Chapter 4

Hades had felt his wife's energy nearby, he wasn't expecting it at all. She had kept herself in her rooms for the whole week. Keeping his attention focused on her energy, he listened to what she said to the ones around her. Mentally, he thanked the guard for not letting her inside the throne room, he didn't want her there just yet. He still had to break to her the reasons why she was there.

Accidentally, Hades eavesdropped on Persephone's last statement. He found it interesting that she had found, among all of those damned souls, one that didn't belong there. She was proving, without even knowing, to be worth of being the Queen of the Underworld. Her words seemed to be truthful, but he had to put them to the test and see for himself if her judgment was fair. Through the door came the spirit of a young girl, Hades crooked his eyebrow, 'They usually don't come to be judged so young' he thought to himself. The soul looked miserable and somewhat innocent, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions just now. He had already seen too many specters act on emotions they didn't have, trying to play him for a fool, and a fool he was not. All that had tried to lie to him where now burning in the depths of Tartarus.

The girl, whose name he had learned to be Nysa, had told him the exact same story she had told Persephone. The Moirai, crippled by time and experience, confirmed the slave's story. His wife had been right, she didn't belong among those damned souls, but he couldn't just let her go to the Elysian Fields either. Maybe he could replace Agathe by this young soul, 'I think she would appreciate that' referring to Persephone in thought. 'Very well, Nysa. You shall be escorted to lady Persephone's bed chambers and wait for her there, she'll be the one giving you the orders' said Hades in a powerful manner and, before some misunderstandings could be made, he called up Agathe to inform her that she would be now attending the kitchens. The soul didn't look too satisfied with the arrangements, but she couldn't complain, anything would be better than the flames of Tartarus.

That morning's judgments finished with Nysa's. Hades thought it would be a good idea to check on the light brown-haired Goddess. He wanted to dine with her that day. But first, he had to find her.

Persephone wondered around the numerous corridors of the palace, all of them looked very similar to each other, the difference remained in the scenes engraved on the walls. She noticed that, in one large corridor there were still some clean walls, like they were waiting for new marks of the Olympian History. After an hour of exploring, she felt tired and decided it would be for the best if she went back to her room. Maybe Nysa was there waiting for her, at least she hoped so. Turning around to head back, she stopped, realizing that she had forgotten her way back. Taking notice of her mistake, she slapped her forehead. 'Stupid...' she murmured to herself, 'Now you've done it Persephone' she continued scolding herself. Looking at the path she had come from, the brunette tried to remember the sequence of scenes she had seen on the wall. She knew she was bad when it came to special orientation, 'Why did I do this? Oh! Right... I was curious. They do say that curiosity killed the cat...' she continued on grumbling.

After several turns, none seeming to lead her back to the great Hall, she noticed that one of the ebony doors was opened. 'Strange, it wasn't like this ten minutes ago' she said frowning. After looking at the walls and understanding that she did not recognize them at all, she took on another possible conclusion 'Or I am lost. Again...' Nobody was around, so she thought that there was no wrong in going inside to see what kind of room it was. Stepping inside with caution, she looked around to see if it was occupied, it wasn't. It seemed to be an ample ball room, with a line of seven big windows on the end, near each window there were some lit candles. The black marble ground shone, its stars glittered as the light from the candles hit them. Persephone noticed, through its reflection on the ground, that there were some paintings on the ceiling. Getting curious, again, she made the motion to walk further, but after three steps she felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs as she fell inside a warm liquid.

Hades had been invisible while he followed Persephone, this time he had his black helmet on, which made him unseen to any mortal or immortal being. He found it entertaining to study her reaction to her current situation. Once she got into the pool room, Hades decided to turn himself into an old disfigured man covered in dark dirty rags, before following her steps. When the dark God was at the door he heard a small feminine yelp, 'You have got to be kidding me, she didn't see the pool?!' he exclaimed mentally as he stepped inside and stood by the edge. It didn't take her two seconds to emerge, taking an anxious and very deep breath in the progress, with her wet hair covering her face like a dark curtain. Hades grabbed both of her arms and pulled his wife up. She didn't protested, just coughed a bit.

