Persephone
It was not that Persephone was a vain or self-centered person; she just never saw herself like this before and she couldn't help but marvel at this new girl that stared back at her in the mirror.
A robe of dark, rich forest green hung from her frame.
The grey robe that she had worn before was a nice change, but it was far too close to the lovely, light spring colors that she had worn all her life. This dark green was startlingly different; her mother would have never allowed her to wear something so bold, so striking before. It would have "attracted the wrong kind of attention," Demeter would argue, and Persephone would retort with who could even be around to show her that kind of attention. The only people that lived with them were the Nymphs! Demeter would not take too kindly to Persephone's sass and the goddess would be promptly punished.
And obviously it did not matter what she wore; even in her virginal white robes, she still "attracted that kind of attention." So persephone decided to pick out a shade that she had longed to wear. Green was her favorite color, but not a bright, grassy green. She wanted something that was the same color as the pine forest that grew around Hades' castle, and Annis had somehow procured the perfect robe that Persephone had in mind.
The Nymph in question was sitting in the edge of Persephone's bed, chin resting in her hands and watching the goddess with growing amusement.
"Vanity is a sin, you know. I'm going to have to take that mirror away from your before Zeus himself smites you," Annis warned Persephone as she continued to fuss in front of the mirror.
"Zeus would not care what I do," Persephone muttered. "He doesn't care that I'm even here, much less how long I stare at myself. And it's not that! It's really not. I'm just...not used to seeing myself like this. I'm not accustomed to making choices for myself and it's nice to see the outcome of picking out the color on my own robe."
"You never got to pick out your own clothes?" Annis asked with disbelief, standing up from the bed. Persephone only shrugged in reply and smoothed out the folds of her skirt.
"What sort of prison did your mother keep you in?"
Persephone finally pulled herself from the mirror and faced Annis, again sighing in exasperation at the the thought of her overbearing mother.
"A very loving one," the young goddess grumbled. Annis laughed and wound her arm through Persephone's. It had been quite amusing for her new friend to discover all the silly rules that Persephone was bound to back at her home. Annis would try hard to pull back her smiles when Persephone would marvel at being able to roam anywhere she pleased at anytime she liked. In the beginning of her stay, Persephone was worried that she would be confined to her room, but to her pleasant surprise, that was not the case; Hades had given her permission to go anywhere she liked, as long as Annis went with her to be a guide.
Though, Persephone suspected that Hades' true reason for wanting Annis to be with her was to offer her protection and support against a certain scarlet-haired Nymph, who had not been seen since their first disastrous meeting in the Throne room.
In any case, Persephone did not stray beyond the boundaries of the castle; she stuck close to a few places so far. One of those being the garden courtyard.
In one of her ventures to the garden, Annis showed her an unusual sundial not far off from the grove of pomegranate trees. Even though the Underworld remained as a never-ending twilight without nights or true daylight, the sundial still followed the course of the sun from the world above. It was there that Persephone was able to tell how many days that she had spent in this strange, new home of hers.
Four days. Persephone had been there the total of four days on earth, though it felt like longer because there was never that switch between day and night; it was always a hazy dusk. It bothered her for a while that there was no night, but after around the third day, Persephone decided that she didn't mind it so much. The sky was forever swirling with dusky purples and oranges and grays. Truly, this part of Hades' realm was ominously beautiful.
And the god in question was nowhere to be seen; ever since their meeting in the courtyard, Hades kept his distance from the young goddess and Persephone found herself wondering what it was that kept him away.
Annis and Persephone left the goddess' room and soon they were strolling through the garden together, arms wound through arm and their excited whispers filling the solemn air.
"You must tell me!" Persephone exclaimed. "If you're going to leave me alone, then you at least have to tell me who this mysterious person is that you're off to see!"
"I can't say a word! It's still so fresh and new, that I don't want to curse it before it takes root." Annis tried to explain to an eager Persephone. A red blush tinted her cheeks and she cut her eyes slyly to the goddess. "All I will say about it now is that I can't stay away. I have to see him." Her voice was heavy with suggestion and Persephone saw how her amber eyes glowed warmly.
"You can understand what I'm talking about, right?" The nymph inquired. Persephone tried to casually brush it off, but she hated what Annis was implying; her innocence was also ignorance.
