Olympus
The Immortals were in an uproar.
Where once had been pristine blue skies over the mountain of the gods and goddesses, gray clouds now gathered. The wind blew through the throne room with a chill that was foreign. A shadow was cast over Olympus as the turmoil in the mortal world was reaching the untouchable realm of the deities.
The elite of the Immortals were gathered in the shadowy, cold throne room. A murmur of dissent swept over the crowd, as dark and tumultuous as the gray clouds above them. Zeus sat upon his throne and observed everyone with cold disinterest. He gazed upon them all as if their presence there to protest the bleak state of affairs was a burden to him.
Athena stood apart from the others, not bothering to sit at her seat but rather took a stance in front of the god of gods. Her feet were planted on the pristine tiles and she crossed her arms over her chest, unflinching and unyielding even as Zeus turned his steely stare on her
The bitter mutters were hushed as the tension between the two of them turned the chill in the air to ice. Many believed Athena to be the favorite daughter of Zeus. If there was any hope of anyone talking sense into him, perhaps she could be the one to finally make him see reason. And the way that she stood before him with determination brimming in her bright eyes, it was undeniably clear that was exactly what she intended to do.
"The people are dying in droves," Athena got straight to the point. She was never one to mince her words. Goddess of wisdom she might have been, but she was not the goddess of subtlety. When her ire was stirred, the wisdom she held turned biting and harsh.
"The world is turning cold and barren," she continued, despite Zeus being visibly annoyed. "You cannot hide from the consequences of our sister's actions any longer. They are now becoming your consequences as well."
Zeus rubbed his temples with his fingers. He had heard the protests of his subjects time and time again but he had not budged on his decision.
"Do you say that I am just as guilty as she?" He asked with a weary sort of exasperation.
"Your stubbornness is damning the world to disaster. You can put a stop to this. You can concede." Athena answered him sternly.
"Hades can concede." Zeus grumbled, lifting his head from his hand and fixing her with a glare that could have brought thunder down from the heavens.
The immortals started to mutter again. But Athena was not to be deterred. His stormy disposition did not scare her away from trying to force him to see the truth.
"The three of you can all come to a conclusion. You must!" She dared to demand. "The world cannot go on like this any longer!"
"Mortals are born. Mortals live. Mortals die." Zeus stated in a dry voice. "How is this current plague any different from the cycle of life and death that has gone on since the beginning of time?"
Athena scoffed at his blatant lack of interest. She took a step closer towards the throne. "How can you be so blind, Zeus? If the mortals continue to perish at such an alarming rate, then who will be left to worship us? Where will we get our power from if the mortals are gone?"
The skies above rumbled with the sound of distant thunder. The shadows deepened. The clouds became a shade grayer. Zeus sat up in his chair, no longer looking at Athena with that apathetic air. He was alert; his body stiff with tension.
"Can this happen?" He wanted to know.
Athena stuck her chin out. Her arms tightened over her chest and her eyes were gleaming with fiery determination.
"Do you want to discover that answer or stop this madness before we find out?"
The sky flickered with lightning. A dark roar of thunder was quick to answer. At long last, Zeus rose to his feet. He stepped down the dias and walked over to Athena. His tall frame seemed to tower over her, even though she was nearly as tall as him.
"I will have an audience with Hades," Zeus all but growled the words, his distaste for what he was to do evident in each syllable. "We will come to an understanding. Surely, that will draw Demeter out of hiding."
Athena opened her mouth to say more, but Zeus brushed past her. He held up a hand to silence whatever she had been about to say. He would hear no more arguments or opinions about the matter.
But one of the other immortals decided to ignore that silencing hand. Hera shot up from her throne.
"So it is not the suffering of your people that will sway you, but rather the threat of your power?" She called out to his retreating back. The accusation hung heavy over the room.
Zeus stopped in his tracks. He did not even bother to look at her as he spat a few sharply worded phrases her way.
"Did you not just hear what Athena told us? Not just my power will be lost, wife. All of our power will be lost."
Zeus strode across the tiles, his feet echoing like the thunder that continued to groan in the sky. He pushed the doors open with a vengeance, leaving his audience silent and stunned at this swift turn of events.
The only one to greet the fuming god was another god; one who had been perched closeby and trying to catch any snippet of what was going on the other side of the doors. Hermes fluttered to his feet as Zeus came bursting through the doors. He hardly gave a glance to the younger god as he marched down the hallway with purpose.
Hermes ran after him, taking two steps for Zeus' one.
"Where are you going?" He asked, out of breath from trying to keep up with Zeus.
At the sound of the god's voice, Zeus turned to look at the young one running at his side. His blue eyes widened as he realized that he was no longer alone, and that someone dared to follow him. But then his face darkened when he realized that this was exactly the immortal that he needed. A hand reached out and clapped Hermes on the shoulder, holding him in a grip that made Hermes wince.
