A/N: I re-uploaded this chapter because I noticed that it ended up having waaaaaay more mistakes than I can tolerate. So, if you're wondering why it meant missing for a while, that's why.
Chapter 9:
He had his eyes closed, but as soon as she lifted her head, he knew. He could sense it coming. And when she finally pressed her lips to his, he felt his mind go blank. Now as she's holding him there, keeping his head in place with her hands at the sides of his face, he wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss. It would be so easy. Just a tilt of your head, a slight lick on her lips. Just do it…No, you'd be forcing her to…But she's kissing you right now, maybe she's thinking the same thing... Before he makes his decision, someone pushes him roughly to the ground and he lands on his right side. He groans as sparks lite up in front of his eyes as he struggles to get up, his head reeling.
"YOU! Don't you touch my daughter, Hades! She does not need the smell of death tainting her beauty!"
"Mother please!" He looks at Persephone and sees that she's taken off the blindfold. Her eyes are watering and her cheeks are red. She's tugging on Demeter, trying to pull her back, but Demeter manages to break free just as he gets back to his feet.
"Mother, no!"
Demeter gets right in front of his face and slaps him, one, two, three times.
With her final slap he feels something ugly rise in his chest. He's angry now, angry at his pain, angry at his siblings, angry at everything. He looks around and sees all the gods looking at him, fear in their eyes. He hates them all. In that moment, he wishes that he could have the power to destroy them. His side is burning, getting hotter each time he takes a breath. He can't calm himself down. He feels the pain getting worse, clawing up his side and burning. It's always burning. Burning, burning, burning. Somewhere, at the back of his mind, he hears Zeus yell. He turns to look at his little brother, the King of the Gods. He sees his bronze hair, his golden skin, his broad chest – his brother. He hates him. Then he hears Persephone yell at him. Before he has a chance to stop himself, he screams at her, "WHAT?" His rage causes the entire palace to shake.
She trembles slightly as she tries to say in a confident voice, "Release my mother, Lord Hades." He looks down at himself, sees that he's lifted Demeter into the air with his hand around her neck. He sets her down, his eyes wide as he realizes what he's just done. He looks at Persephone and sees that she won't look him in the eye. His side starts to burn more.
"Zeus!" Demeter yells, "Get this scoundrel of a brother out of here!"
"You WILL NOT tell me what to do in my own house, woman!"
"Did you see what he just did?"
"Yes I did! I saw everything! Now, please, just stop –"
Zeus and Demeter continue to argue, completely ignoring Hades or Persephone. Before he realizes what he's doing, Hades walks up to Persephone. He doesn't move to touch her, but simply leans his head down to her ear. He whispers, "I'm sorry, my lady." Persephone slowly lifts her eyes up only to see that he's vanished. She lets out a startled gasp. She hears Hestia yell at her parents.
"Will you two quit arguing? He's gone now."
Demeter turns back to scream at Zeus, "You let him get away! He touched my daughter, and then he had the audacity to lift me by the neck into the air! AND YOU LET HIM GO FREE?"
"He wouldn't have gotten away if you had stopped arguing with me!" Zeus growls at her.
"Oh, so now it's my fault that he got away!"
"Yes!"
"Unbelievable, Zeus. Simply unbelievable. I want him punished. I want him to be in eternal suffering."
Zeus eyes Demeter, "Oh, do you now? And how do you reckon I do that? He's already been banished from Olympus. How do you suppose I punish him, hmmm? Don't you think that living in the Underworld, being constantly surrounded by death, is punishment enough? He's our brother, Demeter. Do really wish more pain and suffering on him?"
Persephone goes up to her parents and puts a light hand on Demeter's shoulder, "Mother, please, let's go home." Demeter looks at her daughter, her expression turning from anger to love. "Al – Alright, my Kore. We'll go home." As they start to walk away, Demeter turns around to look at Zeus.
"You knew this would happen, Zeus. You knew he would snap. We all knew it."
"Demeter, please leave."
Demeter shrugs and walks away with her daughter. Persephone feels a chill go through the air as she walks away from Olympus. She turns her head back to see Aphrodite mouth, 'I'm sorry.' So many apologies, she thinks. If only they had the power to make things right.
"My lord, please! You need to-"
Hades isn't listening. He's destroying everything in his path, shaking with rage. He sees his throne and blasts it to bits with his pitchfork. He sees the giant line of shades in front of his ruined throne and he hits his pitchfork across them, sending a wall of wailing shades flying back. "You all," he screams, "are sentenced to Tartarus!" He sends a blast of green fire towards the shades and laughs as they begin to run around and scream in pain. He keeps laughing even as he sees a child shade scream in agony, each laugh sounding more maniacal than the last.
That's right, my son, he hears Cronus whisper in his ear. Let the anger control you, let it fuel you. Make those on Olympus pay for their actions against you.
"Make them pay," Hades laughs, blowing a hole through a wall in the Underworld. They fear you and scorn you. Your own brother has banished you here for eternity. They hate you, Aidoneous. Make them pay. Destroy the gods, take their power, and I will make you king amongst them.
"I HATE them! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!" Hades screams, "I will destroy the gods! They will become mine to do with as I please!" He swings his pitchfork around in a circular motion, knocking away walls and shades in his path. Yes, my son. You will destroy the gods. Use your hate. It'll make you so much stronger.
"My lord Hades, no," he hears a voice call out to him. He turns to the sound of the woman's voice, rich and young and loving. He's blinded by her presence and moves to raise his forearm across his eyes – he can't tell who she is. He feels her touch his shoulder, feels his shaking stop. She lightly kisses him, and realizes who she is.
"Persephone…" He leans his forehead against hers and feels her hand press against his chest.
"Don't do this, my lord." He sees that she's crying into his chest. NO! Aidoneous, you fool! You must destroy the gods!
"Don't, my lord. Please." He nods.
"Yes, Persephone. I will do anything you ask of me." NOOO! I will make you pay for disobeying me once again, boy. You will pay dearly.
Hades feels his side flare up in pain. As he falls to his knees, Persephone holds him and lightly runs her hands through his hair, comforting him. "Thank you, my lord."
When he wakes up, he's screaming.
"Hecate! Hecate, please!"
Hecate materializes in his room, "I'm sorry, my lord. Someone has stolen most of my potions. I was just making some now-"
"Just give it to me!" he screams. Hecate hands him a potion and he downs it in one gulp.
"Another," he gasps, wiping his forearm across his mouth.
"But my lord, if you have more-"
"I don't care! Give me another one!" Hecate looks at her king, hunched over in his bed and clenching his side, his eyes bloodshot and watering. She nods her head, "Of course, my lord. Here."
He once again drinks it in one gulp. Hecate sits down on the bed next to him.
"My lord, if you feel that you are not fit to judge today, I can tell Minos and the others-"
"No."
She looks at him. "Are you sure, my lord?"
After a few seconds when his breathing has calmed down, he give her a curt nod and says, "Yes. I am sure. I'll be in the throne room soon. Attend to your own duties, Hecate, I know I've brought you out of them. Just make me as many potions as you can today and give them to me. I'll have the Furies look for whoever stole them. Now leave me."
Hecate makes a low bow, "Of course my lord. Thank you for your kindness."
"No, Hecate, thank you. Thank you for your friendship."
She smiles at him, "Of course, my lord."
And with that, she leaves him to his thoughts.
"You must find love or the curse will consume you," he whispers to himself. "Oh Hecate, I don't think you knew how right you were."
A/N: Well, what do you know? I managed to update today. Heh. I really should get back to what I was doing, but yeah. So I hope you guys liked this chapter. :D Leave comments!