The Things We Do For ... (Part 2)

A/N: Hardest chapter I ever wrote.

Disclaimer: Chapter 1

"And Hades is King of the scythe and the sword

He covers the world in the color of rust

He scrapes the sky and scars the earth

And he comes down heavy and hard on us

But even that hardest of hearts unhardened
Suddenly, when he saw her there..."

Epic (III), Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell

Persephone didn't know what possessed her to go after the god that broke her heart, but she didn't care. If he was here that could only mean one thing. He wanted something. She may not know what that thing was, but it certainly wasn't a leisurely visit.

At least she'd make sure it wasn't.

"Hades!" She shouted as she ran, hoping that he would appear any second now, but she certainly didn't want him to appear now. She needed to find a place on this island where no one would look for her, somewhere far from any neighboring body of water, so she could rule out any naiads from being able to reach this location. Of the dryad variety, thank the Fates they were all on the other side of the island at her little Flower Delivery Service- or probably with Apollo.

That was when an old meadow came to mind. That would do, she hastily decided and changed her direction to one far from where prying eyes would be watching.

She couldn't actually believe this situation she was in.

After everything, she thought she had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. Wanted him gone from her life. Made it explicitly sure in front of all the gods that day in Athens when she ignored him, beat him at his own game, and slammed him with a river, but now he was back, back with that damn smirk of his thinking he could waltz back into her life .

Gone were her wide eyes and quivering form, as her eyes narrowed and her pace quickened as the very earth underneath her began to tremble as she ran.

"Hades!" Persephone shouted, looking all around trying to find any hint of where the god was lurking.

She had stopped running and now stood in a small clearing, one she had not been in perhaps a couple years earlier. That much was clear based on how she had let the undergrowth take over and the way the trees continued to grow in strange and twisted forms- far from her original experiments of trying out phototropism for these were her failed creations.

Creatures that attempted to reach for the light but had created enough shade that the smaller, younger trees had to twist themselves in such ways to search for the light, working twice as hard as their grander and older cousins had done before them. The things we do in our attempts to reach the heavens- the stars, whatever it is the thing you want most.

In truth the last time she was here, Adonis was mauled to death by Ares and his blood became the violets that now grew rampantly in the shade of the treeline.*

"Hades, where are you!?" Persephone called out once more, but when he refused to show, the goddess frustratedly began to pick the violets, arranging them into some bouquet, thinking that if she was to wait she might as well be productive and fill the orders that were needed by tonight. Thank the Fates she didn't have to personally conjure them anymore since they were growing naturally here. Damn her powers for acting up, she didn't need another problem to add to her plate!

Amid her picking, Persephone seethed as her patience ran thin. He had a minute to show up or she was going to hunt him down.

"I should've known you'd come crawling back," Persephone mumbled twirling one lone violet between her thumb and forefinger.

But why are you?

She looked different. Not that she looked bad- it was just she looked so unhappy- melancholic if you will.

Though her pallor had returned- some deathly pale pink shade, her aura looked nonexistent, if not a little on the grey side. Her eyes, he could not see from where he hid in the shadows of the trees, but the way she plucked a single petal off of the violets in her hand did not make her look much better, just adding more to her miserable state. Those poor dead flowers in her grasp were becoming shriveled and grey the longer she held them, a shell of their former selves being dismantled in the hands of their uncaring captor.

So, she was dealing with things.

That much was for sure glancing at her muddied sea foam colored chiton and the dirt that was caked around her hands and the small splotches that coated her exposed arms. Almost like she'd been wrestling the earth itself.

She looked like she'd seen better days, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel the peace he had been desperately seeking these past few days. All thanks to the fast-paced, never-ending workload that the Underworld required to be back in working order, and it was still far from fixed, but this was one moment he could afford- it's not like he needed sleep anyway.

But just being able to see her- at least in better care he saw her last, it was enough to give him some comfort that she was faring better than him.

After all she had done to stop his second attempt at a hostile takeover, all the humiliation he suffered when they faced off in front of the rest of the gods, he'd let her do far worse to him if it meant he could speak to her again.

