UPDATED! I included a little more info for sake of making more sense. I realize that as I write more chapters, my characters change a bit, and I don't have enough background evidence to support their full development. Thankfully, there's the option to update and replace chapters : ) well, happy reading!

Author's Note: I do not own Greek Mythology or the names Hades, Persephone, Zeus, Demeter or any other gods. I also don't own the setting of Olympus etc. Only the wording, perspective, and feelings are my own.

I really love this couple, and hope that if you don't already, you will come to love them via my story. This is only chapter 1, and if you know the traditional tellings (there are several, word of mouth doesn't really preserve ever single detail) then you know that this is really a pre-beginning to the good stuff. This is my first fan fiction but I welcome comments!

Chapter 1: Who are you?

He stared intently, burning the image before him in his memories...forever.

Could he ever witness anything more paradoxical, perfect, breathtaking? Impossible. He leaned against the shady oak that hid the woodland mortal entrance to his lair and sighed deeply.

Who was she that stole his curiosity?

Who was she to take from him the solace of his empty thoughts, only to replace them with bitterness for her, towards her?

But after the bitterness set in, there was something more, akin to desire – a longing. A deep desire for the air around her to embrace his very being.

He very well knew whom, but the question on his tongue to which he may never discover the answer remained: why does she do this to me, How does she do this to me?

It began with a trip to Olympus, a place he once despised, but now had a distant fondness for it had lead him to her, or had she found her way to him?

He paced the steps on the white clouds of his brother's kingdom. With each step the clouds in wisps swirled about his soles only to evaporate the next second.

"Just like my brothers kingdom to act as frivolous and flighty as their mighty king." He scoffed, diverting his attention from the silver-lined combinations of mere dust and water.

Just then the clouds swirled drastically about him and a tiny girl who looked about 8 in mortal years dashed past, her dark brown hair shining almost fiery red in the extreme sunlight. The very clouds of the great sky god paled in comparison to her radiance. The very air about her seemed to warm and soften the intensity of the sun's rays, making it easier for the man to keep his eyes open in the blaring white light of Zeus.

He let out a low chuckle, he wasn't used to being by-passed so easily, and it was difficult to go unnoticed when you were a shadow, the only shadow, in the realm of light.

She stopped. Just as quickly as she had come she snapped around seemingly noticing her mistake, a young goddess should always respect and greet those of higher status, and he was obviously older than she. As her head turned her hair swung back creating a rather formidable illusion of entangled clouds and fire. As she rushed to courtesy before she regained her balance she began to fall forwards.

Someone's grip saved her from disgrace, placed her upright, and released from under her arms. She completed her courtesy, keeping her eyes fixated on the clouds beneath them and managed to mutter,

"Excuse me, my Lord. I didn't realize anyone would be so far from the Party Hall. I beg your pardon."

The Lord before her knelt down and cupped slender hands gently underneath her chin. These hands, she thought, they're strong. His thumb ran the length under her bottom lip and she peaked her chin upwards, locking into deep light-less eyes; entranced by the depth of them she almost didn't hear his low chuckle, managing to hear a distant baritone voice asking, "What is your name child?"

She moved her lips to speak but could hear no sound, in fact the only sense that seemed to work was her vision, yet she could not see beyond the dark orbs which were calling out to her, and yet warning her to go no further.

When the child made no sound, he felt the corners of his lips droop into a subtle frown. He did his best to make his voice even softer this time.

"Do not fear me child, I only wish to know the name of the very free-spirited," he smirked, "goddess before me." Never breaking her intense gaze, the child dropped suddenly to her knees, placed her hand gently upon his slender fingers and spoke just above a whisper,

"Forgive me my Lord, I am Persephone, child to Demeter and Zeus." He had to break her stare, whether or not she intended to stare him down or was completely appalled, or intrigued, by his different appearance he did not know. But those deep-set emerald eyes, in that place of intense light, it played tricks on him. He thought that beyond those beautiful green gems he saw a blazing orange-red, just like the color he had witnessed in her hair not moments before. Zeus and Demeter's child? He thought to himself. It is so like my brother to create illegitimate offspring, but this child; there is something different about this child.

