Chapter One

Persephone stomped through the freshly bloomed meadow, anger coursing through her, fueling her to further prove her agitation by purposely crushing all that stood in her path. One could follow her easily due to the piles of various dead flowers and plants she left in her wake.

Earlier that day she had gotten into a heated argument with her mother which had resulted in her current mood. Her natural instinct drew her to the fields where she was the calmest; though one could not tell this from the positively enraged aura she was surrounded by.

Demeter, her mother, was adamant about her finding a suitable husband who could watch over and support her, and was not shy about making her opinion on her daughter's single status known. She was most definitely old fashioned with her beliefs about where a woman's place in the household was; and made sure to let Persephone know that her attitude and overall demeanor were both unladylike and unacceptable.

The two had clashed over such things numerous times throughout the years, but this was the first time that Demeter had straightforwardly told her daughter that she had set up a matchmaking meeting for her.

Things had gone downhill from there, with Persephone rising up against her mother in utter outrage, shouting, "I do not need a man to take care of me. I can handle myself, and never want to be bound down by an arranged marriage. If I do ever decide to marry, it will be for love and nothing more."

Her mother's face had flushed a bright red before she exclaimed that, "A woman needs to be protected and cared for by a man, gods know why, but you have plenty of young and handsome suitors waiting for you. You are in need of a husband who will be able to tame that unbridled curiosity of yours and most of one who is able to persuade you to stop those silly sword matches that you hold with your friends. It's unbecoming of a lady, and as you very well know a woman is no match for a man in battle."

That was when Persephone had finally snapped, rushing out through the doorway and towards the meadows, muttering obscenities the entire way. She could hear her mother yell after her, but it was too late; she would not, could not listen to the nonsense that her mother continuously spewed.

She understood that Demeter loved her and only wanted the best for her one and only daughter, however their ideas about what would make her happy were different to say the least.

Throughout the years, Demeter had grown increasingly anxious over the fact that her daughter had not chosen a man to be with, as this was one of the largest decisions that she would make during her lifetime.

However, her attempts to persuade her daughter to find a worthy suitor seemed to only encourage her to remain independent, and it worried her to no end.

This was why when her friend had recently mentioned that her son, supposedly strong enough to defeat the Minotaur on several occasions and handsome enough to have the women in Olympus tripping over themselves in hopes of becoming his wife, had taken an interest in Persephone and was hoping to be granted the honor of meeting the ethereal goddess, she was ecstatic to say the least.

Of course she had done what any sensible mother would do, and had jumped at the offer, setting the date of their meeting to noon of the next day. She had never expected Persephone to react so violently to the idea of meeting this seemingly perfect man, and was surprised by the extent to which she refused to give him a chance.

Persephone, on the other hand, could not believe how far her mother had overstepped her boundaries this time; she and she alone would be the one to decide who she spent the rest of her life with, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be with a man she had never met before, and if the rumors were to be believed, had a reputation for sleeping with women and then leaving them in the morning before they awoke.

She wasn't arrogant, but she, like her mother, was graced with the high cheekbones, chocolate colored eyes, and pale milky skin which when combined together caused her to seem almost angelic. The type of beauty she had was not uncommon among goddesses, but the way her fiery temper lit up her eyes, and the time she spent sparring which eventually led to her developing slim and lithe muscle, made her seem more like a fierce warrior than a passive woman, and this is what drew so many men to her; they all wanted a chance to tame the well-known wild beast and to obtain bragging rights over their latest conquer.

These were all contributing factors as to why she had yet to find the man that she wished to spend the rest of her life with; not that she was exactly looking for him.

While many of her friends were intent on finding a husband and beginning to raise a family, she chose to instead focus on studying the art of swordsmanship and hand to hand combat, and had somewhat isolated herself from the general population.

Continuing to push forward through the meadow, she let her fingertips brush along the tall grass, and watched as a flock of birds flew by overhead. Pulling herself from her thoughts, Persephone saw that she had made it to her destination; an ancient looking tree secluded from sight that she had found years ago when running away from her mother under similar circumstances.

She plopped herself onto the ground next to the giant tree and leaned her head against the ridges of the strong trunk that she had become accustomed to over the years.

