It was already mid-afternoon when Hades and I woke up. We must have been really exhausted from what happened last night, and even until now I was still blushing whenever I recalled everything.
We took a bath together in his very impressive bathroom. It was kind of like the bathroom in the guestroom of Hestia's house, but the bathtub was bigger and had enough space for me and him to relax in the water together.
After maybe about forty-five minutes of making out and washing up, we finally got out and got dressed. I was very surprised when Hades gave me a stack of clothing from a drawer of his wardrobe. There was a white blouse, a pale pink knee-length flowing skirt and a pair of matching lacy and black lingerie.
"Why exactly do you have this?" I asked him suspiciously and curiously, gesturing to the clothes in my hands, especially the lingerie.
Pulling on a pair of black jeans, he said with a crooked smile, "I bought those clothes for you after I found you, because I wanted to be ready. And the lingerie was from Aphrodite when she heard the news. She bought it from Paris, and told me that she hoped it would spice up our sex life." And then, he added, "Though I don't see the point for it, since it's going to be off you at some point." After saying that, he winked, eliciting a blush from me.
We got dressed soon after and left the bedroom. But on my insistence, he showed me around his house. Since his house was small, intended for only one or two people to live in it, it had only a few rooms.
First, he took me to a door near his bedroom. He told me that I would definitely liked that room, and I didn't know why. It wasn't until I walked into the room that my jaw gaped open in a pure shock.
"You have your own library?" I exclaimed in astonishment, quickly moving off to scan the titles of the books on one shelf.
Still standing at the doorway and watching me with amusement, he said, "I like to read. And I've collected plenty of books throughout these fifty years, so I felt the need to have a private library to house them."
I didn't answer him because I was still too amazed by the library. While the rest of the house was modern, the library seemed to be a room out of time. It had the look and feel of a grand but quaint library of a palace. I could even smell the strong scent of brown and crisp pages that were worn with age but were still in good condition. There was even a lounge chair, with a small table and a floor lamp, where one could sit there and read in peace.
I absentmindedly took out one book from its place. It had a wooden cover that was still strong and pages that were, like what I smelt, brown and crisp. I looked at the title, which was carved into the wooden cover and stenciled with gold paint, and found out that it was a book about myths of various origins, ranging from Norse to Egyptian and, of course, Greek.
"All the books in here seem ancient," I said to him, showing him the title written on the wooden hardcover.
He only gave a smile and answered, "Though I may be a few millennium years old, the past still fascinates me."
Hades allowed me to spend a bit more time to continue to be amazed at the library. I pulled out books, read the title, maybe even scan through a few pages, before putting it back in its place. Finally, I could not control the overwhelming feeling of amazement inside me, and I turned to Hades and said seriously, "You better get me out of here before I faint."
He let out a small chuckle, but he then escorted me to another room. This room was quaint, and he told me that this was his private study.
In his study, there was a mahogany office table, which had only an iMac and a journal with a pen on it, and a high-backed chair. Both of which were in front of a window which allowed another view of the forest. On opposite sides of the table, standing right against the walls, were bookshelves that were filled to the brim with books.
"Even though I may not be in the Underworld, I still have work to do, believe it or not," he explained to me nonchalantly as I scanned through the titles of the books on the shelves. I realized then that while the library kept books of the old, modern novels were stored here. There were many genres such as history, drama, action and science fiction.
I turned my head towards him and lifted an eyebrow. "You never did tell me what you do for 'work'," I told him.
Running a hand through his tousled hair, he shrugged. "Just small businesses for Zeus or Poseidon. Unlike them, I'm not really interested in owning my own big company or whatsoever. I'd rather just relax and be free to do whatever I want. Let my younger brothers stress over the economy and such."
I nodded my head thoughtfully as I ran a finger on the buttons of the keypad. Studying the interior of his study, I could conclude that Hades was the type of person who liked to work in a spacious and quiet environment. Just like me.
Finally, Hades decided that it was time to have lunch. He led me out of his study and down to the kitchen that was just as modern as the rest of the house, with the exception of the library. We contemplated on what to eat for a while, before finally deciding on some simple macaroni and cheese.
We worked together in companionable silence; while he boiled the pasta, I made the cheese sauce. As we cooked, we flashed loving smiles to each other, even giving one another a kiss if we ever crossed paths. Sometimes, he would suddenly stand behind me, and place his palms on the top of my hands, following the motions of my hands. I didn't complain that he did so. It was indeed really nice to feel him so close to me.
When the cooking was done, we moved to the living room and sat together on the couch. There, we talked about many random things whilst we ate.
I talked to him more about my life as 'Spring Korey', to which he listened attentively, while I listened in return to his stories of his life as 'Aiden Cole'. Despite the fact that those two characters were no more but a memory to us, the lives that we had led as them remained genuine. I knew very well that deep down, 'Spring Korey' would still be a part of me.
The both of us never seemed to run out of things to talk about. One minute we could be talking about all the unwanted affections that we had garnered thanks to our supernatural beauty, while the next minute we could be joking about how we agreed that the modern interpretations of us was completely stupid. We continued on even after the macaroni and cheese had long been devoured.
