His ordeal began with sleepless nights and days of loneliness, a slight sorrow intensified as the time passed, becoming a frenzy that consumed him. It immersed itself inside him, until it touched the root from where body and soul collided. The inner part of him which had been hiding the most part of his endless life finally understood; redoubled its power and became stronger: he was able to love. He understood it now; Persephone was everything to him, nothing really mattered after her. He cared for her selflessly. She was a new conception, a universe full of life and possibilities, far from the hand of the death. New worlds were collapsing beside him, and he saw from the immensity of his ruin what ecstasy he was losing, what communion.

Since he was King, the ruler of death, he had prepared himself in the darkness of being, where no eye can see. However, he had never experienced that agony, the love Persephone had given him was now destroying him, making his existence insignificant, minuscule, meaningless. Madness was not for everyone, but Hades knew the lightning that disperses the clouds. The storm had not lasted two months as he supposed, but had been brewing since he met Persephone at her land, when she was a child.

"We are running in circles again." Hades gasped, tired of that conversation which was getting him nowhere.

"I did my part." His younger brother responded. "What happened afterwards, it is not my concern." Zeus remarked severely, his gaze flitting elsewhere. His fingers flexed atop his forearms as he wandered around the throne room, up and down, with no fixed point and his eyes gazing at the shining marble floor. Noticing the eyes staring at his back, his arms felt back to his sides and regarded his dark brother with narrowed eyes. "What am I supposed to do now?" He demanded, frustrated.

"You promised her to me!" He yelled exasperatedly, his deep voice rumbling between all the columns, making any sound end with its force. After a moment of tense calm, Hades continued. "And as far as I remember, I didn't ask for your help." He finished, facing him.

"And I have honoured my word, didn't I? You took her, you made her your Queen. I have been covering you until it has been impossible. Even my powers have their limit." He defensibly replied.

"She belongs to me." His head tilting slightly as the corner of his lips twisted, creating a brief and shy smile with only the memory of his wife.

"Ah yes, your naïve and willing heart." Zeus murmured taunting, searching his brother's eyes. "You perfectly knew this love adventure of yours would not last longer. I didn't get you for a romantic fool." He said, holding a permanent mocking smile on his face.

"Take care of your words, brother. You are now in my Realm." Hades warned him; as he rapidly approached him, facing him as an equal, King and King. Hades' limbs tensed as the conversation rose in ton, his face slightly angled down to nearly brush the tips of their noses together.

After a moment of enduring, Zeus' posture relaxed and took on a much more easing attitude, rolling his eyes before he let out a long sigh. Zeus took a step aside as he extended his large and strong arms amusingly. "What good is this world if we can't possess what makes us feel alive?" He asked rhetorically aloud, his rich voice echoing all around the huge chamber, making the question last longer. "Your battle is with our dearest sister, Hades, not against me. And I am sure you know she won't capitulate easily, to put it mildly. I will always be on your side, you know it. But there is nothing I can do."

"Well…" Hades hesitated. "The fruit of the Underworld."

With his mouth opened slightly, Zeus let out a huff of a laugh before continuing. "I can't believe what I am hearing." The King of Gods said as he laughed cynically. "Nice trick, brother. Just empty words, after all. We are Gods, we can take what we pleased. As I-"

"Always so arrogant, aren't you?" Hades interrupted him, taking great pleasure seeing his brother lifting his eyebrows with genuine surprise, making his eyes narrow with true perplexity. "You always assume the worst; presuming the others will act as you do." He spat venously, tired of his brother's games. "I didn't force Persephone to eat the fruit. She decided it. She perfectly knew what she was doing."

Zeus took a hand to his golden beard, taking a thoughtful expression. Finally, after wandering for a few seconds, Zeus looked at his brother with an icy look. "Good." A moment of tense silence passed, before he clicked his tongue. "I am sure you understand the situation. After what you have told me, I have got nothing to do as the King of Gods. The law of the Underworld is clear: She must return here." He looked at his brother, who was watching him intently, until the golden God seemed to be able to sort out his thoughts and followed. "You are cold and hard. But your heart is pure, it has always been, much more than mine or anyone else's. I was hoping she was a passing whim, but I see now how wrong I was." Zeus said with his arms crossed over his chest, as he looked upon him, his recurrent smile no longer flashed as something akin to real concern settled in his eyes. "I should have thought it twice before promising her to you."

"It is done now." He replied coldly.

"Yes, I know." He answered, frustrated. "And the girl… She is attached to you? She feels the same for you?" Zeus questioned, a little incredulously.

"I am afraid she does, yes."

"Lovely." Zeus answered sarcastically. Golden eyes looked Hades in the eye. "I will be next to you, but you, and only you, will face Demeter, and you will solve this whole situation. Right?" He reminded him.

