#chapter56789

The Dark Lord of the Underworld walked to the small furniture set next to his bed in the royal chambers. As Persephone sat, Hades wanted to pinch himself. Was she really here? She was. He could feel the warmth for her skin under his pale cold hand. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, making sure that he was not imagining the goddess in his realm. She was in his private room. This gave the god a sense of peace and allowed him to recover from the previous night and that morning’s drunken daze.

Still, there was something within him that screamed for explanations. As much as it made Hades happy to have her there, he needed to understand what exactly happened the night before. All he remembered was Eros, the clashing of metal, and the lovely goddess catching him in the very act of war. It may have been one small battle, but Hades wanted it. War was the only solution to his problem, as it not only involved Eros, but as he found out later, Aphrodite, Apollo and the creatures of destiny, the Fates. Or at least he believed so. He was not sure of that fact, but if Eros had been right someone had cursed him.

Afraid of her possible aversion to his actions, Hades looked away as he asked. “What… what did I do?” He whispered. “I don’t remember much. I was… incapacitated.” He was nervous that she would pull away and run again. The hospitable one did not understand why the fertility goddess would come back to this… hell. He, too, was afraid of doing something out of impulse that would cause her to leave him again. He had not been himself lately and he was getting used to the emotional outburst, the fire, and screaming. It was not a good side of the god.

Persephone smiled a little, patting his long thin hand. “You were brave enough to fight another god for me.” Her voice was sweet and soft, almost intoxicating. “A God of Love, none the less.” She added. It had been reckless and stupid to do so. If they wanted payback, the two would know how to hurt him the most. It had been another nail in his coffin. But she seemed to enjoy it? Hades looked at her, puzzled. Did she just enjoy the fact that he almost mane another god for her? The god wanted to laugh. What was Demeter doing to this poor girl? She had yet to see the world.

“You are worth fighting for.” Hades’ thoughts from the night before came back. She was worth it all. Cowardliness had never been the answer. He was meant to fight Eros for this very reason. Yet it was different than he expected. Maybe Ares had been influencing him after all. Or it had been the war god’s child influence on Hades that made him go to such extremes.

As Persephone explained how they went back to the underworld and the ins and outs of last night, Hades was able to breath again. He had not kidnapped her, and she wanted to be by his side. Apparently, the pale god had let Eros go while he had been taken aback by Persephone’s presence. After Love boy fled, the goddess tended to Hades, making sure he was nor hurt as well. The two later shadow-traveled with the help of the Helm of Darkness to the palace, where Hades woke up and began shaking the earth to its very core.

Hades had been surprised by the story. She cared for him and his well being. The goddess had been there to pick up the pieces when he had lost his mind and sanity. She was willing to put up with a broken god with mood swings and a troubled past. He had daddy issues to say the least, he was lonely, easily angered, and so on. He was a mess…  but to her he was everything. Or that is what he gathered for the conversation. She did love the mortal realm, her plants, flowers, and whatnot, but Demeter could be… well, Demeter. Hades knew his sister enough to know that she could be overwhelming to anyone.

Soon after, Hades reopened Persephone’s chambers. The walls stood tall as the rose gold lined them. The precious metal decorated the room, as well as blood-red rubies, and amethyst rose stones popped against the pale color of the walls. Flower patterns were created, so she would have a piece of her world down in the Underworld.

While the Spring goddess checked out her private room, Hades stood in the balcony. The god looked up at the stalactite-filled cavernous ceiling that served as their sky, with some of them glistening like stars with the fires from beneath. The Phlegethon lighted the tips of the rock formations in a way that it resembled the night sky from above. Maybe dear ol’ Nyx was helping with that, as her palace was not too far from his.

Suddenly, delicate slender arms wrapped around his waist. Her floral scent filled his lungs as he breathed in. Persephone leaned onto Hades’ back. The god relaxed against the goddess and slowly turned to face her. His long arms pulled her closer, his forehead on hers as he smiled. The one genuine smile he had ever shown to anyone.

The god of the dead was an incident away from burning everything to the ground. Nothing made sense anymore. Hades did not know if Eros told him the truth or if this was just another one of his cruel jokes. He was the god of love, after all, he did not exactly play fair. He was ruthless, manipulative, and his father’s son. Ares was never his favorite guy, now Eros was on the not so nice gods list. But everyone was on that list, for Hades. Maybe Hecate and Thanatos, his trusted lieutenants, were the only ones he could trust. When did things get this way? All Hades wanted was peace and tranquility, now it seemed impossible.

But his mood did not improve, no matter what he did. The ever-growing exasperation and pain mixed with his heartbreak left the god in a state of unconsciousness. He became impulsive and wild. He fought Eros, destroyed half his palace, made himself a fool in front of Persephone and the sad thing was that he barely remembered anything. The god was drunk on something and not something good. Still, the agony drove him to act in ways he did not recognize. Hades began caring about what others could say about him.

For eons, he ignored the world above. Zeus, Poseidon, and his family had doomed Hades to live his eternal life in the darkness of the underworld and he learned to do so. He only had contact with the jury of the dead, the witch, and the acolyte of dead. Eventually, he would see the Olympians and others, but his closest allies were under his command, and they couldn’t exactly leave the ruler, for his wrath could fall upon them. As Hades’ thoughts ran untamed, he realized the life of a king was lonely. He had no friends, no family.

“SHIT.” Hades could feel the storm coming. His irrational belief of betrayal moved him to act in despair. He was sure that someone was to blame. Eros and Aphrodite were his first options, but the prophecies and fates would influence his life as much as Zeus’ or Nyx’s. His eyes opened wide in realization. The Fates, Apollo, the fucking love gods. Every single one of them turned their backs to the one god who minded his own business. Treachery!

Hades exploded in disgust and furor. In no time, Hecate appeared in front of the King. The recent outburst had been observed by Hecate, but this one had shaken the earth itself to the core. Hades' violent phase was growing exponentially, and the goddess needed to find a way to calm her overlord. “THEY BETRAYED ME!” Hades screamed. “THOSE…” He was red with fury. “THOSE… CURSE THEM!”  Hades began screaming insults to thin air. With each old Greek word that escaped his lips, the ground shook worse and worse. The murderous look in the Silent one’s pale features agitated Hecate. If this continued, the Underworld would be no more.

“LORD HADES!” The goddess called out, louder than the bustle around them. “HADES!” And with that, he turned, his vicious gaze fell upon her pale features. No one called him that, at least not when under his power. “THIS IS WAR.” His words were almost poisonous. “WAR, HECATE.” He repeated as the god grabbed his invisibility cap. He was readying himself for the battle to come when an angry voice distracted the god.

“STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” The blonde goddess said firmly. “YOU are SCARING THE DOGS.” Persephone was at the entrance of the royal chambers. He blinked; the helm fell from his thin, long fingers. Hades wanted to die, and not because of his foolish action but because the confusion was giving him a migraine. What was Persephone doing there? What exactly happened last night. All he could recall from the previous evening was a flash of red. The anger had taken over and he had been intoxicated with revenge. It all had been a little fuzzy if he was being honest.