The forgotten tale of Hades and Persephone
Chapter 1

Who ever said silence was not tangible obviously did not live in the Underworld. Down here silence was a living, breathing mutant that slithered and crept into even the smallest crevices. Cold. Dark. Many a strong warrior had lost himself to the abyss of merciless nothingness. It was bloody depressing. Hades, God of the Underworld, slouched back upon his black throne, glancing once more at the scroll of newly arrived souls. It was always the same. With an exasperated sigh he flung the piece of parchment into the air so it fluttered down gentle to rest at his feet. A servant rushed out from the shadows to retrieve the scroll and place it with the other names of countless souls hidden away in Hades' archives. Hades paid him no attention, leaning his head down on his fist Hades rubbed at his tired eyes and sighed again. Of late he had been in a state of mind that was cryptic even for him. However, what was more disturbing was Hades didn't even know why. His manner of behavior had taken a rather interesting turn over the past few days.

At night lying alone in his chambers he would attempt sleep only to find it to evade him. The lack of light disturbed him and forced him to call that the torches be lit. It wasn't as if he liked living down deep in the Earth! He just happened to get stuck with the job. "Hooray, we defeated Cronus! Now, who should control which regions? Oh, I know! Let's draw straws!" Zeus, the little twerp, got his palace in the sky while their brother, Poseidon, got the seas. And he got a bunch of rock and guardianship of the afterlife. If that wasn't depressing enough he had then began to go strolling along through his palace and begun to take notice of his servants who threw nervous glances at him. Instead of ignoring them as he usually did, he now found himself angry that even his own servants acted like he was a horrific monster. After his dealings with the wailing souls in Tartarus he found that his feet began taking him to the entrance of the Elysian Fields, a place he rarely visited. He stopped to listen to the birds and the laughter of children that plucked at the strings of his black heart. Those sounds made him long for another sweet laughter. One of kindness, warmth, and all the joys denied to him by fate. If all this wasn't bizarre enough, he had even considered planning trips up to Mount Olympus, something that he definitely never did unless he couldn't help it, for the sole purpose of finding the figure that had long since filled his dreams.

Hades was the only one, besides his brother Poseidon, of his many godly brothers and sisters who didn't dwell on Mount Olympus. Always being a little on the shy side in his younger years and then his years in his underground kingdom had made Hades less than sociable. He felt very out of place among his siblings who were happy, lively, and always into each other's businesses and lives. No privacy. Not that any of the other Olympians were begging for his presence anyway….well except for one goddess.

Without even thinking, Hades swiped his hand in front of him and instantly a simmering mirror appeared. The shimmering silver transformed into a large green meadow covered with wild flowers. A group of wood nymphs bearing the emblem of his sister Demeter were racing across the lush hills. As per their nature, they were giggling and singing in sweet tones as their long slender legs carried them across the sea of summer grass. Together through the meadow and was soon followed by…..

"Persephone, beautiful Persephone, come and play with us!" The nymphs sang in unison. Persephone looked up from the object that she was once again twirling through her fingers to see several of her mother's nymphs smiling and beckoning for her to join them.
"Persephone darling, why are you sitting here all by yourself?" came a voice from behind her. Persephone turned to see her mother standing there looking down at her. Demeter was a strong woman with a handsome face that was always smudged with a smear of dirt. Her luscious raven hair was so long that even braided it came to the small of her back. As the goddess of agriculture it was obvious when you looked upon her that she glowed with the gift of life, she took control of her responsibilities as nurturer with iron stealth when it came to nature and especially her only daughter.

"I am not alone, Mother." Persephone said gesturing at the awaiting nymphs.

"Why didn't you answer me when I called you? I wish to have the lower fields green and in bloom before nightfall.

Before she could answer, Persephone noticed the willow tree that her mother had just healed from a terrible storm swaying its branches, giggling when she saw it's flowing leafy arms began to curl lovingly around Demeter's ankles.

"Off." Her mother said sternly to the tree before looking back at her daughter.

"I'm sorry Mother; I guess I was lost in my own thoughts." Persephone apologized, looking down at her hands.

Persephone had not been able to have a few moments all alone in her entire life. If she wasn't with her mother then she was being following by a band of devoted nature nymphs. It wasn't that Persephone didn't love her mother, far from it, but was it too much to ask that she be allowed some freedom? Demeter followed the path of Persephone's attention to notice the flower cupped gently in her daughter's hands. At once realizing it was not one of hers for at one moment it appeared a beautiful rose the color of rubies, but a moment later it shined like gold, before it changed to flash like silver, then it formed to sparkle like diamonds.

"Where did you find such a flower?" Demeter demanded.

Persephone surprised at her mother's harsh tone protectively holding the rose to her bodice as if in fear that her mother would snatch it away from her.

"It was a gift; it was delivered to my chambers this morning. I thought maybe it was a gift from Father."

Demeter's frown softened as she considered that possibility and smiled. "Yes. Yes, that would make sense. Or from perhaps Hermes, he is so very fond of you."

