Chapter 8

As most mornings, the pair met at Persephone's for their breakfast at the rainbow like garden but, unlike most mornings, Hades greeted her with a simple kiss on the lips, instead of kissing her forehead. At first, the Goddess's muscles tensed up a little bit, but after some short moments, and after his arms circled her small waist to pull her body close against his, she relaxed and responded to the kiss. The blond God felt as if a weight had been cast off his shoulders, for he had been afraid that she would push him away once more. That kiss ended shortly after, and although he felt that it had been much too soon, he didn't want her to fell more uncomfortable near him. 'Good morning, my dear' he said with a soft smile, while pushing away a brown lock of hair away from her warm glistening eyes. It amazed him the mixture of traits she had in her. In one moment she could be the most independent and stubborn woman he had seen in his life, but then there were those small moments where she would seem to be so innocent and fragile. 'Good morning, Hades' she answered back, her tone hushed, she still needed time to get used to greet him like that. Not that she didn't enjoy it, she did, greatly, but she still had to get used to kiss him without and restraints holding her back. Inside the war that was her mind, the one that possessed the chains was starting to loose. She figured that it wouldn't take long for the war to be over. Still having a hold of her, the blond God transfigured them into the garden, Nysa had already let the table set for both.

He took her by the hand and led her to their table. 'I hope you have slept well Persephone, because there are some matters that I need to speak of with you' he said before pausing to pull a chair for her to sit on. 'Thank you' she replied shortly before asking, 'I assume that they have something to do with my father's message. Are they grave?', 'Not entirely…' he managed to answer at first, but the concern in her features didn't leave her, 'Well, in normal circumstances I wouldn't pay much attention to this, but there's no possible way I can let it just vanish away' he answered her as he sat down in front of her. Persephone only motioned him to develop his speech with a suggestive sway of her head, she was getting somewhat frustrated with all of that embellishments, she wanted to know, at once, what he had to say. 'Zeus has established a meeting with me and Poseidon for tomorrow. I'm in need of informing you about it because it has to do with Demeter' he finished. The Goddess, who was eating some grapes, stopped and eyed him with caution, 'What has she done?' asked the brunette. 'It's more about what she hasn't done you should be worried about' he answered as she arched an eyebrow. 'I'm certain that, in the end, I'm going to wish this conversation had never happened' she thought, already defeated by her mother's antiques. 'According to what Zeus has told me, she has been refusing to help with the mortals' crops and plantations since you came here, there have been numerous sacrifices and the situation can't be dragged along for much longer or there won't be any children or animals left by the end of the month' he finished, his face more serious than the ones she had ever seen on him. What she heard wasn't what she expected it to be, at all. From everything her mother could do, that reached the extreme of absurdity. 'Did he mentioned what are her reasons?' she inquired a bit shocked, it was strange for her to hear that her mother was having that kind of behavior, she could be a little eccentric, but she used to be very proud of the help she provided with the crops. 'Apart from being completely insane… and don't give me that look, my dear. I know she's your mother, but we both know that it's true' he said as she glared up at him for calling Demeter insane. 'I know, unfortunately, but she's still my mother' she pointed out. Hades, knowing that that discussion wouldn't get them anywhere, quickly continued 'According to my brother, she says she won't do anything until we, me and Zeus, give you back to her. As we both know that is not possible, so I am to go there to try to arrange something out along with my brothers. This can be dragged along any further, you are not an object and she can't just disrupt everything because she is throwing a fit. But there's another thing I would like to ask you: I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me there' he invited her. He knew that her answer would be a positive one, but he still dreaded her answer, for he did not know whether she would go with him as his wife or as an attempt to break free from their marriage, but he wouldn't the his nerves show. Instead of thinking about what answer she would give the God, Persephone's thoughts remained on the reason why he wanted her to go with him. She had been there for a while and every time he would go out, on a meeting or to Tartarus, never had he taken her with him, 'Why now? Why this time?'. With her thoughts came well marked frown on her forehead. 'Persephone? What's wrong?' he questioned, alarmed by her quiet state and her facial expression. 'Why are you asking? You never bothered doing it before. Why now?' she inquired with a slightly raised voice, her dubious thoughts getting the best of her temper. Not that she wasn't happy with the proposal, she was ecstatic, but her caution always took some control of her actions. Hades took a deep breath, 'And here we go…'. 'Well, I thought it was only fair for you to come with me, since it has to do with you and, since we are married, you should start coming with my on these type of affairs. Plus, it would be an excellent idea for you to get out of here for a while and to see your younger siblings but, if you wish not to go, I won't bother you any further' he said in fake disappointment, hoping that referring to her brother and sister would help his case. 'I never said that I didn't want to go' she quickly replied, squeezing her brown eyes in an annoyed fashion. 'I just wanted to know your reasons, I don't see anything wrong with that' she replied while crossing her arms. Hades would have laughed at her adorable behaviour if he didn't know he would receive a silver platter in his face, she was too easy to annoy. 'And you're right, there's nothing wrong, but it's not my fault, love. From your silence, I just figured that you weren't missing the outside as much as I thought you were' he said as he searched for another piece of fruit to nibble on. 'You're just provoking me aren't you?' she inquired, smoke starting to come from her ears. A wide smirk appeared on his face 'Yes and no. Yes because you look very beautiful when angry, and no because I really want you to come' he said as he rose to his feet, her glare just intensified, 'So, are you or are you not?'

