Hades and Persephone

Chapter 6

Hades

I stayed by the little stream where we would talk, thinking of our conversation. Here, the moon glinted off the clear water, rippling with the waves to create a diamond effect. Jewel colored fish darted back and forth, looking like shooting stars. I was watching the bigger fish chase the smaller ones when I noticed her sprinting up the hill.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and an over-sized jacket, a back-pack slung over her small shoulders, Persephone raced bare-footed up the grain-covered hills. I ran to meet her and found she was sobbing.

"What is it, darling?" I asked her, worry clear in my voice. "Are you hurt?" She said nothing, only shaking her head before burying her face in my chest as she cried. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, feeling her small body tremble. "Persephone, what's wrong?"

She pulled back, her wide eyes glossy with tears. "M-my mother," she hiccupped. "She's so demanding! We had another argument and she grounded me to my bedroom. Doesn't she realize it's become a prison. I want to see the world, not just wheat fields!" Persephone sobbed into my chest and I just held her, brushing her hair from her face and running a hand down her back.

Slowly, her sobs subsided to sniffles. When she calmed down enough to speak, I led her to the stream and sat her down on the rocks. We sat there in silence; she watched the fish and I kept silent, letting her gather her thoughts. We must have been silent for a while, because when she next spoke, I jumped.

"Take me away from here," she demanded. I frowned.

"Where? And that's not fair to your mother for you to just--

"Anywhere. I don't care where you take me," she said, her voice tear-choked, and my heart ached for her. "As for my mother, I do not care. She has caged me for my whole life. She can go to Tartarus." I sighed, not liking the idea of stealing her away from home. "Please?" she whispered, looking up at me. She looked so sad, so beaten down that I broke for her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked her. She wiped her tears before nodding. I sighed, standing, before offering her a hand. She took it, and I pulled her close. "Hold on." Shadows gathered around us, blotting out the silvery moonlight.

\*/

We stood on the banks of the River Styx, overlooking the fields of wandering souls. Shadows twisted and twined themselves around Persephone's hair, so I shooed them away. She clutched my hand like a lifeline, staring out at the vast expanse of my territory. I waited for her to demand we go back, but there was no fear in her face.

"Where are we?" she whispered, her voice soft.

"My home. The Underworld."