Hades and Persephone

Chapter 3

Persephone tossed and turned. For some reason, she felt wide awake. With a frustrated sigh, she tossed back her blankets and got out of bed. The plants in her room all quivered as soon as her feet touched the floor.

She looked out her window. The sky was perfectly clear. Every star in the world could be seen. She leaned against her windowsill, enjoying the view. Astraea had outdone herself tonight. The goddess of stars was probably out dancing amongst them now, enjoying her creations. 

Persephone sighed and let a hand fall. It dangled over the edge, brushing the bushes that grew there. She suddenly had an idea. She listened carefully, making sure that her mother was truly asleep. Then, in one swift movement, she vaulted over the edge of her window and landed on the grass outside.

She smiled, savouring the feeling of the warm grass beneath her feet. She spun around, her arms out. A warm breeze stirred her hair, gently teasing at her white night silks. She spotted nymphs and dryads dancing amongst the trees, weaving in and out of the forest that rested below her cottage. 

She ran down the hill, not caring if she tripped and fell. She giggled, relishing the lightness she felt. She believed she could fly! She jumped, landing heavily back on the ground. She laughed, then glanced back up at her cottage, making sure her mother hadn't heard. 

The nymphs and dryads scattered when she entered their forest, melding back into their plants and trees. She called to them. 

"Come out! Oh please come out! I won't hurt you! I want to dance with you." A couple peered at her from behind trees. She giggled and held out her hand. "My name is Persephone, what's yours?"

A nymph ran right up to her, grabbing her hand. She raised it up and down quickly and then twirled Persephone around. The goddess laughed, her voice echoing amongst the trees. The other nymphs and dryads all came out then, and began dancing. A couple played on some instruments, providing music for the others.

Persephone laughed, twirling and weaving in and out between the nature sprites. She felt giddy. She hadn't had this much fun in ages! Athena and Artemis had been right: there was lots to do down here in the mortal world. 

They danced under the moon until they could dance no more. Persephone laughed so hard she fell over. She lay in the grass, letting it cushion her as she laughed some more. She smiled up at the moon. The nature sprites danced around her, giggling and twittering. 

She watched them, finally feeling herself become sleepy. She almost closed her eyes, but forced herself to open them. She hauled herself up and watched the sprites some more. 

"I must go!" she called to them. They all stopped and twittered in their strange voices. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow night." She beamed brightly, waving goodbye to her new friends. They all waved back, twittering and dancing beneath the boughs of the trees.

Persephone huffed as she made her way back up the hill. It hadn't seemed this tall when she had run down it earlier. She gently eased herself up and into her room, careful not to make any noise. She threw herself down upon her bed, relishing in its softness. She sighed happily as she pulled the covers up and over herself. Exhaustion fell on her as she closed her eyes and slipped into sleep. She was so tired that she hadn't even noticed a shadowy presence in the garden outside of her cottage.

Demeter gently knocked on the door of her daughter's room. Persephone rolled over and grumbled. "Five more minutes, please."

Her mother put a hand on her hip. "Seph, do you know what time it is?"

Persephone threw an arm over her eyes, shielding herself from the light. "Nngh."

"It's almost noon. You're going to sleep the day away! There's a beautiful blue sky and the ocean looks crystal clear! You should go look for shells this afternoon."

Her daughter huffed and threw back her blankets, but still lay in bed. 

"Persephone."

"Ugh I'm coming!"

Demeter clicked her tongue and stalked out of her room, heading back to the kitchen. 

Persephone smiled to herself as her mother left. She had slept so well after dancing with the sprites last night. She couldn't wait to do it again that night. She bounced out of bed, slipping on a pale blue dress and splashing her face with some water. 

She hummed to herself the song the nymphs had been playing on their instruments as she got ready for the day. She quickly grabbed an apple from her mother's Cornucopia and went outside. Demeter stood in the kitchen, plants held in her hands, mouth open. She shook her head. She would never be able to keep track of Persephone and her moods.

Persephone skipped down to the ocean, as he mother suggested. She bit into her apple taking a deep bite. She didn't wear any sandals, preferring the feel of the grass against her bare feet. Once she got low enough, the dirt changed to sand. She revelled in the feel of the warm sand slipping between her toes.

She laughed to herself and tossed her core behind her. It was immediately swallowed by the dirt and a small sapling sprouted up from the earth. 

She breathed in the ocean air. It was a beautiful day. She could already spot several large, beautiful shells decorating the sandy beach. She hummed to herself again as she picked up a beautiful green one. it shimmered in the sunlight as she held it up. She placed it in a small bag she had brought along.

After a couple of hours, her bag was full. She didn't want to go back to the cottage quite yet though. Instead, she decided to go for a swim. Stripping out of her dress, she ran straight into the water, letting it wash over her. 

The water was warm and clear. She looked down and could spy several different types of fish swimming between her legs. She giggled and tried to catch one. It slipped through her fingers, too quick. 

Persephone laughed and tried to catch another one. Each fish escaped easily. She smiled and decided to float on her back instead. The feeling of the water supporting her was strange. She was so used to the sturdy ground beneath her that feeling weightless was alien to her. She looked up at the sky and pretended she was flying. The water rocked her back and forth. She began to feel sleepy and stood up in the shallows.

When she turned to go back to the beach, she saw a man standing beneath a tall tree where her apple core had fallen. She gasped, falling back into the water. She spluttered, swallowing water. She forced herself to stand up, still keeping herself hidden by the waves. When she looked back at the tree, there was no one. She squinted. Had she been seeing things? She rubbed her eyes and looked again, just to be sure. No one. 

She scanned the beach and the hillside, making sure no one was around. She squeezed out her hair and threw her dress on as quickly as she could. She grabbed her bag of shells and ran pell mell back up the hill, towards the cottage.

Persephone ran so quickly, she didn't even notice a shiny green shell fall from her bag. Nor did she notice the figure that picked it up.