Hades and Persephone

Persephone, Goddess of Spring

Hades, god of the dead, was most noticeably feared amongst his kin.

He'll send you to hell, they whispered.

He'll kill your family, they rumoured.

He's evil incarnate, they warned.

But, Persephone thought, he had just looked like a cute dork when he had stood there, clutching his hot chocolate for dear life as she had run after him. Okay, so a kinda scary cute dork. He did look like a walking corpse, but it was only his face. He wasn't that scary.

"Kore. Kore. Kore!"

Persephone yelped and dropped the cup she was currently cleaning in the sink. Thankfully, since the sink was full of soapy water, there was only a plop and no broken cup.

"Honestly, you've been terribly distracted this morning," Demeter said, as she entered the kitchen, wearing the same, dark green, pencil skirt suit she wore to work every day. She did, however, alternate what flower she wore in her short, dark hair. Today, it was a daisy, the type where the very tips of its petals were turning pink.

"I've just been thinking about what to do today," Persephone replied, picking up a cookie from the packet left next to the sink. "I'll probably just watch TV or something."

"Don't sit in bed and watch TV all day," Demeter said as she glided across the kitchen. She took her daughter by the cheeks, leant down, and kissed her on the forehead. "Sometimes I regret letting you have one..."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do all day?" Persephone asked. "And don't say read a book."

"Just have a good day," Demeter said as she drifted away. "And please don't eat too many cookies. I only got you that packet the other day and half is already gone..."

Persephone, who would never be as slender as her mother, shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth. "Too late."

Demeter sighed. "Well, I have to go. Agriculture doesn't produce itself, after all. Don't forget to keep practising your powers."

"I won't. Good luck at work!" Persephone called after her, turning back to finish the dishes from breakfast. And then, as soon as she heard the door click, she ran from the room.

She could only ever do her washing on Fridays, the only day off she had when her mother was at work. She couldn't exactly do it on the weekend—the work aprons would be a tad of a giveaway to her adventures outside. She had to hurry and get it sorted soon, though, before she went and spent the rest of the day in the Underworld.

It was as she was in the midst of hanging up her underwear on the clothing horse outside her room that the doorbell rang. She squeaked, lobbed her work uniform into her room, slammed the door shut, then sprinted downstairs, past all the fancy furniture and dozens of indoor plants.

Flinging open the front door, she grinned when she saw the yellow-haired god that stood there, and she exclaimed, "Hermes!"

Hermes slouched, his hands shoved into the pockets of the white hoodie he always wore, the one with wings on the hood and his name in Greek letters scrawled across the front. Blue eyes sparkled as he tipped his head to one side and said, "Persi, you're not even dressed. I can't take you to the Underworld looking like that."

"Oh, give me a break. I had to do my washing," Persephone said, looking down at her pyjamas which consisted of a thin shirt and short shorts that her mother did not approve of. Spinning around, she ran back into the house. "Make yourself at home!"

Persephone ran straight back to her room, where she started pulling dresses from her wardrobe, tossing them on the floor one after another. She had to wear something perfect for her first trip to the Underworld. Nothing too boring, otherwise it would look like she didn't care, but nothing too fancy either, otherwise it would look like she cared too much.