Best Laid Plans

A/N: Lots of nods to chapter 5 in here.

Thanks again for all the kind reviews.

Disclaimer: Chapter 1

"I don't want to set the world on fire-"

- The Ink Spots.

With the door closed and the vines increasing in number around the house, Persephone released the longest sigh imaginable as she slid down the door until her bottom hit the floor. She held herself with her arms wrapped around her knees, bringing them close to her chest. Though she appeared calm out there, just now, she was far from it. Her heart refused to lessen its rapid beat even now that she was safe within the confines of her home. Dread seeped into her bones which added weariness to her defeated spirit as she felt a sickening pulse of power echo throughout the woods.

He was gone.

She could sense it and even smell it thanks to the absence of his sulfurous stench. Gods, she should feel safer being under the protection of her mother's powers, but she just felt more on edge. How could she ignore the warning he gave her?

Just thinking about it sent an unpleasant shiver up her spine. The way he tried to schmooze her and pretend that everything was hunky-dory? Well she knew better now, but it disgusted her seeing this side of him so blatantly. Seeing that image Athena had painted of him in the flesh it just made her even more terrified thinking what he could have done should she have continued on being naive. So what was he going to do now? He was going to plan something, that was obvious, or maybe he already had a backup plan in case she opted out.

He would, Persephone silently groaned.

How was she going to outwit the god who was always three steps in front of everyone? On that same note how was she going to do the same with Athena?

She didn't have to be so cruel yesterday. Maybe it was the only way she would have listened to her, but why add the extra dagger of swearing allegiance to Zeus? There was no way on Gaia's green earth she was going to give her the satisfaction of allying herself with her own deadbeat dad!

Our own, she corrected herself.

And now Athena was going to rule Elysium.

How was she going to put a stop to that? The balance of life and death was at risk now that it was in the hands of her wise guy of a sister. Why did she have to be so proud?! She's already Zeus' favorite daughter, and the only one he cared to announce. Persephone always knew she took competitions very seriously, never backing down from a challenge, but she always found her own loopholes.

Just like Hades.

"Why do I keep making friends with brains and no hearts?" Persephone grumbled to herself. Well, Daphne didn't count, she was all heart, and Hermes may have been the only one she knew who had both.

They were her only allies at this point.

Persephone would never ask her mother; not after last night seeing her there all bundled up on her bed. Despite their many differences on everything, she still cared about her. She was the only person she knew who loved her unconditionally, even if her love for her often ended up making her feel asphyxiated.

After she had awoken from that strange fainting spell, Persephone had found herself at the doorway of her mother's bedroom. She forgot how she had ended up there, but her heart was too heavy to investigate as the events with Athena had poured into her, reminding her of her heartbreak.

Persephone had tried to hold back her tears and toughen up and wake her mother, but she shied away from that option instantly and proceeded to do that childish act of curling against her mother. She needed her warmth, the familiar feel of her motherly arms around her that could hold her and melt all the ice she felt in her heart.

A long, long time ago in her first century, she had spent her nights sleeping alongside her mother like this, or any night she was feeling sad. Last night was no different as she snuggled up against her in a way to comfort herself. Thank the Fates, Demeter was a heavy sleeper, she worked so hard during the Harvest, she rarely ever got rest and Persephone was glad she was able to be in her mother's presence without her pestering about why she looked so down.

That was the last thing she needed on her mind, Persephone reasoned as she steadily rose to her feet. Gods, it's like the Fates were trying to test her just to see which war she would fight. To do battle with Athena, Hades, or to battle with herself?

Which would she choose in the end?

Weaving a quick hand through her hair, Persephone longingly stared at her lank locks. She almost began to miss the light it used to radiate, it was the only thing that glowed from her ever since…

Persephone shook away her dark thoughts and focused on the task at hand. With a flick of her wrist an old map appeared in her hands as well as a mug of nectar.

Hecate's map.

Taking a small sip, Persephone inspected the room, closing any and all windows and shutters that decorated the cottage with a quick flick of her wrist, darkening the room.