"To the Underworld. And you are taking me."
Persephone
The passing of time had done wonders to bring healing to her harried soul and clarity to a mind muddled with a dozen different emotions.
Persephone ran back to Hades with a tale to tell. Through her tears, she told him what she had done. She expected the hammer of punishment to fall down upon her when she admitted her guilt in Minthe's demise. What she had done was little more than cold blooded murder, Persephone wept to Hades as he had watched her with shock brimming in his dark eyes.
But he had put his hands on her shoulders and spoke words of comfort to her. Persephone would not hear it. She did not feel as if she deserved any mercy. Guilt tore her apart for days. Acting in self defense did nothing to quell the queasiness in her stomach whenever she thought of it. Memories of Minthe, her body twisting and shrinking into that green little plant with the sharp scent, haunted her.
Yet, as days passed by and life in the Underworld kept moving along as nothing had happened, her guilt began to wane. She let herself listen to the words of assurance spoken by Annis and Hades and Hermes.
She could not go on moping for the rest of her existence. There needed to be some resolution.
Perhaps she could allow herself to look at things from the standpoint of Hades. Persephone could look at herself as following his example; acting with stern mercy and doling out punishments sparingly. She would keep her sights turned to the side of grace until the transgressions became too great. Then, she would turn her face to the darkness. Then, she would act against her transgressor with a dreaded vengeance.
Already there were whispers across the land of the dead, speaking of her in hushed tones about what she had done to those who wronged her. Her reputation had become a duality; a child of the world above, full of lightness and beauty. Yet also a woman of the shadows, dark and merciless when provoked, using the plants of the earth to do her bidding.
A bit macabre, Persephone thought when Annis and the other Nymphs gossiped to her about the gossip. She had to admit to herself that she rather liked the reputation of a dangerous woman. Maybe then, those who would seek to do her harm would think twice before they decided to act.
Now the dreaded Persephone was starting to pull herself out of the gloom. She had emerged from the chambers where she had once again hidden herself in the aftermath of her display of power. Many of her friends in the Underworld had come to visit her. Annis of course kept her company most of the time. The Nymphs came by to twitter about the latest news. Even Nyx had spent a few hours at her side after she heard about the incident.
There was one who she wanted to see above all others. He had made himself scarce in the last few days. His duties as god kept him from being able to see her and Persephone found herself craving his company. So little time had passed between her coming to terms with her feelings and the attacks from Rhadamanthus and Minthe. She barely had a chance to spend time with him with her heart and mind fully open.
Ever since she put the past with Minthe behind her, Persephone had ached to see him once again, without the company of Nymphs and other deities, and put her newfound feelings to the test.
So when she finally emerged from her chambers, Persephone quietly wandered the hallways of his domain, on a mission to seek him out. Her heart pounded with each step that she took, one by one, leading her to his throne room where she would surely find the god of the Underworld.
She stepped into the shadowy room. The only light came from the braziers roaring wildly in the middle of the floor, casting a dusky glow on the figure perched on the throne. His hand was resting on his closed fist and he had been gazing idly into the flickering flames, but his attention shifted when he realized that he was no longer alone. Hades sat up straighter when he spotted her stepping into the light of the fire.
"Persephone…" his deep timbre filled the shadows. Hearing him say her name only made her silly heart beat faster. It rendered her silent and incapable of pulling out any coherent thought.
"How are you faring?" Hades asked carefully when Persephone could do nothing more than stand there and blush at him. She moved beyond the glow of the braziers and made her way to the foot of his throne.
"I am still trying to come to terms with what I did…" Her soft voice echoed in the cavernous room, bouncing off the inky marble tiles, drifting high above the pillars, into the open ceiling, and disappearing into the firmament above.
Hades watched her intently as she gently lowered herself onto the black floor, taking a seat by his feet. She saw his fingers twitching at her nearness but he stayed put.
Much to her surprising dismay.
Persephone had hoped that he would slide out of his chair and take the spot at her side. She had missed him over the last few days that she had holed herself up in her room and his nearness was something that she found herself wanting.
"You did nothing wrong," Hades dropped his voice to a soft murmur. "You were only acting in—"
"Self defense. I know," Persephone sighed. How many more times would she be told that? Did nobody understand that it was not as simple as they tried to make it seem?
If Hades had taken offense to her interruption, he made no sign of it. He stayed silent, sensing that she had more to say on the matter. Persephone pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees before going on.
"Annis has told me. Nyx has told me. Everyone can readily justify my actions but they were not the ones that had to do what I did. It is simple for them to say it was a justifiable act but for me…"
Silence followed her words. Persephone cut her eyes over to Hades, peering up at him through half-lowered lashes.