"Of course I understand," Persephone assured. "As much as my mother tried to keep talk of romance away from my delicate ears, the Nymphs that lived with us were more than willing to share their tales of love and heartbreak with me."
"Is that so?" Annis remarked playfully as she pulled away from Persephone. "Well perhaps I'll have some tales of my own to bring back to you."
"Please do," Persephone giggled. Annis bade her farewell and left Persephone by herself in the garden. Annis was her only friend in the Underworld, and it made her time here feel less lonely and empty; she made it almost feel like home. Almost. Not quite, though. This was not her home, and it never would be.
Persephone wandered amongst the lush foliage, lost in thoughts of her bright, sunny home. Her heart wrenched whenever she imagined all of the Nymphs in a panic, wondering what happened to their "little goddess" as they loved to call her. Even more so, Persephone could not bear the thought of what her mother was thinking and feeling at this very moment. It had been close to a week that she was snatched away and taken to the Underworld. Would Demeter have gone to Zeus by now?
Knowing how much her mother loathed the god, Persephone wondered if she would even seek out his help at all.
For the thousandth time since her forced arrival, Persephone questioned if she would ever leave this place, and if so, how? Hades was adamant that allowing her to leave his world would upset the balance of his reign, only to throw the Underworld into chaos.
Persephone found that hard to believe. She was adamant that there had to be a way for her to leave, and it was only a matter of time before she discovered how.
In the meantime, she was enjoying this newfound freedom that her underworld prison offered. She could go where she pleased and now in her friend's absence, Persephone decided to wander through the throne room lit by the sky looming above. It struck her as odd that she had not seen Hades in this room, save for her very first day in the Underworld, and how he let his throne stay empty and unused. Her imagination pictured Hades seated on his black marble throne, glowering down at everyone who dared to enter into his moody presence and disturb his perpetual brooding.
Persephone smiled at the thought of it while she ran her fingers over the silky smooth black marble. In the short time that she had been here, and in the even shorter time that she spent with the god, Persephone had come to know Hades as grim and morose; or at least that was how he was when he spent the rare moment around her. The corners of her lips fell as her smile faded and Persephone gazed idly at the dark throne.
The god of the Underworld wanted her here, but he made himself scarce. If he was bold enough to bring her here, why was he too cowardly to look her in the face now? His actions were all in vain and Persephone had to suffer because of it. She let out a huff and crossed her arms, glaring at the throne and silently daring the god to show himself.
As if the He could sense her demands, a door somewhere in the shadows was thrown open suddenly. Persephone ducked down and hid from whoever had just entered the room. Heavy footsteps echoed in the silent room and Persephone peeked from her hiding place to see who it was, though she had a sneaking suspicion as to who those footsteps belonged to.
Hades. Where was he slinking off to? Not for the first time, she wondered where he went and what his duties as god of the Underworld entailed. Persephone would never give Hades the pleasure of knowing that she was genuinely curious about his comings and goings.
So she decided to slip out of the castle and stay hidden from his sight as he went about his business.
Her keen eyes kept Hades in her sights until he pushed open the doors to the entrance and disappeared into the world beyond. Quickly and quietly, Persephone scampered after him. She slipped between the double doors just as they were about to slam shut and found herself standing alone on the top of the stone steps. It only took but a second for her to spot Hades just as he stepped into the forest of pines trees; the man moved fast! She jumped down the steps, two at a time, and raced across the grass covered lawn to the forest.
Her heart raced with the excitement of her mission as she stalked the god, keeping her eyes trained on his tall, broad figure and winding through the trees unseen. When they reached the wide open Asphodel Fields, Persephone hesitated for a moment as she watched Hades ambling into the distance; the souls of the dead made her a bit nervous as they wandered around the Fields and how could she follow without being seen? She had to come up with something before Hades went too far for her to find him again.
So despite her fear of the dead, Persephone decided to weave her way through them, hiding behind them and moving along with the flow that they followed. It was a sight to see; a pretty goddess darting behind the dead, hot on the heels of the god who brought her to the Underworld. As strange as it was for her to be doing this, Persephone was enjoying herself. Her fear of the souls was easing away and she found their aimless presence to be harmless.
