AN: Ok so I have to post the 2nd chapter. I was kinda excited for my very first feedback. So to inzie23, no it will not be in poetry format (cause that's just tiring) the 1st chapter was not exactly a poem but a chant by the fates hence the chapter title. I'm sorry if it confused you

The Emerald Memory

When I see you smile and know that it is not for me, that is when I will miss you the most.

-unknown

A young woman entered; a young, radiant lady, a lovely nymph by the name of Minthe.

Marpessa looked at her queen. For a second, Persephone's expression was pained before turning to an icy disapproval. Hades glanced at her, then she settled to her blank look that showed no hint of emotion.

Marpessa suddenly felt a burning sensation in her chest, the same sensation she had when she learned that Hades would have her as his consort. She saw her mistress' pain; she was the one who had to comfort her and to help her through her misery.

Marpessa was the only one who shared the hurt of her young queen.

She woke up from her slight daydream and looked at Minthe.

She wanted to strike her. By the gods, how she wanted to strangle her and drag her out of the underworld. How could she, a nymph, a minor goddess not even fit to kiss her queen's toes bring such destruction? Everyday, Marpessa felt her hate growing, her resentment flooding and her loathing filling up much of her chest that she felt that she would explode.

Hades was now putting an arm around Minthe.

He would bring her somewhere again….

Marpessa didn't even want to indulge in thoughts of Hades and Minthe together further.

She looked at her mistress sitting in her throne. She was growing used to the now icy goddess of the Underworld. All she could do now was reminisce yesterday, of how happy they once had been since their marriage.

Her mind drifted to several years before now……………..

Hades was in his throne, savoring every minute of a married life with his most beautiful wife.

It was her last day in the Underworld just yesterday and the earth is happy again. It was spring and harvest time will soon come. He sat there reminiscing in his throne.

He then stood up after a few minutes, scolding himself lightly for idling about; it was almost time for job assignments with the shades. To his dismay, a sudden surge of boredom filled him up and so, leaving the throne room to his confused scribe and passing through bewildered shades, he decided to go up- maybe he could even see his beloved.

So he ascended to the Upper world. It was night and the moon is brightly shining.

There is no need to hide, he thought. The night was beautiful, he always thought that. Even if he lived in perpetual darkness, there was still something mysterious and elegant in the night that the daylight could never achieve.

He sat for a moment, quietly, under a huge oak tree, reveling in the cool breeze and the moon's beauty. The slightest of sounds disrupted his thoughts after a few minutes. He looked around-nothing.

Maybe it's a stray.

But curious as to what that sound may have been, he brushed aside a bush in which he thought the sound came from. Expecting to see a rabbit or a small deer, he was astounded when a young lady sat there, hiding. It was a trick of the light as she first appeared to him as a young nymph just playing because surely, this beautiful creature should be of the race of the gods. But a moment later, her disheveled hair, torn clothes and wounded arms and legs were revealed.

Her eyes grew wide and then, to Hades' shock and dismay, knelt down, put her hands to her chest as if in prayer and pleaded," my lord, please, do not take me now, I have a brother….he…he needs me."

"Child," he said somewhat coldly," what is it you talk about?"

"Are you not the Lord Hades? Are you not here to take me to the Underworld?"

Hades eyes somewhat widened in understanding. He brought his voice down to a gentler tone then said," Child, I will not hurt you. It is true that I am the Lord of the Underworld but it is not my job to collect souls. Come now, do not fear me."

The young lady uncertainly and very slowly rose from the bushes where she was hiding. Hades gestured for her to follow and they both sat below the large oak tree.

"Why are you running young one?" he initiated.

She looked at him, still terrified and answered in a stutter.

"They blame me my lord…for…for adultery."

"Are you innocent?"

"Yes my lord."

"I sense truth to that but now, what is your name?"

"I am Leuce lord."

"Tell me, are you my brother's daughter?"

