Aidoneus

The Envoy

Persephone woke up to the gentle crackle of a fire. She laid there a moment listening to the sound of it before opening her eyes. The room was dark but she could see the artificial sun of the underworld changing the sky to light through the heavy dark curtains. She sat up and stretched. It has been a day since she had killed Sisyphus. When they had returned to the palace she had meet her father. Relief washed over his face as she threw herself into his arms. "I am so proud of you, Daughter" he said into her ear. When she pulled away she started to tell him about Hades. How she had to stay until he was well. Her Father simply silenced her with a knowing look and said "I understand". 

She had watched the Spartans cross back over Styx and back to the upperworld. Thanatos and Hermes helping to take them all back to Sparta through the ether. Later they found Charon tied to the wall of the palace. She freed him she tried to apologize for crossing the Styx with mortals but he was having non of it. Instead he embraced her in a hug and thanked her. It felt like hugging a skeleton but it did not bother her. If anything, it was comforting. After talking to Acrelous, he explained that another wave of Ephyran soliders surrounded them after she left. And that somehow during the fighting they looked back to see Hades gone but where unable to follow. His eye's welled with tears and she could sense the guilt wracking him for not better protecting his King. She assured him that he did all he could and that nobody blamed him. There was no point in blame.

Both Hermes and Thanatos had left to seek a healer. She had wanted to go with them but they convinced her that someone needed to remain to protect the underworld. In the meantime Hecate continued to do what she could to heal Hades but he had yet to improve. The best sign she had was that he had not gotten worse. She sat by his bed the rest of that day. Checking his shallow heart beat and waiting. Hecate offered her her old room to stay in but she insisted on remaining by Hades. 

Melarose had stopped by in the evening and embraced Persephone in a tight hug. She and her husband had fled the city before Sisyphus' men had burned it down. In fact, all of the towns people had escaped without injury. However the daemon's joyful demeanor changed when she learned of Hades. The older women had brought  her dozens of furs to sleep on and food to eat. Persephone felt uncomfortable sleeping next to him in his bed but the floor next to the fireplace was just as good. She tried to eat a few bites of food but didn't have an appetite. Instead she had laid wrapped in furs watching the shallow rise and fall of Hades' chest till she fell asleep. 

She wasn't sure what time it was but knew she couldn't sleep any more. She stood up and let the furs drop to the ground. She realized she was still wearing the dirty blood stained tunic from yesterday. Clean clothes seemed like a trivial thing at the moment. She padded barefoot over to Hades. He looked exactly the same as he did last night. She sighed wondering where Thanatos and Hermes were. It felt as if she was living in a state of limbo. Not living and not dead. Time seemed to become meaningless. She left Hades' bed and walked over the large ceiling tall window. His bedroom overlooked a small garden. As she pulled back the heavy curtain she looked at the garden closely for the first time. There were lots of flowers and shrubs. She watched as daemon with a apron pruned  some bushes. 

The underworld was truly a remarkable place. One of Hades' own creation. How could it survive without him? She tried not to think about that scenario. But sometimes in her darkest moments she couldn't help but allow them in. "Goddess, may I come in" she heard Hecate's voice from the doorway. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts she didn't hear the large wooden door open. "Yes, of course. But these are not my halls to offer permission to" she turned to face the Goddess of the Crossroad. She could feel Hecate's worried thoughts and she looked to her dirty tunic. "As Queen of Tartarus, you are the closest thing we have to a sovereign. And you have earned my respect so I will regard you as such. Even without your permission." Persephone managed a fake smile. She should feel honored but the weight of the dire situation subdued her.