Persephone hurried down the stairs to the main hall, almost running. Hades was waiting for her outdoors. Since things were more fluid with her new husband, the nights were placid and short. Her insomnia had gone, her nerves vanished. Her mind had settled; with her feelings for Hades growing fast, the Goddess had made peace with her actual situation and now view it as a path in moving on. Her new reality was sometimes confusing and surreal, but she had control over it, at least. She missed her home, she suffered for his mother; but with her thoughts just sorting out, this concern became secondary.

By the time Persephone made her appearance to the garden beside the palace, Hades was already there. She stopped in the entrance of it, her eyes narrowed as she watched him. When she walked through the garden, its heavy and dizzy air changed; lightening all the place with her innate glow.

"You are late." He started, turning to her; his arms crossed and his face immutable.

"Have you never heard of fashionably late?" She smirked at him, raising a large brow.

Uncrossing his arms from his chest, he chuckled at how different her answer was to their first encounters. The way his wife spoke to him had nothing to do with how she had been doing it for a few weeks ago, making him realize that things were going well. "Shall we go?" He asked sweetly.

She nodded unsteadily, and she quickly approached him, taking his arm. She looked up at him, eager to go wherever he wanted. Hades looked down at his wife, trying to keep her from realizing that, inside, he was melting. There was something soft and naive about her, an infinite tenderness, but dare and fearless too. Contrary to what she should feel, anger and resentment, she had only shown him compassion and generosity. He marvelled at his luck. Persephone's goodness and sympathy indicated that she had a mind of her own, and oh, he did like her mind. While he hadn't had no hopes of being with her like this, the young Goddess was teaching him a lesson. Cold and prideful as he was, he was dying for her.

After some time exploring the vast places of the Underworld, the two Gods returned to the palace. "Come with me, my Queen." Leading the way, Hades came upon a large ornate door, pushing to open it, with a light touch, evidencing his strength.

A large salon with two parallel lines of high and white columns guided the guests to the end of it, a magnificent marble floor lightening the stance. At the opposite side of the entrance, the two columned lines broke and formed a circle with two thrones placed at the centre, equal in stature, colour and material, subtly elevated by four steps.

Disappearing from Persephone' side, Hades reappeared already sitting on his throne. Leaning an elbow upon his knee, his deep gaze looked at her, waiting for her next move. The look on his face was priceless as the young Goddess smiled at him, making her way into the room with a slow gait. There she was, his dream walking slowly to him, giving herself all the importance she truly had.

Climbing the steps with confidence, Persephone looked intently to his husband, giving him an odd smile. She drew her dress to the side as she sat at the empty chair next to Hades, feeling a mixture of feelings moving inside her. She had always feared the pending lie her life would become, full of facades and restrictions. But now, thanks to him, she felt powerful, regal; she felt like she was at her rightful place for the first time in her life.

First of all, looking with respect, as if she had enjoyed an equal fight, she gave herself a few moments to accept everything that was happening. Her mind was drawing a new scenario, narrating the combat in detail, pausing, letting her imagine the faces of the poor souls who at some point in her short life came to disregard her or made fun of her, laughing at her ways of doing things, at her confident personality.

Persephone took Hades' right protecting hand in hers without looking at him, contemplating the room from her throne. "You are the Queen of the Underworld as I am its King." A deep proud voice announced, looking at her. "This realm is yours for the taking." He was telling her she was everything she needed to be. He wasn't waiting for her to transform, he believed in her for what she was, not the prospect of becoming something she wasn't. They made a strange duet, black and white, dark and light, beauty and menace; but they matched perfectly.

"If you'll excuse me, Charon needs my presence to sort some things out." Hades told her as he rose from his throne. "If you'll allow me…" He told Persephone as he bent down to kiss her.

"Sure." She answered, pulling away slowly, a radiant smile appearing upon her soft features. She came to realize that she loved his kisses. Some days she thought that one day without kissing him, it was a badly invested day.


With her new Queen role gradually integrating in her bones, Persephone enjoyed spending her time redecorating empty spaces of the Underworld, giving it a fresh, pristine air. No matter how hard she tried, her powers making the earth germinate were futile, they only lasted a while and they immediately died. That infertile land was impossible to recover, but that conception did not destroy the illusions of the Goddess, who continued trying to invest her powers in improving those lands.

Leaving aside the decorative tasks, Persephone wanted to start experiencing what it really meant to be a judge for the dead. She knew that the task entrusted to Hades was very cumbersome and demanding, all the more reason she wanted to help him. Suddenly, a memory came back to her: The Tartarus. She remembered asking Hades about that dreadful place but she didn't get an answer. Now that she was Queen, she could go visit that place without the need for company, or permission.

Returning to the palace, Persephone mounted a white precious horse from Hades' stable and set out on her way. Following a rugged path, she rode miles away, leaving behind the palace and its grounds, approaching still unexplored places. As soon as they drew near their destination, the white horse started snorting derisively, shifting with distress as Persephone ran her fingers through the horse's fur. "Calm down..." She whispered, patting the horse's thick neck softly. With the path blocked by some rocks, Persephone dismounted from the animal and made her way up to the stairs of that dark mountain.

After climbing the infinite steps of that mysterious mountain, Persephone reached a huge crater bathed by a solitary green lake. Hidden under the water, mysterious voice emerged from it, making Persephone to look helplessly through that shimmering inky waters, impelled by a desire to enjoy its charm. In her longing to approach the source of those sounds, she leaned out, so much that she fell down in the waters, as if two monstrous arms issued from the bosom of the waters seized her by her arms, dragging her down to the depths with irresistible force.