"Leauce looked confused for a moment then replied," It is very flattering of you to think so but no, my lord, Lord Zeus is not my father. However, the god Oceanus is. I am one of his mortal daughters."

Suddenly there were voices.

"She's here!"

She looked at Hades.

"I have to go my lord."

She ran as fast as she can. Hades tried to stop her but he was too late.

He returned to the Underworld, completely curious of his encounter.

Tomorrow, I will go back.

The next night, he went back to the village where they discovered the girl. It was the same scenario. She was running away She was surprised to see Hades there again.

"My Lord."

She bowed for respect.

"Aren't you tired of always running?"

"If I don't, I will die."

"Then ask help from your father."

"We have no communication now and it's impossible to get through the border."

He looked at her with searching eyes once more. Leuce was beautiful; she was a demi-god. She was radiant.

"If you have nowhere to go, you can sleep in the Underworld; if you are not terrified."

Leuce, afraid to anger the feared god, complied.

"So I shall my lord, but what about your wife?"

Hades was a little alarmed at this but nevertheless he said, "She is not around and I am sure that she will understand."

Both of them went to the Underworld. Hades brought Leuce to a room.

"This is your temporary chamber."

"Thank You my lord."

Leuce awakened and dressed up. There was robe prepared for her at the foot of her bed. After she bathed, Marpessa came in to serve breakfast.

"Good morning," she said coldly.

"Good morning! Is that my breakfast?"

"Yes it is," came her reply.

"Is that how all of the creatures in the Underworld speak?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"That way, so stale, so lifeless."

"Do you expect me to be enthusiastic and jump and down to show you I'm happy?" she said in her emotionless tone.

"No, but….."

"You want me to lie? That is not how I truly feel."

"Yes, but…."

"Do not order me around and tell me how I should act, you are not my mistress," she said dangerously.

Marpessa was very loyal to her mistress and she can feel that Hades is fond of this woman.

Hades arrived just in time.

"Marpessa, what are you saying?"

"Nothing master."

"You were saying something."

"Only one thing, my lord: The Queen wouldn't like it."

Marpessa marched out and when she was out of earshot, Hades spoke to Leuce.

"I'm sorry, she's really like that."

"Never mind, my lord, no harm done."

"After you eat, come with me and I will show you something."

"Yes, my lord."

After breakfast, Leuce went to Hades and he brought her out of Asphodel and to Elysium.

"This is the Elysian Fields."

"It is beautiful."

They both walked around the Elysian Fields. They were talking about their lives when Leuce tumbled and Hades had to catch her. They were intimately close and they found their lips together. This continued for a while when suddenly there was a quake and they both pulled apart and didn't speak for some time. It was Hades who finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, my lord,"

Hades looked around, confused.

"We are not in the upper world, are we, my lord?"

"No we are not."

"What is the cause of that earthquake?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Then another quake came, this time longer and stronger. After the quake, they looked around them. The shades looked quite disturbed. Hades continued to look around for the source but when none came, he turned back to Leuce. Then the Elysian Fields went dark, the wind blew furiously. The butterflies flew high and formed a pair of emerald green eyes in the sky.

Those eyes!

The eyes looked angry and Hades knew whose eyes it is.

Persephone!

The eyes seemed like it were searching and then they both alighted on Hades and Leuce. A very sinister voice came.

"So this is what you do while I'm gone!" said the voice.

"Persephone," stuttered Hades. The eyes looked directly at him.

"Hades, what is happening here?"

"Perse…."

The shades looked alarmed.

"I demand an explanation!" came the resounding voice of their queen.

"I was just showing her around," answered Hades. If he was alarmed then he did an impressing way of suppressing it.

The eyes looked directly at Leuce.

"You, what is your name?" the voice sinisterly asked.

"Leuce, my lady"

"You shall call me Queen. You have done something against me in my own realm!"

"I'm perfectly sorry…." Leuce replied, afraid.