There really weren't a lot of options on the metaphorical table, but she had to ask an old friend whether or not he could assist her on one of them. Right now, with the cottage secure, no one would ever know he was here.

Placing the map in the middle of the kitchen table, Persephone carefully worked her powers as she made it expand until it covered all of it. "Hermes, I need you!" She cried out and was unsurprised as the messenger god appeared within a blink of an eye.

The room glowed a cheery azure as the speedy messenger of the gods popped out of the chimney. "Hey, babe," he began as he dusted himself off, "if you wanted to see me, there's always the small courtesy of opening up a window. Though I do appreciate this greeting instead of the ol' one-two you handed me."

Persephone shot him a warm look, but her expression suddenly became stoic. "Thanks for coming," she spoke in a small voice, fidgeting as she found herself looking at anything but Hermes.

"Well yeah, Kore, I always said if you needed anything I'd come flying," he sped to her side and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he quickly removed it as she tensed and practically tore herself away from him.

She never did that.

Hermes felt a sick feeling in his gut at her reaction. Stumbling in here, seeing her like this? He couldn't ignore the Trojan Horse in the room any longer. "Kore, you gotta tell me what's bothering ya. I don't want to see you so blue, that's my job, okay?" He lightly teased, trying to bring some form of levity back between them.

A spark of hope glittered in Persephone's eyes, but even with that small ghost of a smile tugging at her full lips, she still looked so full of woe. "Not until I ask something from you."

"Anything, Kore. You know I just want to see you happy."

Persephone seemed to accept his answer as she placed her mug on the map and procured another one for Hermes. "I know that, I just wanted to make sure… It's hard finding people you can trust these days."

Hermes politely took it and took a small sip. The familiar taste of nectar rocketed into his mouth, but an unexpected cool spice hit his tastebuds as well. "Hey, this is new, what happened to your usual pomegranate extract?"

"Just wanted to try something different," Persephone gave an awkward smile, her hands began to fidget as her eyes glanced from the map on the table to Hermes again.

"What's it called then?"

"Minth- uh… mint," Persephone abruptly changed her mind. "It's a new herb I… made… its spicy, but cold."

"Huh, yeah if I hadn't tried it, I'd have no idea what you meant," Hermes drained the cup and inspected the green spearheaded leaves at the bottom. "So what did ya call me out here for? I don't think you want to swap recipes, huh?"

Persephone bit her bottom lip as a blush painted her pale lilac face. "Will you marry me?"

Hermes felt the mug drop from his hands, but he was so quick he was able to catch it before it hit the floor. "Kore, I- wow… marriage?" He half-laughed, half-choked trying to find some semblance into his words.

"Look, I know it's unexpected but you're the only one Zeus listens to. I mean not directly, but you're his right hand god! You constantly stop him from making the dumb decisions by giving him your common sense, so maybe with our allegiance we can stop him from-"

"Whoa, Kore, but why marriage?" He felt himself choke on the word as a bead of sweat began to slide down his face. "I mean don't you got someone else in mind- someone who won't make me suffer because I wound up marrying you."

Persephone sighed. "It's complicated…"

"I'm willing to listen."

Persephone flashed him a genuine smile as she divulged everything Athena told her last night, even going as far as telling him her involvement with Hades. Of course she didn't go into details on how she felt about him, but Hermes already knew. He had seen the two of them together that one time with Than and Hades' imps, he wasn't an idiot to what was going on. It just made him feel saddened, but kind of not surprised at the turn of events.

Hades, that old grumpy cat. He really didn't know how to appreciate something good until it was gone. Some people can't change, and sadly it seemed to apply here.

Although what he couldn't believe was the oath that Athena had made her sworn. "So you think by getting hitched to me, you can stay here with your mother and stop Athena from taking Elysium?"

"Basically," Persephone nodded tiredly. "I mean you're the only god I can trust, and Athena would think nothing of it. It's just you'd have to lobby for me to take Elysium. You know she'd do anything to beat Ares, but by manipulating life itself? Me? That isn't right and you know it."

"Look, Kore I hear ya, but we both know I'm not your first choice."

