Every day he was acquiring new memories of Persephone, small and subtle instants of true reunion with his soul. The scent of roses permeating their room, her fingers caressing his skin, the taste of nectar on her lips. Each day was a step forward in his recovery, tiny and sometimes maddeningly imperceptible steps, but it was progress forward. Fear haunted him every day, not knowing for sure if he would recover his old memories, his old self. He knew he loved her, loved her fervently, as he had never loved anyone before, but he loved her even more than before? This question troubled his mind in his moments of solitude, but when he was with her, every shadow of doubt dissipated and became a dogma, there was no other truth than her.

Last night, after making love, as they lay in each other's arms, Hades said to her; "Thank you for having trusted us. For having persisted." She accepted it, as one accepts a caress on living flesh, soothing her heart. Silently, he again gave thanks for that miracle that had succeeded in reviving and healing something he feared he had lost forever. He watched her in silence as she slept and found the indelible imprint that a relationship with another being leaves on the skin, subtle and permanent.

Despite how long the night had dragged, he rose early, stimulated for the first time in a long time by the fact that he had a minimal sense of control, something to do that he himself dictated and that escaped that fateful sense of inertia he experienced in previous days, when he merely followed, without much conviction, the routines that had governed his old life. He started his day catching up on the countless new acquisitions of souls inscribed in the manuscripts.

"I didn't expect to see you here so early, my lord."

Hades smiled at him. "Neither did I, but a couple of matters I need to clear up are keeping me here." In response he simply nodded, giving his king a cordial smile. "And I think you can help me." Hades mentioned quickly.

"Sure." Thanatos replied as a cloud of insecurity crossed his face.

"I went to see your sisters the other day." He stated flatly.

For the first time, Thanatos averted his gaze, just for a second, but when he raised it again his assurance appeared recomposed again, but mixed with intense nervousness. "I see." He said accompanying the words with the gesture of initiating the step to flee from him.

"And I am aware that you went to visit them as well." Hades added.

Thanatos averted his eyes again and pursed his lips in an almost childish manner. It was obvious that he was not expecting that conversation. "Be at ease, Thanatos. Anyone can visit the Moirai, you don't need any permission. And in fact you wouldn't have to give me any explanation about this visit either. But I know why you went there."

Thanatos took in a sharp intake of air through his nose and looked at Hades, his eyes asking him what he wanted to know.

"I know that because of my solitary nature, it is sometimes difficult to access me. I am aware that we are not friends, but I appreciate you and hold you in very high regard after dealing with you for so many years." He added calmly.

Thanatos let the air out, giving up. "I know, Hades." The words came out hastily as if he was spitting them out in an attempt to end that awkward situation as soon as possible. "I appreciate you. And your wife. And the days you were gone I got to know her a little better and I saw something in her that I had never seen before. Virtue. Kindness. Life. I connected with her and knew why she was so important to you." Hades was looking at him interestedly, with curious, wide eyes. He said nothing, waiting for Thanatos to continue. "And in the face of her desperation I found it my duty to intervene."

"Intervene? How?" He asked.

"Giving her security. Promising her that everything will be all right. And not telling her this as a friend comforting another with hopeful longings and pious lies, but with true assurance in my words. And for this reason I decided to ask them to show me..."

Hades cut him off. "Enough, Thanatos. I heard all I needed to hear." Thanatos stared at him, surprised by what he had just heard but infinitely grateful. "Thank you." Hades finally added.

The two black gods looked at each other, sharing an accomplice's silence until suddenly, the seriousness of the situation changed completely.

"There you are!" Persephone exclaimed, running to her husband, sitting on his lap and kissing him tenderly. "You know I don't like it when you leave without saying anything."

"Persephone." Hades uttered, looking at Thanatos, who stayed where he was, even more uncomfortable than before. "We are not alone."

Persephone tilted her neck and looked where Hades' blue eyes were looking, and the second she saw a presence, Persephone jumped off her husband's lap and composed herself as best she could, embarrassed beyond belief. "Oh forgive me Thanatos, I didn't see you." She said, giving him a shy smile, noticing how her cheeks burned.

"Don't worry. I was just leaving." And finally, with a subtle bow he departed, leaving his Rulers to their tasks.

After making sure Thanatos had left the room, Persephone asked curiously. "What were you two talking about?" She said releasing her shoulders and adopting a more relaxed posture.

"Nothing important." He replied, taking her hand and pulling her to him. "He was just commenting on what a competent Queen you are."

"Come on! Since when have you been so cheeky?" She replied as she sat back down on his lap, stroking his hair with her slender fingers as her lips pressed against his.

After a moment, the two rulers stood there, as if nothing was with them, as if no one else existed. Hades reclined on his throne while Persephone rested on top of him, her face buried in his neck. "Can you grant me a favor?" She asked him, her breath caressing his neck.

