Between Worlds (TEMP HOLD)

Ten: Missing the Underworld

         It would be amazing to get married in the Underworld, in the library where we had our first kiss. Instead, we're clearing everything from the meal hall and getting married here. I am conquering my fear of water with a wedding.

            My wedding dress is white lace with long sleeves, an open back and a trail. It was gorgeous, and it would be here tomorrow evening. It was also expensive. But the gods get more riches every single day, and Hera wouldn't let me see the price tag. I couldn't wait to try it on. I couldn't wait to wear it. I couldn't wait to tell Xavier.

             When it came to wedding shoes, it feels like we've been scrolling through sites for hours looking at choices and gushing over the new season and what's out, and everything looks gorgeous. I let Hera surprise me with her choice, and am surprised that my trust for her comes so naturally. Why is she any different than the others?

              There wasn't a surrounding theme, although Hera threw some ideas out on the table: the beach, winter themed, old fashioned, romantic. But in the end, nothing felt right. As we tap away at her laptop, I suddenly feel homesick. My parents wouldn't be at my wedding. Xavier's parents wouldn't be at our wedding. "If we could wait, would we be able to marry in the Underworld?"

           As much as I wanted to be Mrs Reyes, it didn't feel right to marry here. We should marry in that library, the same library where we had our very first kiss.

             "There are no guarantees, Ariel. Better to marry now than never. Most servants are forbidden to marry. Few of us gods agree that it distracts from the work that must be done." She looks at me. "But when I saw you and Xavier earlier — " She shakes her head. "I don't know how you had ever been with a man like Castiel."

          I look away. The very last time we had all seen each other, Castiel had fought Xavier and we fought too. I regret every word. If I could take it back, if I could have woken him up . . .

            "I apologize. It's best not to dwell in the past. Castiel will Awaken soon, and you are to soon be married." She takes my hand excitedly. "Invitations? Who would we like to invite?"

            By the time I made it back to our room, I was too exhausted to even think about another wedding detail. No wonder why Hera wanted to order the dress and the shoes first. My head hurts, and I realize finally — that Amphitrite never returned. It had just been Hera and I, giggling quietly amongst ourselves and planning every last detail down to how the invitations might smell.

           When Xavier finally returns, he jumps up and down on our bed like a little child. Did he kiss Aphrodite? Is that why he's so happy? He wraps me up in his arms, and pulls me close to him. "You make me the happiest man in the world; alive or dead." He kisses my cheek. "How was planning going?"

              I kiss him back, his lips are full and sweet, "If I smell one more rose, or feel one more fabric, I think I might just die all over again." I pull him closer to me. "You know where I wish we could get married?"

            "Where?" He asks, trailing kisses up my neck.

             "In the library, where we had our first kiss. We met in the Underworld. We should be able to get married in the Underworld . . . "

           Xavier is silent for a minute. "They would never allow it." He murmurs quietly. "Hades and Persephone were the last two to marry there. We should be grateful for the opportunity. Not many couples get their happily-ever-afters. And I want mine with you. I want you to be Mrs Reyes." He smiles.

           "I love you," I can't help whispering it. I feel it building in my chest like a bomb about to burst. I can't help it.

          "And I love you."