(Blame Lore Olympus, it's a fabulous comic and I found that it also comes in book form. However, I love all the different aspects of the mythology that it encapsulates. So sorry...but definitely not sorry!!)

Asphodel and Narcissus

Chapter 1: The Meeting

Come close and listen to the tale of star-crossed lovers whom met one fateful day. Tis a story with many renditions so believe what you may. But know that in the end, the god's not only blessed their union but also cursed it...

Okay, so most of the gods were fine with it. Some wished they could have the lovely bride as their own. But one only wished she could have done more to stop the prophecy from being brought to life-after-death. If she could, Demeter would have given anything to stop the inevitable.

Yes, that's right. Demeter, goddess of fertility and agriculture, of the harvest, and of course, the mother of Persephone. She had branded her daughter the goddess of spring but was that really the case? If any had doubts, none spoke. Onlly a fool would speak against the hand that fed their village, their world, and their worshippers.

It did help that the young goddess could grow plants as well but a blind man could tell that she was not happy as she turned from a child goddess into a young woman in her own right. Her fingers would carress the small buds of the trees and brush against bees that aided in the pollenation of the world. She would watch the birds fly to places far, far away with envy in her breast. Yet the giggles of the nymphs that watched her would always bring her mind back to that secret isle that only few goddesses and a single god was allowed to visit. Short visits for the virgin goddesses Athena, Artemis, and Hestia; regular visits from the goddess of magick, Hecate; and the very rare visit from the messenger god Hermes since he was able to bring news from Olympus and take nectar and ambrosia to the other gods whom needed it's sustinence.

But most of the time, it was just Persephone, a bunch of nymphs, and occasionally her mother when she wasn't blessing fields, partaking in festivals, and visiting the various temples to accept the offerings left there. Can you imagine how lonely the young goddess felt? How desperate she was to be alone or meet someone new? How very desperate indeed...

One day, she managed to slip away from the various nymphs as they dozed after the noon day meal of fruits and nectar. She had to be careful, quiet as a mouse, as she toed her way to the darker parts of the forests. She hoped that they would not find her so quickly as she just needed a moment without gossip that she didn't understand combined with those giggles that made her wish she could just join in on the fun. But she couldn't. She had no clue why they would giggle about the gods Apollo and Hermes, why they would flush so fetchingly as they talked about their hands and lips. She'd held hands with Hermes before... okay, their fingers touched when she handed over the cornucopia for whichever god it was for. He had a nice smile but was that really such a big deal? Her only opinion about Apollo was that he was too shiny for his own good and he did a good job helping the plants grow when her mother was not in the area. So he did his job, big whoop. She really didn't get it.

Persephone was now far enough away that she could relax. She had gone much further than she ever had before but it wasn't like she had left the isle. She wasn't allowed that freedom for fear of...man, god or human. It was her mother's fear, really, but if she didn't want to be locked away in a greenhouse for the next 100 years, it was best for her to stay on the isle instead of running off to the unknown... the oh-so-tempting unknown full of adventures that she could only imagine. She heard very little of Hermes' travels but never nothing that her mother would object to. No love, no rebellions, and certainly nothing about the other gods or goddesses. But especially about the gods.

She sighed and touched the nearest willow tree, allowing small white blooms to blossom along the hanging leaves. A small smile lit up her features and she began her own sort of frolick, making pretty plants grow with every step as she continued wandering beyond the willow tree and into a small and shadowed grove. In this grove were small light grey and red flowers that were almost shaped like stars. She had never seen such flowers before, they weren't something that her mother deemed beautiful enough to plant in their gardens at home. But the young goddess found them very very pretty indeed. She wondered where they had come from and if they would look good in her mahogany curls. She approached the nearest bloom and gently plucked it, breathing in it's sweet scent.

But what filled Persephone's heart wasn't the usual joy of a freshly picked flower. No, it was a coldness that she couldn't remember ever feeling. The atmosphere suddenly felt too heavy to be natural. Something was there with her, a very foreign something. She looked around but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Was she imagining such things?

A hand as pale as milk came from behind her and took hold of the hand holding the asphodel. Light green eyes took in the look of the larger hand against her own dainty golden flesh before looking behind her to spot a very tall man. His eyes were so very dark but she could spot a glimmer of heat within the obsidian depths. His dark curls fell around his shoulders to blend in with his inky robes. A straight nose, stern facial features, and skin as pale as moonbeams. He was unlike anyone she had ever met... the closest being Hecate or Artemis.

