Persephone hadn't often thought about being captured.
But, if she ever had, she had imagined being beaten badly, or scantily clad, if clad at all, or at the very least in chains.
But, she was placed gently on a soft bed, with velvety black sheets, and in her same chiton, perfectly unharmed. Besides being a bit chilly, there was nothing physically wrong with her.
The room was putting her spirits down, though. Besides her hair, there was not a spot of color anywhere in sight. Even her clothing was dulled by the dim room. That did not exclude the man sitting in an armchair by the curtained window.
His skin was very white, almost bluish, which could imply that he was sick, frightened out of his wits, or had never seen the sun. He had long, spiderlike fingers, entwined below his nose in silent observation. His shadowed, pale eyes stared unblinkingly. He had long, straight black hair that fell uninterestingly over his shoulders and down his caped back. His clothes were all midnight black.
His hands moved away, as if he wished to say something, but they fell in his lap and he looked at her expectantly.
Persephone recognized him. From brief meetings in the gods' diplomatic get-togethers every few centuries, she remembered a black-clothed man staying safely hidden in the shadows, far from Zeus and his lightning bolts.
"Lord Hades," she said, her voice coming out much quieter than she expected.
At this, he rose, letting his hair falling over his eyes, like he didn't want her to see him anymore.
"I must apologize," he said lowly and haltingly. "My servant, Death, and I had a slight… misunderstanding. I will send for Hermes. However, I would appreciate it if, before you… ascend, you might let me give you… a tour." The goddess blinked, clutching her arms. "I don't often have visitors," he added rapidly, turning away.
She nodded, just to humor him. The Lord of the Underworld was one person she didn't want to be on the bad side of. She saw no change in his visage after her response.
A sudden zephyr of biting air came through the windows and Persephone shivered. She had never been this cold before. Out of the corner of his eye, the god saw her, and swept off his cloak and around her shoulders, only producing a slight gust. Persephone immediately tensed, and still didn't settle after his fingers were taken away. They were not only sharp, but incredibly cold. Even though the cloak was warmer than nothing, somehow the goddess was chillier than before.
Hades did not smile, but his eyes softened, and he took out her rose. It was withering away quickly, and Persephone snatched it away before it crumbled into nothing. It brightened at her touch, but, like the girl herself, was not as glowing as it had been before.
Hades put his hands behind his back, a slight, uncomfortable blush touching the bony cheeks. Seeing the god of death blushing almost made Persephone smile.
Almost.
Boys naturally get really awkward around the girl they have a crush on. Even the Lord of the Underworld was no exception.
He quietly insisted on giving Persephone a "tour," although he would never take her anywhere near Tartarus or the Fields of Punishment. Frankly, he would not even take her down to the Fields of Asphodel, not even for the flowers. He told a servant-shade to collect some to put in her room.
She would not touch him, and only stroked the petals of the pink rose she held close to her heart, under the cloak. But, the fact she had not shunned his cloak encouraged Hades.
Mostly he showed her around his spacious castle, filled with nothing but black furnishings and dust. He hadn't much to say about any of the rooms, not even his rich throne room.
Persephone asked no questions. That is, not until they stepped out on the grand balcony.
A great expanse of grey and dull green stretched out everywhere.
Far to the left was a much brighter, greener field, with many less spirits and many more flowers. Still, there were only pastel spatters of them and thin, azure brooks, starting from nowhere and fading into nothing.
From left to right was a dire, gradual change. It got a trifle more boring in the next section, with more shades.
Directly in the middle was a long line, consisting of many lamenting ghosts, spanning from three tables a while below the castle to a sickly yellow line in the distance. A single brown dot drifted up and down the Styx, undoubtedly Charon's ferry.
Continuing to the right, the landscape got blacker, and more mountainous, where terrible things were happening. Boulders repeatedly rolled down and flattened shades, who only rose again and got hit by another rock. More shades crawled around, begging noisily for water and food.
All the horrifying chaos simply cut off at the far right, where there loomed a trench that stretched from the Styx to infinity. If they listened, they could hear wails and growls reverberating from deep inside.
Persephone turned to Hades, tears evident in the lovely eyes. "What is this all?" she asked in a shaky whisper.
