I don't own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Hail him.
Demeter- still her palace
Demeter sighed and leaned back in her chair, momentarily closing her eyes. She hoped that she would be able to relax a little when she couldn't see the screen of her computer. She simply couldn't relax when she had her eyes on that blasted screen that seemed to be laughing at her.
She had been waiting for his respond for the past hour. She had been tending her flowers at first, watering them, talking to them, planting some new ones and finally putting on some classical music before she just hadn't been able to control herself anymore and had walked inside.
She had been there, on her chair in front of the computer, for roughly fifteen minutes and it was slowly driving her crazy. It was pure torture, this waiting. It cost her all her patience to remain on that chair and just wait.
She had never been really patient and she really wanted him to respond to her message. She couldn't even remember the last time she had wanted anything as much as did. And she didn't even know why she wanted it that much, although she had an idea why she wanted it.
She knew it might be foolish, but she had the idea he really could be that special guy. Athena would say she was behaving extremly irrational and that it was impossible to know that a man was that special one when you had so little information.
Normally, Demeter would agree with her, but she just had a feeling that this man was different. That he might be finally someone she really liked. Someone that she would love to be in a relationship with.
She had had relationships before of course, but those had been far from perfect. There was always something that made the relationship unadiquate, sometimes even disappointing.
Relationships with mortals were always temporarily and more a way to pass time and have some fun, than a way she wanted to spend to rest of her life. Not that it would be possible to spend the rest of her life with a mortal, but she wouldn't even want it.
Of course, she had loved the men she had had children with and she had been sad when she had to leave them, but she had gradually forgotten them. She hadn't remained sad. It was hard to grieve over mortals when you are an immortal, powerful goddess after all.
Some mortal men had been really special to her, but they hadn't given her what she was looking for. They hadn't been able to and it had always ended with her realizing they weren't what she was searching for.
She was looking for a man that thought like her in some ways, a man that could make her laugh even when she was down, a man that would make her feel safe and comfortable, a man that probably didn't even exist.
Still, Demeter had hope for the first time in a really long time that there was a man like that. She didn't know why, but she thought that Amadeo might be that special one. She just had a good feeling about him.
I don't even know why I am reacting this strongly. I have only read his profile and seen his picture. And wow, what a picture. He certainly is handsome. But is he intelligent? It seems so, but still.. you never know. Maybe Aphrodite is right after all, maybe I do need a man in my life. I have been alone for far too long.
A loud ping! startled Demeter and interrupted her thinking. Which was probably a good thing, since she had started to feel a little depressed again. Thinking about how lonely she was, always did that to her.
She looked at the computer and almost squealed when she saw he had responded. She smiled and let out a relieved sigh, surpressing the urge to do a small happy dance. Basically, resisting the urge to act like a lovesick teenager.
She really didn't know why she was reacting this strongly. Maybe it was because she was interested in a man for the first time in a really long time. Maybe because she was lonely and sad and just wanted someone to talk with. She didn't know.
She smiled when she read his message; Yes, it is. I am impressed you actually recognize it. Most people don't even pay attention to it. His music is indeed beautiful. What do you like about it? I like your name too, it sounds like a magician.
Demeter's smile widened when she read the last part. She had been thinking the exact same thing when she had chosen the name. Funny that he thought it too. But what would she respond ?
Let's see. What do I even like about Mozart? Apart from the fact that it beautiful music. That is not a good answer. I have never actually thought about the reason I like his music..
Demeter, after some thinking, decided to just be honest. Honesty was good, right? Well, in most cases at least. You couldn't always be honest, not if you wanted to have secrets or avoid hurting people, but she could be honest this time.
Thanks. Funny that you say that, I thought the exact same thing! Apparently, we think alike.
And of course I would recognize it, Mozart is one of my favorite composers. I love classical music and I always listen to his whenever I feel down.
Despite the fact it is often sad, it manages to cheers me up. That is one of the reasons I like it:)
So why do you like it? Do you play an instrument or compose yourself?
This time she got almost immediately a respond. She didn't have to go through all that waiting, luckily.
