Enjooooooy!
Nosy Neighbors
2
Falling. Time slips between his fingers, but now he slips between the fingers of time. Grasping at air. A silent scream stuck in his throat. A silence that will stay for years to come. The same old nightmare. Swallowed into - A bed of pink tulips. Petals so soft, they felt like a warm breeze. He found himself in a field dotted with color, not the darkness of eternity. Light radiated, not from the sun, but all around him. He reached up to touch the tall purple allium-gladiators that bowed forward towards him in the gentle wind.
"Hades." She whispered from far away. "Hades." The voice cleared up, drawing nearer. "Hades." A cool hand traced his forehead down to his nose and pushed up, wrinkling his nose. "Wake up. You're groping my boobs."
The king of the underworld blinked from the back seat of Thetis's car. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry." Hades muttered still fogged by his recent unconsciousness. What happened?
"Hades?" Persephone smirked.
"Yes?" Hades asked sheepishly.
"Your hand." Pointedly, she looked down at her chest where Hades' palm still wrapped around her breast.
"Right." Hades nodded. "Sorry." He moved his hand slowly down her stomach and over her thigh to the hem of her dress where her soft pink skin began. "Where are we?" He pulled up on his elbows, but Persephone pushed him back down into the cushion.
"Fleeing." Persephone reminded him. "Thetis just stopped at a gas station to get some snacks. We're worried about your blood sugar levels. How are you?" She checked the side of his cheek with the back of her hand. A warm blush rose under her fingertips as Hades moved his hands further down Persephone's legs to her knees that were dangerously placed against his chest. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be pinned down by her. To be smothered by her. Restrained.
"Me?" He cleared his throat (and his head.) "I think the real question is how are you?"
Persephone sighed and leaned forward over Hades till her lips were just inches away. He felt her cool breath on his long eyelashes. "Well. Despite facing a future in which I have to drop out of school, become homeless, and battle scandalous headlines for the rest of eternity, I'm doing remarkably well."
"What?" Hades sat up, holding Persephone up on his lap. "Drop out? Homeless?"
"Oh." Persephone laughed nervously. "Well. You know. Part of the whole eternal maiden thing was an academic scholarship and room and board with Artemis. So." Persephone scratched behind her ear nervously.
"Persephone." Gears started turning. "I- I didn't know. If I had-."
A pink finger closed up worried lips. "If you had known, you wouldn't have. . ." She took in a deep breath and smiled warmly down to Hades red eyes. She curled her other hand into his hair. "You wouldn't have given me the best two days of my life." Persephone replaced her finger with her lips, gently kissing Hades.
He pulled apart, concerned. "But your life is. . . it's falling apart." Hades crushed her into a firm embrace, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.
He felt a nip on his skin. Persephone pulled out of his embrace, just so she could cradle Hades face in her hands. "You know. Being a Goddess of Spring, I control the first growth. From seed to first sprout. Do you know something? For the plant to live, the seed must die. The life that is crumbling apart, gives way for a better one."
Hades blinked. He thought he'd already seen the best of Persephone, but she still kept surprising him with more lovely and admirable qualities. Wisdom - Hades checked off an imaginary box in his head. "Persephone. How old are you?"
"Old enough." Persephone smirked. He'd had enough for one day.
"You're not upset?" Hades still felt terrible.
"I'm -." Persephone looked down at Hades chest between her knees. "I am nervous. I'm scared." Meekly, she smiled, a kind of sadness hidden in the curve of her lips. "Everything is going to change now. I don't know what happens tomorrow." She shivered.
"Whatever happens." Hades started softly. "You won't face it alone."
"No?" Persephone's eyes widened.
"Y-y-y-y-" Hades pursed his lips in embarrassment.
Persephone eyes widened even further. She waited patiently.
"Y-you." Hades caressed the tops of her cheeks where a cluster of dark pink freckles lived. "You have me." He let out like a deep secret. "I-i-if, of course," Hades put an addendum to his statement. "If you want me. That is."
"If I want you?" Persephone bit her lip. "Was I not clear earlier? You're so uncertain." Seductively, Persephone slipped her knees to either side of Hades' chest, straddling his waist with her thighs. "What do I need to do to make you understand," She paused to lift her dress up. "That you're everything I want."
Breath left Hades. In another dazed moment, his belt buckle was undone. "Persephone." he whispered with the only air left in the car.
"Hades." Persephone smirked. "Your hands?"
He blinked up at her confused. She looked down pointedly at her breast.
"Oh. Right." Hades grinned and cupped them rightfully under the curve of her breast. She felt his growing bulge beneath her and she licked her lips. With Hades, she wasn't nervous anymore.
