Tangled Temptations [Hades & Persephone Retelling]

Chapter 7

Persephone

Silence ensued between the three figures for a while until Hecate spoke up, "Persephone?" What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here."

"Why are you even here?" Hades questioned harshly, clearly displeased with her presence. "It's dangerous for someone like you to be roaming around here."

"Am I banned from coming here? I think not," The young goddess retorted back at the god and cleared her throat. "I'm here to assist with the funeral or whatever that you two are planning."

Hades and Hecate exchanged confused glances, then stared at her. "We don't plan anything. Why would you need to come here?"

Before the goddess could reply, Hades interrupted her again, his eyes growing more irritated, "What business would you be involved in with us?"

Persephone frowned in annoyance, "I told you I wanted to help. So, will you let me help you or not?"

There was a subtle tension between Hades and Persephone as they glared at one another, clearly displeased with each other's presence at that moment. However, their glare soon softened to reveal a sense of respect towards each other for the first time since they met. Persephone couldn't help herself but get lost in his deep blue eyes, wondering what he felt whenever he looked at her.

"Fine, you can help me," Hades muttered reluctantly.

The corner of the goddess' lips tugged upwards after hearing Hades' response, "Great. What are we doing for the funeral, exactly?"

His eyebrows knitted together, "I'm unsure. It's been awhile since anyone has died in our family. It is hard for us to prepare a proper funeral." The god admitted as he continued observing the room.

The place was huge and grand. The ceiling resembled nothing but a starry night sky. A huge white marble table sat at the center of the room, a hologram of the map of the Underworld displayed in the middle of it. The walls were covered in numerous paintings from different periods of time. There were even some ancient looking statues along the walls that stood in awe of the scene that laid before her eyes.

"If you're done ogling at the tapestries, I'd suggest you start joining us in the funeral arrangements," Hades snapped. His words made Persephone snap out of her daze.

"Sorry," she apologized quietly and joined them at the table.

For the next ten minutes, they delved into somber deliberations, contemplating the meticulous arrangements required for the impending funeral rites. In a solemn exchange, both he and Hecate offered Persephone insightful suggestions and considerations, paving the way for a dignified farewell to Hades' father. Then, for another half an hour, they worked on organizing the funerals and arranging the funeral guests. Persephone kept quiet throughout most of it, her thoughts drifting off elsewhere, but she tried her best not to let it affect the discussion at hand.

After spending another hour discussing over the details of the funeral, the two gods finally called an end to their meeting, the young goddess parted ways from the two deities. At this point, Persephone knew her mother was looking for her, and she was certain that Demeter had no idea that she had gone off without informing her beforehand. The blonde picked up her pace as she walked away, eager to find her mother before she got too concerned.

Eventually, she arrived at the entrance of her home only to find her mother standing right in front of the doors with her arms folded against her chest. Her face was distorted with disappointment and concern. She was clearly worried about her daughter's whereabouts, and it warmed Persephone's heart just knowing that her mother cared for her so deeply. She smiled softly as she closed the distance between them and embraced her mother tightly.

"Persephone, where have you been?" Demeter demanded.

"I was exploring! Sorry mother, I promise I'm alright!" Persephone insisted, her voice filled with sincerity.

Demeter frowned and shook her head sadly, "Don't lie, I know you better than that. If you're okay, then I trust you won't do something stupid like go wandering around the Underworld alone."

She pouted, "But mama, I'm fine. I was just with Miss Hecate for tomorrow's funeral."

"Alright. But please do tell me if you are ever going anywhere like that again." Demeter sighed deeply in defeat as she wrapped an arm around her daughter.

They held onto each other for a while, enjoying the comfort of the embrace before letting go, and Demeter gave the young woman a small smile, "Now, come inside and have some dinner and relax before bed."

Despite Demeter's overprotective nature towards her daughter, she loved and adored Persephone, especially since she was a single mother. She would not allow any harm to her. At the same time, she knew how dangerous the world was and wanted nothing but to protect her daughter and her innocence. As such, even though Demeter's overprotectiveness was quite extreme, the young goddess understood why it was necessary.

She had experienced the same kind of pain once upon a time and she had learned to control her emotions well enough to protect herself and her daughter.

Persephone nodded, agreeing with her mother's request. Once Demeter released her hold on her daughter, the young goddess turned around and headed for the house. Upon entering the kitchen, the blonde found her favorite dishes already waiting for her; grilled salmon, roasted potatoes, and baked vegetables. The aromatic scent of the dishes caused her stomach to grumble in hunger, realizing how hungry she was since she left the Underworld.

"So... what did you do while I was gone, mama?" The younger blonde glanced up at her mother as she sat down at the table, opposite her mother.

Demeter took a seat across her daughter and started taking a bite out of her food, "I was in Olympus discussing tomorrow's funeral. We all made a mutual agreement that it should take place in Olympus, and I have sent Zeus' request to Hecate earlier."

"And did she relay the request to Hades?" Persephone asked curiously, pouring herself a glass of water.

"No. I haven't heard anything from him yet," Demeter replied sadly. "As for whether he will agree to my idea, I have no clue. Maybe he doesn't care about the matter one hundred percent. Who knows? But if he does say yes to my idea, then that is one less thing to worry about."

The young woman continued to eat her food, subconsciously biting the stainless steel fork and hummed slightly, "I suppose we must prepare for the funeral tomorrow."

Once dinner was finished, Demeter gathered the plates from the table and set them aside in the sink while Persephone freshened herself up before bed, thinking about tomorrow's funeral for a while until she drifted off to sleep.