After she had send the message, she went to the kitchen and made some herbal tea. Taking small sips, she walked back towards the computer and smiled when she saw he had already responded.
She sat down, placed her cup of tea on the desk and read the message. That is ironic. That music most people find depressing or at least melancholic, cheers you up. Interesting.
Although I have to say, even when the music sounds sad, maybe even depressing, it's still beautiful and the purpose isn't to make people sad. I can imagine you feeling better after listening. I know I do.
Listening to Mozart often helps me too. It doesn't exactly make me happy, but I always manage to relax whenever I hear it.
If I am stressed, I listen to Mozart. So I listen to it every day again. Like I already said, my job is a demanding and tiring one.
I don't have time to compose or play music, but I used to play guitare, violin and most keyboard instruments. I don't play a lot anymore though. I just don't have the time.
I read your profile and saw you play quite a lot of instruments. Do you have a lot of time to play? Are you a musician?
When she was done reading, she felt flattered and slightly giddy. She felt a lot like a lovesick teenager, with even some butterflies in a stomach. Again, she wondered how that man could have such an influence on her when she barely knew him.
She couldn't help it though. Even if she knew so little about him, she still really liked him. She just had this weird feeling, a not altogether unpleasant feeling that formed butterflies in her stomach and made her anxious, hopeful and expectant at the same time.
He had read her profile? Did that mean he might be interested in her? because, she knew for sure that she had been interested in him the moment she had read his profile. And seen how drop-dead gorgeous he was.
With a vague smile on her face, she typed her respond. So you are under a lot of stress? Do you have a demanding job or is it something else?
I know I'm always stressed when my family does something stupid. Which is every day.
Too bad you don't have time anymore, it is such a wonderful way to pass the time.
Depends. Sometimes I have time, sometimes I don't. I try to play as often as possible though, I just love playing. And I'm not a musician.
Not really. Composing and playing is just a hobby really.
He immediately responded.
You can say that already. I have a lot to do, a lot of problems to solve every day. My job is a demanding and stressful one.
And my family is the other reason that I am stressed. They don't like me and don't really treat me well, always looking down on me. Family is annoying, isn't it?
Well, it is nice you still have some time to play, especially if you really like it that much. Music is calming, isn't it? It always calms me down, although it doesn't help to relax, sadly.
I wish I could hear you play, I imagine you are really talented. It would be enjoyable to listen to some music played by a beautiful woman as yourself.
Really? I can't imagine that, it must be hard to solve so many problems every day. It does sound stressful. What kind of problems do you have to solve?
And yes, family can be annoying. I know mine is. They never fail to give me a headache.
And I can't believe your family would look down at you, how can they? You seem to be a very talented man. Not that I know you that well, but I just have this feeling you are.
II do like it much. I couldn't imagine living without music, it would be pure torture.
And I don't know whether I am that talented, but it doesn't matter. I play, because it makes me feel good, not to get money out of it or something.
And to relieve stress; If music doesn't help, you can always try a massage. A massage can be just the thing.
Hades- still at his palace.
Hades leaned back in his chair, which was black and decorated with bloodred skeletons, and sighed. It wasn't a weary sigh though. It was a content and relaxed one.
He felt content, he realized. Peaceful even. Feelings he didn't have often. And he had felt like this when he had found her. Medini.
For some reason he couldn't explain, just talking with this woman, made him feel a lot better. It made the headache he almost always had disappear or at least reduce and made his muscles a lot less tense. All thanks to this woman.
He didn't really know her, but it felt like he did. She seemed to be smart, understanding and eerily similiar to him in some ways. He always praised himself for having some basic knowledge when it came to people, so he knew he probably was right when he assumed she was not only smart, but also understanding and shared some of his interests. Or actually a lot of his interests.
Even though he had a feeling he knew her, he didn't. He just felt comfortable talking to her, something that rarely happened.
Normally, he didn't know what to say to another person. He didn't really like talking and most people didn't even dare to talk to him. Or they did talk to him, but he knew they really thought he was despicable. That he was gloomy, mean and selfish. And he wasn't.