"A favor?" He asked without attaching any importance to the question. "What do you have in mind?"

As his hand moved to her hip, her thoughts blurted out and she craned her neck to look at him. "Would you escort me to the mortal realm?"

"Of course I will." He replied, the tremor in his wife's voice awakening in him a shadow of doubt. "What's wrong?" He asked her as he gently stroked her cheek.

She caught his hand, tilting her head slightly into his touch, her eyes looking down at the ground. "I want to find my mother. And I think I know where she is. I have a hunch." Persephone brought his hand to her lips, kissing his palm, seeking in it her refuge of calm. "I don't want to go alone." She finished, looking him straight in the eye.

Their gazes met, and for a couple of seconds she was about to embrace him again, reaching that warmth that time had turned into an indisputable symbol of their union, of their mutual care. An embrace in which she always found refuge and understanding. But it was only two seconds because Hades frowned and remained silent. His expression quickly changed and his countenance turned dark, hostile. "What's wrong?" asked Persephone, taking his hand off her.

"Nothing." He replied, turning his face away from her.

"Come on..." She insisted, getting up off his lap so she could get a good look at him.

Hades sighed heavily, wetting his lips subtly with his tongue. "I don't think I'm ready to deal with your mother." He confessed looking into her eyes, his gaze serious and dark, no vestige of the gentle eyes that used to adore her. "I don't know what I would do if I found myself in front of her. What she's done to me…" He said, pursing his mouth and averting his gaze. "She can't go unpunished."

"I understand your anger but that's not for you to decide." The words burst from the Goddess' lips with crushing force. "She didn't just hurt you. She hurt me too."

"I know. All the more reason she has to pay for her actions."

"It's my mother!" Persephone exclaimed, stunned at what she was hearing.

"It doesn't matter." He said without looking at her, afraid to see his favorite eyes judging him. "Everyone has to give an explanation for their actions."

Persephone felt her blood boil inside her; her cheeks began to flush and her arms trembled. Her heart was pounding at an unrestrained speed. "How cynical of you to say that." A grimace of disbelief appeared on Hades' face at what he was hearing, astonished hearing his wife's attack. "Everyone except you and your brother, you mean." She shooed in his face, the flowers in her hair growing by the moment.

"I'm not going to change my mind." He said in a raised, judgmental tone, leaving a hollow silence between the two of them.

Persephone looked at her husband wishing she could give shape to all that was bubbling inside her. She was trying, she was trying so hard, she wanted to do it and she wanted to do it right, for her, for everything she had been through. After a few seconds that seemed eternal, the Goddess found her voice.

"I did change for you. I forgave you, Hades." She said in a broken voice with infinite disappointment and sadness in every word, disappearing from his side and leaving the room. Hades remained seated, slumping and rubbing his temple lightly with a gruff sigh.


Intemperate from the cold of the palace, she entered the chamber wishing more than ever for the hot water of a long bath. In front of the mirror she observed the dark circles around her eyes and her blonde hair, which had a worn appearance with prickly flowers around it. She let the hot water run while the whole room was clouded by the steam until she could see nothing. Then she began to cry and it was as if a dam had broken inside her and a tide threatened to drown her from within. The tears mingled with the water, which ran almost boiling down her face, and she felt wretched and helpless.

"Persephone." Said a barely audible voice.

Pulling her head out of the water, her green eyes looked at him with some reproach, as she hugged her own knees seeking refuge in herself. "I don't want to talk."

"Persephone, please." He begged.

"I want to be alone." She continued, resting her head on her knees; the bath water infused with flowers and their spring scent.

Hades knelt down and sat on the floor beside her, not touching her and giving her the space she demanded. "Forgive me, I don't know why I said all that..." He murmured looking at the ground.

"Because it's what you think." She added, not taking her eyes off him.

"Yes." He admitted. "But I want to change. And I know I can change. I've been a fool to put my desires before yours. What you went through because of me... I will never understand how you managed to forgive me. Let alone love me. You have taught me that living with resentment and hatred in the heart is useless. Only to become worse... If you hadn't forgiven me, I don't know what would have become of me." Finally Hades dared to look at her. "I only care about you. I would do anything for you."

Persephone looked at her husband and saw again those electric blue eyes that fascinated her and that she knew so well. Her face softened and a long smile appeared on her wet face. "All right. I accept your apology. Happy?"

Hades threw himself on her and kissed her.


When they reached the mortal realm it was late in the morning, and the sky remained as dark as if they had never left the Underworld. Neither the moon nor the stars were visible, only a dense layer of black clouds that absorbed any vestige of light, also contributing to make the night not so cold.

