New chapters yay! That entire break that I had really made me miss writing but now I'm glad that I'm back! But, I got rubber bands for my braces including I got them tightened so it hurts a lot, I barely ate today. Anyway, to chapter 55!
Amu's P.O.V:
Hera decided to work on my hair and I was hesitant at first, because of the bites, but it seems as if she didn't see anything, or decided not to mention it. She straightened it and then pulled the bangs to the back of my head, braiding them into a small braid. She put winged eyeliner on me and some light blush on my cheeks.
"I believe I am done." She smiled.
"You are quite skilled with makeup." I complimented her.
"Most goddesses are, besides a certain spring goddess." Hera directed her attention to Persephone, who had lipstick perfectly painted on her lips, she smiled and you could see the pink smudges all over her teeth and I laughed. "Honestly, I do not know how she survived on her own." Hera rolled her eyes and walked over to Persephone, wiping the lipstick off with her finger.
"Gross!" Persephone groaned, trying to pull away but Hera's fiery glare kept her in place. Persephone was truly a child on the inside, or at least compared to someone like Hera. Persephone was smart, the way she spoke about Cronus was enough to prove that, but she was very naïve as well, just like myself I suppose. A child at heart, I guess you could also call her that.
"There, now you look presentable." Hera said, Persephone smiled once again. She stood up from her makeup table and faced the mirror, admiring herself. She wore a strap-less yellow dress that reached the floor, dragging behind her as she walked. This time, her flower crown consisted of light blue and yellow flowers. Her blonde hair was tied into neat bun, besides one single curl that was in front of her face.
"It took a lot of energy to make such colorful flowers bloom." Persephone adjusted the crown.
"Why?" I asked.
"Flowers here only grow in dark colors, and I do not mind that at all. For the sake of the ball though, my mother would blow up if I wore dark colors, saying I lost my innocence." Persephone's fists clenched up at her sides. "As much as I would love to anger her, not tonight, this is an important event." She decided, nodding to herself.
"A part of being a queen is to put away your own selfish wants and to put the needs of the people around you first, I am proud." Hera smiled gently at the goddess. Hera wore a blue dress that reached her knees, her black hair tied up into a high ponytail that was almost at the top of her head.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Persephone waved her hand lazily and then grinned, amused by the way Hera was instantly angry.
"Guest are already arriving!" Jewel burst in, panting.
"They are an hour early, this must be a joke." Persephone argued.
"It is Aphrodite." Jewel said and Persephone pinched the bridge of her nose.
"She always arrives early for no damn reason." Persephone cursed under her breath. "Please go get Hades and Ikuto, they are in the throne room, I will lead Aphrodite to make sure she doesn't see you."
"Why wouldn't you want her to see me?"
"You are supposed to be introduced once everyone is here, no sneak peaks." Persephone ran out, holding up her dress with her hands. I waved at Hera and ran out as well, making sure not to trip over the black heals Hera loaned me.
Once I was in the throne room, I saw Hades and Ikuto and my face flushed. Ikuto's hair was brushed back, his midnight-blue eyes full in sight. His tuxedo made him so formal yet so sexy at the same time, my cheeks heated at my naughty thoughts and I ignored them.
"Aphrodite has arrived." I informed them and Hades sucked his teeth.
"And the whispers about how Hades is a bad man begin." He rolled his eyes and walked out. The twist in my heart was undeniable and Ikuto seemed to notice this, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing my nose. I blushed deeply but stared at him, confused.
"Why would you kiss my nose?" I asked.
"Did you not like it?" He raised a brow and I quickly shook my head.
"That's not it at all, it's just not like you." I commented and he smirked.
"I'm afraid that if I kiss you anywhere else, that dress will be in the corner of this room in a matter of seconds." He walked past me, leaving my expression blank as I tried to comprehend what he said.
"This dress...over there?" I thought about it and felt my heart hammer against my chest, realizing what he meant. "Demonic pervert!" I waved my fist angrily at him.