He just didn't really know how to act around people and didn't trust them. He had been hurt too many times to be nice to people again. It was just easier to ignore them or act aloof.
That way, they wouldn't come close to him, so they wouldn't be able to hurt him either. It was the safest and easiest way. He knew he would never fit in, so why would he hurt himself trying to?
He would never be accepted by anyone, especially not his family. They were too proud and arrogant to except someone like him. They would always avoid and humiliate him. Even if he tried to behave different around them, they wouldn't accept him. They would still avoid and despise him.
Only Persephone and some others wouldn't. The people that he counted as friends or that knew the real him, were almost non-existent. Nobody actually knew the real him, even Persephone probably didn't.
Even though they had been married for a long time and he talked with her quite a lot, there were some things she didn't know about him. Things he hadn't told her, apart from the affairs he had had with other women. He just couldn't.
He was a very private person, he didn't like talking about feelings or intimate things. He prefered to keep those to himself.
Although there were times when he wondered, if there was a person out there that he could share every thought and feeling he had with. Someone who would understand and not judge him. Someone with whom he felt completely comfortable and relaxed. He didn't have that with Persephone.
Sure, he loved her and he would do almost anything for her, but he didn't have the burning desire to share every thought and feeling with her. He didn't have the idea she would understand and be nice about it. And he didn't always feel comfortable and relaxed around her.
Especially when it was almost spring and she would leave soon. He always felt bitter and betrayed them. He always wondered how she could leave him when she said she loved him.
He tried not to show it, but it hurt him that she always wanted to leave. It made him doubt her love for him. If she loved him , she wouldn't leave, he thought.
He could understand she wanted to see the sun and spend time with her mother, but did she really have to go? Couldn't she think of some other way to see the sun and do all the other things she did during spring? Wasn't he enough for her? He hated being like this, so full of questions, but he couldn't help it. His self-esteem was just really low.
After centuries of contempt and dispise directed at him, he didn't have that much self-esteem. He was actually rather uncertain of his own capacties and Persephone made it worse by leaving.
He always felt horrible when she left, because she was one of the only things in his life that brought him joy. She made him feel light-hearted ( more or less) and desirable. She made his life better, easier. Just be being there for him.
But when she felt , he always felt miserable and uncertain. He felt like he had failed and she didn't love him. He lelt lonely and neglected. That was why he had affairs with mortal women when she was gone.
He needed the appreciation, admiration and love they gave him. He just needed to hear from someone that they loved or at least liked them. He couldn't help craving for approval.
And those mortal women approved of him, liked him, loved him. They gave him what he needed so desperately whenever Persephone was gone. Admiration and the feeling that something at least cared for him.
Hades sighed, staring off into space. Sometimes, he felt really guilty about his affairs. He always promised he would stop and wanted to keep that promise, but he never seemed to be able to.
After Persephone left, there was always a certain time when it was too much and he went searching for another women. It wouldn't be right after she left, but eventually, it would happen.
Sometimes, he managed to not have an affair for a few years, sometimes even decades. But he always ended up having another one, when the loneliness and pain became too much. He seemed unable to go without an affair for a long time.
And I'm afraid I might have another this time. It only seems to become harder those six months without her. And I haven't had an affair in a long time. I am not sure I can keep it that way for much longer and- Hades' depressing thoughts and feelings quickly disappeared when he heard the ping! that meant he had another message.
His frown was replaced by a smile and he even felt his stomach react when he heard that. All his negative feelings and thought quickly disappeared now she had send another message.
Feeling both anxious and expectant, he opened the message.
Really? I can't imagine that, it must be hard to solve so many problems every day. It does sound stressful. What kind of problems do you have to solve?
And yes, family can be annoying. I know mine is. They never fail to give me a headache.
And I can't believe your family would look down at you, how can they? You seem to be a very talented man. Not that I know you that well, but I just have this feeling you are.
II do like it much. I couldn't imagine living without music, it would be pure torture.
And I don't know whether I am that talented, but it doesn't matter. I play, because it makes me feel good, not to get money out of it or something.
And to relieve stress; If music doesn't help, you can always try a massage. A massage can be just the thing.