Persephone contemplated the landscape in front of the arch that formed the entrance to the house and almost groped for the lock. The journey to her old home had been long; it seemed to have been several days instead of a few hours, and now fatigue and tension were taking their toll. She felt comforted as soon as she crossed the threshold and could inhale the scents of firewood, furniture polish, flowers and even the sweet smell her husband was giving off.

"But what are you doing?" He said smiling in amusement at the sight of her.

She secured the door and answered a little embarrassed. "I was contemplating the sky."

"You go barefoot, and it's colder out there than it is in our home." He said, opening his arms.

She scooted closer until she was pressed against him and hugged him, inhaling the warm smell of his chest. Then she lifted her face and he kissed her. "Why did you want to come at night? We could have waited for tomorrow. You would have rested better."

"I was looking forward to coming." She replied. "And so we'll wake up with the sunlight. It's been so long since I've seen it..."

"And you think we will find her here?"

She swallowed saliva and moistened her lips, nervous. "I am sure we will. Eleusis was always an important place to my mother."

He cupped her face in his hands and lifted her face to kiss her again.

"Let's go to bed, my love, you are cold." He said, running a hand through her golden hair.

Persephone let herself be led and, naked, slipped between the warm sheets, pressed against her husband's body. It was always enough with the smell of his skin, the firmness of his arms, the eternal smile of a bad boy to desire him madly. They made love without noise, in a deep and intense way, with a force that seemed reserved to take revenge on death, to make up for its outrages; that is destined to erase the sordidness of the world.

She woke up with the sensation of having slept for a thousand hours. The first rays of sunlight were coming through the room when she heard Hades' cadenced breathing and sat up, covering him with the sheet, and crept out of the room.

The ashes in the fireplace were completely cold. She stirred them a little to make a bed for the new batch of firewood, which she laid out as she thought about what she would do if she finally found her mother. The fire was lit at once, fanned by the small twigs with which she had formed a central nest, and she stepped back as she felt the heat on her face, sitting down in one of the two armchairs in front of the fireplace.

"Hello, my love." Hades whispered.

Hades' casual, disheveled, freshly risen appearance always made Persephone smile; no one but her was able to see him in that facet, something that made her feel special beyond measure.

"Do you feel like going for a walk?" She asked playfully.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining in all its splendor, further gilding the hair of the Goddess of Spring, enhancing her beauty and natural light. Persephone was in her habitat, she was just another flower in the landscape. Hades gazed at her, mesmerized by her great beauty. "I didn't remember how happy you were here."

"Yes, but nothing compared to when I'm with you." She said with a funny grin while kissing his nose. "Look, let's go over there!" She exclaimed, pointing to a forest rising at the end of the path.

The fallen leaves of the trees were reduced to a brown and yellow pulp, making the ground slippery in the steeper areas. As they entered the forest, they found that the earth appeared more compact and dry, and the wind was barely perceptible among the trees and only betrayed the strength to shake the treetops, which, when moving, caused the rays of sunlight penetrating the grove to twinkle like stars on a cold night. The murmur of the stream running down the hill caught her attention.

Suddenly, Persephone heard a laugh and it was as if she felt a call. She looked down to the river and saw three children playing in the water. Their legs were bronzed, their arms slender but strong, their hair gathered in carefree locks. And their laughter. There was music in their voices, as if a lyre sounded in the breeze. Those river fairies were beautiful, and the sight of them gave her inexplicable joy. It was like traveling back in time; she saw herself as a little girl, playing with her nymph friends and coming home wet from top to bottom.

They were staring distractedly at the fish swimming under their feet and without thinking, she raised her hand and waved to get their attention. The three of them looked. They did not respond, and for an instant the sense of nexus, of magic, that she had felt vanished, breaking her vision and making her doubt. Then one of them smiled as he exclaimed:

"Would you help us fish?" He asked as the other two followed the animals with their eyes. "Please! Otherwise our mother will get angry."

"Sorry boys, I don't know how to fish." Replied the Goddess smiling as she took her husband's hand. "But he will gladly help you."

Hades looked at her in surprise and swallowed. "Sure." He hesitated.

Removing his sandals, Hades crossed the narrow river to the children, who looked at him with hopeful eyes. Hades knelt down, trying not to make the children feel intimidated in front of his tall presence, and with a gentle smile he looked at them. "So, where do you have the rod and line?"

The children looked at each other and began to laugh, half embarrassed. "Sir, we have none of these. We fish with this." Said one boy showing his own hands..

"I see…" Hades said. "What a mess you got me into!" Shouted Hades looking at his wife, who was trying unsuccessfully not to laugh.

Hades rolled his eyes and sighed. He stood up and rolled up his robe. "Well, let's get going, shall we?" He smirked at her, raising a large brow.

