Hades, the god of the Underworld, walked along the tranquil meadow trying to cool down after a meeting with his asinine brother Zeus. He had to listen to Zeus prattle on and on and on about Hercules and the amazing progress the young god was making.
It was infuriating. He also had to suffer interaction with the other gods who thought they were oh so much better than him. He wanted to make them eat their own words, destroy them. If only his plans to kill Hercules didn't keep ending up in complete and utter failure!
His temper along with his flames flared dangerously and then a melodic singing drifted into his ears, breaking him from his thoughts. His flames tamed, he crept toward the voice. It was a woman whose back was turned to him tending to the flowers in the meadow. Her long blonde hair trailed behind her as she strolled along. Flowers would grow wherever her bare feet met the Earth. Her blush pink skin and white robe made her look like a flower herself.
Persephone, his mind supplied. This was Persephone. Demeter's precious daughter, and beloved spring goddess of Mount Olympus. He's heard of her in passing throughout the years whenever he had to meet with Zeus. But they've never met and he had a feeling that she was being kept away from him or maybe Demeter was just that overprotective.
No one was here to stop him now and he was never told to stay away from the pretty little flower. He smirked. "Did mommy dearest finally let you out of her nest?"
Persephone jumped in surprise and turned to face him. Her green eyes were wide with fear. "H–Hades?"
He crossed his arms, a devilish smirk on his face. "Yup, the one and only. Unless there's another god of the Underworld that you know about?"
She shook her head, biting her lip. "I...I have to go. It was nice to meet you Hades." she said hesitantly as she disappeared like a leaf in the wind.
Hades scoffed and rolled his eyes. Persephone was just another pretentious goddess who wanted nothing to do with him, whatever.
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Persephone sat in her room, hoping the many florae that surrounded her would calm her nerves. That chance meeting with the lord of the dead made her feel like she was crawling out of her skin. She'd heard many things about him, none of them good. That he was evil, conniving, and he had a grudge against Zeus.
She was so frightened when she first saw him but along with that fear was something else that she'd never expect to feel for the god. Attraction. Her face burned, she shouldn't be feeling this way. He was all of the things her mother told her to stay away from wrapped in one but she couldn't control this feeling that had crept into her heart. She could never tell her mother that she'd seen Hades at the meadow. She'd be banned from ever going. So she would keep this meeting a secret and if she saw Hades again...well she'd never admit it aloud, but she'd welcome his company.
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Hades wasn't sure how it happened. How the spring goddess wormed her way into his heart but she did and he was pissed. They had barely interacted with each other yesterday but here he was sitting at the meadow for a chance that she'd make an appearance.
He just couldn't get her voice out of his head. The angelic melody kept buzzing in his mind and no matter what he did it didn't go away and his dreams were filled with her. Her body, her moans, her everything.
He didn't even know why he was here. She clearly didn't like him. In fact, it looked like she was scared of him. She probably told her mother all about Hades and was forbidden from coming here again. He was such a fucking idio–
"Hades?" Persephone shyly asked, breaking him from his spiraling thoughts.
"Persephone? I'd thought mommy dearest would have put you under lock-in key after yesterday."
She shook her head with a soft smile on her face. "Normally yes but I didn't tell her about you…"
He smirked. "What's this? Is little miss perfect breaking away from mommy's chains and keeping secrets?"
She pouted. "I am not perfect and I keep plenty of secrets from my mother."
He snorted. "Name one."
She furrowed her brows deep in thought. Hades rolled his eyes. "The clock's ticking…"
She huffed. "Okay so I don't keep secrets from her, but it's not like it's a bad thing," she said, crossing her arms.
"You keep telling yourself that. Anyway, what made you come here, flower child? It couldn't have been me…" he raised an eyebrow. "Could it?"
Her face blushed crimson and she opened her mouth but nothing came out.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "No way, you came here to see me?"
She bit her lip and rubbed her arms, avoiding his gaze. "Would it be a bad thing if I did?"
Hades blinked. "No, no, it's fine with me but what about your mother? What would she think of this?"
She huffed and glared at him. "What my mother may think doesn't matter! I make my own decisions."
He held up his hands in a placating manner. "Okay, I'm just making sure..." he walked closer to her. He put a finger on her chin and lifted it. Their eyes locked on each other. "If you're having second thoughts about this then this is your time to walk away…" he leaned close to her ear. She could feel the heat emanating from him. "Because I stop at nothing to get what I want and Persephone...I want you," he whispered seductively.
When he pulled back her face was a dark shade of pink but her eyes were full of determination. "I–I'm sure."
He grinned a sharp tooth grin and placed a hot hand on her slender wrist and with a snap of his fingers a cloud of smoke engulfed them and they were transported to his sleeping quarters in the Underworld.
She tried to take it all in. Her eyes swept across the room. The furniture looked new as opposed to years old. There were no dust particles or cobwebs in sight but she noticed that there was also no dirt. She couldn't help but notice a few of the items here and there seemed out of place, almost misplaced, but she pushed those thoughts aside as she took in the surroundings.