Persephone's eyes became downcast for a second. "I thought you were sweet on me, though. Mother used to say if you weren't married to your job you would have married me a long time ago."

Hermes gulped.

Demeter was a lot more observant than she made herself out to be. "Well, yeah, but I can't. I don't see you like that anymore, and you know Demeter would hound me for grandkids, and we'd make some pretty mischievous kids. Kids I'd never be there for, and you'd just-"

"End up more lonely than ever?" Persephone guessed.

Hermes felt himself sink to the floor as his winged shoes stopped flapping. "Yeah… Kore, I wish I could-"

"Oh don't start, the last thing I need right now is sympathy. I still have one other option, but it's kind of…" Persephone drifted off, trying to find the right word, but Hermes beat her to the punch.

"Up your alley?"

"I was going to say reckless, but okay, I see your point," Persephone waved off, trying not to be offended at his tease.

"Well, whaddya got in mind?" Hermes' gaze followed Persephone's as she stared longingly at the map. As a messenger god, he was well acquainted with maps and all things navigational. What he hadn't expected to see was an area he hadn't seen in a long time.

Italia.*

"Hecate always mentioned the lands of the North, but she always thought far North someplace called Britannica, but before she left she used to go on and on about those pesky Etruscans ruining the good things the Druids made. So she set up shop as the Morrigan or something, I don't know, her crows don't talk to me much," Persephone miffed thinking of those malignant birds.

"Then I got to thinking last night," Persephone paused, her violet eyes flaming as her passion began to shine through. "What if I visited these small Etruscan tribes and teach them better techniques on how to farm? They might accept me, and I could convince them to band together- conquer Greece and shove it into Athena's face thinking she can outshine me as a life goddess!" Her hair flickered into that golden light, but soon returned to its lifeless state when she saw Hermes agape jaw.

"… Or y'know just Sicily, so I can visit mother and not break my oath," Persephone meekly smiled.

"Alright, you lost me back there, but do I got a letter for you," Hermes began to rummage through his infinite bag until he pulled out a scroll made from animal hide. "I don't think they call themselves Etruscans anymore, yeah I think they were wiped out by some other civilization in that Southern boot area."

"What kind of letter?" Persephone took hold of the scroll Hermes handed to her.

"I think it'll explain itself."

Persephone stared wide eyed as she read the letter, skimming it over once before she had to re-read it twice over as the gears in her head began to move.

"Are you kidding me?" Persephone mumbled to herself. "They need gods?!"

"Yeah, Rome's been trading with the Greek islands for awhile now. It's how I came across the Now Hiring brochures they sent out."

"This is so close, just across the strait! I didn't think there was a civilization so close looking for us! Hermes, do you know what this means?! I can escape my mother's shadow- everyone's shadow and start anew; let the Pantheon deal with their own problems," Persephone exclaimed with a kindled sense of euphoria.

I'm free.

Hermes slightly frowned, but did not show his uneasiness. "Kore, I know it sounds like a really fabulous idea, but there's no place far enough to run from our problems. You can't look at it like this. It's an opportunity, not a Get-Outta-Tartarus free card."

"Well it sure does sound like it," Persephone snapped. "I can't keep living like this- can't keep being strung around by people who think they know what's best for me. This is my last chance before I'm stuck here taking orders from Zeus? Athena? My mother? Who's next?!" She shouted as angry tears rolled down her face.

Persephone furiously wiped them away, and looked away from Hermes' sympathetic look. In a soft whispering voice, she continued, "I'm a goddess of life who can't even choose her life. Not even the muses can sing that level of irony."

Hermes said nothing.

He didn't need to say anything to comfort her, the best comfort he could give her was listening to her woes. He remembered being in her sandals when Apollo was lobbying to punish him for stealing his cattle, but he used his soothing tongue and clever handiwork to make a fair trade for the stolen steer. He proved his worth in a tricky manner, and Persephone's idea of running away to that tiny town of Rome and starting up shop? It was her chance.

Taking his silence as doubt, Persephone spoke up. "Look Hermes, just know that in the end, I'll make the right choice. Even if it kills me, I always do," Persephone promised with a small hint of bitterness in her words.

