A/N: I know that chapters are slightly less frequently uploaded, but I have been going to job interviews and my laptop's charger has been ruined, resulting in me hijacking another laptop when I can. I hope to get that fixed in time, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for your faithful reviews.

Kore opened her eyes to see an obsidian ceiling blocking out the light she had expected to wake her at the break of day. She had forgotten not to expect sunlight; she had forgotten where she was, thinking it was another of her hopeful dreams. She yawned and pushed her blanket aside. Her feet touched the floor; it was cold and lifeless, so unlike the grass she had roamed through at her home.

It was natural for her to roam outside of her room, even if she didn't want to see this new world around her; she had to see Hades, to confirm the strange unreality around her, to know for sure that what she was seeing was real. The air around her was cold and moist – Kore shivered as it flowed past her. It would take time to get used to even the simplest things.

Hades watched the river's current take its course as it had for so many years – it was there that he waited for Kore. There was a part of him that feared her, knowing that she could manipulate him if she wanted to, cast him down from the invulnerability he had earned by being distant for so long. Years of being in the world above him had given her a love for what was living, but he had been the one to take it away from her. He dreaded the bitterness that would come in time if he was not cautious.

"My lord Hades?" Her gentle voice broke through his reverie.

"Come to the river's edge, my dear. There is a place you need to see to fully understand what I do."

Kore met him at the river bank, and he took her arm and led her like a queen. She had never met anyone so formal as he was; as strange as it was to Kore, she loved being swept away by him. She hoped to herself that they would not have to board the ferry again, and was relieved when Hades guided her away from the water. The land around them was unlit and jagged, but Hades walked effortlessly, as if he were spiritually connected to the land. He did not hesitate in his steps.

They came to a Cliffside that opened to a ravine that dipped deeper than any landform Kore had seen. Air rushed out from it, warm and forceful. "We're going to jump."

Her eyes widened. "We could get hurt…"

Hades smiled. "Hardly. Give me your trust, and I shall deny you nothing."

She closed her eyes and felt his arms wrap around her. The delicate force of them made her shiver; she had never felt so secure and so terrified in her life. The lord of the underworld pulled her forward with him, and in a moment's time they were plunging into the unending darkness.

Grass. Kore felt grass caressing her feet, soft as the petals of the blooms her mother had tended to with so much care. She opened her eyes.

Blooms of every color surrounded her, stretching their heads skyward in an effort to let their pride show and their beauty move. The grass between them was the deepest green, pure and unaffected by the sun that she could not see. Heat radiated downward and warmed Kore's face as if it were flirting with her. Endless rolling hills stretched into the distance, covered in vegetation. A butterfly landed beside her and lazily fluttered its wings. She was reminded of the fields she had known at home, but something was different about these fields, radiant, immaculate. As if they were made for her to lay in for hours on end to dream of glory.

"It's beautiful… What is this place?"

She could feel Hades behind her. He was taking in the sight casually – it was not his first time seeing the fields. "The Elysian Fields – this is where the dead will go when they have lived a life worthy of no retribution. It is my greatest offer to you; it is yours to rule, my dear Kore, as long as you belong to me."

The girl hesitated. "How do you know that my mother will let you keep me here once she has found me?"

He did not bother telling her that Demeter would not find her; they both knew that she would come, sooner or later. The only question was how much time would pass before she was taken away. At last, Hades outstretched his hand and offered her a set of seeds. "If you eat, your mother will never take you away forever; if she finds you here, she must establish terms with me before you can be taken. The choice is still yours. Choose well."

Kore took the seeds from his hand and swallowed them.

"This is past the point of no return, my dear."

"I hoped that we would find ourselves here."

Hades struggled to gather his thoughts as Kore's soft lips met his.