After calming down and regaining her breath, Persephone looked up to him and let out a small breath, 'Can you at least have the decency to show your real form?' she asked in annoyance, while sitting and starting twisting her hair, trying to get all of the water out of it, always looking up at him. With that, Hades dissolved back into his true form, clad in a black leather outfit and smirking widely. 'You didn't get scared' he stated, still smirking, 'I've seen worse than that' she admitted plainly. Persephone was staring at him impatiently, if she was there as a whore or wife, or whatever she was, she didn't know anymore. She wondered if he would make his move and take advantage of the opportunity or not. After a while she demanded, 'I want to know when you are done waiting and tell me what you want from me', that turned his smirking face into a frowning one, he looked like he had been hit by a rock. 'What does she mean with that?!', Hades stared at her for some moments, not really knowing exactly what to say. He didn't want her to do anything, at least right away. The next words that came from his mouth were the stupidest he could have said, 'Well... I would appreciate if you, from now on, would stop destroying the furniture'. They obviously weren't thinking about the same thing.

Having had enough of his behavior, Persephone started undoing the piece of silk that kept her wet dress closed. She would have succeeded in undressing herself if Hades hadn't caught her hands first. He was eyeing her as if she had grown a second head, 'What the heck are you doing woman?!' he asked her, making the brunette look up at him. She was a lot shorter than the God, she maybe reached his chin. Persephone's blood started to boil in her veins, her face turning red with anger, 'Just stop with this joke and go on and rape me, I already know I'm here for you to use. I'm not an idiot, might as well go and get this over with' she facing him. His face grew back to the dumfounded expression that he had held a few moments earlier, 'Nice piece of work you've left for me, Demeter. Really, nice work... She thinks I want her for just for sex!' Mentally, Hades was launching Cerberus at his sister, while he gently closed Persephone's dress. The wet fabric clung to her body tightly, exposing her well-shaped curves. She had a small waist, which accentuated her chest, which wasn't too big, but it wasn't small either. For him, it had just the right size. But Hades had to control his thoughts, he didn't want her to have any more wrong impressions. Calming himself down a bit, the blond God said 'I'm sorry Persephone, but that isn't my intention. Did you enjoy the gifts I've given you?' that was in hopes of successfully changing the subject, but never letting go of her hands. It didn't turn out as he expected, the Goddess didn't seem to have listened to him, for the next thing that came out of her mouth angered him. 'Are you gay?' she asked shocked, face contorted in surprise, 'The Lord of the Underworld isn't interested in women?' she asked herself. Hades eyes flared open, 'What?!' he thought, while his blood temperature started to rise.

Grabbing hold of her slim waist with one hand and her neck with the other, he turned them around, holding her up against the cold marble wall, while pressing his body firmly to hers. Without applying excessive force, he just used enough to hold her in place, preventing her from struggling against his hold. Persephone's cheeks started to turn red, her body began to heat up and her heart beat to reach her ears. She had never been in a situation like that one, she didn't know how to react, maybe it had not been such a bright idea to provoke him. Bringing his lips close to her right ear, Hades said lowly, his hot breath tickling her neck, 'No, dear Persephone. But if I have chosen a wife, I want her to come around on her own will. Whores have been always ease to find and I have had many, but none of them had the fire that you possess, my wife'. The way he spoke made her skin crawl, so tempting and yet terrifying. Hades let go of her throat, letting his index finger descend, teasingly, from her chin, down her neck and traveling to the center of her cleavage, where her necklaces was. Along the way he sent very small jolts of energy through her, liking the way her soft skin felt against his own. The hand on hear waist never left its place, having his thumb drawing small circles where it lay. Persephone's breath hitched a bit, she almost forgot how to get air into her lungs. She aimlessly tried to maintain her composer, or at least what was left of it. Words seemed to be locked inside her mouth, unable to come out.

