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"Hermes!" Hermes snapped his attention away from Eros who had been taking about his new advancement in his arrows. He quickly excused himself leaving Eros in a stubborn mood and fled towards Hestia who was approaching him with Demeter by her side. His cheeks flushed with delight as he assumed Persephone would be following them.
"Yes?" He answered. He narrowed his eyes when he noted the sullen look on Demeter's face and the worried expression on Hestia's. "Is everything okay?" He asked slowly.
Hestia's clear
ed her throat. "I need you to gather Artemis, Apollo, and Athena. Bring them here I must speak with them urgently." Hermes nodded.
"Is everything all right?" He asked again. "Where's Kore?" He added peering over the shoulders of his aunts. He could have sworn he heard Demeter stifle a cry.
"She's not here. Everything's going to be fine. Now go!" She said shooing him off.
Hermes flew off, giving a shrug to Eros who gave him a confused look. Truthfully, Hermes was just as lost.
Hestia crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. If Zeus wouldn't be of any help, then she'd have to step up and take charge.
Persephone slowly began dragging her feet through the corridors of the palace. As much as she wanted to run down to her room she couldn't bare herself to do it. It would mean the drool and slobber all over her would make her feel even more uncomfortable.
"What happened to you?" She turned the corridor to find Morpheus raising his brow at the sight of a gross Persephone.
"Ugh." She groaned. "That stupid mutt." She muttered.
"Looks like her likes you." He noted causing Persephone to scoff.
"I don't think so."
"Sure he does. Aside from Lord Hades, the only other people he's taking a liking to are Hecate and Hypnos." He explained.
"I can't imagine how anyone could possibly be fond of him." She said while picking at her hair. "He's not even a real dog! He has three heads!" She cried.
Morpheus shrugged. "I'd rather the dog than the lion."
Persephone stopped and narrowed her eyes. "The lion?" She questioned.
"He hasn't told you about the lions?"
"I don't even know what they are!" Persephone had never heard of a lion before. Surely they couldn't be as terrifying as the dog.
"Rhea has a lion." He explained.
"Who's Rhea?"
Morpheus sighed. "You are one clueless Goddess." He muttered before walking off and leaving Persephone hanging.
"That's just rude." She muttered to herself.
Not too long after she had made her way back into her chambers and quickly peeled off her sopping wet dress. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in disgust. There was no worse feeling in the world than feeling sticky all over.
She didn't understand how Hecate could look so beautiful. If the dog was so fond of her Persephone could only imagine how much drool would spill from his mouth.
She soaked herself in the tub and decided to add some fragrance of honeysuckle which allowed for her body to relax. She had decided to take some time in cleaning herself as this morning she got ready in such haste. When she finished with her bath she walked back to the bedroom and bit her bottom lip. She couldn't wear her usual white frock as it was covered in slime. She decided that for the time being there would be no harm in wearing in some of the clothes that Damara had fetched for her. In the end she picked out the first dress she saw which happened to be one made out of rich velvet. It was a beautiful, deep sapphire color. In all honesty she never would have imagined that she would ever wear a long elegant frock like this.
Unfortunately for her the dress was a lot heavier on her frame than she had expected. She found that the dress weighed her down a lot making her move slower. On the bright side, she didn't feel the need to wrap a blanket around her anymore. But, Persephone had gotten used to the idea of walking around with a makeshift cape and she grabbed the new blanket that was placed on her neatly made bed. The maids must have cleaned it up while she was gone.
Staying here was such a new experience for her. She didn't have to clean up after herself or fix herself anything for breakfast. Persephone didn't have to wake up early to help her mother bless the fields nor did she have to go to temple. She was in control of her life for once.
Well sort of. She had begun to see that Lord Hades had a very watchful eye, much like her mothers. She figured it was a trait that ran in the family all too well.
Persephone smiled to herself and then her smile faded. She didn't have anything to do.
She didn't want to play with the dog and Lord Hades would be furious with her if he realized she had went to go see the Nymphs after all.
Persephone walked out of her chamber slowly and began to mope down the halls. The fact that she was wearing heavy clothing helped her out a lot. As she continued down the illuminated hallway she paused for a moment when she smelled something odd.
She sniffed a few time before narrowing her eyes. It smelled like something was boiling. Quickly she ran down the hall- tripping over her dress a few times. She stopped in front of Hecate's chambers and she furrowed her brows when she saw thick steam escaping in thin layers from her door.
"Hecate?" Persephone called as she knocked her door while waving away the fog with her other hand. "Hecate?"
