The Colour Of Pomegranates

Chapter 10

Lazily they spent their time in Hades' bedroom. Persephone liked her own room, but it was nowhere near as perfect as his. He had a huge four poster bed, draped with fabrics showing the stars. While she lay on the other side, reading the Divine Daily, he was eating his berries. It was one of the reasons she trusted him so deeply; he never offered her food. 

'Why are you not worshipped like the others?' she asked suddenly. She had just finished an article on Poseidon. He was not a very likable character, yet everybody who lived on the seaside seemed to build temples in his honour.

'You know', he shrugged. 'They ask Zeus for something, they get it. They ask Poseidon for something, and they get it. Depending on his mood, anyway. They ask me for something and I never give it to them.'

'Wouldn't you want to be worshipped?' He lay on his back and folded his arms under his head. He watched her curiously.

'You have spent so much time amongst mortalkind, yet you do not seem to understand how they work.' She raised an eyebrow, not liking what he said so calmly.

'I think I know them better than you, a god who never walks among them.' His smile showed hurt and she regretted her harsh words.

'Fact is, the humans only want something. They ask Poseidon for calm seas, they ask Zeus for blue skies. They ask me to bring back their loved ones. Mortals are selfish. You should know that. They don't ask me to bring back their loved ones because it is better for them, they want their loved ones back because the ones left behind are in pain. Or worse, they can't seem to win a war without their heroes.'

'That's a horrible view and I don't agree.' 

'Then you may also disagree with me not wanting them to worship me anyway. They must not die to want peace. They must want to make the best life possible for themselves. It is also the reason for my bargains.' 

'I hate your bargains, they are unfair.' He rolled to the side.

'How are my bargains unfair?'

'You play for their souls and you always want something they cannot give you.' She heard her mother's words and felt colour rise to her cheeks.

'Don't be so angry with me. It is the Fates that decide their - well - fate. I only offer them a choice. It is a hard choice, but it is never an impossible one. If they decide to lose, I cannot help them. I can only welcome them here.'

'Do you even hear yourself?' she cried. She jumped from the bed and threw the Divine Daily on his pillow. He sat up, a puzzled look on his face.

'First of all, I cannot ask for something as simple as a fig for someone's soul, they are not of equal value. Second, they always have a choice. Mortals are lazy and vain. It takes modesty, courage and strength to win the wager. There aren't a lot of mortals who know a lost wager when they see one.' She let out an angry noise, threw her hands up in the air and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

That night he sat down beside her. Without saying anything he passed her a mug of steaming hot tea. She had asked for tea on the second day of her stay in the Underworld. She liked the comforting warmth and held the mug in her hands until the water cooled down. She wished she could drink from it and warm her belly, but she refused to be trapped anywhere. He never asked her to drink it and he never asked her why she didn't. She sat on one of the big poofy floor pillows, looking into the dancing blue flames of the hearth.

'I am sorry I lashed out at you', she said after a while. She felt the warmth of his body next to her. It was one of the things Below that calmed her down. 

'That's okay', he said softly. 

'No, it's not. I understand you bargain with the Fates and you cannot offer them simple things in turn for someone's life. I also understand you actually welcome them here, and make sure they are safe until they set out for a new life Above.' They sat in silence for a while when he put his hand in the small of her back.

'Thank you, Persephone.'

She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. She had a deep rooted respect for the older gods and the way they seemed to handle everything with calmth and composure. Naturally, over the course of their long lives they'd seen and heard everything already. 

Her mother never yelled at her, she always seemed to understand why someone as young as Persephone reacted the way she did. Sometimes she would get angry at Demeter for not having any feelings regarding the situation. Maybe she hoped Hades would've yelled at her, showing he cared about her opinion. Now that he hadn't she was glad about it. She found peace in the way he heard her yet expressed a different opinion. She could let her heart overflow or explode and she would say mean things - she might hurt him, disappoint him, but she would never awaken the monster inside him. And that made her feel safe.