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& Simply sitting in the presence of someone else was comforting, even if they hadn’t spoken a single word together. It had been enough knowing that she wasn’t completely alone, but now there’s words spoken and yet more relief is washing over the woman. “Yes.” Soft breath, eyes meeting the others behind another mask. “It would be grately appreciated. Uh —” A pause, nipping at her bottom lip. “Perhaps something stronger than champagne, if possible?” No one would judge her, they didn’t know who she was under the mask. It would be fine.

“ of course , dear heart .   stay here , and i’ll be   back with something . ”

                     she promises , bowing her head before fleeing                      to fill two glasses with some god-strength liquor                      from her flas  ━  ahem , purse . zeus knows the                      two girls will need it most from the rest tonight .                      and just like that , she’s back .

“ here , go ahead and   try this , sweetling .   if you don’t like it , i   can go get you another . ”

                      she sighs , leaning against the column and doing                       her best to gather the strength needed for yet one                       more event . how did these mortals do it without                       a century or two of rest and recovery ? ugh .

“ would it be impolite to   leave before the night   ends or fashionable ? ”

oh , if the gods could see her now . the feared queen of darkness and thorns , a bundle of nerves and fear among mortals for no other reason than she had been victim to a sleeping curse . of course they would never take into consideration said curse could overpower even zeus ..

                  “  i hope this ends soon . the idea of being                      trapped here without knowing who anyone                      is , is wearing on my nerves . i need a drink .                      how about you ? want anything ? ”

she asked the young girl she decided seemed the least threatening , still glancing around them every so often for any sign something might go down . she couldn’t wait to return back to the underworld where she could r e l a x .

“and what is it you desire if you’re the victor??” there was no doubt within his mind that she wouldn’t uphold her end of the bargain. this was persephone he was talking to, after all. gaze slowly shifts towards her when he feels the pressure against his arm, meeting her gaze. it’s difficult not to just merely fall back into how thins had once been. all of this is just a ruse – his appearance, this act of being all prim and proper. it’s not who he is, not truly. and she knows that. “i can ensure you no harm will be coming to myself. there’s nothing to worry about.”

“ when i win , i shall reveal my prize .   i’ll have to have something to keep   your attention on me .”

                      a rueful smile , trying to read through his mask                       and feeling a pang of heartbreak as she struggled .                       how had she gone from being able to practically                       read his mind to seeing him as a stranger ? surely                       she should be able to glean something from him ..                       it had to be that she wasn’t fully herself after the ,                       curse . some ambrosia , nectar ; she’d recognize him .

“ how ? how can you know ?   just ... promise me . i never   ask you for much , but i need   you to do this . say you will . ”

                       oh , she was a fool to  think any harm could come                        to him . he was far stronger than he was given credit                        for . but she couldn’t stop herself from thinking of the                        worst . how could she not have doubt ? years ago , she                        would have said that he was hers for eternity and look at                        how wrong she had been .. she had to think of the worst .

“nothing less than what i expect from you. if i win, i think i’d enjoy a little favor from you. details to come once my victory comes, of course. expected.” there’s a more relaxed quality about the god for the moment. though the two of them are hardly where they once were, she is one of the few that know hades for who he truly was. no need to hide behind a false bravado to blend in. at the mention of the sleeping curse, his expression remains neutral. at least no one was even remotely close to figuring out he and uma had been behind the entire ordeal. that was good, then. “i’ve been keeping a sharp eye out. not an actual eye these days, but you know. i’m sure the little heroes will manage eventually.”

“ fair enough . should by some miracle   you manage to win , anything you ask   is yours . you have my word , hades .”

                       for a moment , she allows herself the relief of                        touching him ; hand resting on his arm as digits                        curl around the muscle and flesh of his chosen                        form . eyes find his , wide and trusting , as she                        falls back into the girl she was all those years ago                        when she stumbled into his world .

“ promise me , that you’ll be safe .   i do not think i could ever forgive   you if you were hurt ... i need you   to be safe . can you do that for me ? ”

personally he would have chosen a lesser amount for the time. mortals always did tend to be rather fickle creatures from what he had witnessed over the years. not that hades was perfectly innocent in any of this. he was part of sewing the discord between the sides, determined to finally claim what had always been rightfully his. it was only a matter of time now. gaze roaming over the scenery, he couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. “i would say less myself given their nature. especially with recent events.”

