Okay, guys, I've decided to give it a try to ZaGR, and what a better way to start than with some Greek mythology? This fic is inspired by the myth of Persephone and Hades. It's pretty obvious who gets which role, right? Of course, it will have its differences from the original tale. You'll see what I mean eventually ;).

BTW, in this fic, I'm portraying Zim, the Tallest and other Irkens as gods of a pantheon with very ancient and powerful magic instead of technology. Also this takes place in the show's time instead of antiquity. It's not going to be very long, maybe about ten chapters, depending. We'll see.

PS:

Without any further ado, enjoy!

The underworld is a very dark, gloomy place. There's not a single trace of sunlight, so it's very hard to tell what time of the day it is down there. There are no plants, except in the particular area where the 'goodie people' go. There only water there comes from the Styx river, and even that water is not fit for consumption unless you want to forget who you are and become a memoryless husk for the rest of eternity. Wherever you look there's rocks, rocks, and more rocks, all of them a coal black, further adding to the macabre atmosphere.

Yet, somehow, Zim has managed to live down there and keep his sanity intact.

Many of the previous rulers had to be prematurely retired from their position due to falling into depression because of the terrible work conditions, but not him. The Irken pantheon could not understand but frankly, they didn't care either. If it meant it would keep him down there for as long as possible, they had no problem with it. Zim himself didn't care about it, all he wanted was to please his leaders and fathers, the Almighty Tallest.

Sometimes even he had to admit this job was the most boring one, though. All he had to do was supervise that souls who got in never left, a very important job, according to the Tallest. And so Zim did his job as best as he could. If he did it well, who knows? Someday they might make him God of something better, maybe even earn a place amongst those who dwelt in the heavens!

"How many arrivals today, Cavernous?" Zim asked seemingly to his ceiling.

A disembodied voice responded. "One million and counting, master." Cavernous was the consciousness of Zim's castle, magically given sentience in order to better cater the needs of the King of the Underworld. That, and sometimes it got lonely down there. "And perhaps you'll want to know that GIR is toying with the Pool Mirror again."

Zim groaned. "GIR! Not again!" He left his throne and stomped his way out of the main foyer, long cloak-like overcoat flowing behind him as he walked. The walls of the castle were grim and dark. The tapestries hanging had very dark colors such a s deep violet and red. It made Zim miss the bright pink and mauve found in Massive.

The Pool Mirror was located in the upper areas of the castle. It consisted of a clear, circular pool of dark water from which Zim could see anywhere on Earth he wanted. Sometimes he tried using it on his leaders, but the signal didn't arrive all the way up there, unfortunately. Like Cavernous said, GIR was sitting on the edge of the pool, eating a bag of popcorn as he watched some piggies, laughing hysterically whenever they moved.

"GIR, how many times have I told you not to toy with that!" Zim snapped as he came to a stop right next to the imp, who looked up at him with wide, cyan eyes.

"Look, master! There's a piggy in there! Can I get one?"

"Zim is not having any animals in the castle!"

"What about the big, flying snake that sleeps on the roof?"

"That's…. A different case!" the creature GIR was talking about had been sacrificed to him as an offering by a long-extinct race, and ever since Zim had employed it as a guardian to keep anyone from leaving, and sometimes as his personal steed due to its flight and speed. "Why don't you go pluck some flowers from the Elysian fields or something?"

"I did!" GIR held out a bouquet of withered flowers for his master. Zim only sighed. That's what happens when you bring the plants out of the Elysian.

"Thanks, GIR, now go eat meat." GIR squealed in delight and ran off into the dark corridors. Zim murmured under his breath. Why did he still keep that annoying, useless imp around? He knew the answer but didn't want to admit it to himself.

Zim glanced into the Pool Mirror, where the image of the piggies had long disappeared. He would have gone back to his throne room to bore himself out of his wits, but it had been a long time ever since he used it. He waved his hand in a circular motion, causing the waters to ripple and become transparent as another image appear. One of the many cities on the surface, filled with insignificant hyoomans living their insignificant lives until they perished and their spirits came down.