The door opened a few moments later and gust of mist escaped from the room, bursting forth on Persephone's face causing her to shut her eye and cough. It felt nice.
"Yes?" She heard Hecate say dully, almost as if she were annoyed.
"W-what are you doing?" She questioned between coughs.
"Nothing." Persephone shook her head.
"I say that to mother all the time. I know it doesn't mean anything." She said pushing past Hecate, entering her room. She heard the door close behind her and Persephone noted that the whole room was filled with a thick fog.
"Can you open the window please?" She asked Hecate after letting out a few more coughs caused by the steam that was so hot it nipped at her skin. Hecate opened two of her large windows that looked over the river Acheron. Persephone walked towards the window and began breathing in the "fresh" air.
"Is there something you need?" Hecate asked.
"No." Persephone said shaking her head. "I'm just bored." She replied.
"What are you doing? How can you breathe in here?" She cried.
Hecate laughed. "I've been doing this for years. I'm used to it." She said.
"What exactly is it that you are doing?"
"Meditating." She said as she sat down crisscross on the floor while closing her eyes.
"What?" She heard Hecate sigh.
"Just- just come sit in front of me like this." She said motioning towards her position. Persephone shrugged and followed Hecate's instructions.
"Now, just close your eyes and breathe in and out." Hecate said calmly.
"So w-"
"Sshh!" Hecate snapped catching Persephone off guard. "This only works when you stay quiet and empty your mind." She explained.
"What exactly do I do then?"
"Focus on your breathing."
"But Heca-"
"Persephone." Hecate said opening her eyes and giving her a cold look. Persephone bit her bottom lip and back down. It was a look that she would get from her elders every once a while when she became too much to handle.
Clearly it was a look that everyone possessed.
Persephone obliged and began to focus on her breathing. Oddly enough the heavy mist had calmed her down. Persephone could feel herself becoming tranquil. Whatever it was, it worked.
But, it did get to be too hot despite feeling cold in the Underworld for so long. She began to pull at her velvet dress and wiped away the beads of sweat that formed under her cloths.
"H—how can you stand the heat?" Persephone whispered. Hecate opened one of her vibrant eyes and eyed what Persephone was wearing.
"It helps if you wear something thin." She replied as she closed her eyes again. Persephone opened her eyes and looked over at Hecate, and then down at herself.
Hecate was dressed very differently. She was wearing a thin—almost see-through white frock. It had no sleeves, and Persephone noted that Hecate's long, thick locks were pulled up into a messy twist. Her dark hair and lips contrasted against her cream skin and white frock. Persephone stared at her with her mouth open. Even in such heat Hecate managed to look beautiful.
Then there was her. She still bore the heavy blanket over shoulders and her hair was still damp from her bath. Her dress clung tightly to her body making her feel uncomfortable. It was almost as bad as being covered in dog slobber.
Slowly Persephone pulled the blanket off of her shoulders and she began to roll back the sleeves of her dress. She tried her best to tie her damp locks into some sort of twist, but it proved to be rather difficult since she never learned how to.
"You can take the dress of if you want." Persephone heard Hecate say. Her posture remained perfect, and her eyes were closed, her breathing was light making her look ever so calm.
"W—what?" Hecate opened an eye and raised a brow.
"No need to feel so weird. It's just us." She said with a shrug. "Besides, from what I've heard you play with the Earth Nymphs. As I recall, they are naked too." She explained.
"H—how did you know that?"
"Word gets around." She said.
Persephone sighed and continued rolling up her tight sleeves. She watched as Hecate shook her head, got up swiftly, and walked right past her disappearing deeper into a thick, foggy cloud. Moments later she came back with a frock similar to hers and tossed it at Persephone.
"Here, put this on." She said as she resumed her position and closed her eyes. Hesitantly Persephone played with the seams of the thin dress and she knitted her brows together. "Relax. My eyes are closed and no one comes in here." She explained dully.
Persephone bit her lip and sighed before quickly taking off her dress and pulling the light one on. It proved to be rather difficult since the heavy fabric clung to her skin, not wanting to let go. She did have to admit that between changing, feeling the steam against her naked skin felt incredibly nice. But, having a light frock on wasn't so bad. It was better than the previous dress.
While her hair was still an annoyance, Persephone felt way better.
Finally, she focused on her breathing and she smiled to herself. This was something she had to show mother.
Not long after Hermes returned to the courtyard with Athena, Apollo and Artemis following behind him in suit. Athena was confused about why Hestia had called for her, to which Hermes had no answer for. Apollo and Artemis on the other hand walked cautiously, thinking this had to be about Lord Hades and that stupid arrow.
