking all around the upper level, hearing whatever it was rummaging around with a fury.

"That would be the sound of a Nemean Lion" Artemis said drawing an arrow from her pack as she strung it on the bow, ready to fire at any moment.

"A Nemean Lion?" Hecate said "But I thought the last one was wiped out centuries ago!?"

"Apparently another has come again" Artemis said watching with a hunter's eye as she saw a shadow begin to form from above.

"Well whatever it is" Nike said dawning her wings on her legs as she drew a sword "We are ready, aren't we Hecate?"

Hecate drew a fire within her hands, her hair wild now as her eyes started to burn, or was that just the fire?

"Persephone, you better arm yourself" Artemis said.

"Arm myself?" Persephone said looking down at her hands.

What could she do? Make a bouquet for the thing?

Hades wanted to smack himself for forgetting his weapons. He did not think this night would end in a battle against one of the toughest creatures in creation. From where he was standing, he could see the creature moving around, it's body half- formed from changing no doubt. It must have been lurking upstairs, waiting for it's chance to change into it's true form and go on a killing spree in the crowded club.

He could probably summon his sword and shield if he took off his helmet, but would there be enough time?

Suddenly a deafening roar echoed from above as the Nemean Lion suddenly leaped down, it's body five times the size of a regular lion as it stood ready to pounce in front of all three goddesses.

No, there was no time for weapons...