He had finally met his match, in terms of cunning and wit, a true opponent, all in the form he would never expected. A goddess the very opposite of what he represented, but he didn't mind. He was rather fond of the idea now after spending many restless work days contemplating her and their macabre partnership.

But still one thought nagged at him all those days as well. He didn't take rejection well, and judging after everything he'd done, she wouldn't like the idea of getting swept back up with the cause of all her current problems.

Still one thing was for sure. He'd take rejection from her a thousand times if it meant that she'd go out with him on the thousandth and one try.

And if that didn't work, well, let's hope his patience lasted. Hell, if he could wait eighteen years for the Titans, he'd wait longer. Patience ironically is one of his few virtues.

At least they were both immortal, not that he had any hand in making sure it stayed that way.

Alright, enough stalling, Hades mentally decided, trying to slow down the building anxiousness in his heart.

It's show time.

"Hades, for Fates' sake show yourself!" Persephone desperately screamed into the open wind before he finally appeared in front of her in a ring of fire and smoke.

Ever the one to make a grand entrance, Persephone flinched back at how close he appeared in front of her, having not expected him to appear so suddenly.

His form was calm and his demeanor far from the natural confidence and charm that he usually inflated, but his presence was enough to make her heart jump in her chest.

"Miss me?" He smiled in a crooked grin that faltered between cautious and charming. Cautious because he knew what to expect, and charming just in case.

Her eyes took him in- drank him in, but it was his dark blue aura that drew her attention. She remembered there was a time when he did not glow, and now here she was with one that was dying like a flame reaching the end of its candle.

"You, sneaky, lying, two-faced son of a-" she lunged at him and slapped him full across the face before he could react.

The resounding slap echoed in the woods followed by the sound of a surprised yelp from none other than the Lord of the dead. He had expected a reaction like that, but not so soon. Sure, he expected a little emotional breakdown at first, some long lists of rhetorical queries and then, maybe just maybe if she still had some rage in her: a slap.

Still, if her little stunt back there with that 'sunflower' as that schmuck called it was any indication of her feelings she was more than mad- she was hurt.

Once he regained his bearings, Hades put his dislocated jaw back into place and began to test it to make sure it was back where it belonged.

"I deserved that," he admitted after a long pause, though honestly he didn't expect her to be that quick to show her rage.

"You deserve far worse than that and you know it," Persephone harshly whispered through gritted teeth. She kept her hands wound around the bouquet in a way to prevent herself from lunging at him again. The steely glower she gave him, radiated more heat than the fire that was threatening to burst into life from the goddess' hands.

"Hence why I decided to show my face," Hades quickly interjected. Knowing full well that if it wasn't for the morals she so valued he'd probably be out cold right about now. From that one slap he knew how much power she was holding back, and it was that same power that alarmed him down to his very core.

Since when was she able to do fire?

"Look, I don't know what brings you to my woods, but I'll have you know, you are not welcome here or anywhere near me," she began to advance on him, her index finger pointed and directed at his face, mere inches from his eyes. "So if you have any shred of decency or self-respect you better go back to the cave you crawled out of or I swear I will-"

"Back up- wait. You misunderstand me, can we talk?"

"You want to talk?!" Persephone scoffed. "Fine, talk to them, I can't speak for the trees." And with one stamp of her foot the trees began to unroot themselves from the earth.

The old gnarled roots slammed into the ground as they moved, their ancient boughs and heavy branches began to wildly swing to and fro as the forest descended to attack the god who continued just stand there, arms crossed as those same ligneous limbs passed right through him.

"Wood ya believe it? They had nothing say." Hades actually had the audacity to grin at her, giving her a teasing look as he appeared closer now, an arm's length away practically. "So d'ya mind if we talked- just you and I- without the foliage," he gestured at the confused trees as they kept trying to knock him over to no avail.

