Chapter Four: A Meeting in the Underworld

When Hades had come back from seeing Persephone a couple of days prior, he had found Hecate sitting on his desk, scowling, her arms crossed.

"You can't just leave without telling me," she had snapped.

"I am entitled to a break, just as everyone else is, or are you trying to imply that I should subject everyone to unethical work conditions?" Hades had replied.

"No. Of course you can go on a break, but you can't just leave the Underworld without telling me. What if something bad had happened? An emergency? And we didn't know where you were?"

"Was there an emergency?"

"No."

"Then your point is?"

Hecate had thrown her hands up in the air as she had groaned. "There isn't a point!"

"Besides, you know you are to take charge if I am not here, and if not you, then Thanatos, and Minos is easily capable too," he said, marching over to his desk and looping around to the back. Pushing aside his chair, he pulled out the bin that sat at his feet and dropped his empty hot chocolate cup inside. "So, I do not see the problem."

Hecate leant back against her hands and tipped her head back to she was looking at Hades upside down. "I'm just looking out for you. I always do."

"I know, but I also have Nyx to do that," Hades had said when he had dropped down into his chair. "I only went to visit Persephone."

"Persephone?"

"Kore. Demeter's daughter, remember? Though she prefers the name Persephone when she is not around her mother."

"Oh, Persi. Hence the flower," Hecate had said, still trying to look at Hades upside down, but not succeeding well, now he was sat down. She had plucked the flower from behind his ear and asked, "Why?"

"Because she intrigued me," Hades had said, taking the flower back. "She is coming to visit on Friday."

Hecate had leapt off the desk and spun around. "She's coming to visit? On Friday?"

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

"Multiple! To start, you have work on Friday. Your psychopomp shift nonetheless."

"Then I will swap shifts. I will take either Ker's Saturday or Sunday shifts."

Frowning, Hecate had said, "You can't swap Friday. You have Friday precisely because there's one less god on Fridays, and you're better at collecting souls than most."

"I appreciate the compliment, but flattery does not work between you and I," Hades has said, leaning back in his chair. "Ker is a suitable enough replacement, and Friday also has Hermes. A swap will be fine for now. Your next problem?"

"You never have guests, ever! We never have guests, ever. Also, isn't she supposed to stay at home? Demeter will smite you. Also, also, I am sceptical."

"Sceptical? Persephone only wishes to see the Underworld—"

Hecate had leant really close to him then, her red eyes wide as only a few strands fell out of place. "Of course, I'm sceptical. I'll be sceptical of anyone who's suddenly interested in you and the Underworld. We don't take chances, remember? Not after last time."

Not after last time. Hades had frowned. "She is a goddess, not a nymph."

"Even worse, then. We don't trust those from Mount Olympus. So, when she comes here, I'm going to meet with her first, suss her out, and see if she's good, okay?"

"Hecate, there really is nothing wrong."

"I said okay?"

"Okay," he had said, and, satisfied, she had brushed her hair back into place and swept from the room, ready to go back to work. He had put the flower down on his desk, staring at it miserably as he had sighed.

And, he was sighing once again now as he stared at the flower still, only now it was Friday, and the flower was in a vase. The vase was black, of course, just as the rest of his office was. The only bit of colour was the flower.

Finally, as he was mindlessly scribbling down some notes, his phone buzzed.

Hecate: I like her! She's cute!

Hades: I told you there was nothing to worry about.

Hecate: Don't care. Come meet us in the bar ^_^

Why they were in the bar of all places, Hades did not know. After sending saying he was on his way, he stole one last look at Persephone's flower, retrieved his coat from the stand in the corner, then left his office.

It was not hard to find Hecate and Persephone tucked away in the corner of the bar. Persephone was swinging her legs as she nattered away, and Hecate was leaning forward, resting her chin against one hand, and swishing her wine glass around with the other.

If Hades knew Hecate, that was the most expensive glass of wine available, she had, without a doubt, put it on his tab.

"And he's finally here," Hecate said when she spotted Hades approaching the table. Hades rested a hand on the back of Persephone's chair, who gasped when he spoke, and looked up with her wide, glittering eyes.

"Hades!" For the love of the Underworld, she was unfairly pretty, and Hades was already feeling the heat rise to his cheeks when she grinned up at him.

"Persephone, it is good to see you make it here in one piece," Hades said. Hecate groaned, and Hades frowned. That could only mean he had said something wrong, but how was being thankful she made a successful journey wrong? Perhaps he should not have implied she could have turned up to the Underworld in more than one piece.

"Romantic," Hecate said, leaning back in her chair.

Hades simply continued to frown. "Of all the places you could have taken her, you took her to the bar."

