Persephone
Her breath was held captive in her lungs. The heart inside her body beat rhythmically against her chest, frantic and excited at all at once. Minutes flew by as Persephone raced back to her room. The empty corridors stretched on for ages as she hurried to her door. Persephone's mind was a wild storm of conflicting thoughts and desires and questions. She wanted to be alone to think over her next actions. The goddess was desperate to sort out this strange new turn of events in her increasingly strange new life.
The door to her room greeted her, a familiar sight to her now, and Persephone felt the door easily give way beneath her touch. Somebody had already opened this door. Her mind was far too full to carefully consider who might be waiting for her, so Persephone barged in inside. A woman was sitting at the foot of her bed and Persephone was horribly reminded of the time Minthe had snuck in and waited for her like a predator after prey.
But it was only Annis. She made no movement to stand to her feet when Persephone burst in and one look at her glassy amber eyes and smirking mouth told Persephone that her friend was still quite inebriated.
"Annis?" Persephone breathed, still reeling from her encounter with the pale-haired god. "What are you doing in my room?"
"I'm always welcome here, aren't I?." Annis laughed, leaning back on the bed with her elbows. Persephone numbly walked to the bed and fell beside her friend, half-wishing that Annis wasn't there.
"Where did you run off to?" Annis questioned with a wicked twinkle in her eye. "You couldn't have been with Lord Hades. He stayed behind until his lordly duties called him elsewhere. Nobody else had seen you around the castle. So, tell me where you went!"
Persephone strongly considered lying. Even before she had met Rhadamanthus, she was darkly warned against seeing him, mostly by Annis herself. The other Nymphs were admittedly impressed with his prowess as a lover, but all mutually agreed that he was trouble. It would bring no good to tell Annis now what she had been up to. Even so, Annis might be able to shed some insight onto her situation. Maybe this Rhadamanthus was not so villainous as she and the other Nymphs had made him out to be. In a split second, Persephone decided to tell the truth.
"If you must know…" she began in a hushed voice, fearful that Hades could somehow listen in on her conversations. Persephone glanced over at the still open door, letting in candlelight from the corridor spill into her dim room.
Her hesitation was driving Annis wild. The Nymph sat up and grabbed Persephone by the shoulders, whirling her around until the goddess was nose to nose to her with an excited grin.
"You are acting so secretive! Now you must tell me!" She squealed. Persephone huffed and shoved Annis' hands off her shoulders. Stabs of irritation frayed her already tense nerves.
"Annis, you are so dear to me but please try to control yourself," Persephone said in exasperation as she fended off a giggling Annis from grabbing her shoulders again. "What I am about to tell you is serious. You must try to be calm. And what I tell you absolutely has to be kept between us." Persephone all but demanded. The sudden gravity of her tone seemed to sober Annis somewhat. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to fix Persephone with a stern and discerning gaze.
"Of course," she responded, silky brunette hair falling around her face as she nodded her head, trying her best to be present and show that she was listening. "No silliness. I'll be serious."
"Thank you," Persephone sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt for being demanding. "I'm sorry for acting so cross, but I think that I might have gotten myself into a messy situation and I need your advice."
"Oh, I'm not good for advice at the moment. In my state, I would only lead you astray!" Annis laughed gaily. Persephone gave her a weak smile and nervously ran her fingers over the smooth ends of her hair.
"Even so, I just have to get this off my chest." She mumbled. "Maybe some glimmer of brilliance will come through the wine haze." The corners of Persephone's mouth lifted into the tiniest smile as she teased her friend. Annis chuckled at her own expense but then gathered her features into the most stern gaze she could muster. She leaned close to Persephone, whispering with the absolute seriousness that Persephone had asked for.
"Then what is this messy situation?"
Persephone closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp but steadying breath. She emptied her lungs in a deep exhale, but kept her eyes closed, nervous to see Annis' reaction to this news. It was best to just get it over with.
"I met Rhadamanthus," she blurted without warning. "He seems to have taken a liking to me and...he wants me to visit him in the Elysian Fields."
The silence was deafening. Seconds marched by at a furious pace. Tension filled the room. Persephone could not stand it. She dared to peek at Annis, opening her eyelids in the slightest of cracks, only to see a blurry face inches from her own. Annis' amber irises were wide with horror and shock. Once she saw that Persephone was looking at her, her mouth fell open.
"Persephone," she stated in an eerily flat voice that echoed over the silent room. Persephone peered into her friend's aghast face, curious and somewhat amused.
"Annis?" There was a pause. Then Annis screwed her features into an unpleasant grimace.
"NO!" She shrieked without warning. Persephone practically jumped out of her skin. In a second, Annis flew to her feet and towered over a stunned Persephone.
"You cannot! Haven't we all warned you about him?" Annis demanded, flailing her arms about in wild gestures.
"He seemed flirtatious, but surely he cannot be as wicked as you all make him out to be, right?" Persephone asked, watching as Annis paced back in forth in front of her like a distraught mother hen. "You must be exaggerating! You are acting insane right now."
"We are not exaggerating and I have every right to act insane!" She halted her mad pacing and stared down at Persephone. "Nothing good will come out of meeting with him! Rhadamanthus loves to gather conquests and you will just be another addition to his collection!" Annis pointed a finger right in front of Persephone's nose.
"That won't happen!" The goddess snapped as she swatted Annis' hand away. " I won't let it. I'm just going to visit him one time and that'll be the end of it."
"You shouldn't even give him a chance to try. Rhadamanthus is sly and clever and has a tongue as silver as his hair." Annis hissed angrily. For a moment, Persephone was at a loss for words. She hoped that all this anger wasn't directed at her, but rather at the situation. Or at Rhadamanthus. Her lips pressed together in a tight line and her and Annis locked gazes in a stalemate.
Deep down, Persephone desperately wanted to admit to Annis the truth. She feared that if she did not go, then Rhadamanthus would spill her secret about Hermes to Hades. Rhadamanthus had promised her with his smooth voice that he would not tell Hades about her clandestine meetings. He promised that she had a choice. But did he speak the truth or was it all a ruse?
Annis seemed to take note of Persephone's contemplative silence. Her posture relaxed as she sighed, her ire visibly cooling. Annis plopped down on the bed next to Persephone and she laid a hand on her arm.
"You have endured so much already. I just want to protect you from enduring anything more," Annis assured gently. The wine was leaving her senses now. "How on earth did you run into him? He rarely ever leaves the Elysian Fields, unless he has been summoned to judge the dead or to attend a party. Did you go to Elysian?"
"No. He came to me. I was...well…" Persephone faltered, unsure of if to reveal her location or not. Annis would ask far too many uncomfortable questions. She decided that a half-truth would be better to play off than a full lie. "I wanted to get away from the party for a bit, so I wandered over to the ruins for some peace and quiet. Rhadamanthus was there too. That's where I met him."
