Unlike the previous nights, it was cold and stormy. The wind was howling around her room and the rain was beating against the windows. It seemed as if the earth itself was an oracle warning of a very near future; dark and gloomy, but hopeful and liberating. Never in her life had she found it so difficult to be calm as at those moments. She could not imagine what her mother would feel when she was in front of Hades, what her doubts would be, her fears, her despair. If Demeter only knew what Hades had made for her… In her mind, it was easy enough to tell how she felt, what all the time spent with her husband had meant. If Demeter only knew Hades' heart, everything would become easy.
Her desire and fear for the imminent arrival of Hades in the mortal realm had her exasperated. With a kiss that was still alive on her soft lips, Hades had said goodbye to her, promising her that tomorrow would announce his arrival in the mortal realm and that, for once and for all, they would be husband and wife again, king and queen.
Despite the fact that she had gradually got used to sleeping alone again, nightmares were coming back to haunt her and Hades was not by her side to chase them away. She dreamed of him every day and night, not in any concrete, just mere details of his face, of his black hair, of his capable hands. Lurking in her bed, Persephone dared to wish. She wanted her lover to come to meet her at last, to ask her mother for forgiveness, to understand that her abduction was not in vain, that this was her destiny. She wished that Demeter understood that her life before Hades was not the lifetime she longed for, that she was born to be so much more. That the darkness was not something alien to her, that she did not fear it, on the contrary, Hades had shown her that in the dark one can find the most beautiful glimpses of life, illusion, hope.
Surprisingly, sleeping seemed easy for her in the face of promises and dreams to be fulfilled. After a good resting night, Persephone woke up with the first rays of the day, expectant. Her legs buckled as they hit the cold ground with her bare feet. A strange but tremendously familiar sensation ran down Persephone's spine. He had arrived, she was completely sure. Her nerves shook and her legs began to tremble in the same way they trembled the day that Hades, clad in black and accompanied by his four fierce steeds, captured her to never let her go. It's time. She thought with a nervous smile.
The music danced in the air delighting the ears of all the deities and nymphs deployed in every corner of the splendid square. Silks, jewels and beautiful robes flickered in the light of the rays of an enormous sun, producing a divine constellation that rotated and rose above the marble floor of the square. So many voices, colors and smells made no one notice Persephone's presence at that moment. They fixed their attention on each other, on their polychrome wine and liquor glasses, the agitated rhythm, the aromatic smoke that rose in wisps through the air. Strolling through the square in search of her mother, finally different friendly eyes repaired on the young Goddess, falling on her in studied formation. Happy for her arrival, different nymphs charged crystal goblet fountains with the liquid light of the stars, in ruby, diamond and gold colors. The rest of the guests continued to empty the trays, persisting in their festivities and dances with the glasses in their hands.
After exchanging opinions about the party and different gossip about the drunken gods with her euphoric companions, Persephone was able to get out of that ostentatious display. She left the main square and went to a direct staircase to a dais, another platform high enough to denote its importance. Demeter was there, sitting with a distinguished and graceful posture, eating small delicacies with Hestia, the Goddess of the hearth, talking and laughing in an almost inaudible tone.
"Mother." She mumbled quietly, keeping her voice low to avoid interrupting the other's conversation. "Can we go to a quieter place? May I have a word with you?"
"Later, Kore." She said as she continued chatting with her friend.
Persephone's hand fell to Demeter's wrist to get her attention. "Mother, please. It's important. We have to talk. Now."
Demeter sighted. "What do you want, my dear?" She asked, offering her a sideways glance.
"I wanted to talk to you about something." She carefully said, her nerves betraying her for the thousandth time. "Would you excuse us for a minute, please?" She asked Hestia nervously, her eyes fixed on her mother's.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? You seem distressed." She began, preoccupied.
"Yes..." She sighed, hesitating as she tried to select the words. "He… He is here." Her pulse raced as clumsy words came out of her mouth. "Hades has come. For me." She finally let out a loud sigh, pulling and backing away.
Demeter's attention was fixed on Persephone as soon as she heard that name. The instant floated, suspended in a thread of time. A parade of distractions parted between them, filled with noise and charming chaos, yet the square might as well be empty. Persephone, paralyzed and nailed to the ground, wondered if in that precise moment her mother could notice the difference in her, the fear, the doubts, the anxiousness. Demeter watched her without losing detail, searching for the cracks that only a mother can see in their children: nervous hands, heavy breathing, a posture so rigid that the spine could shatter. Suddenly she looked away from her daughter and leaped to her feet, unleashing her anger like the blow of a hammer. "How dare he!"
