Seed of Darkness (Hades and Persephone)

[Persephone]

Persephone had been sent to the mortal realm for her protection. She was sent away before everything went down so she is a new god who knows her past. She worried for her husband as he never came for her. She wondered if he was even alive. Persy threw herself into her work in bringing harvest to the cities she visited in order to not think of Hades and the hole that was there from missing him.

Yet just like her days on Olympus, her beauty attracted men. She was able to often refuse their advances stating she had lost her husband and still mourning his death. Her beauty though caught the attention of a King. He invited her to her to his castle multiple times. Persy was sure if she just ignored invite after invite or maybe accept one to see what he wanted. So she did the latter and accepted one of the invitations and showed up to the castle for dinner.

No sooner did dinner start and the king asked for Persy's hand in marriage. Persy refused telling him the reason like all the others. Yet the king didn’t accept this reason for turning his advances away. So the king accused her of trying to kill him, guards swarmed her and before she knew it she was being thrown into the dungeon of the castle.

“Please! You have this all wrong. I would never try and harm your king!” she rushed back to the door that slammed on her as she banged on it she felt tears fill her eyes. “How can you do this! It’s cruel.” She said as she moved away from the door and lowered to the ground. She honestly wasn’t sure if it would work but she couldn’t risk losing her head over someone who was trying to force a marriage upon her. 

Taking a deep breath she placed her hands to the ground and raised her hands, one hit, two hits, three hits. She let her eyes search the dark around her for him, when a moment passed and he hadn’t shown up she crumbled her body fully to the ground “Hades please I don’t want to die.” she whimpered to the floor as her head rested to the cold stone below her forehead.

[H A D E S - Council]

Who knew a God could change? Hades has changed a thousand times from the moment he was born till now but this change was different. Hades was one who thought he would never have pure happiness so when he was married and happy with her he was also counting the days so afraid that if he took it for granted it would hurt worse when things fell apart. Who do you pray to when you are the god? Hades, when the war took full effect and affected his realm he knew he could not keep Persephone any longer as the gods of his own realm under his protection were beginning to fall into Tartarus and there was nothing he could do to stop it and help them. He feared what Tartarus would do to his precocious wife if she fell and he also feared how she would view him maybe even hate him if she found out just how involved he was in this war with his brother. 

Time passed slow but with it, I was able to fix my realm once more, as best I could considering I was still alone here. One tap, I would freeze and hope two more would follow but they never came. I would continue my work, thrusting myself father into darkness in my solitude. One Tap, I would freeze and still hope that two more would follow but still it they never came so back to work I went. I had imps, servants, acolytes and old gods helping now until my former gods could learn who they were again and decide to return to work with me. Her smile stained my mind as I toiled away I lamented over the thought of taking her away from what made her smile so bright. I do not even recall such a bright smile when was with me; I had gone to her get, disguised myself as a human peasant but when I saw her from a distance basking in the sun, dancing and smiling with the humans I just could not bring myself to pull her from that. At last, the river of souls was in order again and it felt like decades had passed to just get here and even still my realm was nowhere near completely fixed. 

One tap, he ignored it kept working, he did not expect a second tap so when the second tap came harder than the first he froze in both hope and confusion, looking upwards. The third tap came even harder and now he was concerned as to why it was so desperate and hard. He was nothing like his brother who came in with a wave or a boom he was subtle from a shroud of darkness that appeared in the corner, he appeared right as her last words were spoken and it did not take long from him look around and know they were in some damp dungeon cell. His fury rose but he in utter silence bent down over her "I could never let that happen." His deep voice boomed down as he wrapped her gently in his arms and held her close to his chest. He quickly got her out there quick bringing her to her mothers, not the underworld, he laid her down on her bed and kissed the side of her face as he knelt down at the side of the bed looking at her "I will be right back" he spoke softly before taking her pinky with his. "I promise," he said with a soft closed mouth smile before he got up and disappeared into his cloud of darkness, trekking off to kill the men who had wronged his wife. 

