VII
Hades was furious.
He wasn't bewildered at Persephone for leaving her chamber. Rather at himself for providing her with such an uncomfortable state of living that she felt the need to leave. He knew that she hadn't left the castle. Hades was able to keep track of all the beings who entered and left his palace, or the souls who tried to escape from their place of rest, or from the beings who entered or tried to leave his would remain safe as long as she didn't leave the castle. Not that the Underworld was dangerous. It was just nothing like what Persephone was accustomed to on Earth.
After Hades had calmed himself down by breathing in and out a few times and drinking another glass of wine to ease himself, he began his search for Persephone.
The task would have been easier if she decided to leave the palace a few days before her arrival. Besides, Hades sensing to those entering and leaving the places in his kingdom over the years, had allowed him to understand that the longer he stayed with the other deities in the Underworld, he was able to keep track of their footsteps.
Everyone's were different. Hecate walked with poise and other times she would dash around the corridors of the palace in such a haste when she was busy making potions. Thanatos was a busy man and was often in hurry no matter the time of day, despite his humorous attitude. Thanatos spent majority of his time in the castle while his family was scattered around the Underworld. Thanatos's brother, Hypnos and his son Morpheus had a somewhat of a sleepy strut, Nyx and Erebus preferred to near Tartarus, while the three judges presented themselves with the utmost feel of sophistication.
He ran around the corridors frantically to make it to the entrance of the palace before she did. The palace was centred in the middle of the Underworld and around it were the five great rivers. If Persephone were to run out the palace in a haste. . . Demeter would have his head mounted on her wall if she came to understand that Hades had caused her daughter to nearly drown in the Underworld.
The beings of the castle watched their king running around with bemusement. Never had they seen their Lord in such dismay.
"What is he up to?" Questioned Rhadamanthus who eyed his king with narrow eyes clearly unamused.
"I have no idea." Thanatos replied with a shrug, "But, I encourage it. Hades needs to take better care of himself and stay active." He joked looking towards the judge for appreciation on the caper he just made. All he got was a "huff" and eye roll from the uptight king.
"What? you know sir," Thanatos began , "I think if you started excerising you'd be a lot less grumpy." He said bluntly. Rhadamanthus gave Thanatos one hard glare that caused him to turn even paler than he already was. It didn't take long for Thanatos to dash after Hades, in hopes that the stubborn judge would not follow him.
"Lord Hades!" Thanatos called. Hades cursed under his breath and ran faster than before. The last thing he wanted was for Thanatos to follow him around when it was crucial that he remain focused. "Hades!" He called again and again.
"What do you want!" He yelled. Thanatos scrunched his face and shrugged.
"No need to yell Hades." He muttered.
"What do you need!" He yelled again.
"Oh, just let me run alongside you." He said placing a hand on the back of his King to give him a little push, "I figured, if i stayed with you Rhadamanthus wouldn't want to tear me to bits." He explained. Hades let him blabber on without listening to a singe word he said.
"Dammit Persephone." Hades muttered.
"Who?" Thanatos asked.
Persephone ran down the final corridor and stopped once she saw the fountain the servant boy had told her about. Persephone tilted her head and peered at the fountain. It was crafted beautifully with obsidian rock, much like the rest of the castle. It was carved with intricate designs. Hesitantly Persephone traced the patterns with her pointer finger as if she was the one creating it. What made the fountain so unusual, was the fact that water was not what flowed out of it, but fire.
"It can't actually be real." Persephone mumbled to herself, "Its way too cold." The fire didn't emit any amount of heat. Without thinking twice, she ran her finger through it and immediately pulled it back when she felt immense pain run through her finger.
She burned it.
"What in the world. . ."
Unsure of what to do next, Persephone quickly stuck her finger in mouth hoping that her saliva would help ease the burn. And, she ran out the entrance without looking back once.
She stopped just in time.
