Chapter Text

The city was as desolate but at the same time as full of life as the gate. The red haze and kicked up cream dust hung over everything, from the people, to the buildings, and the occasional animal. Yet in that oppressive atmosphere, a bustling market trade existed. Hades couldn't see what the citizens were trading but they were doing so very enthusiastically, almost violently.

A woman from behind him in the line bumped him harshly as she passed. The force was such that he fell over despite his considerable height. She didn't stop but a young man did, hauling Hades up wordlessly and leaving into the crowd soon after.

Hades looked back at the gate to see it fully closed and the guards walking away. The populace cleared in front of them, shying away from the golden collars. His previous experience with the guards had been…uncomfortable to say the least but it was becoming clear that none of the regular citizens of the Underworld were interested in helping him. Hades screwed up his courage and approached one of them, a tall man with blonde hair and a ruby red scarf.

"Excuse me," he started. The man spun on him, bright purple eyes blinking.

"Yes?"

"I-I was wondering if anyone could, well, explain what's going on to me?"

The man's eyes softened. Literally, the deep purple shade of before faded to a soft violet.

"You're new aren't you?"

"Yes I-" Persephone's voice slammed into his head. Don't tell him you're alive! Hades winced.

"I am. New here, that is."

The man nodded. "Come to the bar with me; it's been a long day."

Hades followed the man down a series of side streets, the red haze shaded orange by the shadows of the overlooking buildings, despite the lack of a visible sun.

They entered a structure with a slightly larger façade than the others and dark brown shutters. The room inside took up the entire size of the building itself. The right side was entirely taken up by a glossed oak bar, with a mirror against the wall behind it. Liquors of all types were lined up on the shelf behind the bar, multiplying to infinite number in the mirror.

A few patrons were seated on the stools and the tables that were spread out on the left side, but those on the stools moved away from the center as the guard and Hades approached. The bartender flinched as the guard approached as well but didn't move away, leaning her arms on the bar.

The guard took a stool and waved Hades to the one next to him. The bartender arched an eyebrow at the guard silently.

"Blue Lagoon," the guard said, slamming his hand on the bar.

The bartender rolled her eyes. She turned soundlessly to Hades.

"Savoy Affair, if you have it please."

For his grace he got a raised eyebrow and the edge of a smile. Then the bartender turned around to make the drinks and the guard grabbed Hades' attention again.

"So," he began. "I'm not going to sugar coat this too much. You're dead."

Hades tried to act shocked, he really did, but Persephone's laughter still echoed in his head.

"Oh no, um, what does that mean?"

The guard stared. Hades tried to get his eyes to water.

"I had so much to live for."

Persephone's laughter rose to a dull roar, so loud he barely heard the guard's uninspired response.

"Well, you are. And you may want to get used to it because the only way you're getting out is if you fulfill your unfinished business and move on, either to the good place or the bad place."

"Where?"

"Well I call it the good place but I suppose technically it'd be known as Elysium and the bad place would be Tartarus. We're currently in the fields of Asphodel, awaiting the fulfillment of whatever unfinished business in life led us here."

Hades looked around the bar. "Does everyone here have unfinished business?"

"Oh yeah. Good or evil, black, white, grey, everyone is here for that reason."

Hades chanced a bit of specificity. "What if your unfinished business is to find True Love."

The guard chortled. "It wouldn't be so unbelievable, but hard to find here. Most everyone is too caught up in their own depression to worry about happiness in the afterlife. And then of course there are the ones who know they're going to the bad place no matter what and intend to never complete their unfinished business."

"What happens to those people?"

The guard grinned toothily. "We happen to them, the Persephone's Royal Guard. We drag those bastards before the queen and she sends them to their doom prematurely."

Hades stored the information for a future time. He just nodded. The guard downed his drink in one go. He cleared his throat then made to get up.

"There, I've done my civic duty to inform you of your fate. Here's to hoping you can carve out any happiness."

With that he left, not even paying for his drink. The bartender came over and took the glass, cleaning it. Anger burned in the backs of her eyes but she said nothing. Hades called out to her.

"I don't think I caught your name." She smiled when she turned back to him, long blonde hair hitting her belt.

"I didn't give it. But because you asked so nicely, Shirley. Shirley Marin. And you, stranger?"

"Hades. I don't really have a last name."

Shirley grinned. She leaned on the bar. "What do you think your unfinished business is?"

Hades faltered for a moment. "I think it's True Love. I never got to it in life, too busy with my work."

Shirley shrugged. "Person's got to work. No harm in that. You're young." She chuckled. "What am I saying? We're dead."

But Hades just smiled. "Who knows. Death doesn't have to ruin my prospects if I don't want it to."

The corner of Shirley's mouth quirked up. She tapped the edge of his glass. "I like you. This is on the house."

Hades sighed. "Good, because I had nothing to pay you with."

Shirley howled with laughter. "What? Did you die today?" At Hades' silence she stopped laughing. "Sorry man, that's a shame." She propped a hand on an elbow. "But hey, how'd you figure out your unfinished business in one day? I still don't know what mine is."

"I was searching for it right before I died."

In any other circumstances he'd feel bad for lying but the rules of his world had all been shaken today and he intended to direct all of his questions to Persephone the minute he could get some time alone. Shirley nodded in response to his last phrase.

"Makes sense. If you're that new you probably don't have anywhere to stay do you?"

Hades nodded.

"A couple houses down there's a two story brick building with a couple of rooms. Tell the woman at the desk you're new and that I sent you and you should be good until you get a job."

Hades toasted his gratitude to her. She filled a glass herself and led a second toast to new friends, and the inevitability of death.

Hades found the house as she told him and got a room on the first story. There was a large fireplace in the corner, boarded up. The landlady told him not to tug on any of the boards because there was a larger hole in the ground. He thanked her over and over for her hospitality before settling down onto the bed.