"Of course." Hades responded. "Thank you, brother."

"Yes, yes. We will celebrate it properly when this is over. Until then… good luck Hades." And like a ray, Zeus disappeared.

Hades left the room and headed for the balcony. He needed to calm his troubled mind, to refresh his thoughts. Even though in that dark and gloomy world where the weather was always the same, breathing that charged air always reassured him; it made him feel like everything was under control, although it wasn't.

He looked upon Persephone's garden. Without the Goddess cares, the flowers had died, nothing had endured, any plant had reborn; as if she had never been there, as if she had never existed. That thought stole his breath and made him feel panic. He approached the garden slowly, stepping on the same ground the flower Goddess once cultivated. Tired, Hades crouched down to touch the ground. It was dry, weak; it was succumbing to the land of the dead. Still, hiding under a rock, a flower resisted dying, it laid strong and dignified, but ready knowing that its time was about to come.

That delicate and beautiful flower awoke in him an unbearable melancholy. His chest began to weigh so heavily, making the dark God to lean clumsily on the ground, feeling fagged like never before. It reminded of his wife. Years and years spent on that Realm, making it his own; but mere months were necessary for her to transform it, to make it hers. Persephone, everything was her. Wherever he looked, wherever he walked; there she was. In the mist of the night, in the air between the mountains, in the green waters of the Tartarus. Everywhere. Even in his thoughts and his dreams, his wife was in his arms. Her tidy hair, her golden locks dancing on her shoulders. Her capable clever hands, making everything flourish with her powers. Her face was there too, feminine and exceptional, the clear bronzed skin of hers. He could even guess her laughter and her voice. She was like a sweet poison invading his world.

He squeezed the ground inside his fist and stood up quickly, tired of not owning his emotions. Enough! He screamed internally at the top of his lungs, making the Underworld even darker.


Another day was ending; the orange sun was beginning its daily farewell to all the beings it could catch sight, allowing them a few minutes of light to end their duties, and give its time to its ever-longing friend, who like two lovers haunted by tragedy, never could be together.

The old quiet moss smell lingered in the air, an orange-green bird flew the garden to the lawns in swift, short rushes, stopping now and then to poke at the earth with his yellow beak. A dark brown quail, too, spent the peaceful sundown walking through the green land, followed by two partridges walking one after the other, and, behind many tall trees, a little cluster of twittering sparrows.

She had missed the colours of her home; the quietude and the grace of the fields her mother and herself cultivated, the butterflies dancing their merry jug across the lawns. Whoever lived there, whatever trouble there was and strife, however much uneasiness and pain, the peace of that fertile land could not be broken. No matter what tears were shed or what sorrows borne. Life continued, her worries and anxieties had no power to alter it. The flowers that died would bloom again thanks to the Goddesses, the same water would flow through its rivers, the same trees would grow. Thanks to her return, Demeter or no one else would hurt that land again; it would lie always in its bubble like an enchanted thing, guarded by the Gods; safe, secure. Although everything remained the same as she left it, she was no longer the girl she was before, and she believed everyone else saw it in her face.

Since she came back, everyone around her was happy and excited, the celebrations for her return had lasted days. Demeter was euphoric, exulting. She spent all the hours she had in her disposal with her daughter, overwhelming Persephone with all her fears and frustrations, telling her how much she loved her, how she had suffered for her; that they would never be apart again.

Demeter refused to talk about her renegade brother, his name was vetoed. If she heard his name uttered on any occasion, whispered or named, Demeter quickly cut the conversation short. In her protective mind, her daughter had never been "down there", she had never shared anything with "him", the trauma the abduction had caused her could not be healed by speaking of it, quite the opposite, turning it into a taboo, pretending that nothing had happened, that everything remained the same.

In front of his mother, Persephone had to retrieve her mask. She was happy to return to her home, to return with Demeter. But things had changed, and denying it was to escape reality. She had some explanations to do, but with her mother not listening to a word she was saying, the attempt was hopeless. Her heart was mourning her misfortune. Having to go back to a cage after savouring freedom was the worst nightmare the young Goddess could have imagined; a heavy burden of her poor soul imprisoned, of which there is no escape. She was again condemned to a life full of tedium and despair. Her soul wept for the life she had never had, for the lonely girl she will become again, and most of all, she wept for the love she felt and for the love she had given.

After a few minutes, the night spread its veil. There was no moon nor stars. The sky above her head was inky black. Like him, she thought, after landing in the chair of her chamber, leaning her cheeks lazily on her hands. She watched herself in the mirror next to the window, pulling her slim fingers through her golden hair. She took her crown and looked upon herself with it. The white flowers were fresh, as they were recently picked, shining like precious stones. A sad smile ran across her face. She recalled how her favorite blue eyes shined while they looked at her wearing her crown. Unique and pure like her, different from all others, unalterable to the judgments of others. Life between death. It was not the same wearing it there, it did not have the same energy, the same power. There was something uniquely powerful, she thought, in her royal appearance, proud and capable ruler beside her King.