That outburst put an end to the music, the dancing and the laughter in the space of a heartbeat. Everyone stayed where they were and fell silent, gaping at the wrath of the Goddess, causing a shocking silence where only seconds before the party reigned. Amid the crowd, surprised eyes flew from the Goddess of the harvest to her daughter. Only Persephone was undaunted by her mother's fury, the adrenaline rushing through her body. She expected that reaction.
In front of the main palace, Hades sat waiting inside his chariot, guarded by his faithful steeds, velvet reins in his hands, ready to act at the right moment. He looked like a shadow in a dress uniform, with black metal armor made up of several sleek, shiny layers. The jet black made his eyes stand out, vibrant blue against his pale skin. The movement of his long fingers betrayed the dark God, restless thinking the best way to proceed. His calm, thoughtful blue eyes were fixed but shining with determination. Impatient, he got out of his carriage to stretch his legs and wander from there to there, waiting for the storm to come.
The horizon glowed gold and pink, and overhead a half moon peeked out through low scuttling clouds. The wind blew cold, and Hades could hear the rush of water flowing next to the palace. There was a smell of rain in the air, but no drops were falling. Hades' thoughts were only accompanied by the neighing of his faithful horses and some small birds singing quietly as they jumped from branch to branch, tweeting and dropping small drops of water on the already wet green grass. After a few moments of tense calm, the dark King saw the shape of a woman looming in the distance, golden in the morning sun, announcing that the stillness was about to end.
"You!" Demeter yelled as she came dangerously fast towards him. "How dare you stand at my house? Near me? Near my daughter!" She wailed, reaching out an accusing finger at him. "After what you have done, your presence here is forbidden!"
Persephone quickly appeared after her, giving an exasperated and annoyed grunt. "Mother, please." She said as she approached the two Gods.
Demeter shot her daughter an icy look; something flickering in her eyes, something between shame and spite. That look ignited a small and fickle flame in Persephone's stomach that made her feel powerful, cocky. She could feel the intensity of her mother's stare, the anger of not having the situation under control, the anger of not having the power to restrain her daughter anymore.
The Young Goddess cautiously moved between her mother and her husband. With restless eyes, her gaze was fixed on Hades' eyes, giving her the strength that she so badly needed. She gave herself into Hades' hands, every inch of her being was trembling, but he held her steady.
"Do not dare to touch her!" Demeter snarled. With astonishing celerity, the furious Goddess approached the two rulers, like a storm full of rage. "Hiding behind a little girl now, are we?" She asked, placing an evil smirk on her face. "You always did seem the type to hide behind others, always making others pay for your sins. I wonder if all of this has been your design for taking revenge on all of us. Or have you just been a mere pawn in the pathetic games of our beloved brother?" She cynically laughed, showing her bright white teeth; her smile beautiful and violent as a sword.
The accusation hung in the air, ugly as the storm within her. Demeter expected him to respond with anger, to see a fire light in his blue eyes, but he simply shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand me, much less ask for your forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it, that what I did has no justification." Hades confessed, though she saw little remorse in his eyes. "But it is done, we can't do anything about it. The reality is that your daughter is my wife now. She is the Queen of the Underworld. She belongs in it, to rule as my equal. I love her and I guarantee you that…"
"How you dare speak of love!" She spat, interrupting her brother. "You stole her from her home, from everything she loved! You have changed her... Just look at her face!" She grabbed Persephone's face possessively, without any delicacy. "Look at her! She doesn't shine like she used to! You have stolen her light, her joy!" Demeter cried, tears of anger, sudden and unwanted, leaking from her pink eyes.
"Enough!" Persephone groaned. "Enough!"
"Have I lied?" Demeter asked her distressed daughter. "You met a man who lives in a dark world with no contact with the living, with pain and tragedy wherever he goes. You are everything he is not! He had stolen you in order to damage us for making him the King of the Death. He doesn't love you! He enticed you with his powers; you can't trust him! He has poisoned your heart with his tricks. That is the monster he is."
"Is that so?" Persephone replied, her green eyes narrowed angrily. "Even now you twist at me. All the years. You kept me in your bubble of happiness, where nothing was real, just pure fantasy to keep me with you. You never let me fly, you never believed in me." Sad words became strong in Persephone's voice. "You don't know me; you don't know the darkness within me."
"That's not true." She quickly replied in her best offended voice.