Far across the Asphodels Fields, the unsuspecting Hades lead Persephone to a spectacular sight; a white marble wall that was adorned with an ornate gate. Hades pushed through the gate and made his way inside. Luckily for Persephone, there was a craggy boulder just a few yards away from the entrance, so she hid behind it and watched as Hades closed the gates behind him.
Through the bars, Persephone watched Hades and spotted that he was not alone; a young man with silvery-blonde hair was accompanying him. Persephone dared to step out of her hiding place and watched as the two gods, their backs to her, walked deeper into the land inside of the wall. The silver-haired god was dwarfed beside Hades' tall figure as he walked at his side. Curious, Persephone trotted to the gate, certain that they wouldn't turn around and see her standing there.
This new god's face was hidden from her, but there was an intriguing aura about him that Persephone was drawn to. She wondered who he could be and why Hades sought him out. The ends of his pale strands of hair lifted slightly in the wind as the pair made their way down a path through a grove of ancient, gnarled olive trees. Her fingers gently grasped the cool iron bars and Persephone kept her gaze trained on the gods. Yet as soon as her skin touched the bars of the gate, the silver-haired god instantly whipped his head over his shoulder. A pair of icy eyes pierced right through her.
Her heart dropped to her knees and Persephone jumped away from the gate. Though she had already been spotted, Persephone rushed back to her hiding spot behind the boulder. With a heavy sense of dread, she waited for Hades and the other god to come marching through the gates and send her back to the castle.
But they did not come. The gates stayed still and shut. After her racing heart slowed to a steady beat, Persephone carefully, cautiously came out from behind the boulder. Still, no gods came for her. She let out a nervous laugh, wondering why she had been so afraid.
This world was so new and so strange to her. Deep down, she feared that Hades would harshly reprimand her if she was caught following him around his own world; the stories and tales about him that she had heard from whispered tones of the Nymphs told of a vengeful, dark, angry god. This Hades that she was a witness to told her a different tale altogether. Perhaps they were wrong about him? Still, those stories stayed with her, as well as the deep-rooted fear of Hades that was because of them.
For a while, Persephone stood beside the boulder and pondered what to do next; Hades had gone to a place where she could not follow, and she didn't dare try to get through those gates and be seen by that other god again. Irritated that her mission was all in vain, Persephone decided that she might as well make the best of it and explore the Underworld. As foolish as it seemed for her to be wandering this world on her own, Persephone wanted to see what sort of place Hades had brought her to. Annis never wanted to show her around. Her friend preferred the comfort of the castle and the nearby gardens, save for now when she was off with her mysterious lover.
"I'll just take a look around on my own," Persephone muttered to herself. She wandered away from the boulder, observing the landscape and trying to pick the most interesting direction in which to go. There was a smoothly flowing river that cut a path through the Field and she decided to follow along the banks and see where it led her.
The river lazily drifted along the Fields and Persephone quickly began to question her choice to follow it. So far, it had not brought her anywhere other than the Fields and back through the pine forest. The blanket of trees above her darkened her path while she trod along the bank.
She pondered going back to the castle until she noticed that the trees were starting to thin and she saw grey light streaming through the trunks. Persephone noticed that the trees themselves did not look well; the bark was peeling off and the pine needles were brown.
How strange. The hair on the back of her neck prickled but Persephone continued following the river until finally, she broke out of the thick of the forest. The landscape changed; the sky was still that same dusk, but here it was darker and greyer. A thick must hovered over the ground, swirling around Persephone's legs as she ventured onward. Brittle grass crunched beneath her feet and the trees were thin and scraggly with decaying leaves clinging to the thin branches. Everything that Persephone saw around her looked as if it had been dead for centuries.
This was how she had pictured the Underworld – dark, damp, and decaying. The river narrowed and even the water looked black and cold as it rushed through this part of the Underworld. Though her senses were heightened with anxiety, Persephone was determined to see what this place was.
She was far from Hades and his home now.
Not too far in the distance, between the dying trees and mist, Persephone spotted a few mountains and wondered if they were a part of the same range of mountains that was close to the castle. Something about those rocky peaks tugged at her and she decided to make them her destination. While she went along her way, Persephone spotted a sunken area, deep in the ground. She deviated from her course by the river and got closer to this new sight. It was an arena, carved from the earth, with a raised dais in the middle. Not a soul was to be found, but the presence of this structure was imposing and dark, so Persephone quickly moved along back to the river.
