Reversal [by TheSuperSass]

Chapter 6

Back in the lofty grandeur of Mount Olympus, Eros lounged on a couch, humming to herself. She was nodding off, her eyes closed, when suddenly she jerked upwards, knocking her bow and arrows to the ground with a clatter. Aphrodite looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I ..." Eros huffed, her eyes disbelieving. "I underestimated Hades."

Aphrodite smirked.

"Tell me."

---

In the world below, Hades had awoken, the hangover of her passions weighing heavy on her. She had lost track of time watching Persephone sleeping, his limbs sprawled out, his body motionless, his face serene in deep sleep. The rage of her emotions had ebbed, but the burn still lingered. Looking at the beautiful young god in her bed made her chest swell with happiness, followed by dread as she tried to remedy what she had done.

What had she done? And why had she done it? They were questions she had no answer for, but she had the actions to answer for regardless. Many years ago, a spontaneous tryst like this would have meant nothing to her. For most of her kind, it still wouldn't mean anything today: her own sisters were notorious for their philandering.

Looking back at his innocent face, a sinking feeling came over her. Had she become like her sisters? Had one tempting man prompted her to the very behavior she judged and scorned in others? Zeus or Poseidon seduced any manner of men -- gods, nymphs, mortals-- without hesitation or remorse, often leaving them to the face the consequences alone.

She could not bear to do that to Persephone: but what was she to do? She had carried him off with hardly a word -- was he unwilling? Had he wanted it? He had certainly not stopped her, his only protests when she denied him. What consequences would he face in the world above -- from his mother, from the gossip of Olympus-- if anyone had seen them? Would he even want to see her again?

The idea of him leaving filled her with panic. That could not come to pass. Unlike the the night before, the yearning she felt now was not for physical satisfaction. It made no sense to her, but she had gone from simply wanting to see him to wanting to be with him. The realization was even more unsettling. How could she possibly convince a flower god to be with her in the Underworld?

While Persephone slept, Hades devised a way to make him stay. She was not her sisters: she would not take a helpless man like him as her paramore and nothing else. She would give him more than just her body: she would give him everything.

When he finally did wake, he lifted his head slowly off the bed with a groan. He blinked, trying to understand the strange room his found himself in. It looked unfamiliar even from the night before, as he hardly took his eyes off her the whole night, hypnotized by her commands. A shiver ran through him.

Hades heard him stir from across the room and jumped to her feet. She sympathized as he slowly pushed himself up. She had felt the same way the first night as queen: the Underworld making her bones feel heavy, her body like a shell someone had pulled her soul out of and pushed something else in. She had been alone to adjust to her new realm and her new role; she hoped being here for him would help in ways she didn't have. But she had known what lot she cast before she came; he had no idea what she was about to bestow on him. When his eyes met hers across the room, she felt a sudden surge of both joy and panic.

Persephone froze as he laid eyes on her, the room much lighter than it had been the night before. She was already fully dressed, in a simple dark dress and small sapphires dotting her ears and fingers. He couldn't help but imagine her body underneath, hovering above him as she did things to him he had never experienced before. He didn't know whether to be afraid or excited to see her. She gave him a small smile.