There was something different about her secret sanctuary, but she couldn't seem to figure out what it was that seemed out of place. Shrugging it off, she sunk down into a reclining position.

It was then that she first felt the weight of another pair of eyes watching her, but from where she had no idea.

Deciding that it would be better to feign ignorance, she closed her eyes and let her other senses take charge; this way she could maintain the air of an innocent and naïve woman while simultaneously listening for any signs of warning, and should the need arise, in battle she would have the element of surprise.

After sitting in silence for several minutes, the only sound being that of the wind and the occasional twitter of a song bird, Persephone assured herself that it was only her imagination playing tricks on her; it wasn't as if someone would be able to sneak up on her.

The even notion of such an absurd thing occurring was enough reason for her to let out a stream of unladylike chuckles and snorts that would have made her mother cringe in disproval.

Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, she realized that she had grown hungry over the time she had spent outside. Looking up at the darkening sky, it was obvious that nightfall was coming, and that it was just about time for her to take her leave.

If she had learned one thing from her mother over the years, it was that staying in the meadow after night had fallen was a foolish action; many mischievous and dangerous creatures were known to roam the fields once the sun had fallen, and though she was not frightened by the idea of coming face to face with them, it would most certainly earn her an extra hour, if not two, of her mother's constant nagging, and although she was reluctant to admit it, she feared the wrath of her mother much more than any silly monster that just happened to be roaming the meadow at night.

Shifting into an upward position, she began to push up off the ground in order to make her way back home when she noticed something. There were numerous fruits hanging from the branches attached to the tree, each one shining a rich dark purple; she had never seen anything like it before.

Against her better judgment, curiosity won over suspicion, and she plucked one of the succulent looking fruits from where it hung. Turning it over and over, she scrutinized it for any possible signs of danger; though she wasn't sure what she expected to happen. Maybe for some sort of tiny monster to pop out and attempt to take her life?

Well, whatever she was waiting for, it didn't happen. Instead, she continued to rotate the dark colored fruit, deciding that the growling of her stomach was enough of an okay to bite into the invitingly delicious fruit.

She bit down against the soft purple outer skin of the fruit, and the taste she was met with was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It had a sharp, crisp flavor, and as her teeth sunk further into the succulent fruit, she realized that there was an almost bitter aftertaste.

The effect took place almost immediately, and Persephone felt as if she had drank some sort of alcohol, her vision becoming dizzier and foggier with each step she took, her movements swaying left and right irregularly.

There was a voice in the back of her head trying to get her to remember where exactly she had tasted that same bitter aftertaste before. It seemed to be an important factor as to why she was now feeling this way, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

She became increasingly alarmed when she heard the loud stomping of hooves from what she estimated to be a hundred yards away.

Frantically searching for the source of the intimidating and fast-approaching noise, she swiveled her head back and forth, but there was nothing to be found.

The only indication that there was something drawing near was the thunderous reverberation of horse hooves and a high-pitched whinny that pierced through the air.

Once again she turned her head in the direction from which she thought the thundering footsteps originated, and for the first time she saw the figure of the man who would soon haunt her dreams.

Her eyes widened as the ground beneath her became to tremor, a large crack forming in the center of the peaceful meadow, clefts of soil and rock were sent crumbling down into the deep abyss, an unknown fate awaiting them.

It was from this rift in the earth that an enormous figure emerged. At first she was unable to determine what was happening due to the massive amounts of debris raining down upon her, but as the air began to clear as the dirt settled, she was once again able to see.

He stood in the center of a large, ebony chariot encrusted with gold designs which swirled across the structure in intricate formations. The chariot was being drawn by four massive horses; if you could call them that.

When inspecting further, Persephone could clearly see that each of the stallions adorned an inky-black coat that contrasted against the flames that served as their mane. But the irregularity of these horses didn't stop there; their eyes were also a fiery orange that seemed to burn with an unbridled rage, the reigns securing them to the chariot seemed frail and unreliable, but somehow they maintained enough strength to keep them connected.

How this man was able to control such unstable animals, she was unsure.

Each beast was in synch with the other, an almost harmonious rhythm playing as they hurtled forward.

