A few nights later, there was a festival to celebrate our return and the coming of a new age. I though those parties that the celebrities of the old world had were grand. But clearly, the parties at Mount Olympus would beat anything any day.

It was held in the grand ballroom of the palace, which was extremely huge that it seemed as though all the patrons of the palace could stand in it, and there would still be enough room. The ballroom was decorated with colours of gold and silver, and it was lit by colourful flaming orbs which hung suspended in the air.

There was a huge dais at the head of the room, where a long and grand dining table stood. I assumed immediately that it was for the Olympians, and I was right. I took a seat in between Hades and my mother as we watched the cheers of the crowd before us.

After being served a sumptuous dinner, I joined in the celebration with the rest. I danced and laughed and sang to my heart's content, mingling around with the others. Throughout the days I had spent in the palace, I met many wonderful people. To name a few was Leto, Apollo and Artemis' mother who was extremely nice, Ariadne, Dionysus' wife who was a very bright and cheery character, and Amphitrite, Poseidon's wife and queen who, although quite a quiet person, was very friendly. I also met other nice deities such as Eros, the God of Love, his wife Psyche, the Goddess of the Soul, Hebe, the Goddess of Youth, and Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony.

Hades had joined me for one dance, but later decided to take a seat back on his chair and enjoy a chalice of sweet ambrosia as he conversed with his siblings. I tried to change his mind, but I decided to let him be. Guess he wasn't much of a dancer. Instead, I continued to dance with the others, simply having fun.

Aphrodite was extremely gorgeous as she danced, her platinum blonde hair, which had grown to reach her knees, sashaying around her like silk blowing in the light breeze. I also could see now why Artemis was sometimes nicknamed 'Silverfeet'. It was because she danced with so much grace and beauty in her steps that it seemed impossible to not stop and admire her, the dancing huntress. The same could be said for the other goddesses, who all had an air of grace around them.

The gods too had their own masculine grace as they danced in the company of nymphs and goddesses. Apollo had a swarm of fawning females all around him (which made Artemis roll her eyes), Dionysus was dancing with Ariadne, Ares danced with Aphrodite and other females and Hermes danced a few times with me, Athena and Artemis. But Hephaestus had remained in his chair, watching the celebration with a smile. I didn't like to see him so lonely, so I offered him a dance. Gladly, he accepted, and we danced for one song before he thanked me and proceeded to wander on his own.

But of course, I also danced with my mother. She was better now, finally having recovered from all that had happened. I was glad to see her olive green eyes bright with excitement and the big smile on her lips. Overall, I was glad that she was finally happy.

We basked in the happiness and music together accompanied with giggles, jokes and a lot of smiles. I cherished each and every minute I caught sight of my mother smiling. It seemed so precious now to me.

But little did I know, in the middle of the happy festivities, an important decision would be made.

I was sitting down on my chair at the table by my lonesome, taking a break from the dancing. I was in the middle of sipping on a chalice of nectar (which tasted like pure heaven on my taste buds), when my mother suddenly approached me from behind.

"Persephone, may I have a word with you?" she asked.

I placed my now-empty chalice on the table and replied, "Of course, Mother."

But she only started to look around, acknowledging the crowd and its loudness. She shook her head slightly, grasped my hand and said, "Shall we go to the gardens? Where it is more private?"

I raised an eyebrow in question, wondering why she wanted to have a private conversation with me. But nonetheless, I stood from the chair and let her lead me through the crowded mass of dancing bodies and out of the ballroom, making our way towards the gardens.

The moon shone brightly on the gardens when we stepped outside. Everything looked so surreal in the waxing light. I had the opportunity to watch Artemis and Apollo bring forth and down the moon and the sun respectively with their respective chariots, and I was completely amazed by the feat.

The air was silent as nobody was there, but I could feel the strong life flowing through the nature that grew here.

My mother led me to the majestic fountain, where she sat me on the lip beside her. She did not let go of my hand as she looked down at her lap.

"So… what was it that you wanted to ask me, Mother?" I asked her after a few minutes of silence.

There was a reply, but it was not coming from her.