Hades removed his shoes and the larger green cloak, resting in his green vest and pants. The chain of a gold pocket watch lolled out of his slacks pocket. He stared at it for a moment, letting his vision blur until there were twice as many links in the chain.

He laid still for a few minutes when Persephone spoke into his mind, sounding almost reluctant.

Didn't you have questions for me?

Yes.

Then come on.

Where?

The fireplace. Pull the boards off. We got lucky, that hole goes down a lot deeper than the landlady thinks. A lot deeper.

Hades got up and did his best to remove the boards without making too much noise. He peered into the hole and couldn't see the bottom.

Jump in.

Hades took a step back.

The hell? No way, I'll die.

Persephone scoffed.

Trust me. If you die, I die too.

It was a morbid reassurance at best but Hades took it, sliding into the hole. After a couple feet the slick surface smoothed out into a slide that he went down for at least a full minute, in pitch darkness. Then a light appeared at the end and he was spat out onto the floor of a cavern.

He brushed himself off. A light cough sounded. Persephone was leaning against the side of the cavern, a candelabra in her hand. She still looked devastatingly beautiful in the most literal form of the phrase: a beauty that brought devastation.

She beckoned him down the hall. He followed her into a smaller cave, brightly furnished and lowly lit. She sank onto a red chaise lounge, settling the candelabra on an end table. He chose an armchair across the way from her and they fell into silence.

Persephone conjured a glass of wine into her hand and took a sip, cocking her head at him over the rim. He sighed and sunk into the chair.

"Where should I start?"

Persephone just raised an eyebrow, saying clearly, that's your decision not mine. So he asked the first thing on the top of his mind.

"If you don't mind me saying, 'Persephone, Goddess of Death' seems more of a title than a name. What is your real name?"

Her crimson lips curled over the edge of her chalice.

"I'm surprised to caught onto that so quickly and were brave enough to ask."

Hades laughed tiredly.

"As if I have any semblance of control left in my life right now. If an immortal goddess is the only person in this whole world who can explain things to me, I don't really care how I'm going to get answers, I'm just going to ask."

Persephone giggled lightly then set the chalice to the side.

"Indeed, Persephone is a title. Every ruler of the Underworld goes by the name of Persephone."

Hades stiffened. "So that person can change?"

Persephone nodded. "The rulers are chosen by the council of Olympus, from one of millions of poor souls who die every year. That person is elevated to honorary status as a god or goddess, wiped of their human memories, and given the name Persephone. They rule until the council changes their minds and someone new comes in."

Hades leaned forward. "Does that mean you don't know your real name?"

A defensiveness came upon Persephone's posture. "Not really. I know it began with the letter Z and that my favorite color as a child was green, but every moment of my life before ruling the Underworld is a blank."

Hades was struck with a burst of anger towards the Olympian council. From what he knew of legend the entire cast of gods and goddesses were plagued with laziness and liked to use mortals however they wanted. Yet as he regarded the woman before him, composed, intelligent, and even helpful although she refused to acknowledge it, it became clear that whoever she was hadn't deserved what had befallen her. The council had stolen whatever unfinished business she had, dooming her to carry out their administration until they got bored of her.

It was this idea, of how much they had taken from her, that led him to his next words, spoken all too familiarly.

"How about Zelena?"

Persephone looked up. "What?"

"It's from a far away land I traveled to. In their native language Zelena means green. It fits both of your criteria."

He smiled at her. She didn't smile back but she didn't scowl and he counted that as a win. After a moment her facial expression relaxed into something a little less otherworldly.

"I like it." There was a flicker of fear in her eyes, as if she was afraid to have voiced any sort of opinion.

Hades' smile grew larger. "I do too. Can I call you that from now on?"

Persephone, now Zelena, shrugged. "Do as you want."

She took another sip of wine. Hades led with another question. "Who are the men at the gates?"

"My Royal Guard. They open and close the gates so the beasts of Tartarus don't get in at night and police the troublemakers, as that one man told you."

"Hey! Can you always read my mind?"

"I can. But I won't. You will be alone in your mind most of the time."

Hades exhaled internally. That was a relief. "The one I met wasn't very nice."

"Most of them aren't. I purposely pick them from the people who are growing frustrated with finding their unfinished business."

Hades smiled. "So you give them a purpose in their lives."

Zelena looked away. "I didn't say that and you shouldn't take it that way."

Hades had many more questions but Zelena forestalled him. "That Shirley girl seemed quite nice."

Hades heard the inflection in her voice and blushed. "No, no. I'm sorry Zelena, but we are not going to gossip about my love life, not while I'm literally sitting underground in the afterlife."

This set Zelena to laughing again, as she had earlier that day, but brighter and happier. The mood was equally light after that point. Hades learned that most everyone in the city had a job, ranging from collecting materials from the outer fields to selling handmade creations in the marketplaces. Currency was small bronze coins each worth about one shot glass of alcohol.

There were areas of the city that were more dangerous than others, as those who knew they were going to Tartarus lived there. Hades wasn't to tell the other souls he was alive because they could accidentally report to the Olympian council and get Zelena into trouble. And that was about all he needed to know.

Zelena got in a couple more shots about dating Shirley before magically sending him back up the slide, with a hushed goodnight. He had scoffed at the first few jabs but the longer the night went, the more he thought about it. He thought about how Zelena looked, her knees pulled up to her chest in that fancy dress, laughing like a girl in response to her new name, tears in the corners of her perfectly lined eyes. He was on a quest for True Love, after all.

Author's Note:

This chapter was also largely expositional but I hope it was a bit less heavy handed than last chapter. More action too. Thank you for reading, and, as always, please leave a comment or kudo if you like this story.

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