Aides (COMPLETED)

Sixty Nine

Persephone

Calm, steady breaths.
They were the first sounds that woke me up.

I force my eyes open and scan my surroundings and smile as I  notice his powerful arms around my waist.

His beautiful white hair curled carelessly across his cheek, giving him a very handsome appearance.
I grin and place a finger to his cheek,relishing in the absolue tranquility in this moment.

I must be dreaming.

I sat up and pressed a palm against his forehead to feel his warmth.

It wasn't a dream.

It was my reality. A new reality. One that I would never trade for the world.

He shifts to the side, dragging me along with him to the opposite side of the bed. I giggle and gently separate from his grip so I could stretch and stand. My legs felt as if they had been immobile for a very long time.

I walk to the mirror and lift up my flimsy robe to reveal my battle scars. I nearly yelled as I noticed the bandages and sutures on my stomach. My robes were painted red with dried blood.

So that fight with Eris wasn't a dream?
She was dead and I was the very reason for her  demise. The thought of the battle and the aftermath sent chills down my spine. There would undoubtedly be a trial for my actions. I would win with Aides' assistance, but it still worried me.

I smile as I catch another glimpse of myself in the mirror. I knew there had been a change in me, a kind  of moving on from what I used to be, and it felt good.

Aides comes behind me, grabbing my waist and pressing me against his body.
"I didn't hear you wake" he muttered, dragging his lips against my cheek. The height difference between us was invasive. It was one of the things I had forgotten being so far away from him.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was groggy but still alert.

"Not much." I whisper, sighing as he moves across my body. He starts at my shoulder and works his way down to my neck, then my throat, and finally my breasts with his lips. He did it softly and carefully, trying his best not to harm me or exacerbate my already sore body. His kisses were like a familiar melody that calmed both my body and my soul.

He moved my loose, honey-blonde dreadlocks from my face so he could get a better look at my face.

"You said I looked different? How?" I remembered his words from that night before Eris started her reign of tyranny.

"There's been a change in you. As if you have a newfound understanding. A heightened sense of understanding."

"I used to dream about living with my mother forever and being by her side, healing earth and all the people in them. But I left behind those childhood dreams...and I don't mind."

"Truly?"

I nod.

"Do you still hate me for luring you here?"

I ponder his words, truly remembering my time in the Underworld.

"When I pricked my finger on that rose, all I saw was red. I hated you for taking me away from earth and luring me to a world unfamiliar. For forcing me to marry you. But you showed me a world I never could have dreamed of. A lighted path that led to freedom. For now I love the world I see. Now I know that good can come from bad and now I know there was no change of heart, but a change in me."

He forces me to face him, brushing a thumb against my brow. He smirks as he hears my revelation, approving of my sentiments.

It was a realization I had been sitting on but clearly understood.

I feel the sharp stings from the pomegranate juice and curse. Aides had made me drink it weeks ago which meant my stay here was coming to a close.

I rested in his arms as he kissed my forehead repeatedly. "The longer I stay in the underworld the longer my heart pains me.
I could not stay here forever lest I ...die"

"I curse myself daily for making you drink that potion" he curses, holding me close. I did not blame him for it.
I had tried to kill him. Well, not me but Eris.

The strength of the potion sears through my blood and I wince.

"Isn't there something I can drink or a fruit I can consume?"

"No. Any alternative will seep into your soul. It can dampen it and make it dark" I frowned as I heard his words.

"What about the three fates? They helped me during my time here. Surely they most have a potion or... antidote?"

"No Kore. Not again. They were the very reason that got you in trouble in the first place. I have banished those agents of chaos from making any deals."

I tried not to cry as he ended all the possibilities for  staying here. "I don't want to leave you. I refuse!"I  wince again as the potion sears through my core.

"Look at the pain it's causing you to even be here Kore.
I can take it, watching you in pain" he fumes, walking away to the other end of the room.

"Aides" I run to grab his wrist but the potion weakens my knees and I fall to the ground.

"Kore!" He catches me, seeing how weak I was and carries me to the bed. "The potion strengthens the more you resist it" he curses, kissing my hand. "I'm sorry Kore. I'm so— " his words falter as he presses his forehead against my stomach.

I press a palm through his hair and smile. I knew he didn't mean to banish me, especially surrounding the circumstances.

"If I would have never forced you..."

I stared to the sky in pain. I would have to leave the underworld forever. How could I return to a life that I had grown to hate?

Author Note:
Wow! So Kore has to leave the underworld forever! No leaving then returning :( Aides must have been super upset when he made her drink that pomegranate potion.