"Hestia, why are we here?" Athena asked as she approached her aunt. She raised her brows when she saw Demeter chewing at her lip beside her.
"On man. Demeter knows!" Apollo whispered to Artemis who rolled her eyes.
"Shut up. How would this include her in any way? It was almost a week ago. No one remembers." She whispered back as Hestia explained the situation to Athena. The twins obviously weren't listening.
"Of course it does! Her daughter was about to get married. I bet you anything Lord Hades couldn't keep his mouth shut. That tattle!" He growled.
"Children!' Hestia snapped towards them. " Are you listening?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Uhh- no." Apollo said with a cheeky smile. Demeter rolled her eyes and Hestia sighed.
"Listen you two. This is important so I want you two to pay attention." Hestia said sternly.
"Well what is it?" Artemis asked raising a brow.
"Persephone's missing." Demeter said softly.
Persephone and Hecate had left Hecate's chambers after a while and each if them went their own separate ways. Hecate had changed into her usual dark, alluring attire while Persephone kept the thin frock on and dragged the blanket around in her arms. After a while in such heat, she could still feel the hot mist around her and decided against wearing the blanket leaving her shoulders bare for the first time ever.
"Not you too." Persephone jumped in surprise and turned around to see an annoyed looking Thanatos (she assumed it was him since he didn't look as sleepy as Hypnos would have).
"W-what do you mean?" She asked in confusion.
"Don't tell me you were meditating with Hecate?" He groaned.
"I was." She stated pushing a lock of her damp auburn hair behind her ear.
"Not you too." He groaned. "She tried getting me into it. What can I say, I guess I just prefer not feeling suffocated."
"I liked it." Persephone said with a smile. "It makes me feel- calm. I'm sure mother would enjoy it." She said.
Thanatos shrugged. "Must be a girl thing." He muttered before walking off.
"Wait! Where are you going?" She questioned as she ran after him with her blanket dragging behind her and her bare-feet tapping against the obsidian tiles.
"To the kitchens. I'm feeling a bit drowsy." He said yawning.
"Oh. So you are Hypnos." Persephone said.
"No." He growled. "Thanatos." He muttered.
"Oh." Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red. "I— I just thought—"
"Don't worry about it." He said with a shrug. "Happens. You're new so i'll let it slide."
"What do you need from the kitchens?" She asked.
"Coffee." He said. Persephone's eyes grew wide as a smile appeared on her pink lips. A cup of coffee sounded divine.
"Missing? What do you mean she's missing?" Artemis asked with worry running her tone. She looked at Demeter, wishing for an answer, but the one she was looking for never came.
"S—She went out to play like usual. A— and she never came back." She cried. "It's been two days! I've looked everywhere in the nearby towns and villages! No one has seen her!" Demeter explained.
"Demeter, maybe the nymphs know? Persephone doesn't want me telling you but she plays with the nymphs." Athena said.
Demeter shook her head. "I know of the nymphs. They told me they hadn't even seen her! They assumed she was with me all day."
"We'll find her." Artemis pipped up. "It'll be fine. I can check the forests. Apollo can ride on his chariot. Athena can ask the mortals and Hermes— Hermes can do what he does best."
"She's smarter than you give her credit for." Athena added. "Demeter you have nothing to worry about."
"B—but what if— what if sh—"
"Demeter. Please, you have to remain calm." Hestia cooed. She turned towards the youngsters. "Keep an eye out for her. Let us know if you hear of anything." She added.
Hesitantly they all left the courtyard together. It was an odd situation to be in. On the one hand, they wanted to go after their dear Persephone. Demeter's assumptions of what may happen to her were not too far-fetched. But, all of them some ache in the bottom of their gut that assured them that so far, Persephone was alright. Then, there was Demeter. While all of them always scolded Demeter for keeping her daughter so protected and sheltered from society, they knew it was out of love. Seeing Demeter in such a vulnerable broken state made them all understand that no matter how, they needed to get Persephone back to Demeter. For, who knew what kind of power Demeter's grieve could carry?
Hades was in his study working through the stacks of scrolls from earlier in the morning. He was in no mood to work. He couldn't. All he could think about was Persephone. No matter what the situation became tomorrow, or tonight before midnight he knew he had to send her back. He could only imagine the chaos that would arise if she was not home soon. Demeter would ensure that all of Tartarus would break loose, she could even roam the earth for centuries, not caring for the mortals if it came to it. Without a doubt everyone knew the love she had for her stronger than anything, and she would so anything for her.