"I know that, babe," Hermes finally spoke. "It's why I gave you the letter, I'm not gonna raise your hopes up then turn ya down if you weren't ready," he shrugged.

Persephone shot Hermes a warm smile and gave him a small peck on his cheek, causing the god to blush profusely. "Thank you Hermes."

"Uh, yeah sure no problem, babe," the god mumbled.

Persephone nodded and her eyes became steely as a plan began to form. "Then this is what we'll do. I'll send a message if I make it across to Italia by tomorrow via Daphne. She'll pass word to her nereid friend to look for me. When that happens let my mother know where I fled. If I fail," her face darkened at the thought of Athena. "You know why…"

"Pave the road, Kore. I'll come visit now and then, who knows we might meet you there in a decade or two."

"I'd like that," Persephone softy grinned. "Can you distract them long enough?"

"I'll do my best," Hermes tipped his hat to her. "Stay out of trouble, kay?"

"Oh trouble can't get enough of me," Persephone hugged Hermes one last time.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Hermes weakly grinned, more for Kore's sake than anything. This would be good for her, he inwardly decided. She needed to be away from everyone and find herself properly without people meddling in her life. It was time that she took that first step in independence, and in that step she needed to be confident in her decision.

"Ciao, babe!" He exclaimed with a final farewell and sped away in an instant.

Persephone looked around at the now barren room and tapped her fingers against the table.

She was actually doing this.

That was a scary thought in itself, but almost comforting. It felt right the ability to go to a strange land, and start anew.

Holy Fates, she needed needed to pack.

And an alibi!

If there was one thing Hades couldn't stand it was kids. Particularly the smart aleck variety, and this boy with a mop of curly brown hair and large far set eyes was no exception to that rule.

"Hey mister did ya know your head's on fire?"

Pain and Panic exchanged amused glances, but held back their laughter while Hades tried to hold back his growing rage.

The flaming god simply released an exacerbated sigh. "I'm aware, thanks," he deadpanned.

"Okay, mister it's just cuz my mom always said not talk to strangers. Especially the scary looking ones since animators purposefully draw them that way to make sure the intended audience understands that-"

Hades rolled his eyes and let the boy droll on as he looked to his imps. "Oi, of all the kids in Sicily, this is the golden child who shepherds in the field outside of Demeter's woods. Great, just… Wait a sec', are you- are you two petting the sheep?"

Pain and Panic's eyes went wide. After releasing the sheep they were embracing, the two of them awkwardly smiled and replied with a weak, "Nooo…"

Hades shot them a cross glare, "I got half a mind to barbecue you two right this f-"

"Hey, mister."

Hades stopped mid-word when he felt a tug at the bottom of his chiton. "… Yeah, kiddo? What's up?" He said as sweetly as he could muster.

"Are you really my uncle like you said? I mean you're ugly, and shady, look like something that crawled out of a cave-"

"Of course, I am," Hades' patted the little boy's head. Knowing how many women Zeusy and Po-po have been with, let's go with probabilities' sake and say yes, or maybe a great uncle, but down the line, pretty sure that wasn't much of a stretch. "I mean where'd ya think you got your good looks from, huh?"

"My dad?"

"No, you little brat," Hades was on the cusp of choking a child, but he held back his temper. "I mean me, my dear nephew, and I haven't seen you since you were a twinkle in your old man's eyes. Now, hear me out- what's his name again?" He turned to his imps.

"Ascalaphus, sir," Panic whispered into his ear.

"Right, Ascalaphus, you've been shepherding for awhile, right? Ever seen a particularly jaw-dropping goddess in those woods across from us?" Hades gestured to Demeter's woods lying on the opposite side of the grassy field.

"Well no… But my sheep like to see a lady in there cuz she gives out special food or something. Mom says she's been doing it forever! I just think she's crazy talking to birds and she gave me a flower crown once. I'm a boy! Who gives a boy, flowers? Well I showed her," Ascalaphus huffed with his chest puffed out in pride. "I don't know if she's a dryad, or a naiad, or a nereid, or a-"

"Alright, nymph, gotcha, but how does she look like?"