Happy with the reaction he had gotten from her, Hades snapped his fingers, grinning triumphantly. On his hand a soft black towel with silver writings appeared. Finally letting go of her, he carefully wrapped the fabric around the damp brunette that was in front of him. 'There are some important matters we need to discuss. We shall take care of them as we dine tonight. I'll dine with you in the Arabian room. Do you have anything you wish to eat?' He asked her, casually and smiling, as if Persephone hadn't been naked in front of him some moments prior. Still recovering, Persephone answered, though a bit apprehensive, 'I'll leave it for you to choose. By the way, I have a question to make', 'Go ahead, dear' he said to her, starting to lead her, arm around her slim waist, back to her room. 'Have you spoken to my mother about this?', she asked, wondering how she had reacted to the new arrangements. 'Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. Everything's alright with her, the same I can't say about the house. I've noticed that you two share the same tendency to destroy furniture and decoration' he informed her as he glanced down at her, smirking and testing her temper. Persephone's brown eyes only glared up at him, smoke coming out of her ears and daggers coming out of her eyes. Hades decided it would be safer if he dropped that part of the discussion and continued 'It won't do her any harm to pull some of her hair off head and to start learning how to live by herself. Maybe her egoistical behavior will stop. Eventually…' and, with that, they were in front of her door. 'That was quick' she thought to herself, for the trip she had made seemed much longer. Hades continued talking as he turned her to him again, arm locking her waist firmly, grazing the fingers of his free lastingly along her lower lip and with his face inches from hers, 'But have in mind that, for now, the only thing I wish from is your company, nothing else. I'll see you tonight my dear' and with that he dissolved into the air, smiling.

Persephone was fuming, she had never seen someone as full of himself as her husband was, and her only decent dress was ruined. Walking into her bedroom, the Goddess came faced with the translucent figure of Nysa, one that looked much lighter than the one she had seen in that damned line. The young soul smiled kindly at the woman, 'Hello my lady, his Lordship said you were the one that would supervise me, my lady. I'm here as a replacement of Agathe, I believe that's her name', said the servant showing more joyful emotions, 'Yes Nysa, that's her name. I'm very glad that Hades has given you a chance to someday go to the Elysian Fields' answered Persephone politely in return. She was about to say something else when, all of sudden, the former slave disappeared from her sight, 'These people have to stop going away like this' she thought dramatically. In some seconds, the girl came back with a new towel and a comb, 'Sorry my lady, but if you continue in that state you'll get ill' she said with in a worried tone of voice.

Persephone sat on her bed after taking the ruined dress off and wrapping a dry towel around herself. Nysa stood beside her combing all the knots, that had been formed, off her hair, the Goddess thanked her for this. 'My lady, excuse me if I'm being rude or bold in anyway, but why are you here? I don't wish to pry in your life, but the stories that I heard when I was a child told that you lived with your mother, Demeter', inquired the girl in a low voice, afraid to disrespect her lady in any way. 'It's alright Nysa. You told me your story, it's only fair that I tell you mine, but as much as I loved to, I can't. I don't even know why I am here, but I think that I'll find it out tonight' said Persephone in a calm tone, the glassy figured only breathed out a small Oh sound. 'And speaking about tonight, it appears that Hades wants to have supper with me in the Arabian room, I need you to help me choose something as decent as possible out of that deplorable wardrobe', said the Goddess pointing in the direction of the piece of furniture, 'The only respectable gown that it had got ruined and I don't remember seeing anything similar', she said. Nysa laughed a bit shyly and floated on that direction, opening the doors of the piece of furniture. She was determined to do everything she was required to as perfectly as possible, or even when she wasn't asked to, she decided that she would prove herself worthy to serve the Goddess.