"And yes, he loves me! Me! Can't you believe it?" Persephone said humorously. "A simple regular Goddess, the daughter of Demeter, the poor little girl who knows nothing about anything. He has made me Queen; he trusts in me. I hid my pain under sweet smiles, graceful laughter, as you taught me. Hades sees me. He has made me his equal. He…" She clicked her tongue. "He loves me for who I am. And I love him too."
The sweet and unexpected confession about her feelings for him made Hades' throat run dry, and he gulped down a scratchy swallow, his heart beating fast and loud. Demeter rested silent, perplexed by the undeniability of the words she had heard. "Love?" She seemed to consider it; her eyes lost on the green gaze of the young Goddess.
"Love found me, black and loomed. Shall I deny it when it visited me? When it captured me? No. Live has shown me that there is only this, all else is unreal. And mother, please." She said as she held her mother's hands. "Believe me. He has neither manipulated me, nor poisoned me, nor deceived me. I just fell in love with him."
From the way Demeter looked at her, she could tell that it had been a long while since anyone had dared speak to her so bluntly. "When they told me you had disappeared... I was trying to rescue my daughter…" A soft sigh escaped Demeter's lips, her eyes shining with tears. "To save you I would murder the world."
The King of the Underworld listened compassionately and added when Demeter was done. "I understand you. More than you think." Hades said, with a shy smile, and a voice perfectly calm. "I found myself, since I met her, sincerely fond of her; and the happiest hours of my life were what I spent with her."
For a split-second longer Demeter stood motionless, wishing she could move, wishing she could reach out and end him, make him disappear, send him to the darkest and most distant place in the world, where no one could ever find him. Make his name nothing more than a slight whisper, a memory already forgotten. She wanted to cry, to slap him. And never know which was right and which was wrong and which was madness. But something in Hades' voice touched her in the deepest, feeling every word spoken. Her arms felt frozen at her sides as they exchanged mute glances.
"Love." She repeated, her mouth twisted. She had never known love until Kore came into her life. Love had appeared in huge curious green eyes that smiled at her the day she was born, eyes that made her fall in love with life and imprisoned her forever more. With her daughter in her arms, she finally understood what love was about, and she was not willing to give it up. The endless suffering days without her, imagining what he might be doing to her. What atrocities her poor Kore should have been going through... All because of him. A dark thought suddenly invaded her mind. It won't happen again, not in front of me.
With a slow wonderment Persephone reached to touch her face. "Mother..." She said softly as a single teardrop fell down Demeter's face.
"Sure." Demeter said with a twisted grimace, the light in her eyes, already bright, went to such a blaze that Persephone could hardly bear to look at her. "Kore, I.." She glanced nervously. "You are everything to me. You know that, yes?" She asked without waiting for an answer. "You are all for me, remember that. Come tomorrow, we will have breakfast together. And we will talk and find a solution. I swear to you." Demeter gave Hades a cold, hard stare. "Both of you." She sentenced as Hades nodded, bowing his head. "Until then, stay away from my daughter." Knocked down, but not broken, Demeter kissed her daughter's cheek and clutched her arm with astonishing speed, making Persephone chose to walk or be dragged, turning back to the hill they had come from, like a wind making a nervous whistling sound, shivering between the flowered trees.
The meadowland stretched out, immense and flourishing, until it was lost in the distant horizon, covered with grass that rippled in the wind like waves. In it the nymphs ran and played, losing themselves in a sea of dark red flowers and bronze-colored heels. Persephone, meanwhile, collected all kinds of herbs, some yellow like lemon and some dark like indigo, some blue and orange, thus garnishing her basket with the color of a rainbow.
An abrupt gust of wind set Persephone's dress to flapping noisily. The sudden movement of the tall flowers caught her attention, causing her to leave her basket on the ground. "Persephone." The young Goddess quickly shook her head, searching for that voice of unknown origin. The wind whistled among the flowers and carried her name with it. Analyzing her surroundings, her green eyes fixed on a few footprints that had suddenly appeared in front of her. "Persephone." The unknown voice repeated, this time closer to her. She slowly raised her head and, to her surprise, Hades appeared in front of her, taking off his helmet and looking nervously to both sides.
"Hades!" Persephone shouted his name, shocked by his sudden presence.
"Shhh, don't scream. They will warn your mother." He whispered, placing a finger on his mouth. "Do you want to be caug…"
"No. Be quiet." She cut him off with a mischievous smile. "Come, I know how to shy away from them." She told him at the same time she quickly grabbed his hand so that he could accompany her. After slipping away from her companions and making sure they hadn't seen her husband, Persephone drove him to her mare. "Come." Persephone said. "You ride with me."