Hades interrupted,"Persephone what are you doing?"

"You will see!"

Then a terrible thing happened, Leuce stiffened and leaves started to grow from her fingers. She was growing taller and her skin was transformed into a tree trunk. Hades flinched at this horrible transformation. He couldn't do anything to stop it. After minutes of Leuce screaming and asking Hades to help her, she was turned into a tree, a beautiful white tree.

Hades turned to the pair of eyes.

"What did you do?"

"It is perfectly clear, my husband," her resounding voice rang all throughout the Underworld.

"Persephone," Hades cried.

Persephone felt compassion for her husband. The skies cleared and those eyes grew gentle.

"I'm sorry Hades. I cannot impede my anger."

Hades looked distraught but nevertheless looked at his wife's eyes and told her, "It is alright. All is my fault. It is your right to be mad."

"Then from now on, this tree will be called the poplar and it will be sacred to me."

"Thank you."

The eyes slowly disappeared, leaving the shades astounded. When all was back to normal, Persephone's voice left a whisper.

I'm sorry.

Hades turned to the shades that were left standing, dazed and confused.

"Remember the wrath of your Queen."

Hades took one last look at the poplar and ever so slowly walked back to Asphodel.

Hades was back on his throne room, thinking.

It was my fault. She is my wife.

Hecate suddenly appeared.

"I agree."

"Hecate, you are here. Did you see what happened?"

"No, I didn't but I heard it. I can feel what was happening."

"Her voice reached your place?"

"I think her voice reached the ears of every creature of the Underworld."

"So, it is my fault?"

"It certainly is. And I tell you, even I am surprised. I thought you were unlike your brothers."

"I was tempted, I didn't know why," he said tonelessly but his eyes showed a great deal of confusion and strain.

"It is alright. She has forgiven you."

"You think so?"

"I don't think so, I know, I can read it in her voice."

"Do you think, everything will be alright when she arrives?"

"My dear Hades, Persephone is a gentle goddess, she can and will forgive you. She loves you but I suggest you do not unleash her wrath because when she became Queen of your realm, all the powers of the Underworld went with her title. She is possibly as powerful as Hera herself."

"I will take your advice, Hecate. Thank you."

Hecate left the room, leaving Hades terribly confused.

Confused was not anything to describe the Dark Lord with and he was not going to let it happen. He went on with his tasks daily as calm as possible. He still remembers the event in Elysium and Hecate's voice rang in his ears.

I suggest you do not unleash her wrath because when she became Queen of your realm, all the powers of the Underworld went with her title.

"Then I shall try," he said to a confused servant who quickly walked away.

The six months of separation was almost done and tomorrow, the Underworld's Queen will come back.

Persephone arrived looking as radiant as ever but with her, a sadness readily seen in her eyes. Hades was there to welcome her.

"Welcome back, Persephone!"

"Thank you, Hades. How are you?"

"I am fine. You look beautiful," Hades said gently feeling really guilty.

"Thank You. Can I rest now, I feel tired?"

"You can."

Persephone went immediately to her room. All day, she sat in her room, only coming out to eat. Hades felt there was something wrong.

Tonight, we will talk about this.

So all day, Hades continued with his work while Persephone spent her time in their room. When the evening came and all would go to rest, Hades found Persephone pretending to sleep.

"There now, Persephone, talk to me," and although Persephone was used to the toneless voice of Hades, she was disappointed that he didn't even try to show some emotion in his voice this time.

"I am talking to you."

"What is the problem?"

"Nothing, really."

"I don't think so."

"Goodnight, Hades."

"No, we will talk about it."

"About what?"

"The incident in the Elysian Fields"

"Forget about that Hades, I'm really sorry."

"No, I should be the one to say sorry. It was my fault; I do not deserve your forgiveness."

"Forget about it"

"I can not. Please Persephone, just let me explain."

"No, don't."

