Too close to the Sun

are you awake?

Hades walked lazily towards his castle gates, with Thanatos tailing him closely. Tall, dark, and incredibly menacing, he sent a chill down anyone's spine who dared to enter. This was where the great Hades lived. Like its owner, it was nothing short of majestic. It was dark, and even the candles seemed a waste, as light neither entered nor escaped. The windows appeared tinted.

"Everything is in order according to your wishes, Hades," Thanatos stated after giving an elaborate description of all that had taken place in the underworld during Hades' absence.

"Are you sure? I heard that Levi has been trying to escape Tartarus again," Hades said.

"I assure you, we have dealt with it accordingly," Thanatos asserted. There were three parts of the afterlife Asphodel, Elysium and Tartarus. The continued existence of the dead depended on their constant remembrance by the living. It was understood that the soul lived on after bodily death in Hades' realm; but that land had different regions the soul might fly to depending on the deeds done in life and how the living remembered them. If they had lived a good life, and were remembered well by the living, they could enjoy the sunny pleasures of the Plain of Asphodel (Aspodel Meadows); if they had been warriors who died bravely in battle then they went to Elysium; if they were wicked then they fell into the darker pits of Tartarus where they were punished while, if they were forgotten, they wandered eternally in the blackness of Tartarus. Many rulers or those who had power in their lifetimes struggled and complained about their afterlife not being what they deserved. They often got upset when they saw people they considered "lowlife," those who had suffered greatly under their reign, enjoying everything the underworld had to offer. Thanatos was almost never surprised by such complaints and often had headaches from dealing with those unbearable souls.

"Good... Any news on my little sister?" Hades inquired.

"I saw her in the forest. I think she snuck out again," Thanatos replied.

Hades' eyes grew deeper, lost in thought. "If she doesn't like Mount Olympus, why doesn't she just stay here with me?" he wondered aloud.

"Maybe you can get her to talk about it," Thanatos suggested.

"More than anything, Thanatos, Heliē needs a friend. It will be much better if it comes from you," Hades replied. Although Heliē and Hades had a great sibling relationship, Heliē was still incredibly stubborn and would never listen to any of her older brothers; Hades was no exception. If she was staying for the reason he thought, it was better she talked about it with a friend.

"But how am I supposed to convince her?" Thanatos exclaimed.

Hades held onto the railing on the stairs and turned to look at him. Thanatos subconsciously held his breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and the words "You're Natos, you'll think of something" echoed through the cold, empty hall. He suddenly felt very confident and nodded slightly.

Hades slowly walked up the stairs, and Thanatos watched his retreating figure with a sigh before leaving the castle. Hades approached a door on the first floor. This double door was white with blue lines drawn in beautiful patterns, an obvious contrast to the castle's usual cold demeanor. Hades raised his hand slightly, wanting to knock, but he gave up the idea and opened the door directly. The door made a little creaking sound, and the person in the room tussled on her bed. Hades stayed quietly at the door, staring at her with eyes full of longing.

She lay motionless in her white nightgown, her reddish-brown hair draped lazily on her shoulder, some strands threatening to fall on her face. Everything about her amazed him-her freckles scattered like little seeds around her rosy cheeks, her long lashes casting large shadows on her face, her lips... oh, how he wanted to taste them. Hades' mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, wanting to say so many things, but no words came out. He lowered his eyes as if mustering courage.

"Persephone... are you awake?" was all he could say. He stayed for what seemed like an eternity but received no reply. His eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of the bouquet of gardenias placed in the vase on her table, right next to her chessboard. Aphrodite was right; she did love night bloomers, he thought, smiling faintly before turning away and closing the door behind him. A sigh suddenly echoed through the room, and the eyes of the person who seemed to have been asleep all this time fluttered open. She stared at the door for a while, her eyes void of any emotion, her mind conflicted.

---

"Just a stupid Sun! Just a stupid Sun!! Ugh... the nerve," she yelled. Heliē had escaped again and went straight to the beach to blow off some steam. What Poseidon said really got to her. To her, it wasn't just words; it was exactly how she had been treated her entire life-mediocre, unimportant, fragile. All these and so much more. Tears left her eyes as she fell to the ground.

"Heliē?" Icarus called out.

She turned to look at him with her teary eyes. "What happened?" he asked, subconsciously hugging her but quickly pulling back. "You're really hot..." he remarked, and her eyes widened in shock. She had gotten so upset that she didn't even notice her temperature had risen.

"Are you sick?" he panicked.

"Oh yeah... a little," she smiled, glad he came up with a logical explanation on his own.

"Sorry, is that why you've been crying?" Even a child could tell that wasn't the reason; there was no use lying.

"Is it something serious?" He seemed to already know the answer, just looking for affirmation. Heliē nodded slowly, and he took her in his embrace again. Heliē slowly hugged him back.

"Are you better now?" he asked.

"I could be if we just stayed like this a little longer," she mumbled while burying her already red face in his shirt. Icarus just chuckled and patted her hair. She sighed; only Hades patted her hair like this. She was beginning to drift off when Icarus blurted, "You have golden strands in your hair."

Hearing this, she immediately pulled away. "What?!" she exclaimed, and he simply pulled out a strand to show her.

'Oh no, because of my anger I couldn't put on my disguise properly,' she thought. "Uhh... it's a family thing," she stated before tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Well... I think it's beautiful," he whispered.

Her smile brightened. "Really?"

"Really," he affirmed. Heliē's head slowly cleared, and her tears stopped flowing. They stayed and watched the waters. Heliē didn't feel like talking at all, so Icarus told her about his adventures, and she listened with keen interest. Time seemed to fly, and just like the previous night, Heliē left just minutes before the sunrise.