Surprised, and perhaps a little bit shaken that they had phased through him like nothing, Persephone was breathless from the sheer effort alone of moving the trees. For some reason being able to manipulate plants had been a leaving her so drained, and the results of actually growing them turned into mishaps with most all of them dying within seconds of being brought to life. At least she no longer had to make them move, she thought glumly, and made them plop themselves back into the ground.

Damn, she really should have expected this.

Leave it to the trees to be able to do nothing to a guy made out of smoke, she really should have thought of a better plan, or at least a plan.

"Not on your life," Persephone pitifully seethed, drawing back away from him. It began to dawn on her that if the freaking trees- the vines - anything she could create couldn't physically trap him, she was cornered. The very thought sent a shiver down her spine, gods she was so stupid, she needed a new plan fast.

"My sweet, Persephone, what a novel idea to have a life," Hades smiled as a certain thought passed through his mind. No he wouldn't offer anything of that sort today, it was way too early before he decided to take drastic measures.

Persephone flinched at the sound of her own name. The last time anyone addressed her as such had been on the day of the competition. That felt like a lifetime ago, but it was so fresh on her mind that it reminded her that he was still a great danger and not someone she could trust no matter how charming he was.

"I haven't had much of one these past few days, you know, trying to fix my kingdom with so many souls to corral, but I managed to give myself some time to pay you a visit… I missed you," he added suddenly and it was that show of emotion that it suddenly clicked he wasn't here for business.

"Can't say that I feel the same about a traitor," Persephone half-whispered, her hands were already grabbing at her skirts in the case that she decided to run for it.

"It's not a traitor if they come to apologize, sweetness."

"You've come to apologize?" Persephone snorted, the very idea of it made her crack a grin, but without any of the mirth.

"Better believe it, babe. Who knows, you might just make an honest god of me one day if you'll have me," he bowed almost teasingly, but the sincere smile on his face almost made it seem like he was hinting at something.

Persephone frowned at his choice of words, something about it was familiar, but the way he phrased it didn't seem to work with this situation. Make an honest god? What an odd thing to say. "The only thing I want from you is Hercules, so if you've come to negotiate for his soul-"

"Do NOT mention that bozo's name," Hades flared up in frustration. "I wouldn't concern yourself over his fate, my sweet," his face continued to frown from the very mention of his hated rival. "Let the gods who abandoned you do that. He dug his grave now he has to lie in it, fair and square and with no tricks. Hell, the yutz tricked me, thinking he could get out of our deal by sending me to my squalid prison. The one you so generously rescued me from, my sweet," he reminded her with a wink.

Persephone scowled at the action and reconsidered the idea of running back to civilization. Hades most likely didn't want to be seen, especially with him being on every single one of the Olympian's bad side. Sure she didn't want him seen with her in the case that people put two and two together, but it was a bluff she could work up if she played her hand well.

"Then we have nothing to discuss," she quipped.

"Hey, don't be like that," Hades briefly eyed the dead flowers, but refocused back to the goddess. "I'm here for- to… y'know…"

'Confess my love for you,' but of course he couldn't say that. He began to ground his teeth in frustration.

He couldn't believe he was getting nervous at a time like this. She slammed thousands of gallons of Styx water onto him and could have potentially locked him up for good and he was afraid of her not accepting his apology? Oh gods, her flowery scent was all over the place it was making him feel dazed, but the lilac flames growing in her eyes was enough to bring him back to reality.

"Well- what?!" Persephone snapped, she began to square herself up, refusing to show her fear. "Are you here for talking or tricks? Because if you don't mind me, I have work to do," she turned to leave, but the god was already in her path.

She forgot he could do that.

"I'll scream," Persephone warned him as she backed into one of the trees that had tried to attack Hades as he continued to walk towards her. She tried to steady her voice as much as possible as her eyes bore into his own, fighting the lump that was growing in her throat. Here was her last wild card, it was a cheap trick but it was something, "And they'll come running."

Oi vey.

He knew he shouldn't expect much from Persephone given that he had handled his partnership with her really badly at the last part, and you know lying to her. He just needed to play it smooth, maybe back up on the charm, no need to make her swoon, or you know, get her angry. Or just make her smile, jeez she looked pissed. Well at least he pre-planned this scenario.