"My defense comes with a dark burden."
She hated the waver that betrayed the emotions stirring inside of her. Or the way that the shadows and the tiles and the skies above swirled together in a cobalt hued blur.
There came the sound of robes swishing and then the figure seated above her shifted. Persephone blinked, tears sliding down her cheeks, and her vision cleared in time to see Hades sit beside her.
Her secret wish had come true. Hades sat only inches away, coming as close to her as he dared. His irises, as black as onyx, gazed at her with compassion. He reached out to her and lay a hand delicately over her arm. His touch was filled with a warmth that comforted her from the inside out and Persephone fought the urge to lean her head on his shoulder.
Why did she insist on fighting that urge?
"I understand," Hades whispered, his breath blowing the wayward strands of her blonde hair. "That is a burden that I know all too well, unfortunately."
"All that I want is for someone to understand…" Persephone breathed, trying to stifle the fresh wave of tears that wanted to fall. "...that taking her life was not nothing…"
Hades never broke away from her face, even as his hand slid down her arm. Persephone could feel her spine shiver with tremors that were not from cold. Her tears promptly dried up as a new sensation of warmth swept over her. His hand curled around hers, gently, as if to let her pull away if she chose to.
But Persephone did not dare. She stayed speechless, her eyes unblinking, as her fingers slowly entwined with his.
She could see his jaw clench when she did so. His eyes did not widen with surprise when their hands connected. Rather, those dark irises started to simmer.
"Our divine power comes with a responsibility," he said in a tone that was nearly husky. "We must learn to act with a clear mind and free of entangling emotions. Sometimes, we fail. Our hearts overtake our heads and we learn that power does not come without consequence."
He ran his thumb over the ring that Persephone still wore on her finger; the one that he had given her when they sat amidst the greenery of the garden. Persephone could hardly draw breath while his thumb trailed slowly over her skin. That heat swelling inside of her was turning into a burning ache.
"But I do not believe that you have erred so greatly… Dreaded Persephone."
The amusement peppering the huskiness of his tone pulled her out of that heated reverie. She let out a gasping laugh, full of nerves as the fire in her cooled somewhat. Her eyes turned up to him, only to find him staring at her with gleaming eyes and a ghost of a smirk dancing on his lips.
"So you have heard the gossip of your subjects?" Persephone wanted to cringe at how breathy and mousey she sounded. Her voice was twelve octaves higher than it should have been and the way she panted with nerves made it seem as if she had just sprinted across the Underworld.
Hades nodded to confirm, but he kept on smirking at her in a playful sort of way, not directly acknowledging how flustered she was. "How do you feel about this new title of yours?"
Persephone took a moment to think of her answer. She let her sights fall back to their hands. His skin pressed so closely against hers. The hands that touched her were once hands that she had once believed would do her harm; ones that were bent on pain and humiliation.
They had only brought her gentleness and kindness. Persephone wondered in a daze what else these hands could bring her. She remembered how it felt to be held by Rhadamanthus and how the thought of Hades holding her the same way was her undoing.
"Untouchable…" Persephone answered at last, though her mind was far from what her lips were saying. "I feel untouchable now."
"As you should."
Even as he responded, she could tell that his mind was in the same realm as hers. For what felt like the very first time, the two of them were in the exact same place at the exact same time. Persephone sighed a sigh that she had never sighed before, the emotions too great to put a name to. The urge to rest her head on his shoulder became so overwhelming that resisting any longer would only bring her distress.
Persephone leaned over, hands still holding, and lay her head on his shoulder. She somehow fit perfectly in the crook of his neck, as if she were made to be there.
An arm, strong and steady, slid around her waist to pull her closer to him. The two of them had never been so close before; not since that fateful day when Hades had dragged her to his realm. Now, she was not so unwilling. Her heart and mind had changed.
She curled herself into his side and wondered how she could have ever lived without feeling what it was like to truly be held by him. That warmth inside of her was finally satisfied. That unnamable sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes in contentment.
A silence fell over them. The need for words had passed. They let themselves be lost to the moment. Both of them let their actions speak for the time being. Persephone wondered what Hades was thinking as she rested so comfortably against him, but surely, he would know her feelings now.
For the dreaded Persephone, the untouchable goddess, was letting Hades hold her the way he had always wanted.
Time passed them by at a steady pace, drifting along peacefully, like leaves on a quiet river. Persephone had never had this sense of ease before, especially with Hades. When had she ever spent so long being held by another, other than being held by her mother? His arm around her brought her that same comfort that a mother's touch could bring, but the resemblance did not go much further than that.
His closeness brought her warmth that burned brighter than that of familial affection. Nothing could compare to the way Persephone felt to be held here, in this delicate moment. Everything was soft. Everything was new. Her senses were heightened. Each breath he took, she could feel against her chest. A single brush of his hand felt like being touched for the first time.
