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You are the kindest thing
that ever happened to me,
even if that is not how our tale is told.
When everyone else told me I was
destined to be forgotten nymph
t hat nurtured flowers and turn meadows gold,
you saw that the ichor that resides in me
demanded its own throne.
You showed me
how a love like ours can turn
even the darkest, coldest realm
into the happiest of homes.
- Nikita Gill
Her flowers were crying.
Ochako sat up in alarm as a loud wail pierced through her mind. She clutched the fabric at her chest with trembling fingers when the cries increased in volume, the sheer pain in their voices ringing in her skull.
What was happening? Who was hurting her flowers?
Wide brown eyes darted across the lush green of the Elysian Fields for any hint of a disturbance. When her survey came back empty, she looked beyond the fields to where his-- no, their palace stood tall, overlooking the banks of the River Styx.
She felt a tugging on the gilded heartstrings that lay within her chest and she knew; that’s where they were.
Gathering the pale pink skirt of her chiton, Ochako set off without another thought. Flowers sprung up from the ground with each step she took as she flew across the field with careless grace. The peonies she had woven into her tresses clung on like needy babes as her hair whipped behind her.
Someone was hurting what she considered precious and she could feel a fire simmering inside of her at the thought.
It didn’t take her long to reach the Styx. Slowing as she approached the riverbank, she held her breath to creep up behind the trunk of a tall tree. She could hear her beloved’s reminders as she peeked around the tree.
Watch before you act, think before you act.
There on the bank of the River Styx, was a man, tall and broad shouldered, with short inky black curls that reminded her of Medusa’s writhing snakes. Her eyes briefly skimmed the rest of his form and she inhaled sharply upon seeing the faint, otherworldly glow coating the bronze of his skin. Not a man, she corrected herself, a demi-god.
A certain dread settled inside her chest at that realization.
Nothing good ever came out of someone like him visiting their realm.
“Where is she?” he bellowed, towering over Charon. An ugly sneer marred his attractive face and he lifted his chin to stare contemptuously down at the ferryman. Ochako scowled at his posturing before her eyes dropped down to the ground.
Her eyes narrowed at the trail of broken and crushed flowers that led from the edge of the water to where the stranger now stood. There had been a pathway for those who had crossed to step on, but it was obvious that he had ignored it, choosing instead to trample her sweet blooms instead.
“I said where is she, old man??” The stranger reached out to fist the front of Charon’s shirt and he yanked him forward. “Where are you hiding her??” he shouted, shaking the old man roughly and the violence in his action spurred Ochako to move.
“What’s going on?” she interjected, stepping forward from behind the tree. Her flowers sighed at her presence and eagerly reached out to her as she imbued them with comfort and strength.
The stranger’s head snapped at the sound of her voice and when his eyes landed on her, they gleamed with a light that made a chill run down her spine.
“There you are,” he sighed, a smile slowly spreading across his face. It was like seeing a mask slip over his features, hiding the nastiness behind a veneer of false kindness. It was too bad Ochako had already seen what he truly was like.
He stepped away from Charon and approached her with his arms wide open. “I’ve been looking for you, Kore.”
She fought not to take a step back. His open arms resembled a trap more than an embrace. “Please don’t call me that.”
A mockingly indulgent look appeared on his face. “Ah, that’s right, you prefer Ochako don’t you?”
She nodded, eyes watching him warily.
“My name is Shindo, son of Zeus, and I am here to save you Ochako,” he announced. “I was told you were kidnapped and taken away from your home by the despicable God of the Underworld. I am here to fight him, and when I defeat him, I shall bring you back to where you rightfully belong.”
A little huff escaped her pink lips.
Who was he, to think he could defeat her husband? He was a young demi-god upstart and he wanted to defeat the God of the Underworld, the Dead, and the Riches. How foolish was he?
And to bring her back to where she belonged? Did he not know that where she belonged, was in fact, this very realm they currently stood in?
Carefully schooling her expression, she regarded him calmly.
“I believe you are mistaken,” she said coolly. “There need be no saving here. This is currently where I belong, and while I thank you for your offer, I must decline.”