Her foot had almost slipped off of the ledge which she had not seen because of the thick, grey fog around. She narrowed her eyes and kneeled down on the ground and looked around her. There were five different rivers, from different directions that seemed to intersect at the Palace grounds. In front of her, was a river that glowed a lovely teal hue against the darkness around her; radiating through the heavy fog.
Persephone sighed and tugged at her blanket once again. It appeared that there was no way out of the Underworld. How would she ever get back to her mother?
"Persephone!" She turned and her eyes became wide with terror and quickly she pulled her finger out of her mouth. Lord Hades was running up towards her with a cold stare on his face. Just what she needed, for her uncle to yell at her again. Persephone gulped and sighed biting at her bottom lip while walking towards him. It was then, that she noticed another man right behind him, in grey robes. He didn't look as intimidating as Lord Hades.
"Persephone what are you doing?" he growled.
"Un-Lord Hades," She stammered remembering how he had forbidden her to call him by his actual relation to her, "I-I just wanted to get home!" She explained softly not looking at him in the eye. Rather, she hung her head in shame and embarrassment.
"I already told you Persephone," She could hear the change in his tone, he sounded sincere. Persephone could hear footsteps approaching her and soon she felt a warm hand tilt her chin. Her green eyes locked with Hades dark brown, almost back orbs. "I will return you to your mother tomorrow. First thing." He said. Persephone sighed and replied with nod as she unconsciously placed her burnt finger in her mouth causing Hades to furrow his brow.
"You know," Persephone and Hades both turned their gazes to the man who had accompanied Hades, "Most children stop sucking their fingers early on." He said with a small smile causing Persephone to fume.
"I'm not a child!" She snapped at him. She hated being a called a child. Her mother always thought of her as one, her friends, family, and even this man who she didn't even know.
"Well. Touchy." She heard him mutter, "Who is this Lord Hades?" He inquired pointing his thin alabaster finger at her.
"Give me your finger." He asked Persephone softly, ignoring Thanatos's question. She carefully obliged and watched at Hades narrowed his eyes. "You burned yourself? How?"
Persephone cleared her throat and pointed behind her at the river of fire, "I-I touched it. I didn't think it would hurt me cause the fire didn't emit any heat." She mumbled. She watched as Hades sighed and gently grabbed her hand, gesturing for her to come back inside.
"Gods Persephone. I've promised you I'd bring you back to your mother. Just make it easier for me to bring you back in one piece." He said as the two of walked down the corridor.
"W-who was that man?" Persephone asked trying to break the silence between the two of them. She didn't appreciate it much, it made her feel alone despite the fact the fact that there was someone with her. Persephone followed Hades, walking twice as fast as she usually would to keep up with him. He was much taller than her thus his strides were longer which made it harder to keep up with him. Especially since she had a swollen ankle.
"That was Thanatos." He said without looking back at her. Persephone did not like that.
"Is he a God too?"
"Yes." She assumed he wasn't in the mood to talk. Probably because of the small quarrel they had. On top of that she did try to escape the Underworld which was useless since she didn't even know how to get across the rivers.
Persephone soon recognized the hallway she was in. She groaned inside. She didn't want to go to her room. Knowing that she would be leaving this place soon would cause her to get excited which would mean she wouldn't be getting any sleep. It was ironic because the more she walked, the more she noted that fatigue had slowly started getting hold of her. Persephone smiled, It was unusual, she was excited to see her mother again.
Over the years of constant smothering and security Persephone wanted nothing more than to get away from her mother. Now that she was without her, Persephone did not like it. It was as if the fates had destined for this to happen to her she could appreciate and cherish her mother more.
Well, Persephone did learn her lesson, and she would cherish her mother more.
As they continued to walk down the vacant hallway Persephone noticed that they were not going to her chamber. Hades had turned in the other direction confusing her, "Where are we going?" She asked after another long train of silence.
"Im taking you to see Hecate."
"Who?"