Hades made a deep sigh and exaggeratedly rolled his eyes. "If that's the game you want to play- call 'em. Frankly I'd love to get others involved in our little…" one of his hands began to encircle the air and appearing in his hand was the spear that was once connected to the curved blade of Praxidice. "… Heart-to-heart," he smirked as he watched Persephone's amateur poker face fall into shock.

Evidence.

Anyone could recognize the spear that had once been married to the large curved blade that made the spear a scythe, and it was damning evidence. The goddess was at a loss for words as her only plan backfired on her, but he could be bluffing.

Would he really reveal that she had helped him escape? If anything she'd be getting even more lightning bolts from Olympus, but Hades wouldn't be able to do what he'd come here to accomplish- whatever it was that he truly wanted..

Still, scrutinizing the god before her, Persephone squinted her eyes and found her hands twisting the bouquet of violets in her grasp.

That smug smirk of his was not twisted as many times before, but set in an almost lackadaisical triumphant grin and the way his hooded eyes watched her, they taunted her to make the next move.

It was written all over his body language, but she still found herself opening her mouth, as the panic truly started to set in.

He wasn't bluffing.

"You wouldn't- you couldn't…" Persephone stuttered, she shook her head several times.

"Sweetness," he began to lean against the tree Persephone was using as support, the spear no longer anywhere to be seen. "My reputations always been bad. That's the rule of the game, babe, and its why I have nothing to lose about spilling the beans. My rep's already as dark as it can get, but yours on the other hand, my sweet… Well-" his fingers hovered over her chin, but before he could successfully cup her chin, something made him halt, and he'd be damned if he ever admitted it was the way she was looking at him.

Those small pinpricks of tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes was suddenly replaced with a look of pure fire.

"I'm not your errand girl anymore, Hades, or anybody's," Persephone snapped, throwing the bouquet at the god's face causing him to briefly flinch back. "I know you did what you had to do to get out- I understand your self-preservation, I feel it every day out here, but why- why did you have to make me believe you- I trusted you with everything! Why?! I would have-"

"-Run away and go and tell everyone that I was released- sent the dogs on my trail, I don't know, pick your poison. You would have done the same thing I did, sweetheart," his voice became biting, almost like he had run over these scenarios a thousand times. "Call it what you want self-preservation, survival, I call it getting by. It's the same thing you're doing now with Mr. Sunshine back there. And that's why I ran with the schtick. What's your excuse?" He snapped, briefly flaring up.

Persephone felt herself bristle at his accusation. "Don't you dare compare my current situation with Apollo as what you did to me. At least I only needed information from him- you used me for one of your stupid takeover plots."

"We were mutually helping each other, my sweet," he reminded her. "By the end of it we both would have walked out with a kingdom of our own. Just imagine it the entire cosmos could have been at our disposal."

"I didn't want the Underworld, Hades, I know that now," Persephone admitted defeatedly. "I just wanted respect for once in my life, but now the world just hates me."

"So? They've hated me for centuries- hated me like my own family. Yeah, I wanted power- to show them that they couldn't leave me to rot- to let them have fun and make war, make love. They get to be a part of it all, I was just left alone, away from it all. What would you expect me to do? Your mother isolated you- limited you. You yearned for the same thing I did. It wasn't an accident that we met, we're the same you and I. We've been tossed from our own kind, and what better way to show them all by putting them in their place."

"Power doesn't equate to respect, Hades, it just makes them fear you more," Persephone simply stated, she nodded her head solemnly. She tried to keep her composure as she knew that if she became angry, the tears would come soon after. She always hated how awful she was when angered, how she had to cry as well. Her emotions never stayed one track before they changed again. "I never wanted what you did. I was ambitious, but not like you. The ends never justify the means, it was wrong what you tricked me into doing for the sake of power."

"Whoa- whoa- whoa don't even try to deny you wanted it," Hades argued. "You're the one who wanted to- how'd you put it? Oh yeah: 'Win without question' ?"