The next sight that she came across was what looked to be the ruins of a once-majestic palace. It was familiar to Persephone, and as she walked through the ruins, she realized that it was eerily similar to that of Hades' home. The place she was currently in could be the exact same as his throne room, if it were not for the crumbling pillars and destroyed walls. What struck her as the oddest was the wooden doors, pristine and perfectly intact, that outlined the inside of the structure. The glossy surface of the wood shined even in the dim light of the cloudy sky.
Persephone wanted to run her fingers over the surface of the door and push it aside to see where it went. How could such beautiful doors be in this desolate ruin? She even went so far as to press her palm against the door, but a feeling of fear suddenly swelled in the pit of her stomach. Persephone lowered her hand, but that fear remained. Something about these doors was terribly bizarre.
Every nerve in her body was on edge and Persephone wanted to leave the ruins as fast as she could. Once she put the ruins behind her, Persephone began to feel somewhat better, but her muscles were still taunt, ready to flee back to Hades' home at the slightest hint of danger.
She meandered on with the river and inched closer to the mountain. It was so close now, Persephone could make out the details of the rocks and crags that decorated the surface.
The trees were nearly all behind her now, with a few bushes here and there decorating her path, but she saw one tree that stood out from the rest; it was a tall and graceful elm tree with silvery-green leaves that shimmered like fragmented pieces of a mirror. This new sight did not hold the same dread and fear that the ruins did. Eagerly, Persephone tiptoed beneath the tree and reached up into the branches. Her fingers grasped one of those shining leaves and rubbed it between the tips of her fingers. The leaf was soft to the touch and her touch did not diminish it's shine.
Strangely, Persephone's mind abruptly began to race with daydreams and wishes; ones that danced through her mind throughout her childhood and younger years, dreams and hopes that had never come to pass. Persephone let go of the leaf and slowly backed away from the tree, suddenly feeling an unexpected sadness well up within her.
Persephone left the tree behind her, wondering why it had suddenly brought her mind to those forgotten dreams. Her path wound around a curve and Persephone found herself losing sight of the river. The ground rose from the earth until she was walking between two jagged walls of rock. The ravine that Persephone was walking though was devoid of any vegetation. Her footfalls echoed eerily in between the ravine walls and Persephone hated this pressing silence. She quickened her pace until she saw the end of the ravine.
Finally, with the ravine behind her, Persephone was standing beneath the shadow of the mountain. Here, the river seemed to come to its end, or rather, its beginning. A waterfall poured from high above her, rumbling down the rocks and into the river below.
A boat made from dark, nearly black, wood floated on top of the rippling surface of the river. Persephone saw a hooded figure standing at the bow. From what she could see, this figure was a man. He did not seem to notice her or care that she was loitering on the edge of the river.
At the edge of the bank, opposite of the river from where she stood, there was an archway. The water lapped at the edge of a set of stone steps, beginning at the water's edge and trailing up the mountain. Persephone's gaze followed the steps as the climbed higher and higher until she spotted a second archway. This one was an enormous, cavernous archway that was carved right into the side of the cliff. Try as she might, Persephone could only see darkness inside of the arch as she peered into it from her place on the ground below.
After a bit, she gave it up and brought her interest back to the boat and ferryman. The man had not moved an inch since she first spotted him, and Persephone crept down the bank closer to the water's edge to get a better look at him. She found a spot beside a dying willow tree with its bare tendrils trailing in the water and observed this silent stranger.
She could clearly see now that this man was old; his skin sagged from his bony face and his rheumy eyes were the same color of the steely water on which his boat floated. They started blankly ahead, watching everything but seeing nothing. A scraggly beard clung haphazardly to his chin. Fingers gripped tightly to a pair of oars that dipped into the river. Where this odd boat and its deathly silent owner made their destination and for what purpose, Persephone could not answer but she was of course curious. He did not strike her as dangerous or capable of causing her harm. Part of her wanted to call out to him, but just as she mustered the courage to get his attention, the archway in the mountain began to fill with a bright, golden glow.
