Persephone

42. Mountain Laurel ✔

Hades

"Babe, we haven't had time for each other all week, can you just stop working for a minute and cuddle with me?"

"Later Persephone, I really need to finish reading through this report,"

"Dammit, Hades, you've been making excuses all week, what did I do?" she cries.

Say it. Tell her the truth.

"Baby, not now okay," I reply.

She throws a pillow at me, and I groan.

"Persephone," I warn.

Put her in her place, she's disrespecting you.

Would you shut up?

She throws another one, "I won't stop until you tell me what's going on?"

I sigh, "Okay, okay."

I get up from my desk, walk to the bed, and lay down beside her, I pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead.

"Work is overwhelming, accidents and deaths are happening every day and people are claiming like crazy, I'm running an ad campaign and it's doing good but down here things aren't so good, the Night twins are on the loose here in the underworld and I can't seem to track them down," I explain.

"Thanos and Hypnos are here?"

I nod, "They are hellbent on taking over the underworld and I'm worried about you and the baby's safety,"

"As long as you're here, we'll be safe," she says but that's not enough to ease my concerns.

There is a knock on the door.

"Yeah?"

"You are needed urgently downstairs Hades, it's Tyson," Hecate says.

I get up from the bed and put on my silk gown and kiss my lady.

"I'll be right back baby,"

I leave the room and I go downstairs to meet Tyson, he's standing in the hallway with a worried look on his face.

"Tyson, what's wrong?"

"We have a major problem, Thanos and Hypnos I have been spotted near the castle,"

Fucking shit, I need to get Persephone out of here.

"Tighten security and make sure nobody gets in or out, warn Hecate, I'll call my brothers and get Persephone out of here,"

"Hades!"

"Persephone?" I rush up the stairs and make it up to my bedroom with Tyson right behind me and I find Thanos and Hypnos, standing in the middle of my bedroom. Where is Persephone?

"Where is she?"

Thanos looks up and I look up too and find Persephone on the ceiling, shit not again.

"Put her down," I demand.

Hypnos laughs, "Do you think that that will work on us?"

"You tell us what to do and we obey, not my heart cousin, not anymore," Thanos snaps his fingers and a ring of fire forms around Persephone.

"Hades help me," she cries.

Magic use magic.

It's been a while since I did this but here goes, "Tyson catches her. Release!"

Tyson positions himself beneath her and she falls right into his arms, "You know what to do?"

"No, I'm not leaving you here Hades," Persephone protests, as she squirms around in Tyson's arm, who's keeping a tight hold on her.

One of the Night brothers uses their telekinesis to throw me across the room, sending me crashing into the wall.

I groan as my body hits the floor; I will not transform.

I slowly get up and get ready to fight back, but I'm still disorientated from the fall.

"You know Hades, this might not end well for you, you might as well just hand over the keys and we'll let you live," Thanos says walking towards me.

"Over my dead body," I grit.

"That can be arranged,"

"Tyson, now!" and they disappear.

"Aww didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your wife," Hypnos laughs, "Pathetic,"

"I'm sure you boys didn't come here to fight, you're too classy for that," I say, trying to stall them to give Tyson enough time to escape.

The twins look at each other, I stand up straight and snap my fingers giving myself a change of clothes, I'm now dressed in black cargo pants, combat boots and a black t-shirt.

"You see boys, you can't just take over my kingdom, it doesn't work that way, this entire dimension was given to me by my father, why don't you take it up with him and not me, I'm tied to this place," I explain.

"Well, it's too late for that now," and Hypnos speed walks and touches my forehead.

Shit.

And everything goes black.

"Hades, wake up," I hear her say, I open my eyes and her beautiful eyes are staring at me, her long curly natural hair is cascading down her shoulders.

"Persephone, you're okay,"

She giggles, "Of course I am silly,"

I sit up and I look in front of me and I'm in bed, the windows are open and there is a cool ocean breeze blowing in. I turn my head to the side and Persephone's belly has grown.

She smiles at me and takes my hand and places it over her stomach, I don't hear a heartbeat.

No.

"Why did you leave us Hades?"

"What?"

I look up at her face and tears are streaming down her face, "You abandoned us."

"No, baby, I wouldn't do that to you,"

I try and reach for her, but she vanishes, "Persephone?"

Suddenly the weather outside changes and it's stormy, I quickly rush to close the windows and curtains. I need to find Persephone.

I walk out of the bedroom and call out her name several times with no answer, I go down the stairs and the bottom of the stairs seems to get further and further away from me.

"PERSEPHONE!"

I'm pushed by a strong force, and I roll down the stairs when I get to the bottom I'm greeted by the Oracle.

"This is your fault," I groan as I get up onto my feet.

"Only you would say that Hades, is a self-loathing, selfish individual," she says and walks away.

"Says the woman who hides her face," I spit.

She chuckles, she walks into the dining room, "Why do you think you're here Hades?"

"That's easy, I failed, failed to keep my end of the bargain," I say.

"Well, you got the first part right," I follow her as we make our way out the front door, "You kept secrets from your wife, you're blindly leading her into danger without even realising it."

"What do you mean?"

"You're here with me and not her," she says.

Persephone?

"Where is she?"

"You know where she is, find her before someone else does."