Hades and Persephone

            I pace the corridors of my dark palace under the mountain. Thoughts rush through my head. Memories of how this realm and I came into being flood my mind. My brothers, thinking I, Hades, would be best to rule as King of the Underworld, stuck me down here while they enjoy the sunlight and all the pleasures of living in the world above.
            The palace that I built to rule over the dead is empty and devoid of laughter and joy. There is no one else to inhabit the place. Those who died cannot comprehend where they are; they are just empty shells that exist in space. I have all the riches of the world yet none with whom to share; no one to see glittering diamonds rise up each night as if they were stars.
            I have not friend, companion, council, nor even creatures to grace my presence. Time passes but nothing changes. I'm alone down here in my domain. The dead cannot keep me company but the living could. Alas the living cannot pass through the underworld gate alive. Maybe, just maybe, a goddess could pass through the gates successfully.
            I stop my pacing when the thought strikes me like a bolt of lightning. That's it! I must find someone to join me down here. I need someone who can bring joy, happiness, and beauty to this dark palace- and me.
            If I am to go and search for someone to love me then I cannot allow my brothers to find out. They would surely slay me if I enter their realms. I must search in secret.
            I summon my chariot and ride towards the surface. The rock crumbles at my approach and allows me access to the world above.
            I ride through the peaceful countryside until I come to a group of maidens singing in a meadow. I turn my chariot towards them but when they catch sight of me their faces flash with terror and they run away panic stricken.
            Next, I come across a group of nymphs dancing in the forest. I approach them slowly to avoid frightening them but when they see me, they screech and run away in horror.
            I travel far and wide trying to find a companion but everyone runs away as soon as they see me. It is hopeless. I might as well give up. No one will ever love me. No one can even stand the sight of me.
            I wander back towards the portal to the underworld in defeat. As the chariot floats through the sky, I catch sight of the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld. I recognize her as the Goddess Persephone, daughter of the Goddess Demeter. We met once long ago when she was very young.
            I remembered, when Zeus summoned me to Mount Olympus for a summit with the other Gods and Goddesses. No one would dare to approach me except Persephone. She watched me for a long time before approaching me.
            I had looked down at her and asked, "What do you want child?"
            With large green eyes she stared at me and asked, "Why do you look so lonely?"
            I was surprised by her question. It took me a moment before I could answer.
            "I'm afraid no one likes me very much, child. That is why I'm alone."
            She smiled and said, "I'm Persephone, and I'll be your friend. Then, you won't be alone anymore."
            Soon after, her mother, Demeter, came and took her away, glaring at me long and hard.
            I turn the chariot toward the ground and land next to Persephone. She does not recognize me. However, unlike the others, she doesn't run away.
            I feel angered that she does not remember me from long ago when she called me her friend. I grab her arm and pull her onto the chariot with me. I open the portal and we descend down into the darkness of the underworld.
            When we land, she refuses to look at me, and demands, "Return me to my mother."
            That one sentence infuriates me. She who had promised to be my friend, no longer wishes it so. I whirl around and stride toward the great hall, not caring whether she follows.
            Time passes faster now but it is more desolate than ever. Persephone will not speak to me. She repeatedly insists to be returned to her mother. She refuses to eat food for she knows if she did she would be trapped below forever. Thus, she spends all her days crying or moping in sorrow.
             Six months have passed when Hermes, the messenger God, comes to me with word from Zeus and Demeter. They demand that I return Persephone to the surface or Zeus will declare war.
            I sigh knowing that I have no choice but to return her to Demeter. I fetch her from her favorite place, the garden.
            "Hermes has come to take you back to the surface," I say.
            Persephone's head snaps up and she looks at me with wide eyes.
           Then she asks, "Truly?"
            I smile down at her in sadness and said, "Yes, but before you go I have a parting gift for you."
            I hand her a pomegranate and she smiles for the first time since joining me in the underworld.
            She takes a bite hesitantly and promptly spits it out due to the bitter, rotten taste.
            Hermes appears beside me and looks shocked to see Persephone eating fruit after six month of refusal.
            He looks at her in sadness and says, "I'm sorry, Persephone, but you cannot live on the surface now that you have eaten the fruit of the underworld."
            Persephone looks stunned when she realizes what she has done.
            Persephone looks devastated when she realizes what one bite has cost her. Hermes takes her hand and pulls her into the sky, heading toward the surface.
            I felt a sharp throbbing in my heart knowing that she loathes me for trapping her down here for all eternity. I just hope that she can come to accept me as she once did long ago. I will wait for her love forever.