The silver-grey mare trotted softly like silk, elegant and stately like a royal steed. A few feet away, the mare shifted at a brisk pace, and Persephone smiled. She wanted to feel the wind on her face and the smell of the blossoming flowers. The slightest pressure on Hades' legs, the slightest touch of the reins, and the mare responded. The grass they passed through was tall and smooth. Hades put the mare at a trot and rode across the plain, lost in the vegetation, enjoying the moment shared only by the two of them. The greenery swallowed them up, leaving the feast of colors behind. The air had the fragrance of earth and grass, mixed with the scent of the mare and the perpetual scent of roses that Persephone gave off.
Later, not knowing how much time passed or how far they rode, the sun began to fade and left behind a beautiful black sky decorated with hundreds of shining stars. The moon appeared fat and full with stars wheeled across the night sky. They stopped when Persephone told her husband to cease by a grassy meadow next to a lake with a magnificent waterfall. Hades dismounted and helped the young Goddess off her mare. She felt fragile like glass in her hands and did not dare to trust her legs. She was nervous like she hadn't been in a long time. She had longed so much, waited too long for that moment that she didn't know what to do. When her mare had been saddled, the two lovers set out along the shimmering lake, away from her house and indiscreet eyes.
Hades looked at her and brushed her hair gently; his fingers stroked the golden strands of her hair as he brushed her beautiful face with his nose. "I will never let go of you again." Hades said with a warm and tender voice as he put a finger under her chin and lifted her head so that she looked into his eyes. He towered high above her, higher than Persephone remembered. One day she thought his eyes were cold, made of glacial ice. But she already knew very well that that was not true. The hottest fire tends to blue and his eyes were no exception.
"I am so happy that you are here." She confessed, holding his gaze. "Now that we are here, tell me, is here where you first saw me? Where did you watch out for me?"
"Don't ask me." Hades replied, a little embarrassed.
"Oh, why so serious? Don't be shy." She smirked. "What thing of me had enchanted you?" She asked again, tilting her head slightly in a playful move.
"Would you really like to know?" Hades asked, with an air that Persephone adored, between malicious and passionate, a very endearing attitude. His smile deepened and he cocked his head to the side.
"Yes."
"Well, in your beauty." He answered with an enigmatic shining in his blue eyes. "You are the only beautiful Goddess that I have ever seen. I love your voice, your smell, your intelligence, your goodness. I adore everything that refers to you." Persephone blushed as Hades looked at her tenderly. He was studying her, like the first days of their relationship. Only then it was to find out what she was like, and now to know what was running inside her mind. "I am starving for you, if you must know it."
She escaped his captivating gaze and fled a few feet from him, walking back without losing sight of him. "Come here, my king." She slowly said, with a smile which held a growing flame. She loved to play with her shadows, in and out of the glow, she wasn't afraid of her darkness, nor of her husband. How lucky she felt being in her body again, how lovely she felt not having to pretend. "Come" She repeated.
When Hades approached her, a blazing fire gathered in her stomach. As he came towards her with firm, graceful strides, Persephone clenched every muscle in her body to tense so as not to tremble, but she flinched anyway. Hades cupped her face with eerily soft hands and placed both thumbs under her chin, inches from her jugular, with a kiss that burned beyond comprehension. The sensation of his lips on hers awakened in her a sensation that remained asleep, almost forgotten. He didn't kiss her skin, nor her lips; he kissed her soul. He got into her, without barriers. Persephone's nails dug into his skin, opening her mouth, reaching for him.
After months of waiting, the two rulers melted into an ecstasy of passion under the starlight. He hungrily demanded her sweet mouth; nectar upon his lips, intoxicating all his senses. He clutched her sides possessively and held her firmly in place, preventing her from escaping from his embrace in any way. He wanted to possess her, to make sure they would never be parted again, to make her feel safe. He wanted so many things.
Hades could feel the anxiety in her stance, but as he glided his hands across her shoulders, he felt enough of her tension slip away for him to tug at the straps on her dress. With skillful and kind fingers, Hades removed the layers of her silk dress one by one, tenderly, while Persephone remained motionless and silent, looking into his eyes while her heart was beating strongly inside her. The silk dress fell slightly through her body to end at her feet with a hearty thud, revealing her perfect body under the moon shadow. He pushed her, as gently as his need would allow, into the grass and crawled over her; still feasting on her mouth. Her mouth was so inviting, so swollen, as if it was for kissing. Even in the starry night her mouth shone red, and it was half open like a flame.