[Persephone]

Persephone was desperate in that moment for some way out. She could use her telepathy but that would create a whole new monster. Why was she not gifted with teleportation like others, she could have just gone home on her own. The tears falling from her eyes as she whimpered into the ground. His arms though came around her as his words boomed deep into her chest. “H-h-hades?” she managed to stutter out as her blurry eyes focused on him. Before she knew it she was in her mother's home. A home she hadn’t seen in a long time, as the kiss came to her head she reached out for him yet he was gone before her hand could get a hold of him. “HADES!” she screamed out as she closed her eyes.

Sitting up on the bed she looked around the room for a moment before her eyes rested on the room that held many things that screamed Persephone. She stood up and walked over to one of the many plants that were in the room. Touching the Night flower petal she sighed as she moved, taking off her heavy winter cloak as here it was warm. She moved towards the bathing room and dipped her hand into the waterfall that was there and flowing. She removed her dress and stepped under the water as it poured over her finding herself warmed even more. Once she had finished washing the damp cold from the dungeon off of her body. She moved back into her room and searched around until she found a dress to slide on. After all of that seeing Hades still not back made her wonder if it was all a dream.

She wandered into her mother's home which looked abandoned. Had her mother fallen to the war as well? Was her mother wandering around with no idea who she was? Even though her mother and herself never saw eye to eye on what she wanted to do with her life. She knew that her mother had always wanted the best for her especially with who her father was. She walked around the home aimlessly jumping at every sound wondering if it was Hades in his return. She paused though at the windows as she looked out to the dead garden there. She moved into the back yard and pressed her hand to the ground calling forth her power and set it to bring alive the flowers that had once bloomed. She stared as the dead faded and life took its place. She had always looked at her gift as pleasing just like she did Hades gifts. After all he helped many souls find their way even in death.

She layed on the ground once the flowers had bloomed and closed her eyes. Her body fully relaxed for the first time in what felt like a long time. She hadn’t been able to just stop and bask in flowers. Between helping the starving and missing her home she had felt so utterly lost and now even just being close to a piece of it made her feel better. She had been tired for so long yet she tried to fight the sleep that overtook her waiting to see her husband again and know he was in fact real, and really came for her. And oh boy did he have an earful coming about making her wait so long to return to him.

[H A D E S - Council]

Everything around him was up in flames, the sounds of screams rising into the air to join the women wails that were already there. He did not touch or condemn the innocents here they should not have to pay for what their king and his men had done. With a breath, Hades opened his eyes and dropped the head of the king to the ground. The underworld would be busy from this but it was not something he could not handle or was willing to deal with because their souls deserved it. He left them in that upraoring chaos returning to his wife or where he had left her. 

I did not want her to see me like this so I did not return to her room immediately. Demeter though having avoided Tartarus during the war had long abandoned her home here so I knew I would not have to fight her over her daughter. I cleaned up, made myself presentable before I returned to her room chuckling I because I should have known she was not going to still be here. I did not panic; there was not far she could go and it would not be hard to find her, I would just have to find the signs of life. I found her lying among the flowers fast asleep as a smile graced my face at the sight. 

He bent down and admired her as she slept, brushing the strands of her hair out of her face, very careful to wake her. He looked around at the life she restored frowning faintly to himself because there was nothing like this in his realm and he hated having to take her away from the human realm where they benefited from her most. Yet if he left her here he highly doubted that she would forgive him and unable to guarantee her safety. He laid down with her staring at her as he rested his arm across her and the shroud of darkness encased them both and sank them into the ground. They appeared on their bed in the underworld seamlessly and soundlessly his eyes staying on her before he tore himself away from her side. There was much to do and though it broke his heart to not be able to be with her if not for just a moment he had to go. Disappearing in his shroud leaving her in the underworld alone and no clue as to where he had gone off to. 