She never wanted this to end. If she could make it go on forever and ever, Persephone would. But in the back of her mind, she knew that when she was ready to start following this path her heart seemed determined to take, then this embrace would only be the beginning…
That kiss with Rhadamanthus…
The one that had felt so hollow and lifeless…
The one that only came to life when her thoughts turned to Hades…
Her heart beat in a chaotic rhythm and she wondered for the thousandth time what that would be like. Her skin grew hot as she pondered taking that step with him, and if that moment would come soon.
Almost as if he could sense what was happening inside of her mind, or perhaps he could feel her start to fidget as she daydreamed about kissing, Hades pulled away to glance down at her. He could surely see the red splashed across her face, but Persephone found that she did not care so much if he saw how this connection was making her feel.
The warm glow simmering in his gaze told her that he liked seeing her this way. He leaned in to her, only a breath closer, enough to where Persephone could see the flecks of gray streaking his black hair and the creases around his eyes as he smiled with devilish mischief.
"Do you want to play a game?"
His question caught her completely off guard. The abrupt shift from the fuzzy warmth to this strange question made her tilt her head to the side. She screwed her nose and let out a confused, if not nervous, little laugh.
"Do I want to play a game?" She echoed with clear befuddlement.
His smile deepened and that devilish gleam in his eyes glistened. Her confusion clearly brought him amusement.
"I promise you, it will be worth your time. I think you will find this game to be quite enjoyable."
She only grew more puzzled. Why did he suddenly have this burning desire to be playful? But the way he was smiling down at her made her stomach flutter. He was being far too endearing for her to be cross with his out of the blue desire to play a game.
"I have not played games since I was a child." Persephone told him.
"Then you are sorely missing out. Games as an adult can be even more exciting than playing them as a child."
"What game would you have me play?"
Hades did not give her the satisfaction of telling her what he had in mind. Instead, he flashed her a smile that would have rendered her unable to stand if she had been standing. He got up and walked to a space in the throne room where there were a dozen or so pedestals lined up against the wall. Persephone had not paid much attention to this area; artifacts whose names and purposes were lost on her were set upon the tops of those pedestals, half covered in shadow. Now, those pedestals had her attention. Hades walked to one in the middle where a helm was perched precariously on top of the black marble pedestal. Persephone watched with increasing bemusement as Hades picked up the helm and walked back over to her.
Silently and giving her no explanation, Hades held out his hand in an offer for her to take the helm.
The helm was made from a substance not known in the mortal world, for nothing could have been hewn as if it were bronze but be as black as the night sky. Flickers from the fires behind her reflected off the glossy surface, making it look as smooth as glass. Two empty, almond shaped holes stared up at her. Vacuous, black spaces cut out for the wearer's eyes. On the top of the helm ran a crest, from the front to the back, trailing down the neck. The sides of the helm extended far past where the jaw ended, beyond the chin, coming to two sharp, dangerous looking points down near where the neck would be.
Despite the questions swirling around inside of her, Persephone took the helm in both of her hands. She set it in her lap and watched the reflection of the flames dance across the helm as it seemed to stare at her in a stern manner; not unlike that of its owner when he was in a dour mood.
The silent helm gave her no inkling of what sort of game that Hades wanted to play with her.
"Hades." Persephone said with a mock seriousness. "What in the name of all the gods and goddesses are you about to have me do?"
"I have many treasures that I keep safe here in my domain. The items that I like most, and the ones that hold the greatest value, I display here in the throne room. This item you are holding is possibly the one I could call my favorite. This is the Helm of Invisibility."
Her eyes widened and she looked back down at the heavy object held in her hands. "Invisibility? Does wearing this cause you to be invisible?"
"That is exactly what the Helm does," Hades replied, his voice still alive with that mischief. "Put it on your head, and you will be rendered invisible to even the eyes of Immortals."
The reason for Hades fetching this helm was starting to dawn on her. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth and she glanced up at him through lowered lashes. The room suddenly felt hot and her head was feeling a bit light.
"And what exactly would you have me do with this Helm of Invisibility?"
"Since I was the one to snatch you from your home, it seems only fair that I let you be the one to chase me…"
"Chase you? Are you mad?" She teased but Hades was unphased. He kept smiling at her and Persephone wondered if the heat in the room was coming from him, or the braziers, or from her own giddiness.
"Perhaps so. But if you wish to, I would love for you to indulge me in this silly request."
That word made her heart skip a beat. She held on tightly to the helm to keep herself from trembling with the nerves and excitement that swept over her.
"Fine then," she was breathless as she answered. "I think you are up to no good, but I'll play your silly game."