"Yes, Demeter. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

I looked up in the direction of the voice and saw Hades approaching us, gazing questionably at both me and my mother.

And that moment, I became very confused. What was it that my mother wanted to talk about that would involve my husband as well? Though they were already civil and had made peace with one another, they were still not at the stage of actually being close.

My mother looked up then and looked at both me and Hades. Finally, after taking a very deep breath, she said, "I wanted to tell the both of you something important."

Then she turned to look at me as she continued on. "I've decided that I will now fully acknowledge the fact that the both of you are married. I will no longer deny it, nor will I attempt to discontinue it. I've learnt from my stupid mistakes, and do not wish to do such things any longer."

I smiled when she said those heartfelt words. I was glad that she had decided to turn over a new leaf and see things for the better.

She too smiled and brushed her thumb on the back of my hand. At that moment, she turned to Hades, and told him, "Though I have said it so many times to you already, I truly am sorry for whatever I have done to you. I was stupid and ignorant to want to continue the feud we had of the past, and not wanting to put it aside at first. I thank you for forgiving me, and I also thank you for saving me. If it hadn't been for you, I think I would have met my demise in the centre of the Earth. I wouldn't even be here right now."

My heart clenched in memory of my mother nearly falling deep into the bottomless pit. I felt terrified each time I thought about what could have happened had Hades not grabbed her hand at the right moment. But I always needed to remind myself to not think of such things, because my mother was safe and that was all that mattered.

Hades, who was still standing in front of me and my mother, bowed his head graciously and, with a lopsided smile, simply said, "You are most welcome, Demeter."

My mother too nodded her head before turning to me. "Persephone, my lovely daughter," she murmured. "I know now that you are indeed a grown woman. It was very childish and cruel of me to want to keep you from myself. You have a husband, beautiful children and a kingdom to rule. I shouldn't keep you away from the life that you have built for yourself. I apologize very much for that and I know now that I must let you go and let you have your freedom. But I just want you to know that even though you may no longer be my little girl, you will always be my darling Kore."

My lips curled into a bigger smile and I squeezed my mother's hand gently. In a soft voice, I said to her, "I forgive you, Mother. I forgive you. And I thank you. I thank you for having a change of heart. You really don't know how much this means to me."

Without hesitation, I leaned in closer and hugged her tightly. She returned the embrace and ran her fingers through my russet hair adoringly. I hugged her even tighter, enjoying the comforting warmth that radiated from her.

When we both pulled away, it was only then did I realize she had tears in her eyes. But this wasn't tears of sadness, I could tell. She wiped them away slowly and took another deep breath before she spoke once again.

"I just wanted to say that I've also made up my mind to annul the pomegranate agreement, Persephone," she said slowly. "I've decided to allow you to spend as much time with either of us as you solely wish. And do not worry about the seasons. The Earth has already adapted to control it on its own, without my help."

My eyes widened when she said that. I said nothing, instead my mouth gaped open slightly as I stared at her in slight disbelief.

From the corner of my eye, I could see that Hades himself was in a shock. He had unfolded his arms and his black eyes were, like mine, looking at my mother in disbelief.

When I had finally found my voice, I muttered, "So that means…"

I didn't finish my sentence, but my mother nodded her head and said, "You're free now, Persephone."

I did not say anything as well, but I responded by throwing my arms around her once again, hugging her very tightly as tears streamed down from my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered gratefully into her shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. For this. For everything. It means so much to me."

I could feel her smile and she rubbed a hand on my back comfortingly. "You're welcome, Persephone. You deserve this very much."

She pulled away to look at me lovingly in the eye. And it was that moment that I saw Hades smiling.

The party has ended on a good note. Everyone thanked each other for the wonderful time. Everyone was now about to settle into bed.

But for me, I was going to go back home to the Underworld.

I said my goodnights to my half-siblings and the elder gods before I went to the courtyard with my mother to meet up with Hades. There, I found him standing next to an ebony chariot that was pulled by black winged-horses donning silver armour.

When we had neared him, I turned to my mother and embraced her warmly. She hugged me back, telling me to enjoy myself in the Underworld.