After several minutes of searching, she had three dresses across the bed for Persephone to try and choose from. They were of different colors and shapes. One was cool gray, it came to her feet flowing, seeming to be very light. She liked the color and the fabric but it was too revealing, the neckline was too deep and nothing covered her back. The second was pure white from the bust down, with gold metal covering the chest and surrounding the hem of the back, she liked it, had nothing against it, but was afraid to look like a bride. She still was processing the idea of being somebody's wife, that somebody being Hades. She wasn't going to look like a bride if she had never felt like one. Well, it was better to be the wife rather than the whore. The last was a one shoulder gown, starting with a dark blue color at the top ending with royal blue at the bottom, it had several thin layers of fabric on the skirt and the waist had a band of silver embroiderers. The later didn't have any flaws that she could point, and she quite liked it, Persephone wondered how she hadn't seen it before. Nysa put the dress on a chair, letting it there until it was time to get her lady ready for supper.

Wanting to rest for a bit, the Goddess didn't left her bedroom for the rest of the day, her lunch was served there. She took the opportunity to learn more about Nysa's living life, to her the girl seemed to be eager to learn and do well while serving there, she also hoped that she could find in her a friend apart from a servant.

The days she had spent alone between the two rooms were dreading, time seemed to extend itself. Time never goes as we planned it to be, when we want it to never end, it's quickly over but, when we want it over, it drags itself. It's like a pesky child, always doing the opposite of what it is told to do. Talking with Nysa made time flew, and when they noticed, the fiery light of day had already ceased. It was time to get Persephone ready for dinner. They made their way to a dressing table that had some hair accessories and perfumes, the brunette had never paid much attention to it, she usually just used it to comb her hair. Carefully, Nysa began to arrange the Goddess's hair, making some braids at the top and letting the rest of the light brown hair fall down, framing Persephone's face perfectly. For someone who had been brought up in a wealth family, the girl seemed very skilled doing a servant's work, and most surprisingly, she didn't show any kind of arrogance. After that, Persephone got dressed with ease and put some sandals on, thanking Nysa and dismissing her for the night with a kind smile.

Hades' day, unlike Persephone's, went by very slowly, so slowly that it became almost painful. The line of souls seemed longer than usual and the hours dragged themselves, even Thanatos' presence was becoming unsettling, normally the black figure didn't bother him the slightest but that day the only person whose company he wanted was Persephone's. He loved the look she had gotten on her face, she appeared to have lost her ability to speak and react, but he had also loved to see the way the fabric of the dress clung to her body, making her hourglass shape stand out in a way that none of the dresses he had given her did. With this, the image of the Goddess becoming bare before him came to his mind again, 'Control yourself Hades!' his mind screamed at him. He had to keep his word to her, for now he just wanted her company, nothing else. Or that's what he wanted to believe he wanted, in reality he wanted much more, but he didn't dare to rape her, nor did he want to. He might be the God of the Underworld, but he had been lonesome for far too long, whores didn't offer him any kind of company, just some heated hours in his bed. He needed more than that, and for that he needed to be patient. Hades believed that mortals had an expression that said that 'Patience is a virtue', the thing was that he wasn't known to be a very patient God, far from it, but one way or another, he would have to be one. It would have to be that or spend the rest of eternity in solitude because his wife hated him.

After judging the rest of the souls he had that day and after a meeting with his helpers, he made his way to his chambers, he needed a cold bath before meeting her. Instead of wearing a full leather attire like normally, he chose to wear a black tunic with his leather trousers and boots. He wouldn't be needing his helmet or anything else. Once done, he dissolved appearing at the door of the Arabian room.

Persephone sat on one of the pillows that were near the short table. The food had already been set up. There were about four different platters of food, one had some chops of roasted lamb platted with some pomegranate rubies; to garnish the meat there were several different vegetables on other plate, all roasted as well. The other two had bread and fruits, that went from green grapes to big apples. She had some questions that she wanted answers for, she just had to wait for his arrival to ask them. But while waiting, Persephone thought it would be a good distraction for her to turn on the star-shaped musical instrument. When she was going to sit back on the soft pillow, the door opened.