"She practices witchcraft. She can give you ointments that will heal your injuries faster." He explained.
Still, he did not look at her once. Soon, he stopped in front of one of the large mahogany doors. Since Persephone became too sleepy she bumped against his back once again. But, it felt nicer because the fur from his cape made her feel warmer. He knocked on the door and called for Hecate and waited patiently while Persephone stood behind him as her eyes slowly began to droop. Hades could hear a small yawn escape from her lips and a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Lord Hades," He heard her say while she tugged at the back of his cape, "Can we meet with her tomorrow? I am ver-" another yawn cut her off.
"I want to return you to your mother without any injuries, I've explained to you before." He said calmly. Persephone yawned again and tugged at his cape once more.
"Lord Hades. Please," Hades turned towards her and raised his brow, "I don't mind waiting till the morning." She muttered.
The door opened and Persephone watched as Hades walked inside the chamber. Her hand was still clutching onto the back of his fur cape and slowly she dragged her feet inside Hecate's bedroom.
"Hecate I need you to make me a few ointments." Hades said to her.
"For who?" She questioned. Hades stepped off to the side showing a hazy Persephone behind him.
Persephone saw the woman in front of her and looked surprised. She had long, straight black locks, with skin paler than Hades. Her eyes were a deep blue-almost black. She wore dark purple robes. And, what Persephone loved the most about her were her dark cherry lips. The aura around her felt powerful, and mysterious. She had never seen a woman look like her before, dressed so dark and beautifully.
"Persephone, this is Hecate." Hades introduced.
"Hello." Persephone said shyly, to her surprise Hecate replied with a small smile.
"Hello." She turned towards Hades, "You want an ointment to help heal the ankle and the bump on her head?" She asked.
"Yes," He nodded, "And one for burns, please." Hecate raised her brow.
"Burns?" She muttered as she turned her gaze towards Persephone. She narrowed her eyes and could see the patch of red, burned skin on her finger, "What did you do Hades?" She snapped causing Persephone to widen her eyes and smirk. This woman went from calm to angry in just a few seconds, which she admired.
"I didn't do anything." He said putting up defence, "She did it herself." Hecate rolled her eyes.
"How did you burn yourself?" She asked Persephone.
"Well Lord Hades was right, I did it myself. I saw the fountain." She explained. Hecate sighed and shrugged.
"Alright then. I can have it done in an hour." She said.
"An hour!" Persephone cried. All eyes turned towards her.
"-Is that alright?" Hecate asked.
"Sorry but Lady Hecate, I'm tired. Isn't there anyway to make it faster?" She asked to which Hecate only replied by shaking her head.
"I can make it tonight, and then you can take them tomorrow," She turned towards Hades, "He won't mind." She assured. Persephone turned towards him and saw that he showed no emotion on his face. He just stared at Hecate with a blank expression.
"I suppose. . ." He mumbled. Persephone yawned once more.
"Alright then," She mumbled, "I'm off to bed. Goodnight." She said as she began her walk out of the chamber.
"Do you know where to go?" She heard Hades ask.
"I can find my way." She said before closing the door behind her leaving the two of them alone.
"What is going on Hades? Why is she here?" She asked. Hades shrugged and slumped down on Hecate's burgundy, velvet arm chair.
"She's no one. She's leaving tomorrow." He explained.
"Well then why is she here in the first place?" She asked.
"I-I had an idea. It just didn't work." He mumbled. Hecate narrowed her eyes. She had never seen him like this before. He was so down.
"And what was this idea of yours?" She pressed.
"I doesn't matter."
"It does. What is it Hades? It can't be that bad." He raised a brow.
"What makes you think it was bad idea?"
Hecate shrugged, "If you're not gonna tell me it means you think the idea's stupid." She began to gather a few ingredients for Persephone's ointment, as she did do majority of her work in her room. "Come on, whats the worst that could happen?"
"She's Demeter's daughter." He said after a long lingering silence. Hecate raised her brows and cocked her head.
