A/N: Good morning everyone! It's a lovely morning, it's raining outside! I live in southern CA in the middle of a drought, so any sort of rain is really exciting for us. Thank you for your reviews this last week, I can't tell you how much they help and inspire me. I'm glad you like it! This chapter is pretty short again, I'm sorry for that. Actually, this chapter was not part of the original story I have planned out. But a review from shigatsu26 wondered what Demeter thought of Hades and Persephone, and I started to think about it. The result is this chapter here. Again, my Demeter has a much different take then the traditional story, and I hope you like it!

Chapter 8: Demeter's Favorite Brother

Her favorite brother was probably Hades, Demeter realized with a heavy dose of irony. Of course, it wasn't like she had much to choose from. She used to be fond of Zeus until their unfortunate tryst. He had since fallen out of favor. Poseidon was no better. He had always been a blind follower of his younger brother. Everything that Zeus did, Poseidon attempted to copy. Lovers, palaces, even clothing. Poseidon had attempted to woo her several times after he found out that Zeus had been with her. She refused him in no uncertain terms.

She was furious with both Zeus and Poseidon for what they had tried to do to her daughter. Zeus was the one that lusted after her, and if Poseidon had not taken part in the attempted rape, he still stood in complicity.

At least Hades had never propositioned her. And he was currently protecting the most important person in her life. It had not been easy to let her daughter go with Hades. When she found Persephone missing that morning, panic seized her heart. Upon being unable to find her daughter on earth, she attempted to go to Mount Olympus. Her worst fears seemed confirmed when she couldn't get through the wards around the place. Zeus was deliberately keeping her out. There was nothing she could do but pace and worry, trying at the wards again and again. When she finally felt Persephone's presence back on earth, she had raced to meet her.

Someone else got there first. She had to admit she assumed the worst when she saw her daughter crumpled and torn, with Hades standing over her. It was Persephone's voice, pleading for the elder god, which broke through her panic. On closer look, Hades was carefully not touching the maiden. His shadow was draped over her in such a way as to cover her modesty from the torn dress. She was the one clutching him, looking for safety. And most telling of all, her daughter wasn't afraid of the man next to her. Everyone was afraid of Hades. That Persephone wasn't meant she had faced a greater trauma that made the lord of the Underworld seem friendly. Her poor girl…

Demeter was ready to fight for her daughter, but she knew she couldn't be everywhere at once. She wasn't strong enough to take on every god that lusted after Persephone. A single threat to her daughter could bring Demeter to her knees. But Hades was a good deal stronger than her. He had his own realm which none could enter without permission. His power was fully the rival of Zeus and Poseidon. If anyone could protect Persephone, it was him. It was clear he didn't want to do it. In general, he stayed out of the messes that the others gods got into regularly. He refused—until Persephone asked. Not many could refuse her daughter, and Hades was no exception.

That wasn't to say that Demeter didn't still have reservations about sending her virgin daughter with the king of the dead. He was, well, a dead god, with all the inherent creepiness associated with being dead. Still, she was not entirely without reassurance that things would work out. He had helped her before, on the day that Persephone was conceived. He also pulled her daughter from the river. While Persephone sobbed out what had happened to her, his shadow changed into a nameless horror from the titan war. He had been willing to delay the other gods to allow them to escape. And then there was his non-existent history of lovers. He took neither women nor men to his bed. He alone of all the gods did not have a reputation as a philanderer: he had honor.

So Demeter had some hope that things would end well when she sent her daughter with Hades. The best possible outcome would be if they fell wildly in love with each other. They might achieve happiness in each other. Persephone would be a queen, albeit of a very dismal world. Hades was likely to be the jealous type that would allow no other to touch his wife. Demeter hoped he would still allow Persephone to visit her in the world above. If not, she might have to brave that horrid kingdom herself to see her daughter.

She was no fool. Demeter knew what was likely to happen if she allowed her daughter to be taken away by another god. She had the hope that Hades' honor would prevent him from taking advantage of Persephone. If he decided he wanted her, he would court her nobly. But was Hades even capable of love? He was not like the other gods. Was there a heart in his cold, unnatural body?

Furthermore, was Persephone capable of loving such darkness? Her daughter had been raised in sunshine and hope. Was she suffering in the midnight land of the dead? Demeter did not believe Hades would keep Persephone in a dungeon or the far reaches of Tartarus, but the Underworld must seem very cold and foreign to her.

The second best outcome would be for Hades to adopt Persephone as his ward. He would still take responsibility for her. Hades protected what was his, Demeter remembered with a shiver. His single-minded protection of their family during the titan war still gave her nightmares. The other gods would not dare touch a ward of Hades'. His patronage would see Persephone elevated to a rare level within the ranks of the gods. She would probably still have to live in the Underworld, but hopefully she would be free to visit the earth.

If Demeter was thinking of the best possible outcomes, she should be prepared for the worst as well. She could immediately think of two worst fates, and she did not know which she dreaded more. The first would be if Persephone died. Whether by Hades' hand, or an accident in the Underworld, or by the other gods seeking revenge, the thought of seeing her daughter dead brought a sharp stab of pain to her heart. She grew weak at the image of her beautiful girl, pale and still. Please, not that, she pleaded silently.

The second outcome was just as bad as the first. What if Hades fell in lust with Persephone? He had not thus far succumbed to the carnal nature of the other gods, but everyone had their breaking point. He had never had a vulnerable maiden thrust into his arms either. What if it was a temptation too great for him to bear?

He would possess Persephone, ravage her, damage her far worse than the other gods. Demeter had seen Hades' temper when he lost it. He wasn't a man when it happened. Sometimes he wasn't even a god. He could do unspeakable things to her daughter, body and soul. If she lived, she would be broken, a shell of waste forever. Maybe death was a kinder outcome, though even then she could not escape the king of the dead.

Demeter had asked for his promise not to hurt Persephone. He had given it easily, which surprised Demeter. He did not make vows lightly. This one was not sworn on the Styx, but she had never known him to break even a casual agreement. Still, it might be a fragile barrier if the lust took him.

There were so many ways that could make giving her daughter to Hades go wrong. There were too many possibilities to consider everyone. She didn't try; it could only drive her to distraction. The fate of her daughter was out of her hands, and she needed her wits about her. The other gods continued to question her about Persephone's location. She evaded them, or pretended ignorance, but it was hard to keep up the charade. Of course she missed Persephone dearly. She didn't dare contact Hades to ask after her daughter. The best thing she could do for Persephone's safety and well-being was to continue to stall the other gods.

She wanted to give Hades and Persephone as much time as possible to choose the path that would give them the most happiness.