"I will miss you," she murmured. "But I will not be unhappy, for I know that you will return to me."

Cupping her face between my heads gingerly, I said, "I'll visit you soon. As much as I can. Once a week or more. Whatever it is, I will promise to come back to the Earth and help you in your duties."

She smiled at my words and leaned in to plant a kiss to my forehead. She embraced me once more, before finally allowing me to go to my husband, who had already mounted his chariot.

He extended a hand for me to take it, and he held it gently as I got on the chariot. And then, he stood me in front before standing behind me, grasping the reins on his horses on both sides of me. And in a few seconds, he ordered for his steeds to move off, and they obeyed.

As the chariot rode to the golden gates of Mount Olympus, I turned back once more to look at my mother, who stood at the same position. She smiled and lifted a hand to wave me goodbye. I did the same before the horses spread their wings and took flight, the chariot now flying downwards.

The ride was a smooth one and I admired the view of the lands below. There was still no sign of physical life, but I knew that very soon there will be. Life will resume its cycle soon. New mortals will roam these lands to play and work, and also to worship the gods and goddesses.

Suddenly, the chariot touched the ground. I looked at Hades in question, but he only smirked at me. He then waved a hand in the air, and I could feel his powers emanating from him.

At that moment, the ground in front of us suddenly split into two, forming a gaping black hole among the greens of the grass. Hades ordered for his steeds to move once again, and they then trotted into the hole. Hades summoned a flaming orb to appear alongside us as we moved deeper into the Earth. Atop, the hole was closing until it was finally sealed once again.

It didn't take us long before we reached tall and intricately-designed black iron-wrought gates. The gates of the Underworld. Hades waved a hand once again, and the gates opened for us in an instant.

The horses trotted inside before finally coming to a stop at a stable nearby the gates. Hades and I got off the chariot, and I followed behind him as he untied the reins of his steeds. As he did so, he told me, "Cerberus must be asleep. But you'll get to see him tomorrow."

I honestly couldn't wait.

We then walked down a set of stairs made of crumbling rock before we finally came to what I knew was the infamous river Styx. The waters of the river seemed to be the colour of a dark grey, and it had fog hovering above it.

I did not notice that there was someone nearby us until I heard him say, "I welcome you back, great King Hades and Queen Persephone of the Underworld."

I turned to the direction of the voice and saw a hooded figure standing on top of a boat with a long oar in hand. I read too many stories to know that was none other than Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld.

Hades gave him a greeting and I too did the same. The both of us stepped onto the boat, where we were transported to our palace.

I saw the palace for the very first time since I have returned as a goddess. It was huge, nearly the size of Mount Olympus' palace. In contrast of the shadowy and dark surroundings, it was made of ash-grey stone, a far cry from the fiery rock that most described.

When Charon docked in front of the banks of the land, Hades and I got off, and another figure appeared to greet us. A familiar figure.

"Lord Hades and Lady Persephone. Indeed it is wonderful that you have returned," Hecate greeted us happily as she bowed.

"It's good to see you as well, Hecate," I said to her with a warm smile as I embraced her gently. "And it is good to be home. How are the children?"

"The children are asleep, my lady," she informed me with a smile on her dark scarlet lips. "They had tried to stay awake and await your arrival, but it seems that Hypnos has cast his spell of sleep on them. They have told me to wake them up if ever they were to start dozing off, but even I was powerless to stop it."

Behind me, Hades chuckled. "No worries. There is enough time to see them tomorrow, and even more time after that." And then, he grabbed my hand and said, "As of now, my queen and I wish to retire. We will gladly see you in the next day."

Hecate nodded her head and proceeded to lead us into the palace. She left us in the huge foyer and she bowed once more before walking away in another direction.

Hades led me up the majestic stairs to the fourth level. It was there that he told me that every room on that last level was entirely mine and his only, with the three rooms of each of the children located at one end of the hallway.

He led me to a room at the opposite end, which I knew to be our room. When I stepped inside, I gasped at the sight of it.

