The Girl that Hades called Persephone

-33-

Hades took me home. I barely said goodbye to my mother, I was still pretty upset with her. When she tried to hug me, I had to pull myself away. I knew what she was doing. It was the guilt trip, the same one that I knew too well for so many years.

She was wanting me to love her, to hug her. She was the last person I wanted to be around, the last person on earth I wanted touching me.

Hades didn't use the car that we came to my mother's house in, he opened a portal and we were at the campus. It was nighttime, lonely and empty, so lifeless. I forgot that everyone had gone home, to their normal family.

I'm sure all parents have secrets that they hide from their children . . . and I can make a very wealthy beat that none of them were this big.

I started walking toward my dorm. I was so angry, I couldn't think straight, I didn't' know what to even talk about with Hades. I wanted to be alone, I didn't want to be around anyone, not even him.

"Hey, did you want to talk?" Hades asked.

I didn't want to look at him. "No."

"Please?" he asked, grabbing my arm.

I pulled my arm at of his grip, and I shouted at him, with my back turned away, "You knew." I couldn't look at him. He scared me, but I loved him, and knew he wouldn't hurt me. Not on purpose. I still didn't want to look at his stupid face. It was the last thing I wanted to look at, but it was also the first thing I wanted to look at every second of the day.

He was torture. He was love.

"No, I honestly didn't."

"Why me? Why? Every girl in the world, you chose me."

"Because I love you, Steffi."

"Did you know about my mother?"

He actually had the nerves to give a laugh. "No, it was a shock."

"Did you choose me because I was a Goddess? Did you know about me, beforehand?"

I heard him sigh, "I knew that your mother had a little girl, and went to the human realm. We all knew, but I didn't know who you were, what you looked like. Your status is nothing to me, the person you are, the person I met on the bench, that's the person I fell in love with."

"I don't trust anyone right now."

"I know, and it's understandable," he said. "But know this, this will always be true. I love you, till the end of the worlds, I love you so much. And whatever path you choose, I hope that path makes you happy. But, I also want to ask you something."

"What?" I snapped.

"Turn around."

"Why?"

"Please," he said.

I rolled my eyes but did what I was told. When I turned around, he was on one knee, making me gasp. He pulled out a box, opening it up to a beautiful breath-taking ring. It was silver, with leaves and vines wrapping around the ban. In the middle, it was white gold, sparkling bright enough for space to take a sneak peek.

"Hades?" I was shaking.

"Persephone, will you do me the honors of being my wife?"

"Me?"

The spark in his eyes, the fire that burned high, it was hard to deny him. "Always you."

"Hades," I whispered. "I'm . . .I'm still . . . I'm not that . . ."

"We can wait as long as you like. We can wait for the rest of our immoral life, but just knowing you want to marry me also, that's enough for me. Please Steffi, will you marry me?"

I actually started laughing, mixed with tears rolling down my cheeks. He looked scared until I attacked him with my arms wrapped around his neck. I sobbed into his neck. "Yes, yes, yes."

He pulled me off of him and looked at me with a smile. "You will?"

"Yes, of course."

He took my hand and put the ring on my finger. We both stared at it, then looked up to each other. I smashed my face into his, kissing him deeply. He wouldn't let go of me either.

I didn't want him to.

I didn't want him to ever let go of me.