"Funny how he just so happened to be there when you were alone," Annis' husky voice dripped with sarcasm. "Did he follow you?"
"Yes." Persephone answered with a roll of her eyes. "But he claimed that he was on his way to the party and saw me and decided to—"
"Stalk you like an animal?" Annis cut in with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised in suspicion.
"Oh, come now, Annis!" Persephone gave her friend a playful swat on her arm, trying to lighten the mood and pull Annis out of her grumpy, drunken stupor. "I don't think that he's all that bad."
Annis was not going to be easily swayed. Her eyebrow raised ever higher, nearly disappearing into her hairline. She cocked her head to the side and her lips turned down in a grimace.
"What about Hades?" She asked bluntly. Persephone leaned back from Annis as if her friend had slapped her. Her heart began to beat in a funny rhythm.
"I beg your pardon? What about him?" Now Persephone had somehow gotten to her feet. Annis was unapologetic. She was staring up at Persephone, frowning.
"I've seen you growing closer to him. You're comfortable in his presence now—happy even! You two are getting along well and I don't want to see that growing friendship ruined. Rhadamanthus will go out of his way to soil your relationship with Hades."
Her heart would not stop flipping around in her chest. Persephone, again, was finding it hard to muster up any retort to her friend. Instead, Persephone promptly turned on her heel and marched around the bed. Her head was swimming once more with thoughts of this new god and the god of the Underworld. Try as she might, she could not get her mind to behave and organize her thoughts in a neat, straightforward manner. Their faces kept rising to the surface as many times as she tried to wash them away. She rounded the end of the bed and took a few steps beyond, making her way to the open balcony that overlooked the courtyard that she loved. Persephone stood in the threshold of the door, leaning her weight against dark marble pillars and watching as the twilight sky swirled with hues of purple and blue. For a long while, Persephone willed the words to come, but they could not cross her lips. Annis waited patiently for her to say something, to say anything.
"This meeting with Rhadamanthus changes nothing." Persephone managed to choke out unconvincingly. "There isn't anything for him to 'soil' or ruin!" She turned around to firmly tell Annis that whatever she was assuming was absolutely incorrect. "Hades and I are—"
Annis was standing right behind her! Persephone had not heard her creep over. She gasped and jumped back. "Annis!" She cried! When did you—"
"Do you want to see him?" Annis sharply interrupted. "Do you like Rhadamanthus?"
Her stomach was now clenching uncomfortably. How could she even answer that? Of course she didn't like him! She hardly knew him, and from what she gathered from their brief talk, he was an insufferable flirt. Persephone disliked him more than she liked him. Yet, if that was true, then why was his face the one she saw in her mind's eye.
Just as she saw Hades' face.
Persephone recalled the last time she had seen the god, only a few hours before, light and joyful with wine and his handsome face smiling at her. A telling blush crept across her cheeks, unfortunately seen by Annis.
"You do! You like him!" Annis cried as she jabbed a finger in Persephone's blushing cheek. She gasped dramatically and held her hands over her mouth. Perhaps Persephone was wrong in thinking that the wine was ebbing out of her senses.
"Annis, you must try to contain yourself. Whatever you're thinking is wrong." Persephone tried to reason, but Annis leapt back, mouth still agape in horror.
"He won't let you," she babbled in near hysterics. "He will put a stop to this!"
Persephone paused and a sinking feeling settled over her.
"Who will put a stop to what?" She asked darkly. Annis' eyes shifted to the door and Persephone noticed that her feet were inching away.
"Hades won't let you go." She whispered maniacally. "He knows how Rhadamanthus can be. If I cannot stop you, then HE WILL!" With those last words, Annis fled from the room in a flurry of indigo robes and sleek, brown hair. Persephone stood in the frame of the balcony for a second, dumbfounded, stunned, and weakly trying to call Annis back into the room.
Then her mind snapped to attention and her limbs could move again.
"Annis! Wait!" She screeched as her legs finally moved and Persephone raced after Annis. She threw open the door with a bang and frantically looked down both ends of the hallway, just in time to see the edges of her dress trailing around the corner. Persephone dashed after those robes, calling out Annis' name, not caring if the entire castle could hear her cries. Persephone stumbled after the Nymph, nearly tripping over her own feet as she zoomed around the corner. There she spotted Annis running down a hallway that was completely unfamiliar to Persephone. She did not hesitate to run after her.
Persephone cursed under her breath, in disbelief that even in her drunken state, Annis would do such a cowardly thing like tattle on her to Hades. How dare she! And her friend could fly like the wind! Persephone huffed and puffed pathetically just to keep that damned brown hair in her sights. Her demands that Annis halt fell on deaf ears, but they rang throughout the stone walls for everyone to hear. A few baffled Nymphs even poked their heads out of their rooms and stared at them with confused faces as the pair raced by them in the hallway. They were soon barreling down the corridors of the castle that looked familiar to Persephone. Annis suddenly took an abrupt turn and Persephone skidded to a halt, her mind racing to form a plan of attack. If she could somehow cut her off before she reached the Throne Room…
Persephone turned around and flew back down the hall that she had come from. She didn't go far before she took a left and threw open a door that led to the outside. There was a wide, sweeping balcony that ran the entire length of this particular side of the castle that would take her straight to the throne room where Annis was undoubtedly headed. The sound of her furious footfalls echoed as her feet slapped against the magnificent marble floor, bouncing off the thick, intricately carved marble pillars on her right.
Faintly burning fires in sconces mounted on the walls lit her path. The sky had darkened to a deep shade of inky blue, signaling that night was passing in the world above. Persephone could hardly see but a few feet in front of her as she passed the lit sconces. Her eyes did not catch the looming shadow that seemed to come out of nowhere until it was too late to stop. Her body collided with something large and solid. Strong arms reached out to steady her before Persephone toppled to the ground. She instinctively grabbed the arms as she tried to regain her balance. The firelight reached where she was standing and Persephone saw a broad chest and dark beard.
Hades.
She couldn't help the gasp that came out of her mouth and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. He looked down at her and even in the dim light, his furrowed brow was unmistakable. His beard didn't hide how his mouth turned down. Firelight glinted in cold obsidian eyes. She had never seen Hades look this angry before. Persephone wrangled herself from his grasp and took a step back.
"I—I'm so sorry," she breathed "Please forgive me, I did not see you." At first Persephone wondered if Hades was frustrated at her for running in his home. Her mother had certainly sought to discipline that wild behaviour out of her. Inside was for walking. Outside was also for walking, if one was a lady. Running was for vagrants and men. Persephone had never quite learned that particular lesson. Persephone waited for the god's face to break into a reassuring smile and gently whisper that all was forgiven.
But instead, the candlelight played eerily over the stony mask that stayed in place on his features.
"Persephone," he said her name in a gravelly voice. "What in gods' names are you doing?"