Hades came through the threshold, in an outfit that resembled the one she had first seen him in. He had a smug grin on his face, Persephone became irritated the second she saw it, 'This should be interesting' she thought to herself. 'Hello Persephone, may I say that you look wonderful this evening' he while coming in her direction. The brunette didn't make the slightest motion to meet him, she just sat there glaring at him, she was waiting for him to start explaining. Seeing that his compliment hadn't had any effect on his wife, Hades sat down in a pillow that was opposite to hers. She had her arms crossed and looked like she was waiting, impatiently for something. 'Well?' she asked while her eyebrows went up her forehead in a suggestive manner. 'Well what?' he asked back, not really understanding what she wanted. 'You said you would dine with me because we had important issues to discuss, so I'm waiting to discuss them' she pointed out to him. Hades only looked at her, 'She is determined, I'll give her that' he admitted to himself, lowering his head down for a second before looking back at her, 'I was planning on discussing them after we ate, but if you are so eager to start, we'll shall do it while we eat', he said huffing, by this point the smug smirk had left his face to appear in hers.

They were serving their silver plates while Persephone began her questioning, 'First I want to know why I was sent here', 'To be my wife' he answered plainly as if it was obvious, while taking a bite of the lamb, 'The lamb's delicious don't you think?' he asked trying in vain to change the subject, she didn't seem to hear him. 'That I already know', she answered in annoyance, 'But why?' she insisted. The blond God breath out, she wouldn't let him eat in peace until she got what she wanted, 'I wonder if she is this demanding in other areas of life' thought Hades tiredly. 'You're not going to let me enjoy our supper will you?' he asked her, 'Well, I will... but after you answer every question I have to ask' replied Persephone smirking. Hades just stared at her blankly, he was starting to lose his patience. So, in attempts of remaining what was left of it, he took a very big deep breath. 'Huff... Very well, but remember, you were the one insisting' replied Hades pointing a finger on her direction. With this Hades began to explain why her father had sent her there, to be Hades wife. What had been the price Zeus had chosen to pay him to have Cronus and the other Titans imprisoned in Tartarus. At the time he didn't want anything in return, he wanted the peace back as much as the rest of his siblings. It had been Zeus who had come up with the idea of marriage as a guarantee of peace, but he only came up with the idea after the brunette's birth, to assure that the deal wouldn't be broken and that his firstborn would have her future guaranteed. He didn't want another Demeter on the loose. One was meant so much trouble, two would be chaos.

Persephone sat quietly listening to everything, while taking everything in her mind it seemed to make some sense. Once finished, Hades eyed her with caution, but her face was blank, in color and expression. There were some moments before she said anything else, she could only guess why her mother hadn't said something about that to her. She had always referred to her daughter as if she was an object, something that belonged to her. She understood what her father had done, but if she was happy with it? No, she wasn't. Taking a deep breath and recollecting her thoughts, she finally said something. 'Thank you, for telling…' she breathed out lowly, she would have to think about that when she was alone, he was staring at her way too much for her to concentrate properly. 'You're welcome, but it should have been Demeter telling you the reason why' he said in a calm yet stern voice before questioning with a small smirk 'Can I eat now my dear?', Persephone let a small smile graze her lips.

Hades thought that that had been a positive answer, he was about to eat a piece of roasted carrot when the brunette's spoke again, 'I still have two more questions', 'Go ahead, but I warn you, I don't like my food cold, so they better be short ones' he retorted back. 'The first is, how did you know that I like to dance?' at this the dark God took a dry gulp 'She's going to kill me', but putting on an act he answered 'Well, I did some research while you grew up. I had to know what I was getting myself into', Persephone frowned at that and taking a VERY deep breath, 'Will I be able to go to the surface any time soon?' she inquired plainly. Knowing that she would end up yelling at him sooner or later, might as well get it over with, 'Yes, you can go to the surface but you'll have to come back here always' he answered her with a serious voice. The Goddess's brows turned into a deeper frown, her blood starting to boil again that day, she was stuck there, 'And why is that?!' she asked outraged, Hades looked at her blankly and answered 'Once you've eaten any kind of fruit, from the Underworld it will make you always come back, you won't live very long in the living world. I believe that the very first thing you ate were pomegranates'. Persephone's skin was warming fast, 'WHAT?!'' she screamed, 'You heard me very well the first time, my dear'.

