Chapter Three: Persephone, Goddess of Spring

Hades, god of the dead, was most noticeably feared amongst his kin.

He'll send you to hell, they whispered.

He'll kill your family, they rumoured.

He's evil incarnate, they warned.

But, Persephone thought, he had just looked like a cute dork when he had stood there, clutching his hot chocolate for dear life as she had run after him. Okay, so a kinda scary cute dork. He did look like a walking corpse, but it was only his face. He wasn't that scary.

"Kore. Kore. Kore!"

Persephone yelped and dropped the cup she was currently cleaning in the sink. Thankfully, since the sink was full of soapy water, there was only a plop and no broken cup.

"Honestly, you've been terribly distracted this morning," Demeter said, as she entered the kitchen, wearing the same, dark green, pencil skirt suit she wore to work every day. She did, however, alternate what flower she wore in her short, dark hair. Today, it was a daisy, the type where the very tips of its petals were turning pink.

"I've just been thinking about what to do today," Persephone replied, picking up a cookie from the packet left next to the sink. "I'll probably just watch TV or something."

"Don't sit in bed and watch TV all day," Demeter said as she glided across the kitchen. She took her daughter by the cheeks, leant down, and kissed her on the forehead. "Sometimes I regret letting you have one…"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do all day?" Persephone asked. "And don't say read a book."

"Just have a good day," Demeter said as she drifted away. "And please don't eat too many cookies. I only got you that packet the other day and half is already gone…"

Persephone, who would never be as slender as her mother, shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth. "Too late."

Demeter sighed. "Well, I have to go. Agriculture doesn't produce itself, after all. Don't forget to keep practising your powers."

"I won't. Good luck at work!" Persephone called after her, turning back to finish the dishes from breakfast. And then, as soon as she heard the door click, she ran from the room.

She could only ever do her washing on Fridays, the only day off she had when her mother was at work. She couldn't exactly do it on the weekend—the work aprons would be a tad of a giveaway to her adventures outside. She had to hurry and get it sorted soon, though, before she went and spent the rest of the day in the Underworld.

It was as she was in the midst of hanging up her underwear on the clothing horse outside her room that the doorbell rang. She squeaked, lobbed her work uniform into her room, slammed the door shut, then sprinted downstairs, past all the fancy furniture and dozens of indoor plants.

Flinging open the front door, she grinned when she saw the yellow-haired god that stood there, and she exclaimed, "Hermes!"

Hermes slouched, his hands shoved into the pockets of the white hoodie he always wore, the one with wings on the hood and his name in Greek letters scrawled across the front. Blue eyes sparkled as he tipped his head to one side and said, "Persi, you're not even dressed. I can't take you to the Underworld looking like that."

"Oh, give me a break. I had to do my washing," Persephone said, looking down at her pyjamas which consisted of a thin shirt and short shorts that her mother did not approve of. Spinning around, she ran back into the house. "Make yourself at home!"

Persephone ran straight back to her room, where she started pulling dresses from her wardrobe, tossing them on the floor one after another. She had to wear something perfect for her first trip to the Underworld. Nothing too boring, otherwise it would look like she didn't care, but nothing too fancy either, otherwise it would look like she cared too much.

Ugh, why was picking an outfit so hard? It didn't help that she was going on a date with someone who's wardrobe was probably more expensive than what she earned in an entire year. Hopefully a cheap dress would suffice.

She settled on a knee length, pale green dress, decorated in a baby pink flowers. It was a little tight around her waist, but it fit snuggly over her thighs and showed off just the right amount of cleavage. Not that showing cleavage was hard for someone like Persephone, who found no one ever bothered to design clothes to comfortably fit someone with such a large bust. Talk about irritating.

After strategically placing a few flowers in her hair, which she let fall to her knees in its natural, curly state, she skipped back downstairs where she found Hermes in the kitchen. Since he could never be bothered to stand, he had pulled his legs up, so he was sitting cross-legged mid-air, and he was eating a piece of toast slathered in jam and butter.

"How do I look?" she asked, spinning around.

"Like yourself," Hermes replied through mouthfuls of toast.

"Hermes," she whined. "You're supposed to say I look cute. Do I look appropriate enough for a date in the Underworld?"

Hermes shrugged. "They wear all black in the Underworld, so I'm gonna say no."

"Hermes."

"Okay, okay, you look cute," Hermes said, wagging his piece of toast through the air. "But I still think it needs saying that this is a terrible idea. Terrible with a capital T. If you get caught, you're gonna be in so much trouble."

"I'm not going to get caught, obviously," she replied, hands on hips. He frowned at her, and slowly took another bit of toast.

"You won't be the only one that gets in trouble," he eventually said. "Demeter will probably cast me out of the Twelve if she finds out I took you there."

Persephone pouted and stubbed her toes against the floor. "But… but you don't even like the Twelve."

"I don't, but I like being one. Gives me a few perks and all," he said, jumping down from the air. "Look, Persi, I'm still going to take you, just… be careful, okay? I mean, it's the Underworld. It's Hades."