The cave walls glistened with water, the gold bed frame that stood near the wall next to the door. It had been covered in soft white sheets, which contrasted nicely against the dark colors of the rest of the room.
He strolled over to her, she stepped back in surprise and fell onto the bed. She crawled further onto it until she was on the center of it. She twirled her hair and bit her lip, her face burned.
He crawled after her and before she knew it he was on top of her. A devilish smile on his face. "This should be fun," he said. His voice echoed off the rocks surrounding them as she felt the warmth of his breath fanning her face. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when he pressed his lips against hers.
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He began kissing down her neck and nipped gently on her pulse point. She could feel her arousal grow. Every touch, every kiss, made her feel like her body was on fire, that she'd combust but she didn't want him to stop and he didn't.
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"...sephone. Persephone!"
Persephone flinched in surprise. She turned her gaze from her plate to her mother. "Yes, mother?"
Demeter huffed. "Where has your mind been these last few weeks? You keep zoning out. Is everything ok?" her mother asked in concern.
Persephone nodded, doing her best to calm her overprotective mother's nerves. "Yes, mother, I'm perfectly okay. I was just thinking about the flowers I was going to grow in the meadow. There are just so many different pretty ones to choose from."
Demeter shook her head fondly. "I should have known, you and your flowers."
From there they had a conversation free of Persephone lapsing in focus. But her mind was on one certain lord of the dead. She and Hades had been meeting up at the meadow and going to the underworld for three months now. It was so unlike her to do such a thing but she couldn't help it. This attraction she felt was like fire burning her from the inside out and only Hades could tame them.
Not only that she had been feeling more than attraction to him. She was feeling, well, feelings for him. And that just couldn't happen. Because they were nothing more than physical with each other. Yes, they had conversations after. He never kicked her out when they were done. She'd dare say that he enjoyed her company. But that was it, they were nothing more than friends with benefits she supposed.
But she wanted more with him than friends with benefits. Her heart clenched at the thought. This wasn't good, not good at all.
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"Flower child, you good?" Hades asked Persephone as she fixed her hair.
They were in his sleeping quarters after being intimate with each other. Persephone wasn't as talkative as she normally was. Something was up, he knew it.
She gave him a soft smile. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You're not."
She opened her mouth to object but he held up his hand. "Flower child, I know you well enough to know when you lie. So tell me the truth."
She bit her lip, wringing her hands together, avoiding his gaze. "I...you'll get mad…"
He rolled his eyes. "And why, pray tell, will I get mad?"
"Because I'm sure you don't want what I want…"
He narrowed his eyes. "Firstly you're not me so you can't know what I want. Secondly, what is it that you want?"
She let out a shaky breath and looked him in the eyes. "You. I want you and not in the way we are now but in the you're mine forever way. I want to be with you."
"Oh…"
Hades had to admit of all the things he thought were wrong; this wasn't one of them. If anything he thought she was going to end things. But Persephone wanted to be with him. Have a relationship beyond just sex. He never entertained the thought because why would she ever want to be with him for eternity? She was too good for him; she could have any god she wanted. He thought he'd just take what he could get before she inevitably realized her mistake.
But no, she really wanted him. To be with him and potentially build a future. His heart raced. Did he want the same thing? He looked at Persephone as she twirled her hair, her green eyes boring into his, filled with longing and fear. He realized then that yes he did want the same thing. He wanted to hear her melodic voice as she sang to the flowers, he wanted to hear her laugh, and wake up with her by his side. He wanted it and he could have it.
"Persephone, I think I'd like that."
A beaming smile broke across her face. "Really?!"
He nodded. "Yup, really. You've grown on me and I don't think I can let you go."
She flung herself onto his lap and placed a fierce kiss on his lips. He melted and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her close. When they finally separated she murmured to him. "I love you."
Those three words pierced his heart. No one had ever said those words to him before. He could feel tears burn his eyes. He blinked them away, he was not a crier and he was not going to start now. "I love you too, Persephone," he murmured back.
Their lips met again, soft but full of passion. No thoughts of what this new union would entail but only of each other.
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Hades sat on his throne with an uncharacteristic happy smile on his face. Pain and Panic looked on in fear, if Hades was happy then that meant nothing good. Pain decided to be the brave one and asked the dreaded question.
"Err, boss, what are you smiling about?" Pain asked nervously.
Hades dropped his smile and glared at him. "Does it look like any of your business?" he hissed.
They shook their heads.
"N–no sir no of course not! We're just going to go do minion things!" Pain cried, grabbing Panic and running off.
Hades huffed and rolled his eyes. Why did he still keep those idiots around? His thoughts drifted back to Persephone. His smile returned. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this, dare he say, happy. And it was all because of the flower child, his future queen of the Underworld. It had been a month since the confession and things had been going great but there was a looming presence that threatened to end their union.
Demeter.
