Hades and Persephone

A Right Time to Call

Whenever Persephone got back from work, she would head immediately to her room, change out of her uniform, and flop onto her bed. Sometimes she would get up and do some chores, to keep herself occupied, but that day she just wanted to stare at her ceiling and sigh.

She never did like leaving her room, it was, unsurprisingly, her favourite room in the house. Everywhere else was dark green, like the suits Demeter wore, with dark plants and rustic furniture. Even at home she stuck out like she didn't belong.

Persephone's room was much brighter. Bright green walls, with pink curtains, and pink and green striped covers. The only thing it had in common with the rest of the house were all the plants, though Demeter's were always organised, whilst Persephone's were chaotically placed. Most were her own flowers she'd made out of boredom, and others were gifts from Demeter. She had received a few as gifts from Zeus, though she let them wilt.

"Kore! I'm home!"

Persephone sighed and rolled off her bed, scooping up the uniform she'd left thrown across the floor and tossing it into her wardrobe. After pulling on some fluffy socks, she trudged out into Demeter's section of the house (AKA the rest of the house) and found her mother sat on the bottom of the stairs.

"Anything interesting at work today?" Persephone asked.

"Same old, same old," Demeter said as she took off her shoes. "Spring has been easy to handle this year. No mess ups. Hopefully another week of smooth sailing."

"As if anything would mess up when you're in charge," Persephone said. "You're way too organised."

"I hope you meant that as a compliment." Demeter stood up and chuckled, though, as always, there was never any heart in her laugh. "Did you get up to anything interesting?"

"Same old, same old too," Persephone said, picking at her hair. "TV and marshmallows..."

Demeter turned around and frowned up at Persephone. "Kore, honey, are you okay? You sound a little down."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about things, you know," Persephone said, lifting her head and forcing a smile.

"Oh, Kore..." Demeter's gaze flickered to the floor. A moment passed, and then she looked up and forced her own smile. "What do you fancy for dinner?"

"Is vegetable sauce with rice an option?"

"Always. With extra grated cheese on top?"

"Always. Need any help?"

"Oh, no. You know I don't need any," Demeter said, beckoning Persephone down the stairs for a kiss, before ushering away.

Persephone was never forced to do the chores, with Demeter much preferring to treat her as a pampered princess above all else. It was never spoken aloud, but Persephone knew the reason for that was because she was already kept inside against her own will, forcing her to do the chores would make her feel too much a servant. Persephone always offered, though. Always wanted something to do.

Upstairs, she flopped back down on her bed, pulling out her phone to continue watching cat videos. Only, there was a message from Hermes. Not unusual, seeing as was pretty much the only person she had to vent to about being locked up at home, though they weren't exactly close. Mostly he liked to send her photos of his stolen silverware collection.

Hermes: Persi I completely forgot to tell you earlier because I was busy with work and shit. Also please don't hate me but I gave Hecate your number this morning. I know I know I should have asked you first, but Hecate is scary, and I wanted her to get off my back, especially since I want some peace before she finds out about the gold girl