Persephone was fighting back her tears.

"Go to rest Hades."

"But….."

"I think I made it clear tha….."

Persephone turned to look at him, she was about to burst, still angered at his toneless voice but her voice came to a halt when she saw him. It was almost as if he looked depressed. She looked at him intently; her eyes softened a bit and instead thought of something else to say.

Hades could sense the hurt in her eyes, for one second, it flickered with anger but suddenly they turned sad and gentle; like the same old Persephone he knew.

"Just tell me you still love me," she said, shaking.

Hades gave out a laugh of relief but realized it was not the right thing to do when Persephone's eyes suddenly had tears in it. Hades caressed her cheeks and smiled at her.

"You know it, Persephone."

"I want to hear it from you, please," she said in a tone which made Hades feel guiltier.

"A single kiss can not overthrow my love for you. Of course, I still love you."

"Then there's nothing else to talk about."

And with a great effort, Persephone gave him a smile and a quick but warm embrace. Hades felt his heart fall. He didn't deserve this but he was glad everything was over.

"Goodnight Hades"

"Goodnight, my love."

Then they both went to sleep and they felt good. They worked out their problem quite impressively and both of them knew that for a long time, they will be in good terms.

They both spent the next day in the Elysian Fields. Persephone was running and picking flowers. Hades knew she was still a child; a mere child of twenty one mortal years. She laughed and danced with her attendants, her robes trailing behind her. She smelled the flowers and looked at the sky breathing in the fresh air of that cold afternoon.

My young Queen; she has grown a lot.

The Elysian Fields was Persephone's favorite place in the Underworld. It doesn't fail toamaze her. Every time she visited the place, she is reminded of the first time Hades brought her there.

Here are the trees, the birds and the flowers, this is a place I most hold dear and I offer it to you and with it, here is my heart that beats only for you.

She giggled at the thought.

I love it here.

It was all the same, he would sit down on the grass while he watched her picking flowers and playing with the birds then they would take a stroll and after a while they would sit below a tree, just talking.

While playing, Persephone looked at Hades and gave him a beautiful smile. Hades was proud of her. She was able to balance her work as Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring in such a young age. He looked at the poplar tree and remembered the day with Leuce. He caressed the bark of the tree. He was thinking deeply when two petite arms went around his waist.

"Are you still mad about what I did?" Persephone asked.

"Of course, I'm not, I was just marveling at the power of the goddess of the Underworld," he teased.

"Really, then how powerful is she?"

"Like Hera."

"And you, how powerful are you?"

"Like Zeus of course, I am called the Zeus of the Underworld," Hades said boastfully.

"And like Zeus, you are controlled by your wife," Persephone said mockingly.

"That was an insult," Hades said but he was smiling slightly.

"You're smiling again; do you not think it unusual that The Dark Lord is smiling?"

"Why, don't you like me to?"

"What if I said yes?"

"I can't."

"And why is that?"

"Because you are the only one who can make me smile"

"That makes no sense at all," Persephone said in a childlike manner.

"Exactly," Hades said mysteriously.

Then Hades turned to look at Persephone.

"And if I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, I would have the whole night sky in the palm of my hand," he continued.

"Thank you," Persephone replied.

She gave him a warm embrace.

"I love you Hades."

"Me too"

Marpessa smiled at the memory. She was with them at the Elysian Fields that day.

He found him in her and her in him. The love they shared was impossible to break.

When Hades met Leuce, though, great changes had occurred. During that time Marpessa thought Hades learned his lesson about not having any more women in his life but it only woke up a part of Hades that existed in every man- discontentment. Soon he grew restless and though he loved Persephone, possibilities of a lover were a welcome thought.

After the "Leuce episode", as her fellow shades would call it, everyone thought that their monarch would be back to normal. They thought they would be the same loving and caring couple. For a while they were right, years passed without so much as anything eventful happening, but it didn't last for long.