The thin lips of the man parted to expose fangs that were somehow even whiter than his flesh. "You summoned me...?" His voice was deep and dark and... did he sound like he was inconvenienced? The spring goddess narrowed her eyes and moved away from him, the asphodel still in her slender fingers.

"I summoned no one. I picked a flower and you snuck up behind me!" She jabbed her finger up at his face in accusation. He looked at that finger before refocusing on her face and a tiny smirk, the barest lift of his lips in the corners, was evident on his face. It did nothing but anger her further. "Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not laughing."

"You're laughing on the inside!"

He lifted his hand to his lips as he turned his head away from the petite brunette. His chest began moving like a bird's fluttering wings. He tried to hold it in but soon, he started chuckling with that deep voice of his. And the fury that she had felt at the thought of this man laughing at her vanished as she saw the side profile of the stern man stretched with amusement. Yes, it was at her expense but she had a feeling that he hadn't laughed or even chuckled in actual happiness in eons. She smiled despite herself and couldn't help allowing her own laughter to duet with his.

He stopped abruptly and looked at her from the corner of his eye and she looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry... you surprised me and I reacted badly. But I really don't remember summoning anyone. I don't even know your name."

The man smirked and fully turned back to her. "Exactly. No one will even murmur my name on their dying breath. That is why the picking of asphodel is the main way mortals summon me. Usually for a deal but I digress... did you really pick one without knowing...?"

Persephone rolled her eyes and twirled the flower in her hand, looking at it. "Do I look like a mortal? Even an earth goddess can enjoy a flower. It's not that weird, right?"

"... not that weird..." The two ethereal beings shared an awkward moment before he cleared his throat. "Well, if I'm not wanted... I should--"

"You don't have to go so soon. I mean, you did come all this way. I would hate for it to be for nothing." She ran a hand through her hair and pulled out a tiny seed. Closing her fist around it, a small flash of green glowed between her fingers and when she opened her hand, a single narcissus lay in her hand. She offered it to him. "Since I took an asphodel, I figure a flower for a flower?"

Moonlit pale fingers gently took the stem of the flower and brought it up to his own nose to smell. "I will accept this offering..." He looked into her eyes and his smirk lowered to a modicom of a smile. "After all, as god of the Underworld, I so rarely get offerings."

"You're...Hades?" Her light green eyes widened at what was her mother's arch enemy in front of her. She should be afraid but it wasn't like he did anything to cause her harm, right?

"Actually, Hades is the name of my realm but everyone seems to think of it as a cute nickname of sorts... I much prefer my true name. Aidoneus."

The nature goddess smiled. She liked the sound of that name much better than Hades. It suited him better and didn't seem to carry such a heavy meaning. But of course, it was a mouthful. On the plus side, it had a few good meanings that she chose to focus on. "Hmm... so reverence, awe, and respect... perhaps I should have bestowed upon you a tiger lilly instead of the narcissus?"

He shook his head, black curls shining a deep blue now that she was really looking. "No, no. I rather like this flower... I believe it means prosperity, hope, and good wishes. Since I already have my pride and wealth, I do not need the tiger lilly." He shot her a smile and raised an eyebrow. "And you are, my dear goddess?"

She blushed and twirled the asphodel between her fingers, her eyes watching it but not admiring it. Instead, she seemed to be withdrawing a bit but he had no idea why. "Oh... yes, uhm... my name is...Persephone..."

"...'Bringer of Destruction'...?"

The brunette quickly turned away from him, an action that was a replica of another less possitive meaning of his true name-- shame. "I know, it's weird for an earth goddess like me to be named that but my mother had no choice. The Fates demanded it, said it was part of their latest tapestry or something. She swears that she would have refused if she could but since she couldn't, that's my true name. But she calls me Kore so that name represents me more, you know?" She bit her lip as she struggled to keep from letting slip how she actually felt about the childish nickname.

"Hm... I don't know." Aidoneus shot her a sly grin as he started to circle her slowly and take in everything that she was and had to offer. Her arms crossed over her modest bust and she eyed him as if to warn him not to go too far over the line of decency. "I feel like you could be the downfall of many beings. A better version of Helen of Troy, so to speak."

"Who?"

He gave a small chuckle. "My dear Persephone, you need to get out more~"