𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄 ➤ 𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆

xxviii. all i want is you

That night — a few hours after the terrible accident in the gardens — Electra knocked on Persephone's bedroom door.

Persephone lay on her bed, staring despondently at the ceiling. She felt exhausted and heartbroken.

The aftermath weighed heavily on her entire body. She was not Atlas, but she felt like she was carrying the entire world on her shoulders.

Then, she heard someone tapping on her door. "Come in," she called out sadly.

Electra poked her head inside, gasping softly at Persephone's blue face. "Your grace," she said, sounding empathetic. "May I come in?"

Persephone gradually rose and patted a spot on her bed. "Yes, please."

Electra nodded and took a quick seat on the bed. Sensing the poor girl's distress, she took pity on her and began the conversation. "It's alright, dearie, you can tell me everything."

Persephone gave a barely perceptible nod, but she was too afraid to reveal the truth.

She felt ashamed for losing control of her abilities and accidentally harming Minthe.

She remembered her last and most heated argument with her mother before arriving in the Underworld.

Persephone's greatest fear had always been that she would accidentally injure others with her abilities, which she had yet to master and control.

Then, Electra scooted closer and asked. "Was it because of the Pirithous and Theseus issue?"

Persephone took a deep breath and sat up straight, her shoulders tensing as if she were bracing herself for the most unpleasant task. She kept quiet, which Electra interpreted as a 'yes'.

"My lady," Electra murmured. "I understand you are upset because His Majesty handled the situation rather —" she paused, then clicked her tongue when she found the appropriate word — "harshly."

Persephone didn't need further explaining, for she'd come to realize that Hades did that for her. To protect her.

"But His Majesty is a kind god —"

"We kissed, Electra."

Electra's lips parted slightly, and her tiny indrawn breath was the only sound in the room. This was quite surprising given that Hades and Persephone's official courtship had only begun a few days ago.

Persephone gave a painful sigh. "I was so frustrated that I fled to the gardens, but he followed me."

She began to recount their banquet with the two demigods, how Minthe informed the men of her whereabouts, and how Demeter had arranged for her to marry Pirithous in exchange for her return.

Persephone thought of Hades' scorching kiss. "But Minthe witnessed everything. She was furious, so I chased her down and we ended up arguing."

Electra instantly switched into protective mother mode. "Did she hurt you?"

"I was the one who hurt her," Persephone confessed.

The steam that hissed from Electra's ear vanished, and her eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

Persephone's expression was pure I-Did-Not-Do-It-On-Purpose. "I-I- lost control; I just wanted to defend myself, but I ended up hurting her."

"And does His Majesty know?"

Persephone looked down at her lady-in-waiting's hands, which were tightly clutching the fabric of her dress; if she had raged, she would have ripped it apart.