"Touch me." Persephone whispered into his ear.
Hades' hand drifted down across the soft curve of her belly, through the mound of fine golden hair, and went to work between Persephone's tights, sliding a hand down between her legs. Scarce daring to breathe, Persephone gasped when she felt how wet she was, closing her eyes as he moved his fingers back and forth between her lower lips, slowly, until he found one sweet spot and lingered there, touching her lightly, timidly at first and then faster. Wordless, he put his free hand on her breast, then bent to take a nipple in his mouth. It was no more than a few moments until her legs twisted and her breasts heaved and her whole body shuddered.
He kissed her again to muffle her moans, loud under his mouth. He had always been so disciplined with his behavior but a mere moment alone with Persephone had him being completely driven by his urges. She moaned into his mouth, struggling to keep kissing him back. "I've been waiting for this…" She said curtly between kisses. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."
Atop of her, the moon bright behind him, flooding them with its light. Her face was flushed but her eyes were wide open. After so long without being able to be with her, Hades knew he could no longer control himself. Making sure that she was ready for him, he slowly pressed himself at her slit, as Persephone clamped her legs tighter and engulfed him. With the first strokes, she pushed him more and more close to her, locking him with her legs in her slick warmth, so tight that Hades shuddered. She saw the stars and the moon and moaned loudly. It felt so right, so warm and true, only in dreams could it be this way.
Persephone let her green eyes wander over Hades' naked skin. He was a hypnotizing shade of moonlight, a perfect ice sculpture, a beautiful amount of flesh and muscles that begged to be touched. She barely managed to release an admiring gasp before they were kissing again.
As the situation advanced, he thrust faster and deeper; Persephone's spine arching to savor the sensation of him inside her, enjoying every second. He could feel her tension and knew that she was close. He caught her lips and thrust his tongue deeply into her mouth in order to get distracted from her moans, fighting for gaining control. Hades knew he could not hold back so much longer but he was determined to hold on until she was over. He loved the sound his wife made when he was inside her, driving him crazy in a way he never felt before.
As the imminent bliss began to inflate beneath his stomach, Hades locked his arms around her torso, imprisoning her between his strong arms as the world around them fell away. He knew from her frantic breaths that she was reaching the peak of her pleasure and finally, it just hit him, surrounding themselves on the glorious fall into carnal bliss.
Lying on the soft grass, they tried to recover their breaths, exhausted as they were after their union, the water falling down the waterfall accompanying them. After a few seconds, Hades climbed atop of her, embracing her kindly, his head resting on her breasts. Persephone ran her fingers over his black curls, still flushed from their lovemaking. The smell of his skin, the firmness of his arms, was enough.
"I love you." Persephone confessed, barely getting her breath back.
"I know." He simply replied; his head resting peacefully on her skin.
She had not slept, could not sleep, would not sleep. She had not ever dared to close her eyes, for fear it would be morning when she opened them again. If only she had the power to make that night go on forever, but the best that she could do was stay awake to try and savor every last sweet moment before daybreak turned them into no more than fading memories.
Beside her, Hades was sleeping peacefully, laying upon his stomach, his face half-buried on the grass, where their bed had been. Persephone ran her delicate hand down his back, tracing the line of his spine. His skin was smooth beneath her touch. She loved the feel of him beneath her fingers. After spending a few moments wandering across his pale skin, she wrapped her arms around her husband and pressed herself against his back. She drank in the scent of him, savoring the warmth of his flesh, the feel of his skin against her own. She kissed him on his shoulder.
Hades rolled towards her; his blue eyes opened. "Persephone." He drew a lazy smile. "Is it dawn?"
"I am afraid it is." She said, kissing his other shoulder.
Hades sat up yawning, dressing himself. "Day will be here soon. I was wondering… When this is over, once back in our Realm, allow me to give you a proper wedding, with all the things you want and deserve." He stopped and intently stared at her.
She glanced at him nervously. "I did not have a chance to propose it to you and you had no choice. Now we can do things right. Marry me." He added.
She immediately got up and approached him. "Of course, I do, my love." She kissed him softly, tenderly pushing him against her. "I am not going anywhere."