HONK!
Persephone yelped. And Hades hair stood straight on end.
"Knock-knock." Thetis returned from the gas station with a white plastic bag in her hand. "Whatever was happening in her, break it up. Pull your pants up. Push your dress down. Momma Thetis has snacks."
As they continued on down the road, Hades silently chewed on a licorice candy. Maiden. Kore. Virgin. Hades eyed Persephone from the side as she chatted with Thetis. Though she had qualmed his initial reservations, he still couldn't help feeling guilty. He pulled the chewy candy, snapping it off with his front teeth. Persephone was right. If she had told him any of this, he would have put a pause on their actions. He looked out the window, catching his brooding reflections against the dark skyline. Or would he?
Persephone scrambled up in the front seat next to Thetis. She felt Hades thinking through something and decided to give him some space.. She didn't know Hades very well, but she knew she was a lot. She knows what it's like to just want some space to think. Back in the mortal realm, when the flower nymphs all fell asleep, she would slip away in the middle of the night just to breath and look up at the night sky. Not worry about other people's needs and wants, just for a few quiet moments. During festivals, once the ceremonies were completed, her "thank you for comings" had been said, and her duties checked off, she liked to climb the highest tree to get away from the noise, separating herself from the crowd to be herself. She only came back down when people began to notice her absence. Sometimes it took hours.
"So how do you like working for Zeus?" Persephone smiled, making casual conversation.
Thetis' lips twitched into a smirk. "It's tough work, but I love what I do." She tapped the steering wheel. "It's a work hard play hard environment." She leaned closer to Persephone. "Can you keep a secret?"
Persephone shrugged honestly..
Thetis continued on anyway. "I actually prefer working for his brother Poseidon." She laughed. "Though, not sure if you can call that working at all. I'm very good at doing nothing."
Persephone laughed. "I think I'd get too bored. My hands always have to be doing something."
"Oh, my hands had plenty to do." Thetis smirked. "Alright." She pulled up suddenly and put the car in park."Hey broody boy." She swiveled to the back seat, catching Hades off guard. "We're here."
Hades sat in a swivel chair in front of a mirror. A makeup artist put light blue concealer under his eyes to hide the tired half moons sunken into his cheeks. She trimmed and flicked out his eyebrows. Put a light powder on his nose and forehead. Another nymph combed and gelled his hair back. He hated every second in that chair. They tried to dress him in some of Zeus's clothes, but Hades objected outright. Groomed like one of his dogs. Keeping up appearances, for appearances sake. Watching as they tried to make him look. . . better. He was an almighty powerful god. Wasn't he supposed to already be radiant? Perfect. Youth was not something granted to him in his immortality. What were the optics of him standing next to a flower bud of radiant youth. Death weighed on Hades. What right did he have to bring her down with him? Did he already do too much damage? Right now she was sitting in another make up room, getting ready. Ready to let the world judge her. Getting ready to face the cruel reality of vicious slander.
Maiden. Kore. Virgin.
This could have all been avoided if he hadn't been so foolishly intoxicated by her. He should have protected her. This was all his fault. Did he take advantage of her? She's young. He stared at himself in the mirror. Red eyes glowing back. The nymph's trying tirelessly to soften his appearance, but no amount of makeup or hair gel could hide the fact that he was King of the Underworld. Dark ruler of the dead. Master of monsters. The Unseen one.
His hands curled into tight fists. Persephone was a stranded guest in his house. She had no way to leave. Red eyes looked disappointingly back at him.
He thought back to that moment in the kitchen. Reevaluating every detail with this new perspective, trying to find the moments where he pushed her.
Hades began unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "Look, we can do this in the kitchen if you want, but I have to warn you. . . there are no blinds in here and my neighbors are super nosy."
Persephone turned her head to look at him. "Why would they mind you helping me with my hair?"
Fuck.
She gazed up at him and smiled, "I'm Persephone, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Persephone." Hades said between shallow breaths. "I'm Hades."
Fuck.
Hades shook his head, at the annoyance of the hairstylist currently trimming his sides. "Sorry." He grumbled.
It was all starting to make so much sense. Little hesitations in their first encounter on the kitchen counter. The way her fingers trembled on his chest as she undid his shirt. He was used to those hesitations. Used to the fear behind them. Every sexual encounter he had, his partner always had reservations. A slight sense of dread of undressing with the king of the underworld. The gasps at his scars. The unsure glances. The fee upfront. No one wanted Hades. Not really.
