King's Queen ✔

Chapter 27: Back To You

-Persephone's POV-

A surge of agony ripped through Persephone's body, her gut wrenched apart like it was twisting inside of her with a jagged blade. She couldn't see anything but the darkness around her consumed her immortal body like fire, her skin felt like lava but she was freezing in this empty void people called a dream.

Persephone stood on flat concrete with water swimming around her ankles, she took a step forward and her clear reflection ripped apart. She scanned the dark area when a glint of light hit her eyes, she figured it was a piece of glass or crystal and walked towards it cautiously. She approached the glint and it belonged to a long mirror which was positioned in the middle of the room. Persephone knew she was asleep, but this felt like anything other than a dream.

"Come closer," a raspy voice hissed. It startled the wits out of Persephone.

"Who's there?" She asked aloud but no response come back. Persephone approached the mirror and her reflection appeared before her. Her body was covered with a long white piece of fabric that trailed along the wet floor.

"So, you're Persephone," the voice spoke again.

Persephone gaped at the sight in the mirror; a woman stood tall and proud with armour made of ash and eyes of the devil. "Who are you?" She asked the mysterious woman that reminded Persephone of Hades.

"I am Kore," she answered. "I am you."

Persephone puzzled. "I don't understand."

"You don't remember?" Asked Kore.

"What-" Abruptly her mind was shredded from all thoughts and images of her garden, the evil ghoul and Hades popped in front of her. Persephone held onto her heaving chest that burned terribly from anger or sadness she did not know. But when she saw herself driven mad from grief and enter the fiery depths of hell only to return as the devil that controlled it. She saw herself rise from the ashes of her garden as Kore and defeat the evil ghoul her mother sent.

"That's it," smirked Kore. "Feel the anger, so I can emerge again."

Persephone's legs weakened and she dropped into the puddle underneath her. She grieved her garden that was gifted to her by the love of her life, and her mother destroyed it for her own selfish gain. Persephone then saw Hades walk through the flames and sooth Kore back to her original state as his Seph.

"Hades," she whispered his name and all despair she felt vanished.

Kore watched Persephone with those devilish eyes.

Persephone may be afraid but she was still thankful of Kore. "Thank you for killing that ghoul," she said.

Kore paced inside the mirror that kept her bound. "I didn't do it for you," she answered. "I just wanted to kill."

"For whatever reason you did it, I don't care," said Persephone. "And that ghoul deserved much worse in my opinion."

Kore laughed and her sharp fangs revealed under the thin beam of light, Persephone heard her name being called out and that was all she remembered when her eyes snapped open to dark room again.

"You're awake," a voice that she loved spoke to her first.

Persephone stared at an unfamiliar moss ceiling not being able to face her husband after what happened. "You were right about her," her voice choked.

"Shhh," Hades soothed her. "Don't think about your mother right now."

Hot tears spilled without restraint. "She destroyed my garden and hurt Cerberus."