Hades and Persephone

A Meeting in the Underworld

When Hades had come back from seeing Persephone a couple of days prior, he had found Hecate sitting on his desk, scowling, her arms crossed.

"You can't just leave without telling me," she had snapped.

"I am entitled to a break, just as everyone else is, or are you trying to imply that I should subject everyone to unethical work conditions?" Hades had replied.

"No. Of course you can go on a break, but you can't just leave the Underworld without telling me. What if something bad had happened? An emergency? And we didn't know where you were?"

"Was there an emergency?"

"No."

"Then your point is?"

Hecate had thrown her hands up in the air as she had groaned. "There isn't a point!"

"Besides, you know you are to take charge if I am not here, and if not you, then Thanatos, and Minos is easily capable too," he said, marching over to his desk and looping around to the back. Pushing aside his chair, he pulled out the bin that sat at his feet and dropped his empty hot chocolate cup inside. "So, I do not see the problem."

Hecate leant back against her hands and tipped her head back to she was looking at Hades upside down. "I'm just looking out for you. I always do."

"I know, but I also have Nyx to do that," Hades had said when he had dropped down into his chair. "I only went to visit Persephone."

"Persephone?"

"Kore. Demeter's daughter, remember? Though she prefers the name Persephone when she is not around her mother."

"Oh, Persi. Hence the flower," Hecate had said, still trying to look at Hades upside down, but not succeeding well, now he was sat down. She had plucked the flower from behind his ear and asked, "Why?"

"Because she intrigued me," Hades had said, taking the flower back. "She is coming to visit on Friday."

Hecate had leapt off the desk and spun around. "She's coming to visit? On Friday?"

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

"Multiple! To start, you have work on Friday. Your psychopomp shift nonetheless."

"Then I will swap shifts. I will take either Ker's Saturday or Sunday shifts."

Frowning, Hecate had said, "You can't swap Friday. You have Friday precisely because there's one less god on Fridays, and you're better at collecting souls than most."

"I appreciate the compliment, but flattery does not work between you and I," Hades has said, leaning back in his chair. "Ker is a suitable enough replacement, and Friday also has Hermes. A swap will be fine for now. Your next problem?"

"You never have guests, ever! We never have guests, ever. Also, isn't she supposed to stay at home? Demeter will smite you. Also, also, I am sceptical."

"Sceptical? Persephone only wishes to see the Underworld—"

Hecate had leant really close to him then, her red eyes wide as only a few strands fell out of place. "Of course, I'm sceptical. I'll be sceptical of anyone who's suddenly interested in you and the Underworld. We don't take chances, remember? Not after last time."

Not after last time. Hades had frowned. "She is a goddess, not a nymph."

"Even worse, then. We don't trust those from Mount Olympus. So, when she comes here, I'm going to meet with her first, suss her out, and see if she's good, okay?"