"It hurts to know that I was downgraded back to demonic pervert." He held his hand over his chest dramatically.
"Good!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms over my chest and huffed like a child, my eyes were closed but I opened one to see where he was, only to find he was in front of me. Placing his hands on my hips, he leaned in and everything was drowned out by my heart, when suddenly, I felt something on my forehead.
"I told you, anywhere else." He smirked and walked out of the room, leaving me highly unsatisfied. No matter what relationship we are in, he will always be a pervert, and I love him like that.
"Do not be nervous, they can sense fear." Jewel told me and I gulped, all of the guests have arrived and it was time for my grand introduction.
"I want to thank you all for attending this ball to rightfully welcome my daughter, it warms my heart to see my entire family together." I heard Persephone through the doors, everyone applauded her.
"Now, I am sure you are all excited to see her, so I will not keep any of you waiting any longer, I am glad to introduce my daughter, Amu!" The doors opened to reveal me, hundreds of pairs of eyes on me and my anxiety grew. There was no applause, just whispers and mumbles. I walked towards my parents, hoping that being around them would help me not feel as awkward.
"My beautiful granddaughter!" Someone exclaimed in the silence, I turned around to meet white curls being pressed into my face, strong arms nearly squeezing me out of existence, this man sure was strong.
"Hello?" I asked, he finally pulled away and I looked at him, blue eyes staring back at me with pride. His skin was very tan and his body was covered in muscles, I never even knew they could reach such a size. His white beard reached his chest and his hair was even longer then mine. "Zeus?"
"Yes! You must have already talked about me then, all good things I believe!" Zeus pulled Hades into a headlock and ruffled up his hair, Hades growled and Zeus laughed wholeheartedly.
"Daddy!" Persephone exclaimed, reached her arms out to be picked up. He followed her demands and spun her around, Persephone giggled joyfully once he set her down. "I am so glad you decided to come, without you, this party would be dead." Persephone mumbled.
"I would not miss this for the world, and I am glad to see that your daughter turned out to be such a beautiful lady." Zeus smiled behind his beard.
"Husband, so wonderful to see you." Hera approached us and Zeus kissed her cheek.
"You have been down here for so long, I have missed you." He pouted.
"Also, we have a little surprise planned for you." Ikuto came up to me and took my hand, dragging me away from the gods and goddesses. I was pulled into the corner of the ballroom and I saw two blonde pigtails and instantly knew what the surprise was. Ikuto was not dragging me anymore, in fact, I was ahead of him.
"Utau!" I shouted, pouncing on the blonde and she spun me around to make sure she didn't fall back. Not only Utau though, the entire group was here.
"Rima, Nagi, Yaya, Kukai, and Hunter!" I shouted everyone's name and Satan pouted.
"What about me?" He asked.
"I already saw you yesterday." I rolled my eyes.
"Rumor on the street is that you threw a shoe at Demeter's head, is it true?" Rima questioned me and I twiddled my thumbs.
"Maybe." I sung and she smirked, knowing the answer already.
"Hinamori is a bad ass." Kukai commented with a thumbs-up, I smiled as he ruffled my hair, I scowled at him for messing it up but it seems like all the hairspray Hera used kept it in place
"I missed you Amu, you have to come back!" Yaya threw herself at me, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. I patted her head with a silent sigh, making sure no one else heard. Even though I have only been here for a couple of days, it feels like it has been my home for centuries. Am I even sure that I want to return to the surface?
"Let's not waste time here and go dance!" Kukai exclaimed and grabbed Utau's hand, dragging her out into the dance floor.
"Yay! Let's go Hunter, I'll lead!" Yaya declared, Hunter repositioned his coat and cleared his throat.
"I apologize but I do not-" He was cut off by Yaya taking his hand and twirling him around, then dragging him out while he had spirals in his eyes.
