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It was rare for the god of the Underworld to have 2 children of the same mother. In fact, Hades couldn't recall having ever done so before. Over a span of 3 years Hades had visited Maria Di'Angelo and had fathered one daughter and one son with her. And to the best of his knowledge his immortal wife, Persephone, Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, had no idea.
But lately he hadn't been paying much attention to his queen, so even if she had noticed Hades wouldn't have seen the difference unless she directly accused him.
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The Underworld was dark. Hades had forgotten just how much lighter the world above was. After spending so long with Maria he had finally returned to his realm.
He sighed. Maria. Poor, poor Maria. His love had died because he had taken a fancy to her and had 2 children. No. Hades would not let himself think of his other family now. Right now he had to find Persephone and return to ruling his home.
"Ah master. I see you have returned." Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, greeted his lord.
Hades inclined his head. "Charon my good man. Yes I have returned, this time for good I suppose."
Charon smiled but it looked more like a sneer. "I'm sure we are all glad to have you back Lord."
"It is good to be home," Hades replied.
After that the two men talked no more. The only sound to be heard was Charon's pole splashing in the River Styx.
When they finally reached the gates of Hades's palace the god disembarked. He turned to Charon before the ferryman pushed away from the shore. "Charon may I inquire as to where Persephone is?"
Charon's eyes filled with an unidentified emotion. "I am sorry my Lord, but I am not sure as to her location at the moment."
Hades frowned, confused. "It is winter is it not?"
Charon nodded. "Yes Lord."
"And she has arrived hasn't she?"
Once again the ferryman nodded, "Yes, she arrived just a week ago. It's too bad you were not here to greet her my Lord." With that Charon turned his back to Hades and pushed off into the River once more, leaving Hades to ponder exactly what the implication behind those words had been.
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Hades entered his stony palace and breathed in the scents. Flowers. Ah so Persephone was indeed here. She was the only one who could keep flowers alive down here in this hellhole.
But where would she be? Perhaps their bedroom.
Hades checked and found no one. It looked like the bed had not been slept in for months and while there was a dress of Persephone's hung on the back of a chair there was no other sign of the goddess.
Hades checked his palace and although he found servants he did not find his bride. In a hallway he ran across Hecate, a very loyal servant to both him and his queen and stopped her.
"Hello Hecate."
She bowed her head slightly, "Hades, I see you have returned."
"Yes and I was wondering where Persephone was. Have you seen her today?"
Hecate hesitated before answering. "Last I saw her she was in the dining hall."
Hades groaned in frustration. "I've already checked there!"
Hecate took a step backwards. "Then my Lord maybe you should think as to where she would most likely go."
The goddess walked away from him and Hades thought over her words. Where would Persephone most likely go? She did like Elysium because of the nature there-
Hades slapped a hand to his forehead. Nature! Of course she was in her gardens. How could he have been so stupid?
He turned and hurried down back the way he'd come, determined to find her as soon as he could.
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She was there. Sitting on a stone bench, observing the biggest tree in the garden. The one that Hades had said represented his love for her. As long as it grew and prospered his love would do the same.
Her back was to him, and all he could see was that she was in a loose yellow dress that hugged her chest and waist but flowed out around the bottom. Her hair was loose and hanging down her back in it's natural curly state.
Once again Hades was stunned by her beauty, just as he had been all those centuries ago.
"Persephone I have returned." He spoke happily, already anticipating seeing her face for the first time in months.
But she did not turn. She made no acknowledgement that she had heard him apart from the slight stiffening of her shoulders.
Hades took several steps forward until he was directly behind her. He laid his hands on her arms, just below her shoulders. He leaned down so his mouth was just behind her ear. "My dear how I have missed you."
She took a deep shuddering breath before she stood up and took a step away from him, all the while keeping her face hidden. "Do not treat me like a fool husband." She said, and in her voice there was something that burned Hades.
"My dear, what-"
"Did you call her that too?"
Hades paused mid-sentence. "Love-"
"Stop! Don't call me those things!" Persephone turned and as Hades looked into her eyes he gasped. Her face was as beautiful as ever, but it was hard and angry. And beneath that anger there was hurt and betrayal. But her eyes- oh in those beautiful eyes that he loved so much there was so much pain that Hades couldn't look at them without his stomach clenching in guilt.
Because he was the cause of it. He knew, with only looking into her eyes, that she was this wounded because of him. This was his doing.
"My Queen," he started again but she cut him off.
"I said don't call me those things!" she hissed at him. Her eyes looked murderous and Hades flinched at the venom in her tone. She hadn't been this furious since he had kidnapped her, and even then it was only in those first few months.
"Persephone," Hades said slowly, trying to see if she would interrupt him again. When she didn't he continued. "Please, tell me what is wrong."
For a moment Persephone's face showed such loathing that Hades couldn't breathe. She had never, not once, been this mad at him. "I am not a child, do not treat me as one. I know what you've done."