"Hades." A gorgon with a headpiece popped in the doorway. "They're ready for you."
Hades stood up and the nymphs backed away. As good as it was gonna get. He checked himself in the mirror one more time, then followed the gorgon into the hallway.
A hand slide into his. "Hey." Persephone beamed up at him, easy going in her affection. She squeezed his hand. "You look nice. I like the hair."
Hades face softened, a spell no make up artist could do.
She pulled on his jacket. "Didn't change your clothes, huh? Lucky." She twisted the hem of her skirt. A polished A-line with lace dress now draped across her body. "It's supposed make me look more sophisticated." Hades gifted coat still wrapped around her shoulders.
"You look lovely." Hades squeaked out. He wanted to say more but was conscious of the plethora of people in the back hallways.
"Alright." The gorgon with the headpiece turned around to them. "Your speech is on the teleprompter. They'll be no QA following. We'll have a car ready for you afterwards. Ready?"
Hades nodded.
"Wait." Persephone held her hand up. She spun about and hugged Hades deeply, burying her face into the inside of his jacket.
All of Hades walls crumbled, and he couldn't help himself but comfort her back. She held his hand softly.
"I'm ready." Persephone nodded and bit her lip. Her eyes big and full of some emotion, nervous anticipation. She pulled down her white panties. They fell to the kitchen floor. Her legs wrapped around Hades waist once more pulling him in. He bent over her and kissed her exposed breast, pushed up over her dress that hung loosely around her waist. With a free hand he pushed his pants down, and felt her breath catch. "Woah." She whispered. Pausing, he eyed her with concern. She gulped then stared back up at him.
"Is everything alright?" Hades cocked his head to the side.
"Ahuh." Persephone nodded. Curiously, she reached out her fingertips and glided them along his length. Her pupils growing wider. Hades growing firmer. "Huh."
"Persephone?" Hades blinked. "Do you want to slow down?"
"No." Persephone answered hurriedly. Her grip tightened around his shaft. "No."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "It's just that, you're really big." She winced as she said it.
Before Hades could find his tongue and figure out how to respond to that, Persephone pulled his face on top of hers and gasped into his open lips, still in a daze. Quickly, he snapped out out of it and his body began to take control again, rolling over Persephone. She guided his tip to her eager wetness. As he moved across her aching zone, Persephone held her breath. Her fingers tightened along counter edge and her legs tensed, anticipating the first thrust.
Hades gently kissed her collar bone as he aligned himself. "I won't hurt you." He promised into her soft skin. His lips still on her chest, he felt her lungs expand in a wild gasp as he dipped inside her. His breath hitched too. She was so warm. And so tight. He thrusted again and Persephone's mouth fell into an open 'o' shape. He thrusted again and felt her open up a little more. Her hands, once fists, now curled around her chest. Her legs fell open on the counter top.
"Are you alright?" He asked kindly.
"Don't." She panted. She blinked up at him with an odd bewildered expression. "Don't stop."
Hades realized those hesitations weren't because she was nervous to have sex with him. She hesitated because she had never done it before. Like anyone would be nervous for their first time. She wasn't anxious because of him. She wanted him and felt safe enough with him to let that be her first time.
Hades had been wanted before. For his power. For his money. For his family. He realized, he didn't know what it was like to be wanted for just himself. He had always assumed that for anyone to be with them, there had to be some other gain. Money, materials, fame. He never quite fathomed what it meant for someone to just want to be with him, full stop.
As the curtains were pulled back and lights began flashing, Persephone leaned her head against Hades' arm. "Together." She whispered.
And together they walked out on stage.
Minthe huffed into the apartment, slamming the red eviction notice tapped on her door on the coffee table. "Pick up you lousy piece of shit." She dialed Hades again. "Fuck fuck fuck." Minthe timbered back into the couch. "Fuck Hades." She pulled a pillow across her face and screamed into it. "No, no, no." Minthe tried to get a hold of herself. "It's fine." She nodded. "This is what we wanted. We wanted some space. He was getting to close." She stared at her reflection in the black TV screen. "So we pushed him away." Her eyes perked up. "Hades is a pendulum. Push him away, he comes right back." She stared at herself a moment then rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. A re-run of "Cocytus Shore" played. Amidst the back talking and name calling the show got interrupted. The news channel theme song played. "Ugh." Minthe was about to change the channel.
"We interrupt this television programing with breaking news from Olympus." A goron in a red suit jacket announced into a mic. "During a press release, Hades, king of the dead, became engaged to be married. We bring you live to the scene."
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
AN: Thank you for reading! Do you want more?
xoxo Goldie