Recently I've had a lot of emails with reviews asking to continue this story. I don't intend to update all of the time but every few months I might come back to it if I'm not busy with other things. Reviews are always welcome, enjoy!
Hades and Persephone silently glided through the entrance of the Underworld with Nico asleep in his mother's arms, his own clutched tightly around Persephone's neck in a vice grip. Hades tossed a few drachmas to the small group of souls camping out on the banks of the Styx, waiting for some charitable soul to spare them a fare for passage. Charon emerged from the greenish mist of the Styx shortly, slowly making his way to shore. Grasping his staff in hand he bowed low upon seeing Hades and Persephone. "My Lord and Lady, and...Prince Nico?" Charon questioned.
"Long story." Hades grunted and clambered aboard. In the meantime, the group of souls Hades had passed out coins to began to try to board the boat.
"Back off," hissed Charon, pushing them back with his staff "the Lord and Lady only." Under his breath he muttered, "Or he'll delay my raise by another few thousand years."
"Oh don't be so harsh Charon, there's plenty of room, besides, my husband didn't just pay their passage across for them to be left on the shore of the Styx again." Persephone bristled as Hades groaned.
"You'll pay for everyone to cross in my boat but you can't even give me a raise?"
"It was only a few souls, they've been here for ages!"
"So have I! I think that warrants a raise don't you?"
Hades opened his mouth to retort but Persephone shushed him, "You'll wake the baby."
"He's not a baby, he's two." Hades said simply.
"Well he's my baby so that's close enough." Persephone retorted. The remainder of the journey was silent, except for a few choice words muttered under Charon's breath about being over worked and under paid here and there.
Nico woke up shortly after they had passed through the waiting lines for the dead. Cerberus greeted them with enthusiasm, all three heads barking and tail wagging like mad. Nico laughed and reached out to pet the oversized hellhound "Ceber."
"Oh Nico don't." Persephone said taking his hand away from the slobbery mouths.
"Cerberus knows who he is dear, he won't hurt him." Hades said taking Nico away from his mother and holding him up so he could pet the dogs noses.
"Oh Hades be careful!" Persephone squealed.
Nico giggled as his father obliged to his wife's protests, turning to call over Hades' shoulder, "Bye Doggy!"
Hades sat in his own throne once they entered the palace, holding Nico on his lap. "Now what are we going to do with you?" He asked, bouncing Nico up and down on his knee.
"Can't he just sleep with us tonight, please?" Persephone asked, batting her eyelashes and pouting almost comically.
"Oh I suppose." Hades sighed following his wife to the master bedroom.
Persephone pulled down the covers, a feat that was made more difficult by a babbling Nico situated in the centre of the bed. Eventually she managed to get the bed turned down and Nico tucked in before she left to get ready for bed herself. Hades climbed into his side and looked down at his son who was half asleep. He wondered how he had never noticed how much Nico looked like Persephone, or how much Maria had for that matter. The way his nose curved, his dark brown curls, and his eyes of course. His sweet brown eyes that had always painfully reminded Hades of Maria and his loss..
"Seph," Hades said slowly, trying to work out what he was going to say in the middle of speaking, "Does this mean that Bianca can come back too?"
Persephone froze in the middle of turning of the bedside lamp tears springing into her eyes. "No," she said simply "she can't."
"But why? if she's meant to be immortal, she is isn't she?"
Persephone sighed, her voice slightly higher "Of course she is but, but, that was part of the fates deal when I had them turn the children mortal, if they died they had to go to the Underworld like everyone else. I didn't think it was a big deal since we ruled it-but I was wrong." Tears began trickling out of her eyes faster now, despite her desperate attempts to blink them away.
A wave of anger overcame him, "So our daughter would still be alive if you had just told me the truth in the first place."
"You know why I did it."
"That doesn't excuse it, she could have been safe here."
"From your brothers?"
"It's my realm, she was my daughter!" He roared. Hades was shaking, and Nico crawled over to his father's arms and slowly he began to calm down.
"You've never even took the time to visit her!" Persephone retorted.
"And you have?" Hades scoffed.
"Who do you think Nico was talking to when he tried to conjure up Maria? Who do you think was with Bianca the whole time you were stewing over the fact that you were left with a child you saw as a failure?"
"I don't think that." Hades said quietly.
"There was a time that you did."
"There was also a time that you used to turn him into flowers."
"Well if I had treated him like my son you would've gotten suspicious, besides I never did anything that would hurt him."
"Alright." Hades relented.
The pair were silent for a few seconds, and Persephone finally reached over to turn out the light. Nico snuggled further into his father's chest and Hades wrapped his arms around his son mulling over the argument. "Seph?"
"What?"
"Could we visit her? Tomorrow? And tell her the truth?"
Hades couldn't see it in the darkness but Persephone smiled, "Of course dear, goodnight."