"Well she's tall- really, really tall. Taller than my mom… I think," the boy said in a serious manner. Like he was trying very hard to imagine a vivid picture but was failing on many respects.

"You don't say?"

"Oh and she's pink- is that normal? But I mean you're like a grayish- maybe a blue thing… Oh wait, are you her uncle too?" Ascalaphus jaw-dropped in an exaggerated gasp.

Don't murder the child, don't murder the child, don't-

"Smarter than you look, kiddo," was all Hades could muster out. "Well, since you know this nymph," he could not hide the disgust in his tone at the way he used that last word. "I want you to send her a little message for me."

"But, why?"

"I'll tell ya why- in fact," Hades put on his best charming smile as he eyed Ascalaphus. "I'll even make it worth your while."

"You're gonna give me a gift, Mister uncle?!" The boy would have jumped up in giddiness, but that was hard to do when you only had one leg. Well, at least from the knee down.

"Only if you pass this message along for me, but, I'm a nice guy, I'll let you have a little peak." With a snap of his fingers, the nub on Ascalaphus' leg soon grew longer until it extended out into a foot with a full set of toes.

The boy stared wide-eyed as he made his new toes wriggle. "Whoa! It's just like my old leg before that doctor guy took it off!"

Hades grinned. Oh this was always his favorite part in the deal. The greedy little fish had gobbled up the worm on the hook and found himself caught.

"Well, consider this, Ascalaphus, my dear nephew. I want you to go see the pretty nymph of those woods and pass along this message for me, and you won't just get a new leg. If you ever lose another body part, it'll grow back. Just like that! But if you don't do what I say, well, you'll never get that leg." Hades snapped his fingers again, turning the boy's new leg into smoke.

Ascalaphus gasped, reaching out to touch his nub.

"And that'll be too bad won't it?" Hades leaned into the boy's ear as he whispered his charming words. "I mean don't you remember when you had your old leg? All those days running in the fields and stealing food with your friends, but you guys made a mistake one day and stole Demeter's offering."

The boy chuckled at the memory. He couldn't believe his friends actually tried that funny tasting juice after he goaded them on. It was truly a sight watching them all go woozy.

"But the priest caught you and your friends and chased you into that snake pit, didn't he? The only one who survived- well most of you."

The boy frowned.

Was that what happened to his friends? His mom had said they all moved away to someplace called Hades and he would see them again, or something. Hmm, that happened less than a year ago, but as a boy of eight, that was a long time ago for him. It didn't matter anyways they never liked his jokes, they called him mean and a bully, but he showed them right? "How'd you know about that, mister?"

"Not important," Hades dodged the question. "So how about it? You want your leg back?"

The boy stared hopefully at the god and nodded his head like an apple bobbing in a bucket of water.

"Then we've got ourselves a little deal, kiddo," Hades smirked. He reached out and shook the boy's hand as flames erupted around their bound hands.

"Now this is what you're going to say…"

Persephone stared long and hard at her friend.

She actually did it.

She had told her everything. Every little detail she'd been hiding from her, and you know?

It felt so damn good to get it off her chest.

Persephone waited for her friend to say something, anything. The seconds since she finished her story were nerve-wracking to say the least as possibilities of how Daphne would react were already springing into her vivid imagination.

But Daphne, that sweet tiny naiad with more vivacity than all the nymphs on the island put together, she simply nodded. She accepted it, but like all good friends she reached out with her hand and put it on her friend's elbow for it was as high as she could reach.

"So you need me to help you run, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Persephone internally sighed in relief. "But I just want you to see if you can contact one of your nereid friends. I'm going to send her my coordinates so you can get them and give them to Hermes."

"And that's it? Oh," her voice faltered in a disheartening manner. "I thought you wanted me to flood the forest like we did last time to go see Orpheus perform on his Never Look Back tour?"

Persephone's lips became a firm line. "I don't even want to think of that right now."

"It was fun, though! Demeter wasn't that mad, worried more than anything, and you fixed the mess. Destroyed the rodent population, but fixed everything else."