Persephone took a very, very deep breath. She couldn't believe that, even after raising her temper, she still wanted to kiss the God. Even when he was using all the smugness in him. 'Yes, I'll go with you' she answered while looking to the side, everything to not get tempted to forgive him. 'Very well, my dear' he replied with a small smile. 'Now, let's go. It's getting late and that line of souls can't judge itself' he invited by extending his hand for her to take. 'Sorry to inform you, but I'm not going with you today' she said, that was her turn to smile. 'Why not?' he exclaimed, the woman didn't cease to surprise him. 'I just have some stuff to study first and I fear that is going to take most of my day' she explained with a dangerous innocent smile gracing on her features. 'Oh! And could you tell me what it is about?' he asked, fearing what she was planning, for some reason her smile wasn't at all comforting. 'Don't worry, you'll see its results quite soon', 'Maybe even at lunch time' she finished in thought. 'And before I forget, Terpsichore sent this note to you' she informed while handing him the small piece of parchment that she had hidden somewhere in her dress.

'Hum…I don't know if I should fear or not those results. I'll read this later' said Hades before putting the small paper in a pocket. 'But before I leave…' the blond God took one of her hands and pulled up to him. 'What ar…' she was about to reply, but was cut off when his lips claimed hers and his arms secured her body. Surprisingly, she didn't fight as much as she expected herself to and quickly returned the kiss. It wasn't a very long kiss, for some seconds later he broke it and vanished into the air before she could start screaming at him. She could barely register what had happened. Every time he kissed her, she would become intoxicated and craving for more. When Persephone opened her brown eyes, she was expecting to see his smirking face in front of her, but she came faced with nothing. She found herself glaring intensely, 'Idiot…' she mumbled before heading back to her room.

Before arriving at the throne room, Hades opened the small note. Knowing the muse he wasn't expecting anything less than a threat. As minor as the paper was, she had certainly found a way to threaten his integrity. 'Apparently I was right…' he thought in utter disdain as he glared the small amount of letters that composed he message. Apart from thinking that it was a completely childish message, he also felt offended, since, in his mind, he thought that the muse knew him better than that. He would never do anything to harm in any possible way Persephone, at least not consciously. He was at his door when he made a glowing ball of warm orange fire appear in the place of that note, in seconds it was reduced to a small amount of grey ashes.