"What's wrong with Hades?" Persephone asked, still pouting as she crossed her arms. "He was really sweet to me."

"You've known him what…" Hermes paused to count on his fingers. Holding them up, he said, "Four days?"

"The point about meeting someone is to get to know them better, and I'm not going to judge a man based on some silly rumours," Persephone said, spinning around and leaving the room. "Come on. Finish your toast, or you're going to be late to work."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," he replied as he trailed after her, stuffing the rest of his toast in his mouth. He followed it up with something else, but Persephone hadn't the foggiest what he had said over all the toast he was still eating.

"So, how are we getting there?" Persephone asked as she pulled on some kitten heels.

"We're flying, obviously."

"Flying?"

"Yes, flying, unless you want to take the bus to the Underworld," Hermes said. "Besides, I'm the god of travellers and whatever other adventurous disasters, so we're travelling in style. My style. That, and I might as well use my winged sandals."

Once Persephone was ready, the pair stepped outside, Persephone locked the front door, then she turned to face Hermes. "Come on then. Fly time, sandal boy."

"I wish you would stop calling me sandal boy," Hermes muttered as he scooped Persephone up into his arms. "Now, hold on to your skirts, for your own decency and all."

She only just managed to clamp her hands down against her dress before he spun around and leapt up into the air. Flying really wasn't the best word to use for their, uh, method of travel. It was more zooming, really, and Persephone didn't even get a chance to look at Mount Olympus rushing by beneath her. It was all just a gush of wind and a flash of blurry, bright colours, and then sudden darkness.

Once she was back on her feet, she leant over hands pressed to her knees, and wheezed. "You call that flying?"

"Don't insult my flying," Hermes said. "Anyway, welcome to the Underworld."

Persephone gasped as she took in her surroundings. They stood in the middle of a city, beneath a dark sky, and filled with dark buildings. Even all the citizens passing by were dark—or dressed in dark clothes at least. There were many chthonic nymphs and even gorgons and harpies too. Persephone and Hermes certainly stuck out like sore thumbs; her in her pale green, flowery dress, and him in his all white hoodie and shorts.

"I didn't know the Underworld was a massive city," Persephone said as she took in the sight, trying to guess which crookedly built building was which. Rather, which one was Hades' specifically.

"It's not. This is just the Underground, the city outside. People don't live in the Underworld, and the chthonic deities need somewhere to live, so, Underground," Hermes said, taking her by the shoulders and spinning her around. "The Underworld is over there."

Persephone sucked in a breath as the first thing she saw was the massive three-headed hell hound that stood before them, each wolf-like head snarling and bearing impossibly large teeth. Persephone grasped Hermes' arm as all six of the hell hound's red eyes fixed on her.

He stood beneath a large gate embedded in the wall that guarded the area beyond. It was circled by a river of dark water, and there was no way to get across the bridge to the other side without passing by the snarling dog.

"Don't worry. It's just Cerberus doing his job," Hermes said, waving up at the hell hound as he strolled on past, dragging Persephone with him. Cerberus bowed his head and let the gods pass, but all six of his red eyes remained fixed on Persephone. The cute three-headed black dog Persephone had seen with Hades a couple days ago had been small, and it had certainly not had terrifying red eyes.

The other side of the bridge still wasn't what Persephone had expected of the Underworld. She had been raised to believe it was dark caverns and spooky caves but beyond the wall that guarded it… it was really just a fancy business complex. A business complex where it was permanently nighttime.

In the centre of the courtyard stood a tall woman in a black suit, her black hair dead straight. She was busy typing something away on her phone and chewing and didn't even look up as Hermes dragged Persephone over.

"You're late, Hermes," the woman said, still on her phone. She blew a black bubble, and Persephone jumped when it popped.

"Sorry, but I had to wait for this little one," Hermes said, nudging Persephone towards the woman, who was much taller than Persephone. She had to have been as tall as Hades but seeing as she was wearing several-inch high stilettos she appeared way taller. Of course, the straps and heels of her stilettos were covered in rubies. Fancy.

"Persephone! Or that's what I heard you prefer to be called when not around your mother. It's good to meet you," the woman said, finally looking up from her phone and smiling, though even smiling didn't make her blood red eyes any less unnerving—though they did match the fantastic colour of her lips and nails. And when she talked, was that a smiley piercing… with a ruby in it? Also, there might have been a ruby tongue piercing too.

"Um, yes?" Persephone said. "And… you are…?"

"Hecate, the one and only," the woman announced, holding out a slender, white hand. Bloody hell, there were rubies on her nails too. How rich were these chthonic gods?

Persephone gasped as she squeezed it. "Hecate? As in the Hecate?"

"Yes, queen of the witches. I've been told you might be a fan," Hecate said, looking Persephone up and down. Persephone at least tried to smile back, but it was absolutely forced. "Now, Hermes, darling, you really are late. I don't care if you're one of the Twelve, I am me, so shoo shoo. Thanatos has your assignment ready."

