Hades and Persephone

A Wrong Time to Call

Once again, Hades was sat at his desk. The Underworld was not like Mount Olympus, after all, and required constant attention. Currently, he was taking down some notes about the recently departed souls and where the judges had deemed suitable for them to be sent. The black vase next to him now had both of Persephone's flowers.

"Oh, you're doing work for once," Hecate mused as she strutted into the room, a clipboard tucked beneath her arm.

Hades looked over the top of his glasses at her. "Are you insinuating I do not do my work often enough? Also, please knock before entering. You know the rules."

"As if the rules apply to me, and that's exactly what I'm insinuating," she said as she plonked herself down on his desk. She handed him her clipboard and said, "Minos flagged up a case and wanted me to check it with you."

"Why did you not email me?" Hades asked as he took the clipboard.

"Because you never answer your emails, obviously."

He sighed as he flipped through the file. "A girl turned into gold?"

"Yeah, Minos has temporarily declared her dead, but he's not entirely sure," Hecate answered, pulling out her packet of black bubble gum from her jacket. "Obviously, she didn't have a coin under her tongue and can't pay the fair to cross."

"Being turned into gold can only be the work of a god," Hades said, waiting for Hecate to pop a stick of bubble gum into her mouth before handing her back the file.

"But no god has reported such a deed," Hecate said.

"They never do," Hades muttered. "See if she has any family. We can possibly track down a cause that way."

"If I have to," Hecate said, attaching the file back to her clipboard, then pulling her phone from her pocket. "But first, I've got some great news for you."

Hades pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and returned to leafing through paperwork. "Oh, really?"

"No need to act so disinterested," she said, "I went to hell and back to get this information for you."

"Hecate, you live in hell. To go to hell and back to get something is impossible."

"All right, I went to Olympus and back. Happy?"

"Terrifying." He nudged his glasses back down and looked at her over the rim. "And this information is?"

Hecate grinned as she held up her phone. "I got you Persephone's number."

"You... got me Persephone's number?"

"Yes, like her phone number. Come on, act a little happier. How in the Underworld did you think you were going to see her again if you couldn't ask when she was free?"

Hades frowned. "Visit her at the coffee shop."

"You're an imbecile. I can't believe I work with you. Gimme your phone." She clicked her fingers, and Hades handed his own phone over, not wanting to get on her bad side. Once she'd typed in the number, she handed back the phone. "Here you go, now you can text and call her whenever you want. At least do the decency of introducing yourself first, so you don't appear to be a random stalker."

"I was not the one to travel to Olympus and back to get her phone number," Hades pointed out. "How did you acquire it anyway?"

"I can't tell you There'd be no point in keeping me around otherwise," she said as she hopped off the desk, shoving her phone back into her pocket and scooping up her clipboard.

"Hecate..."

"Fine, I asked Hermes." Hecate groaned. "I can't believe I owe that thieving scoundrel a favour. Indebted to an Olympian! I have to take over his next psychopomp shift."