Right after, Persephone fruitfully transported her body back into her room, if she was going to summon that cat she needed to do it in private. She called Nysa aloud, so the later could make her some company while she was at it, but not without clouding up Hades' attempts of spying on her activities. According to Clio she should practice with some non-animated objects first, but the brunette was too anxious to do it. She had been summoning some materials and small objects for the past few months, so she figured that it wouldn't be necessary to train any further. In fact, that had been the way through which she had gotten the materials for her leather attire. 'Persephone, are you sure it isn't safer for you to train some more first?' asked the stray soul as she sat on her friend's bed. 'I am completely sure. I have summoned many things before, successfully. It's just going to be a kitten, what could possibly go wrong?' asked the Goddess uncaringly, she felt very confident on her powers. Since she had gotten to the Underworld they had become significantly stronger, for her nothing could go wrong. 'You not getting a kitten?' guessed the former slave, concerned. She wasn't feeling as optimistic as Persephone was, for some reason she was sure that the Goddess should practice a bit more, juts to be safe. Even if just to be sure that the animal wouldn't appear dead or with some kind of mutation or malformation. 'Be more enthusiastic my dear Nysa, this is going to work out just fine, don't worry so much' brushed off the Goddess. She sat down next to her friend and grabbed the piece of paper that contained the spell before reading it mentally a couple of times, just to be sure she would say it right the first time.

'May the great ancestors grant me this simple wish. I beckon upon your wisdom and strength to summon this small being of life. Let it carry the strength and wisdom of the great lion, but also the unknown of the tiger. Please grant me this lifelong companion and protector' she said aloud, while focusing all her power on a pillow that was set in front of her and Nysa and on the image of a small and black kitten. The later one backed away slightly and covered her face, afraid of what might happen if the spell had gone entirely wrong, while the first ogled the pillow impatiently. White smog appeared in front of the two females, dissipating ever so slowly. Before being able to see if Persephone had actually beckoned the kitten she wanted so badly, both of them heard a small mewling sound coming from the smog. Both eyed each other, the Goddess already smiling brightly and Nysa thinking 'Thank the Gods, it's alive'. No containing herself and not wanting to, the headstrong Goddess lead her white hands through the cloud until they got in touch with soft and silky fur. She started petting the inviting texture until she touched something that felt like a head, but something was out of place, 'Hum, I think that something's wrong, the head seems to be bigger than it sh… OUCH!' she screamed as the brunette brought her throbbing fingers to her mouth, 'It bite me!' she exclaimed. Nysa didn't need to say anything, she just stared at her friend with her arms crossed in a manner that said: I told you so. Persephone just glared 'Ok, maybe it didn't work out as well as I hoped it would' she thought, although she would never admit it aloud. Seeing that the white haze was insisting on staying, the spell caster shot her hands through it and grabbed the being from under what it seemed to be its front paws. Bringing the fury creature upwards, she'd realized her mistake, 'This is certainly not a kitten' she said while eyeing the animal with curiosity. Its head was more robust than the one of a domestic cat, so were the paws and the rest of the black body, which, apart from being completely black, held some darker shaded spots all around. Contrasting with so much black, were two large sapphire eyes holding what seemed to be an annoyed expression, perfectly matching Persephone's. 'Of course that's not a kitten, that's a black panther's cub. Oh! And look, it is already learning how to mimic your facial expressions' said the soul, laughing loudly, the sight was too comical to go unseen. At this, the other two, cub and Goddess, turned their heads in Nysa's direction giving her the same pointed look. 'I should have been more specific… And maybe I put too much energy in it' breathed out the Goddess, 'Hades is going to kill me'. 'I wouldn't say that he would kill you, he cares too much about you for that. But I don't see how he will be able to put up with the two of you at the same time' she said while petting the small beast, while the later purred in contempt and tried to play with her transparent fingers, 'It's clear that he or she has your personality' the soul went on.

Persephone was still studying the small feline, apparently it was doing the same thing with her. She put it on the pillow and it sat there eyeing everything that was surrounding it with curiosity. 'Are you still going to keep it, Persephone?' asked the soul, for she knew that that wasn't exactly what her friend was expecting to get. The Goddess thought a bit about the matter, it was her fault that the spell hadn't worked out quite as she wanted, but it was type of cat. 'I am, it's going to become a very large animal, but despite of that and of biting me, I already like it. Now, let's see if you're a she or a he' answered the Goddess while smiling brightly, as she tried to check the animal, whom had made it its mission to bite all of her fingers. 'Stay still, or you want me to give you the wrong name?' she grumbled at the beast. After some long seconds and several fingers bitten, she was able to conclude that, in fact, it was a she. 'Hum… It's a girl Nysa, what shall we call her? With all of my eagerness to summon her I forgot the think about any names' she questioned the soul. Nysa thought for a bit, the little terror deserved a name that would match her personality and she seemed to have a strong one, 'What about Cinira? It means: She who only complains' said the translucent being. Persephone thought for a bit, the name had a good sound it, plus, it really did match the cub's personality. It was true, the only thing she had done so far was complain. 'I like it, it's settled then' she said with a big smile, 'From now on, you, my little terror, shall be named Cinira.'