She was taken aback at the lack of warmth in his words. Instead he seemed irritated by her antics. Shame burned her cheeks. Embarrassment tingled her eyes and the tears swam in her vision. Why was Hades speaking so coldly to her? Her heart suddenly dropped as a reason for Hades' shift in mood came to her.
"Have—have you seen Annis? Has she spoken to you?" Persephone squeaked anxiously, stepping closer to Hades and peering into his face. His brows furrowed deeper at her question.
"I haven't seen her since earlier this afternoon," Hades grumbled in response. At her nearness, his shoulders visibly tensed but he did not back away from her. Persephone blinked dumbly a few times. So he had not seen Annis. She had not had the chance to spill this secret about Persephone's new acquaintance. So then what was the reason for his coldness?
"Oh. That's...that's fine." Persephone stuttered. "I was just, erm, looking for her. I'll find her eventually." She finished with a dismissive wave of her hand, internally thanking all the gods and goddesses that she had gotten to Hades first. The god stayed silent, staring down at her with a dark and serious gaze. Persephone was undeterred by his unusually sullen countenance. True that the god of the Underworld was prone to be grim and stoic, but Persephone felt that there was something deeper. Something was amiss.
Had her friendship with Hades grown to the point where she was comfortable asking for his thoughts? Persephone wanted to find out. If he was not mad about Rhadamanthus, then what could he be upset about? She gave a little sigh, relaxing her posture and hoping that it would set Hades at ease. He continued to watch her and she wondered what he was thinking as he silently waited for her to speak.
"Hades, you seem different. You seem angry. Is everything alright?" Persephone asked softly, her concerns carrying over the tile in the cool, dusk-bathed balcony air. This time it was Hades who blinked several times before answering. Just as she had hoped, his shoulders relaxed and the tension his body carried eased somewhat. He lowered his head until he was looking down at the floor.
"I have had a very taxing day," he answered heavily. Hades lifted his head and Persephone was relieved to see that the gloom had left his dark irises. Instead he seemed tired. Exhausted. Persephone found that her relief was short-lived. "I do not mean to be so calloused. My anger is not directed at you," he tried to assure the goddess.
"Is there any way that I can help?" Persephone could not say why she felt compelled to reach out to him, but she did not like seeing Hades in this state. It twisted her heart in a strange way. But nothing could compare to how her heart reacted when Hades lifted his hand and slowly reached out to her. Persephone waited with her breath in her throat as he laid his palm on her cheek. His fingers slipped into edges of the hair at her temples. The hardness of his grimace softened into a wistful gaze, full of sadness and adoration.
"Persephone…" Hades murmured deeply in his rich voice, warmly brushing his thumb over her smooth skin. "Nobody deserves you."
"What?..."
She could barely even take a breath between the flutterings in her heart. He had not touched her since he first brought her to the Underworld. She had demanded, out of fear and loathing, that he never touch her again.
Now, though, Persephone did not detest his touch. Now, though, Persephone found that the way his hand warmly cupped her face as his obsidian eyes poured into hers was—
"Lord Hades! Lord Hades!" The frantic cries pierced the stillness of the balcony. Annis' frantic footsteps slapped on the floor as she made her hectic entrance. She rushed to Hades' side, clutching his arm and paying no mind to the hand that still lingered on Persephone's cheek. Whatever softness that he had allowed as he let his guard down was instantly dissolved and replaced with a new surge of anger. But now irritation mingled with frustration.
Annis tugged on his arm and Hades reluctantly let his hand fall to his side, leaving Persephone's skin warm where he touched her. Her mouth refused to open. She wanted to push Annis away, to chastise her for interrupting them or to keep her from blurting out her secret. But the way Hades had ever so gently touched her kept her stunned and silent, trapped in suspension as she watched the scene unfold.
"Annis." Hades growled like a bear. "What the hell are you doing?" He demanded. Annis paused for a beat, for the first time taking notice of the foul mood of the glowering god. That did not deter her for long. She let go of Hades' arm and tried to stammer out a response.
"I—have to tell you something," she stuttered nervously.
"Annis! No—" Persephone hissed. Hades glanced at her curiously, but turned his attention back to the Nymph.
"What is it?" Hades demanded once more, this time gruff and impatient. A shadow fell over his face and for once, Persephone thought that she saw for the first time, a glimpse of the fearsome side of the god of the Underworld. Annis saw it too. Her olive skin paled and she gaped up at Hades, fearful and unsure of herself.
"Well? Speak up." Hades crossed his thick arms over his broad chest and glared down at Annis. "I don't have time for nonsense."
His anger drew Annis back to sobriety. She shook her head spastically, backing away from him until she stood beside Persephone.
"Nothing. I forgot." She had lost all her nerve. "It wasn't that important anyways." Persephone huffed just loudly enough for only Annis to hear and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Hades all but did that in her stead. He let out an exasperated sigh, emptying himself of all outward anger. The god rubbed his temples with his fingers for a moment before fixing Annis and Persephone with stern eyes.
"Take Persephone back to her chambers," he addressed Annis grimly. "And do not pester me again until all the wine has soaked out of your veins."
"Yes, of course, Lord Hades," she hastily replied, trying to wind her arm through Persephone's despite the goddess' attempts to push her off. She untangled her arm from Annis just as Hades turned his back on the pair without so much as a farewell. Persephone trotted after him for a few paces until she could reach out and grab his wrist. At the feeling of her skin on his, Hades stopped in his tracks.
But he did not turn around. The shadows of the darkening sky threatened to swallow him whole. All that Persephone could see was his towering form standing in the darkness between the sconces on the wall. And she could see was that his stance was rigid.
"Hades?" She whispered to him. He turned his head at the sound of her voice, just enough to where she could see the profile of his face. Her fingers gently squeezed his wrist. Something did not sit well with her about him. Despite it all, Persephone wanted to help. So she spoke three more words to him, hoping that Hades would tell her what was bothering him.
"What is it?..." Persephone gently spoke to him. At this, Hades turned around a bit more to where he placed his hand on hers. There was no mirth in his expression; only a sullen sadness as he carefully pushed her hand off of his.
"Let me be…" He spoke in the gentlest of whispers. Persephone could not help the way that her stomach dropped to her knees at his rejection. To say that she was surprised did not come close to how she felt when she watched the god painfully turn around and disappear into the darkness beyond the light. All she could manage to do was to stand there, numb with her heart stinging, and wonder why he had turned away from her so suddenly.
An unwelcome presence tiptoed up behind her.
Annis. Persephone whirled around and came nose-to-nose with her friend.
"Have you lost your mind?" Persephone snapped. Annis backed away, tears swimming in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Annis began to apologize, but Persephone did not want to hear it. The sting of Hades rejecting her was stirring up too many feelings that she did not care to explore. Besides, Persephone was far too angry with Annis for trying to betray her confidence.
