The lifeless silence within the woods haunted her in the dead of night. There weren't enough stars in the sky to soothe her soul, merciless blue, without a wisp of cloud in sight. It was a weakness, hiding herself into the woods, high in the scarred mountains of the Olymp, but she wasn't convinced that she could control her inner demons around someone. She was grateful for finding time to be alone, lost between trees and flowers, but it was the effect that she chased that night and not the beauty. She found she needed this small escape from everything; little snippets of spontaneity keeping her sane and allowing her to regain some control over her affairs. Persephone chose to indulge herself in things she might otherwise miss, making the time for guilty pleasures and little secrets to enter her life. Some nights she wandered the fields to enjoy the peaceful view of the woods below, the moonlit fields gently swept by a cooling breeze as the stare shone above, unbridled in their glory.

But today was not that kind of night. Her mind was aching for something to make the hole inside herself feel smaller. The light of the moon, filtered by the forest canopy and holding the taste of oak in its scent, came spilling through her with a soft tone to illuminate her eyes.

In her heart, she knew that it was herself to blame for Hades' situation, her innocence and blind trust in her mother's honor had betrayed her once more, leaving her empty inside, with nothing but bones and muscles, joints and veins, with a heart that beat at an almost inaudible frequency. Her thoughts were screaming of grief, anger towards Demeter for crushing her life, for making her small, little less than a rag doll. With her rage came even more guilt; it was too painful to think of how things would have been if she had stayed at the Underworld. With him.

She lay draped in the false comfort of a bed of flowers. Quite had come to devour the very world around her, making it seem a hollow, artificial thing. Persephone was poised ready to close her eyes and disappear, trying to rest from so much misery, when suddenly the movement of branches around her made her body respond by rising quickly from the ground. Unexpectedly, she met with the black eyes of an old friend, a soft smile that tempered her nerves. Oddly, she was likely the only goddess she could stomach that night. With the ghost of a smile, she turned a crystal gaze to her.

"Come here…" Moving so that she was standing beside her, Hecate embraced her with her arm, smiling at her while Persephone rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Is it possible to escape one's own destiny?" Persephone sighed, leaving the question up in the air rather than asking her companion. "I know that Gods are cruel, Hecate. But my mother?" Tears were already gathering back in Persephone's green eyes. "How dare she do this to me? I'm her daughter!" She shifted her position beside her, pivoting on the spot so that Hecate couldn't escape her gaze.

Hecate stared at her sadly as her hand caressed hers, doing exactly what her own mother would have done to comfort her. A distant stare echoed out between them, silent only locked by Persephone's whimpers. By the time she felt more serene, she regained her posture and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why are you here, Hecate? To pity me? Or is it that my mother sends you to intercede between the two of us?" She challenged, green eyes narrowing.

"I came because I heard what happened." She swallowed, meeting her gaze. "I came because I care for you."

"You know so little about me." Her words unkind and fast, without fear.

"Well, I know that you are a Goddess who didn't want to settle for what she had, that you wanted to do many more things with your life. That you were hungry for much more. I also know that you are blessed with kindness, bravery, and passion. And I'm also convinced that everything that's going on is for some reason."

Persephone remained silent and held her hand, offering her a shy but sincere smile. Hecate had the uncanny ability to catch her off guard, she'd felt an affinity for the Goddess of magic, a friendship that put her at ease despite the mistrust in her heart. She held her gaze; Hecate's eyes were so beautiful set upon her feminine features. Striking; strong and proud, shining black like the dark sky of the Underworld. They were the eyes of a witch, and Persephone loved them.

"I can't justify what your mother has done, and I'm sure she'll have to account to Zeus for what she did. I can't understand her attitude. But I'm not a mother, I can't understand her impulses, but I'm sure that she did what she did for love... in her own way. Surely, she acted thinking she was acting right. When you love, you don't realize how much you hurt others."

"Even though in her twisted mind what she has done has been for my sake, I cannot forgive her." Persephone's voice broke, fed up with the situation. "But you know what?" She drew a strange smile, crying again. "I can't hate her." She wasn't sure if it was Hecate's understanding that had the truth spilling from her lips or the simple fact that her body and soul were broken, but suddenly the words left easily from her mouth. She paused, and a nostalgic laughter bubbled up from her chest. "I would love to be able to hate her, curse her for everything she's doing to me, what she has done to Hades." She sadly sighed. "But then, I remembered everything. The pride she had for me as her daughter, the many things I have learned from her, the love she has always shown for me..."

Thankfully, the night breeze was a soft whisper across the trees, bringing with it a sense of calm for the two of them. Persephone seemed more relaxed after expressing what she felt, feelings very difficult to deal with and admit. They rested there for a while, lying down, looking at the stars and the moon, as if nothing in the world mattered. Hecate glared at her, hesitant to disturb her.

"I have visited him."

"Yes, I assume. He does not respond to any stimulus. I have been with him so far; Zeus has asked me to leave and rest. It's exasperating... not being able to do anything. If only we knew what she poisoned him with." She said weakly.

