I took her arm leading her to the higher towers, she remained silent as if realizing the somber mood Zeus had left me with. The whole Underworld seemed to fall into an eerie melancholy, realizing I had to break myself.

She wore dark green today, but it was not as dark as the color of her eyes which I was careful to avoid. Sandals graced her feet and I saw it as a sign. Before she had walked barefoot across my floors, feeling the ground, allowing herself the freedom to be without maintaining an appearance. Today, she was a goddess and it held responsibility even if she had no clue what the may be.

I led her to the tower room, it was surrounded in rock, devoid of furniture or even design. "I have to show you something." She nodded, biting her bottom lip. Waving my arm above my head I opened one of my watching pools. The water appearing above her head made her smile and reach out. Her hand was wet, but even above us it didn't drip. I waved my hand again forcing myself to watch the grim images that appeared.

People frozen together in their huts, babies colicky dying slowly, children starving, all surrounded by ice and snow. I shivered in distaste, it was truly terrible what she was making the creatures suffer. Even as I watched, the animals were frozen to the ground, their faces contorted in their own innocent horror, Persephone was crying softly at my side. "Why?" she whispered finally turning to me.

I looked into her eyes, pleading for her to understand what must be done. "Your mother." I paused as horror lit her beautiful face. "Your mother has threatened to kill every living being, starving them, freezing them, until there is no one left to worship the gods."

Tears fell freely, steadily down her soft cheeks, "It will kill us all."

I nodded, I wanted so badly to comfort her, to run my lips across her tears, my arms around her, to give her my strength, but she had to understand. She looked down then at me once again, throwing herself into my arms. Sobs wracked her body and I held her, clenching my eyes together waiting for her to come to the realization that must be done.

"What shall we do?" she whispered. I lay my cheek against her hair allowing the tears to finally fall.

"What we must my darling." She held tighter, "You must return to her."

"I don't want to, I love you. I can't leave you." I pulled away from her, turning before she could see the grim sadness that held my features. I didn't want her to see the hot tears falling down my cheeks.

"You'll have to." I stated firmly. "It isn't what you want, but what you need. Zeus has given us time to adjust, to accept the situation, but it shall not last long." With that I escaped the room to hide as a child in my own grief, to escape her love and to mourn its loss.