Chapter 7:
"Lady Aphrodite, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this."
"Of course you're not, my dear. That's precisely why we're doing this."
"But my mother-"
"Oh please, my dear girl. Your mother won't be back for quite some time."
"But-"
"No 'buts'. You'll be married one day, maybe even in the near future. You wouldn't want to disappoint your new husband, would you?"
Persephone looks away and blushes. Really, she couldn't care less of what some man would think of her – and in bed, no less! She's only started to show some interest in men recently, and really only one in particular – but she never has thought as far ahead as this. I only like him because he's handsome, she thinks. But marriage is a whole other story, and one that she doesn't want to be seriously thinking about for a while. And sex is a whole other issue entirely.
She looks up from where she's been lying in the grass to notice Aphrodite still standing over her. She sees Aphrodite's long brown hair move as a slight breeze brushes past, with her arms across her chest, her brown eyes bright and small smile playing at her luscious pink lips. Persephone lets out a sigh. Some people are just too beautiful for their own good. Reluctantly, she says, "Fine."
"Yes!" Aphrodite squeals out. She moves to straddle herself on top of Persephone.
"Now," Aphrodite says as she takes both of Persephone's hands in hers and lifts them, "let me teach you about the art of foreplay."
Persephone looks up at her, confused, "Foreplay?"
Aphrodite smirks down at her, "You'll see."
"Asphodel Fields."
The man quivering before the Lord of the Underworld, looks up, surprised. With all the wrong he'd done in his life, he thought that Hades, unforgiving as he is, would send his soul straight to the depths of Tartarus. He prostrates himself to the ground over and over again, saying, "Oh thank you, Lord Hades! Thank you, thank you! People will hear of your mercy, my lord!" With that, he gets up and runs excitedly to the place where he'll spend the rest of his eternal existence, even before the guards have a chance to take him there.
Hades grimaces. He's stopped sending souls to Tartarus. A week after his fight with Cronus, he learned that each time he sent a soul there, he would feel even weaker – and he could feel the dark mark on his body pulse and grow across his chest. He decided that sending any more souls to Tartarus would be dangerous for him, and, consequently, the whole Underworld. But that meant he would have to let horrible people like the man he just judged have a relatively comfortable time in their afterlife. And because of that, he's been quite disgusted with himself.
As another soul walks up to his throne for judgment, Hades once again feels the tell-tale sharp pain at his side, and the accompanying searing heat. He groans and takes a swig of the potion Hecate had learned to make after her visit with the Fates months ago. She's been constantly making potions for him ever since. He feels the burning sensation begin to subside, taking him out of agony and making his pain bearable. He thinks back to when Hecate first told him about the only thing that could be discerned for his fate:
"You're going to be in pain for the rest of your life," she told him bluntly. Hecate was never one to beat around the bush.
When he was first told, he thought that he could deal with it, as long as he didn't have to be in complete agony. Now, though, he's not so sure if he can deal with being in pain for the rest of his life – even if he isn't in total agony – and as he thinks of this, he feels himself begin to delve into despair. What if I can't do this? What then? Will Cronus rise, and destroy the gods because of my weakness? Will - He is only taken out of his rapidly derailing thoughts by a slight nudge from his guard. "Lord Hades," the guard says, "the shade is awaiting your judgment."
Hades nods for the guard to bring the shade over. He looks into the shade's eyes, and goes through his entire life in a matter of seconds, categorizing every horrible deed, and every kind deed the man ever did. After seeing the man's whole life, Hades frowns, "You raped and murdered your daughters…you…killed and…ate …" Hades can't bring himself to say more. He braces himself for what he's about to do, and he hopes it won't put him in bed for a whole six weeks like it did last time. The deeds of this man must be punished, even if it causes him great pain to do so. He sits up in his onyx throne and says, unblinkingly, "Tartarus." As the man screams while he is dragged down towards Tartarus, Hades feels himself grips the armrests of his throne. He grits teeth together as he feels the dark mark on his body undulate and grow even larger, leaving a searing hot sensation in its wake. He once again thinks back to what Hecate had told him after the fight:
"You will always be in pain, Lord Hades. Always. But it is possible to find some relief."
"I thought that was what your potions were supposed to be for?"
"It is, but it's not as long-lasting or powerful as the other solution I'm going to give you."
"What is it?"
"Love, my lord. Love will give you peace from this curse. You must find it, my lord, or else the curse will consume you. You will become a pawn for Cronus. "
He would have laughed then, had he not been in so much pain. Love seemed to be too simple an answer for this curse. But now as he thinks on it, gritting his teeth and trying to keep from crying out – he can't let his subjects think he's weak – he figures that he might as well try. The winter solstice meeting is only two weeks away, and he'll probably see herthere again. Persephone, he thinks. Sweet, sweet Persephone. As the next soul walks up, he feels the pain begin to subside, and figures he'll be able to last that long. Or at least, he hopes.