Hades wasn't supposed to have a heart. If it became obvious, he wouldn't be qualified to be Lord of the Underworld. But, when the girl asked that, his heart shattered into more pieces than there were shades. The one sentiment that began to tape it back together was the fact that Thanatos had done this deed, not him.
He shook his head. His voice deep and wavering, he said, "This is the Underworld, where even Life herself cannot thrive. If you will excuse me, I will send for Hermes to take you back up."
Persephone followed Hades back into the entrance hall. He brought her a chair to sit in while she waited, and accepted back his cloak. After making sure she was comfortable, he started away.
"You're not staying?" Persephone asked, her voice unintentionally disappointed.
Hades shook his head. His eyes glinted angrily, which she only noticed as he turned away. He then left, vanished like a shade.
Absently, Persephone picked up a ripe, soft fruit from a bowl on the table next to her. These reddish fruits had intrigued her from first glance. Without thinking, she took a bite, and continued to ponder.
What was taking Hermes so long? He was supposed to be the god of promptness. Also, he had a conspicuous crush on her, so she thought he'd be eager to come and be the hero.
Sure enough, there came an excited knock on the front doors, and spritely Hermes heaved them open. He beamed at the sight of her, and gave an over-emphatic bow.
"Ready to go, Lady Persephone?" he asked happily, not even inquiring as to why she was down there.
Persephone wiped the red juice from her lips discreetly and nodded. She reached out to take Hermes' arm, which was the only way to remain safe while going up. At a sharp shocking sensation, her hand jerked back.
"Ow!" Hermes said. "What was that for?"
"I didn't do that," Persephone replied.
She tried to touch him again, producing the same effect. Hermes looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened.
"You didn't eat anything from down here, did you?"
"Yes," the goddess said, pointing to the bowl of fruit. "One of those." She felt her face pale.
"Once you've eaten the food of the dead, you cannot return," Hermes stated, as if the words were well worn.
Persephone screamed.
"You- you disrespectful, rash mountebank!" Hades spit, storming up to Thanatos.
Death barely restrained a many-toothed smile. "So you liked my gift?" he laughed.
"Liked it? Liked it!" Hades fumed. He then stopped short. "Yes, actually, I do." His mood swung back. "But you had no authority whatsoever to go traipsing aboveground and stealing the daughters of Olympians! Do you have any idea what Zeus will do to me if I ever show my face—"
Someone screamed. It was Persephone, obviously. Hades shot Thanatos one last glare and went swiftly through the castle.
There she was, standing in front of Hermes, the doors in front of her wide open.
"I can't return?" she cried.
Hades looked at the bowl of pomegranates, and noticed the precise pile was upset. How could Persephone have not known the rule? The shocked girl staggered back, and Hades steadied her and set her in the chair.
He commanded Hermes to send a message to Zeus. Once the god was away, negotiating with Zeus, he knelt beside Persephone.
She had dropped her rose. He picked it up, and tucked it behind her ear. From where his hand had been spread a black area on her hair. It faded gradually. He lowered his head to hide his disgrace. What had Thanatos been thinking? Sure, Zeus could abduct anyone he wanted, because he was powerful and incredibly handsome. But who could love someone in charge of the abyss that the Underworld was? Who would ever be crazy enough to love Hades?
After a string of outraged messages between Hades and Zeus through Hermes, Zeus agreed (with some persistence from Demeter) that for half the year, Persephone would stay with Hades, but she would come above for the other half. That was more than fair to Hades, who had not expected to ever see her again.
Zeus decided they would begin with the half where Persephone was aboveground, which didn't bother Hades. He had time to get the castle more ready for her arrival later in the year.
As Hermes and Persephone left the castle, and Hades gazed wistfully after her, Thanatos came in.
He smiled mischievously and asked, "How did it work out, my lord?"
Hades couldn't afford to lose the energy that it would cost him to spew more anger at Death, so he merely sighed and turned away.
"Better than I thought it would," he said over his shoulder, trailing down the hallway and petting a wilting pink rose.
A/N- A longish section this time. Sorry if it gets a little mushy... Thanks for reading!
- A.Z.