Hades kept thinking if it had been a good idea to bring her along with him to that meeting. Those thoughts had never left him, but he couldn't forbid her from going. He was the one inviting her, if he went back on his word she would hate him, and that wasn't something he was craving for. He had gotten so far in his relationship with her, he didn't want to throw it all away because he thought that the first thing she would do was to leave him. Those thoughts kept him distracted for most of the morning activities. He didn't seem to be able to focus on which punishments he was to give the rotten souls. But those weren't his only worries, she was up to something and he feared its consequences. The last time she had been planning anything it had turned out to be fairly interesting. Never in his right mind, would he have guessed that she had been preparing herself to take part of the judgments. It had been an absolute shock for him and for the rest of the group. The dark God was dreading, and was anxious at the same time, to go back into that garden to meet her for lunch. First, with Persephone one could never try to foresee what was going to be her next move or how she was going to react. He would be lying if he'd say that it didn't make him only want to know more, to get even closer to her. Then there was her taste for surprises. At that moment he was expecting for her to appear with an army of carnivorous plants to take control of the Underworld. 'That would be fun, and scary, to watch' mused the blond God to himself.

Hades quickly got rid of those thoughts and got prepared for what was to come, 'What's the worse she can do? She has only been practicing for a few months…' he thought in a way of trying to convince his mind that there was nothing that could surprise him. Right.

Once the dark God was finished with his duties he quickly dissolved his body to the entrance of the garden, where he was certain was where his wife was at that time of the day. He opened the doors and, he had been right, she was there sitting at the metal table, but there was something that was slightly different in that scenario. She hadn't notice him when he arrived, but there was nothing new in that. What was strange was that, instead of being with a book on top of the table, she was laughing quietly and seemed to be playing with something that was on her lap, 'Isn't she a bit old to be playing?' his mind questioned, completely intrigued. He approached her, slowly and silently, until he was behind the brunette. When he peaked from above he noticed that beneath her hands was a big black and furry ball. He arched an eyebrow, 'Persephone, my dear, would you care to enlighten me of what that is?' he inquired lowly at her ear, making her jump slightly from her seat, but her move made the dark ball let out a small, yet anger, meow sound. 'Would you stop doing that? You scared her!' exclaimed the Goddess outraged, as she delicately stroked the strange thing that was curled on her lap. 'Her?!' questioned the God. 'Yes, her. Now keep your voice down' she kept on scolding. 'What the…?' his brain questioned alarmed, he couldn't believe that she was treating him like a child. 'Who are you talking about? There's no one else here' he said plainly, starting to think that she had gone completely mad. A very, very small part of him started to question if their marriage had been a wise choice. 'I'm talking about Cinira' she answered plainly but with an innocent smile gracing her features. 'My dear wife, I'm starting to think that you've gone utterly insane. There's no one else in this garden' he continued while gesturing to the empty room around them, showing her that they were the only ones there. 'Unless you are talking about that thing you have on your lap' he said while trying to touch it. Trying, because once his fingers where an inch away from the black fur, he felt his hand being scratch by four think needles and quickly brought it up. 'Serves you right, you should have done as I told you!' reprimanded Persephone, while holding the most serious expression he had ever seen on her face, 'And if you call me insane again, I'll make sure you won't talk again' she threatened. Hades eyes widened.