"You sisters? What is she doing down here? She's the Goddess of Spring, is she not?" He nodded.
"I- I err. I wished to court her." He muttered. Hecate stopped her work and gave Hades one long, quizzical stare.
"What!"
Demeter was exhausted. She spent the entire night looking for Persephone. She had searched the meadow, the entire forest and had even asked the nymphs down by the river if they had seen her.
"What do you mean Lady Demeter?" One of the nymphs, Althea asked. Demeter had seen her with Persephone on various occasions. She assumed that out of all the other nymphs she was her greatest companion.
"My Kore has not come home yet! I don't allow her wander during the night, she should have been back hours ago!" She cried. Althea had never seen Demeter like this, in such panic and despair. "Has she not told you anything?" Althea pursed her lips and hesitantly shook her head.
"I'm sorry MiLady," She said softly, "I'm afraid I cannot help you." Demeter narrowed her eyes giving an intense gaze to the young green nymph, "You see she never came to see us today. We thought she was with you." Althea said. Demeter was horrified. She felt herself grow weak and dizzy. It didn't take long for her to become hazy.
She fainted.
Althea panicked. She had no idea what to do. Her friend was missing and now her mother became unconscious. She knew that Demeter
would go to the ends of the earth in search for her daughter while putting her own health in jeopardy. Slowly She called some of the other nymphs and they all helped Althea take Demeter home to her small cottage.
The nymphs placed Demeter delicately on the plush sofa in her small lounge. They had cooled her body down with some camp cloths and placed a nice, warm cloth on her forehead to help with her dizziness. Some of the nymphs waited inside the cottage for Demeter to awake as they tended to her. Others left the cottage in small groups to search some of the nearby villages for Persephone.
The house was quiet as everyone waited by Demeter. The Nymphs remained focus on prayers, for anyone of the Gods to listen to their pleas.
Althea remained still. She had come to understand that it was highly possible that Persephone was taken. The idea wasn't entirely outrageous. She knew that it was somewhat common for some mortal women to be abducted by some psychotic lust-driven man. Althea shuddered at the thought. Persephone, a soul so young and innocent did not deserve this- not that any mortal did- but Persephone was different.
Perhaps it had been one of suitors who had taken her? if not mortal than it could be one of the Gods. Apollo wouldn't be able to pull off such a stunt. He was too dense to think about such a plan himself nor, would Artemis ever allow it. She knew about everything he did. Some kind of twin telepathy thing they had going on. Besides, he cared too much for Persephone and was a thoughtful person. At least, that's what Persephone would tell her.
While Althea didn't like Hermes she knew that he wouldn't be daring enough to pull off a heist such as this. Demeter being around the house would be a key factor in him not wanting to come because whether he would admit it, Hermes was easily frightened. While he was somewhat of a pig, he was still courteous enough to know that abducting a girl was not something anyone should ever do.
But, Ares was nothing like his half-brothers. He was rude, vile, power hungry and lustfully driven. Unlike Apollo and Hermes, Ares did not take the rejection from Demeter lightly. He hadn't gone down a war path with Demeter and Persephone. Rather, he indulged in battles against mortals and became incredibly hostile towards Demeter and Persephone as a result of rejection.
Ares had taken Persephone, and Althea didn't doubt it one bit.
Persephone woke up the following morning (she assumed it was morning anyways) to find the servant girl coming in and out of her chambers every so often. Persephone yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes before stretching to help awaken every muscle in her body. Despite the fact that she was in the Underworld, she couldn't deny that this had been one of the sleeps she ever had. Probably because of how plush everything was around her.
Persephone began to push the covers back, but much to her surprise she was forced to stop.
"Milady!" The servant girl cried as she rushed over to Persephone gently pushing her back into bed, "MiLady where are you going?" She questioned.
Persephone furrowed her brows and tilted her head, "I wish to leave. I have to see Lord Hades." She said but the servant girl shook her head.
