This Persephone and Menthe are MINE! Anyone who uses them without my permission gets attacked by Cerberus.

Every other character/place/whatever else belongs to Disney. Use them at your own risk.

The REAL Cosmic Couple

Chapter XX-- Persephone Cries, and Hecate Prepares

Ha. And to think I wanted to be a virgin goddess…

Persephone had never been the goddess of her mother's dreams—sweet, innocent, kind and pure; someone who listened to mommy and didn't do 'bad things.'

One by one, as Persephone got older, Demeter checked everything off her 'list.'

Persephone wasn't sweet (most of the time).

She wasn't innocent.

She wasn't always kind.

She most certainly wasn't pure.

She almost never listened to Demeter.

And, yes, she did 'bad things.'

Or at least what her mother would deem 'bad.'

Persephone had a feeling that this was one of those things. At least, if they ever went back to Mt. Olympus, Hades couldn't get blamed for what they had just done.

It had been all her idea. Persephone could only imagine how her mother would respond if she found out about this.

It must have been the Fates'…they must have wanted to speed things along… She smiled dryly. Well, it sure worked, didn't it?

She glanced at her sleeping husband with another slight smile.

It now totally shocked her that he had been single for so long. Not only was he funny, charming, sweet (at times), and caring (at times), he really was handsome and honestly?...he had a body to die for (Underworld humor—HA!).

Demeter would keel over, have a heart attack, and die.

Persephone didn't give a damn. She was happy; she had a husband who loved her and who she loved, too. He cared about her in a way that made all the others who cared about her seem small and insignificant.

With that said, she yawned, and fell back asleep.

"…Where are you going?"

Meg scowled. "I'm getting out of here. I've heard way too much for my liking already…let me know when the subject matter turns to something…less gross."

"Oh, relax," scoffed Macaria, "It's honestly not that bad…do you think I would be telling you anything if it was? Sit back down."

"No thanks." She shuddered. "I'm going to see if I can smash the mental images I've gotten out of my mind with a brick." She exited the room.

Hercules shrugged and turned to Macaria. "So was that how you were born?"

She shook her head. "I'm not gonna be around for another few years. Demeter doesn't even know that they're together…which brings me to the next part of the story…"

Somehow, whilst thinking all the things she was thinking about how 'Demeter wouldn't like this,' and 'Demeter wouldn't approve of that,' and 'Demeter would die if she found out that…' and so on, Persephone hadn't thought one thing.

Demeter didn't know she was here. Demeter was undoubtedly searching frantically for her. And that meant that…

"Hades! Wake up," Persephone said urgently, shaking him.

Hades bolted upright, dazed and confused. "Is the house on fire?" he said groggily, then shook his head, blinked, and looked at Persephone.

"Demeter," she said, visibly pale and nervous.

"Demeter," he repeated, "Right…um…what about—" His eyes grew wide, and suddenly, he understood.

"Oh, dammit," he breathed, growing more panicked by the second."

She nodded, and whispered, "She must be going crazy looking for me…"

"And that means it's only a matter of time before she thinks to look in the Underworld," said Hades, his eyes growing even wider, and his hair flickering wildly.

Persephone buried her face in her hands. "Oh no," she groaned, "This is bad. If she finds me here…I…" She looked at Hades, obviously trying not to cry, "I'll never see you again…"

He bit his lip, knowing full well that she was absolutely right, but not wanting to admit it. "Persephone…we're married…I mean, she can't just…split us up—not even Hera can do that."

"That won't stop her," sighed Persephone, "You don't know my mother like I do…"

Hades sighed too. "We're, like, so screwed, aren't we?"

"I can only imagine what she's done to Earth with me gone…"

Hades glanced at her. "Wanna see?"

"See what?"

"What's she's done to Earth."

"You mean go up to Earth?" She shook her head, "We can't, she'll see us—"

"No, I have something better." He took her hand and evaporated with her, reappearing in a small room to the left of the throne room. They were both fully-clothed again.

He picked up a remote that was on the coffee table (ambrosia table?), and pressed a button. A smoky screen popped up in front of them.

"Tartarus Vision—TV, for short," he said, and began pressing buttons wildly; searching for one that would lead him to Earth.

Persephone stood besides him, eyes on the screen as it flashed from place to place to place to place. When he finally found an area with mortals in it, they both gasped.

"They look like…like living skeletons," whispered Persephone hoarsely.

"A famine," echoed Hades.

"She's crazy," said Persephone weakly, "She's really lost her mind…"

Hades glanced at her and realized with a start that she was softly crying. "…Persephone?"

She shook her head sadly. "I have no choice…I have to go back…I have to…I can't let everyone die…but…" She broke down completely. "But I don't want to!"

Hades could feel his heart break—it was small and hard, but still breakable. He felt like crying himself, but he didn't cry—couldn't cry; it was impossible.

"It's not fair…she doesn't even know you," Persephone continued, wiping away tears frantically. She hated crying, but Hades was the best thing in her life. She didn't want to lose him forever. "How can she hate someone she doesn't know?"

"She knows me, just…just, well, not like you do." Hades shrugged. "No-one knows me like you do, babe."

Persephone closed her eyes and let her tears trickle out. "I don't want to go back…"

Hades didn't know what to say. He didn't want her to leave either, but they both knew that she had to.

Instead of saying anything, he wrapped his arms around her.

And they stayed like that for a while; her sobbing, him trying to console her.

"Ow…" Hecate managed to pick herself off the floor where she had laid, unconscious, for the last few hours.

She knew Menthe had a little obsession with Hades, but honestly.

Seeing Hades and Persephone…y'know… was no reason for Menthe to punch her in the face.

It still hurt. Hecate had a feeling she had a black eye. "Little twerp," she muttered under her breath as her two minions flew over to her.

"Bad night?" said one.

"Didn't sleep much, didja?" said the other. He motioned to the little orb that still displayed Hades and Persephone. "Neither did they."

Hecate rose, and glared at them, shooting a blast of blue magic from her fingertips that hit him between the ears.

"We know you're cranky, but that's no excuse for rudeness," said the other and he got a blast between his eyes.

They yelped, and high-tailed it out of there.

Rolling her eyes, Hecate ran a hand through her hair. "Patience is everything," she reminded herself, "Soon we can kidnap the brat and the Underworld will be all mine…"