Hades smiled. Surely, he was the source of heat. He had to be, with his eyes blazing and his lips full of a secret pleasure. His hand reached out and gently took the helm from her. The weight of it left her, replacing the emptiness it left behind with a wild sense of anticipation. He raised the helm to his head, slowly lowering it onto his midnight locks. The stoic, hewn face covered the smirking face of the god. And the very instant that the helm settled snugly in place, there was a flash, so swift that Persephone could have blinked and missed it. Then, where Hades had once been standing a second before, only shadows remained.
A gasp of amazement escaped her. She had not doubted that the helm would turn a man invisible, but to see it happen before her very eyes was incredible. But she had no time to stand there and marvel. For there was a brush of what felt like wind pass by her, making her hair flutter. It was the sensation of someone walking past her, yet there was nothing that her eyes could see. It was jarring to feel but not to see, even though Persephone knew what was going on. She smiled as the unseen presence made its way past her.
Even invisible, his presence could not be mistaken.
Persephone whirled around on the spot, her eyes foolishly scanning the throne room. It took her a few moments to switch her senses around. Sight would not do her any good, but perhaps if she listened closely, she could hear signs of where her chase would go.
Sure enough, Persephone detected the sound of footsteps moving steadily across the room. She dashed to the source of that sound, bare feet pattering on the black tiles. Her running came to a half when she reached the spot where she had heard him but he had already moved on. Persephone whirled around in place a few times before she thought that she heard the sound of a latch being drawn. Her eyes whipped over to the doors that opened up to the Underworld beyond.
Just as she did, Persephone saw a glint of hazy light shining through a slight crack in the door. One that had not been there a few seconds ago.
"That is hardly fair!" Persephone called out as she ran over to the door. She threw them open and crashed out onto the steps, racing down two steps at a time and landing on the soft blanket of dewey grass below.
Her sights scanned the seemingly endless expanse of Underworld stretching out before her. Persephone was nearly ready to deem this pursuit as futile, until her keen eyesight caught the slightest indentation of a rather large footprint in the grass. Then another. Then another! Until she saw a trail of footprints leading into the forest of pines just beyond the castle.
Persephone chased the footprints, following them as they meandered over the grass and through the line of trees. She ran into the pines without a second thought. The slim trunks surrounded her and their branches enveloped her like a familiar embrace. Mist clung to the ground, the forest floor strewn with shed pine needles and the curling, velvety fronds of bright green ferns. There was no longer a clear sign of where the god had gone but there was only one path that wound through the sea of underbrush. His places to go within the forest were limited. So she decided to run along the well worn path, taking care to look for any signs of disturbance and to keep her ears open to any unusual noises.
Nothing stood out to her as she trotted along the path. Every so often, she would heard the subtle crunching of a foot on pine needles. Her breath would catch in her chest and she would pick up her pace, far too eager to catch up to the god.
Eventually, the trees started to thin and the path led her to a small clearing. Persephone slowed her pace as she stepped beyond the threshold of the trees and into the patch of open grass. Something about this place sparked some sort of familiarity. Then as she tilted her head to the skies, swaying pine boughs piercing the shades of gray and purple clouds high above, she realized exactly where this path had taken her.
This was the very first place she had seen in the Underworld. When she and Hades had crashed through the earth, this spot of pine needles and looming trees was where they had landed.
This was the place where it all had started.
Her heart had lept into her throat now. She was breathing in and out, in a rapid, husky rhythm. Her cheeks were practically on fire. Hades had led her here for a reason. Was this truly a chase, or was this game a way to bring her here for a reason?
Snap!
There came the sound of a twig breaking, shattering the stillness that settled over the clearing. Persephone jumped at the suddenness of the noise and searched the clearing until she found where that might have come from.
She took in a deep breath to steady her shaking knees. And then she sprinted over to where that noise came from. Her ankles brushed through the swaying grass. The cool, misty air clung to her hair. Everything passed her by in a blur of green and gray and brown.
Until her body collided with something solid. Something that she could not see. And then the feeling of two arms wound around her waist and pulled her against that solid form.
One that felt so much like a tall, broad, man.
Persephone shook from head to toe, but not from fear or a chill. She leaned into that unseen weight. Her body melded against his form, rendering her breathless and blushing. Those arms around her waist tightened, pulling her ever closer.
Her hands shook as she placed them on his chest. She marveled at the way she could feel her hands touching him but she saw only the greenery of the forest beyond.
The atmosphere was thick with a simmering tension as her hands slid up his chest in search of his face. Fingers touched cool bronze. Persephone gripped the blunt edge of the helm and in one movement that was slow and swift all at once.
Locks of black hair tumbled down his shoulders as Persephone pulled the helm from his head. Two blazing eyes, wild and wicked as the night, met hers.
