hi.

Solitaire

Chapter 7

Useless

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Persephone scratched the armrest of the stiff wooden chair in front of Hestia. "You haven't even heard me out."

"It's out of the question." Hestia rolled her eyes and opened up her brand new laptop.

"It wasn't a question." Persephone tried to hide the edge in her voice. The scratch marks on the chair deepened. "I'm withdrawing my application."

"Look, Kore." Hestia glanced over her screen and lowered her reading glasses. "Sometimes in life, we get what we want." Persephone knew this tone of voice. She'd heard it on the lecture series her mother made her watch when she was ten years old. "But other times we don't get what we want. And the biggest lessons we learn are when we are denied our desires. You don't learn anything from winning. You don't learn anything from getting what you want. Only in self sacrifice and giving, are you-"

"Hestia." Persephone closed her eyes, protecting her resolve. "I'm withdrawing my application."

"No, sweetie. You aren't." Hestia looked back at her computer screen. "It's not your application to withdraw."

"What?" Persephone blinked her eyes wide open.

"Do you know what destiny and fate are? They are the things that which we are bound for, no matter how much we run from it. It's your fate to join us here at TGOEM."

"Fate?" Persephone raised one single eyebrow in utter disbelief. "So are you saying you know and can interpret the will of the three fates?"

Hestia leaned back cooly. "Well, I wouldn't go so far—"

"You don't know anything. And you can't force me."

Hestia took the sudden rebellious flower in stride casually. There was no point in her arguments. "It's not up to you."

Persephone stood up, breaking off the arm of the chair with her. "Then who is it up to?"

"Demeter, wait inside." Zeus commanded and slammed the car door behind him. They'd arrived at the palace's east entrance, where the courtrooms are. The car was still running in it's parked spot by the stairsteps.

Persephone heard Zeus's muffled voice mixed with the angry sounds of her mother outside, but it was like they were speaking on the other side of a waterfall. Noise in the background. She was much too preoccupied with the touch of cold metal under her raised fingertips as she dragged it through, what most would presume to be empty air. She looped her finger down, finding a corner of the cold plated metal, then sweeping up gently, as if she were caressing the face behind the helmet. She swirled her hand up until it found the tip of one of the decorative horns. She smiled, only able to imagine what he looked like right now. Hades controlled his breath but it hitched suddenly and Persephone felt the release of hot air on the skin of her shoulder. A bizarre desire took over. She leaned closer, determined to find where the gap in the helmet was for his lips. Just as her fingers glided over the edge, barely touching his invisible and impossibly pillowy lips, Zeus opened the door.

She froze in place.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's get this over with." He looked at his watch and then up into the car. "Uh. You. . . uh. You alright?" He saw Persephone on her knees in the backseat leaned over with her hands in the air.

"Yup. Just a pump up ritual I have." She zipped her hands to the side, but her left hand banged against the other horn of the Helm of Darkness. "Ouch."

She hopped out of the car. More paparazzi where here this time. But the palace staff had set up barricades, prepared for the media ordeal. Zeus and his "prisoner" made it safely up the palace steps without incident.

No one saw Hades freeze as Demeter stood up from her seat and cry out dramatically. "Kore, my baby!" It echoed through the court room and everyone turned their heads. Reporters with access to the room were already scribbling away on notepads. Words like "an emotional heart felt reunion between mother and daughter" splattered across their paper.

"Mom." Persephone returned sadly. Her chest tightened. Everything was so different now. Everything had changed. Including herself. In another life time, she would have run up to her mother, wrapped her hands around her, wanting nothing more to be held by the arms that raised her. Smell the sweet barely on her skin, as she dug her face into the spot on her mother's chest that had always felt like home. She would have clutched on to her momma and felt safe. But that was before. And she could never go back.

"Why, dear." Hestia said calmly, patronizingly. "Your arrangement to join us here in sisterhood was made while you were still in your mother's womb."

"My mother?" Persephone wilted, hearing the thing she knew to be true but didn't want to believe. All those years, making Persephone believe she had the option. Making her think it was her choice. Her idea.

"Why, yes, of course." Hestia smiled, but it was the kind of sick smile of a viper before they unhinge their jaw. "She loves you very much and is looking out for you."

"So, all this talk about needing to do more for my application."

"Well, I didn't want to think we would just hand it to you. We still have an image to maintain you know."

"But I don't want it." Persephone dug in her bag and pulled out a check. "Here is the money back. For school. I'm paying TGOEM back."
Hestia's controlled expression faltered. Her eye on the money watching like a hawk. "How did you—?"

"I'm trying to do the right thing, Hestia. I'm not the type of—" Persephone's jaw dropped as Hestia tore the check into pieces. The fragments floated to the carpet.

"Your money's no good to me. I don't care about this. I don't want your money. I want you. You're a smart girl. You'll learn so much from this experience. Now, be a good girl and close the door on your way out."

Persephone stared at her nervously bouncing leg for a moment then shut her eyes, squeezing them tight like she used to as a kid when she thought there were strange shadows lurking in her room. Three. She began to count. Two. She drew in a breath. One. She opened her eyes. "Why, yes, of course." Persephone mirrored Hestia's line back at her like a weapon laced with pretty ribbons.

Perspehone said nothing. As Demeter ran up to her, shoving Zeus aside, she held her arms out for her daughter. To return home.