"Well, where else are we supposed to go and have a little chat?"

"The staff room," he said. "Or the other staff room. Or the third staff room. Or your office, perhaps. And there is the staff room that everyone forgets about since it is tucked away up a narrow flight of stairs."

"You have a lot of staff rooms," Persephone remarked.

"And this is also a staff room. It's a room where staff hang out. A staff room," Hecate said. "So, by definition, this is a staff room. Besides, I wanted a drink."

"Besides, is there not something else you should be doing right now?" Hades asked.

"Oh, yes, I've got to see Nyx," Hecate said, getting to her feet whilst pulling out her phone. As she started typing away, she picked up her glass and downed the rest of her wine. "She wants the gossip. She feels betrayed you didn't tell her you have a date."

Hades sighed. "It is not a date."

"Oh, but I think it is. We could always ask Aphrodite for her opinion."

"You know my opinions on Aphrodite, and considering her numerous affairs and scandals, I would rather avoid asking for her opinion on my non-existent love life."

Hecate paused from texting, and looked down at Hades, eyebrows raised. "It's not non-existent if you have a date."

Hades sighed again. "Do you not have a job to do?"

"Oh, right. I'm in charge today. I'll have to summon Nyx on my lunch break," Hecate said, putting her phone away as she started to chew. "Have fun and don't do anything stupid."

"As if I would do anything stupid."

"You do, on occasion," Hecate said, blowing a black bubble in his face, before spinning and sauntering away.

Hades sighed for a third time and took up Hecate's chair as Persephone asked, "Where did she get that gum from? I thought she'd swallowed it."

"Witchcraft." Hades would not pretend to know how Hecate's magic worked. "You look… exquisite today. Leaving your hair down suits you, especially with the flowers."

"Thanks, all home grown, obviously," she said, touching one of the flowers in her hair. "You look… expensive. Are those diamonds on your waistcoat?"

Hades glanced down at the pinstripes lined with crystals on his waistcoat. "No, they are rhinestones. A lot less expensive than diamonds, I assure you."

"Oh, first diamonds, now rhinestones. You love to be fancy, don't you?"

"It's… the one thing I have going for me…" Hades muttered. A corpse had no right to look so stuck up, Poseidon would say. "Uh… anyway, I hope Hecate did not infuriate you. I treasure her, but she can be a handful and overprotective at times."

"Overprotective?" Persephone repeated, taking a slow sip of wine.

"Well, yes. She did not want me seeing you until she vetted that you were… good."

"G-good?" Persephone took a large gulp of wine. "Good at what?"

"Just good, in general," Hades replied, searching the room for something else to stare at, something that wasn't her. "Hecate does not trust those from Mount Olympus. For fair reasons, of course. She was only concerned you could be… taking advantage?"

Persephone snorted, then put down her glass so she could cover her face with her hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but Hecate thought I could take advantage of you?"

"She likes to worry about me. Sometimes thinks I cannot handle myself."

The sparkles in Persephone's eyes faded, and she leant back in her chair as she stared down at her wine. "Sounds like my mother…"

"Hecate is not…" Hades frowned. Hecate was nothing like Demeter, he would have said, but Hecate did needlessly worry on occasions. She always had, since she had first found him. "Hecate only does it out of my best interest."

"Still sounds like my mother…" Persephone whispered.

"Then," Hades said, "we must have more in common than we initially thought."

There was a long, long pause, and Hades was internally swearing at himself for already ruining Persephone's first trip to the Underworld. Only, after a moment, she smiled again and said, "So, if was have more in common than we initially thought, is this where you tell me you like big, fat, fluffy marshmallows?"

"I am not sure about those—it has been a while since I last had one—but I can certainly say I like small marshmallows, especially if they are on hot chocolates."

"So, you agree with me? Hot chocolates are the best?"

"I think I may be growing fond of them, yes. I was not a fan of hot drinks before. Tea and coffee are overrated."

"We do have more in common!" Persephone exclaimed, grinning once again. "Red or white wine?"

"Red. An Underworld delicacy."

"Eww. You've already lost me. Oh, oh, favourite film genre?"

"Do not judge me, but I quite fancy a good romantic comedy."

Persephone held a hand to her chest and gasped. "You've won me back over. I love a good romcom. I promise I won't tell anyone Hades, god of the dead, also likes them."

"Please, do not. I fear it would ruin my reputation. Sweets or chocolate?"

"Oh, I love sweets, but I'm definitely a chocolate girl. Hot chocolate, cold chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, milk chocolate, white chocolate… not dark chocolate, though. That's gross."

Taking a mental note that she loved chocolate and marshmallows, for it would surely be relevant in the future, Hades said, "Now you have lost me. Dark is my favourite."