"Would you like to dance?" Nagi asked Rima politely and she smiled.
"Love to." They both walked off hand-in-hand and I sighed. The early stages of the relationships are always the most adorable.
"Well, who is this little lady?" Someone placed their hand on my shoulder, spinning me around to face them. My honey eyes met a pair of dark-brown ones, I raised a brow at his boldness but he just smirked. "Pink hair, it seems like you're a special one." He rubbed one of my locks between his fingers and Ikuto growled, about the approach the blonde himself but someone beat him to it.
"Hitting on more girls, Apollo?" Hades gripped his shoulder with a forced smile.
"Is there a problem, already cheating on Persephone, I knew you were no good." He scoffed and Hades clutched his shoulder even more tightly, Apollo winced silently but I heard him.
"Don't accuse me of such vile actions that you would normally be caught for." Hades' expression turned stern in an instant. "Second of all, maybe if you have arrived on time, then you would know that this is my daughter." Apollo's eyes widened and he glanced back at me. Realizing his hand was still on my shoulder, Ikuto quickly pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me.
"She is also taken." Hades gestured at Ikuto, Apollo snorted.
"A demon with a goddess?"
"I'm surprised that somehow people know you're a god with that appearance." Ikuto snapped and Apollo's tan face went red, Hades grinned in amusement. Apollo walked away and I giggled, Persephone passed by the fuming Apollo and shot us a confused expression, then quickly shaking it off.
"I have not seen Demeter anywhere, I am worried." Persephone looked around once again.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." I quickly apologized and Persephone waved her hands.
"It is not your fault at all, after the awful things she said, she should have expected no less." Persephone said and I bit my bottom lip, I would not want to make the relationship between Persephone and her mother worse.
"I have to use the restroom, I will be right back." I said, running out of the room and into the silent hallway. My heels made a clicking noise against the marble flooring, making me think someone would find me exploring it easily.
Go to the front door, I suddenly thought. I decided to follow my idea and went over to them, opening them to reveal Demeter standing there, shocked to see me.
"Oh, it is you." She looked away from me.
"Why are you standing out her, by yourself?" I looked around, seeing if anyone else was with her.
"I just thought it would be much better than to be in your presence, and what do you know, it was." Her eyes narrowed and I gulped. "I'll be taking my leave now." She turned on her heel and was about to leave.
"Wait!" I called for her but she kept walking. A part of me told me to leave her be, if she wanted to act so stubborn then so be it, but the other part knew if I let her go, it would haunt me. "Demeter, I said wait!" I ran in front of her, her eyes widened a bit but then returned to normal.
"Fine, I shall give you five minutes." Demeter decided and I exhaled deeply.
"I apologize for throwing that shoe at you, and for the terrible things I said, but I will not take them back." I stated and she seemed confused. "Hades told me that when you were all trapped in Cronus, he protected all of you because he loved you, now all you guys ever give him is a cold shoulder. Though it was disrespectful to speak to someone of your social standing like that, I find it more disrespectful to treat someone poorly when they saved your life." I finished my rant and her expression was blank.
"I believe Hades is worthy of your daughter, I can tell by the way they look at each other that it is pure love. Nothing to do with lust or to use Persephone's title for his own advantage, and he certainly is nowhere near being as self-centered as Apollo, just this beautiful emotion." I was panting by the time I was done.
"But Hades somehow tricked her, those may not be the reasons why, but there must be something." Demeter finally responded.
"I told you already, there is nothing to gain from this relationship besides happiness and a meaning to go through everyday, with a smile as well." I stomped my foot, getting sick of her stubbornness.
"I know, he tricked you too!" She pointed a finger at me and I sighed.
"Even if Persephone was tricked, wouldn't you want your daughter to be happy, not to make her life miserable?" I asked in a soft tone, her expression softened and she stared up at the moon, pondering about the entire situation. "You see her every spring and summer, right? It is a fair agreement to divide the time equally so that each person may spend their time with the girl they care deeply about, or that is my opinion at least." It seems as if I was breaking through her wall, since her lips formed a small smile.