Much like him. Which was why he was able to send her back. He definitely wasn't happy with the situation. But, it occurred to him that Persephone saw no interest in him. The last he wanted was to keep her here, marry her off to someone who she didn't care much for.
He had come to terms with the idea that the fates just wanted for him to be alone. And, it was time for him to a accept just that.
Soon, Hades heard the door open and he quickly pulled his papers forth in order to make it seem as if he were working the whole time. Thanatos would not take kindly to such laziness. Despite his care-free attitude, he was nothing but with his work.
"Thanatos I've r—"
"Oh It's just me Lord Hades." He turned his gaze forth and watched Persephone enter his study with a mug in her hands, and another blanket trailing alongside her. For once, it wasn't draped over her small shoulders. Rather, he could see her tanned shoulders. Truthfully he could see everything. It made him want to bury her in the heavy blanket before things got out of hand. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his self restraint.
Only one more day.
Hades furrowed his brows and his eyes traveled away from her body and towards her face. Her face was a bright, flushed pink and her eyes looked more vibrant than usual. Her long auburn locks were damp, and darker flowing all the way down a few inches past her chest. He was thankful for that. The dress she wore was so thin, it barely covered anything and it stopped a few inches above her ankles.
She looked older. No, She looked her age. She was fresh.
"Lord Hades?" He snapped out of his daze and looked at her with a hazy expression. "Lord Hades are you alright?" She questioned.
He cleared his throat. "Yes. I am." He said. "Er— take a seat." He said gesturing to his study. Persephone giggled.
'Where?" She asked.
His study was downright messy. Papers, scrolls, parchment, books, letters and everything were everywhere. Persephone herself had no idea how Lord Hades was able to tell where his things were. Hades on the other hand, quickly pushed papers aside from the top of a leather love-seat.
"Here." He said.
"This place is very messy Lord Hades. Mother would be in a mood if she saw this." She said. Hades let out a low laugh.
"She is a neat freak." He recalled. "Were you with Hecate this morning?" He asked. Persephone nodded.
"Yes! She taught me how to mediate."
"She wreaks up the corridor whenever she does." He said. "She uses odours a lot as well. I suppose she decided against them since you're here." He said.
"Oh." She took a sip of her coffee. "I like her." Hades smiled. "I never knew the Underworld was so— friendly." She said.
"I'd like for you to keep its reputation as such."
"Why?" She asked.
"No matter." He said waving his hand passively. He peered into her cup and raised a brow. "Coffee?"
"Yup."
"Stop drinking that." He stated.
"Why?"
"It'll keep you up all night if you drink too much." He said. "You need plenty of rest tonight if you want to be in good shape tomorrow to go back home." He said.
"Oh. Well, I don't see how a cup of coffee can change that." She refuted.
"Persephone."
"Oh Lord Hades come on! I get enough pestering from her mother. I don't need another one." She muttered. Hades widened his eyes and he choked back his words.
Mother? He was an uncle to her and now a mother? Truth be told, he didn't know which one was worse.
An eerie silence filled the study once more and Hades and resumed his work while Persephone wrapped herself in her blanket once more and sipped on her coffee as she watched the King of the Underworld at work. Persephone observed his every detail. How the crease between his brows would deepen when he was confused or in disagreement. His upper lip would curl every so often, and other times his eyes would narrow so much, Persephone couldn't even see his dark chocolate orbs anymore.
"Where do you get your capes from?" Persephone asked breaking the silence between them.
"Why do you ask?" He questioned back, his eyes never leaving the scrolls.
"I like them." She answered. "They make you look— regal." She said. "I bet they keep you warm." She added.
"Yes. Are you cold down here?" He asked. Persephone gave him a cheeky smile and peered into her mug before taking a sip.
"A bit." She muttered.
Hades gave her a curt nod and resumed his work once more. "I'll see what I can do." Persephone sighed and crossed her arms. Once again, he was not in the mood to socialize.
She assumed this was not the right time to ask him about the lions. or Rhea.
Later that evening when Persephone entered her chambers she widened her eyes and a huge smile began to tug on her lips. There, on her bed was a long, dark burgundy cape.
Quickly, she pulled the blanket off of her shoulders and wrapped the new, fur cape around her tiny frame. It was far too big for her, she knew. And, she assumed that it was from Hades wardrobe itself, but she didn't care. She loved it. She walked towards the tall, body length mirror and watched as the cape trailed behind her, almost swallowing her tiny figure.
She didn't care because she looked every bit as regal as Lord Hades himself.
Authors Note: I'm not even over exaggerating when I say I had to write this chapter three times. I was just never happy with it but it needed to be included.