"Yeah, mother still jokes that mice are afraid of me, but we're getting off topic," Persephone shook her head, trying to remove the images in her mind now. "I just need help planning an alibi. Tomorrow is the last day of Harvest. Mother is leaving at dawn and won't return until sunset, but she might take me with her- it's tradition. I just need a good enough reason to stay here so I can run and there are others I'm worried about."

"Hades?"

"Hm," Persephone confirmed her guess. "Hermes will be taking over the other one, but he… He's going to be the biggie, but I'm thinking Hades might be planning something vengeful. He's not the kind of god to get steamed up, and well-"

"You did that?"

Persephone only nodded. "And he's going to get angrier when he finds out about Athena having Elysium's deed. All thanks to me, mind you. So we're going to need protection when it happens. Who knows he might burn the woods, send a monster- I don't know, but Hercules will be coming back! Call Hermes to tell him what's going on if any trouble happens."

"Like now?" Daphne gestured to the woods in front of her river, where the sounds of screams were coming from.

Persephone went into a mad dash and made her way to the sounds of the screaming nymphs. Her hands were already out, the trees twisting and bending under her command as they unrooted themselves shaking the whole woods.

The trees followed close behind, their giant bending boughs, walking like giants toward the clearing the nymphs frequented. Persephone did not stop until she stood on the edge of the clearing, ready to command her trees, but something made her stop.

Persephone blinked several times trying to see if she was seeing correctly. The boy- the shepherd boy! The new one, she thought with some degree of annoyance.

Turning around Persephone offered an awkward smile to the trees she was ready to lead into battle. "Sorry, lovelies. Go rest, I can handle the punk."

The trees grumbled in the way that trees did, which may not seem much, but was very expressive for the likes of evergreens.

Persephone approached the nymphs and shooed them away with merely a sharp look and directed her full attention to the little shepherd boy.

"Hello, Ascalaphus, didn't we warn you not to come back here?" Persephone bent down to his level to look him in his far-set eyes, which gave him a toad-like face.

"You did," the boy nodded sincerely with a proud expression on his face. "But my sheep is missing! If I don't find it my mom's gonna get really, really, really, really-"

Persephone sighed.

He really wasn't a good shepherd, nor a good person. The nymphs hated him and honestly she did too after that whole incident when he was first being initiated as a shepherd. The nearby village knew to stay far away from the woods out of respect to the gods living in it, but the shepherds were the ones who watched the fields with the sheep. They mostly kept to themselves, but even their curiosity got the better of them a number of times. It was why the shepherds started to share some traits with the inhabiting nymphs.

When the time for the boy to take the mantle, Persephone had made a very thoughtful flower crown only for him to reject it. If her mother wasn't as kind as she was she would have cursed him then and there. Since then he had been a general nuisance to the nymphs, naiads especially, and she never understood why.

"Alright, but once you get your sheep will you promise to keep better care of your herd? And not come back?"

"Why would I want to come back?" Ascalaphus snapped.

Persephone blinked. "Friendly faces…? Alright, give me a sec'."

Stretching out her hand, Persephone reached out, searching all the many flickers of light that stretched out in the woods. The trees and the plants were her eyes and ears as long as they were alive. The sheep in question was near the border of the woods, an easy location he would have found should he have actually searched.

"C'mon, he's over here," Persephone reached down and took the little boy's hand just in case he decided to run off.

Ascalaphus wasn't too excited at the prospect of being dragged along by the pale pink goddess, but after she handed him an apple he became much more compliant. "Do you still give out flowers?" The boy asked in between bites.

"Changed your mind?" Persephone coyly grinned down, slowing her gait as she realized he was hobbling. Her hand the one thing that kept him from losing his balance.

"Not really," the boy scrunched his nose. "I am a boy, y'know."

"Oh, of course," Persephone stopped her gait and quickly picked up the boy to carry him so he wouldn't struggle. The forest floor was rugged that she could agree and she couldn't imagine how it was like for a one-legged boy. "Flowers are much too girly."

"Yes," the boy nodded with a triumphant huff, glad to see she agreed with him. "But my uncle likes them for some reason."

