For Love and Kingdom [Hades x OC]

Chapter Three

     PERSEPHONE WAS RIGHT on time at two o'clock the next day. Lonna could feel her body shaking, and it wasn't solely because of the weather. She was going to meet the God of the Dead - face to face - and without Persephone there to quiet any sort of initial unpleasantries. What was he going to say, or do, or think when he saw Lonna standing where his wife usually waited? What questions would he ask of her, or better yet, how much did he already know? Lonna stood within the gazebo, the vines which crawled up its intricate poles still lush and green. Lonna wondered if that was due to Persephone's powers. 

Lonna had given Persephone a tight hug before she watched her friend snap her fingers and vanish into thin air. She was still amazed, even for how much she knew of gods and goddesses, to watch her friend use her powers so effortlessly. The gazebo was far from any sort of mortal life, hidden within a desolate part of a thick forest, a common ground that Persephone mentioned her mother and Hades had agreed upon for her coming and going from the mortal realm to the Underworld. 

She felt a gust of wind. Her instincts causing an arm to move upward to protect her face. She kept it there and looked at her watch, it was three o'clock exactly. He had impeccable timing, and there was no turning back now.  

Lonna lowered her arm and gazed upon the god in front of her. He was tall. His hair black and long with some strands having a curl at their end. His suit - also black - accentuated his broad shoulders and toned physique. The stubble on his face was groomed and taken care of. His eyebrows were knitted together as his red eyes pierced Lonna's soul. He must have made himself look the most handsome to reunite with his wife. 

"Who might you be?" Hades voice was silky and low. "You are certainly not my Persephone."

Lonna felt almost as though she couldn't breathe. "I am Persephone's friend here in the mortal realm." He seemed utterly unimpressed. "S-she'll be here shortly."

"And where, exactly, is my wife?" 

The god stepped closer to Lonna, intimidation and hurt radiating off his skin. "I-I'm not sure. She said there was something she had to do before returning to the Underworld for the Winter." 

Hades raised an eyebrow at Lonna. "I assume you know she is no mortal, and neither am I."

Lonna nodded slowly, their eye contact constant. "I know she is a goddess, and you are a god."

"She thought sending you in her place would work?" Hades allowed a low chuckle to escape. "A distraction indeed, but not enough to sway my suspicions."

Before Lonna could ask, Hades grabbed her arm harshly and the pair teleported instantaneously. The sensation was something she could never put into words appropriately. It felt like traveling through television static. Her body hit a cold surface, and she felt afraid to open her eyes. She opened one of them slowly and found herself face to face with a marble floor. She lifted her head slowly, gazing around, before noticing another god sitting upon a lavish throne of white marble and gold trimmings. A golden crown sat upon his head as his eyes darted from Lonna to Hades. 

"Brother, what is the meaning of this intrusion?" He paused, his eyes set on Lonna. "And with a mortal?" 

Lonna's heart drummed in her chest. Over and over she felt as though it was trying to escape her ribcage. She looked up at Hades as his eyes narrowed towards the man in the throne.

"Zeus," Hades voice was grave. "I'd like you to call your son."

"Apollo?" Zeus chuckled. "What for?" 

Hades did not laugh, a smile did not even dare appear on his face. "As if you've been blissfully unaware the past two Spring's that he has been having relations with my wife."

Zeus no longer laughed. He no longer smiled. Lonna felt her blood run ice cold. She was in the middle of something very, very bad. 

"Hades, I can't control what he does... nor what your wife chooses to do with her time in the mortal realm."

"Summon him." Lonna watched as Hades hands balled into fists. "I grow tired of this game."

Lonna watched as Zeus lifted his hand hesitantly and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the god Apollo appeared, half dressed and with a look of utter shock. It wasn't until Apollo noticed Hades that the fear grew in his eyes.

"Uncle!" Apollo attempted to make light of the awkward situation. "W-What are you doing here, in Olympus?" Apollo's eyes drifted to Lonna, who was violently shaking against the marble floor. "And with a mortal?" 

"How is my wife doing?" Hades allowed a nasty grin to take hold on his face. "From what I hear you two have gotten awfully close these past two Springs that she does not seem as wanting to travel back to the Underworld."

"Hades," Zeus snarled from his throne. "This is not solely on Apollo."

"You're right," Hades agreed. "Any moment now, the second half of this scandal will be appearing when she teleports to that mortal." 

And as if almost on cue, Persephone appeared. An unknowing and innocent smile plastered on her face which quickly disappeared when she realized she wasn't in that little gazebo. She was face to face with her husband, her lover, and the King of the Gods.