Hades sat directly across from me as usual, his face fixing into a slow, gradual smirk. A smirk ? From Hades? That was all too unfamiliar. He was up to something. By the Gods, I hope it was nothing too surprising. I've had enough surprises for the day.
"I have something to show you. I think you will like this" he says, in his grumbly, deep undertone whisper. I blinked at him, my eyes opened wide, in all curiosity.
"Chef" with the snap of his fingers, Hades called his servant forward. Chef came to him sturdily, with a stern expression, and his usual, neat appearance. He had one hand behind his back and was carrying a tray in the other, and there was a hint of happiness in the curve of his lips. I straightened up, narrowing my eyes. Chef never smiled for anything, at all. Not even when I made him taste chocolate for the first time. Everyone loved chocolate, and he didn't even crack a smile.
"Here you are, Madam Persephone. Please do, enjoy" He said gustily. Placing the tray on the table, there was a huge silver bowl covering it. I looked at it, the bowl showing me the suspicious expression that was on my freckled face and frizzy, red curls. I looked crazy.
"Hades I'm really not in the mood for surprises, please I-" before I could finish my sentence, Hades uncovered the silver bowl from off the plate, showing me the long awaited gift.
I scrutinized it, carefully.
It was a slender, tall glass of wine, with the most intricate design I had ever seen. So delicate it was, that it looked as if someone had taken eons of time to have made it. Everything about it included such detail, such,...craftmanship.
"This is...wonderful.." I had to catch my breath. Looking closer, I inspected it's make up even more. There was a drawing on it, some sort of mechanism that was chiseled from the material of the glass, the way a sculptor did with marble. A representation of intricate vines and thistles, that grew their way and spread all over a wall, the way thistles and vines did. There, in the center of the glass was a tiny rose with a shade of vibrant, magnetic pink. The color popped in my eyes, the pink reminiscent of a late, afternoon sky; a promising sunset, laid across the horizon with its fleecy clouds, spread out on the afternoon horizon. I gasped, leaning forward, my eyes focused on the glass.
"Haaddeess!! Is that???No it couldn't be-" I appalled.
"It's the Trafalgar Rose. "he responded flatly.
I got up, my hands clasping my mouth as I continued to look on.
"How! How did you get the rose!!!It's so delicate in the the- the thing!! The glass!!!" I squealed, struggling to get my words out. I jumped up and down; Hades standing there by his seat, the widest grin on his face.
"There were traces of the seeds in the Garden. I managed to get some water from the Elysium fields and from the rivers. Watered it myself every day. It came faster than I thought it would, just how I saw you do" he said.
I stood there in awe, wondering if this moment was a dream. A kind of silence went by that I was momentarily unconscious of, Hades drawing me back to reality.
"Well..let me show you something" he said. Suddenly, a gust of wind shifted my hair. I looked behind me, seeing Hades in all his length above me. Sometimes I forgot he could teleport. In one instant he inched closer to me, gently resting his hand on my hip.
"Now, there's just one final touch. Literally.'' He whispered in my ear. As he eased his back softly against mine, my body followed his lead; my hips, shoulders and upper body leaning over to the glass as he did. Soon we were right over the glass, staring into the belly of it.
"Close your eyes" he said, to which I followed. He intertwined his fingers in mine, placing my fingertips on the edge of the glass.
"Now, breathe" he instructed, softly. I sucked my breath in slowly like he said, breathing out with a painstaking nervousness, that I wished was more concealed.
I felt ..jittery. There was this nervous excitement roaming at the bottom of my stomach, moving all over like those yellow butterflies that were everywhere in the springtime.
A pleasant tingle trickled its way from my hip, the touch of his fingertips on them having a kind of dominos effect. An electrical charge, a sweltering heat. Making its way up from my hips, shooting up my spine, dangling across my breasts. Finally, dashing its way down to my-
"Now, open them."
As I opened my eyes, a bright shimmering light shoot out of my hands and into the glass, going straight down to the pink rose. The pink rose fizzled out into the wine, turning the substance into a shimmering, glistening liquid, studded with tiny pieces of crystals.
"Ohhhhhh!! Beautifuuulllll!!!" I gasped, giggling away at the sight I was witnessing.
I turned to Hades, and without thinking I threw myself at him, enwrapping him into my arms in a tight, squeezing hug.
"Ohh I love it!!! I love it I love it I love it!!!" I squealed. I could feel the vibrations of the hearty, low chuckles coming from his throat down to his chest. I could feel Hades body stiffen against mine, him as frozen and as solid as ever. Then, his breathing began to slow down, softening from being rough and rugged, to a calm, steady flow.
I tore myself away from engulfing him and drew back, only a line of space between us. My hands rested on his arms, both of us staring intently at each other. In that moment, there was nothing else but two, piercing eyes looking back at me.
His eyes were amber, a bright orange glow of yellow; like autumn leaves that nestled under the trees in piles. Two dark concerned pupils surrounded by a sea of thick, golden honey. Two perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed down to an angled nose, framing his squared jawline that I'd bet was sharper than the edge of his sword. With his black, straight hair sleeked back and a bare face, he had a striking resemblance to Cronus, almost every feature in his face from his father.
I didn't get it. All those horrible fables and myths, all the stories of him being this ugly, gruesome creature that ate the souls of others and damned them to eternal torment.
His eyes were so..caring. Filled with so much love. Maybe he was rough around the edges, but he's beginning to warm up to me, and he wasn't such a miserable grump anymore.
Hades was so handsome. I found myself so enticed by his looks, then again, I had never meet anyone that looked like him. Or that thought like him. Or even moved like him.
He was so knowledgeable of everything. Not everything cause no person in the world could know everything but, of most things. Systems, psychology. He was also very open to learning. Most beings his age had developed a sort of conceitedness where no one could tell them anything.
He treated all the people around him with respect, he gave the humans he judged endless chances to improve themselves, and he was a wise king that loved his nation.
Lately, it was so hard to look at him. Hard thinking about him, everything about him confused me. Thinking about him made my breathing short, my heart thumped more than it should, I just...my body betrayed me.
I wonder if he thought of me the same way. Maybe not...
He probably thought I was just some giddy headed, naïve Goddess that talked to plants and got way too excited about everything. Well, he wasn't wrong. I did find everything fun. And he, was defiantly fun to me. Too fun.
I looked up at him, noticing the corners of his lips curved into a smirk; I could see a bit of teeth. Was he..smiling at me?
It wasn't a full smile but, it was better than what I had gotten out of him since I got here. As he did, I felt my heart palpitate through my chest. My knees began to buckle and a warmness flew over my face.
Oh no..could he see the redness in my cheeks?