[Persephone]

She was so deep in sleep she hadn’t felt Hades watching her, she hadn’t felt him admiring her. She didn’t feel as she was moved from the warmth of the garden sun to the coldness of the Underworld. She mumbled in her sleep for a moment. “Hades” as she dreamed of him pulling her into his arms unter the eternal moon of the Underworld finally together without anyone or anything getting in their way.   As she rolled to the side the silk feeling embraced her body. Sher rolled twisting in it. Hours passed before her eyes opened, she looked around the room and her eyes noticed it as their bedroom. She ran her hands along the bedding remembering how it felt on her skin many nights.

Yet again she was alone, yet she knew Hades had to bring her here. Only way she could have ended up in their bed. She pulled herself from the sheets and walked out of their bedroom when she paused. She looked around and there seemed to be such coldness in there even more than before. She didn’t call out, instead she began to walk the halls mindlessly. She wanted to find him on her own. Watch him work, which she was sure she was doing. Yet as she entered the kitchen she moved to the windows and looked down to the dead gardens. Frowning, knowing that since she has been gone this place must have taken on Hades Sadness. She felt to blame for the loss of the beauty they had once created.

Though her mind was soon pulled from that as paws pressed into her back almost knocking her over. She turned her head and a smile grew on her face as she turned around feeling the noses of all three dogs now on her face as she lowered down. “Cerberus, my pups I have missed you so much. She hugged all three of them close as they wagged their tails in excitement. “Has daddy been feeding you well?” She pulled back and started to dig around until she found a full ham that she cut up and put down three bowls full. She pet them before moving back to the window. “How about after you eat we go work on a surprise to make this place feel like the old days?” she asked over her shoulder to the hellhounds that were really just big dogs.

[H A D E S - Council]

He sat on the Acheron shore rubbing his hands together with a heavy huff and let his eyes roam along the river Styx. It took hours to get this sort of peace and he knew it would not last, he mumbled to himself about it before he rose to his feet. Hades never believed he would one day admit that he missed the gods but for right now he certainly missed the one's of his realm, it was usually around this time that Hecate would be pestering him about one thing or another while Hermes at the same time flutters in to check on Persephone... And him. He missed the pestering and annoyance, he missed Artemis randomly barge in in a blaze of glory to save her friend Kore from no threat at all.

I had to chuckle at the thoughts and memories because that was all I had and having Persephone back, at last, would take some adjustment again. We had to get used to each other once more and accustomed to the new demand on our lives as Eternals. Brushing myself off I began to walk back to her, to home, huffing because I felt as though all the Eternals left with memory of who or what they are were answering and atoning for things we did not even do. Maybe this was penance for all the times it was us, all the myths and lore and Grimm tales based on us and what we would do to mortals and the others were at last catching up to us all at once and punishing even those among us that were innocent. Making it to our room a smirked to see she was not still there and had we been anywhere else I would have panicked but she was home, she was safe. 

He rubbed his hair back and forth before spinning around and heading down the hall, finding her should not be too hard she was the only goddess here among the nymphs and imps and the Grey sisters... Oh and the several hundred dogs. In fact, he knew her so well he knew exactly where she would be but when he got there he was stunned to see her not here. He looked through the window and could see her there with Cerberus and he immediately crossed his arms over his chest.  

"Restealing my wife already? Rood!" I clearly said to myself because none of them could hear me, I grumbled and started to march towards the nearest door to reach where Penny and Cerberus were. 'Lord Hades!' I heard them before they said my name in unison and tried to ignore them but they got in front of me and stopped me before I could. 'Your brother's realm is in turmoil once again.' The Grey sisters chastised me as if knowing I would not and did not really care and I did nothing to hide my attitude from my face but this was my job now so I growled. "Which realm?" The answer mattered because while I hated Zeus I loved Poseidon... In my way. 'Water realm' they confirmed and I dropped my head and nodded, taking one last look at Persephone pet out dogs before letting my dark cloud take me away to where I needed to go. 