The next moments all Tartarus broke loose. The brunette started throwing things at him, yelling profanities and throwing what was on the table at him. Apparently, that night he would have to sleep with an empty stomach. His thoughts ceased when he felt one of the platters hit is chest, looking down at his attire he noticed that he was covered in food. He quickly looked up and saw that she was heading to the commode that contained the dancing outfits. She, as much as he would love to, certainly wasn't going to dance for him and that meant that she was going to get one of the swords. Before she got to them, Hades dissolved appearing in front of his wife and grabbed her arms. This time Persephone struggled against his strong hold, making her fists clash against his hard chest, still screaming utterances at him. If she was any other woman and if the circumstances were any different Hades would have had her sent away that instance, but with Persephone he couldn't do that. 'Let go of me!' she demanded still struggling, 'I will once you calm down and stop hitting me like I'm the only culprit. I understand your angry, you have every right to do that, but acting this way won't make things any better' he retorted back aloud, shaking her a couple of times in the process. Persephone only glared at him now, hot tears sliding down her red features. Hades waited a few moments until he was certain it was safe enough to let go of her. She seemed to be calmer, but her cheeks were still red and stained from her tears. He wanted to help her, but didn't quite know how to, maybe she should take some rest. 'Maybe it's better for you to retire to you bedroom, my dear. Get some rest' said Hades softly, before hocking an arm around her waist to lead her back to her room. She felt numb against him. Once at her door, the God opened it and led her inside. Turning her to him, he softly kissed her forehead before whispering 'Goodnight' and dissolving away.

Persephone didn't say one word through the whole process, she couldn't find any words that could be expressed. They were locked between the numerous thoughts that were inside her brain. It seemed that all that had happened during that week, from the beginning to its end, had come crashing down on her. She felt weak and exhausted, drained from all energy. She knew she couldn't blame only him, her parents were also to blame. They just weren't there for her to explode upon. Slowly taking off her dress, Persephone didn't even bother to get a nightgown, she just went to bed bare, wrapped in silk sheets, to a dreamless and numb sleep.

In the following morning Nysa stood waiting for her lady to call for her. She didn't know when Persephone usually woke up, so this time she would have to wait for directions. Maybe it would be a good idea for her to ask the Goddess about her routine and her preferences so she wouldn't do anything to displease her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the stern voice of Hades calling her name. He didn't seem to be in a good mood, she'd better hurry. Quickly she dissolved from the spot she was standing on and meet the dark God's presence in the room, where she had been judged. He was sitting on the throne, looking cold and austere, Nysa gulped. 'Oh dear, what have I done wrong? Did he regret not sending me to Tartarus?' these were some of the thoughts that crossed the former slave's mind in that moment. Taking a quick look around the ample room, she noticed that Hades' helpers weren't anywhere to be seen, that was odd. 'What does he want?' she wondered. Some seconds after the God spoke, 'Nysa, you are to tell lady Persephone that, from tomorrow on, she shall take her meals in one of my rooms, with me. Also inform her that I'll be the one escorting her there', to which the servant only replied politely, bowing her head, 'As you wish, my lord'. Hades didn't say anything else for a short while and Nysa, not knowing what to do, asked 'Is there anything else, my lord?', the blond God looked up at her blankly, 'Yes there is, I want you to keep Persephone company at any given time, unless she asks otherwise. But don't tell her this', Nysa wanted to ask why, but she knew that it wasn't her place to ask, he seemed to be in a bad mood, she didn't want to push her luck. 'I'll do as you ask, my lord' she answered bowing her head once more. 'You may go now, she should be waking up' he said, dismissing the soul.