Had no sooner fell down to that deep lake than the silence amid which she floated on that strange water was disturbed by a sort of whispered singing that hovered all around her. It was a strange breath floating in that place; rising softly from the dark green waters; surrounding her by it.

Opening her eyes, unfocussed and blinking, Persephone found herself immersed in an infinite deep green space, where her golden hair floated in a non-existent atmosphere. The air was rippling, as if there was nothing in that place but herself. Looking at her hands, they appeared strange and out of focus, as if time did not exist there. All was darkness and silence. Struggling for air, the confused Goddess heard only the sound of her own breathing. She passed her hands over her forehead, as though to drive away a dream, as her green eyes flickered.

Suddenly, she felt a terribly pressure in her ears, as if thousands of voices were shouting at her. Cries of pain, of despair. Persephone shot her eyes and covered her ears, desperately trying to silence those voices when, after few seconds, they abruptly disappeared. Composing herself and trying to stay calm, Persephone began to move hurriedly considering how in the world she was to get out of that place again.

She began to perceive a certain noise of which she could not guess the nature, she simply noticed that the sound seemed to move towards her. Everywhere she looked shadows loomed, black on black. Cold sweat ran down her forehead; her stomach clenching. She felt an invisible shadow beside her, and suddenly… a mighty breath. She shifted and trembled, no one was there. Telling herself that she was not afraid, that every chill down her spine was nothing but her mind playing her tricks, she continued moving, racing back to find an exit. However, her bones ached and throbbed when she discovered that she was not alone in that haunted place.

The deformed creature beside her was a rotting corpse with yellow eyes coming out of their orbits, its stinking flesh falling from its body. The repulsive monster moved quickly towards the Goddess, taking her arm violently while making intelligible, horrific sounds. Desperately, trying to escape from its horrendous touch, the corpse seized her hands and dug them into its awful face, trying to made her fresh and unspoiled skin melt with its. It tore its flesh with her nails, twisting his dead fingers into her hair.

As she tried to get rid of that nightmare, Persephone watched as more vile creatures locked away in the Bowels of Tartarus approached her. "Help! Help!" She moaned, calling for someone to rescue her from the depths of the dark pit to which she was trapped. "My lord!" She cried. "Hades!"

The Goddess of Spring felt like there was nothing to stop the dead from taking her from the world she knew, her hopeless soul wandering lost for eternity. She heard the dead laughed so loudly and hideously that she could no longer distinguish her own cries.

She turned away her head and begged for mercy when, suddenly, a blinding blue light appeared rotating around her, making the dead souls to step aside; scattering, retreating into the darkness. A voice sounded far away like the whistle of some birds singing, like the murmur of a river born in the highest part of a faraway mountain while a firm arm grabbed her, pushing her toward the water's surface. Persephone wrapped her arms around him, her eyes shoot closed but knowing exactly who was her saviour; she called him and he had responded.


Back in her chamber, heavy eyelids parted open, stopping in every discernible detail as her tired eyes focused again. Her natural smile returned as her eyes locked upon the dark figure looming at the end of the bed, staring down at her, his deep-set eyes narrowed with genuine concern.

"The Tartarus is a dangerous place, Persephone. You know that." Hades said slowly, his voice calm and considerate as usual. "Your stubbornness has left me amazed. You do not know how reckless you have been."

"I do. I was reckless… even careless." She said quietly, looking down trying to avoid eyes contact. "I am truly sorry." Resting her weight in her forearms, her thoughts blurted out. "But how? How did you know I was there?"

"I really do not have an answer for you question, Persephone." He answered, gazing at the fire he had lightened, burning in the room. "When I was with Charon, I felt something stir deep inside. And then I heard a voice. Your voice. Incessant screams through the air that separated us. And then, I do not know how, I knew exactly where you were."

Her eyes shone with every word spoken. The connection between the two of them was getting stronger, deeper and larger; like the cool, silver moon and the stars, a powerful magic intertwined with each other. "Now you must rest, my Queen." The King of the Underworld shifted to kneel beside her, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear tenderly before leaving the room.

"No, please!" She almost snapped, words coming out of her mouth like war arrows. "Stay with me, please… I don't want to be alone." She said, taking a nervous breath.

Hades stood quiet, looking at her wonderful wife. She looked sincere, she looked as if she didn't want him to go. His blue eyes focused on her pleaded eyes; she looked lonely. Cautiously, he laid down next to her, not touching her, only watching.

She leaned toward him, moving closer to his tempting husband. "You are kind. Honest. Patient." She said, touching his face, her delicate fingers running across his hard face. "I know we didn't start off on a good place, that the ways may not have been the right ones. Your ways." She added, remarking the last two words, but with a permanent smile on her face. "But since I am here, by your side, it seems like everything makes sense again." She finished, pulling his black curly hair away from his pale face.

Her gesture was timid but it was enough for him. Gripping her chin delicately, he pressed his lips against hers briefly. "Rest, my dear." He whispered, as Persephone turned her back on him, adjusting to her husband's shape. He pulled her close, her back to his front, his face buried in her golden hair. An unimaginable joy blazed inside her while her husband embraced her.

Persephone held his hands, her fingers interlaced with his. She felt secure, alive between his arms around her. His presence at her side brought warmth down through her body, brought comfort at a time when she'd thought that there was none. The young Goddess pressed his hands against her heart, jumping under her chest like the leaves of a tree.

She closed her eyes placidly, with a genuine smile drawn on her carmine lips, the scent of him imprinting her chamber. She was slowly surrounding to him, losing the battle against him. Maybe this is what I really wanted all my life. She thought, starting to believe what she was thinking, feeling his cold skin against her.

Was she going mad? Definitely. But in the best kind of way.