Kore || A Hades and Persephone Retelling

XII. The Underworld (Part III)

 - Hades -

Processing had never been so exciting as when Kore stepped into the Hall.

It was like her soul called to mine- I knew she was behind the door before she stepped through. I suddenly found myself wondering why I had ever found Aphrodite's blonde hair the most appealing as Kore's dark hair framed her face, or why I had never realized until now how much I really loved the color blue.

"Kore," I greeted with a smile as I hurriedly stood, stretching my arm out. "It's good to see you."

Looking closer, it was easy to see she was more than nervous. Mumbling and whispers broke out amongst the crowd as Kore made her way across the hall, everyone splitting like the Red Sea as she made her approach.

My heart thudded. She looked more regal now than I had seen her.

Her face relaxed a bit when I gently tugged her beside me, her eyes looking up in relief. "That's a long walk," she whispered. I let out a chuckle, bringing her hand to my lips. "It gets shorter with time," I noted dryly, softly kissing her hand. A blush broke out across Kore's cheeks as she gave a small smile in return. "I'm sorry for interrupting," She replied hurriedly. "Hecate brought me, and, well.."

I shook his head dismissively. "You could never be interrupting me, Kore. I promise that."

I turned, guiding the goddess to the identical seat beside my own- a bold move on my part, although Kore may not understand the implication.

The whispers growing as she hesitantly sat. Kore looked up uneasily. "Hades," She started, her eyes flickering towards the crowd and then to me. "I'm no fool. This throne is meant for the Queen of this realm. I don't want to break any rules or-"

"I make the rules," I reassured hastily. I probably shouldn't have sat her in the Queen's throne..it had sat vacant for longer than most shades could remember. "It's fine!"

"What are we doing?" She whispered back after a moment, trying to ignore the eyes on her.

I leaned towards her over the arm of my chair, my eyes flickering on the soul approaching. "Judgement. It's been a rather nasty day- I'd much rather give pleasure than pain."

I grimaced. It was also a day that would probably prove to be too much for Kore. What was Hecate thinking of bringing her today of all days?

Souls came and went, and Kore started to put all the pieces together of what was happening before her. It was thrilling to see her catch on so quickly. There was a small lull when she leaned over. "This will sound silly, but remind me where these souls can go?"

I leaned back in my chair. Honestly, there were few things I enjoyed more than talking about how smoothly my kingdom ran- it was my pride. "Well..first off, there is no one-size-fits-all punishment. Each is unique for each sin and soul. The same went for rewards; each soul, depending on their good deeds, would be rewarded with their idea of heaven. For some, that was to be rich and alone, except for the cocasional company. For others, it was going back to their childhood home with their family all around. For others, it was being lost in the wilderness, a wilderness were only good resided. Some were granted magical powers in their heavens, others long-lost loves they had pined for."

Kore took it all in, nodding as I tried to give a condensed version. "So today is punishment..how does that work?"

"There are three levels," I explained, turning to look at the beautiful girl beside me. I still can't believe she was here- and how much I liked how she looked in the Queen's throne, like it was designed specifically for her.