"Oh, so now you're making it sound like you weren't going to help me win," **Persephone shot back.

Hades began to grin smugly. "Took the words right out of my mouth, sweetness."

"You're lying," Persephone retorted, but instantly regretted it as it made her sound all the more naive.

"Oh? Am I? ' Hades pressed. "Because I for one can tell ya how I wasn't going to hand over my kingdom to an inexperienced goddess. I just wanted to gain an ally in taking over the cosmos, but you wanted power, the thing with Po-po that's just a stroke of genius I came up with when you didn't back down and that ambition is something that I consider very attractive," he cocked his eyebrow knowingly.

"You didn't have to help me, you know," Persephone scoffed, turning her face away from the heated look he wouldn't stop giving her. "You could have just said thanks and left me alone."

"And leave a damsel in distress? What kind of gentleman do you think I am?" Hades scoffed and wore a heavily exaggerated face of someone who was offended.

Persephone glowered. "Don't act like you cared," she refused to even look at him at this point.

"Whoever said I didn't? I stuck by you didn't I? I helped give you powers that could have sealed my fate, but the thing is when you had the chance and finally saw who I really am," Hades paused and a slow appreciative smile grew on his face, a grin devoid of his usual sinister smirks. "You… you didn't lock me away like the rest of the gods would've. No, you let me go, and not because you forgot- you had mercy. Now that's what I call giving me a second chance. So…" he leaned as close as he could without their faces touching and tucked one of the stray curls that had broken free back behind her ear.

Persephone felt herself tense at the action, but did nothing else as she felt him grow ever closer.

"I think," his voice came out a low whisper as his face grew closer in proximity to hers, his hand hovered over her waist. "Maybe, you shouldn't pretend that you didn't care."

Here it was, finally, a do-over with no River Styx around to ruin it. He felt a smile spread across his face as he felt her own breath against his lips as he opened them to take hers.

Persephone felt her cheeks grow hot and a slight shiver sent a pleasant feeling all the way down her toes, but all of her brain signals shouted danger and they reacted more quickly than her trembling lips.

"Just go!" She shouted, and pushed him away before he could steal a kiss, unable to find a suitable comeback. "I don't want to see your face ever again!"

He was getting back at her, she knew it, for tricking him with that kiss of death. Her first kiss was never meant to be used that way, and now he was here to mess with her, to further torment her. Gods, how could she be such a fool?

"Persephone," he said her name with such an intensity that the goddess had almost forgotten that he was the first person to address her as such in a long time. "I just came here to talk- no games this time, I promise."

Something inside of Persephone snapped at his poor choice of words.

"No games this time?! Are you telling me what was going on between us was just games?!" She slammed one of her fists into the tree beside her.

Whoops, that came out wrong. "No- that's not what I meant- you're twisting my words, babe," he began to nervously laugh. "Please- just let me explain-"

"Huh, I wonder what that's like?" Persephone scowled. "Half-truths, not giving the full story, I've learned a lot from you, you know that? I started going down the same path you did and now I'm paying for it. You know? I'm not even mad at you, gods, I want to be so bad, but I couldn't because this whole thing was my damn fault."

Hades was caught off guard and felt a small semblance of hope begin to rise. "You're not mad?" Oh gods he fell for the trick that all women pulled, now she was baiting him.

"Oh I'm mad," Persephone snapped.

Hades watched as lilac flames that began to start from underneath her hands, but judging by the way she was intently staring at him she was none the wiser that she was even causing this.

"Whoa," Hades flinched back. There it was again, the fire she had conjured back there with Apollo. Seeing it again though, the color was oddly familiar- like the flames in the Asphodel Fields.

The voicing of his surprise made Persephone look at what he was staring at, and in her panic at seeing the lilac flames as it began to eat away at the tree, she jumped away in alarm.

"What's happening to me?" Persephone stared horrified at her own hands. The traces of pink in her skin began to disappear and become more purple. How many times had she changed color this week?

Oh gods, her teeth hurt.

Shaky hands went to her mouth and very slowly as her fingers checked her teeth, the feel of something made her heart stop. When did her canines become so sharp?