[Persephone]

Persephone was home but the place felt so much emptier then it did before. She thought back on all the friends she had lost, and how the whole world felt utterly off balance. She let out a gentle sigh as she made herself look back out of the window to the dead guardian below. She missed this place, she missed her friends, she missed their animals, but most of all she had missed her husband. She wanted to run to him, she wanted to be by his side no matter what he was doing. Yet she also knew about how he felt her running into the darkest parts of the dark realm. She just hoped to brighten the realm once again. She wanted to make a welcoming space for when the other Eternals found their way home.

After a long moment alone she heard a voice in the hall, “Queen Persephone.” The Grey sisters joined her in the Kitchen. Persephone turned towards the sister and smiled towards them. “Happy to see you home.” they spoke as they moved closer, “Yet we have something to show you.” They said as they reached out and took her hand. Persephone took a sharp breath in as a vision of death, no a vision of Hades death filled her vision, she watched as Zeus stood over his body. When their hands were gone she gasped out her hand going to her heart as she tried to steady the pain there. “We can’t show him, Zeus isn’t awoken yet, but when he does we fear this will come to pass.” With that they were gone.

She blinked her eyes a few times before looking at Cerberus. She pressed her face to the window. “It will not come to pass. I will keep my husband safe.” She said before she pushed from the window and began to walk down the hall. Her outfit changed into one of her gowns of the underworld and the halls began to wrap with vines blooming flowers behind her. The vines wrapping around the columns soon the whole castle was covered in night flowers. Soon she found herself in the dead garden. Her hand came to the ground and her eyes burned pink as the garden and the grounds sprung back to life.

Cerberus followed behind her every step of the way, once she was done and she was tired she let out a soft groan. Her hand came to her head as she looked to the dogs. “Go play,” she said as she returned into the castle and made her way back to their room, she settled on the bed dressed far too fancy to sleep. Her face was full of worry for a moment as she couldn’t get the vision from her mind. She knew she would need all her strength to keep Hades alive. The Realms needed him, he had done what his brothers couldn’t.

[H A D E S - Council]

The water kingdom was not much different from his own as of right now, it was empty and deserted with certain areas needing more attention than others. Water was far from Hades' comfort zone but desperate times and all and he made it work. He rubbed the water from his face and his fingers through his hair before eventually rubbing his eyes with a huff. He would need to make a mental note to put some acolytes, nymphs, and maybe an old God or two in this realm, in particular, to help him out. All this work he had to handle practically all on his own was getting to him. It was wearing him down physically and mentally he just wanted to see his wife and spend time with her. 

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes as I arrived back into the comforts of my own home. Soaked to the bone and grateful in this moment I was not a human who would get sick from being wet and cold. I trudged through my home fuming, tired and angry. All I wanted was rest and peace but no, of course, I could not have that. Of course, I was doing all this work to keep the world in order and balanced only to be coined the bad guy in the end. Gaia how I hated everything! I had barely even turned the knob of my room door when The Grey Sisters approached once again and stopped me. This is getting rather ridiculous and I am sure they are plotting against me now! 'There is an issue in Tartarus.' They all took turns to say and my hand left the door as I spun to face them with a stern look. 

They quickly led him away from thier room and the whole time without him knowing Persephone was right there on the other side. He sat on his throne completely bummed as a heavy breath vibrated passed his lips. The Grey sisters talked on and on about how something was wrong as he rubbed his eyes once again. "Yes, something is wrong! You have established this but when I myself went into Tartarus moments ago everything was fine. I am not saying you three are wrong I would just like a clear answer of when." He spoke clear and intently with his voice booming through the throne room. He stood up, he always hated that throne or any for that matter as it was "When will this trouble begin? Can you see it or should I remain on guard? And for how long? With everything I have on my plate, how do I handle this unknown threat now too? Is this threat my brother or father!? Why can you not answer!!?" He lost his temper then and all the flames in the castle burst to life, blazing at their peak before he closed his eyes and took a breath, the flames dying down but not going out. "Why have fates if you can not answer any of my questions?" 