"Children! May I know what you're doing?" Shouted an old woman who suddenly appeared through the trees. "All day playing instead of working! If King Celeus doesn't have his supper today you will be working day and night for a week." Scolded the old woman as she approached the children. She wore a white and turquoise blue robe, with large golden details that made known her position within the court. Beneath the hood she wore, hard, glowing eyes were hidden; which froze when they saw that the children were not alone.

"My lady, do not be afraid!" Persephone said from across the river, raising a hand to greet her. Hades stood up and stared at the old woman, who kept her eye on him. "Don't worry. It's my husband. We just wanted to help. We were just leaving..."

The old woman approached Hades with surprising speed and examined him from top to bottom. Before saying anything, she removed her hood, revealing her face. Up close, the woman was extraordinarily beautiful. She had a fine, feminine face, and only four wrinkles that hid beside those tired eyes gave away her age. A dense gray mane of hair flowed down her back, which she elegantly placed at the side of her neck.

"We weren't doing anything wrong." Said one of the children. "We just asked them if they wanted to fish with us."

"More like if they wanted to fish for us." Said the more giggly one. The others were amused and laughed.

"That's enough children. Where are your manners? The least we can do to thank this young couple for their help is to invite them to lunch, don't you think?"

"Yes, of course!" All the children shouted in unison as they grabbed Hades by the hands and dragged him along with them, while he cried for help with his eyes.

"My dear, come and join us." Offered the old woman, with a kind smile.

"Of course." Persephone replied, nimbly hopping between some dry rocks to cross the river.

The access to the house was on the second floor, reached by an outside staircase, narrow and without a handrail, which seemed to emerge from the wall and looked too narrow and uneven. On the first floor, two arches flanked the facade, opening into two doors that had been replaced by rough planks. In compensation, the huge square entrance between the arches retained its iron sheets, which, although rusted, showed the beauty of the blacksmith work that some local craftsmen had done. The house was surrounded by land on all sides; at the rear was a group of superb old oak and beech trees. Finally, they entered the house, which was enormous with huge windows that let in a good amount of light.

"Your house is so beautiful." Persephone said, fascinated with the thick beams that crossed the ceiling from side to side of the room.

"Yes. King Celeus gave it to me in exchange for taking care of his little boy. Come here." She said, leading the way. "The meal is served."

The three shared a pleasant meal talking about trivial matters, tiptoeing around certain topics, such as what they were doing there or where they came from. The woman was very insistent on knowing more about them, content to know that they were just a couple of Greeks who traveled through Hellas in search of adventure. And that they were looking for a childhood friend, whom they had lost track of for some time.

When they finished, Persephone went out into the garden to admire the lush vegetation there, while Hades and the woman watched her from the window.

"You have a gift! Your plants are… magnificent!" Persephone exclaimed, marveling at the dedication and care in which the woman must have been taking care of everything there.

The old woman smiled and gave Hades a look. "Your wife has a fortifying vitality. She seems very strong. Very compassionate."

Hades nodded wordlessly. There was something about that woman he didn't quite like, the way she looked at him, her mysterious words.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." The old woman continued. "And that in finding it, you will accept it."

The dark God's brows furrowed, not getting what she was talking about. "Excuse me?"

"You're looking for a friend of yours, aren't you? Or so you've told me before."

"Yes, yes." He hesitated. "A very important person to my wife." Hades sighed, tucking one of his curls behind his ear.

"You don't seem to be too eager to find her." Said the old woman smiling, judging him with her eyes.

"It's not that..." Hades said as he gazed at his wife. "Since we are looking for her, I have an unsettled feeling, based on nothing I can put my fingers on. Just butterflies. I have been having the strongest memories of her lately, coming to me in my dreams, smelling tea scent. The strongest sense that she is near us." He said looking at the woman, who was listening with rapt attention, her eyes shining with his. "Reaching out towards us. I very much hope that she could see us and see that my wife has chosen this life, not for me but for her. And I do hope that someday she will come to forgive me, just as I have forgiven her."

"And what does your friend have to do with all this?" the old woman asked, intrigued. Her questions becoming more and more inquiring.

"Everything. The truth is that if she doesn't accept us, my wife will never be at peace."

The old woman turned her head quickly in Persephone's direction and noticed her heart beating again under her chest as it had not beat for some time.


Notes:

Guess whooo, did you miss me? hehe ;)

I'm sorry it took me so long to post a new chapter... But I already said that this story would take me longer than I thought. But don't worry, I'm going to finish it!

I want to tell you that reviews fill me with life and encourage me to continue, you don't know how I thank you! 3 I know that there are many, many silent followers (in fact I used to be one) but since I am writing I am not anymore because I have realized how important they are and how they encourage to continue. So here I wait for you, waiting to read you to know if you are liking this story so far! :D

Thanks for following me in this story. Take care my lovely readers!