Hades wakes from another restless sleep. His phone is already buzzing with messages and notifications from early reminders and late reports. He scrolls sleepily, noticing a message from a new contact.
"I know it's late, but I wanted to thank you again for your help, and for the coat."
He sits up, rereading the message. Kore. …Persephone. Bringer of Death. I guess it has a ring to it. He pulls himself out of bed to get ready for the day. His mind is buzzing as he anticipates the day's workload. He reviews his to-do list again, looking at the watch laying on the nightstand. "A run would probably be good for us today, yes?" He calls to his guard dog, lying lazily at the foot of his bed.
The dog bounces up at his owner's suggestion.
Hades breathes in the crisp morning air, greeting the twinkling stars. His feet hit the pavement and his mind races ahead of him. …First, go over today's agenda with Hecate, then run numbers with Thanatos. Prep for tomorrow's meet and greet with Underworld citizens. Discuss the event with Minthe… That should go well for me. His stomach drops. "I might be in trouble," He gasps, catching his breath. Cerberus snorts and continues his trot ahead of his owner.
"I thought the run would help the pre-day jitters…" Hades mutters, watching Cerberus enjoy his post-walk treat. Hades checks the time again. Shit, already late. He starts the shower, looking over the black suit he laid out the night before, everything looks in place. Discuss the event with Minthe… maybe apologize to Minthe. He steps under the warm water, letting the heat soothe his muscles, tracing down the old scars that lined his arms and chest. Meet the new recruits. A pang of nerves jolts through him. Persephone… How did that happen? Am I just responding to her looks? She is pretty. She's also a liar. But she was so kind to me. But she also wasn't in a position to not be… His rambling thoughts overtake the morning.
Cerberus barks, signaling the time. The king continues to move on autopilot, until reaching the office. Of all the realms, I don't understand why she had to be assigned to mine. The excitement of seeing the young goddess again is replaced with frustration.
"Welcome to Underworld Corporation." He hears the cool automated tone over the speaker in the atrium. Normally, he loves the early morning bustle of the towers, but today the noise adds more distraction to his already scattered mind. If Zeus wanted her to apologize, he could have just had her send a bouquet of flowers. Or a fruit basket. I would've probably liked a fruit basket. This is a PR disaster. An HR disaster. This is unnecessary. The quiet of the elevator allows him to collect his thoughts. He gives a very composed "good morning" to his executive assistant and retreats to his office.
I've got to gather myself. He sits down at his desk, staring at his computer. A message pings at the top of the screen. "Meeting with new recruits at 11:00 AM. Damon to intern with Rivers and Transport, Hellen to intern with Accounts, Persephone to intern with Events." Shit. She's assigned to Minthe. Zeus is really trying his best to punish her. Minthe will eat her alive. He taps a pen against his desk, leaning back in his tall office chair. His mind keeps drifting back to the goddess. He can see her worried eyes. He remembers them well, large and dark with a spark behind them when she speaks.
Although she did demolish a village, she can probably hold her own. He pictures Persephone's small frame standing beside Minthe, tall and slender. I wonder who would win in a fight…
"Beep. Beep. Beep." An alarm ringing cuts through his busy brain. The king stands from his desk, he's lost track of time again. Hecate was probably waiting for him in her office. Why would it matter who would win in a fight? He reprimands himself as he waves to his assistant, letting her know he'd be away for an hour. "If Thanatos beats me here, let him in and tell him I'll be in as soon as I can." She rolls her eyes and with a smug smile, recites the sentence with him. He says this to her every week.
His phone buzzes again, this time it's Zeus. "Have fun with your new intern, brother." Hades groans, swiping the message away. He continues walking, his eyes still on his phone. He opens the message from Persephone again. She sent you a message. Liar or not, that was polite. He begins to swipe the message away, but instead taps on her picture. For a violent criminal, she's very pretty. He clicks on another picture, studying her wide, bright smile. His cheeks feel hot and he quickly swipes the picture away.
I need Hecate.