[Persephone]

Now patience was a virtue the queen of the underworld had, and yet when she felt Hades presence near their room but suddenly went again. She frowned. What a reunion this was turning out to be for them. With a sigh she paced the room waiting for his return once again and yet as it seemed to not be the case her anger flowed through her. Her eyes turned red as her hair grew longer. Even Ceberus at this time knew to go into hiding at this time. She set off through the castle leaving a trail of thorns in her wake as she did so. 

She soon was at the doors of the throne room throwing the doors open and her gaze narrowed towards the Grey sisters. “I suggest you leave or there will be trouble here.” She watched them as they faded away and her eyes met her husbands. “You know for a return home, a reunion I thought would be filled with more happiness, this day has sucked.” She was crossing the Throne room as the doors closed behind her. Her hands coming to her hips as she drew closer to him. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you dear husband that when you run out on your wire the repercussions could be dier.” 

She climbed the stairs to his throne and soon had vines wrapped around him to hold him in his Throne. “Are you not happy to have me home?” she asked as she arched her brow looking him over. Looking like a proper queen of the underworld as her eyes fades to their pink no longer red. “I have missed you.” She said gentler.

[H A D E S - Council]

Hades was seething and trying to remain composed was very clearly waning on him, he flexed his jaw and stiffened up as the fates continued to weave their wild web of questions. He rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and before anyone knew it he had silently snapped. Without a word uttered from his lips all the flames in his realm burned wild and violently and he could slowly feel the colour in his eyes turn to black. He snarled faintly when the doors of his throne room were brashly burst open though he remained quiet the whole time as his queen approached. He let her dismiss the fates because he was two seconds away from slaughtering them where they stood. However, the vines that came and bound him to a throne he hated to begin with setting him off. "You are not even supposed to be home!" His words shot from his mouth without thought or caution but he soon inhaled sharp and deep and all the tiny fires everywhere slowly died down. 

The colours of my hues returned and my body relaxed as I breathed deep. I opened my closed eyes slow and set them back on Persephone before huffing. "I am thrilled to have you by my side again." I said wholeheartedly "I just wish it were on better terms. No husband should have to find his wife locked away and then have to save her from the said predicament." I could not hide the scold that appeared on my face and shortly after broke my gaze away from hers to rip at the vines still binding me. "You were supposed to keep a low profile..." I tsked her more playful than condescending, rotating my wrist as I free just that one. 

"I can not deny I missed you and I have been trying to see you since you have been home... I just have a larger responsibility now than when we were first married." His eyes scanned away from her as he thought and clearly got lost to his thoughts, to the point where he was no longer trying to free himself from her vines. The gears of his mind were running and turning and he was very clearly trying to work out what little the fates had told him combined with all the things he still had left to do just today alone. It was stressing him out but he would never admit it or ask for help and even if she offered he would be persistent in her staying as far away from the consequences of this war as possible. This was his consequence or so he believed because though in the end, he fought to end the war of the gods he was apart of the start of it and did nothing to stop it from dominoing into what it became. 

[Persephone]

As Hades yelled at her she wasn’t even meant to be home she paused, She looked away to stare at the flames that seemed to fade away. Her mouth stayed closed for that moment as her vines weakened and the heated passion she wished to express. How happy she was to be close to him again. Yet she was met with anger and harshness.  She began to walk down the stairs. Keeping her back to him she let her head hang in that moment. “Well all I am getting now is mixed messages.” She stated softly as she kept her eyes to the ground.

“Better terms?” She scoffed out, “I never wanted to leave, you and mother chose that for me so I could keep my memories. So I could live among the humans once again. Yet what did you expect me to do Hades? I had no title, no money, nothing. How was I to live? I could have married but I could never love anyone else. I chose the life of nomadship helping others.” She turned to face him as she felt the vines ripped away from him. “How low of a profile did you expect me to keep!” She screamed, then tears in her eyes clearly hurt by his comments. “Do you rather wish I stay in the dirt and just wait till things were ‘perfect’ before you came for me.” She swallowed hard. “Hades it's been decades since I have seen you. I never called for you till now. And you scream I shouldn’t even be home.” She took a step away from him backwards. “What am I to think? Maybe you didn’t miss me as you say you did.”