"I'm sorry MiLady. But Lord Hades has strictly advised for you to stay in here until you heal." She said as she arranged the bed in a proper arrangement for her to raise her leg, "I will be back in a short while MiLady. I I have to go and get your ointment from Lady Hecate." She said with a small bow before taking off.
"Wait!"
"Yes MiLady?"
"C-could you please tell Lord Hades that I need to talk with him?" She asked shyly. The servant girl nodded.
"Of course Mi'Lady"
Hades spent the early hours of his morning in his study going over his scrolls from last nights judgements with Thanatos by his side. It was routine for him for him revise and document important notes before his breakfast. After which, he would spent the rest of his day with the judges in the judgement hall and filing reports with Thanatos. He had thought that with Persephone in the Underworld with him things would change so his routine wouldn't be as stale as it usually was. But, he was wrong. In fact, having Persephone in the palace was horrible for him. She had become too much of a distraction despite her being in a completely different quarter of the castle.
Last night when she had followed him around in a sleepy, hazy state, he wanted nothing more than to carry her in his arms and take her to bed. But, as her uncle she knew he wouldn't have taken too kindly to the idea. Not to mention the only thing on her mind was her mother.
"Lord Hades your awfully quiet this morning." Thanatos said breaking up the long stride of silence.
Hades rolled his eyes but didn't avert his gaze from the scroll he was looking over, "As memory concerns, I recall that I am quiet every morning Thanatos." He said nonchalantly.
"No matter. But, I know why you've acting so weird Lord Hades," Thanatos teased but Hades didn't look concerned whatsoever, "Hecate told me about your bride-to-be." He laughed.
Hades widened his eyes and he growled giving Thanatos one of the most deathly glares he had ever received. He figured he should have spent the morning taunting Rhadamanthus instead, despite his poor sense of humour.
"Listen here Thanatos," He growled, "Nothing is going to happen. I want you to put this behind you and if you or Hecate ever mention this to anyone else I will have Cerberus tear you apart. Titan or not." Thanatos swallowed in fear.
"I was just kidding Lord Hades." He muttered, "I'm no gossip."
"Thanatos, you know everyone's business." He said with a laugh. Hades had an odd personality. He was the type of man who could go from temperamental to foolish in seconds. That was what Thanatos liked about him. As long as people in the Underworld stayed in line, things were never too hostile.
Expect for that one time. . .
"So, Lord Hades," Thanatos began after Hades had let out his frustration,"Why exactly are you letting her leave so soon? She got here yesterday." He watched as Hades stiffened, "Come on Lord Hades, It's just me." He added.
"Thats exactly why I do not wish to share," Hades muttered under his breath letting out a long sigh, "She called me uncle." He mumbled.
Thanatos raised his brow, "I didn't hear that." He said and watched as Hades gritted his teeth and clenched his fists .
"She called me uncle." He said a little louder.
Thanatos couldn't stifle his laughter, "Lord Hades!" He cried. Hades buried his attention towards the filing while muttering obscenities under his breath, "She called you uncle!" He repeated.
"I know, Thanatos." Lords he was a challenge.
"No, no. no, Lord Hades so what?" Hades raised his brow and turned towards Thanatos again.
"So what?" He repeated slowly as if the language was foreign.
Thanatos nodded, "Yeah! I mean Rhea married her brother, Hera married her brother. I've heard her refer to Zeus as 'brother' on a few occasions." Hades rolled his eyes.
"Its obscene."
"Godly relations are different than mortal relations. These titles are just a formality." He said with a shrug, "But, if you wish to return her home than I guess you'll always have your nymphs." He smirked while Hades growled in displeasure. "Whose daughter is she anyways?"
"Daughter of Demeter." He answered nonchalantly.
Thanatos snickered, "Well that'd be smart. Demeter would create chaos if she knew her daughter left her." Hades eyes winded.
Demeter!