TW: The following has descriptions of panic attacks. This story will explore themes of generational trauma, abuse and toxicity in relationships, and mental health topics like anxiety. Please read at your own discretion.


Artemis pulls Persephone into a much too tight hug. "Persephone, I'm so sorry! I still can't believe I lost you last night, and you were so upset when that guy knocked into you! Gods, I'm the worst friend…" Artemis' words were running together, her voice was breaking at the end.

Persephone hugs her back, "No, it's ok. I promise. I had too much to drink. But Had - the King of the Underworld, helped me out and he was very kind…" Persephone attempts to calm her friend, petting her shoulder.

Artemis breaks away, shaking her head, brows knitting together. "Dark Zeus and kind don't belong in the same sentence." She keeps most of her judgments against the King of the Underworld to herself. But she's heard the stories, everyone has. This king is hardly royal but a dark, cruel god living in a dark, gloomy place, taking advantage of his subjects and the mortals trapped with him in the pits of hell. "Did anything happen?"

Persephone shakes her head, hoping to reassure Artemis, "No, honestly. He was a perfect gentleman."

Perfect gentleman? Maybe Demeter scares him too? The reminder of Demeter sends Artemis into another spiral of panic. "Your mother is going to kill me for losing you…" she groans.

Persephone leaves her friend to wallow against the worn couch cushions. She fills a teapot with water, pulling down two mugs. "Come on, no she doesn't have to know," She says, looking through Artemis' tea selection. "I'll have to get used to him, anyways… considering tomorrow starts…"

Artemis scoffs, pulling her face from the throw pillows around her, "Ugh, the punishment. Right… I don't know why my dad lost his shit over this one. Everyone commits Acts of Wrath." She curls her legs into her body.

Persephone joins her friend back on the couch, "I guess this time was different."

Artemis begins to calm down, running her hands along the arm of Persephone's new coat. "Where did you get this?" She asks, trying to change subjects.

"Um…" Persephone hesitates to answer.

Artemis frowns, "Great, the King of the Underworld is out here giving free fur coats away." She sighs, leaning her head against the back of the couch, thinking of the potential rumor mill mess ahead of them. "Ok… Well, let's not tell Hestia or your mother about any of this. I think Hestia will be warier of letting you into her organization if you start accepting more gifts from Dark Zeus."

The water in the kettle starts to bubble and Persephone agrees the best steps towards her future would be avoiding any more Sundays with the King of the Underworld. The girls continue to chat more about the party over cups of tea. Artemis tells Persephone about the conversation Zeus struck up over archery, while Persephone revisits her morning conversation, until a knock at the door cuts through her daydreams.

The girls look at each other, confused.

Artemis goes to the door, opening to a handsome, winged god. She frowns immediately, "What do you want?" Disdain dripping from her words.

He smirks, and then reconstructs his expression into an enthusiastic Cheshire grin, "Don't you know, I'm the Olympus welcome-wagon!" He exclaims, stretching his arms out as he presents himself.

Artemis folds her arms, frown deepening. "… No," she says dryly, closing the door.

The god stops her, throwing his hand between the door and frame. "Fine," he confesses. "I heard you were harboring a criminal, I wanted to meet her."

"Ew. No. She's not up for grabs." Artemis puts her hands on her hips, ready to expel her uninvited guest.

He raises his hands in surrender, "Relax, I'm not here to court her, Artemis. I'm here to gossip."

He nods at Artemis' confused expression, pushing her aside and walking into the entryway of the house, "Well, while I'm not the welcome wagon, according to some… I am the unofficial Olympus Post looking for news." He declares, looking around. "And I saw her outside the party last night…" He points accusingly towards Persephone. "I saw her with him." His eyes gleam, he holds up a phone with the picture of Hades displayed on screen.

Artemis pulls him back to the doorway by his shirt. She suppresses a horrified expression with a quick pull of indifference. "What will it take for you to keep quiet?" Her brows furrow with intensity as she eyes the handsome God. "She doesn't need a "screwed the boss" rumor on her first week…"

He shrugs with a look of innocence, "Just a proper meeting." He looks over at Persephone sitting in the kitchen staring at the scene unfolding.

Artemis opens the door wider, letting him through again with a disgruntled sigh, "Fine. Come in. But tell no one I let you in this house."

The god's face lights up when he's allowed into the home, as if he had entered a new world. He eyes Artemis' decor, judging her tastes silently. He rushes over to Persephone - hugging her immediately. "Oh my gods, you're so precious!" He says, stepping back and patting her on the top of the head.

Persephone watches the new stranger with a grimace. "Erhm…what?" She mutters after his enthusiastic greeting.

The god grins widely, and then straightens his posture, "Sorry, my manners," He says, smoothing out the shoulders of his t-shirt. He clears his throat, as to regain his composure, and extends his hand, "I'm Eros, God of Love."

Persephone frowns first, extending her hand politely. "Nice to meet you," trying to hide her disingenuous exchange, echoing his sticky sweet, excited tone. "Persephone, Goddess of Spring." She replaced her frown with a soft smile. While she is eager to make new friends, this interaction feels slightly unsettling.

Artemis, sensing her friend's discomfort, interjected, displaying a toothy grin, "And I'm Artemis, Goddess of Get-Out-Of-My-House-Now." Her smile fades and she points to the door.

Eros ignores her, seating himself on the couch and motioning Persephone to join him. "So, Persephone, you don't know me, but I'm terribly nosy…" Persephone sits next to him, cautiously.

"Terribly…" Artemis rolls her eyes, climbing over the back of the couch to sit on the opposite side of her friend.

Eros continues, ignoring Artemis again, "I heard you spent some time with the King of the Underworld… How was it?" He asks, positioning himself on the edge of his seat, clasping his hands to his face.