"I'm leaving." Persephone pushed past Annis and marched down the hallway in the direction that she came from. "Don't follow me."
The tears would not come. Persephone wanted to have a good cry over this disastrous evening, but the shock of how Hades had so easily walked away from her dried up any tears that would come. She had not gone a few paces down the hallway when Annis came after her.
"Wait! Please," she implored, grabbing Persephone's elbow and turning her around. "I acted like a silly fool, but please let me explain. Rhadamanthus is danger. You are my friend. I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to listen to me. When I thought that maybe you were toying with the idea of giving him a chance...I lost my mind. The wine took over! But if you want to go poke the sleeping dragon yourself...well...so many choices have been stripped from your control, maybe you deserve to make this choice on your own. But you must consider my warnings. Please."
Annis was sincere. Persephone could see that. Her anger at her friend was justified, but the reason for her current heartache did not have to do with her friend.
"I don't care about that right now," Persephone admitted, pulling herself from Annis. "Rhadamanthus means nothing to me. I just want to be alone."
And so, Persephone left a speechless Annis and practically ran all the way back to her room. She flung the door open, grateful for the empty room, and fell onto her bed. Her face was buried into the soft fabric of the blankets. Still the tears would not come.
Why had Hades been this way with her? Where he had treated her with kindness and gentleness and tenderness, it was replaced with coldness and even disinterest. Why had his rejection hurt her like this? Truthfully, Persephone did not believe that he was capable of rejecting her. It was an arrogant thought, but Hades had made it perfectly clear his feelings for her. She believed that if she showed him an ounce of that affection back, then he would be more than eager to accept it.
Unless...perhaps...somebody had waltzed back into his life that distracted him from his feelings for her…
Persephone did not sit up when she heard the latch on her door open and footsteps crept quietly into her room. She wished that it were Hades coming to visit her. But she knew who those footsteps belonged to.
"Persephone…" Annis sat on the bed next to her and lay a hand on her back. "What is it?" She asked. Persephone thought she had told Annis to leave her alone. But the rush of anger at her friend cooled as quickly as it ignited. It was not because of her friend that she was confused and hurt.
"Why...why did he turn me away?" She asked, her voice muffled in the blankets. "I thought that...that...we cared for each other."
"I cannot say why. I was just as surprised as you…" Annis responded somberly. That did not bring Persephone an ounce of comfort. Instead it made her thoughts go wild with speculation. Amidst the storm of worry and fear, one thought, one image, burned more brightly than the rest. That was the one that bothered her the most. That was the one that she loathed to be true. Persephone slowly and agonizingly sat up. Ash blonde hair fell around her face and she felt moisture on her cheeks. When had she started crying? Annis looked at her with her face full of concern. Persephone stared at her, willing herself to say the words that made her chest ache.
"Annis...what if...what if Hades and Minthe are lovers again?
The castle that Persephone had been growing to love and call home, no longer felt safe. In the day or so that followed her meeting with Rhadamanthus, Persephone all but convinced herself that her suspicion of Hades and Minthe being lovers again was completely untrue. There surely had to be a better explanation for Hades' sudden change in attitude towards her. Just because he was now cold and distant did not mean that he had taken a lover. Persephone assured herself that she worried herself for nothing, and even if it were true that they were together again, why did she let it bother her?
The few times that they had happened upon one another, Hades did not greet her with the gentle warmth that she had come to expect from him, and it bothered her more than she cared to admit. It only justified her suspicions that there had to be something going on that she did not know of, even if she tried to make herself believe that Minthe was not that reason.
Hades had duties to attend to in the Underworld. He was the god of this place after all, so surely he had frustrations to deal with on a regular basis. Right?
That had to be it. For a while, she pretended that all was well and Persephone felt a bit at ease. That was, until Minthe showed her face at the castle again. She flounced into the garden where all the Nymphs were gathered and seated herself in their midst. A few of them were welcoming to her and even excited that she was back at the castle after being absent for weeks.
Annis just glared at her. Persephone's entire body froze, her eyes locked onto Minthe's willowy form as she simpered at the Nymphs. She had nearly forgotten how truly beautiful this woman was, with her abundant mane of shocking red hair and eyes greener than emeralds. The Nymph in question paid no mind to the goddess and her scowling friend; she happily ignored them while she chatted with the others, a triumphant smile on her rosy lips.
Persephone hardly registered fleeing the garden. She did not know that she had even left until she suddenly found herself wandering in the throne room, Annis hot on her heels. The night before, Persephone and Annis had stayed up for hours to discuss why Hades had changed towards Persephone.
"Maybe I was wrong?" Annis breathed to a wide-eyed Persephone. It had been her who tried and succeed in convincing Persephone that her suspicions about Minthe were unfounded.
That incident had prompted Persephone and Annis to find a new gathering place. Lately, the pair were meeting at a tiny gazebo tucked away deep in the pine forest, on the borders of the Underworld.
Tartarus lingered in the distance, its presence looming like a dark cloud. Persephone could not help but feel nervous when she strayed so far from the safety of Hades' castle, but she could not abide to be there. She chose the fringes of Tartarus rather than Minthe's presence.
Far beyond the boundaries of the castle, Persephone had a chance to learn more about the new world in which she lived. There was a presence that darkened the shadows and gloom. Annis called it Erebus. It was an elemental deity; the substance of darkness rather than a human-shaped god. She explained that this Erebus could be sensed all over the Underworld and in the land of the living, the mortals could feel the presence in the hollows and crags of the land, filling the darkness with mystery. Persephone wondered if she had felt this entity when she made her sojourns to the Styx to meet with Hermes.
Here at the gazebo in the gloomy woods, Nyx often came and joined them, since her dwelling place was closeby in Tartarus. Persephone found that she rather enjoyed the company of this ancient goddess of the Night. Her calm and steady countenance was a stark contrast to Annis' fiery and bold spirit. In a way, Nyx reminded Persephone of Hades; both were steadfast and gently serious, preferring to let others outshine them while they watched from the shadows. Both the deities were born at the dawn of existence and both of them craved the peace and solitude of the Underworld.
Persephone decided to confide in Nyx about her predicament with Rhadamanthus, which the trio were currently discussing as they lounged in the confines of the pillars. There was no proper seating to fit all of them as most of the benches had long since crumbled away, so the goddesses and the Nymph sat on the stones with their toes dangling in the water of a tiny pond that was placed right in the middle of the gazebo. A fountain bubbled in the middle, the oddly cheerful sound of the water out of place in the misty air. The pillars were made of once-brilliant marble, their worn surfaces covered in clinging rose vines. It was a lovely and haunting place and Persephone felt at ease in the wild woods around her, more so than in the carefully cultivated gardens of the palace courtyard where Minthe could be lurking unseen in the foliage.