The helm dropped from her fingers. It hit the forest floor with a dull thud that hardly registered to either one of them. She placed her hands back on his chest, her heart thudding in a racuos rhythm.
Hades curled his hands around her waist. The heat of his touch seeped through the thin fabric of her robe. Persephone felt like she was being
seared by fire from the inside out.
"I found you…" She whispered into the haze.
Hades laughed lowly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.
"So you have…" he replied in a voice so husky, Persephone wanted to melt.
He leaned in, closing the gap between them, until his forehead rested gently against hers.
Persephone let her eyes flutter closed and she tilted her face upwards towards his.
This was it! This was the moment she had been daydreaming of. Had Hades known what she was so eager to try? Did he have some brief window into the inner workings of her mind?
But what did any of that matter now, when his lips were inches away from hers—so close that his breath warmed her skin.
Whatever passing foolishness she has experienced with Rhadamanthus was nothing compared to this.
And the kiss had not even happened yet.
Persephone waited with bated breath for his lips to fall on hers, to wash away the lingering presence of the one who had stolen her first kiss. This connection that she was brimming with impatience for, would be the true first kiss that she deserved.
He was so close. His hands slid up her back, drawing her in. Savoring the moment they had both been waiting for—
Then he stopped.
His body became as stiff as the unbending tree trunks surrounding them. The air turned with a chill and low growls of thunder rumbled overhead. He pulled his face away from hers with an expression wrought with the deepest concern.
She did not miss the way he turned his eyes to the distance, surprise and anger swirling in his black irises.
"Hades?…" Persephone mumbled his name, feeling somewhat dazed as she tried to pull herself out of the moment that had ended so abruptly.
Her voice did not draw him out of his tense stance, as she had foolishly hoped it would. He only let his gaze flicker to her for the briefest of moments before he went back to staring at the horizon of trees.
Now, Persephone became worried. This was not like the Hades she had come to know. She had never seen him like this before; not even when Acheron had attacked her. Not even when he learned of what Rhadamanthus had done. There was something about this shift in demeanor that struck a chord inside of her, warning her that something was amiss.
"Persephone." His hands dropped from her waist to gently grasp her arms instead. "Do you trust me?"
"I do. What is wrong?"
"Do you trust that I cannot tell you right now what is wrong, but that you must immediately go to your chambers and not return until I come for you?"
"What is wrong?"
More thunder growled in the sea of gray clouds. The air grew colder as the minutes ticked on by. A tense hush had fallen over the forest. And Hades let his hands hold her a little firmer.
His words were coming out with great difficulty. Every syllable said was strained as he gritted his teeth.
"Persephone—please. I beg of you, please do as I ask."
His expression troubled her. He switched rapidly back and forth between anger and worry. Persephone wondered if she had done something to anger him.
"I—I trust you," she stammered nervously. "But now I am frightened."
Hearing her audible anxiety seemed to trigger some awareness in him. That anger softened. He turned to her. His hands grew gentle once more. A heavy sigh escaped him.
"I am sorry to frighten you," he apologized in a shameful murmur. "You have nothing to fear. But you must make yourself scarce until this matter passes…"
Why would he not tell her what had happened? She feared that somehow she had upset him and now he was sending her away. Persephone wanted to make sure, in a small and feeble way, that he would not leave her.
"Will you come for me?" She asked, hearing herself sound so small.
He heard it too. Hades sighed again, pulling her to him. A kiss landed on her forehead. Unexpected and warm, his lips brushed her skin.
All of her worries melted away. Of course, this change in mood was not her fault. She should not have been so worried. This kiss was the assurance that she needed.
Hades pulled away, slowly, and his voice was strained all over again. But this time, it was less severe and more…
Heated.
"I promise," he whispered. "I will come for you."
Persephone did not respond. Her voice was stolen away with that kiss. It might not have been the one she wished for, but it held a promise for things to come. She bent down to pick up the helm, then as she had in her hands, Persephone stepped away from him, holding steady with his gaze until she had no choice but to turn around and leave him standing alone in the grassy clearing.
Hades
The timing could not be any more abysmal.
Hades could not find it in himself to sit. Instead, he paces back and forth in front of his throne. He was too filled with anticipation for who would come walking through the throne room doors.
Any moment now, the last being that he ever wanted to see would be here, in his domain.
Just as he had been about to kiss the sweet Persephone, Hades had sensed a troubling shift in the atmosphere of the Underworld. Somebody who was not welcome but unable to be denied entry had come into the world.
Zeus himself, the god of all the gods, had arrived.
Never in all his memory, had Zeus dignified the Underworld with his presence and Hades had hoped to keep it that way for all eternity.
Just as he had sent Persephone away to hide in her chambers, Hades whisked himself away to his throne room to meet Zeus before he arrived.