Her stomach drops at the question. "What?" Persephone asks, her nerves electric, with a sickening feeling in her chest. Her eyes widen and she drops her gaze. Persephone is not new to the hearsay and speculation about her and her mother. In the light of recent events, she has become accustomed to it, but these whispers seem more damning.

Her worry is palpable. Eros feels a tinge of guilt. "Sorry, I saw you leave the party with him? Or him taking you from the party? I just wanted …to know more." He says with some shame lingering on his words when he faces her sad expression.

Persephone attempts to change her tone. "Oh. Gods… This is all very embarrassing," She says with a shy smile. "Unfortunately, there's not much to tell. Nothing happened. He was a gentleman." She gives Eros the most confident smile she can muster. "Ok. Well, it was nice meeting you…" She says, placing her hands on her legs, as she stands up from the sunken couch cushion.

Artemis lifts her hand, her eyes focused on her cell phone. "Hey! My brother was wondering if we wanted to hang out? You remember him, from college, right?"

The sinking feeling in Persephone's stomach reappears, "I don't know if that's the best idea…" Her voice breaks in the hesitation, but she clears her throat, finishing her thought, "…After surviving a night with Dark Zeus, and whatever this was…" She says, frowning when she looks in Eros' direction. "I'm a little tired of all the testosterone, right? And what about Hestia?"

Artemis pulls herself up from the couch, pushing her bangs from her eyes, "Oh, come on, he's not a man, he's my brother. Hestia will be fine." She says with a smile, collecting the used mugs and taking them to the kitchen.

Persephone shrugs with a shaky smile, she tries to hide her discomfort. How close is Artemis to Apollo? How much did he tell her about me, or us…? "Um, ok. Sure," she shrugs. Her brain is rattling, a racing train down a rickety track of anxieties she's been pushing down since her arrival to Olympus.

Eros breaks through her thoughts, "Wow, I've never seen anyone so uninterested in Apollo." He states his observation with a sly smile. The rumor mill has a new story.

Artemis glares at Eros, putting a sizable gap between them as she sits back down. "It'll be fun! We can go shopping and get dinner, maybe watch a movie…?"

"Shopping?" Persephone and Eros ask simultaneously - Eros appearing overjoyed by the prospect, and Persephone tinged with dread.

Sensing her friend's hesitation, Artemis adds, "Well, you could probably use some new clothes, right? And a phone? So, you can contact someone if you get into trouble? Letters aren't as efficient here, I don't think."

"I'm great at shopping!" Eros interjects, "Please let me make up for my intrusion." His pleading eyes have a glint of remorse.

Persephone sighs, "Fine, let me change, and you…" She watches Eros with a stern look, "You stop sniffing around me like a pig hunting truffles…" With a hand over his heart and a swear - Eros agrees.

While Artemis and Eros fight over the best shopping centers, Persephone stares out the window of Artemis' small car, watching the large, ornate buildings of Olympus pass. She thinks back to her drive through the Underworld only hours ago. The buildings were equally grand, but everything was decorated with bright neon lights under a backdrop of twinkling stars. She envisions the King of the Underworld, trying to draw his face in her mind, trying to recount every detail of him. He is an enigma. She remembers the stories she was told when she was younger. The mortals fear him, and her mother hates him. Persephone, herself, had been afraid of him until his unscheduled trip to the mortal realm. In the short time she spent with him, she found herself surprised.

When they reach Olympus' largest shopping center, Artemis and Eros appear to find friendly footing with one another, now discussing the best plan of attack. Persephone follows the two, peering into shop windows as they walk. She is still lost in her thoughts, picturing Hades' thin face and his soft, nervous smile. They enter a shop, Artemis and Persephone split in direction. Eros follows Persephone around the racks of clothes.

Eros sidles up to her, a sly smile appearing on his lips, "So what's your beef with Apollo?"

Persephone sighs, glancing at him and then a stack of shirts in front of her. "I thought we agreed to leave the questions back at the house?"

A blush spreads across Eros' cheeks. "Fine. Fine," He agrees. "But I do have one… And it'll be my last," He says, now rifling through stacks of clothes. Persephone holds up a cream-colored top and nods, allowing one last inquiry. "If you're worried about Hestia, does that mean you're considering the Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood?"

Persephone picks up another item of clothing, bringing it close to her as she continues her search, her brows furrowing, "Yes." She answers in an automated way. "My mother thinks it'll be a wise choice." A small frown pulls at the corners of her mouth.

"Is that what you want?" Eros watches her, feeling sympathy for the new girl. He has heard stories of Persephone and Demeter, her mother. He remembers hearing the rumor, Demeter made the girl leave Olympus before she even completed university. The move was so abrupt, he was told, she didn't get to say goodbye to her roommate.

Eros looks over at her, pity oozing from his big eyes. Persephone's frown deepens, "I need to try this on," she announces to him. She reaches to shake his hand again, "It was nice to meet you, Eros." She gives him a lofty wave and turns on her heel, leaving him. She feels a small pang of guilt. He was just being nice. She smirks, "No. He was being nosy," She mutters to herself. Don't leave him like that. With a small sigh, Persephone turns back to the God of Love, "Eros, I'm glad you came with us today, thank you. I'll see you around," She says, offering him a small smile.

His face lights up and her guilt eases.

Persephone resolves that she'll spend the rest of the day trying to forge a bond with her new roommate. They look through a few more stores and Artemis recounts Olympus etiquette, until Artemis checks her phone, "Perfect timing. My brother is waiting for us in the parking lot!" The girls leave the stores and a heavy sense of dread creeps up Persephone's spine. Her head starts to spin again, her mouth is dry. There he is, the God with the golden irises.

"Persephone, it's so good to see you again."