He was smiling and felt a lot better when he had read her message. It was nice to talk with someone who was actually interested in your problems, someone who seemed to be so understanding. Someone with whom he might be able to share his thoughts and feelings. He did feel oddly comfortable talking to her. But maybe that was because there was a certain distance.
It is very peculiar that I feel so comfortable while I barely know this woman. I have never had that feeling before. And it is even stranger, that I wanted her to respond so much. Maybe I should stop this, before I go too far and do things I will regret later.
Hades sighed, hesitating. A part of him said that he should stop this, that he should stop talking to this strange, wonderful woman before he went too far. That it was too dangerous and that he needed to stop now he still could.
But another part of him said that he shouldn't. That he deserved someone to talk with. That he deserved some appreciation and friendship. Besides, it couldn't too to much harm to talk with her right?
He hesitated even more when he tried to type his respond. What could he say and what couldn't he? He was married, but it wouldn't be that wrong to flirt a little right? It was unlikely he would ever meet this woman, so flirting wouldn't be so bad. Just a little.
Feeling anxious, guilty and expectant all at the same time, he responded before he could think more about it. He just wanted someone to talk with and Persephone was ignoring him. It wouldn't be cheating if he just talked to someone. Persephone did that too and did he ever think that was cheating?
Well, it is indeed arduous, but someone has to do it. My job isn't really interesting, I won't bother you with the details, but it involves many things and is exhausting. I have to make sure everything is right and deal with a lot of different things.
So you family is bothering you too? How? Mine in every way imaginable. They even seem to think it is their job to bother me:)
And thank you, it is very flattering you think that. I hope you continue to think that and I am convinced you are a very special woman.
I have that same weird feeling, almost like I know you. I keep thinking I do, but I don't recognize you, so maybe it is just a feeling. I could never forget anyone like you. If I had met you before, I'm sure I would have remembered.
Well, it is always better to do something because you like it instead of because you want to earn something. Life is meaningless if your only purpose is to make money. That wouldn't be fun.
And a massage? Sounds great. Are you by any chance a masseuge ;)
Hades pressed send before he could change his mind. It wasn't even really flirting, he told himself. He could also just wanted to know her profession, right? And a massage could be given by anyone. That she was a woman, didn't mean that a massage from her would be anything sexual right?
He tried telling himself this, but deep down, he knew how he had meant it. He was trying to flirt, hoping she would react positively. He wanted her to react and flirt back.
He had been interested in her the moment he had read her first message and that interest had only grown after he had read her profile. When he had noticed she and he seemed to have a lot in common.
And when he had seen her picture, he had wanted to meet her. Desperately so.
Partly because Persephone would soon be leaving and he didn't - couldn't- be alone. He just needed someone at his side, he didn't want the loneliness. He couldn't spend so much time alone, with his thoughts and employees as only companions.
But also partly because rthere was something about this woman that intrigued him. He didn't even know her and had been talking for her for a very short time, but she just had something that made him want more. She seemed to be attractive and he knew she liked a lot of things he liked too.
And her messages suggested that she was understanding and sophisticated. He could use some understanding.
Hades immediately opened the message when it came, feeling anxious again. How would she have reacted?
Well, this is getting interesting:) What are you, a doctor? It sounds like it. Not that it matters that much what profession you have, but I am curious. You sound like someone with a high position.
And yes, my family is certainly bothering me. They are very provoking, always complaining and arguing. I try to ignore them. Even thought they are difficult to ignore.
Thank you and I am sure I will. You really seem nice. And a lot of other things. Like intelligent. Or handsome.
Exactly. That has never happened to me before. And to you? Have you ever met a woman you felt an immediate connection with?
Hmm, I couldn't agree more. You should live life to the fullest, right? You never know when the time that you can have fun is going to end, when there is another war or something else. Carpe diem.
And well, I do have some massage oil.. Do you need someone to take care of you for once?
I'm not a doctor, although I do have some basical knowledge, like how to resuscitate. Keep guessing:) You might guess it right if you really try.
My family is like that too, always complaining and arguing. I wonder, are all families like that? Or do we just have bad luck? Probably the latter.