"It is a matter of time before he recovers. Their vital signs are correct." Hecate quickly added, every word dripping with hope.

"I know he is in the best hands, but seeing him in that way... breaks my heart."

"Persephone." She said softly, her fragile jaw line tilting up as if her name was a kiss to be blown. "What are you going to do?"

At first, there was no reply, as if she hadn't heard her at all, but then she blinked once, as if snapping from some distant reverie, and with a slow motion turned her green gaze upon her. A foreign stare echoed out between them, as if the young Goddess did not recognize her, but before she could question it, it was gone and replaced by the familiar smile of a loving friend.

"I'm sick of this situation. I'm tired of doing what others want me to do. It's enough. I'm the Queen of the dead. I will do what I please." And with a strange and enigmatic look, the young goddess said goodbye to Hecate, disappearing leaving behind a dark aura that Hecate had only seen before in one man.

Hades coughed against the musty air, harsh upon his lungs. Far from the reign of his home, the underworld that had raised him. His legs now struggled to keep pressure from them, each were an equal in pain; he could neither sit nor had the strength to stand. His blue eyes roamed carelessly, instinctively avoiding the light. His body felt weak and his mind was blurred; he closed his eyes trying to stop the unbearable pain from his headache.

Gritting his teeth in discomfort, Hades shifted, trying to find a bearable position. He had no way to know how long had been there, or for what reason he was in that miserable state. Pain shot through his head as his movements betrayed him, and he grunted in furious despair. Hades' tired eyes awakened when the distant echo of footsteps haunted the silence. He moved, despite his discomfort, as his breath quickened; he had no idea where he was. He squinted, wincing as his eyes dilated painfully, before making out Zeus' crossing the room door, his golden eyes shining bright.

"Brother!" Zeus shouted with an ear-to-ear smile, causing Hades' headache to intensify at times. "You've finally woken up!" With his senses shaken and his defences low, Hades couldn't help the huge hug his brother gave him, closing his eyes trying to appease so much brotherly love. When Zeus finally let him go, he helped him sit in the nearest chair, carefully leaving him.

"Why am I here?" His eyes half closed because of so much light. "What happened to me?" He asked, resting all the weight of his body in the chair, tired only of having to lean over.

"You… you don't remember anything, don't you?" Zeus asked, turning slowly to face his brother.

"Barely anything." He breathed; Zeus could hear how tired his brother was. "I remember Demeter's face, that's all."

"Well." Zeus sighed, massaging his forehead with his big hand. "That's a good beginning." The King God tensed his lips and moved his wise stare to study his dark brother. Hades tried to hold the exchange but found himself glaring down to the floor, his lids heavy with fatigue. "That foolish woman. Demeter knew what she was doing, it was all premeditated. I don't know where she is but when I find her, she will..."

"I don't know what happened between you and Demeter, and I'm prudent enough to avoid asking you. How many days have I been like this?" He asked as he rested his head upon his hands, elbows resting on his knees.

"One week. Two, perhaps. Whatever our sister gave you was very powerful, we couldn't do anything, just wait for your body to respond."

"What? Wait. Has the Underworld been without its ruler for two weeks? How could you allow it! The flows between the two realms can be irreversible without the job done, you know it!" Hades' eyes widened slightly, surprised and revolted by the situation.

The golden God growled, scowling. "Hades, calm down. If there is one good thing about marriage, it's that you don't have to worry about everything. Your Queen is ruling the Underworld. Better than you, let me tell you." He said with an amusing smile, his natural play tone again in his voice.

Hades looked at Zeus as though he hadn't understood a word he'd said. Until, suddenly, he replied. "What are you talking about? Are you touched in the head?" He replied, giving a disgusted shake of his head.

Zeus paused, lowering his head and throwing him an odd look. "Hades." He pressed. "Are you okay?"

Hades sighted with exasperation. "Oh, come on, brother, please. I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

The king of Gods stared at him with a hint of disbelief, not understanding the words of his brother. "I am not joking. You have a wife." He said to him, looking intently to his blue eyes. "Persephone."

"Who?"

Notes:

Apologies for the shortness of this chapter… it may appear as a filler chapter, which is always a little disappointing but necessary for the story.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway… Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Seriously, they encourage me to continue. The need of validation in strong in this one hehe

Talking about reviews, thank u Lea for yours! I always love to know your opinions about the story, the characters, the way I write, etc. And talking about this review, Persephone's character is complicated and her evolution is very interesting and, sometimes, difficult for me to describe. I know she may look weak and helpless, but I want her progression to be realistic. When someone has always been so overprotected cannot suddenly become a free and fearless spirit. For me the empowerment of Persephone is very progressive, she comes out of a traumatic situation and has to adapt to her new reality, which she has not chosen. Now that life is putting her to unexpected limits... there will be no other way for her to take care of her own affairs :)

And again, sorry if there are spelling or grammar mistakes!