This was impossible, all of this she's a nature goddess not a… Oh gods…

Now Hades was starting to understand where the flames of the asphodel were coming from- it was her. Did the Underworld have that much of an impact on her after visiting only one day?

Melinoe wasn't lying it seems.

Persephone caused all of this. The Lampades, the fields, the huge rise of souls almost to the brink of maxing out the available space. Then there was her, the fire, her dead aura, her powers were changing, she was changing.

It couldn't be… But what else could possibly explain it?

That's when it dawned on him.

Oh this was bad….

New plan, new plan, okay… Wait a sec… Hades glanced briefly at his glowing skin, and back at Persephone.

She still didn't have an aura.

But he started glowing when she resuscitated him, but what after? She had been fighting the Underworld powers. All the times when she manipulated the Styx she had felt sick, nauseated, didn't even want to eat when she was starving.

He'd been such an idiot ignoring all the signs. The Underworld, and all its powers were against her very being, so because she forced herself forward through sheer force of will, refusing to give up, her body was forced to adapt.

And the result?

A fiery Underworld goddess, still thinking she's an earth one. That's for sure with the dying flowers- the dying anything really.

"Hey, its alright," Hades was by her side in an instant. "It's alright," he repeated trying to reassure her, and cautiously drew circles with his thumb on her shoulder in a way to comfort her. "Hey, I've done worse because of a lot less, sweetness."

"You stay out of this," she moved away from him, and began to hug herself, giving the god a view of her back

"This is my problem, okay? Mine. I was the one who picked the whole freaking bouquet of whoopsie daisies^^, falling for everyone's charms and now I'm stuck with these changes and consequences. One of them being this- this crackpot job." She picked up the bouquet she had thrown at him earlier and began to shake it in his direction.

"I've had it up to here with all these incessant requests of making Get Well Soon packages and this crazy thing called Homecoming," Persephone continued to yell but paused to catch her breath as her heart continued to hammer in her chest as the emotions started pouring out of her like a river in a broken dam.

"While you actually have something to go back to. Even if you committed high treason they can't get rid of you. They saw what happened when you were gone- and don't you even try to hide that you love your job! The Underworld is too well organized to be taken care of by someone who didn't care. Want to see how that would look? Take a good long look at Greece- of Persia! If Zeus cared would there be so many problems?! Of freaking course not, but me, I have to do something that wasn't even appointed to me or even has any esteem that would be attached to it. I'm the worst goddess that has ever walked the face of the earth and at least you have a funny thing called respect. More so maybe now that everyone has had a taste of what would happen without you. But if I ever run away the only one who would ever care would be my mother- I contribute nothing to the cosmos, but here I am," she laughed without any mirth in her voice.

"A lump of clay molded by my sister, my mother, my father, and you! So you can take that cloud of despair around your feet and go back to the cave you crawled out of. I don't need more problems from you because I'm getting enough just from myself!" Persephone lastly shouted, and was surprised when she felt twin trails of tears run down her face.

The flames that had danced across the tree were suddenly put out and the only sound left was the occasional rustle of the surrounding woods as the winds picked up. The silence between them was thick and the emotions that had been released did not make the pregnant pause afterwards any better.

Hades didn't know what to do- he could deal with millions of scenarios ranging from minions with emotional baggage to dealing with moral do-gooders spoiling his plans, but this? Gods him and his ways of getting under people's skin was so easy- it came out so naturally when people were ticked off with him, and he certainly didn't want to make her even more depressed, you'd think he'd done enough damage?

Well, he had a few ideas of what needed to be done, but now was not the time or place. Right now only one thing needed to be done, he decided glancing between his glowing skin and the miserable spring goddess who couldn't even conjure a living plant.

Anything to make her smile.

It was not something he had ever thought he would have to do, even more so now that he was enjoying having an aura again. It was a feeling of completion to feel like the rest of the gods. But she didn't know how to handle it. He could deal with it, hell, he'd done a pretty good job of it for the last couple millennia, and having it now just made him feel all the more guilty. Not a nice feeling for a god like him, but she deserved it. Out of all the gods he would show her kindness. He'd do it for her. A life for a life, he decided, his debt was complete. The prize she should have received upon his rescue.

