Hades and Persephone

When a Bad Day Starts to Get Better

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been girlfriends?" Persephone asked as she was led down the streets of the Underground, sandwiched between Eris and Harmonia.

"Oh, we're not girlfriends," Eris said.

"But I thought you said...?"

"I said Harmonia is my girlfriend, but I'm not hers," Eris said, and they grinned at Persephone's confused expression. "Though I am many things to Harmonia, depending on our moods. Lover, partner, consort, unmarried spouse, something more gender neutral, y'know?"

"Eris, darling, you are Strife," Harmonia said. "There's nothing about you that's neutral."

"That's why I like being unmarried spouse, because the oxymoron really confuses people and I get a good laugh out of it," Eris said, and they cackled whilst Harmonia giggled.

When they'd quietened down, Harmonia said, "As for how long we've been together, how old are you, Persephone?"

"Um, twenty-three?" Persephone said, phrasing it more like a question due to her confusion of how her age related to Eris and Harmonia.

"Then we have been together for twenty-three years," Harmonia said. "I specifically remember Demeter was pregnant with you at the time."

Dear Olympus. Harmonia barely looked older than Persephone, but she'd been dating Eris for longer than Persephone had even been alive. Not that Persephone should be surprised by the ages of literal immortal gods. Even Hermes, who Persephone was closest too out of the pantheon, was over a decade older, and she forgot about that a lot since he also looked roughly her age.

She sighed. But that was life as a young goddess. At least she wasn't the youngest; that honour went to Dionysus, whom she had never met, even though he was literally being raised by her best friend.

It didn't take long before they were stood in front of a large, gothic house, with a star and a moon engraved on the front doors. Everywhere about the Underground and the Underworld was dark, and Persephone was accustomed to it by now, but something about this place seemed a tad too dark, and she gulped as they approached the doors.

"Mother!" Eris cried as they kicked open the front door. Persephone squeaked, but Harmonia only smiled. "I come with guests!"

As the three of them made their way into the large, dark entrance hall, with Harmonia closing the front door behind them, someone called out, "That's excellent, my little nightling. We're in the drawing room!"

Of course, Persephone thought, a place as fancy as this would have a drawing room.

Eris and Harmonia led her to the drawing room, which was just as large, gothic, and dark as the rest of the house, and they ushered Persephone over to the two people who were playing chess by a purple stain glass window.

The first was a frighteningly beautiful woman, and she had pure white skin that blended with her pure white dress. Her hair was completely out of the ordinary and didn't look like hair at all. It was midnight black and floated around her, with tiny wisps constantly breaking away. Not to mention the constellations of twinkling stars decorated the strands.

The next was a man who was also frighteningly beautiful, and he had charcoal grey skin, darker than even Eris'. He wore a black suit, with white highlights, and his hair was so dark there weren't any highlights on it at all. In fact, it was as if his hair absorbed the light, and his hair even blurred around the edges slightly.

The woman, who had been sat on the white side of the chess board, beamed as she stood up. "Oh, you must be Persephone! I am Nyx, and this here is my consort, Erebus."