Her reflection smiled back at her until she froze, surprised. Something had changed on her face. It was only then that a familiar and missed chuckle ran through her mind, the voice foreign in origin. Within the big mirror, blue eyes stared back at her, piercing and full of affection, causing a shiver to crawl up her spine. Her reflection copied every move, every expression of the Goddess, save the blue gaze that watched from her own eyes. An intense and deep glance, as if it was the first time they had seen her.

The reflection morphed and shifted, until a man appeared reflected on the mirror. She blazed inside, ice and fire, pure temptations, polluted intentions. She became breathless, holding her hand to her chest, fixing herself. She stood up, throwing the chair on the floor. "Hades?" She asked, her trembling voice betraying her disbelief.

He smirked. "Come with me." His voice, rich and confident, as she remembered. He lifted his arm, inviting Persephone to pierce the mirror that separated them.

"What?" She asked, confused. "How?" She added, not knowing if she was talking with her husband or with her imagination.

"Close your eyes." Hades' voice was low and tempting, causing her eyes to heed his orders. "Come, my love." Hearing his voice, she found herself thinking of his mouth, of the defined line drawn by his full, wet lips. With eyes shot, Persephone clumsily took a step forward and touched the mirror with her two hands. The coldness of the mirror ran all over her body, from the tips of her fingers to under her feet. She stood still, waiting for something to materialize, but nothing really happened. Nervous, her restless eyes grew impatient and partly opened. Hades' smile surrounded her with a warmth that seemed to have been forgotten, when, suddenly, electricity ran at full speed through her veins and carried her through the mirror.

Confused, Persephone lost track of where she was and began to fall into an infinite space of blue darkness. Her eyes widened in panic, as she fell through a hole, until her body stabilized and gently descended to the ground, landing into Hades' arms.

Still dizzy and out of place, the mere contact of her missed husband was enough to wake her from that fast and frantic journey. They looked at each other, not saying a thing, only staring at each other, treasuring that moment. Their minds connected, synchronized. Feeling the world around them fell away. Persephone's wavered, following an urge deep inside her bones; tilting her head up, her lips would brush his cautiously as she brought hands to his chest.

The kiss was sweet and innocent, but passionate and intense at the same time. How she had missed those lips. Persephone felt an inexplicable sensation stir deep inside her bones. Growing warmer, spreading out from her chest down through her body. Sometimes gentle, sometimes torrential, always uncontrolled. When Hades touched her, life grew on her body; restless, his kisses, his arms made her need greater. She longed for him in a way that almost hurt, in a complaining way she had missed no one. His scent and touch enchanted her, bringing her sensations that almost seemed like memories, so anchored were they in her soul. She thought of the sharp curve of his cheek and his clean eyes, and the way Hades was looking at her, studying her face as if he were taking in her the serene persistence of a sage. Persephone came to realize that because of his love, she will never be lonely again.

Her fingers traced his face, touching every part of it as it can vanish in any moment. The corner of his lips moved and Persephone ended the kiss. "Why are you smiling?" She asked in a playful tone.

"Why are you smiling?" Hades also asked, copying every word and expression of his Goddess. Persephone lifted her shoulders slightly and took Hades' hand, pressing it against her warm cheek. "I have missed this face." Hades added softly.

Persephone's eyes woke up with the light of Hades' gaze. Tears of fear and frustration rolled down her cheeks but deep gratitude rushed through her as well. Frustrated because she didn't accomplish anything with her mother, but grateful for Hades presence beside her, crossing the worlds and searching for her. He embraced her, holding her with his strong arms. His lips rested on Persephone's forehead, caressing her skin. They were two passengers of an astral journey, crossing oceans of time to reach each other. "I have never missed something this much." Persephone whispered, her breath crashing against his neck, certain that this was the most truthful thing she had ever said.

With their faces still close together, melted as if they were one, Persephone sighed. "What are we going to do?" She asked; her eyes closed and her head already resting on her husband's lips.

Hades chuckled, rumbling against her ear on his chest. "Well. It's pretty obvious, don't you think?" Green eyes looked up at him, trying to understand what those words meant. "Don't look at me like that." He smiled. "Did you think I would let you go through all this mess I have caused on your own? No. We will return to the mortal realm and we will discuss in a civilized way our situation with Demeter." He added slowly, measuring the words.

Holding back the tears that struggled to get out again, Persephone found her voice. "Now? Together?" Her voice trembling, revealing the excitement and fear of what she had just heard.

"Yes." He answered. "I will never, ever, give you up."