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“Sugarsnaps! I’m late for class! You’re late for work! Hades wake up!”
A very flustered goddess of spring scrambled out of bed, clamoring to find clothes for the day. The king of the underworld was still snoring soundly, blissfully unaware of Persephone’s frenetic state. Flitting about the bedroom, she yanked a pair of black sweats out of the nearby dresser, jumping up and down to pull them over her rolling hips. Scrambling, she found an oversized grey sweatshirt that she threw on, pausing to jump back onto the bed. She left her hair as is, cascading freely down her back. Taking her tiny hands, she did her best to shake the slumbering blue god beneath the blankets in a last-minute attempt to wake him once again.
“Hades, my handsome; you need to get up! You’re late for work!” Persephone warned, urgency in her voice.
His eyes finally shot open, as he abruptly sat up, catching Persephone so that she wouldn’t fall.
“I’m late?” he asked, bemused.
“Yes! We overslept, bigtime.”
“Fates be damned, I’ve never overslept for work, in two thousand years… Oh no, honey you have—”
“Finals!! I know!! It’s the last day of class, I’m so worried!”
Persephone then moved to climb off of the bed once again, but Hades grabbed her by the wrist. He pulled her to him, and gently kissed her soft, pink lips.
“You have top ranks in all of your classes,” he whispered, dusting his lips against the corner of her mouth. “You are set to graduate with honors.” He moved his caress to the other side of her face, brushing her soft skin back and forth as he found his way back to her lips once again.
“You will do just fine, my Queen.”
At the sound of her new nickname, Persephone smiled, returning the kiss with adoration. Pulling away, she flew off the bed and away from Hades’ embrace, turning and twisting to land on the ground near her shoes.
“I can’t do ‘just fine’ if I’m still late!”
“Grrr… You know, sometimes I don’t like it when you’re right.”
She chuckled as she dashed down the hall, heading to the study to retrieve her backpack and textbooks. Hades looked at the empty doorway and smiled to himself. He then pulled the covers away from him and shuffled to the edge of the bed. Looking down at the floor, he spied quite the trail of blue and pink flower petals, scattered all over the plush carpet. The events of the night before flashed before his eyes; their somber heart to heart conversation, making love to her passionately by the fireplace, and the manifestation of a dazzling ring on her hand while they slept. The ring was created purely from imagination. All he did was think about what jewelry would look good against the warmth of her beautiful magenta skin and dainty hand, and there it became. Black gold, with tiny black diamonds that were stacked tiny rows on either side of a larger black diamond that sat in the middle. However, Persephone had ran off through the house without even realizing that the ring was upon her finger. She’d have to discover it soon.
He panicked momentarily, hurrying to find clothes of his own. All night, he dreamed of various possibilities for proposing to her. Perhaps in the mortal realm, as the sun set along the horizon. Possibly in their favorite bistro in the underworld downtown, where they first dined together shortly after the Panathenaea. Maybe he could propose simply here, at their home, with Cerberus and all the other dogs bearing witness. The idea of starting her day with such a pivotal, life changing question made his heart race, but Hades was determined to follow suit. He knew he could not live without her and had expressed that notion to her several times on the night before, culminated with the sensual worship of the temple that was her body; whispers of him calling her his queen as if they were offerings, in the hopes that she would accept the title in all aspects.
Hades settled on blue slacks and a black button up shirt, sliding into a pair of casual shoes. Striding down the hall, he buttoned his shirt as he walked, hoping to catch Persephone before she left.
“Darling?” he called forth.
“I made you a cup of coffee!” Persephone replied. “But I don’t think I’ll have time to drive from here to Olympus before my final starts. Could you transport me there?”
“Of course, but—”
“Oh thank you so much, Hades! I love you so much. It really means a lot.”
“Well, no thanks are necessary, sweetness, but I need—”
“To hurry!! Please! I have everything and I’m ready to go!! Class starts in 15 minutes!”
Hades sighed. There simply wasn’t time.
“Alright… my queen… but when the day is done, I need to ask you something…”
“Anything, my love! I swear it! But please, my finals?”
Stepping towards Persephone, he bent down slightly to hook his arms behind her knees and scooped her into the air. Shrugging her backpack on one shoulder, Persephone clutched the back of his neck, lacing her fingers together to strengthen her grip. Hades then closed his eyes as wisps of black and blue smoke gathered around his feet, swirling and spiraling about as they rose in the air, encompassing he and Persephone. His eyes opened, glowing white, while Persephone snuggled closer to him, and their bodies soon disappeared in rays of dark blue light.