"I suppose, for a young girl, you speak like an adult." Demeter noticed and I nodded, I suppose the woman inside of me is helping me a bit in this situation, because I would never be able to have such a normal conversation with a woman who angered me only a couple of days ago. "Fine, I will give in for now." She said with a playful grin and I beamed.
"Let's go back in, I bet they're looking for us." I said and she nodded, we walked side-by-side into the ballroom, the room growing silent once again.
"Demeter likes her?"
"Perhaps she is not so bad is she got on Demeter's good side."
"A true goddess I guess."
The whispers this time made me feel confident and Persephone looked over at the two of us as if we had two heads while Hades seemed proud. Hades made his way over to me and stuck his hand out for me.
"It is time for a father-daughter dance." He declared and I placed my small hand in his, he took me away from Demeter and to the middle of the dance floor.
"You tamed the she-beast?" He asked in mocking shock, I giggled.
"She just misses her daughter." I shrugged. "And Hades?"
"Yes?"
"I want to live here, with you." I decided and his eyes widened. "I have never felt more at home, I belong here. I am connected to the Underworld and it lures me in, and I want to stay here." I don't think there was any other option besides the Underworld, even when I left it to get Ikuto, I had a strange longing for it.
"Your human parents?" Hades quickly asked.
"It might seem selfish of me, they provided me with eighteen years of love, but Satan has the power to convince people of anything. I will take him to my home and just convince them Ami was an only child, and deal with everything at school myself." I would always come up to visit Ami or Mei, but this would be for the best.
"This is a major decision, are you sure you want to stay here?" He was making sure that I was making a mistake, but what mistakes can possibly be made?
"It would be better, I have my duties to fulfill here and I would love to have you guys as my official parents. I'll miss them terribly of course, but including me being immortal from now on, it would be kind of hard to explain why I still look eighteen after forty years." I joked and he chuckled. He kissed my forehead and I sighed happily, knowing that this was the best decision after all.
"Mind if I cut in?" A familiar voice asked and I turned around, seeing Ikuto there.
"Not at all, go ahead." Hades bowed politely and walked off. Ikuto placed his hand on my waist and his other hand in mine, while one of my hands was on his shoulder and the other in his.
"This is much better than our last ball." I chuckled.
"I preferred the attire from the last one at least." He smirked.
"Pervert." I commented and he twirled me around, then bringing me back to his chest.
"Then again, I have never seen my love shine more brightly than right now." He kissed my nose again and I blushed, not caring that some people were watching.
"Are you going soft on me?" I teased, raising a brow.
"Maybe." He shrugged. I knew I was going to have to tell him sooner or later that I was going to be living here, and I decided that now would be the best time.
"Ikuto, I decided that I will be living down here with my parents, but I promise that I will always visit-"
"Don't you mean we?" He cut me off and I stared at him blankly.
"We?"
"We are always going to visit our friends, since I can't stand being away from you for more than an hour, I suppose I'll be living down here as well. You thought you could get away from me that easy?" My heart swelled up at his words and I stood on my toes to kiss his lips, he seemed pleased and surprised by my actions.
"You always know what to say." I bit my bottom lip, making sure my small smile didn't turn into a goofy grin.
"You're a special gem, my little strawberry head, I won't let anyone else have you beside me and wherever you go, I go as well." I leaned on his chest for the rest of the dance, my entire mind at ease now. Everything was clear, my course was set and I was ready to set sail. I used to think that a normal life was the best for me, well this is a normal life, for me anyway.
And I wouldn't want my life any other way.
YEEEE, I am going to start on the epilogue right away and I have officially decided that there will be a sequel, so don't you worry one bit! I hope you all enjoyed the series and look forward to more in the future!
Please R&R!