It was a big room that just screamed 'regal'. The walls were a very deep and dark red while the floor was of black marble. Covering most of the floor was a black fur rug that sunk my slipper-donned feet. There was a hearth in the middle of the wall on my left, with a vanity table located nearby it. There were two wardrobes a bit further away. One was a dark chocolate-brown oak wood one while the other was a cherry-stained rosewood one. It didn't take me long to know that the rosewood closet belonged to me. But what amazed her most was his bed. It was a huge four-poster with a canopy that had translucent red draping at the sides. The bedding was crimson with many silk pillows in dark colours such as black, deep red and even dark gold. It was a beautiful bed, with a seductive feel to it.

Seeing the room, and the Underworld of course, immediately made me overwhelmed with the happy feeling of returning home after years of being away. It made me want to cry in happiness. I was so happy.

I felt one of Hades' hand on my shoulder, and he breathed, "I have a gift for you."

I turned to face him and saw that he had a fist raised. But slowly, he opened his clenched hand to reveal two rings on his palm. The rings were similar, both just a simple silver band. But one had a beautiful round cut-ruby gem as the centerpiece.

As I gazed in amazement at the rings, he whispered, "I chose a ruby because it resembled a pomegranate seed. I wanted your wedding ring to have a special meaning."

I had to hold back tears as I whispered in reply, "Oh, Hades. Everything about you will have a special meaning to me. No matter what it is."

With a loving smile, he slipped the ring onto my right ring finger. I took a moment to study how perfect it looked on my finger before I took his and slipped it on his right ring finger.

And suddenly, I was pulled by him into a kiss. I squeaked in surprise, but quickly kissed him back. Our kiss was beautiful. It radiated everlasting love and burning passion for each other. It was the type of kiss that was so good that I didn't want it to end, no matter what.

But we broke it to take very deep breaths. However, we did not pull away from each other. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and he had his wrapped around my waist. Our foreheads touched and we gazed into each other's eyes.

As we relaxed in the perfection of the moment, I then thought to myself about how far I had gone. I still couldn't believe that all that had happened would actually lead to this. It somehow only felt like yesterday when I was still under the guise of a mortal florist whose life was far from exciting until she met a mysterious stranger in her small hometown. And it was from that first meeting that truths unravelled, the impossible became possible and troubles ensued but still leading to good ends.

But thanks to everything that had started this, I would gain something that I wouldn't imagine having in the first place.

Suddenly, Hades whispered, "I love you."

I smiled breathlessly and kissed him again before I answered back, "And I love you."

And I kissed him again and murmured against his lips, "For all eternity."

My name is Persephone. I am the Greek Goddess of Spring, the daughter of Demeter. But through marriage to Hades, I am also the Queen of the Underworld.

And I will be known as such for all eternity.

However, no matter how many years have passed, and how many new memories I collect along the way….

I will never forget Spring Korey.

Fin

Final Author's Note:

I am seriously crying like hell right now. The ending was, in my own opinion, really great. I didn't even think that this story would be a success honestly. First story to get over 200 reviews! That's a great accomplishment.

I want to be truthful to all of you; I actually had no intention to put in so much thought in this story and make it one of my most (probably the first!) serious work. It was supposed to be free-writing, until I realized that I wanted this story to be something more. Thus, it led to a storyline that included 50 chapters.

And to be honest even more, I half-expected the story to fail. But so far, there has only been one reviewer who told me that the story was absolutely no good, but I didn't take that to heart and instead continued to write on my own, leading to more love from you, my lovely readers.

And furthermore, I'm glad that the story was so good that a reader named Aella A have even asked to translate it into Italian. So thank you!

For now, I would be taking a short break, probably only a few days. There is an upcoming story about either Demeter or Athena, and I am also working on the requested sequel of The Prank. I have unofficial plans to create more Hades and Persephone fics, though I have a storyline which might include some of their children.

But now, here is the moment where I say thanks to all those who read The Reincarnationfrom beginning to end and all those who favourited it. It seriously means a lot, and I love all of you.

That has been quite an adventure, don't you think? :)

Muse of Fanfiction