Hades watched a peculiar array of emotions flicker faster than lightning through Persephone's face. She said nothing, as Demeter pulled her into a large hug and encircled her within the protection of her embrace.

Hades looked on as an argument arose the second everyone had sat down at the negotiating table. A back and forth ensued.

"Stop with this foolishness and release my daughter back to me."

"Her punishment isn't over."

"This system is grossly misogynistic. If she were a man you would have given her a slap on the wrist and a high five."

"Are you calling into question my authority?"

"I'm calling you out."

"With all due respect," Hera slammed her hands down the table. "I was the one that made Persephone's sentencing and I was being soft, because she is your daughter. Do not take advantage of our kindness." Swirly of golden rage crackled around the queen of the gods.

Demeter balked. "You?"

"Persephone is intact, isn't she? She's had more freedom than any before her. If you are spouting inequality, we could get a handle on that and even it up a bit. There's room besides Prometheus."

Hades watched tense, unable to say anything, stuck in a prison of his own making. He was less than the ghosts of his realm here. Unable to be seen, unable to be heard. Just a helpless bystander in this situation. On one hand, rooting for Persephone's freedom, agreeing for once, with Demeter about the cruel and unusual punishments from his brother. On the other hand, sensing this was not what Persephone wanted at all. Confused, he didn't know who to stand by. Persephone, saying nothing, was making this rather difficult. What did she want? Who's side was she on? It's as if she didn't care. Or was she concealing something else?

He thought she would be delighted to see her mother again. Cheering her on as she rallied on her behalf. But nothing. No comment or plea. No argument for her own sake.

He didn't like this one bit. Part of him wondered if he was being selfish. They'd seemed to have made a connection recently. And now, just as they had started talking again, for her to go away. He chastised himself with these thoughts. It was selfish. She was a prisoner in his realm.

Right?

He watched the back and forth. At least, she'd led everyone to believe she was a prisoner. But then the things Zeus had said. Is it possible?

"Fine." Zeus huffed. "Persephone's sentence will be shortened and she'll be put on mortal realm parole at the end of a fortnite." The thunder of his gavel ricocheted seriously through the marble courtroom. While Demeter cheered Hades saw the twitch of defeat in Persephone's eyes as her new sentence had been agreed upon. So that was that.

Hades cocked his head to the side, the edge of his helmet hitting at his shoulder. Is it possible, she wanted to be —

He shook his head and sighed. Why would anyone want to be in the underworld. He didn't even want to. He was serving his own kind of sentence. It will be good. Hades told himself. It will be good, for Persephone to be out on top and be in the sunlight again. A goddess like her, with her powers, shouldn't be hidden in the dark. It would be a crime in and of itself.

As they made their way back to the Underworld, the idea kept swirling in his mind. Their conversations. Their chess game. Was being in hs realm, where she wanted to be? And now, Demeter, through her business acumen, was she taking her away from. At the end of a fortnite. Zeus kept his promise at least to Persephone. To buy her more time.

"Well. That was a bit of disaster." Zeus sighed as he pulled up to the apartment complex.

Hera rode in the passenger seat this time. They had been silent the whole journey back to the Underworld, only sharing glances back and forth. Until now. "It could have been worse." Hera folded her hands in her lap. "I know Demeter. She could have threatened a lot more to have her way. To be honest, I felt like she showed a lot of weakness."

Persephone pulled herself off of the cold window. "Well. The good news is I don't think my situation could get any worse."

"I wouldn't hold your breath." Zeus parked outside the entrance and peered around the parking lot. "I don't see any paps here."

"Still need to be careful." Hera got out first. "They're always watching." She threw on a pair of sunglasses and a stern face.

They led her back into the apartment building. Persephone yawned, thinking only about her bed and a nice cup of tea.

"I got it from here, thanks." Persephone hopped off the elevator. "Thanks for-." She waffled, something was wrong. Smoke filled the air. Burnt embers filled Persephone lungs. Heat touched her skin instead of the chill of the underworld she had gotten so accustomed to.

"NO!" Persephone shouted as she ran down the hallway, into the smoke, disappearing behind the grey.

"Persephone. Wait!" Hera called but it was futile.

"Alright. We have to call Hades. This isn't good." Zeus pulled out his phone. The smoke reddened his eyes. While the phone rang, he punched a hole through the side of the building for the smoke to escape. "Who would do this?"

Dammit, Hades cursed silently. He dove into the cover of the smoke as his phone in his pocket rang. He flung his helmet off around the corner.

Hera turned towards the sound of Hades phone. "What?" She peered out, but her eyes burned. Out from the shadows, the smoke swirled mysteriously and Hades appeared, his phone in one hand. He had been silent and useless all day. Watching events pass by like a fly on the wall. He wouldn't stand by now.

"Persephone!" Hera shouted and pointed in her direction. But Hades was already running down the hall after her.

Coughing, the goddess of spring held her arm over her mouth and stood in front of her unlocked and open door. Flames had consumed her peace. Fire had eaten at her plants until they shriveled into dust. They scorched the bookshelves and feasted on all the furniture. The only space she could be herself and it was ablaze. Hatred fueled the flame. This was not just some hooligans in the apartment. This was more than a threat. This was an attack.

"No!" Persephone cried out. The most emotion she had shown in months and it was a pain. Without any hesitation, she dove into the fire.