The question of Rhadamanthus and Persephone's impending visit with the Judge burned on their tongues. Persephone, who had already told the god that she would indeed visit him, confided in her friends that she did not know yet if she would actually go. Annis still adamantly stood her ground that Persephone flee from his offer as if were poison. Nyx somberly agreed with with Annis.
"I have not had the misfortune to be entangled with the god myself, but tales of his antics have reached even Tartarus." Nyx warned gravely. She sat at Persephone's right. Her raven locks flowed down her chest, reaching to her waist and fluttering in the steady breeze that swept through the pines. Her concern for Persephone's safety reached further than that of not allowing her to visit her home in Tartarus; the goddesses truly cared for Persephone. She admitted that she felt as though they had been friends for ages, since she had long since known about Persephone, due to Hades confiding in her about sneaking to the above world to catch glimpses of her.
It was endearing that Nyx cared for her well-being so much but, it was also tiring that they had spent the better part of their last few gatherings trying to convince her not to go see Rhadamanthus.
"Honestly, you two. What is truly so wicked about him?" Persephone mumbled. She also loathed how often this god popped into her thoughts uninvited. Their banter had been infuriating and enjoyable. Persephone wanted to go back to visit him just to see what kind of man he would reveal himself to be beneath his teasing and slippery words. Maybe there was nothing more to him than that. Maybe there was a whole world to be discovered beneath a facade. Persephone was determined to discover who this Rhadamanthus truly was.
Annis however, already had an answer for her.
"He is a selfish miscreant, brimming with lust and using those who would seek to love him as playthings to be discarded when he tires of them." Annis spat out with all the venom of a viper. She held a twig in her fingers and scraped the tiny piece of wood harshly over the stones that made the foundation of the gazebo.
Nyx's pale irises widened at Annis' unabashed vitriol. "Well, well, well! Tell us how you truly feel, and do not hold back!"
Annis scraped the twig even harder over the stones and scowled. Persephone wondered if she were pretending that the stones was the face of a certain silver-haired judge. She was being far too harsh with him, in her opinion.
"But the other Nymphs were all in agreement that he is—" Persephone attempted to argue, but Annis just cut her off.
"A fantastic lover, yes, but those who would praise him are also those who have been used by him," she explained, tossing away the stick and turning her amber irises onto Persephone. "They will not admit their heartache. I do not want to see your heart broken as well." Her tone had been emptied of its bitterness, leaving behind only concern.
Persephone could not think of what to say in return. Deep down in her heart of hearts, Persephone could not deny that in all likelihood, Annis was right about him. But she could not make herself stay away. Rhadamanthus intrigued her. He called to her. And she had to see what it was that spoke to her so strongly.
The women's words faded away while they swirled their feet in the fountain's cool water. This tiresome mess could be remedied if Persephone simply told Annis and Nyx the truth; that she toyed with the idea of visiting Rhadamanthus because she feared that he would betray her confidence. She feared that Hades would find out about her meetings with Hermes and put a stop to them. Her one and only way of speaking to her mother would be cut off. Once Hades isolated her from any hope she had of leaving, maybe she would truly become of prisoner of the Underworld and its fearsome Lord. How then would she feel about Hades? She did not want to hate him. He had given her every reason to hate him and every reason to trust him. If only her friends knew what made her feel as if she had no other choice but to see Rhadamanthus, despite his promises that she did indeed have a choice.
Persephone had no doubts whatsoever that the god with silver hair and icy eyes was cunning and clever and used to getting what he wanted. Perhaps he had already plotted and planned, setting up a trap for her that she was readily falling into. But she could not take any risks. That meant going to see him. That meant keeping secrets from her friends.
Annis, sitting beside Persephone, scooted closer to her and threw a comforting arm around the goddesses' shoulders.
"You must know that I only do this because I care for you, Seph." Annis assured, taking Persephone's contemplative silence as a brooding protest against her opinions.
"Of course I know that, it's just—" Persephone opened her mouth to tell Annis that she was simply lost in her own thoughts, but then she stopped herself, realizing what had just come out of her friend's mouth. "Seph? Did you just call me 'Seph?'" Persephone tilted her head quizzically at the Nymph with a smile wavering on her lips.
"Seph...for Persephone." Annis playfully answered. She rolled her eyes and flipped her hair carelessly over her shoulder. "Honestly, it can be such an exhausting name to say at times!"
"I second that!" Nyx piped up. "Far too many syllables for my liking." Teased the other goddess, who had only one syllable to her name. The three of them had a few laughs at Persephone's expense before Annis spoke again.
"Do you hate it?" She asked, now sheepish. Persephone was silent for a moment, letting this new little monicker dance around in her thoughts.
"I love it." Persephone said with sincerity.
"It suits you." Nyx offered kindly. There was something about the way Nyx told Persephone that this name suited her that tugged painfully at her heart.
"Back when I was a small girl, my mother and the Nymphs would call me 'Kore.' It was a sweet name for a sweet child, they said," Persephone sighed, leaning back on her elbows and tilting her head up to gaze at the ceiling of the gazebo; the rose vines grew as high as they could reach, the blooms growing on the very tips of the vines. There was a picture painted on the domed ceiling that Persephone could not quite make out, the colors long since faded.
"Later on, when I became older, I learned the innocent meaning behind the name—perfect for a young, carefree maiden who was not quite a girl and not yet a woman," Persephone continued as her companions listened.
"It was an endearing nickname for many years. Then I grew up. I became a woman, to my mother's horror, and still, the name stuck. Up until the moment that Hades took me, all of them still called me Kore. I hated it." She spat with more bitterness than she wanted. "It was fitting for a little girl but demeaning to a woman. I love my mother, but she tried so hard to keep me that little girl. She tried so hard to protect me from the dark dangers of the world, that she could not let go of Little Kore and see that somewhere along the way, Persephone had replaced her. I don't think that she ever quite forgave me for growing up. So please...call me Seph if you wish,"
Persephone smiled at Annis as she said this, just before turning to the other goddess. "And you're right, Nyx; it suits me."
The goddess' soft expression morphed into a grin and Persephone felt a sudden sense of foreboding; this new friend of hers loved to tease.
"Does it suit you because there is no longer a reason that you should be called a name that means 'maiden' and you haven't been telling us all your secrets?" Nyx inquired with all the mischief in the Underworld. From her other side, Annis giggled and leaned into Persephone's arm.
"Perhaps so!" Annis bantered. "Little Kore keeps running off on her own!"
"Of course not!" Persephone pushed Annis off of her, laughing despite herself. "The meaning still applies but I am a grown woman that doesn't need to be treated like a child. That is all I mean, you wicked thing!" She swatted Nyx on the arm while her friends continued to laugh. Persephone still marveled at the fact that she had found such friends in the Underworld, and even more so that she enjoyed her time here.