Within mere minutes, they arrived in the courtyard at Olympus University, in a bolt of blue crackling power. Other students looked on the clouds of smoke dissipated, revealing the pair. Hades tried to set Persephone down to her feet, but she was bursting with energy, anxious to get to her classes, and flew out of his arms. She turned to leave, and had gotten a few steps away, before running back and leaping into his arms for a deep, passionate kiss, entangling her fingers in his silver hair as he caught her and spun her about, returning her affection with fervor.
“Remember what I said?” he breathed.
“Yes…” she muttered in an exasperated tone. “I know, I know, I’ll do just fine.”
Hades chuckled. “Not solely that, sweetness. I really do need to talk to you when you’re done.”
“Fine,” she whined. “But I really have to go! I love you!”
With that, she flitted away in a streak of pink. Hades stood and watched her until she was out of his line of sight. Onlookers were still standing around; some uneasy, some hesitant to move or speak. Hades looked around at the crowd, turning slowly to survey how many bystanders were near. A devilish twinkle appeared in his eye as an evil smile crossed his face. His eyes glowed red and his hair began to float and billow as a cryptic wind swirled about. Blue flames burst from his hands as he dipped into an attack stance, ready to pounce. Black smoke and crackling power radiated from his feet.
“DON’T YOU ALL HAVE FINALS TO GET TO?!” he boomed in a frightening, mangled voice.
Frantically, the others ran to leave the courtyard, scrambling to get to the doors and hallways. Hades smiled to himself, proud of his obnoxious feat to scare the bystanders. His menacing appearance disappeared immediately as he chuckled. He then proceeded to stroll down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, as wisps of smoke gathered around his feet once again, until he eventually disappeared, journeying back to the underworld.
Back at tower one, the shade allocation was particularly mundane. Any other day, the king would hear a soul plea for mercy and forgiveness with glee, happy to send them to Tartarus while they wailed in agony at his decisioning, regardless of whatever case they pled. Today, their pleas seemed as if they were incoherent mumblings. He waived every shade off with a pitiful flutter of his hand, exasperated. Though the duties of Hades’ role hardly ever changed, rendering final judgement to shades and souls was the last thing that he wanted to do today. Persephone was in Olympus right now, working her hardest to complete her studies on her last day of class. Yet Hades was growing more anxious with every hour that passed, worrying as to what Persephone’s initial thoughts would be upon discovery of the ring on her hand. He didn’t want to bother her, knowing her workload required concentration without distraction. However, he was still worried that this he may have gone about this in the wrong way. Was she so engrossed in schoolwork that she never noticed the ring? Had she seen the ring, but was too afraid to speak to him about it? He knew the students had given her a hard time in the past, which is why he joked around with scaring them today. Would they give her grief over seeing the ring? Was it too late to get the ring back and try to start again?
“That’s enough, Hades,” a firm voice cut through the stagnant air.
The doors to the now empty judgement hall closed behind Hecate, as her heels clacked across the marble floor. She wore a black midi-dress with bedazzled shoulders and three-quarter length sleeves. Her turquoise skin was luminous in the low light of the large room, eyes glowing golden with irritation. In her hands were two cups of coffee that had steam swirling around the tops. Not a single drop spilled as she strode through the chamber with regal authority. Approaching Hades upon his throne, she looked at him with aggravated concern.
“What’s up with you today?” she nagged. She extended a cup to him, and Hades languidly reached out to take it.
He held the coffee to his face, letting the heat from the top of the cup waft in his nostrils. It was dark, as he preferred, but strong, as he often needed it. Hades clasped the cup, eyes looking straight ahead, avoiding Hecate’s gaze. After a long pause, he finally moved to take a sip of the warm beverage, and never ceased until he swallowed the contents of the entire cup, without relenting once. Hecate’s eyes went from their sunflower haze back to normal as she watched the king chug the hot caffeinated drink from beginning to end. As the cup was emptied, Hades tossed it aside.
“I think I messed up, old friend,” he surmised.
“Clearly,” Hecate quipped. “You were set to allow a mass murderer from the mortal realm avoid Tartarus because he said he ‘didn’t mean it.’ So, something is very much wrong.”
Hades sighed.
“Also… your shirt isn’t buttoned up all of the way… You’re not wearing a tie, nor a blazer, and where is your suit jacket? You’re using a glamour instead of traditional mortal garb? Seriously, Hades; what gives?”
“How long have we been friends, Hecate?”
She stopped for a moment, tilting her head to ponder upon his question.
“Not as old as time, but… for several millennia. Why do you ask?”
“In all of the time that I have served as king here, have I ever taken a queen?”