“alright , i’ll take your bet , διάβολος .  what shall the victor get ? and none  of those favors you’ve been handing  out . i already have more than enough .”

                        the goddess decides for the both of them ,                         twisting around to allow herself a brief gaze                         before returning to admire the view set before                         them . it was a far cry from the scenery she had                         grown used to , and it was certainly more primitive                         than olympus , but there was a certain peculiar                         beauty to it .

“ they still haven’t captured the   ones behind the sleeping curse .   and i can’t help but think that if   they’re strong enough to cause   zeus and i to fall victim , then i   should be fearful until they are   caught . i advise you do the same . ”

                  curiosity laces the question , digits splaying                   out over the balcony ; dancing to the melody                   reserved only for her . these mortals were so                   fickle . deciding they wanted to be separate                   only to change their mind just a little while later                   for no apparent reason other than to throw a                   party and get drunk .

“ i give it one hour . at most .   or until someone spills their   drink on someone’s dress . ”

i am lazy , and a little tipsy / tired . so , here’s what we’re going to do . imma  let y’all decide whether or not y’all wanna see the outfits . below are the links , click ‘em if ya want .

DAY 1

dress

shoes

necklace

hair

hair embellishments

DAY 2

dress

shoes

necklace

bracelets

hair

embellishments

DAY 3

dress

shoes

necklace

hardly anything the god of death was concerned of. if she had wanted harm the intruder initially before realizing who it was, hades knew full well she would have done so. “i made no attempts of sneaking. the shadows are just always so much more welcoming these days.” he becomes silent, dark gaze narrowing towards her. as much as hades would like to deny that none of this was his fault, he had played his hand in all of it. he had made the choices that led to his fall no matter how it was justified. some things had to be done. his only regret was being imprisoned for twenty years of his life. while an eternity for mortals, it had been but a blink of an eye for a god. even still, it had been beyond miserable without his powers for that period of time. “none of that matters now, does it?? we cannot go back and change what has happened. i made my choices and i will stand by them.”

“ are you really trying to tell me   about the allure of the shadows ?   really ? you don’t think i remember   just how they whispered to me once ? ”

               she quirked an eyebrow , teeth snagging                her lower brim . the first of her defenses to                fall and hopefully her last . how could she                summon the chill of winter at her command                for everyone else , and yet melt as easily as                snow under the summer sun in his hands ?

“ i would have rather you stand  by me , as it should have been .  i would have rather had you , no  matter the price it would have cost . ”

                  relying on the strength of her thorns to give her                   strength, her voice hardened unlike her resolve                   and she broke first , heart sinking like a fallen petal                   as her hand reached for his . she couldn’t ... she just                   wanted the briefest touch . after everything , didn’t                   she deserve that ?

“ everything concerning you matters ,   hades . if you think for one moment   that it doesn’t , then you are sorely   lost when it comes to me after all . ”

he had merely been baiting his time until the recognition had come. hadn’t taken long, which was to be expected. gaze roaming over her, it took only a few more seconds before hades was stepping from the shadows, wry grin on his features. “seems some things never do change,” mused the god. “it’s been some time, hasn’t it??”

“ i wouldn’t recommend making   much of a habit attempting to   to sneak up on me . it could   end badly for one of us soon .”

                the desire to embrace him was too great                 for her liking , and she had to force herself                 to take a deep breath and try to bury the urge .                 even if her heart ached at the very notion .

“ yes , and who’s fault would that  be, χάρος ? mine or yours ? ”

                   she did her best to reign in the anger behind                    her voice . if she upset him , he might leave .                    and she couldn’t quite handle the idea of him                    disappearing on her once again . call her foolish                    or weak , but she couldn’t deal with another heartbreak .

“ i wish things were different .   you don’t know how badly i   would go back and undo it if   i could ... please believe me . ”

“ i don’t know who you think   you are , but you cannot just   burst into someone’s . . . ”

                   harsh syllables trickle into nothing as she                    places the familiar sensation . a pause ,                    enough to gather her bearing and slip on                    a mask of indifference before she’s turning                    and searching for the source of the power .

“ i know you’re here , darling .   so step out of the shadows   and show yourself . ”