Softly, she picked up the blue eyed feline and brought her up so Hades could finally see her properly. 'This is Cinira. I summoned her today' she informed, feeling very proud of her accomplishment. Hades had to blink several times, while crooking his head to the side to try to figure if his wife had actually summoned a panther. 'By the Olympus, why would you summon a panther?!' he exclaimed. 'Well, Clio gave me a summoning spell so I could have some company' she said ever so innocently, while hugging Cinira. Hades only glared 'My dear wife, if you wanted company, you could have asked and I would be glad to give you some. But lack of company isn't an excuse for the panther. Couldn't you have brought something smaller?' he questioned, the beast's bright blue eyes glared at him in a murderous fashion, as if understanding what he was saying. 'It was supposed to be a small cat, like a Siamese or something similar, but I didn't go through with all of the instructions and I might have put too much effort on it. She is the outcome. In a way, she's still a cat, so I must have done something right. And before you say anything else: yes, I was warned, Nysa tried to convince me to train first; no, I'm not going to give her away nor am I going to let you do it; and yes, I'm going to take full responsibility for her' she said promptly, not giving him any chance to scold her. Hades let a hand trail down his face, 'This woman is going be the death of me' he thought exasperated as he brought the other chair for him to sit down next to her. 'What am I going to do with you?' he asked sighing and eyeing her. Knowing that she had, once more, won the war, Persephone smiled smugly and answered 'Take care of me like you are supposed to?'

Hades arched an eyebrow, 'Everyday she's getting bolder' he mused, but he liked that about her, it meant that she was getting more comfortable around him. Nevertheless, he would never let her know that and he had just the way to wash away the expression of smugness out of her. He leant in to kiss her as a response, but when he was just a couple of inches away from her face, Persephone brought Cinira up so the feline was facing Hades. Instead of getting a kiss, he got a very small mouth chewing on his nose and two small paws taking a hold of his face. Hades tried not to let his annoyance take the best of him. He closed his eyes and let out a very deep breath, 'I can't control one, how am I going to control two?' he thought defeated. Before he could say anything else about the topic, he heard a small giggle coming from the entrance of the garden and another coming from the female that was sitting in front of him. Carefully, he unlatched the animal from his face and put it on the ground. Hades looked up and found Nysa carrying a tray of lamb and a jar of whine, followed as usual by another servant that carried the rest. It was obvious that she was trying to contain the laughter, he could see it clearly through her posture. She had her back straighter than usual and her face was slightly contracted, especially around her mouth, the corners twitching faintly. The God made a mental note to talk to her later. Swiftly, the two servants placed the food on the table and a bowl of milk on the ground so the small cub could feed and left with a courteous bow of the head.

The meal would have went by evenly, hadn't it been for Cinira's constant cries for attention whenever she wanted to be picked up. As that didn't work, ever, as the small panther wished it would, she started developing the strange liking of chewing on Hades' boots, interrupting his meal every single time. He would push her away carefully, but she would always come back. Meanwhile, the couple made arrangements for the next day and discussed what would happen. Basically it was Hades informing her of how those meetings usually went on and what was expected of Persephone. He guessed that she wouldn't need to worry much about the meeting, but she should be ready if she was to be called in. It would be a lost day, but it was for a good cause.

Persephone was feeling rather excited, she couldn't wait for the hour when they would step a foot outside of the Underworld. But she wasn't showing any of this excitement in front of him. Somehow she knew that he was feeling wary on letting her go with him, she could almost feel fear coming from him, but she couldn't guess why. Strangely enough, she was starting to feel more empathic around him, which surprised her immensely. Since her arrival, her powers have gotten more powerful than ever and she sensed as she still had so much more to develop. A prove of that was Cinira. As for her own feelings on what was to happen the next day, apart for the excitement on encountering her siblings once again, she didn't know what to feel or expect if she was to meet her mother once again. It was true that she missed the blond woman, but a big part of her mind still resented all those lying years and how she seemed to treat her like an object that was only there to be used and possessed. Hades had, basically, kidnaped her, but thanks to him she had felt the freedom she had never experienced with her mother. She only hoped that Demeter wouldn't try to do anything reckless or throw a fit, Persephone wasn't sure of how she would react to it and dreaded the consequences. But there was one thing that she was certain of, she wouldn't go back. Her home was the Underworld now.