But this was not was intrigued her the most, it was instead the appearance of the man who was in command of the chariot that caught her upmost attention.

He had to have been taller than six feet, with waist-length hair that was twisted into a silky black ponytail. His cheekbones looked as if they could cut through ice, his nose an aristocratic masterpiece, and his slanted eyes a raging obsidian storm.

As she continued to ogle this impossibly beautiful man, the chariot that he was in continued to close the amount of distance that stood between them, which was vastly shortening with each second that passed.

Realizing that this man had no intentions of stopping before he reached her, Persephone began to slowly back up until she felt the sturdy presence of a tree behind her.

As the chariot moved towards her, the earth continued to crack and splinter, seeming to follow after the raven-haired man.

Persephone had encountered stranger situations and was certain that she could take care of herself; that was until the aftereffects of eating the fruit came again, and this time with a vengeful force.

She felt as though she had been trampled over by a stampede of centaurs, or kicked in the face by a Pegasus; both events having happened to her before. Never had she felt so drained and unable to move, this rendered her more vulnerable than anything else could.

Her legs gave out on her, and she crumpled to the ground in a pile of ungraceful limbs strewn about the floor.

Growing more and more frantic as the seconds passed, she urged her legs to carry her further, her face now flushed with agitation. But her efforts proved to be futile, her body had betrayed her and refused to move even a step further.

The deafening noise of the chariot grew closer, and she knew that she had a mere two seconds before it reached her.

Opening her eyes, she braced herself for the inevitable pain that was to come when the horses passed over her. Pain is only a message to the brain, I will be fine, she thought to herself.

She would rather face her destiny headstrong, with a chance to change her outcome, rather than with her eyes closed, ultimately submitting to her fate.

Hearing one last whinny before she was going to be crushed under the weight of the horses, she tensed her muscles, and prepared to fight the need to scream out from the pain that was certain to course through her body as her bones cracked and shattered.

But surprisingly she was not met with pain; instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air effortlessly.

Her eyelids had begun to droop without her consent, and the last thing she saw before drifting into darkness was a pair of obsidian eyes accented by long black eyelashes staring at her with a trace of dark amusement.

He hadn't expected it to be nearly this easy.

For years he had been imagining a scene such as the one that had just played out in front of him, his endless fantasies of possessing this one woman had taken control of him, and he had finally acted on his desires.

She was now his and whether she realized it or not, she was not going to be leaving his side ever again.

Yet still, he hadn't thought that she was be so gullible as to eat the drugged fruit that he had all but dangled in front of her face as one would do when attempting to herd an animal.

He had put an illusion over the tree that she had so frequently visited, and had put in its place a Lotus Tree; they were known to bare a fruit that caused a certain feeling of pleasant drowsiness, however he had made sure that the fruit she was given had a higher concentration of the chemicals within said fruit that made one feel this way.

His plan had worked better than he had first expected, and within minutes she had been completely subdued, her strength ceasing to exist, making it easier for him to transport her into his domain.

Right after wrapping his iron grip around her waist, he had lifted her up into his arms, and found that her eyes were quickly drooping closed. Smirking at his success, he was careful to not jostle the woman lying in his arms as he moved her into a position more comfortable for himself.

Her chin was tilted back and leaning against his broad chest, her entire body limp and fragile against his own, much stronger one.

He was immensely pleased at the way her subconscious mind seemed to seek warmth as she burrowed her head further into the confines of his hold, causing him to exhale slowly with raw desire.

Aethon. Orphnaeus. Alastor. Nyctaeus. He commanded silently, the four stallions seemed to understand his message; they must return to his domain with haste, they could not risk anyone seeing them.

Once again, the sound of hooves colliding heavily with the dirt ground rose, and the chariot dove straight down into the deep abyss, no traces of any abnormality remaining in the meadow.

Hey there guys... I know I haven't updated the story in around a year but I was procrastinating and was once again unsatisfied with the turn my story was taking. I got a message from Adrillian1497 yesterday, and it once again sparked my desire to continue writing so I completely re-wrote the first chapter once again. You can expect the next chapter to be posted within the week, and I look forward to hearing your feedback!