Those onyx eyes flicked away as she spoke her father's name; his fingers slid from between her own and her cheek. He stood then, revealing his full height, and she followed, never releasing her intense gaze. The clouds of Olympus swirled around his figure, a dark-clothed, handsome man with long and defined features took her hand and lifted her a second time to her feet.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, my dear, Persephone," the baritone voice lingered a bit too long for comfort before it continued, "the goddess of…?"

"Spring," she said, excited to hear her called a goddess though she was still a mere child made her exited and interested in this new god. She almost jumped in excitement and grabbed the man's hand, come I'll show you. She flicked around and made to skip towards the garden she was originally headed for. But those slender fingers beneath her grip tightened and stopped her gait, "Another day, child." Said the deep, and soothing, voice.

She turned to protest, and long silky black hair fell onto her hand, and she felt his lips press onto her tiny fingers. She caught her breath as she locked once more into those onyx eyes. And heard the voice say, "It was a pleasure, my dear, Persephone. I will see your powers when the flowers blossom over Greece. Such a lovely name, for such a lovely child." And the clouds turned black and whirled around the man violently. Where the man once stood hovered a single flower, white petals, and a fainted yellow inside. She reached out and before she could grip the beautiful flower her mother's hand whacked it out of its enchanted hover, and with a frazzled and almost frightened look she asked, "Daughter, whomever did you receive that flower from?"

"I don't know," she realized out loud and more to herself than her mother, "I never asked his name."

Centuries since her last visit to Olympus, Persephone lay in the grass staring at the beautifully lit sky. She had aged as gods age, slowly breaking towards immortality. Her Aunt Hestia had told her once that when she fully accepted her divine role, she would stop aging, and live her life fully as the fates decided it for all eternity. She wasn't there yet, she decided. She looked like she had aged only 11 mortal years, it had been at least one millennia since her last visit as a child to Olympus, she wondered if she would ever see her male cousins, her famous aunts, or her father ever again. How many more centuries must she wait until her mother finally let her go a little bit?

But, this was her punishment.

Her mother was so harsh after she disobeyed her orders to stay in her room in Olympus and not wander. She was to avoid Olympus, confined to her mother's earthly realm in Greece; her only companions mindless and provocative nymphs, and her flowers. Sometimes though she was visited occasionally by her half-sisters the virgin goddess of the hunt, Artemis, though her brother was never allowed to tag along per her mother's orders, and the other virgin goddess of Justice and War, Athena. Then there was Aunt Hestia. But what Demeter tried to mask and hide from Persephone with their lack of … experience, had been filled in ever so eagerly by the mindless chatter of her nymph friends. Persephone had learned through stories alone many things, but she was never allowed to experience much more than the fields and lakes beyond her Mother's home in Etna.

I only went to plant a garden, she had thought over and over the incident and wondered why she was punished so for something so… petty.

"Oh well," she sighed, "And I never got to know that god's name, it was truly rude of me not to ask." She heard the nymphs nearing the spot where she lay; wanting desperately to be rid of her mother's watchful eye's and those of her damn frivolous nymphs, she sprung up and ran towards the clearing just bordering the distant and forbidden woods. She hid behind the first shady oak

She got to the line of trees and sunk to the earth below. From the folds of her dress she pulled out the white and yellow flower from those many years prior. She let it twirl slowly in front of her and stared at the flower, remembering those onyx eyes. Just then she heard something like a faint wind from deep within the forest.

"Persephone," He whispered.

Fire flashed – her hair whipping, and deep-set emerald eyes stared in his direction.

Author's Post-Script: This is how I envisioned their meeting. Warning, if you know the original story, the next chapters will be a little more mature, and well, a little grimy so don't be too offended but fair warning J. Also sorry for playing around with point of view, I tried to break it into appropriate paragraphs for better viewing. I hope I load the next chapter soon J, updates promised!