I have a feeling you've been waiting for this event. It will be covered from both perspectives, this chapter from Paige's, the next from Hades'.
As always, read and review, but most importantly, enjoy!
Chapter 6: Acquired
Upon arriving back home from her errands, Paige walks through the front door of the cottage; screen door crashing behind her as she kicks it shut, arms too full to complete the task. She unceremoniously dumps the armful of grocery bags on the kitchen counter and approaches the living room, only to overhear a heated exchange of hushed voices. Pushing open the door, Paige finds her mother glaring angrily at a very stunning man clothed in purple robes that seemed so far out of place from the modern-day garb.
"I – uh… am I interrupting anything?" Paige inquires shyly, eyes darting from her mother to the man and inspecting him a bit closer. His build was equal to that of a god; heavily muscled, tan with platinum blonde hair and eyes of such an unnatural golden hue that all she could do was just stand there in silence and awe as she gazed at him, mouth agape.
"It's nothing, Helios was just leaving," her mother snapped sharply.
"Ah, Demeter, what sort of way is that to talk to one of your oldest, closest and most reliable friends?" asks the man before looking over to Paige and breaking into a large grin, startling the already stunned girl.
"Well hel-lo, dollface! You must be Paige. Your mother has told me so little about you. The name is Hal, I haven't gone by Helios in quite a long while, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Hal flexes in a playful jest, winking and startling the young woman a second time, earning him an exasperated sound of annoyance from Demeter.
"I – uh…" Paige repeats her earlier sentiment and looks to her mother in confusion, a blush staining the young woman's cheeks as she shies closer to the doorway.
Growing increasingly wary as the handsome man follows and approaches her, regardless of her obvious discomfort, she manages to find herself trapped against the wall. Finding her personal space being invaded, her anxiety level rises enough to snap at the man.
"Dude," she exclaims, "personal bubble, please!"
"She's so different from when I knew her…" he says. Ignoring her request, he reaches out and strokes his calloused fingers over the girl's jawline, tilting her chin up as he notes her vibrant green eyes. His grin widens further when Paige blushes darker under his appraisal. "So shy… Those eyes, though…"
Helios is cut short by a sharp slap. His hand drops from the girl's face as Demeter half-circles the man, snarling at him like a feral cat and her face flushed with anger.
"Go outside Paige, pick some flowers or something… and you! Get out of my house! Don't you have horses to tend to or something to do other than bothering us? Certainly you have other major affairs to dally in and spy upon!" She nearly screeches the last part and whips her head around to glare at her daughter.
"I said go outside!" Eyes widening at the brutal snap of her mother's tone, Paige quickly retreats from the room and heads back outside at a quick clip.
"You can't do this forever, Dem. You'll doom us all if the mortals die out. They are starting to become too numerous. Their medicine is advanced and they live for so long compared to the mortals around during our golden years. It's some now, or all later if something isn't done soon!" Helios drops his carefree facade to whisper harshly to the older woman.
"Hades may have given up. However, if you're content watching your daughter be reborn instead of simply absent for a few months every year, soon you'll lose the option of her being reborn at all. Is that really so horrid of a prospect? How long must this continue before you stop trying to rewrite our history? Will you not stop until we are all nothing?" He growls out, sauntering out of the room and towards the front door.
Pausing for a moment before exiting the house, he murmurs just loud enough to carry to Demeter's ears.
"He wasn't an unfit husband to her before; I doubt it's changed over all these centuries..." He trails off for a moment while staring out the screen door, only to continue. "Think about that, Dem. Really consider the gravity of the situation. For all of us. For her."
Left standing in the living room, Demeter's face grows gaunt and her shoulders slump in resignation while Helios strides outside and into the gardens.
It doesn't take him more than a few seconds to spot the young woman, her distress quite apparent as her hands shake from nervousness. Watching for a minute longer as she stoops down to pick a few blooms and beginning to harvest vegetables and various berries, he meanders toward her. Coming up behind her and placing his hand upon her shoulder, he startles the already frazzled girl, voice soft and quiet in order to disarm her gently.
"I noticed you are growing a pomegranate tree in the far edge of the field. Have you tried one before?"
"N-no…" Paige stammers at first, soon regaining some of her confidence, "It bore fruit for the first time this year. I've been tending that tree since my mother and I came to live here when I was rather young. I don't know what I'm doing with it and I don't know when they will be ripe enough to pick."
Helios nods and pets her shoulder once again before squatting down beside her as she picks and meticulously selects various berries; every so often one makes its way into her mouth instead of her basket.
"They look as if they are already quite ready. They have a special, unique taste, you know," he grins to himself before continuing. "Pomegranate trees are also incredibly difficult to grow. The fact that you made one bloom so vibrantly without full understanding speaks volumes."
Paige nods her head in agreement, accepting the compliment with a practiced deflection and having nothing to say in return.
"Well then, I won't keep you any longer. Your mother is a scary woman and I have important work to do. And you… you have the fruits of your labor to enjoy," he concludes, giving Paige another quick wink before strolling off the field and down the dirt road that leads up to the cottage.
Paige watches as Helios walks away before looking down at her basket; filled with a myriad of berries, vegetables and flowers. Finding the quantity to be sufficient, she walks back to the house and lays the basket on the porch. She then turns on her heel and makes her way to her pomegranate tree. Upon reaching it, she sits in her spot beneath it and soaks in the last of the day's warmth; the sun seemingly retreating at a quicker pace than usual, while still melting away the last of her skittishness. She sighs softly to herself in contentment, her eyes growing heavy with the setting sun, before lifting herself back onto her feet and looking over the tree. Deftly, she reaches for the one fruit she had examined earlier, the color nearly matching the deep red and purple of her sundress, and plucks it. Turning it over in her hands, she scratches at the skin with dull nails in an attempt to open it but finds the task quite difficult. Once fully engrossed in the petty challenge, Paige doesn't notice the shadows suddenly growing and looming over her from behind.
"Allow me to assist you." A deep voice, quiet, yet with a tone of power stops her mid-effort.
Letting out a startled gasp, the young woman looks up and turns her head to the voice of her visitor. Her mouth is suddenly covered by a large, slightly chilled hand. Just as quickly, she's jerked back and crushed against a chest; the abrupt movement into the plated torso elicits a pitiful, pained cry from her which is suppressed against the man's palm. After a few moments of pause and the sensation of a warm breath against her neck and ear, the last things she recalls are the sounds of whinnying horses, their hooves stamping the ground, and the rumbling of shifting earth before the sky is shut out and she is dragged downward with her captor.