"I say that to only tease you, Seph!" Nyx assured slyly. Persephone just nodded her head. Annis and Nyx fell into a conversation about Minthe and if she was Hades' lover or not. Annis had been swayed to Persephone's side and believed that it was true. Nyx disagreed. That topic had been discussed thousands of times already, and Persephone found that she was weary of the subject. Without a word, she stood to her feet and wandered to the nearest pillar, covered in vines. A blood rose nodded in the gentle breeze, sharply reminding Persephone of the color of Minthe's hair. The goddess grimaced and then lay her fingertips on the smooth petals.
When was the last time that she had used her powers?
In her mind's eye, Persephone pictured that the bloom was not scarlet, but instead a gentle, blushing shade of pink. With a push that her mind willed, the color that Persephone wished for began to bleed from the tips of her fingers into the red. That soft pink slowly flowed over the petals, blocking out the harsh shade of red until the entire rose was covered. Not a scrap of red remained, only Persephone's blushing pink. Satisfied, Persephone smiled at her handiwork, half-thinking that she should change the color of every rose in that gazebo.
The brief glimpse of her power was unseen by Annis and Nyx, who were busily arguing. Persephone's was not the devastating and awe-inspiring power of Zeus, or the power that Demeter wielded to control the harvests; it was a simple gift to bring the gift of spring and new life to whatever she touched. She could revive dying plants and create new ones or bring existing ones under her control. Persephone had spent her childhood exploring her powers, cultivating her gifts and seeing how creatively she could use them…
Until Demeter put a stop to it. Power would attract the attention of Zeus. Persephone sighed as she remembered that moment when her mother forbade her to use her powers for more than simple tricks; everything in her life came back to Zeus, it seemed.
Persephone crossed her arms and stared out into the deep green piney woods that surrounded her. A thick mist curled over the needle-strewn ground. The women's whispers and the bubbling of the fountain the only sounds that carried in the stillness of the Underworld. This part of Hades' domain reminded Persephone of the willow tree and the river where Charon ferried the souls. The further from Hades' castle one went, the wilder and darker the Underworld became. Especially this close to Tartarus.
The sound of footfalls crunching over pine needles disturbed the stillness and Persephone perked her head up, straining to see who the owner of those footsteps could be. A tall, towering figure emerged from the misty woods, making his way to the gazebo with a determined gait.
Hades.
Persephone's throat clenched uncomfortably when she spotted his dark gaze already locked onto her. But it lasted merely a second. He shifted his sights beyond where she stood. Annis and Nyx abruptly cut off their words, ones that had been about him, and watched with guilty faces as Hades made his way to them. The god brushed past Persephone without so much as a word, but shifted his obsidian irises to her for a moment as he passed. He stepped beyond the threshold of the gazebo, filling the space with his presence.
"Nyx," Hades addressed the goddess gravely. "I need to speak with you. Alone." He said pointedly. Before Nyx could open her mouth to respond, Annis hopped to her feet and dashed over to a speechless Persephone. Nyx also stood up and walked over to where Hades had planted himself, leaning against one of the pillars with his arms crossed over his chest. Nyx cut her eyes to Persephone and gave her an apologetic smile before addressing the god.
"Of course, Lord Hades," Nyx replied, a snippish bite to her words.
Persephone watched the scene unfold, numb and embarrassed. For what reason, she could not say. Perhaps it was her imagination or sensitive feelings, but suddenly the gazebo and Hades' unexpected visit made her feel terribly unwelcome. Annis wrapped a comforting arm around her waist, wordlessly urging her to walk away.
Hades
"Honestly, Lord Hades, you are being far too harsh with her." Nyx scolded the moment that Annis and Persephone were out of sight, disappearing into the misty forest.
"If you are going to reprimand me, then feel free to drop the formalities." The god's deep timbre resounded in the quiet gazebo. "We are friends. You alone can call me by name when we are together." Hades offered, albeit exasperated, as he fell heavily onto one of the stone benches nearby.
"Alright then, you jealous fool," Nyx slid onto the bench, seating herself at Hades' right. "What do you need to talk to me about?"
"She's been avoiding me," Hades muttered somberly as he stared at his feet, suddenly unable to look Nyx in the eye. "This is where she hides from me…" He did not have to say who he meant. Nyx already knew the truth behind Hades' gloomy countenance and he had sworn her to reluctant secrecy. He craved her council and wisdom, but he also needed her to keep quiet about what she knew, as much as it pained her and as much as she protested.
"Can you blame her?" She questioned harshly, leaning over and trying to get him to look at her. "You cannot continue to treat her so coldly. This is your realm, yes, but Persephone is free to do as she pleases. There are choices that she has the right to make. Haven't you said this yourself since the beginning? You are striving to be different than the ruthless immortals of the world above. If that is your goal, then you must allow her to be free in the world that you have forced her to reside in."
Hades jerked his head up and his features were settled into a gloomy frown. Nyx was not wrong. From the moment that this ordeal started, Hades fought against his desires to make sure that Persephone did not suffer any more than she already was. That act alone separated him from his immortal family. But there was another, living in the world that Hades created, who would not be so obedient.
"He is a part of my realm. He should be obeying my commands. I will not so freely give that bastard a choice," Hades growled menacingly.
"What if Rhadamanthus is her choice?" Nyx bluntly stated, not caring that the sound of his name caused Hades to flinch.
"She cannot chose him if he has faced my wrath. Would it be so wrong to throw him into the deepest, darkest part of Tartarus? I have thought of it countless times since we last spoke, and I have half a mind to do it." He teased darkly.
"He might deserve it, but yes, it would be wrong." Hades watched her slim lips rise into a smirk. A part of him felt relief that she agreed with him. Another part of him felt stabs of guilt. He brushed these conflicting thoughts aside, growing serious to ask Nyx another question.
"What have you said to her about this matter?"
"Annis and I have both advised her against it. Strongly advised her against it." Nyx emphasized. "She is listening to us, weighing her options, but there is something more below the surface; something that she is keeping from us. I cannot tell you what it might be, but I do believe that Persephone is keeping another secret."
This did not bode well. Hades huffed like an angry bull and abruptly stood up from the bench. He scanned the scenery, not truly seeing the world around him but instead trying to get a hold of his rushing thoughts. Persephone had another secret? Nyx had lived for ages and her wisdom was not to be taken lightly. If she believed that Persephone had something to hide, then there could be no mistaking Nyx's suspicions. Hades roved his angry gaze over the roses growing on the vines, spotting a softer shade hidden in the vivid reds.
A pink rose.
"Why is this one different?" Hades mused aloud as he strode over to where the blushing bloom peeked out from the deep green vines. His hand cupped the soft petals and he stared in bemused wonder at the strange sight. The roses that grew wild in the Underworld tended to be scarlet or white. Pink roses only grew in the vast courtyard of his castle. Nxy slinked up behind him and he heard her genial voice whisper.