Hades pulls his focus away from his phone, and meets a pair of large, dark eyes. Oh, shit.
She stares at the large glass doors in front of her, checking the paper directions again.
This looks right. She folds the paper and stuffs it in her bag. This doesn't have to be a punishment, she tells herself. It could be an opportunity. Her smile grows when she thinks she could be working with him. She goes to open the door in front of her, but hesitates again.
That's when she hears the clicking of someone's shoes walking towards her.
She spots him down the corridor, dressed in a handsome, dark suit. His thick hair is pushed back by the crown he wears. He walks in her direction, his eyes focused on his phone, he glances up at her, and seems startled. Her heart is racing. "Hello again," She greets him, beaming with excitement to see him again.
His face becomes stern, almost emotionless. "Hello Persephone," Hades' tone is cold and his sober expression hides the embarrassment in his voice. He shoves his phone into his pocket.
Her smile drops. "Oh," She says quietly. So, he knows. Hades attempts to walk past her. Of course, he knows, don't be stupid. Persephone follows him, her heels clacking quickly behind his long strides. "I meant to tell you my real name… or my new name, I guess… but it's still new…" She says as she catches up to him, her breathing struggling slightly as she tries to keep his pace.
He stops, facing her now and looking her in the eyes. His stare is more intense than the day before. His lips press firmly together following a curt nod. "Of course. I'm sure it slipped your mind. Well, I'm very busy. If you haven't anything else…" His expression is unrelenting, unforgiving.
This standoffish interaction fills Persephone with nerves that sit in her stomach like gravel. His eyes bear into her as if he can read her every thought, watching her insecurities bubble to the top, waiting for her judgment day. This is the King of the Underworld everyone whispers about. "Y-yeah," She stammers, "I wanted to tell you thank -"
"You're welcome," Hades turns on his heel. "As I've said, I'm very busy, if you need anything, you can refer to Minthe, she'll be your supervisor." He waves in the opposite direction and continues towards his appointments.
"I'm really sorry, Hades," She calls out.
His steps stop, "It would be best if you referred to me more formally from now on." He doesn't look back in her direction and walks away.
Persephone's heart drops. This is why he didn't respond to your message - because he knows what you've done. She shakes her head, reminding herself it was foolish to think their Sunday connection could last after he read his new employee's file. She walked back towards the glass doors and this time, without hesitation, pulled them open.
"You're late." A harsh voice states as she enters the small gray room.
The voice belongs to a beautiful nymph with long hair and even longer legs. "I don't like 'late'. If you keep that up, you'll be fired," She says bluntly, thumbing through a small notebook. "And I don't think Zeus will be so happy to see you fired in your first week."
The nymph extends her hand, "Minthe. You'll be working directly under me." Her lips curve into a sly smile as she looks down at her new prey. "I saw your exchange with our king through the doors there… looked rough." She loved watching Hades terrify the new interns, but this one felt especially satisfying.
Persephone feels a deep blush creep up her neck. She pulls her sweater tighter, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Keep in mind, he doesn't like delinquents. Only straight laces for him. So best piece of advice, limit your interactions with him. Might be best to keep away altogether, hmm?" Minthe lifts her eyebrow, scanning the girl in front of her. She frowns at the intern's cheap shoes and costume jewelry. Persephone nods, trying to keep eye contact. "Very good. This is your seat." She points to the messy desk in front of her. "My office is through this door here. You'll be my personal assistant. That includes working on my schedule, keeping my calendar and completing the tasks I give you." Minthe shoves the small notebook into Persephone's hands. "That could be helping me with an upcoming event or getting coffee. Whatever I ask, got it?"
"Got it," Persephone answers immediately, trying to replace her disappointment with a competent smile.
Minthe's voice is sticky sweet, she wrinkles her nose, patting Persephone's shoulder as if she were a new pet, "Great. I think we're going to get along just fine, don't you?"
"I'm excited for the opportunity," Persephone answers politely.