Ignoring might work, or try something that will keep them at distance. Like being really aloof and frightening.
Except I can't imagine you being like that, you seem to be such a sweet and understanding person.
Yes, wars always come at the most unoppurtune moment, so you can better enjoy all the time before them. Most people expect I enjoy wars, but I don't. I actually rather despise all the fighting and death. Life is so more appealing. Believe me, I know.
And I have met such a person now, it's you. Let's celebrate by using that massage oil...
The next hours went by quickly. Hades still had some duties to fullfill, but he managed to talk with Medini when he took breaks. He just had to. She made it a lot easier to be him.
They talked about a lot of things. About music, books, films, food and even about clothes. Every bit of information he got from her, made him like her even more.
He seemed to have been right about her. She was intelligent, understanding, kind, funny, sophisticated and simply enthralling.
She liked practically everything he liked, knew everything about food and classical music, made him laugh and managed to make gardening actually sound interesting. He had never talked to a woman like her was just so different, refreshing even.
He was just walking towards the field of Asphodel to check if everything was going well there when he walked into someone. And heard a sultry voice say ouch.
His eyes left his Iphone long enough to recognize the person he had walked into, mutter a curse and hastily close the message of Medini he had been reading. He definitely didn't want Aphrodite to read it. Medini had just been telling him playfully how she could feed him if she cooked for him.
Aphrodite would never leave him alone if she read that and all the other stuff they had been talking about the past hours. She might even tell that would be a disaster. Persephone wouldn't like to hear what he had been up to. Talking to another woman.
He gave her a nod, trying to look innocent, composed and normal. He couldn't behave any different or she would know. Despite common belief, Aphrodite wasn't stupid. She just acted like she was sometimes.
Aphrodite smiled her sugarsweet smile, looking as stunning as always. She had black, wavy hair, green almond-shaped eyes and wore a miniskirt, high heels and a tanktop.
He ignored her appearance, no matter how beautiful she looked. She had never been his type anyway. No matter how beautiful she was, he only felt a slight attraction. Nothing he couldn't handle.
"Hi Hades. Sorry that I walked into you. What so important that you didn't even see me?".
Hades managed to surpress a groan. Her tone might be innocent and playful, but he wasn't fooled. She would try anything to find out. She might even suspect what had hold his attention like that.
Even though he felt a little bit anxious now Aphrodite was before him and looking at him like she wanted interrogate him, he managed to stay composed. He had to be.
" Oh nothing really, just some message Charon send me. Another plea for raise, if you must know".
Aphrodite raised one of her eyebrows, obviously not believing him. " Really? And why would you be so interested in that. He asks the same question practically every day?".
Hades shrugged. " Oh, I wasn't. I just find it slightly amusing that he keeps asking even when he knows I will give him the same answer".
" Mm. Still, it is funny that your eyes were glued to the screen if it was only a message from Charon. Are you sure it wasn't something else"? She sounded downright suspicious now.
"What else could it be?".
" Oh, I don't know. Maybe a message from a woman? You have been to the dating site right?".
" Yes, but there wasn't really a woman I was interested in" Hades lied smoothly. Lying had always been easy for him.
" Oh well, that is too bad. Maybe you will find one later. I should go now, Persephone is expecting me. She wanted to do something together. Ciao".
After giving Hades a kiss on his cheek, Aphrodite walked away with swaying hips. She didn't even look back.
Hades let out a breath of relief when he realized she really left. That had been close. If Aphrodite had discovered with whom he was texting and what they were talking about, he would be in a LOT of trouble. Luckily, she didn't notice.
If Hades had seen the smug look on Aphrodite's face, he would have known he wasn't safe. And if he had read her thoughts, he would know he was already in a LOT of trouble.
Except he wasn't aware from the smug look or thoughts of Aphrodite. If he had been, he might have gone after her instead of continuing texting with Medini.
Mm, maybe it looks like they are overreacting, but Hades fell in love with a girl when he saw her once and immediately abducted her and demeter is the crazy cereal lady who has been alone for a long time. They will probably react like this, right?
I hope you enjoyed reading this:)