"I believe that was the work of your dear goddess."
Despite himself, Hades smiled. He held the bloom, thinking of the hand that had touched this rose to turn its color from a harsh red to this gentle pink. Persephone did not deserve his unkindness. Had he not put her through enough hell by bringing her here?
"I am going about this all wrong, aren't I?" Hades bemoaned, lowering his hand and letting the rose fall back into its hiding place.
"Oh, without a doubt you are! Hades, she cares for you. Even if she cannot see it herself, or does not want to admit it, she has grown to have some sort of affection for you." Hades hated how his heart dropped to his knees when Nyx told him this. He did not turn around to face her. Not yet. He did not want her to see how vulnerable the goddess made him.
"Your change of attitude is hurting her," he felt a hand on his shoulder as Nyx continued talking. "She does not understand why you have turned on her and it is causing her distress. Her mind is running wild. She even thinks that you have taken up with Minthe again and that is what is causing your distance!"
"I would never do that!" Hades exclaimed as he whirled around while Nyx dropped her hand from his shoulder. Minthe had certainly seemed to sense that something was amiss in Hades' life and had taken to hanging around the castle again. Of course Persephone might think that. "Why have you not told her the truth?"
"It is not my truth to tell." Nyx shook her head, placing her hand reassuringly on Hades again. "You know what you must do. You need to talk to her. Reach out to her. Set her fears at ease. If you ever want her to chose you instead of Rhadamanthus, you have to be willing to let your own guard down. She will respond well to this. I know it."
Choosing him instead of Rhadamanthus? Hades could only hang his head, weighted down by the shame that had haunted him from the first second that he brought Persephone to the Underworld.
"I cannot even hope for her to chose me. I cannot hope for her to care for me as I care for her. It is a selfish wish." Hades lamented. "But you are not wrong. I will speak to her. Soon."
Persephone
Annis and Persephone stalked through the woods as the two of them headed back to the castle. They did not speak. Persephone knew that she would burst into tears if even one word crossed her lips and she would hate herself if she cried over Hades. Annis was keen enough to sense her friend's distress and also kept her mouth shut. The pair followed a path, winding through the trees in a part of the world that Persephone did not know well. She had not ventured beyond the safety of the path, only using it to go back and forth between the gazebo and the castle. The land beyond was a mystery.
So when Annis halted in her tracks and mumbled sheepishly that she needed to leave Persephone here alone for a moment, she felt the tiniest bit of apprehension.
"Why?" Persephone groaned. "Do you need to meet with your lover?"
"I do...he does not know that I am coming. We've had a bit of a spat and I am anxious to see him…" Annis said apologetically when she saw Persephone's nose wrinkle with displeasure. "I won't be long!"
"Is he close?" Persephone huffed. This game of secrets was growing tiresome and Persephone wished that Annis had thought to make amends with her lover beforehand. She did not care to be left alone right now.
"Close enough? Will you be alright here on your own?"
"I guess I have no choice. Go and fix things with your phantom lover. Sometimes I wonder if he is even real." The goddess muttered under her breath.
"Thank you. I will be right back!" Annis promised while she dashed down the pathway, leaving Persephone to stand there alone.
Two seconds passed before Persephone decided that she was restless and wanted to explore her surroundings, despite her nerves and the proximity to Tartarus. She turned around on the spot a few times, wondering which direction she should go. The pine trees behind her parted just enough to where Persephone could make out a much narrower, shadowy path that branched off the main one. With only a bit of hesitation, Persephone decided to slip into the trees and see where that parth led.
She would be back before Annis returned.
Each time that Persephone wandered off in the Underworld, she came to regret it. Did that stop her from taking this dark path deeper in the forest? Not at all. Hades' rejection was stirring up a storm inside of her. She felt reckless. Rebellious.
Low-growing branches blocked the path and Persephone pushed them out of the way, noticing that the trail sloped upwards. She had not noticed that she was climbing up what turned out to be a steep hill until the pines thinned and the forest opened up below her feet in a stunning view.
Persephone paused, gazing down at the mist covered pines. Far in the distance, she could see the tips of the castle peeping through the trees. After a minute of gazing at the scene, Persephone turned around and kept climbing. The top of the hill did not feel as if it were far off. The pine trees grew more sparse until finally, Persephone was wandering through a field of tall, slender grass. Above her, the sky boasted of thick, swirling gray clouds. If this were the world above, Persephone would have believed that the sky would erupt with rain at any second. A fierce wind swept across the rolling hilltop, blowing the skirts of her forest green robes in a frenzy. The path wound over the grassy hill, bringing her to a destination unknown.
Annis would surely be back by now, but Persephone did not pay that any mind. Annis had been silly enough to leave her own her own. Besides, Persephone had been infamous for slipping beyond the watchful eyes of the Nymphs and going off by herself. This was no different. Besides, this narrow path intrigued her and Persephone wished to see what was at the end.
She still climbed upwards and Persephone thought that she would be reaching the pinnacle of the hill soon. Sure enough, in the distance, the hill sharply shot upward from the earth in a mound that was suspiciously, perfectly round. The hazy air hid what could be a structure of some sort that sat directly on the top. The path lazily wound onward, heading straight for that strange mound. She followed the path until she reached the foot of the hill. A series of stone steps curled around the hill and the goddess placed her sandaled foot on the stones, ready to climb them to the top.
"Are you sure about this?"
A voice whispered in her head. Persephone paused. That voice that spoke to her did not sound like her own. She hesitated, wondering if she should take heed of this whispered warning.
But she did not ponder it for long. Now more than ever, Persephone was curious to see what was hidden at the top. She boldly treaded onward and upward. It did not take long for Persephone to reach the top. The ground leveled out and the steps led her to a knoll that was covered in heather. From the top of this hill, Persephone could see the forest below her, reaching out in the distance like a sea of pine. It was a breathtaking view, but she did not let herself linger at the sight for long. Something far more interesting and frightening greeted her.
A henge of ancient stones was erected in the middle of the knoll. There were carvings on the worn and weathered, mossy surfaces that Persephone could not recognize. In the center of the henge there were three roughly hewn stone seats, misshapen and rough. One could not even tell that they were seats if it were not for the three women seated upon them.
These women did not acknowledge the goddess that had stumbled into their midst. In their hands Persephone could see thin strands of brightly colored strings. They sat on their stone thrones, only the sighing wind over the hilltop greeted Persephone. She inched closer to the trio, stepping into the circle that the henge made.
"Who—who are you?" Persephone asked in a tremulous voice. The first of the three appeared to be the youngest; her flaxen hair blew in the wind and in her hands she held a distaff and spindle. A thread wound in the tools in her hands and she glanced up from her work with familiar gray eyes.
"Have you not been told of us, young one?" She asked in a singsong voice, the soft notes of her words rising and falling in an eerie tone that chilled Persephone to the bone.