Hades chuckled to himself at his sister's response. How close and yet so far she was from the truth. True that rose had indeed been left for Persephone by Hermes; but it had not been gifted by him. Hades' heart had done a strange fluttering when he had seen Persephone's smile as she looked down at her flower. He had hoped she would like his gift but had no intention of letting her know it was from him. But his sister was no fool and had probably guessed from the great wealth shown by the flower that the gift was from him, she deliberately shied away from that thought. Why would cold, uncaring Hades send warm, loving Persephone such a gift? Persephone was seen as a gift from the heavens to all who met her. Her natural gentleness and laughter made everything around her seem to brighten. She was his walking sunshine. Pushing aside his thoughts he returned his attention to the mirror.

"Now Persephone, you have worked very hard today, go play with the nymphs while I finish my work." Demeter said lovingly.

"Yes, Mother." Persephone replied, getting to her feet and placing the flower safely in one of her robe pockets.

The nymphs clapped and giggled with excitement as Persephone followed them as they raced through the meadow. Persephone grabbed handfuls of her white robes and ran through the soft grass as fast as her long legs could carry her. Persephone loved to run; loved how the winds brushed their fingers through her golden hair, how the sounds and motions of the Earth slowed as her feet pounded faster and faster on the ground. She loved the freedom. Persephone loved her mother dearly and knew Demeter loved her daughter more than anything else, but as she grew older she grew weary of the constant watchful eye of her mother and her faithful nymphs. She was usually accompanied wherever she went or was watched from a distance. None of the other Gods or Goddesses were watched with such caution. Her father often joked that Persephone was her mother's precious little flower; but even flowers need room to grow.

They soon came to a glistening lake at the bottom of the meadow's hill. The cool serene waters beckoned them gently to discard their robes and submerge themselves in the cool depths. Persephone took this moment to sneak away to duck behind some of the tall grass that surrounded the lake. Whispering softly to the grass she asked it to grow tall till she was completely hidden as she lay down in the soft grass.

"Hades, Lord Hades?"

Hades's attention was removed from Persephone and landed angrily on the man who dared to disturb him. Hermes was standing in front of him with a parchment in hand and a smile across his handsome face. Hermes had the pleasure of being a young nuisance with sandy blonde hair and a face that would make any maiden swoon just to be in his presence. His mischievous grin always promised trouble for someone in one way or another. The dove wings on his sandals flapped vigorously causing Hermes to levitate slightly above the ground. Hades swiped his hand in front of the mirror so it vanished.

"Don't you ever knock?" Hades grunted as a welcome.

"No need, the door was open. And if I did would you have let me in?" Hermes asked.

"Probably not." Hades grumbled.

Hermes chuckled, being the messenger god he interacted with Hades the most and found his temper amusing and was brave enough to pull a remark on Hades from time to time. Hades rather liked Hermes…when he did not want to throw him in the Styxx.

"Is there a reason why you are here, or can I ignore you and go about my business?"

Hermes approached the throne and handed over the scroll. "Another group of souls ready to be listed. Charon will have them ferried across by the end of the day. Oh, and I delivered that parcel you wanted delivered to little Persephone."

"Yes, I know." Hades placed the scroll on the empty throne beside him, his fingers trailing along the cool marble armrest. When he looked up Hermes was still there, smiling.

"What, Hermes?" Hades asked rather annoyed. He was wasting precious time sitting here waiting for Hermes to leave so he could get back to more important matters.

Cocking his head to one side Hermes smirked. "You're lonely."

Hades raised a dark eyebrow. "Was that a statement or a question?"

Hermes ignored the question and continued, eyeing the empty throne beside Hades. "You are not as cold as you try to make yourself look. I think you are just lonely. Maybe if you had a queen at your side, you might actually allow yourself to be happy for once."

Hades could not resist smirking in reply. "I do not like you that much Hermes and I would fear a long term relationship with you. Though the winged sandals do look lovely on you."

"Not for a thousand nights in Aphrodite's arms, Hades. You are probably crankier in the mornings." Hermes had one last laugh before bowing slightly and flew out of the hall. The great stone doors to his hall slammed shut with an echoing boom.

Lonely? Hermes did not know what lonely meant. None of them did. They were not the one who had been banished to live out eternity amongst the dead. The luck of the draw had denied him the simple joy of daily human companionship. The idea of a queen had become more and more dominant in his thoughts lately. His dominion was the underground which made all the Earth's treasures his own; precious metals, diamonds, and gemstones of every color. Fathers would sacrifice their most beautiful daughters to get their hands on a sliver of what he possessed. That, however, would not be enough. After centuries alone in his forsaken domain the coldness had seared Hades' bones till he could barely remember the true feeling of warmth. A hug. A kiss. A smile. Hades craved that warmth like a ravenous wolf craved meat. He had only felt that warmth once; someone that had made his darkness bearable if only for a little while. With a wave of his hand the mirror reappeared with the image of his heart's desire.