Once Nysa was gone, Hades still stood on his throne, thinking about what had happened the night before. Until that night, he had been wondering when she would break down completely and, when she did, he didn't know what to do. He only held her in place and waited for her to calm down. He got to the conclusion that he should have told her everything since the day she got there. That was the reason he was in such a bad mood that day, plus he had to check on Tartarus to see how things were going, to see if The Hecatonchires were doing their job right. He loathed the place, but it was an important part of his duties, he couldn't just decide not to go, he had been postponing his visit for about two weeks, it was time to go. This was also one of the reasons why he had told Nysa that their meals would start on the following day, one other reason being that he thought it would be best for her to cool down first. Had it not been for Demeter's egoistical behavior and supper probably would have gone much smoother, at one point he had made her laugh, but that was thrown away when she heard all the rest. He hoped that the next day's meals would be more rewarding, maybe he could show her the palace's indoor garden. But in that moment, it was time to go to Tartarus.

Persephone woke up and the day light was already strong. She didn't feel as numb as she did several hours prior. They say that sleep is the best adviser, helps the day's thoughts to connect and get organized, helps people to think clearer. That night Persephone had dreamed of sitting on a throne next to Hades, the ample room lighted with several torches, she remembered being contempt while ruling the Underworld beside him. She understood what it meant, she just didn't know if she wanted it. Persephone understood well what had happened the night before and what was told to her, but she had never asked for any of this. Her mother could have told her something, she should have not let her go that blinded.

The brunette didn't wish to be alone in the palace, one week had been enough. Sitting up in bed she called Nysa. Immediately, the kind soul appeared before her. 'Good morning, my lady' she said with a small smile, Persephone returned it but hers was almost nonexistent, 'Good morning Nysa, can you prepare the bath, please?' she asked quietly, still having the night's thoughts running through her head. 'Yes, my lady. But I think that you'll have to teach me how do you like it' she said in an embarrassed tone of voice. The Goddess let out a small laugh, mostly at herself, 'For a second I forgot that I never told you any of that, it's my fault for not paying much attention, I'm so sorry. Well get to it right now' she said with a smile on her face, her mood improving a bit with the sudden realization. After that, Persephone explained everything that Nysa needed to know on her time there, everything from baths, food, clothes, routines, etc. Meanwhile, the ghostly servant made mental notes of everything, afraid that she might forget something.

While Nysa prepared Persephone's bath, the Goddess stood in front one of the windows, dressed in a satin robe. The view was strange, she couldn't see where the fiery light came from, she could only see clouds of smoke tainted with oranges and reds, it was different from the blue sky she was used to, but it was a spectacular sight nonetheless. The light moved gently through the clouds, different shades hitting the dark walls of her room, making the small crystals glitter. This was the first time she had gotten curious about what lay beyond her windows. Her contemplation ended when Nysa called her name, her bath was ready. While the lady took her bath, the servant careful picked something as simple as possible from the wardrobe and some matching sandals, after that she made her lady's bed, changing the dark blue sheets to silver ones and leaving it without any wrinkles. Afterwards, Persephone came through the bathing room door, got herself dressed and once more, at the dressing table, Nysa combed and dried her lady's hair.

'My lady, I have a message from his lordship', at this Persephone looked up at her maid, 'He said that, from tomorrow on, you shall take your meals with him in one of his rooms and the he would be the one escorting you', the Goddess only stared at her, pursing her lips before questioning 'Did he say anything else?'. Through Nysa's mind passed Hades' second request, but she kept her mouth shut about it, 'No, my lady. He just informed me of the new arrangements. I didn't ask why, his mood seemed stormier today' answered the young soul with caution, Persephone's face had turned into a frown. Some more minutes had passed until Nysa was done, she noticed that the Goddess was more quiet than usual and she suspected why. With a worried voice, the soul asked 'I know it isn't my place to ask, my lady. I don't want to pry, but did last night's dinner went out badly? You seem lost today'. 'You're not prying, my dear. It's good to have a friend to talk to, especially in a place like this' answered Persephone smiling a little. With this, she told her friend the reasons why she was there and that left her in that numb state of mind.

