KEEPSAKE

chapter eleven

11 MY QUEEN, MY LIFE

       PERSEPHONE STARED AT THE ONE SHE CHERISHED THE MOST.

           Hades sat on amongst the underworld palace, his bottom on his chair sculpted of bones and loiter. A mess if you ask someone as elegant and simple as Persephone. She grew to love Hades though. As he was the only one who could love her so deeply to risk his own throne for her life.

           "Hades." She calmly spoke.

           He was chatting with a few guards when she interrupted him. Normally when someone even dared to interrupt his meetings, they would immediately be ripped of their tongue, maybe even their ears. But with Persephone, it was a different story. With Persephone everything was different. She had cushions that kept her safe from the wraith of the god of the underworld.

           Hades' only fault was loving the beautiful, a weakness. He would accept it though. A risk he would take, for she was nothing like the others.

          "Leave us." He ordered the guards, glancing at Persephone.

           They bowed before Persephone on their way out of his chambers. Once it was just the two of them alone, she stepped forward, and walked up the two steps of his podium.

           "What is it?" He asked, observing her disturbed stature.

           She sighed, "He's not here. He was supposed to visit. Two days ago was the date scheduled." She said.

           Hades curled his lips inside his mouth to hide the distaste. He absolutely dreaded sharing Persephone. But he only wanted her to feel happy, not caged in or like a captive. If she wanted something, something that could easily be done under Hades' fingertips, she would get it. Because he loved her.

           Persephone didn't have to say more to what she was talking about. The disappointment that lit her eyes was quite obvious to what she referred to. Every year, for four months, the god that went by Adonis would enter the underworld and spend his time with Persephone.

           Hades hated Adonis with all his soul. He so badly wanted to rip apart every fiber of his soul until there was nothing left but dust that he could sweep up into nothing but gravel. But Persephone would forever hate him. And he knew that, that would be far worse than having to share with such a useless piece of beauty.

           "I'm sure he's just running late. He'll come, if he knows what's best for him." Hades told her, waving his hand for her to come close.

           She stepped forward until her thighs bumped into his hard knees. He curled his ankle around her calf and pushed her closer. She yelped when she fell into his lap. A smirk curled his lips. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer. Her legs spread across him and her head laid softly on his shoulder.

           Softly, he began running his hand down her whisky brown hair. The color of leaves just after fall. It reminded him of his childhood. He smiled.

           "I'm scared he won't come back." She admitted under her breath like it was a secret only they would share.

           Hades almost didn't catch her words. He was too distracted of the feeling of her body pressed so heavenly against his. The feeling of the silk brown wrapping around his fingers.

           With a sigh he responded under his weaker will, "Why do you crave him so much, Seph?" He asked softly, pressing a kiss to her glistened forehead.

           She looked up at him, and cupped his cheek, rubbing the pad of her thumb against the rough scuff of a newly beard forming, "He's light. It's so dark here, Hades. Your hair." She said, running her hand roughly against the raven waves at the top of his head to the back of his neck. "Your eyes," She lightly pecked a kiss to his eyelid. "Your heart." She finished, pressing her palm against the thumping part of his chest. "All dark." She finished.

           He gripped her hand, that was pressing against his chest, roughly and pulled her even closer.

           Their faces mere inches away. Her breathing mixed with his. She was erratically letting out pants while Hades stayed calm. His lips pursed into a menacing frown.

           "My heart is not dark." He gritted out before smashing his lips against her fair red lips.

           She tugged on the hair at his neck, want chilling her spinal cord.

           The fill that illicited her heart chest when he touched her lips made her weak. The urge to pull him closer enveloping her entire body. It was easy to fall into a seduced escape with Hades. He was charming, handsome, yet rough. Only gentle when it came to Persephone. And not always. Moments like these were surprising to Persephone. He hated hurting her, but when his teeth sank into her bottom lip, she knew she must've angered him.

           Good, she thought.

           Persephone missed this. She missed Hades. Being the ruler of the underworld caused much of his attention to be won by his throne. Persephone would lie and say she was fine with it. But in truth, she grew to be alone.

           When she was alone, she always began thinking. Thinking of how she missed the shine of the sun. The dark of the moon. The happiness of the stars. And then eternity of rain.

           Hades always tried and promised Persephone all she asked for, but it was never enough. The underworld would never be enough for her own destiny.

           "Hades," She started, pulling her lips from his.

           He absently rubbed her sides up and down as some form of comfort, "Am I not enough for you, my queen?" He asked. His voice falling into something of guilt and pleasure.

           She flushed, "What? No, of course you are." She shook her head, wanting to eternally scratch the thoughts from Hades' mind. Persephone loves and will always love Hades and she would never wish upon him to feel less than. Especially with her. "I just need balance."

           "Balance?" He echoed.

           "Yes, balance." She breathed, slumping against his shoulder, "Light and dark. I need both."

           Hades brushed stray hairs from her forehead, "Then both you shall receive." He promised and kissed the top of her head.

           The hole that was forming in Hades' chest would only grow deeper, faster. It was hard to ignore. The only person who kept his heart fluttering was Persephone and each time she revealed she needed more, it was another hit, another dig, to the ever growing steep in his body. It made him feel as if he wasn't enough. Something he was told by many, his brother for example. Evidently, Zeus and Hades are civil to coexist but if the chance came with ease, they wouldn't cease to vaporize the other. The need to prove himself to others was something Hades is vaguely aware of. People know not to underestimate him momentarily, but in times he'll show weaknesses and people crave and grasp onto his weakness like a lifeline, including Persephone.

           He would ignore the everlasting carving of his heart, though. As Persephone would be his queen and she was the only one he truly loved. The only one who could ever love him. He'd do anything for her, even if it fabricated a familiar ache in his chest. So in due time he'd find Adonis, the one she seeked for the light she needed for balance and drag him by the limbs down to the underworld.