He stopped dead and gaped at her in shock. Ochako remained poised and gently clasped her hands in front of her, keeping a steady eye on the demi-god before her. It always came as a surprise when others realized she was not the flighty, air-headed girl everyone thought she was.
Not everyone, she reminded herself, certainly not him.
Shindo shook his head with a light chuckle before slowly approaching her. “Now there Ochako, please listen. I know you are a bright girl but it’s obvious that the dreariness down here has muddled your brain. That insidious King of the Underworld has been feeding you lies and I must take you back before it’s too late.”
Ochako bristled at the slight against her husband. It seemed like those on the surface still had misconceptions when it came to her King.
They only saw what they wanted to see: the eldest brother, shunted off to the depth of the underworld to pass judgement on the dead. To them he was the enemy, taking away their loved ones and holding them forever. He was foul, evil, and despicable.
But they were wrong. He was prone to anger, yes, and had no qualms dealing harsh punishments to those that deserved them, but he was a fair ruler, and never abused his power. When it came to her, he was quietly caring and considerate, and it did not take long for her to open her heart to his clumsy affection.
There was absolutely no way she would stand for someone talking about him like that.
“Come my dear Ochako, take my hand and return to the surface where you truly belong,” Shindo continued, beckoning her forward with his fingers.
Ochako straightened her back and steeled her eyes. “I refuse,” she said calmly. “Shall I have Charon take you back across the river?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Shindo spat. “I’m not leaving this miserable place without you, whether I need to take you forcefully or not. You can’t truly think you can stay here?”
Ochako felt the ichor that flowed through her veins simmer beneath her skin at this god’s impudence. Tiny flowers began sprouting up by her feet and the grass swayed restlessly despite the lack of wind.
“I’m afraid I must ask you to leave,” she said, unable to stop ice from entering her voice. “Must I repeat myself? This is my home, Zeus himself has declared it so. Who are you to challenge what he has decided?”
“Zeus is my father , that’s why I challenge him!”
“You and hundreds of others!” Ochako scoffed. “Do you think you are special? Do you think you are better than Apollo? Artemis? Even Hercules? You’re not even an immortal! You’re just a demi-god.”
Ochako knew she had hit a sore spot when Shindo’s face twisted in rage. His golden glow intensified, as if his anger powered his strength, and before she knew it, he had crossed the small distance that lay between them.
“Do you think you’re that much better off?” Shindo shoved his face into hers and his dark eyes bore down into hers. She stiffened her back and glared defiantly up at him, refusing to back down.
“He has poisoned your mind, my dear sweet Kore, ” he continued ruthlessly, “he has fed you lies, twisted your ideals, corrupted your very being. You think you are his queen? Don’t make me laugh. You’re weak, nothing more than an insignificant minor goddess that needed her mother to look out for her every step and hold her hand.”
Ochako gasped, feeling her heart twang painfully at the mention of her mother and her life prior to the underworld.
Shindo smiled, a cruel twist of his mouth. “You are not a queen. No, no, do you know what you are? You spend half a year here for the rest of your life and he’s led you to believe that it’s your home. You’re no queen Ochako, you’re a prisoner,” he spat, dark eyes glittering in malice, “and you’re too much of a fool to even realize it.”
“You’re wrong,” she said, her voice shaking. “You’re wrong. I-I am the quee—“
“Are you?” Shindo challenged. “Do you think you are worthy of such a title?”
Her mouth opened wordlessly.
Was she worthy? Wasn’t this something that she asked herself all the time?
Why her? Why, of all people, did Katsuki choose her? Was it because she was truly meant to be his queen, or was it just a fluke? A passing fancy of his?
She was more than just a mere goddess of flowers…
Right?
“Enough prattling,” Shindo barked, startling her out of her shock. “Come Kore, we shall go.”
“N-no, I refuse!” Ochako tried to back away but he advanced, crowding her space.
“Do not make me force you, you are coming!”
“No! You cannot make me!”
“Kore!” He roared, reaching out and grabbing her arm. He yanked her towards him, his grip twisting painfully and Ochako felt something ignite within her.
“ NO!”