"There is far too much that I have not been told," Persephone answered, unsure of why she was allowing herself to be so frank with these women. They did not seem to be a danger to her, just unusual and even unnerving.
"We are the Moirai." The first woman replied without ceremony. "We are the Fates; daughters of Nyx."
Daughters of Nyx? Was that why those gray irises reminded her of the goddess of Night? Persephone let herself take a step closer to the women, wondering if the other two would speak up. As if they could read her mind, and Persephone fully believed that they could, the middle of the women spoke. She was measuring out a thread on the length of her arm when she glanced up at Persephone through thick, dark lashes.
"No god can escape the threads of fate that bind them. Not even the almighty Zeus. Not even you, Persephone, goddess of the Spring and Daughter of Demeter and Zeus." Her hair was raven black, resembling so much of Nyx's dark locks. Persephone was taken aback that they knew her name. If they knew her name, then maybe they could tell her what would happen with her life? Maybe they could tell her the future?
"Can you tell me my fate?" Persephone all but pleaded, standing right before the women, so close that she could see the first and youngest pull a thread out of the distaff that was a deep shade of black.
"Fate is inescapable, young one. Why do you wish to know what it is that you cannot change?" She questioned cryptically as she took the black thread in her thin fingers.
"Can there be a way to change my fate?" Her question carried on the harsh wind. The gray eyes flickered from her face and back down to the thread as she pulled it to her spindle.
"Your mother was destined to lose you," she said with her singing voice now somber and heavy. "All of her preparation and caution could not hide you from the eyes of destiny. It was a noble but futile attempt to hide you away and garnish your life with rules to protect you. Demeter did not know that the path she took to avoid pain would be the very one that led her to her greatest suffering. There is a thread that ties you to the god of the Underworld. It was only a matter of time before the thread pulled you to him." She wove the thread around the spindle until she pulled the end out and offered it to the woman at her side.
The middle woman who boasted of the black hair took the thread from her sister's fingers.
"The thread has two ends; one that is tied to you and one that is tied to him," she explained, not even bothering to look at Persephone when she spoke. Instead, she pulled the thread until it stretched the length of her arm, measuring it over and over. "Your time in the Underworld was destined. Your fate is happening right before your very eyes. The young god Hermes can do little to steer you from your current course. Follow the river's steady flow until you reach the end. Fighting against the current will only wane your strength and you will drown. Instead, hold on to the thread that ties you to Lord Hades. He will lead you to the end." Satisfied that the thread had been pulled to its proper length, she handed the thread to the last and oldest woman.
Persephone could only describe her as a crone. She wore a hood on her graying hair and her skin sagged with age. The elder woman grasped the thread in her bony hands.
"Fate is inescapable," her raspy voice croaked. "The light fades. Your former life will become but a dim memory." From the folds of her tattered robes, the crone produced a pair of shining, sharp metal shears and held them up to the hand that held the thread. The slim sliver of thread hovered between those dangerous blades.
"Embrace the darkness, for it will be your destiny," the crone harshly demanded. She squeezed her hand. The shears sliced against each other, cutting the thread in two and the pieces fluttered helplessly to the ground.
She flew down the hill. She flew down the path. She flew through the pine forest. Persephone did not stop to find Annis. Honestly, the Nymph was far from her thoughts at the moment. Fear flooded her senses. All she could see and hear was the crone telling her that darkness was her fate. The sight of the black thread falling onto the heather-covered ground would not leave her. What did this all mean? Was she fated to be stuck in the Underworld forever?
For as much as she was growing to love this place, Persephone did not want to be forced to stay. She wanted to be able to come back and forth as she pleased. Her hope was that somehow she could convince Hades to bend the rules so that she could leave at her leisure and return when she wanted to visit.
How foolish. How naive.
She was asking the god of the Underworld to change the structure of his realm for her. Why would she even hope for such lofty goals when Persephone had not even managed to convince him to let her go? She could not even get Zeus to force Hades' hand. What a silly little fool she was!
Persephone raced across the manicured lawn and up the sweeping steps of the castle. She pushed aside the doors and burst into the throne room. Where she was frantically running to, Persephone did not know. She was desperate to escape the Fates. All she wanted was to put as much distance between herself and those women as possible.
They were wrong. They had to be. She could not let them be right. Persephone would change her fate. She would be the master of her destiny. Her choices had all been taken from her; she would not allow that to happen ever again.
Persephone tumbled into the Throne Room, finding it empty save for the figure that was planted on the Throne. Hades jumped up when he saw her and Persephone froze. Every inch of her being tensed when she saw him. He was the very last being that she wanted to see and they very one she wanted to speak to the most.
Hades was the reason that she was here. He was the reason that the Fates told her that her destiny was darkness.
And yet…
Hades was the very reason that she wanted to stay.
"Persephone?" He called out to her, her name a question on his lips. She paused, noting how his voice had returned some of it's soft cadence. Hope bubbled in her chest. Hades had not spoken so gently to her since their encounter in the hallway.
"Hades," she called back. She spoke and his name echoed off the marble surfaces of the room. The way that Persephone said his name seemed to bring life to Hades. He gave her a weak smile and stepped down from the dias that his throne was on. Wordlessly, silently, with only his footsteps slapping on the tile floor to fill the quiet, Hades came to her.
Persephone watched with bated breath as the god came near. He walked right up to her, so close that she could reach out and lay a hand on his chest if she wanted.
Would he let her, she dreamily wondered.
Hades stopped until he was looming over her, gazing down at Persephone with a hopeful look on his handsome face.
"Persephone…" he murmured down at her. Persephone's heart leapt into her throat. How how she not realized that she craved the sound of his voice speaking to her? Had meeting with the Fates frazzled her senses and she had gone mad? What were these feelings that were leaping around in her chest?
"I have kept my distance from you, and I must apologize for it. My anger has been mistakenly directed towards you, and that is not fair of me to do. I want to say…"
Persephone watched in wonder as the softness in Hades' gaze shifted into pain. His brow furrowed as a frown overtook his face. He lay a hand on her shoulder, his touch heavy on her skin. The change in Hades frightened her. Persephone searched his face, knowing that she couldn't hide her concern as she wordlessly asked him what was the matter.
"Please…" Hades grimaced at his own plea. "I beg of you, do not see Rhadamanthus."
A/N - Okay, so for those who might be a bit more acquainted with Greek mythology, I've seen a lot of things that say that the Fates chill by Zeus' side at his throne in Olympus. I only found that out after I fell in love with the idea of Persephone meeting with them in the Underworld, so I took the liberty of twisting that detail to match my story. And since the Fates are so powerful, maybe they can transcend worlds and move freely without Hades knowing or being able to control it? Who the heck knows, but I say that they live on top of the hill in the fake Stonehenge.
I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reading!