Persephone gasped as the glow erupted into a brilliant blaze and suddenly the shapes of men and women poured from the light and came rushing through the archway. There was only a handful of humans that walked into the Underworld, but Persephone was certain that these were recently deceased souls who had just entered this realm.
Was that archway the entrance to the Underworld? Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she may have found her one way of escape. Persephone watched as one last figure came through the arch and she instantly knew that this was no mortal; it was yet another god.
This god seemed to be herding the new souls like a hound would herd sheep; these souls were not the same lifeless, expressionless drones that she saw in the Asphodel Fields. They were more animated, more life-like than their counterparts in the Fields. They obediently marched down the steps with the god in tow, floating lightly over the ground with a set of golden wings attached to his sandals.
As he came closer to the edge of the river, Persephone was able to make out his features; a mess of thick, blond curls adorned his head, falling into his youthful face. She could not make out the color of his eyes, but as he neared the small archway and mysterious boat, Persephone found that she rather liked the look of him; he was handsome, but in a different way than Hades was handsome.
When the souls were standing on the steps that led down into the water, they each produced a handful of silver coins and offered them to the ferryman. The man abruptly came to life when his dead eyes spotted those silver coins, and he greedily swept them into the pockets of his cloak with those bony fingers. Once the souls made their payments, the ferryman ushered them onto his boat.
Without a word from the souls or the god or the ferryman, the boat pushed away from the bank and slowly eased downstream, carried by the current of the river. They flowed past Persephone and she peeked out at them from her spot behind the willow. The souls were whispering to themselves, their faces nervous and afraid, but their words were lost to her as they passed, making an unknown journey deeper into the realm of the dead.
Persephone's gaze wandered back to the archway and the steps, wondering where they golden-haired god went. She saw him quickly ascending the mountain. That glow once more filled the archway and the god was soon enveloped by the light. Before Persephone could blink, the god and the glowing light faded away and the archway was cast into shadow, dark and empty as if nothing had happened.
A seed of a plan formed in her mind; that god and the archway would be her way home, but first she had to question Annis about this god. Persephone decided that she had enough of exploring and was anxious to get back to the castle and talk to Annis. She climbed the riverbank and found the same path that she had followed before. Hopefully Annis would be back from her secret tryst by the time she made it back home. Surely, her friend would know who it was that herded the souls into the Underworld.
A stab of resentment pierced her heart as Persephone realized her own ignorance. She had hardly any knowledge of the gods and goddesses outside of what she heard from the Nymphs. Demeter refused to speak about any of them with Persephone; she thought it was best for her own safety to keep her daughter in the dark about who any of them were and what they did. She truly believed that by distancing Persephone from the rest of the immortals, that she would be kept safe. She would not be corrupted. She would not be hurt.
But a small and steady stream of knowledge still trickled into her life. She knew enough to understand what sort of a god Zeus was. She had heard tales of Aphrodite and learned about the wise Athena. She had even heard enough about Hades to grow up fearing him. Even so, what she knew about the immortals was terribly limited. And she could not help but hold a grudge against her mother for keeping her ignorant. Some information about the gods would be useful now if she could use it to her advantage and escape!
How would she go about this? She would find out who this god was and what he did, and then what? Befriend him and convince him to take her back to the land of the living?
Persephone was making her way through the narrow ravine that she had gone through before. The sheer cliff walls were not so intimidating now that she was going through them again. She had not gone far along the path before Persephone's musings of escape were interrupted by a slow build of rumbling growls behind her. She whirled around in time to see a beast creep from behind an outcropping of stone.
This thing was unlike any creature she had seen before; a canine nearly as big as a horse with three heads was stalking towards her. Three pairs of fierce yellow eyes leered at her and Persephone balked as three mouths bared their fearsome, razor sharp teeth. She backed into the cliff wall, tears prickling at her eyes.
Persephone was trapped.
There was nowhere for her to flee. Her mouth hung open in a silent cry for help as the beast cornered her against the cliff. It was so close to her now, Persephone could see the glossy black fur that grew over rippling muscles. Despite her fear, Persephone thought that he could have been just another dog, much like the ones that she called a pet and companion at home.
