Chapter 11:

So that's your plan then, Aidoneous? Morpheus could not keep you from sleeping, Hypnos could not stop me from entering your dreams …

Hades clenches his jaw, feels the anger in his chest rise and his heartbeat speed up. He had been judging when he heard the familiar whisper in his ear, She will hate you for this. Hate you, like all the others do…At the time, he hadn't been sure whether it was Cronus who said this or whether it was himself. Now, as he stares out across the wall of shades in front of him, growing angrier and angrier with each passing second as he hears the venomous voice spout in his ear, he has no doubts. Do you feel that pain at your side, Aidoneous? I control it. I'M the one who makes you clutch yourself and scream in agony like a pathetic mortal. I'M the one who gives you a touch of the power you crave. I'M the one that controls your fate. ME. Do you really think that this frilly young goddess will stop me – that she will save you?

"Oh, will you please shut up?" Hades snaps. "I have to deal with you in my dreams enough already." He feels his side begin to burn and immediately drinks two potions. A snarl pierces his ears, You will not find rest tonight, Aidoneous. I'll make sure of that. I've been going easy on you for far, far, far too long.

Hades smirks, "Do your worst."

Gladly, my son. Gladly.

His smile disappears as he hears the last of Cronus's words fade from his mind. He lets out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. Looking up, he clutches his side and whispers, "Please, Persephone, please pick the flower."

"So…what was it like, my lady…kissing the Lord of the Dead?"

Persephone giggles, "Oh you nymphs, always so nosey. Do you want me to get in trouble with my mother again, Chloe?"

"Of course, not my lady! The girls and I were just curious."

"I was only teasing," Persephone laughs, walking forward and leaving a trail of flowers in her wake. She pauses, "It was like any other kiss, I suppose. Soft…a little wet, too..." She smiles. "I liked it." Her eyes narrow, "But why are you so curious?"

"Because," the nymph sways her way in front of Persephone, "everyone says that he hasn't had a woman in ages!"

Persephone cocks her head to the side, "Had a woman?" The nymph gives her a look.

"Had a woman…Oh!" Persephone says. "I – I see…But… how could anyone possibly know that?" She feels her cheeks heat up; she knows that her face is turning beat-red.

The nymph gives her a mischievous smile as she walks back. "We nymphs know things my lady. After all, we are quite nosey."

Persephone shakes her head and laughs. Looking behind the nymph she notices something. What's that...a flower?

"Chloe," she says, "stop walking."

"My lady?"

Persephone walks around the nymph and gets on her knees, reaching out to touch the white petals of the flower.

"You're a pretty flower, aren't you?" She nods her head to the side, eyes narrowing, "Strange…I've never seen one like this before. Do you know what it is?"

The nymph scratches her head. Putting her hand to her chin, she says, "A narcissus, I think. They don't usually grow here…"

The two give a startled jump when the sound of Demeter's shrill voice rolls down the hillside. In the distance, Persephone can hear her mother yell, "Kore! It's time for lunch!" She groans as she moves to stand up, her eyes never leaving the flower.

"Chloe, run to my mother and tell her I'll be there shortly. I want to spend some time with this flower."

"But my lady –"

"You're starting to sound like my mother now. Don't worry – I'll be fine. It's just a flower."

"Yes, my lady, of course."

Persephone feels a triumphant smile spread across her face as the nymph begins to leave. Lifting her dress to sit on her knees, she once again inspects the flower. As she touches the soft petals, tracing her fingers down the stem, she suddenly has the urge to pluck the flower and carry it with her. Such a sweet flower…maybe if I just…She lightly coils her hand around the stem, gently pulling it up from the ground until the entire thing, roots and all, are firmly in her grasp. There now, that wasn't so bad now was it?

Just then, she hears the ground begin to rumble and groan. Looking around in panic, she's violently thrown down as the ground begins to crack beneath her, great fissures spreading out across the fields of flowers around her.

Trying to stand up, she yells, "Poseidon! Please stop, you're ruining my field-" She stops when she sees four black horses fly up from the ground, nostrils billowing smoke as they drag a gigantic black chariot behind them, lined with gold and silver. When her eyes finally make their way to the man at the reigns, her heart stops. She sees Hades, dressed in black armor, a blood-red cape flowing behind him, his jaw set and his brow furrowed. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, she turns to run, slightly tripping over the hem of her dress. She hears him curse behind her as she begins to pick up speed. I just have to get to Mother- She begins to scream again as he lifts her, still running, over his left shoulder. Kicking and screaming, she does her best to fight against his grip as he begins to turn the chariot around back to the deep fissure in the ground. She flails her legs out and feels him loosen his grip and hiss when her left foot manages to connect with his right side. Moving to kick him again, she feels her foot stop in mid-air, an iron-grip around her ankle. Looking up from his back, she sees that they've entered the fissure, and lets out one final scream as the world above closes right before her eyes.