"Eww! But it's so bitter and gross! Next thing I know you're gonna tell me that you like those coconut chocolates too."

"Let me simply say the next time you have a big box of chocolates you can leave all the nutty and coconut ones to me."

"You Underworld folk are gross," she said, sticking out her tongue. "So… what about favourite season, hmm?"

Hades' initial thought was winter, as he was always at home in the cold and dead part of the year. But, as he looked at Persephone, he sucked in a breath. Was she aware of how beautiful she was? In her perfectly fitting, bright dress, with a neckline that showed… a decent amount. He was careful to keep his eyes away, but when he met her eyes, she smirked, and he knew he had been caught.

"Spring, perhaps," he said.

"Perhaps?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Perhaps," he repeated.

She was still smirking as she leant back in her chair, watching him over the top of her wine glass. "So, what's the plan?"

The heat drained from his face. "The plan?"

"You must have a plan," she chortled. "You invited me here."

"I do believe you invited yourself."

"I guess I did." She giggled. "But I don't know anything about the Underworld, so I can't exactly make any plans. Come on, you had an entire day to come up with something."

Hades turned his attention to Hecate's empty glass, now wishing he had gotten himself something to drink to take the edge off. "I apologise. I have never…"

"Been on a date?" she finished. "Or not a date, since that's what you told Hecate."

"I…" Hades frowned. "I will be honest; I am not sure what constitutes of a 'date'."

"Well, a date is, um, a date is…" Persephone took a deep breath, and her bright green eyes were gaining a teal edge to them. "A date is like… when you like someone and want to get to know them better, and maybe see if you have a potential future together. You… know… that sort of thing. A date."

"A potential future together…" Hades echoed. He had thought Persephone had simply been interested in seeing the Underworld, but he had been telling Hecate the other day about how he wanted a companion, so was a date truly a bad idea? "Then, this is a date?"

"Wait, wait, wait, really?" she asked, her cheeks bright red.

"I thought that was what you said?" Hades said, and Persephone squeaked, nudged aside her wine glass, then flopped down on the table, covering her head with her arms. Hades blinked. "I… I apologise if I upset you."

"You didn't," Persephone mumbled. "I'm just not very good at socialising. I'm trying to be confident, but I think I'm just embarrassing myself."

"Well, I think I must be embarrassing myself too, so we have more in common than we initially thought, yes?"

She peeked up at him through her arms. "Yeah, I guess so."

He smiled and held out a hand. "How about we take your mind off of things by having a look around the city?"

"Sounds good," she said, raising her head as she took his hand. "Also, you're quite handsome when you smile."

After choking on the air for a second, Hades said, "I am commonly told I look like a corpse, so you must be mistaken."

Persephone's eyes fluttered up and down as she examined him. "Well, I wouldn't say corpse. You're not exactly rotting, are you? But maybe freakishly pale. Like, really freakishly pale. You don't get much sun, do you?"

Hades held up a hand, examining his literally white fingers, the same literal white as his long hair. "I burn easily."

"Shame, because the sun feels really nice," Persephone said, and she downed the rest of her wine. She grimaced. "For the love of Olympus, that is not made for gulping down. How did Hecate manage?"

"Witchcraft," Hades replied.

After dropping off the empty glasses at the bar, Hades led Persephone back outside. Seeing her shiver as she looked up at Cerberus, Hades coaxed Cerberus to stand down for so Persephone could pet him. The tension in her limbs faded, and perhaps she was a little too pleased with petting Cerberus, and she was completely unfazed when all three heads licked her face. Hades had to gently nudge her away, otherwise she might end up stealing his dog.

"You might be a little too noticeable in your bright colours," Hades said, pulling off his black coat before they left the gate. "Take this. It will hopefully make you stand out a little less. If word somehow got back to Demeter, there would be trouble."

"Oh, so gentlemanly," she crowed as she pulled on the coat. It wasn't a perfect fit, as it was tailored to his overwhelmingly slim frame, and whilst it came down to his knees, it almost reached her ankles. Still, she hugged it to herself and said, "Very cosy. Let me guess. It's pretty expensive, huh?"

"Very," Hades said. She did not need to know the exact price.

She broke out into a beautiful grin. "Then I'll just have to keep it safe, won't I?"

Even with the coat, she drew the citizens' attention anyway, as she skipped on ahead and danced through the streets, giggling under the permanently dark sky. Hades found he could not watch her without his heart wanting to escape his chest. Maybe she did stand out but standing out was not bad; like the last drop of hope in a box of pain and sorrow.

Admittedly, Hades was not the most familiar with the entire city. It was an awfully large city, after all, but mostly it was due to his lack of socialising. He woke up at home, went to work, then came back home, six days of the week without fail. He only went out when work required it, or if Cerberus needed a walk.

