Chapter 9

Hades

I stormed out of the room with rage flooding every part of me. What had the foolish woman been thinking? Did she really think that she could have any power over me in my own kingdom? I continued blustering until I was back in my private room. Once there, I began to admit to myself that my anger wasn't actually against her. It was against myself. Anger, pain, embarrassment, fear all crowded my heart. Anger at myself. Pain at seeing her so afraid. Embarrassment from how she had ripped my actions apart and showed me the deep flaws in my own thinking. Fear of the thought that I had ruined everything beyond repair.

I supposed that Persephone's reaction must be very normal, under the circumstances. Didn't I feel exactly the same when I first came to this dismal kingdom… my thoughts trailed off. I felt sickened at the horrifying question that came into my mind. Was I turning into Zeus, inflicting pain on others with no thought for anyone but myself? But I needed Persephone. I-I loved her.

That didn't matter, she was never going to love me now, not after what I had done. I slammed a hand against the great stone fireplace, cursing myself over and over again. My tired thoughts flew to solutions. Perhaps there was a way to undo all of this? But not even a god can take back his actions.

I just hadn't expected it. I knew she would be confused, yes, and frightened, but she would get over it. She hadn't been frightened when we spoke at the banquet. In fact, she had been rather bold. And then when we spoke just the night before, she had looked at me with such yearning. I had been too caught up in focusing on how Zeus or Demeter would react, and no time on how Persephone might feel. I had never even considered that she might not want me.

But why had she fallen to the ground? I had assumed that I would have to chase her down to prevent her from falling off a cliff or something in the dim light, but when I had used my god-power to kill her plants…. I had used that particular power very little in the past. In fact, not at all since the Titan War.

That direction of thought scared me the most.

I sat wearily in front of the large stone fireplace. The fire flickered to life. Images began to appear again. The first scene showed me myself, alone and betrayed. I remembered that day. It was the day I had promised that, no matter what, I would never be like Zeus. The scene in the fireplace shifted to show a completely different Hades, one who didn't care about others, one who sought his own advancement above the wants and needs of others, and, more disturbingly, above his own personal morals. This Hades sat on a throne that was constructed of human bones. The fire went out. I rubbed my hand across my eyes to dispel the image, but it still lingered.

I'm not becoming Zeus, I insisted to myself. I couldn't be. I tried to push the thought out of my mind. I noticed a flicker out of the corner of my eye, but didn't stay to see what else the fire had for me. I all but fled the room.

I need to get rid of that fireplace, I thought grimly, slowing down to a calmer walk. I told myself that it had caused this problem in the first place. I knew that was a lie. There was no one to blame but myself.

I realized, however, that what my hearth had shown to me earlier had indeed clarified my thoughts. For so long, I had obsessed over what had happened with Zeus. It had consumed my thoughts and dominated the reasons behind my actions. Now, for the first time, thoughts of something else were slowly taking over. Whether or not this would be a good thing, I couldn't tell, but it was significant.

In my wanderings, I ended up in my large, geometric throne room. The dour room had a heavy air to it, an air that seemed to be ubiquitous throughout the entire Underworld. And, for once, it was completely empty. After having all those souls to judge at once, I had decided to stop judging them personally. It was too much for me to do by myself. I had delegated the duty to three judges, all of whom had been kings in their previous lives.

Distractedly, I weaved through one column and out another, agonizing over what to do. The columns were shaped like grotesque gargoyles with leering faces. Some might have found them repulsive. I had long ago become indifferent to the hideousness of the saturnine Underworld and had come to even like it. Their presence made me feel as if I weren't the only sufferer in the world. I made my way to my cold throne and sat down with a sigh.

Was there a way to send Persephone home? That might be the best course of action. Except I had said it myself: it was against the law for her to stay away forever. I could accompany her to the world above for short amounts of time, or even give her permission to leave by herself for a time. But if I did that, she would want to spend all of her time up there and never give me another thought. No, it would be better if she became resigned first and then slowly grew to view the Underworld as her home.

A thought struck me. Perhaps this was a situation, like the judging, that I couldn't quite manage on my own. It had been so long since I had really interacted with people, and more especially with women, that maybe an intercessor of sorts would help. I needed someone that could become friendly with Persephone and persuade her to think more kindly about me. Yes, that could work.

I summoned one of my servants to the throne room. As I waited, I wondered where in the world I would find the right person. Just then, a woman walked in. Her face was thin ,and she had her brown hair pulled back in a tight bun, giving her a severe look. However, smile wrinkles lined her mouth and eyes. I remembered her name was Aspasia. As a dutiful servant who had always followed my orders to the letter in the past, she would be perfect.

"Yes, my lord?" She asked softly.

I studied her.

"You're a woman," I said clumsily. "Do you know how to...speak to another woman?" The question tumbled out awkwardly. Damm. I was really out of practice talking to people.

"I'm sure I could, though it has been many years since I've spoken with any that are still living." So she guessed I was talking about the new Queen. I supposed it must have gone around the whole Underworld. Even though most of my servants were dead, or, rather, undead, they were incorrigible gossips.

"There's something I need you to do." I explained my plan to her.

"If that's what you wish me to do, my lord, I am more than happy to help."

"Thank you, Aspasia. Make sure she has everything she wants. Maybe we can show her that the Underworld has some benefits to it."

Aspasia inclined her head towards me in a sort of a bow and left to carry out her orders.

I got up and began pacing again. This ploy might work, but honestly, the easiest way to get out of this predicament would be to force Persephone to eat food grown in the Underworld. Any person who did that found themselves desiring to stay more than anything else. Beyond that, it would seal her into the Underworld stronger than any other power could. Even the marriage Zeus had performed could be ended by him.

I paused in my pacing. That loose end had not occurred to me before. I could very likely be compelled to force Persephone into eating if I wanted to keep her here. I felt sick at the thought.

Though I felt no qualms against covert deceiving, something about outright force seemed wrong to me. I promised myself right then and there that I would not stoop so low. It didn't matter if she didn't speak to me for three thousand years, I would never break my promise.

However, the thought occurred to me that persuasion or even a bit of trickery wouldn't be wrong. It was all part of the game, after all. The thought cheered me up somewhat and I immediately began devising ways to trick her into eating the fruit.