When she wakes up, she finds herself in a large room with walls painted as blue as the sky. She sits up from the massive bed she is lying on, dark green silk sheets decorated with leaf patterns splaying across her legs. Observing the room, she notices several mahogany dressers, adorned with rubies and laced with gold. Her eyes make a slow trail across the room to the exit: two large, onyx doors with giant golden handles.

"Persephone."

She gives a startled yelp when she hears his voice, deep, rich, strong…and with a twinge of pain in it. She turns to the sound of his voice. Why couldn't tell he was here? Her breathing quickens as she looks at his face, dark hair in front of his eyes, his mouth in a scowl. Her uneasiness grows as she notices that he's sitting rather close to the bed. Get a hold of yourself, Persephone. You need to be smart here. She sees him grimace and take a drink of what she assumes to be wine. She has the sudden urge to spit in his face and slap him. Instead, she chooses to insult him.

"So, in addition to being the lowly god of death, you're also a drunk." She tries to make her voice sound as venomous as possible, becoming even angrier when he doesn't respond.

After a few moments of staring at her, he finally says, "What?"

Furious, she moves her legs from under the covers and kicks his face, knocking him down. She runs to the set of double-doors and pulls at them with all her strength when she suddenly feels his arms grip her waist from behind. She starts screaming as he throws her on the bed and moves to straddle her. Throwing wild punches, she manages to crack him the face a few more times before he finally gets control of her wrists.

"So now you're going to rape me?" she screams. She sees his eyes take on a dark look and notices him shake his head a few times, almost as if fighting with himself. As he leans closer to her she spits in his face and says one of latest curse words she learned from Aphrodite, "Fuck you."

He really hadn't planned for things to go this way. Really, he hadn't. Though, as he thinks back on it, kidnapping her while wearing his black armor and flying his four black steeds probably wasn't the best decision he's made in his immortal life. Still, he had hoped that she wouldn't be this furious with him. Now he's straddled on top of her, holding her hands over head –Great job, Hades. She's going to hate you even more for this. But as she keeps writhing and struggling under him, he feels something else rise in him. He looks down at her, her eyes furious, her breathing heavy, and her hair tousled from her struggling. When she tries to buck him off her hips, he feels his face flush at the sensation, the friction causing him to bite his lip. He distantly hears something about rape, and instantly feels ashamed. If only she'd stop moving, I could tell her- His grip tightens around her wrists when he hears Cronus's sharp whisper in his ear, So you're going to take her? Do it. She'll never let you have her otherwise. Take her like a hound takes a bitch. Take her. Take her. Take her. Hearing Cronus's words in his hears, he begins to lean down, pausing when he feels her spit at his face. When he hears her curse at him, his eyes snap down to hers and he sees her fear. He immediately lets her go and sits up. He grips his side as it begins to boil and pound across his skin.

"I'm sorry," he says through a weak breath. He makes his way to the double-doors on shaky legs. When he turns to look at her, he sees that she's grabbed her knees in front of her chest, her tears leaving hot trails down the sides of her face. All the while, he hears Cronus continue to whisper in his ear, Take her. Take her. Take her. He clenches his jaw and shuts his eyes as he pushes the door open. Looking back to her, he says, "The servants will do anything you want. All you have to do is ask."

She gets on her knees and throws one of the large silk pillows at him. "What I want," she yells, "is to go home! Can any of your useless servants give me that?"

He gives her a sad look as he shakes his head and walks out, closing the doors behind him. She gives one final scream as she collapses back onto the bed, her eyes watering profusely. Oh mother, she thinks, why didn't I listen to you?

After crying for what seems like hours, she manages to fall into a deep sleep, only to be brought out of it when she feels her room shake, hearing the loud, painful screams of a man. Probably just a shade, she thinks, trying to fall back asleep. But as the palace continues to shake with the man's screams, she knows that he isn't just some shade. Persephone, what have you gotten yourself into?

A/N: So I was reading some messages today, and someone told me that they thought using a present-tense was a bit of an odd choice. It was more a stylistic choice than anything, but I would like to hear your guys's thoughts on this. Is reading a story in present tense a bit difficult to read? Letting me know will help me in the future, because I feel like I'm too deep into writing the story with this tense. In the future, I'll keep that in mind as I continue to write more fics. As always, pa-weez leave reviews. :)