They walked aimlessly around the city, where they ended up at a coffee shop. They paused to test the hot chocolate there, which Hades claimed could not contest against the hot chocolate at Cassie's Coffee. The barista that had just served them frowned.

"It's because I make my hot chocolate with love and affection," Persephone said. "That, and mortal hot chocolate isn't black."

The barista frowned even more.

As they continued to stroll through the city, Persephone looped her arm through Hades', hugging close to him. He had stiffened at first, but relaxed when she started to natter away about whatever was on her mind, the current subject being the pros and cons of the Underground's permanent nighttime. As she weighed in on her decision that, surely, it must get boring, and the poor, poor plants must suffer greatly, Hades' phone buzzed, and he checked it to see a message from Hecate.

Hecate: How's the date going?

Hades: Hecate, please.

Hecate: Please what?

Hades: Hecate, I could dock your pay if you so desire.

Hecate: I do not desire. Have fun ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Hades: What does that face even mean?

But Hecate did not reply, though Persephone did squeeze a little closer to Hades, looking up at him with bright green eyes as she asked, "Anything interesting?"

"Only Hecate being herself," he replied honestly, glancing at the time. "We have spent a surprising amount of time simply wondering the city."

"Well, you know what they say. Time flies when you're having fun," Persephone said. "Still, I should probably be going back soon… I need to be home before Mother gets back. That, and there's some mac and cheese in the fridge that needs to be eaten today. Sorry to cut it short…"

"No need to be sorry. There will surely be a next time, yes?"

Persephone pulled his coat closer around her as she peered up with her wide eyes. "A next time? Like… a second date?"

He coughed, unable to meet her gaze. "Well, I was under the illusion that one did not just go on a single date, unless you did not like the person, perhaps."

Holding her hands to her face and hiding her smile, Persephone asked, "Does that mean you like me? I mean, not like you like like me, but like… you normal like me? Wow, I just used the word 'like' way too many times. Mother would be annoyed."

"Yes, I think I like you," Hades said, with a small smile.

"Then, I think I like you too," Persephone said, smiling back.

Arm in arm, they headed back to the Underworld, where Hermes and Hecate were waiting for them, just in front of Cerberus. Hermes was floating, cross-legged in the air, arms crossed and frowning, and Hecate was glued to her phone.

"Thank Olympus, you're finally here," Hermes whined when the pair approached. "I was about to report Hecate for workplace harassment."

"I just said I was a better psychopomp," Hecate said, not looking up from her phone.

"Workplace harassment," Hermes repeated.

"If you would stop stealing the odd knick-knack then I wouldn't have to harass you."

"Look! She just admitted to harassment. Also, I'm the god of thieves and—"

"Other irritating scoundrels?" asked Hades.

"Other adventurous disasters?" suggested Persephone.

"Yes, I prefer that one," Hermes said, dropped his feet to the floor. "Well, I hope you had a good time, and I guess I should thank you for cutting my workday short."

"We had a great time," Persephone chirped as she handed Hades back his coat. "But there was so much more to see. I'm just going to have to come back."

Hermes groaned. "Am I going to have to act as a messenger every week now?"

"It is your job," Hecate said, still not looking up from her phone.

"Have fun until then," Persephone said, brushing a hair behind Hades' ear. "And don't be too dreary in the meantime."

"It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Hecate said, finally looking up from her phone to she could take Persephone's hand and kiss her on the knuckles, causing Persephone to giggle. Hades frowned over the top of Persephone's head, Hecate shrugged, and Hermes groaned.

"Are we going now?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, we're going," Persephone said, skipping back over to Hermes, who hoisted her up in his arms without a sweat. Hades frowned when Persephone curled up in Hermes' arms, but then she blew Hades a kiss, wiping the frown from his face. It was not like when Hecate blew him a kiss to intentionally rile him up. When Hades smiled slightly in response, Hermes shook his head and spun around, disappearing up into the sky.

After a moment of staring at where the other two had disappeared, Hades asked, "So, do you approve of her?"

"Yes, most certainly," Hecate said, pointing up at his ear. "Nice flower, by the way."

Hades touched the flower tucked behind his ear and smiled. "Thank you…"

A/N

Happy Valentine's Day! I, like Hecate, am aroace, so I'm not actually celebrating lol, but I did find it funny Hades and Persephone's first date was scheduled to be posted today! Also as I was writing future chapters I realised Hades is also ace, so read him as such, but don't expect it to be canon anytime soon because he hasn't figured it out. See you for the next update, where we'll be seeing some more new characters! (Hint: they're humans this time)

Blake