"… I'm sorry… really, I am… For everything," Hades almost whispered, his eyes bore into her face, but her eyes were still downcast and focused solely on the battered bouquet she held tenderly in her hands. The apology was simple, but after hearing something like that, to get an introspective look into this goddess, it was what was needed.

Long-winded, metaphorical, it was not, if it were it would simply be something everyone else was telling her. She needed to be told that this wasn't entirely her fault, she needed real sympathy, and hearing those words from him was something that just made it a little more special.

Persephone was at a loss of words, both from her tirade and the mere sound of the apology slipping out of the lord of the dead's mouth. An apology without the usual biting snark hiding underneath, and its absence made her head snap up in utter disbelief.

He was not the kind of god to throw out an apology, and him of all the gods for her to be swept up with- the most ruthless, the meanest, apologized so blatantly without twisting it in some convoluted way that was the norm for him. She began to wonder if she was the first person he ever apologized to.

But her brain slapped her heart back. "Yeah, I'm sorry too-" Persephone sniffed, she narrowed her eyes holding back the tears that were close to falling. "-that I didn't leave you in the river…" Her eyes flicked up giving him a full view of the pain that she'd been holding in for the past few days.

"-Both times."

Hades did nothing to stop her as she gathered up her skirts to leave. He stood there rigidly contemplating what to do.

His hand was now outstretched as he sucked in a breath to say something that could make her stay, he needed to return her aura but how? "Wait…" the word slipped out of his mouth before he could douse the thought.

Persephone paused in her stride and slightly turned so she could look at him from the corner of her eye.

"What?" She bit out, but from the way her voice was strangled she sounded on the verge of tears, and was doing her best to not cry in front of him.

He was screwed, he didn't have this planned, how was he supposed to know she wouldn't ignore him, but that's when it hit him. "… thank you…"

Persephone's scrunched up face fell into confusion, allowing a few tears to run down her face.

She had not expected that.

She quickly rubbed her eyes to erase all existence of her traitorous tears. "For what?"

"For saving me anyway. All three times."

"Don't you mean two?" Persephone corrected him.

"No, I remember three," he exclaimed with such conviction, that Persephone started to wonder if he was right.

Gods, he was being oddly cryptic, if not being close to infuriating, couldn't he just leave, but damn her curiosity. "Alright, fine, what was the third?" She pressed, and crossed her arms to look defiant to show him she was already fed up with him.

He had the audacity to smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows.

All sorrowful thoughts were swept away in a blink of an eye, only to be replaced with curiosity.

Hades shrugged. "You'll figure it out," he simply exclaimed, turning around getting ready to leave himself.

And there was nothing left to say.

She needed time.

Out of all the damage he had done today at least he said his part, and made sure he didn't leave her in a wretched state.

All Persephone felt was even more confusion as a blush burned her cheeks. An idea came to mind, but she quickly dashed it.

Persephone was on the verge of yelling. "You can't do that- what was the third?!" She began to pursue him this time.

Hades had the gaul to turn around and smirk. "I guess we'll have to wait and see, Persephone," he winked.

"But…" Persephone grumbled and stopped herself from taking one more step towards him.

The two of them just regarded each other, knowing golden orbs met the confused violet eyes that fluctuated between deep thought and annoyance until he finally did a small salute and was swallowed by a plume of smoke.

Persephone rolled her eyes. Ugh, she had to get back to work now that all distractions had left.

Those orders weren't going to fill themselves, she sighed, but before she left the small clearing, Persephone looked back at the spot where Hades had disappeared and did a double take.

In the wake of the ash that covered the grassy area purple hyacinths had burst out of the ground.

Persephone rolled her eyes in disgust. She had arranged enough bouquets to know what it meant. But she'd give him that.