Hecate’s eyes widened with excitement, clapping her hands together with glee. Yet Hades remained slumped on his throne, fingers raking through his hair as he sulked.
Reaching out, Hecate tenderly took his free hand in her own, and leaned her head over to rest on his shoulder.
“Persephone will be an amazing queen,” she whispered, patting his hand gently.
“That’s if she even wants to rule here,” Hades chided.
“But she’s lived with you for months now?”
“Which is true, but it does not automatically guarantee that she wants to be my queen or marry me…”
He choked up, fighting back the tears that welled in the corners of his eyes.
“I’m…. flawed, Hecate. I’m not the god that I used to be. I’ve made mistakes.”
“We all have, and we all do, Aidon. No man, immortal, or being is truly perfect. Our imperfections are what make us who we are.”
“There are days when I don’t think that I deserve the woman she is.”
“Stop thinking like that. Don’t you deserve love and happiness?”
Hades no longer fought the tears and let them spill freely, as he reached in his pocket for a pink handkerchief. Dabbling gently, he cleared his throat to respond.
“I…. I do,” he remarked, with tears still flowing down his cheeks and making tiny droplet puddles on his shirt.
“And isn’t Persephone who makes you happy?” Hecate pressed.
“She is.”
“And aren’t you confident that she loves you?”
“I am…”
“Then ask her, Hades.”
“But that’s the issue, Hecate… I want to ask her. I haven’t had the chance.”
“I don’t exactly see how that is a problem.”
Hades groaned, covering his eyes with both palms, wrinkling his brow beneath his fingertips.
“I … imagined, asking her. I… I dreamed it, at least… at least I think I did. I looked at her hand, and wondered what it would look like, wearing a ring.”
He then paused for quite some time; longer than several beats of his heart that reverberated in his chest like a bass drum.
“Did you… did you conjure a ring?” Hecate asked quizzically.
He gulped.
“You … you placed a ring on her finger?”
“I …. Yes.”
“And you…. Never… formally proposed?”
“…no.”
“When did this happen?”
“Sometime last night, in the middle of the night. We… we both overslept this morning, and it’s her last day of college. She rushed me out the door to get her to class on time. I didn’t remember until we were about to leave. Every time I tried to mention that I needed to ask her something, she just said yes but, we could speak after she was done for the day. So… I just… I just dropped it.”
“I see… and I bet that you’re worried she is afraid? Or that she would say no?”
Hades then clutched his chest, close to his heart, that ached with pain at the mere thought of Persephone rejecting his proposal.
“I-I… I don’t know what to do, Hecate.”
Persephone was nearly complete with her final class of the day. The workload was heavy, with the addition of several essays, as well as many questions posed on her exams that were not covered in any study materials. Yet she breezed through with grace and agility. She expected to have excellent marks on her essays and high grades on her quizzes. However, the only difficulty that she faced, was not found within her schoolwork. Once again, classmates of hers were gossiping. Pointing fingers at her, while looking in her direction, or whispering if she were within earshot. She did catch rumors that Hades deliberately intimidated people before he left, transforming into something that other students described as menacing. Knowing the god of the dead as she did, it was nothing more than a parlor trick to get a rise out of nosy individuals. Serves them right for how they treat me, she thought to herself.
The bell rang, signaling that class was now over. Persephone finished her last word on the paper with great flourish, feeling accomplished that she was finally done with college degree. She began to pack her bag with notebooks and her belongings. A few daemons and satyrs glanced at her, giggling. Persephone was livid. She stood to her feet, slammed her palms on her desk, and glared at everyone in the room, as her eyes glazed red.
“I’m really sick of you all talking about me as if I’m not even here! If you have something to say, then say it to me directly. This is immature.”
A classmate looked hesitant to say anything.
“Seriously, speak up! We all have had the same classes for the entire day, and it’s stressful enough trying to concentrate on all of these damn essays and final exams without you looking at me like it’s the next Trojan war or something? What is your malfunction?!”
“You came with Hades this morning, that’s never happened.”
Persephone’s eyes resumed their normal white hue.
“Well, yea, I woke up late and didn’t have time to drive.”
A second satyr raised her head to speak.
“But the way he scared the shit out of everybody, it was like when you did—”
“He scared people? He’s the God of the Dead. He literally deals with dead souls and shades all day every day. Was your life threatened?”
“No?”
“Then I’m sure he wasn’t trying to be scary, that’s just his reputation. Not to mention—I didn’t try to scare people; at least not on purpose. A certain sun god did not understand consent. He needed to be taught a lesson. ”
“Whatever Kore,” the professor declared, packing his own belongings. “Clearly the two of you were made for one another with your omnipotent powers.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You tell me, you’re the one who married him.”
