Chapter Text
Spring had just begun to settle gently over the land, painting Mother Earth emerald green and calling flowers up from the dead. The skies change their mood on a whim, pouring down rain one minute and apologizing with warm sunlight the next. It was picturesque. It was everything young Persephone–known privately as Sakura–had been waiting for.
That day, she’d decided to take to the wide-open fields. The wildflowers had been inviting her for days now, and she’d finally found the time to accept their offer. Settling into a random spot amongst the tall grass, she tugged her chiton over her knees and heaved an appreciative sigh. Her feet were bare, her hair billowed in the breeze behind her, and she thought to herself that this was freedom.
In the distance, a startled doe made her escape from the woodline, catching Sakura’s attention. That had been her first warning.
The second came in the form of a lithe man emerging from the wall of trees and brush, dressed clad in black darker than nightfall. The moment his eyes found hers across the land, she knew somewhere in her mind that nothing would ever be the same.
Pleasantries were exchanged reluctantly, hesitation mixing with naive curiosity in the young goddess’s heart. The man told her that he was the god of death, that his name was Hades, but he had a preference for Sasuke. She admitted that she thought it suited him better, and he hummed his agreement. What exactly they spoke of Sakura couldn’t quite recall, as she was far too busy staring into eyes that resembled an endless void and admiring the way his lashes lowered as he talked. She remembered that she found him alluring in an otherworldly way, and that her heart had skipped beats with every breath that passed his lips.
She also remembered the way his face had remained unchanged as the ground began to split beneath them, soil pouring into the fresh gap as the earth gave way. She’d cried out in alarm, but it had been too late. When her body plummeted into the abyss below, she was left gazing up at Sasuke, eyes like polished onyx monitoring her descent before he stepped off the edge to join her.
It does not take long for word of Persephone’s kidnapping to spread.
The moment that Lady Tsunade, goddess of the harvest, had been told by a mortified nymph that her daughter was taken, spring found itself promptly stunted. Blooms everywhere halted mid blossom, and no sprout dared to continue its upward climb through the soil. Tsunade’s rage could be both seen and felt through the earth, intense enough to catch King Jiraiya—otherwise known as Zeus—by surprise.
It’s even said that Olympus began to shake in response to her fury, but no one was foolish enough to mention that to her face.
Because Hades didn’t share a throne amongst the twelve Olympians and not just anyone could make the treacherous journey to the Underworld, King Jiraiya was left scratching his head on how to reach him. With Lady Tsunade’s temper only worsening by the minute and everyone else avoiding the palace like it was ground zero for a plague, he was left no choice but to call upon the one god that could cross the boundary between the surface and the realm below.
That individual, known to mortals as Hermes and to other deities as Naruto, was the only one capable of negotiating with Hades. Because he presided over travel and was familiar with leading souls to their afterlife, he remained the sole Olympian to have a real bond with the god of death.
They were said to be good friends, though many of the other twelve (likely thanks to Aphrodite) believed that there was a chance they were a bit closer than that. With the latter’s frequent visits and longer-than-necessary delays each time he ventured there, it was only a matter of time before people began to whisper.
Either way, it was no concern of Jiraiya’s as long as Naruto was able to do the job. Though, it wasn’t like he had much room to refuse.
Naruto arrived only minutes after being summoned, a lazy smile set in place as his arms folded behind his head. His winged sandals fluttered when he came to a stop, easing him onto the marbled floors. His nonchalant behavior was quick to give way to practiced formality the instant Hades’ name was mentioned, and he was made aware of the situation.
He didn’t need to be told twice.
With a mock salute and a grin that had a slightly sharpened edge—he wasn’t a fan of having his relationships with others exploited—he was off, leaving King Jiraiya to quell Tsunade’s anger alone.