He could not pretend that the reason for his brother's visit was a mystery to him. Hades had no doubts that his unwelcome visitor would be here for one reason, and one reason only.
Far too soon for his liking, the doors swung open with a crash that resounded through the room like thunder. Hades did not flinch at the god's thunderous arrival. Even as that tall, imposing figure filled the frame with the mist of the Underworld surrounding him, Hades did not show a speck of emotion at the arrival of his brother.
"Hades."
Zeus greeted his brother without a shred of warmth.
"Zeus." Hades returned in a clipped tone.
The brothers were not happy with one another. That much was certain.
Zeus did not mince his words. There was no preamble to the topic that they both knew was burning on their lips. For that, Hades could appreciate his brother. He did not have the tolerance for niceties at the moment. Not with someone whose presence in his world caused him so much discomfort.
"Only the most dire of circumstances would ever bring me to this wretched world that you call home," Zeus grumbled as he stormed across the room, making his way to where Hades had planted himself by the throne.
His face was set into a stern mask of displeasure. The brilliant silver hair on top of his head and growing over his jaw glowed eerily in the dim light of the room. He stepped up to Hades and drew himself to his fullest height, though not coming quite as tall as his older brother.
"Must you begin this unpleasant conversation with insults about my domain?"
Zeus clenched his jaw. He was not amused.
"I did not come here with concern about your feelings, brother."
Hades could not help but let a biting remark slip out of his mouth.
"When do you ever have concern for the feelings of others?"
Cold anger simmered from his glassy blue eyes. Zeus stepped up to Hades, peering up into his face with an expression of barely restrained fury.
"You must be careful, Hades," he hissed, offensively close to Hades. "Just because we are in your world does not mean that I am now the lesser god. You are still under my authority. No matter where you happen to be. I am your god."
There was nothing left for Hades to say to that. He had been reduced to a dog cowering in a corner, tail between its legs. A stony silence was all that he would give his brother in return.
His little brother.
Hades had once harbored a deep resentment at being indebted to his younger brother for saving them from Cronus. There was a bond between his other siblings that Zeus never shared because he was never held captive. Those terrifying early days, so dark and uncertain, was something that the rest of them could connect with. Zeus had never paid that harrowing experience much more attention than just a means to his own glory. And that lack of a gracious savior made Hades all the more uncomfortable that the youngest of them became the greatest of them. He fought for the idea that the power should be split equally between himself, Zeus, and Poseidon. But Zeus being the one to overthrow Cronus, he had the upper hand and he believed that he should be above them all. Straws were drawn. Hades drew the poorest one and was all but exiled to live in a world ridden with death and punishment.
Of course, Hades had a change of heart over the course of eternity. He believed that being away from Zeus was a blessing. His world became beautiful in its own, ethereal, sinister way. His resentments towards Zeus had cooled, but he never found much reason to have love for his brother. And Zeus never forgave Hades for suggesting that he was not so great as he liked to believe.
Moments like this, where Zeus felt the need to flex his power in front of Hades, happened every single time that they so happened to meet. That was why they made great strides to not see each other often. These meetings were hardly ever amiable.
Zeus seemed to be satisfied that Hades had been sufficiently put in his place, though he could not help but dig the knife in a tiny bit deeper.
"You should not be so haughty with me. It is your actions that have forced me to come to a place that I find so detestable."
"What exactly are your intentions with this visit?" Hades asked coldly.
"Surely, you are aware of what Demeter is doing to the world of mortals?"
Hades merely nodded. He did not need any exposition about the recent flood of departed souls.
"That sister of ours has forced my hand," Zeus spat with unabashed disgust. "I have no choice but to act, as much as I loathe to do it. You see, Athena warned me that our powers would wane with the lack of mortals to worship us. They perish in droves and then we become lesser. I understand that you have your petty rules about balance but it is time for all of us to end this charade."
Zeus' eyes searched Hades' face for any sign of budding resistance.
"Return your plaything to her mother," the god commanded, his voice echoing raciousky over the tiles.
A command that struck dread into the heart of Hades. He had hoped that it would not come to this, but what a foolish, selfish hope it was.
"Let this all come to a resolution; one where we do not lose our power. You can return to the world of the living any time you feel the need to steal a moment from your lover. There is no need to keep the girl locked away in your bedroom for all of eternity. Especially when there are greater matters at stake."
Hades balked when Zeus refused to use her proper name for the second time. The god had reduced her to "plaything" and "lover," throwing away her autonomy as a grown woman. It stoked his rage for Zeus to be so flippant about her. As if she were nothing at all, when in reality, this was his own daughter he spoke of with such crass.
