The Pink Sky

Fourteen.

Although he had wandered through the many miles of underworld the day before, Des still felt he didn't have his bearings in his own land.

Thanatos told him to go easy on himself, the underworld was complex at best, being new to it wasn't easy.

However, pairing feeling lost with the fact that he was terrified for his dinner with Seph, everything seemed amplified.

He paced back and forth in his room at least a hundred times thinking about everything that could go wrong.

'What if she only said yes because she thinks she has to?' He thought to himself. 'What if she feels sorry for you.'

His destabilising thoughts were interrupted by a warm presence behind him and a smile crept its way into his face.

"Seph." He sighed and turned to find someone totally different. "Demeter, what are you doing down here?"

Demeter appeared to glow brighter in the pale blue room, her face stern and fists clenched.

"There appears to have been a misunderstanding." She said coldly.

"What misunderstanding?" Des asked in a nervous voice.

"Leto told me that you are taking Kore out for dinner tonight." Demeter laughed maniacally, "that can't be right."

Des squared his shoulder, he knew there was something off about her and now she was proving it.

"How so?" He questioned her with his jaw clenched.

"You will not be seeing Persephone romantically, you took her freedom from her many years ago and she has just gotten it back," Demeter's voice held such authority when she spoke, Des felt like a naughty school boy, "I have allowed you to befriend her, but you will not violate her this way a second time."

"What are you talking about?" He snapped defensively. "Seph saw the wedding, I didn't 'violate' her."

He was cautious not to tell her about Alec or Hera, keeping his promise to Seph was still important.

"Is that so?" Demeter flared her nostrils in disgust. "Then you won't mind me showing you what really happened."

Des frowned at her, unsure of what she meant only to be grabbed by the head and have a warm sensation shoot through his skull.

His vision was blurry and he couldn't stand straight, 'Is she murdering me?' He thought to himself before he stopped.

The day was as beautiful as Leto promised, the sun was high in the sky- perfect for crop growing- and the breeze was soft.

"Kore, darling," Demeter called from the cottage, "would you like a drink?"

"Yes, mother," Persephone's sweet voice replied, "thank you."

As Demeter went to fetch her beloved daughter a drink, she felt the birds stop chirping, the wind stopped blowing and the crops stopped flourishing.

Then the screaming came.

"No!" Persephone screeched, being silenced suddenly by a large blue hand.

Demeter raced out of the house, forgetting about any drink and focusing on her daughter.

She found a huge black carriage bolting from the field where Kore had been working, and then she saw the head of curly silver hair surrounded by that terrifying teal glow.

"Aidoneus!" She screamed at him. "Bring her back! Now!"

Even if he could hear her he wouldn't have listened, he had taken her daughter and she wasn't sure if she would ever get her back.