"Glad to hear it," Minthe's smile disappears. She picks up a file from the messy desk, walking back to her office. "Now, grab me a coffee. My order is on the first page there. Don't deviate," she says as she closes the door.
The day is long and Minthe has already tasked Persephone with two coffee runs, fetching her dry cleaning, scheduling meetings and ordering dinner for her and an "old friend". Persephone looks down at her itinerary. She was supposed to meet with the king and other interns before lunch, but Minthe kept her busy enough, the meeting was canceled. She finds comfort in the canceled meeting. Instead, she spends the rest of her afternoon setting up the atrium for the realm meet and greet. Her heels are discarded to the side, as she drags the heavy, black barriers and arranges them to form neat, single file lines filling the large room.
"Good job, intern." She hears Minthe call from a balcony looking down. "I think the occasion could use some decor. Grab some balloons for me by tomorrow morning. Black only," She shouts, dismissing the girl.
Minthe sighs in content, sauntering down the hall, swaying her hips. She makes her way up to the top floor, to his office. She walks past his assistant, "I'm going in." Her tone is cool, slightly sharp.
His assistant is a perky young lady Hades describes as efficient and effective. She keeps him on a tight schedule and on occasion, will keep Minthe away. The girl is cute, making her a target for Minthe's disdain. "He should be free," She says with a melodic tone.
"Didn't ask." Minthe breezes past the girl, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. She smirks at the girl and pushes the doors open. He's sitting at his desk, appearing deep in thought. She lets the doors slam behind her to gain his attention. "We're ready for your royal subjects, your majesty," She announces while folding into a mocking curtsey.
Hades doesn't look up from his computer screen. "How's the new intern?" He asks, still typing diligently.
Minthe pushes the keyboard out from under his hands and hops on to his desk, taking a seat directly in front of him. "Why the sudden interest in my intern, darling?" She asks, grabbing his chin.
He sighs at the interruption, leaning away from her and rubbing his eyes, "I take interest in all the new employees, dear. Especially the ones who miss the recruit meeting."
"Hmm. She was busy," Minthe says, studying her nails. "I didn't see you pique any curiosities about Damon in accounting."
Hades looks up at his girlfriend with a weary smile. "He's in Rivers and Transport, my love. Are you picking a fight? Seems a little early at this stage in the night?" He asks, loosening his tie. His hair is disheveled and his eyes look tired, yet Minthe takes little pity on him.
Minthe inches closer to Hades, pressing her forehead to his. "No. Of course not. Honestly, I actually like the new girl a lot. What did I do to win such favor with Hera?"
"What do you mean?" He yawns, pulling away from her. Hades stands up from his desk, facing the large window overlooking the realm.
Minthe rolls her eyes with an incredulous smile over knowing something he didn't. "Persephone. She has a direct order from Hera to report to me."
Hades turns back to face her, his thick brows furrowing. "You mean Zeus?"
"No. Zeus gave the punishment, but Hera picked the department. Didn't you read her file? It's a doozy," Minthe says with a short laugh, passing the folder to Hades.
He opens it to see Hera's large signature emblazoned on the assignment papers. "At first, I thought she did it to anger me, but now I think it's to mess with you…" She laughs again, the patronizing sound chilling the air. Hades tosses the folder, letting it slide across the desk. His anger gives him a new energy.
"You should be careful who you associate with, darling." Minthe drops down from the desk, her face inches from Hades. "I don't expect an apology now, but know that I won't be made a joke like Hera and I sure as hell won't be sharing a bed with your new play thing," She whispers in his ear. She straightens her tight pencil skirt and walks lazily towards the doors. Before she leaves, she turns to him again, "With the rumors floating around, I can assume why you didn't come over after the party. Which means, I can expect that very new, very expensive purse, soon, yes?" She smirks. "Goodnight, your majesty."
Hades stands at his desk stunned. This is a very cruel joke, Hera. He pushes his hands through his hair to calm himself down and sits back down, returning to his work.
He will need to schedule an appointment with the Queen of the Gods very soon.