"You are only here to preserve your power, and not because you carry any shred of concern for Persephone? Or the mortals. Or Demeter?" Hades threw out the accusation, unable to keep it to himself. He wanted to defend her. He wanted to defend his sister and the poor mortals caught in the middle of this power struggle.
But Zeus did not hesitate to call him out on his hypocrisy. He bared his teeth in a furious grimace. A few locks of those silver strands fell into his reddening face.
"Do not preach to me about concern! You should have asked yourself the same thing before you snatched the girl up and dragged her to hell to ravish her virtue. Did you ask yourself these same questions when you were taking her?"
Hades had only brought this on himself. He had set himself up for this beratement. His actions damned him to a lifetime of such judgement. But Hades did not back down. He would take responsibility for his role in this tragedy. He would not let Zeus, of all people, bring him any more shame than he had already heaped upon himself.
He did not falter as Zeus stood toe to toe with him, trying to intimidate. Hades merely drew himself to his fullest height and glowered down at the younger god, daring to test his limits one more time.
"I did. Believe me if you want to, but I regretted my actions the second I realized what I had done. And I did not ravish anything." Hades allowed that word to come out in a vicious growl. "Persephone has not been touched. And you have no moral ground to stand on! You come here on behalf of nobody but yourself. And I have no choice but to concede, do I?"
Zeus stared at him with icy fury. He narrowed those glassy blue eyes. Hades half wondered if he would send a bolt of lightning down from the sky to strike him where he stood for that insubordination.
Yet what came instead, was far worse than any deadly strike of lightning.
"Return the goddess to her mother." Zeus commanded. There was no room for argument or question. He had decided. "Or there will be dire consequences, Hades."
And Hades had no choice but to obey and face the consequences of what this would do to his realm.
Not that the god of gods would care. Whatever mess that would be left behind would be for Hades to deal with.
Not to mention…
He would never see Persephone again after she was whisked away from his world. His heartache would be unbearable. But what would this do for Persephone? Just as she was starting to gain her freedom and grow her powers, that would all be ripped away from her. Surely, Demeter would tighten her grip over the young goddess and never let her know a taste of independence ever again?
How much more would have to be taken from Persephone, by selfish and petty deities?
Zeus did not wait for Hades to answer. The god did not need an answer. He was satisfied that his orders would be obeyed. Instead of giving Hades a voice to speak, he simply turned on his heel and marched back the same way that he had arrived. Hades watched his retreating back and that head of pale hair moving towards the door.
He could not allow Zeus to leave without calling upon his little brother's own misgivings.
"You did not even ask to see her," Hades stated sharply. "You show no interest in this goddess which you forced into existence. Persephone is her name, by the way. You cannot even bother to dignify your own daughter with her name, can you?"
Zeus stopped in his tracks.
For the longest time, he said nothing in reply. Hades stared at the back of his head and wondered what was going on beneath those silvery locks.
At long last, Zeus replied. He gave half of a glance over his shoulder, dismissive and not bothering to give his full attention to Hades.
"What does it matter if I say her name?" He asked with disinterest. "What is she to me?"
But Hades heard the doubt. Hades saw the cracks wavering in his facade. He knew that he had touched a nerve with his brother and Hades decided to strike those weaknesses with everything he could muster. Whatever it meant, Hades would expose it.
"Your daughter," Hades began with a passionate plea. "A woman full of spirit and fire. She is strong. Powerful. More so than I think she realizes, and she is just only starting to understand it. And she looks like you, Zeus. When she smiles, sometimes the resemblance is so strong, it takes me by surprise. I see the face of my brother staring back at me, but in the frame of a woman's softer features."
Zeus remained silent. He would only stare at the gound beneath his feet. But he was listening. Hades could tell that Zeus held on to his every word.
Hades pressed on. He may have had no choice but to concede, but he wanted to try to appeal to whatever heart Zeus might have had.
"Someday, if you can find it in you, I hope that you can come to care for her. She deserves it. After everything she has suffered, she might one day crave a word of affection from her father, now that he knows she exists."
Zeus frowned at his feet. He let his brother's words soak in. Slowly. Silently. Until he finally lifted his face from the floor, still refusing to look Hades in the eye.
"I have many other daughters. Why is this one more special than the others?"
The breath left his lungs. His heart wrenched at the callousness of Zeus' reply. With that, Hades decided not to waste any more words on his selfish, cruel god of a brother. Pandering to his weaknesses was useless. He most likely misread whatever vulnerability he thought he had seen in Zeus.
Foolishness. All of this was pure foolishness.
Zeus waited for Hades to say more, but when only wordless tension thickened the air, he decided that it was time to leave.
Neither one spared another word. Zeus left the throne room, stepping out into the mist beyond and disappearing from sight, leaving Hades in breathless anger to deal with the carless chaos he was now leaving in his wake.