His fire flared at the thought of her. He willed himself to stay calm. She was the main reason why they hadn't gone public yet and a cause of many arguments between them. Persephone wanted to wait until the right time to tell her but when would there ever be a right time to tell your mother you're in love with the hated lord of the Underworld? The blight that the gods wanted to scrub away but couldn't because he's, well, immortal?
He scoffed. No there wouldn't be a right time. She just needed to rip the bandaid off and get it over with. And when he would tell her that she'd refuse. He didn't understand her relationship with her mother. He could give a rat's ass what his parents thought of him but he respected Persephone's wishes. If she wanted to wait, they'd wait. It wasn't like he was in a rush, they were immortal after all.
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Persephone pushed the food around on her plate. Her stomach churned dangerously. She couldn't bear to take another bite. She was going to tell her mother about Hades tonight. She couldn't keep putting it off. It had already been a month since they decided to be together and she was ready to commit. Become the queen of the Underworld but to do that she had to tell her mother.
"Persephone, are you alright? You've hardly touched your food." Demeter asked concern etched across her face.
Persephone took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "M–mother, there is something that I have to tell you and you're going to be very upset when I do. I beg of you to please keep an open mind about this."
Demeter raised an eyebrow. "Go on then."
"I've met someone and it's serious. He's to be my husband though we haven't talked about when the wedding would occur. We have plenty of time after all," she said in a rush.
Her mother was silent for a moment, face devoid of emotion before she finally spoke. "Who may I ask is this man, Persephone? When did you even meet someone you felt so strongly about and didn't tell me?"
"We met in the meadow, mother, a few months ago. It's Hades."
Demeter broke into laughter. "Persephone! You joke too much, dear. I thought you were serious for a moment there."
Persephone huffed. "Mother, I am serious! Me and Hades are in love and soon to wed!"
Demeter's laughter died down. She looked at her daughter in utter shock. "No, Persephone, please tell me that you're joking!"
"Mother, none of what I said is a joke."
Demeter clenched her fists, her face twisted. "What did he do to you?!"
Persephone furrowed her brows. "Mother, what do you mean?! He did nothing to me?!"
"He clearly did or you wouldn't be spouting this nonsense!"
"It's not nonsense, mother! Hades has done nothing to me that I didn't want! I love him and I'm going to spend my immortal life with him with or without your approval!" with that said Persephone used her magic to transport herself to the Underworld leaving floating flower petals in her wake.
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Hades held a crying Persephone in his arms as they laid in bed, rubbing circles on her back. He knew Demeter would act that way. Persephone was too good, too pure, to fall in love with him Demeter probably thought. Hell, all of the gods would think just that if they knew. And with the dramatic exit flower child made he had a feeling his brother would know very soon.
He sighed internally. This was his fault, the pain Persephone was in, the crumbling relationship with her mother. All because he was an immoral god. But even knowing that, she stayed with him. Never has Persephone tried to change who he was or stop his plans and he's told her many of them. She truly loved him for him, flaws and all.
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"I can't believe you got a throne for me!" Persephone said as she sat upon the throne next to Hades.
"Of course I did, you are the future queen after all," Hades said with a smile.
It was the next day after the dispute between mother and daughter and now Hades and Persephone had to wait for the inevitable fall out.
"HADES!" Demeters' voice bellowed through the Underworld.
Hades rolled his eyes. "And there it is…"
Demeter came stomping into the throne room radiating anger along with a neutral Zeus.
Persephone avoided her mother's intense gaze.
"I don't remember inviting either of you here." Hades deadpanned.
"What is the meaning of this Hades?" Demeter hissed, ignoring him.
Hades scoffed. "What's the meaning of anything Demeter?"
"Don't play games with me, Hades! What have you done to my daughter!"
Persephone glared at her. "Mother! I already told you he did nothing to me!"
While Demeter, Persephone, and Hades argued back and forth, Zeus studied Persephone for a moment before finally breaking his silence. "Demeter!" they all turned to him. "I know you may not like it but there is nothing you can do."
Demeter opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "I don't believe Hades did anything to coerce Persephone into a relationship. I know you have your doubts but they are unfounded. It's clear that Persephone is here of her own free will."
"Wow look at you finally making some sense for once…" Hades muttered under his breath.
Demeter clenched her fists, turning to her daughter. "I do not approve of this union! If you want to remain with him Persephone then stay here! You are no daughter of mine!" with that she stormed out of the Underworld.
Zeus shook his head and with a goodbye and congratulations, he left as well. Leaving them alone. Hades looked at Persephone who was surprisingly not shedding a tear after her mother's declaration. "Flower child, what are you thinking?"
She sighed and turned to him. "I've spent my whole life doing everything she wished for me and being who she wanted me to be and now that I'm truly happy taking my own path she wants to crucify me for it. I'm done caring about what my mother thinks. No matter what she says I shall be with you for eternity."
Hades knew how she felt already but to hear her say them again made his heart leap. How he lucked up with having her by his side he'd never know. He'd surely done nothing to deserve it. "You sure? Eternity's a long time. You might get bored with me after a while." he teased.
She rolled her eyes. "Positive. I could never get bored of you Hades," she said with a smile and she never did.