Tea was comforting with its sweet taste, smoothing Demeter's throat and warming her belly. She sighted, leaning against the table as her pink eyes traced the different drawings made by her daughter. A beautiful courtyard, such a harmonious looking place, with flying candles and dry flowers. As she looked more closely at the picture, a genuine smile took up its place on her features for the first time in quite a while.
The hours went by quickly, absorbed in her disturbed thoughts, as Demeter continued sipping at her tea, content within her own little world, enraptured with borrowed memories of a previous time, where Persephone was a little child learning how to nourish the earth.
"I see you are looking at my sketches." Persephone's voice said, taking her by surprise. "Do you like them?"
Demeter turned with an ear-to-ear smile that died immediately when she saw Persephone's companion. "Yes, my dear. They are quite splendid. This one is my favorite." She said as she showed her the drawing.
"Really?" The young Goddess asked, genuinely happy for her opinion. She brought the paper closer to her face, contemplating all the details. "This one is the backyard Hades made for me in the Underworld." She said, smiling at him.
She received a grunt of ascent, as Demeter looked at Hades with perusal. "How lovely." She said sarcastically, grimacing as the words came harsher than she would have liked. Seeing her daughter wince out of the corner of her eye, she sighted, reaching for the cup of tea and taking a sop, willing the drink would calm her. With a slightly softer tone, she rectified herself. "How impolite on my part. Allow me to serve you some tea." Truthfully, she doubted anything would steady her frayed nerves, it was half the reason she had retired and disappeared the day before. The only problem with that, though, was the fact that if she wasn't careful with her temper, they might catch on to the reality she had tried so hard to hide. She felt threatened and knew that time had come.
As fast as ever, Demeter poured them a couple of cups of tea that she herself had prepared. With a trembling hand, she left the two cups on the room table between them; the tea smoking and filling the room with a peculiar aroma.
Persephone felt some relief as her mother corrected herself, happy in the knowledge that Demeter was doing the effort to be nice to him. "Thank you, mum. It is so kind of you. I was growing rather tired of this…" She measured her words. "Topic getting bogged down." Feeling awkward, she took one cup of tea, holding it and allowing to warm her hands. "Are you alright?" She probed lightly, as she swirled the tea inside her cup.
"I am fine". She nervously answered, quickly restraining her nerves. "I have had a difficult time since he was here." Demeter admitted, sending him a sidelong glance.
"I am sorry for my selfishness." The first words Hades was able to articulate in front of his sister were true but ineffective. The atmosphere was full of resentment, revenge and sadness and, clumsy from his part, he quickly acknowledged that with his words he did no more than contribute to keep it that way. Staring at her, he could feel her anger burning in her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching. He closed his eyes for a second, forming the words. "Demeter… I am well aware of who I am, and how difficult this is for you, but I am sure it may become easier in the future."
Persephone gave him an affectionate smile, leaning on his words, handing him the other cup of tea. Hades' fingers twitched upon the cup as he emptied the liquid inside it, deciding rather quickly that he wanted to return to the Underworld.
Demeter's eyes widened slightly, surprised and revolted by the situation, her body starting to shake. "This is wrong. You weren't supposed to drink it." She murmured, more to herself as her hands felt weak at her side. "I didn't want it to be this way…"
"What are you talking about?" Persephone questioned, eyeing her with a wary glare.
With a confusing scowl, Hades started to feel dizzy, having to lean against the nearest wall and dropping his cup on the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces. With a pale, disjointed face, Hades looked at Persephone with lifeless eyes, trying to speak to her with his gaze, when suddenly his eyes rolled and shut, his body tensing and falling into the floor.
"Hades!" Persephone yelled, rapidly nearing him and nuzzling her face into the junction of his neck. "Hades! Hades! Wake up!" She shrieked, desperately trying to help her husband, sobbing against his throat.
As if she was a marble statue, Demeter was nailed in place, unable to move a joint. It frightened her to think that she was close to breaking point as everything seemed to pile up on her, past and present, even the threat of the future. She closed her eyes, pathetic whimpers escaping her quivering lips.
"Mother! Help me lift him, quick!" She asked without looking at her, putting all her strength into tilting him. "Mother!"
Looking at her mother, all her fears came true. Demeter's pride was a living monster, capable of destroying everything that stood between her and her goals. Vicious and unbridled, that pride and anger did not stop to look at everything that it could carry ahead. "I am sorry, Kore." Demeter said with a broken voice. "This is for you. It is always for you."
Persephone felt her face scrunch up with anguish, her heart was aching. "What have you done?" She furiously screamed at her, boiling tears blurring her vision.