Her pounding heart slowed as she had a thought of how she could keep this thing from ripping her limb from limb. If there was anything in this world that Persephone loved dearly, it was all creatures on the earth. She had spent her childhood sneaking orphaned or injured birds and small animals to her room and nursed them back to health. The skittish deer that roamed in the woods near her home were tame to her rich and nobody else's. Canines and felines flocked to her, sensing her gentle and calm nature.
There was not an animal that she could not tame…
So maybe, just maybe, this beast was the same?
Persephone lifted her shaking hand and slowly reached out her trembling fingers to the beast. The thing's growls rumbled even deeper as she approached it. So she paused and allowed it to get used to her presence. Patience was key. She forced her tense muscles to ease into a calm posture and she exhaled a slow, silent breath to release her fear. If it detected that she was afraid, then it would only respond with aggression.
Thought the beast's hackles were still raised, it brought itself to Persephone's hovering hand and the closest head to her began to sniff her fingers.
This was a hopeful sign. Emboldened, Persephone turned her hand over and offered her open palm for the beast to inspect.
"That's right. You don't have to be so vicious," Persephone crooned with a tremulous voice, trying her best to sound as soothing and harmless as she could. The other heads joined the middle one and three wet noses were snuffling and sniffing her arm. The dog's shoulders had relaxed as well, and those giant paws took a few friendly steps to Persephone.
"Oh, well you're not so bad, are you?" Persephone was smiling now as the three heads were tickling her skin as they sniffed. "I think that you're all bark and no bite."
Carefully, she shifted her hand until she was touching the middle head's ears. It didn't seem to pay her any mind, so she began to rub behind it's ears, just like she would with any other dog. When the beast seemed to accept her affection, Persephone stroked the thick, muscular neck that held up all three heads. Its fur was thick and soft, and Persephone wondered if this is what it felt like to pet a bear. She happened to catch some movement out of the corner of her eye and she realized that this creature was wagging its enormous tail. Her laughter filled the ravine.
"You just needed some love, didn't you," she crooned while the left head nuzzled her hair and the right head laid itself on her shoulder. The middle head was gently sniffing her cheeks and Persephone wrapped both of her arms around that one's neck.
"I knew that you weren't such a monster," Persephone breathed with a sigh of relief, knowing full well that just a few minutes ago, she did not believe that for a second. Her heart slowed to a steady beat, but she was still feeling nervous flutters in her stomach, hoping that her magic touch with animals was working on this strange creature.
And when she felt the dog's hackles rise and the deep rumblings of a new growl within it's chest, Persephone froze, her arms still wrapped around its neck. What had gone wrong? But instead of striking out at her, she noticed that all three heads were turned in the same direction, trained on something or someone.
"You seem to have a way with this hell-hound," a voice laughed from behind her.
Hades.
Persephone let go of the beast and turned around to see the god standing just a few feet away. His arms were crossed over his chest and there was a grin spread across his normally stoic face. Her heart flipped inside of her chest and for a second, she forgot how to speak. His smile was disarming and startling; and Persephone loathed how endearing she found him as he stood there, smiling at her.
"Is this creature yours?" Persephone finally managed to blurt out. Hades' smile only widened into a smirk and she had no choice but to lower her eyes to the ground, in hopes of trying to still her beating chest.
"Yes, this vicious beast is my pet, created by my own hand," Hades replied to her and Persephone lifted her gaze to see him approaching her. The low growls of the animal deepened and it tensed beneath her as the god came closer.
"I named him Cerberus. He is the guardian of the entrance to my world, and I hoped that he would be my loyal companion, However, this damn silly fool never took to me; he has remained as wild and untamed as the day I made him."
Hades held out his hand to place it on the beast's closest head, but it snarled and snapped at Hades' fingers. The god laughed and pulled his hand away.
"See? This thing loathes me." Hades' dark eyes found Persephone and they were soft. Persephone was tempted to stare down at her feet again, but the intensity in his gaze held her captive. "Cerberus seems to like you. He's a puppy in your hands. How did you manage to do that when not even his own creator can touch him without fear of losing a hand?"
"Oh I—I didn't do anything special." Persephone stammered with her cheeks growing hot. "I just...I was trying to save my own skin."