“Marriage? What in the realms are you talking about?!”
“Isn’t that a wedding ring?”
“Absolutely preposterous, Hades would at least ask-“
At that moment, everything hit Persephone, with the weight and impact of the titans their selves. Hades incessantly mentioning that he needed to speak with her and ask her a question. Professing his love, more intimately than he ever had before. The newly utilized reference as his queen. Wanting to worship her, ardently and with fervor. And the final piece of the puzzle, with a dart of her eyes downward, realizing that there was a large, shining, black ring on her ring finger; encrusted with tiny black diamonds that surrounded a larger one in the center. She held her hand out in front of her, with her mouth agape, staring at the jewelry that was adorned her hand.
“He…. He didn’t,” she stuttered.
“Wait, so you aren’t married?”
“No… I mean… not yet… Oh… oh my gods… He… he wants to marry me?!”
She raised her hand to be level with her eye again, further examining the dazzling ring once more. The longer that she stared at it, the more her vision became blurry, as tears clouded her vision. Blinking slowly, they spilled down her cheeks, landing in the soft cotton mass of her sweatshirt. She began to tremble, taken over with emotion.
The other students in the class began to dissipate, however the professor remained, looking on to ensure Persephone was okay. Gradually, Persephone sat back down in her chair, slinking towards the floor, until her palms were even with the flat surface. She pat the ground twice in slow succession.
Immediately, the lighting in the room flickered briefly. A stream of blue and black smoke wafted in the area, slowly swirling back and forth, darting between the various desks and chairs. It whizzed and encircled Persephone, changing into Hades form, as he appeared, arms wrapped around Persephone’s tiny waist.
“Persephone?!” he choked. His eyes were still wet with tears.
She sobbed into his shoulder.
“Sweetness, what… what’s wrong?”
Persephone pulled away from his embrace and limply held her left hand in the air. She tried to quiet her sobs, her chest still puffing with adrenaline.
“You… you…. You…”
She could barely speak. Hades face fell, seeing her in this emotional state. Cupping her face, he brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, and used his thumb to caress her cheek, wiping a tear away. His eyes were blue violet as he let his own tears carelessly fall.
“You… want …. To… marry … marry—ma-marry me?” Persephone blubbered.
Hades stood to his feet, and gently walked backwards, still holding Persephone’s face with one hand. Tenderly, he pulled her to stand and follow his movements, until they were no longer behind her confined little desk. With open space around them, he then dropped to one knee, and held her hand bearing the ring.
“Yes,” he whispered, barely able to speak the word.
Persephone’s bounced back and forth on her tip toes. She waved her other hand near her face, trying to fan her eyes as more tears came.
“Oh my gods!” she sobbed.
Hades cleared his throat.
“I told you a long time ago, that you are the woman of my dreams. There are still times where I question myself, wondering if I will ever truly be worthy of your love. I sometimes feel like I’m not good enough for you. But I can’t deny that … we were made for one another. Persephone, you complete me. You fill me with a hope for the future and a happiness that I have never had before, in all my millennia within these realms. You are charming, funny, intelligent, strong, and so damn beautiful I can’t stand it. Persephone, you mean so much to me… You deserve the moon, the stars, and all of the magic in between that connects them from Olympus to the mortal realm, the underworld and beyond. You deserve truth, honesty, communication, and consistency. You deserve happiness, and I … I really want to make you happy, for the rest of my immortal life. I want to protect you and be the one you want; be the man that you need. I want to… support you. I want to uplift you, and worship you, every minute of every day… You …. You deserve good things, and I hope that I’m that good thing. You deserve…. “
Hades held back a sob of his own, trying to continue to speak. Persephone squeezed his hand as he held it. Her face was wet with tears, and her eyes were puffy from crying so hard.
“…You deserve to be queen, and…. If you would… rule with me over the underworld. Equal in right and power as that of my own. I would… I would like if you did that… because… You … You’re my everything, sweetness.”
Persephone covered her mouth, trying to find her voice. The emotion was so thick in her throat, she was speechless.
“Persephone: Goddess of Spring. Prosperina. Righteous warrior, and eternal love of my life; will you… will you… marry me?”
Hades then took her left hand and kissed it benevolently, stroking the back of her palm with his thumb. His eyes were red from weeping, and he looked at Persephone lovingly. She stared back at him, and finally took her hand from her mouth to speak.
“Hades…” she whispered. “I—"
© daalex 2019