She of all beings understood flowers better than anyone, but she'd be damned if she was willing to forget the past. What happened happened they couldn't do anything to fix it, but at least he was trying, and for that she could forgive him for one thing.

If he really wanted to make it up to her it would not be flowers that would be standing there, but a certain brawny hero.

"I'll save you Hercules," Persephone promised to the wind and trees, and the hyacinths too. "I just don't know how."

The hyacinths began to glow, but so distracted was she by her thoughts that she had not noticed the flowers beginning to disintegrate and flowed into the conflicted goddess.

For these were not simple flowers that Hades had conjured, oh far from it, dear reader. He simply returned something that was not his to take. Something that was given to him accidentally, unexpectedly giving him new life.

Persephone began to sprint back to her home in the case that Hades would return, unaware as her hair began to twist and unfurl from her messy bun, but something was off.

Her hair glowed a soft yellow light, no longer appearing as it once was, but almost like a river of light. The way it bounced around her as she ran was no longer consistent to the laws of physics, spreading out to the trees and undergrowth around her, like sunshine, and with it, the scuttling creatures couldn't help but peak out of their burrows for a glance at her as she ran past. Even birds peaked from down below, and flowers appeared in each of her steps.

Judging by the way the forest started to sway and grow it seemed that her powers were reacting with the fauna, and not in a negative way. Flowers bloomed and the trees became thicker, Persephone couldn't help but smile for the first time in what seemed like years that she felt at home.

But somewhere deep down below the earth, the dread lord of the dead felt something akin to loss as the emptiness sat inside of him once again. That pure aura, that little piece of Persephone was gone. Stripped away by his own doing, bringing him back to what he was before he met her. Did he regret it?

Not in the slightest.

Tomorrow, he'd see her again, he promised himself as he gazed at the weary River Styx that winded before him. Come what may, he'd be back. This was only the first day and he'd already managed to accomplish something.

Small though it was, an apology could go a long way, and at least she could properly heal now with her full Life powers back.

Now it was like the time before the Competition. Everything was back to the way it should be. He was back in business as reigning lord of the dead, and she the daughter of earth and the world above.

Yet as the Fates knitted away at the Tapestry of Fate, they cackled. For the fate of the world was at their fingertips and they couldn't help but admire their finished work.

"It is done, sisters," Atropos announced, staring admirably at their combined handiwork. "The Tapestry is finished."

"Good riddance," Lachesis snorted, packing her luggage. "I was getting tired of Greece anyway."

"Now it is up to you sweet Persephone if you wish for your story to continue," Clotho giggled. "Even if it's in another land."

"Clotho, Atropos quit dawdling- Rome wasn't built in a day, you know!" Lachesis grumpily shouted and proceeded to rip the eye from Atropos' lone eye socket.

"We know!"

*Violets grow great in the shade... It's kind of interesting seeing how many flowers were created out of a guy in Greek Myths I mean look at Narcissus!

**Back in chapter 4, gosh I can't believe I've been waiting this long to put it in, when I was commented that any plan of Hades is a good plan from the lovely Shahrezad1, I was like oh no I did a lazy writing. But then I was like I gotta make this fit so Hades wouldn't come up with a half-baked plan, so I had written a small note for future me to find for this particular chapter to explain why Hades' first plan was not good. Honestly y'all's comments make me go above and beyond on the attention to detail so thank you!

^^Credit to Tumblr, you can bet your socks I've been saving that one for awhile.

So in case you didn't re-read Ch. 3 when Persy resuscitated Hades, a part of her powers flowed into him, but a part of his flowed back into her. It's called osmosis, Brenda look it up.

Anyway, the reason it isn't affecting Hades as much is b/c I reasoned he is more established in the cosmos than the newbie and since she's still trying to find herself, her emotions (probably Joy and Anger) were like oh dude she's having a career change guess we won't need this anymore *chucks nature powers out the window* and made room for the Underworld powers that she got from Hades. There were subtle hints with her being able to actually talk to the ghost children when she at first couldn't talk with the shades.

Leave a nice review please? I'm sorry it was late, but this is my favorite chapter.