"I had read the Percy Jackson series once. I liked it, but I will admit that I kind of got upset when Hades fell in love with Maria Di Angelo and had Nico and Bianca. It somehow made me feel that Persephone seemed to be only second best in Hades' eyes," I admitted to him as I gently brushed my fingers on his knuckles.
Twirling a lock of my hair around his pinky finger, he said gently, "You know that's not true, Persephone. All those are only works of fiction, written only to entertain certain people. Let me tell you that I was serious when I said I had no other but you, and I couldn't be any happier. You're the only one in my life, and our children are the apples of my eye."
Smiling to myself, I cuddled closer to him and said, "I know. I believe you."
We sat on the couch for so long that I hadn't realized how fast time flew until I cast a glance at the clock on the wall. I saw that it was already six in the evening.
"That was fast. Time seems to move so quickly now," I said to myself as I got off the couch and headed to the kitchen with the empty bowls that had sat on the table, forgotten for the past few hours.
As I began to wash the dishes in the sink, Hades, who was standing right behind me, murmured under his breath, "Exactly how it felt the last time."
I stopped washing to turn and look at him with curiously. "What are you talking about?" I asked him.
Heaving a sigh, he said, "When you used to stay with me in the Underworld for six months, I enjoyed every single second of your stay. I enjoyed it so much that I didn't pay attention to how the hands on the clock moved. It was as if you finally returned to me one day, but then you have to be gone the next. It was excruciating."
I began to feel sad, seeing the pain in Hades' eyes. After drying my hands with a hand towel, I reached out to cup his cheek. At my touch, his eyes looked at me.
"Don't think about that now," I pleaded. "I'm here. That's all that matters."
My words made his lips tilt up into a smile, and he leaned in to give me a kiss. I leaned in as well, feeling the warmth radiating between us.
But just as our lips were about to touch, a ringing tone echoed throughout the house.
I jumped in shock and pulled away instantly, wondering to myself what the ringing was. It only took me a few seconds to realize that it was the ringing of a phone.
"Damn it," Hades grumbled, clearly upset that our kiss had to be stopped before it even started. I didn't like seeing him so unhappy, so I gave him a quick peck on his lips, which caught him off-guard.
"Answer it," I told him. "And then we'll continue."
He gave me another smile and then kissed my lips quickly once more before moving out of the kitchen. As I dried the dishes, I, for some reason, decided that I wanted to have a look of the backyard.
"Yes, sister?" Hades answered, after glancing at the caller ID.
"Hades, I just called to ask how you are feeling," Hera said, her voice full of sisterly affection. "And also ask how she is feeling."
Looking blankly at the steps of the stairs, he answered, "I'm quite well, Hera. And so is Persephone. Don't mind if I ask, but is there a reason why you called?"
"Yes, there is," she replied. "I just wanted to tell you that Zeus had given Demeter the card that you had 'accidentally' left behind in his office."
"What?" he said sharply, disbelief clear in his voice. "Why did he do that?"
He could hear her sigh on the other end, and she said, "He gave her another chance to reconsider. To be honest, he wants the six of us to be reunited, to stand once again as the elders of the Olympians. And he somehow knows that deep down inside, you too do not want her to perish when the wave of death strikes the mortals and the lands."
Hades pursed his lips, allowing Hera's strong words to seep easily into his skin. He could not deny it; all that she said were true. The thought had been bothering him for quite some time now, and he figured that it would go away after a while. But no. It stayed, just like the scar of a healed wound.
"But what if she still continues to deny?" he questioned her.
Silence on the other end. Hades could tell that Hera was trying to find a reply to that question.
"Zeus thinks that if Persephone goes, she may go as well," she said after a while.
With furrowed eyebrows, Hades snorted, "Right. She comes back just for her daughter, and then will also continue to feud with me about our marriage."
Another sigh from Hera, and she said sadly, "It's either that, or she does intend to keep Persephone on the mortal lands and allow both her and herself to die."
With those words, fear overtook Hades. No. He did not want to lose his wife again. He would suffer if he did. But then again, he did not want to fight anymore with his sister, no matter how annoying or evil she may be. She need not curb her hatred for him. She could hate him for more millenniums to come, for all he cared. As long as she left Persephone and him alone, he was alright with it.
"We'll just see how it goes," he muttered in reply. "You know how unpredictable Demeter can be."
"True," Hera murmured. Suddenly, a pause, and then Hera said, "I must go now. I have some clients to attend to."
Hades then said his goodbyes to her before putting the phone down. He leaned against a wall and thought really hard to himself. He tried to at least get a grasp of what could happen, an idea of the future, but he couldn't. His mind was too jumbled up with many possibilities, and he did not know which one may be the correct one.
He sighed in dismay and walked back to the kitchen, wanting to return to his wife's loving embrace. But she wasn't there when he entered, and he began to wonder where she could be.
Just then, he caught sight of the ajar door to the backyard.
Author's Note:
This chapter seemed irrelevant in my opinion, but I just wanted to show how Hades and Persephone spent their day like a 'normal' couple.
By the way, regarding the Percy Jackson bit, I will admit that while I adore the series, I don't find myself being to fond of the Hades and Maria pairing. Somehow, I felt pity for Persephone when I read the books, and I decided to channel that pity in this chapter.
Anyway, I want to apologize if some of the readers disagree with my opinion, but that's really how I feel.
Muse of Fanfiction