"Darling-"
"Enough! Those are tainted words. They are no longer only meant for me, are they husband," she spat the word husband like it burned her, "you called her those too did you not? During your love making and cuddling. During those nights you stayed with her and protected her." Persephone met her husbands eyes and Hades felt like a knife was being twisted in his heart. "I came here, to the place I call home, and I could not wait to see you. Every night on my arrival in the Underworld since the
pomegranate deal you have been here. Waiting for me to return to you and to greet me." Persephone's eyes burned. "I was waiting for you, my husband. But you were not here. You have not been here for the last few months is what I have heard." The queen's voice grew cold and scathing. "Tell me, where have you been?"
Any other time she would have said my lord but not this time. Not tonight, when her lover had done something so cruel to her.
Hades looked away guiltily. "Persephone I am sorry-"
She laughed but it was a humorless one. It was full of pain. "Our servants missed me more than you did. This palace, the place I had come to call home, missed me more than you, my husband, did."
"I do not understand. I fathered Napolean and Hitler and you did not rage at me." Hades told her quietly.
Persephone looked down and turned her face away. "But you did not love those women." She looked up suddenly and her eyes were filled with a pain so cutting Hades was surprised she didn't collapse from it. "However you did love Maria Di'angelo."
Hades flinched and Persephone spoke again. "I know everything husband. You visited her for over 3 years and sired 2 children with her. While I was above missing you and wishing you were the one I was with you were making love to another woman. While I was visiting you, you made excuses to get away and visit her. While I was here you were mourning her death and hiding away your demigod children."
Hades flinched again and his eyes dropped.
The woman before him took a few steps forward. "Do you not remember what you told me the day you proposed to me? At our wedding? The night of our wedding while you were worshiping me? Do you not remember the promise you made to me?"
And suddenly Hades did remember. He remembered the sweet words he whispered to her before they both fell asleep that night.
'Persephone, my goddess, I love you and only you. For the rest of my existence you will be the only one who holds my heart and the only one who I will let know me completely. You will be the only woman I feel this way for and forever you will be the thing I treasure most. This, I promise you.'
Hades met his wife's eyes and he knew in his own there was only a sliver of the guilt he was feeling. "Persephone-"
She turned away. "I am the Queen of the Underworld. I am the immortal, the one you pledged yourself to for eternity. Not Maria. And yet I know that if she was an immortal I would be cast aside like a dish rag. You would choose her over me. This I know for certain because you said so yourself."
Hades was filled with surprise. "What?"
Persephone's eyes were no longer angry or hurt. They were just very, very sad. "You asked her to come live here. You told her you didn't care what I thought, as long as you could keep her safe."
Hades remembered saying those exact words to Maria. Just before she died he had asked her to come to his home.
"You remember now Hades? How I did not matter as long as she was kept safe and with you." Persephone met his eyes. "That is how I know that if you had the choice you would choose her. You would always choose her."
Hades shied away from the crushing acceptance in her voice. Suddenly Persephone looked again like the very scared goddess he had brought here against her will. However he could not deny her words because he himself did not know if they were true or not.
"But no one- and I mean no one- will ever take my place. I am the Queen here. Not a mortal, or another goddess. Me. I may no longer be your queen but I am my realms." she sighed. "I know that she gave you things I never could Hades. She gave you 2 demigod children, which made you feel as powerful as your brothers. I cannot do this for you. The only things I can give you are immortal children and my love. And for a while that was enough for you. But apparently not anymore."
She made to step away but Hades reached out and caught her hand. Persephone yanked it away but they both noticed the hesitation there. That was how Hades knew that she loved him still, and that was what made this so hard for her.
"But my dear I love you." Hades told her.
She studied him before speaking and in her eyes there was such pain and betrayal that both the god and goddess knew would never totally go away. "Remember when we first met? At my 20th birthday party when father finally convinced mother to let everyone meet me? The gods warned me that you had your eyes on me. They warned me that you were emotionless and cold. My mother especially told me to stay away from you." Persephone shook her head. "And I like a fool, did not believe them. Then you took me and promised you loved me. And I fell in love with you as well. You promised me you would forever be faithful, that you were nothing like your brothers. I saw a goodness in you that no one else could. But you have proved me wrong. I don't know you."
"NO!" Hades said to her, scared for the first time in his life. "No you know thats not true. You know the real me. You know I love you!"
Persephone laughed but there was a sadness and pain in it that made Hades's heart twist. "I thought I did." She replied. "I really actually believed you."
She turned and met his gaze directly for the last time. "But that was silly of me, to believe a snake's words."
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It's funny that out of all of the gods and goddess's that Hades and Persephone were the most loyal to one another. The myths say that once Persephone eventually fell in love with Hades and they got married that they were the only couple that never cheated on one another. They were the only one's truly in love.
It might just be me, but I think that says something.
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I've always wanted to write something like this and I finally did it! I love the story of Hades and Persephone and I'm thinking of writing a fanfic for it. Anyways hope you guys liked it! Review, review, review!
Love you all!
Percyjacksonfan3