White hot fury rose up inside her like a wave and crashed, bringing a rush of power to the very tips of her fingers. A loud roar echoed in her ears as all of her senses focused on the feel of his skin on hers and how it felt so utterly wrongwrong wrong. She felt the overwhelming desire to hurt. To damage. To punish.
How dare he touch her, the queen of the underworld?
Her hands latched onto his arm and his skin sizzled when her palms made contact. Shindo howled in pain, his knees buckling before her.
“Never. Lay your hand on me. Again.” Ochako’s nails dug into his bronzed skin, sinking deeper and deeper until thin rivulets of ichor spilled from the wounds. With one final scream, she unleashed her power and the world exploded in bright white where there was nothing and yet everything all at once.
When she came to, her hands were empty, and there was no one else on the riverbank aside from her, Charon, and a tiny little sapling that stood in front of her, with branches that curled much like Shindo’s tresses.
Ochako stared at the tree, breathing heavily.
A demi-god, a son of Zeus, reduced to a young oak by her very own hands.
Slowly, she unclenched her hands, breathing deeply to calm her heart. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly and her flowers crooned at her, desperate to comfort their mistress.
She felt him before he even appeared.
His presence wrapped around her in a warm embrace and her shoulders relaxed under the weight of his aura. A dark mist materialized around her feet and drifted up in lazy swirls until she could feel his solid chest press up against her back.
“Katsuki,” she sighed.
“That was a little much, wasn’t it?” His voice was a low growl against the shell of her ear. His warmth was a balm on her shaken soul and when his solid arms slipped around her waist, she leaned back gratefully against his chest.
A gentle kiss was pressed against the side of her neck and the corners of her lips quirked up. “I...was upset,” she admitted.
Her king chuckled lowly, a deep and raspy sound that never failed to send a thrill through her. Even in the beginning he had fascinated her, despite her unwillingness to admit it.
She turned in his arms to meet bright ruby eyes. He looked down at her with something akin to pride and she felt her heart swell. “You didn’t interfere,” she commented, gently running the pads of her fingers against his jawline. His lashes fluttered as he leaned into her touch.
“You didn’t need me to,” he answered, capturing her fingers with his hand and pressing them against his lips. “You are a force to be reckoned with, my queen.”
Ochako preened at his praise. His presence alone was doing wonders to soothe her ruffled feathers. “I’m not frail, or weak, like what the others say?”
Katsuki scoffed, red eyes glinting dangerously.
“There is nothing frail about you,” he snarled. “Where others see frail, I see strength. Where others see soft and childish, I see a woman worthy of standing by my side as Queen. There is ichor within you that demands a throne,” his arms around her tightened as he dragged her up the length of his front until they were nose to nose, “and I gave you one,” he finished softly, speaking the words against her lips.
“And who are you, to give me what I demand?” Ochako asked, an echo of the words she had hurled at Shindo.
Katsuki’s eyes softened, until the harsh glint mellowed into a smoulder.
“I am merely a king,” he murmured, his lashes lowering, “who is terribly in love with his queen.”
Ochako shivered as he finally kissed her properly, holding her tight against him. He parted her lips with ease and pressed his tongue against hers, tasting her moans and drinking in her sighs. Her fingers clutched at his biceps as he thoroughly ravished her and a warmth blossomed inside her at his ardent attention.
A few moments passed before he finally drew away and a needy whimper escaped her when he did. A rakish grin appeared on his face when he heard the noise and a blush rose up on her cheeks. She slid down his front and landed daintily on her feet, suddenly embarrassed by the depths of her desire for the god before her.
Clearing her throat and shyly tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she glanced at him through her lashes only to see him gazing at her quite intently. The adoration in his eyes made her heart flutter.
Emboldened by his evident affection, she went up on her tippy toes to brush a kiss against his jawline. “Shall we head home, my king?” she asked.
The wry grin he gave her made her sigh happily and she could feel her flowers twittering merrily at her overflowing joy.
Placing a hand on the small of her back, he gestured towards their palace with an open palm. “After you, my queen.”
Together, they headed back to their palace where they ruled as the King and Queen of the underworld for all of eternity.