"Your uncle?" Persephone raised a surprised eyebrow. Oh it must be from his mother's side, she supposed.

"Yeah, he's getting married tomorrow, but shh," he exclaimed in a hush, putting his index finger on his lips. "It's a secret," he half-whispered with a strange manic grin on his round face.

"Oh a secret, hmm?" Persephone went along with his childish antics. "Well, I promise not to tell."

"You better," the boy warned her. "But-but-but!" He began to excitedly jump in her arms. Had it not been for her godly strength he would have easily torn away with his wild energy. "You still make flowers right? Can you give him flowers for his new wife?"

"Can't you do it for him?" Persephone teased.

"I don't like flowers though, you do! Can't you make one for my uncle? Oh please, please, please-"

Persephone realized what he was meaning by the sparse information he gave out. "Oh like a bouquet?"

"Yeah a boo-kay," Ascalaphus fervently nodded.

"Well, I am kind of busy tomorrow," Persephone's thoughts drifted back to her running away scheme. Stopping at a boisterous wedding where the whole village attended? She'd never slip away in time. "What if I make you one now so you can give it to the happy couple? It'll last for several days, I pro-"

"NO!" The boy violently screamed in her face, causing Persephone to flinch in surprise. "It's a secret wedding! Secret!"

"A little louder for the people in the back," Persephone muttered under her breath.

Still, Ascalaphus did not stop squirming, nor did he quit his screaming. She desperately wanted to turn the boy into a plant to shush him forever, but she could hear her mother scolding her from somewhere.

But how to calm a screaming child? She was a goddess for Hera's sake- one with a spine of a splinter, her mind added cruelly.

Still, it is a secret wedding- which meant low attendance. She could just stop and drop off the bouquet and bless the marriage without making too much of a fuss.

That was when an idea struck. Louder and with much more force than the screaming child in her arms. This could be her alibi.

Oh my gods, that's exactly what it was!

Either this was too good to be true or the Fates were playing a nasty trick on her, but she'd take it. Gods, she take any option at this point. Even if one of them was tied to the screaming child in her arms.

"Alright- alright!" Persephone shouted. "Please stop shouting!"

"You'll make a boo-kay?" The boy sniffled.

"Yes- I'll make one for your uncle."

"And you'll give it to him?"

"Where is he going to be?" Persephone sighed. Wow, she was actually listening to the whines of a child. Well, she had done worse.

"He can meet you in the North-end of the woods. That's where he's going to meet his bride. Cuz they're marrying in secret," the boy quickly added.

"Yeah, heard you the first time," Persephone miffed. "Anything she likes?"

Ascalaphus shrugged. "Flowers?"

Persephone felt a grin tug at the corner of her lips. Right, he hated them. "Alright, I'll think of something nice."

"So, yes?"

"Yes, I promise," Persephone added as a last minute thought.

"Good," the boy harrumphed.

The conversation drifted off from there as the sheep was quickly located as they neared to where the woods ended and the field that separated the human village came into view.

Ascalaphus was practically bursting at the seems at the sight of his sheep, and after calming the creature down enough- the boy. Persephone kindly asked the sheep to take him home after feeding him her special mixture of hay.

As she watched him disappear back into his world, Persephone sulked. What a rude boy, she thought, but she did not let her mind stay put on the child. There were other troubles plaguing her as she walked home. Troubles that would shake the very foundation of the cosmos.

Everything was falling into place, and the thought excited her even more. Whatever it took, she was changing scenery for good. Come Hades or high water, she was going to do everything in her power to rise, and if she falls? Then she'd have no choice. She attempted to sway heaven to no avail; now all that was left was to raise hell.

That was the fun part, she decided.

It wasn't her problem anymore, she was free.

But it never was that simple.

Ascalaphus, fun character, huh? Sorry I was watching Megamind when I wrote that scene. Myth lovers may remember him as the boy who was turned into either a lizard or an owl, depends on the version, while Demeter was searching for Persy.

Next chapter will be the end of Act II! Hopefully I can get it out soon before my summer ends.