Persephone let the vines fall away as she moved towards the door. “I understand you have a large responsibility but you never had to bear it alone. You chose to Bear it alone. I would have stayed and helped you. Yet you chose what you thought was best for me. Like always.” She said as she opened the door. “I will not bother you anymore.” She walked out the door with it slamming close as she walked down the hall to find the garden once again. Her mind lost in ways to help but she couldn’t do anything since all it would do is anger them both. Since he would refuse her help.

[H A D E S - Council]

As he watched her reaction he knew he had messed up and he groaned to himself at his own stupidity. Listening to her made him feel as though he had made the worse option of his choices when it came to keeping her safe even though he ultimately knew that was no true. He remained silent and let her vent as he tried to find his words since his last few words got them here. He was never good at speaking to others because everyone mostly avoided him though there were a few that did not. With everyone gone and only his, none godly subjects left his eloquence and charm reverted to its' initial state of being. "No that is-" he repeatedly tried to reply to Penny, hoping he could get a word in and one that would convince her of his intentions for sending her off. 

I groaned in frustration and desperation again as her vines fell away from me and I tried to scramble after her. Of course, I was stopped by several nymphs, servants, dogs, fates... My anger flared. I snapped. "THAT IS ENOUGH!!!" even I felt the underworld tremble as I yelled and all the flames around us raged. Everyone coward away but I no longer cared as I pushed passed them. Except for my dogs, I loved them so I pet them as I passed and that resulted in them trotting behind me as I stormed forward. I scooped up my wife and carried her over my shoulder and into our room before slamming the door behind us. I tossed her down "when I sent you to earth you have to understand something, I had no other choice. Everyone was supposed to go to Tartarus and forget but how could I do that to you?! You were the first to..." I caught myself and cleared my throat as I smiled faintly before moving closer to her. " Your home was supposed to go untouched you were supposed to be safe there and if money or title were ever an issue you could have reached out. I never shut you out or cut off communication. I just...." I growled to myself. "I just put distance so you would not get caught up in my mess because then I would not be able to protect you from the curse that got the rest of our kind." 

 

[Persephone]

The gardens were always so different in the underworld, the plants thriving off darkness and glowed with their own beauty. So that is what she was focused on getting too in that moment that even as the underworld trembled to him, she didn’t. She just wanted to feel wanted and she knew the plants would do that for her. So when her feet were out from under her and she was over his shoulder she gave a grunt from her lips.  “Will you put me down!” She said as she beat on his back knowing it would do nothing to him but may make her feel better.

Noticing they were in their room, she stopped feeling herself tossed down; she crossed her arms and stared into his eyes as he spoke. She tried to hold on to her hardened expression until his words made her heart ache. Had he felt as lonely as she did without being around each other. With a soft sigh as he moved closer, her hand moved to rest on his chest now that he was close to her. “Well I am glad I wasn’t made to forget the most important person in my life.”  She said honestly, she couldn’t imagine having her soulmate ripped from her and him having to remember doing it.

“I have come to learn that what we wish often doesn’t come to pass. Mortals like to destroy things they don’t understand. So I made my place because I didn't know if I could contact you unless I was in danger.” She spoke honestly as she looked up into his eyes searching his, “I don’t like distance, it's been far too long since I could just reach out and touch you like this.” She almost whimpered out. “I wanted to be here helping you so you didn’t have to do this alone. You were so lonely for so long I couldn’t stand the thought you forced yourself into loneliness again.” She gave a gentle frown. “It hurt knowing we were so close and so far at once. It hurt feeling you didn’t want me home.”