Hermes scowled when Hecate turned to him, her blood red smile stretching further across her face. He didn't argue though, and turned to Persephone instead to say, "I'll pick you up at the end of the day to take you back. Have fun, and don't do anything stupid."

"I would never." She gave her best I'm-a-goody-two-shoes smile. "Have fun!"

"Yes, have fun," Hecate said, waving Hermes away. Hermes groaned and trudged away without another word, whilst Hecate smiled back down at Persephone. "Boss just has to send a few important, last minute emails, so it's just you and me for a minute. Let's go and grab a drink."

Only a moment later where they stood in a bar, of all the places to find inside a business complex. Like everywhere else in the Underworld, it was black. The walls, the tables, the chairs, the uniforms of the workers. A little classier than the simple coffee shop Persephone worked at, and a lot creepier too. Persephone, in her bright colours, definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Why is there a bar at your workplace?" Persephone asked, sticking close to Hecate as the other goddess strutted towards the bar.

"Organising the dead can get tediously stressful, trust me. And sometimes it's easier to grab a drink here on your break rather than passing by Cerberus."

"But what about getting drunk on the job?"

"Oh, trust me. People have learnt not to get drunk on the job." Hecate smiled wickedly, then waved at the barkeep. "You drink wine?"

"Me?" Persephone asked, and Hecate raised her eyebrows as if to ask who else? "Uh, yes! White, please!"

"You really are from Mount Olympus," Hecate said, looking Persephone up and down before turning back to the barkeep. "One white, one red, please. Put it on his tab."

When they'd been given two glasses, Hecate led Persephone to a small table in the corner of the bar, and Persephone frowned as she clutched her glass and said, "I'm really sorry if I'm intruding."

Hecate raised her eyebrows as she leant back in her chair, one leg crossed over the other. "Why would you be intruding?"

"Hades is busy with work, and I'm just here disrupting things." Persephone paused to take a sip of her wine. "I just wanted to do something for a change. It gets lonely at home. Mother doesn't ever let me out even though I'm a fully-fledged adult, thank you very much."

"Demeter that strict, huh?" Hecate said, swishing around the wine in her glass. "Some things never change."

"You know my mother?"

"Persephone, precious, I unfortunately know all the Olympians," Hecate said. "They all literally have their heads in the clouds. It's much more relaxing being down here."

"Even though it's lonely?"

Hecate tipped her head to one side, and even with that slight movement her hair remained dead straight. "What makes you think it's lonely?"

"Well, it doesn't look that lonely," Persephone remarked, waving a hand at the others sat in the bar. "But Hades said he was lonely, and I'm lonely. It made sense that two lonely people would make some not lonely people, right? Or perhaps we'd just make ourselves extra lonely, like, double our loneliness. Either way, I'm bored at home, and I wanted to have some fun. Is that weird? Does Hades think I'm weird? Do you think I'm weird?"

Oh, for Olympus' sake, she was already babbling away. Gods damn it.

"It's good if you're weird. We're in the Underworld, after all," Hecate said. "And, you did say yourself you wanted to be a witch. I think you'd fit right in."

"Well, maybe if I wear black, but Hades said I could look like a forest witch if I wore dark green, but Mother likes dark green and I like to be different…" Persephone pressed one hand to her cheek. "Would a colourful witch be too weird?"

"I already said, it's good to be weird in the Underworld. And you're also talking to the goddess of witchcraft," Hecate said, and she peeled Persephone's hand away from her face so she could kiss her on the knuckles. "You have my blessing to be the brightest and most colourful witch imaginable."

Persephone sucked in a breath, sure her cheeks were bright red. What was with these Underworld deities being way more enticing than the Olympian ones?

"I'm witchy blessed?" she eventually asked.

Hecate chuckled and took a sip of her wine. It was only now it occurred to Persephone she hadn't seen Hecate get rid of the gum she had been chewing before. "Yes, you are witchy blessed, precious. I can see why Hades is already enamoured with you."

"E-enamoured with me?"

Enamoured with her? What was there about her to be enamoured about? He'd only seen her with messy hair in a dirty apron after all. And you couldn't be enamoured with someone you'd only known for four days, met twice, and had only one decent conversation with, right? Right, right, said Persephone, who's heart was already erratically beating at the thought that of all the gods, it was Hades himself that had shown her attention.

"Did I say enamoured? I meant…" Hecate pulled out her phone again. There was the sound of a text being sent, then the sound of one being received, then Hecate's blood red smile stretched across her face. "He's ready to see you now. Are you?"

Nope, Persephone thought, heart racing.

"Yep," Persephone said, eyes sparkling.

A/N

Persephone's POV is so chill and easy to write. Also, she may have a high-key thing for Hades, but she totally also has a low-key thing for Hecate too. And we got to see Hermes and Demeter this chapter! Hermes is definitely a fun character to write for. See ya next chapter!

Blake