The Girl that Hades called Persephone

-26-

              During the ride, Hades held my hand the whole time, refusing to let go unless I shifted my arm. I realized that this was the first time in a long time that we were spending time in my world, and not his world. I wanted to know what he was thinking, what he thought of this whole mess.

But if he didn't want to be apart of this mess, he wouldn't have been. This was his choice to meet my mother.

Every time the thought came to my mind, a wave of nausea would come over me, ready for me to pass out. But then I would look at his hand, and realize . . . he was just as big of an idiot as I was.

"You are very quiet," Hades told me.

I nodded. "I suppose I am, just a little."

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Aren't you?"

He laughed. "No, not at all. She is your mother. And I love you, so therefore, I love your mother."

"Really? But you haven't meet her yet."

"Okay, in theory I love your mother too . . .because she had you. Whatever, I'm not nervous."

"Are you sure?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

He looked over my way, making my heart skip a beat. "Positive."

"What are we going to tell her? I haven't really given a name. Just H, you know? And I haven't told her what you do for a living."

"What I do for a living?"

"You know . . . the whole . . . dead thingy."

"You mean, ruling the underworld? Being the King?"

I waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, that thing. I mean, what am I suppose to tell her?"

He seemed to shrug. "Whatever you would like."

"So," I said, crossing my arms. "If I wanted to tell her who you were, you would let me."

"Sure, though, humans have a hard time believing that type of stuff. So, she may not even think it was true."

I laughed. "So, lets be honest?"

He laughed and then shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you feel little flower."

"Well, I think in the beginning, when she's getting to know you, we should . . . twerk the truth just a wee bit, what do you think? Yeah, we are going to do that. I don't know if she would even believe me if I told her. Or accepts."

"Why don't you think she would accept?"

"Well, it's not the dead thing, it's the boy thing."

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, you're a boy . . . man . . .God . . . whatever, you're a guy. And no mom's ever what their little girl to be away with any man."

He laughed. "Will you tell you mother about who I am?"

"One day, don't know about today."

"Well, I will be by your side when that happens."

"My mom loves me, and she's that weird hippy woman who wants me to be happy. So maybe she would be cool with it."

"We will be fine, little one, don't you worry. Do you love me?"

"Of course, Hades!"

"That's all that matters to me."

And just like that, the temperature in my cheeks turned up a million degrees.