Persephone lay in the cushion of the grass as she gazed into the crystal surface of the spring lake at her reflection. Her hair was golden and fell around her face in long waves, her eyes were brilliantly green like fresh sprouted leaves, and her body was long and lean tucked into her crisp white robes. She could now hear the nymphs calling out for her, but she ignored their calls. She would have at least a few moments to be by herself in peace. Persephone sighed as she thought of how none of the other gods could see how though she smiled and laughed….. she was lonely. None of them seemed to have a care in the world, all of them were happy with themselves, with their creations and powers, all of them except…..Hades.

Ever since she was a small child, Persephone found herself strangely drawn to him. He was the black sheep amongst his golden siblings. That alone was enough to intrigue her childish curiosity. Hades truly was as handsome as the other gods, if more. His godly powers gave him his appearance of a man who would never age pass thirty years; with his sleek black hair that traveled down to rest at his shoulders and playfully curled at the ends. A few strands of hair fell down till they rested just above his eyes, which were dark and mysterious but surprisingly beautiful. He kept his beard trimmed close to his face while his skin held the perfect complexion of being kissed by the sun. His black robes could not hide the perfection in which he had been formed with. His hardened muscles and height could frighten the most hardened warriors. He was very quiet compared to the other gods and goddesses that she had grown up around, and she had a feeling he was rather shy. Persephone giggled when she remembered how she had tricked Hades into smiling for her.

She had escaped her nursemaid to gather lilies in the garden beside her father's counsel hall. Her eyes sparkled as she spotted Hades exiting the hall and making his way through the gardens. Ignoring his foul expression and muttering under his breath Persephone ran after him and stopped him by pulling on the end of his cloak. She beckoned him to kneel down so as to whisper softly to him. Hades never seemed to get mad at her for wasting his time, he simply waited to see wait it was that she wanted. Persephone had placed a finger to her lips to tell him to be silent and looked around to make sure no one else was around.

"Shall I tell you my greatest secret, Hades? A secret that no soul knows about, not even Mama or Zeus," Persephone whispered to him.

She had caught his attention for Hades knew many secret and kept them well.

"Would you promise not to tell anyone, no matter what?" she continued.

"I promise." Hades whispered in reply.

"But you must do something first." Persephone had said smiling wide.

Hades had cocked his head with curiosity at this. "What must I do?"

"You must smile for me." Persephone announced, giggling at the look of astonishment on his face. "That is the price of my secret, I must see you smile."

Considering this for a moment Hades slowly grinned until it widened into a smile. That one smile had transformed him, making him the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on. Persephone once again looked around before leaning closer to Hades, who leaned in close as well.

"Shall I tell you my secret now?" she asked once more.

"Yes." Hades replied.

Persephone then cupped his face in her little hands and kissed his check. When she released him she smiled and announced, "I have seen the Great Hades smile."

Hades had stared at her in complete amazement before standing up to his full height and grinned once more. "A clever little goddess you are Persephone."

"Why must you leave? You never stay for long."

"I must return to my kingdom underground." Hades replied solemnly, his grin had vanished.

"Can't I come visit you?" Persephone asked him with her big innocent eyes.

"Absolutely not!" Realizing his mistake Hades spoke more gently. "Your mother would never allow that. Why would want to do such a thing?"

She had shrugged her shoulders shyly. Without a thought Persephone wrapped her little arms around his leg. She felt his shaking fingers stroke through her hair. For awhile Hades has silent till she heard him sigh. "Perhaps one day when you have grown I will take you to see my kingdom."

"Do you promise?"Persephone had squeaked, excitement filling her tiny voice.

"Yes, I promise." Hades vowed.

"Now I have yet another secret I must keep. You will not tell my secrets, will you?" she had asked.

"Never." Hades bowed before sweeping out of the gardens.

Persephone smiled at the memory, over the next few years of her childhood Hades became her secret friend. Sbe took out her beautiful rose to examine it once more. How wonderful would it be if it had been sent by Hades? But that was ridiculous; Hades would have no reason in sending her such beautiful gifts.
Thinking about him made her sigh. He had so much freedom; he went where he pleased, did as he wished, nothing held hold of him…she wanted that. She wanted to be treated as a young woman, not a child. She wanted respect and independence. She wanted to be seen as an equal not as a youngling who needed to be constantly watched over. All of it made a tear fall from her eye.

What was it that made her smile so brightly? Hades wondered as he watched Persephone smile as she gazed into the lake dreamily. She had stayed that way for some time as though she were lost in her own thoughts when she had taken out the rose and began to stroke her fingers lightly across the petals. Then she had sighed. It had amazed Hades how such a cheerful soul could smile one moment, then look as if all the happiness from the world had been drained from it. He felt his heart rip when he saw the tear fall down her perfect cheek and glimpsed the pain that he knew all too well burn in her beautiful green eyes. Loneliness.

"Oh, my lovely Persephone," Hades whispered. "Please don't cry."

Placing his hand against the mirror as if he could reach out to her through it. He never wanted to see her cry. Ever.
Persephone had begun to speak to herself in quiet sobs.

"I can't take it anymore. I want to be free. I would do anything to be free. Whatever the cost, I would give to be away from here."

Hades didn't know whether what she spoke was her true feelings or a cry of grief, but her words had sparked an idea in his mind. "Anything?"