"But you tamed him." The tone of his voice was insistent and Hades closed the distance between them, despite the continued warning growls of Cerberus. "I saw him corner you, and I was about to run to you before he could attack, but then I saw you act. I watched you reach out to him and he melted under your touch."
This Hades, with his smiling face and soft tones, all traces of his gloomy and haunted facade gone, made her head dizzy. And she hated it. Persephone wanted to wash away this feeling of openness she had towards Hades in this moment. She pushed down the tidal wave that was threatening to rise within her.
"I just love all creatures, great and small and fierce and timid. I thought that perhaps I could make him trust me…" Persephone replied matter-of-factly.
"You were right." Hades encouraged. "And you were brave and resilient."
He was growing ever so closer to her now. She could make out the rich color of his irises and how long his lashes were and how handsome—
"I was lucky." Persephone snipped, cutting off her thoughts. "It was nothing special."
"Perhaps. But perhaps you have a gift to soothe the savage beast and that is a strength."
Suddenly, Cerberus lunged forward at Hades. Everything happened all at once; Persephone fell forward as the beast's shoulder knocked into her. Hades arms caught her before she tumbled to the ground. There was a shout, a command, and Persephone peeked over her shoulder to see Cerberus retreating to the shadows in the ravine with all three pairs of eyes trained suspiciously on Hades.
"Are you hurt?" A concerned voice questioned. Persephone felt hands holding her arms protectively and she came to realize that her own hands were pressed steadily against Hades' firm chest. Her head swam as she took in his touch, wanting to push him away from her and yet thankful for him catching her.
"I—I'm fine," she assured. Once the words fell out of her mouth, Hades' hands slid from her arms. Persephone remembered her own command that he never touch her again, and how he made assurances to respect her wishes. For that, she was grateful, but Persephone wondered why her arms suddenly felt cold and empty.
"Aren't you angry with me?" Persephone blurted out abruptly, trying to distract herself with anything and everything. A change in subject would be perfect!
"Angry with you about what?" Hades inquired. Persephone was somewhat surprised to hear the genuine confusion in his question.
"For running off an exploring the Underworld on my own?" Persephone confirmed. She shrugged her shoulders with uncertainty and glanced up at Hades through her lashes.
"Why would I be angry with you? You are safe as long as you stay away from certain places and certain residents of this world. If you were curious then…" Hades let his words fall into silence. The wheels in his mind were spinning slowly, pondering carefully his next words. "I would have been more than happy to show you," he finally finished.
"I know that…" Persephone admitted. "I just...I didn't want to ask you…"
"Do not trouble yourself," he assured boldly. "I understand that you might not have wanted me in particular to be the one to lead you on a tour of the Underworld." Hades ran his fingers through his thick, raven-colored hair. Once again, those wheels were spinning. His eyes did not lie and Persephone saw that he was wrestling with his next words. Did he seem...nervous?
"Can I show you now?" Hades offered, with a furrowed brow and questioning voice.
Her heart kept nervously into her throat. Persephone hesitated, the words of rejection hovering on her tongue. But something held them back. Persephone decided that, for now, Hades was harmless. For the time being, he was no danger to her. She believed him when he said that he was different. His actions proved his words, but he was STILL the one who brought her here. He was still the cause of her misery, her mother's misery, her kidnapping, her uncertain future.
Yet his imploring brown gaze was hard for her to resist. And she was loathe to found out why.
"You might as well." Persephone relented and tried to make herself seem disinterested.
"Is this what you want to do?" Hades ventured once more, sounding hesitant and not believing that she would truly want to spend any sort of time with him whatsoever.
"Yes. Yes, it is." Her reply was firm and Persephone wondered why she was letting herself do this.
"Alright then." Hades smiled one more time. Then he raised his hand to her, offering it to her. "Come with me."
There was no hesitation. Persephone laid her fingers on his open palm. His hand wrapped warmly around hers and her skin was on fire where he touched her. Persephone again question why she was letting him do this. But then he gently pulled on her arm and she could not help but let herself be eager to let the god of the Underworld lead her deeper into his realm.
AN - All of my apologies the wait between updates! The next chapter should come out a bit quicker since it's basically half written already. Thanks for reading, and special shout out to all who are following and favoriting and reviewing!