The rest of the day was passed with the Goddess reflecting how she should act from that point on. There was no need to unleash her anger on Hades but she also didn't plan on making his life very easy, it was too early to start acting like a married couple that they weren't. She needed to trust him first, she just didn't know how to, he had only been with her twice since she got there. She decided that she would try to act in a more civilized manner towards him, he hadn't done anything to make her any harm. On the contrary, Hades was taking care of her, but she guessed that he was as clueless as her on how to behave.

At night Persephone was lying on her bed, trying to fall asleep while watching the blue light of night coming smoothly through the windows. One could be lead to think that that was Poseidon's palace during the day.

On the late evening, Hades arrived weary and hungry. Tartarus was a desolated yet disturbing environment, the condemned souls never stayed sane there for very long. Tartarus was an obsidian cave with no end, lightened up by several lava rivers that came from different directions, making the glassy walls of the cavern glow red. In every corner there were spirits being punished, all in very unique ways that depended on the sins they committed in their living life. Some of those punishments had the sinful ones chained up to rock in the middle of the hot rivers, having spills of lava hitting their transparent skin, burning them for eternity. Others were just locked up in small holes in the walls and in the ground, holes so small that doomed them to spend eternity without moving their aching limbs. Five minutes after being there and any God would be sweating, that being the reason for the first thing he did, when he arrived, was to head to his bathing room. He smelt of a mixture of burnt flesh and sulfur, the stench had to come off.

Usually the task didn't took long, but that time Hades took about half an hour, the smell seemed to be alive, fighting not to fade away from the God's well-built body. Finally getting rid of it, Hades stepped out of the small pool and wrapped one of his black towels around his waist, small drops of warm water sliding down his skin. Before he went to his bedroom, he made a flaming globe appear on his right hand and launched it at the leather attire he had been wearing all day, burning it until there were only ashes left. Arriving to his bed chambers, he took notice that his servants had already left a platter of food waiting for him, smelt like goat and fresh fruit. Hades wondered how Persephone was dealing with her situation after the prior evening's events. He, in reality, didn't really know what to expect. From what he had seen, she was a walking dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any given time. Maybe it was time to check on her, and by the blue illumination he concluded that she must be asleep. First he would inquire Nysa of his lady's state, the servants of the palace never slept, it was part of their punishment. They wouldn't know rest until they had paid for their sins, some souls would have to spend eternity without resting, which was the case of Agathe. The old soul had been there for over five hundred years and would be staying for a lot more, nothing erased the lives she had taken from the orphanage she had burnt to the ground. The God could have sent her to Tartarus, but for Agathe there wasn't anything worse than serving someone.

Sitting on one chair, Hades called the young servant's name, not even bothering to dress anything else apart from the black towel. The second he did, she was there, head bowing as usual. 'You called, my lord?' she asked politely, 'Yes Nysa, I have some questions about your lady that I need to ask you' he informed her calmly, 'I'll answer as much as I can, my lord' answered the soul. 'I know you will' he said with a small smile, with a hand under his chin before adding his question. 'What kind of moods was she in during the day?' he didn't feel like explaining her why, he didn't have to. 'She seemed to be somewhat distant during all day, my lord. Being worse in the morning, she reacted very little. I believe she was submerged in her own thoughts all day, sorting out her mind, my lord' she replied with some uneasiness, she was afraid of betraying Persephone's trust. Not enjoying much what came to his ears Hades let out an Hm sound escape, he knew that the reaction was normal, but it didn't mean that he had to like it. 'Did Persephone engage in any activity during the day, Nysa?' he asked with a serious face, 'No, my lord. For most of the day she sat on the Arabian room listening to music, deep in thought' answered Nysa back to him. 'Very well, thank you Nysa, you may go now but, like before, don't say anything about this to your lady' he said to her, to which she answered before dissolving away, 'As you wish, my lord.'

Being alone again, he reflected on what the servant said while he ate the food that was set upon a small table. He needed to make something about it, and he already had some ideas, 'I hope she enjoys reading' he murmured to himself before walking to bed, dropping the black towel in the process, and going to sleep.