He was about to make the image disappear when something caught his eye. A speck of violet moving behind a fence. Curious, Zim zoomed in and shifted the angle to take a better look. It was a tall, pale female hyooman with long violet hair that reminded him of a monster's jaws and dark goth clothing. He could not see the color of her eyes, for they were squinted, and yet somehow she could see her way perfectly.

Zim stared at the girl as she walked down the street. There was something about her… The air around her was dark, and she had powerful energy to her. On more than one occasion her very presence had frightened some critters into fleeing the area entirely and for good. She never honored those around her with a glance, instead, all of her attention was fixed on some strange device she held in her hands.

Zim swore his dark, shriveled Irken equivalent of a heart started to beat at that moment.

"Master, GIR started a fire in the kitchen again."

Instead of going into a yelling fit, Zim merely sat down on a chair he conjured closer, his gaze never leaving the image in the pool. "Aja."

"And…?"

"Just tell him to come back early."

"Master, did you not hear what I said?"

"Leave Zim alone, Cavernous, I'm busy!" All Cavernous did was sigh.

Over the next few days, Zim would come to the Pool Mirror and spy on the violet-haired girl. He learned her name was Gazlene, she was the daughter of a renowned scientist across the globe. She never smiled. She didn't have any friends, the closest thing to one was her older brother Dib, and not even that. She seemed to hate him. In fact, she seemed to hate everyone, and those who earned her wrath got a one-way ticket to his realm.

Zim found himself attracted to Gazlene the more he watched her. She was so beautiful in her own, twisted dark way. It was then that he noticed how lonely it was in his cold, dark castle, with only GIR and Cavernous to keep him company… Well, actually the latter didn't really count since he was only the disembodied voice of his castle's consciousness. None of his fellow Irkens ever visited and for some reason his invitations always for lost on the way down here, causing him to arrive late or even miss parties held in the Massive.

At that moment, Zim decided he'd make Gazlene his Queen.

But for that, he needed permission.

"Red?"

"What now?"

"I'm bored."

"Then go cause a hurricane or something."

"I already did. I caused a typhoon during the biggest shark migration, remember?"*

"Ah, yes. I admit that was ingenious even for you."

"Hey!"

The two co-rulers of the Irken Pantheon, god of war Red and god of snacks Purple, sat upon their thrones thinking of how to entertain themselves. Tormenting mortals was funny, but eventually, it loses charm after the hundredth earthquake or plague. Besides, nowadays it's not that easy to do so, considering hyoomans and their 'technology' made things easier for the inferior creatures. Perhaps they should consider making up a new position for that.

"So what do you want to do today?"

Red shrugged and took a sip of soda. "I don't know. I was thinking of sending the disease that causes pus-filled balls to grow on hyooman skin…"

"The black death?"

"Yeah, that one, but I remembered that scientist has already created a cure for it. Curse him!"

"Oh, you mean professor…." Purple took a quick look at his Irkpad. "...Membrane? Yeah, he's a pain in the squeedly-spooch!"

"How long until Tak goes to collect his soul?"

"From what it says here, he found a way to prolong a hyooman's life."

"You're joking."

"I wish I were."

Red slapped his forehead, groaning. "Wonderful! That means we'll have put up with him for far longer!"

"Masters, hate to interrupt your daily complaining session, but Zim is here."

Both this time both Irkens groaned. They were certainly not in the mood to deal with him today. "Tell him to come back another day."

"I tried, sirs, but-"

Both Tallest screamed when a giant, dark-colored snake-like creature burst through the wall right next to the doors, leaving a big hole in its path. Purple additionally jumped to his partner's arms in his fright. Once he recovered from the surprise, Red rolled his eyes and dropped him to the ground. The serpent blinked its round, deep pink eyes and then vomited its master out of its stomach, much to the horror and revulsion of the taller Irkens.

"Noo! Not on the floor!"

"At least he didn't do it on the doughnuts this time."

Zim, covered in vomit and saliva, quickly got to his feet and waved his arm excitedly. "Hello, My Tallest! It's me!"

Red sighed. "What do you want, Zim?"

"Couldn't you have used the damn door?!" Purple snapped, pointing at the hole on the wall while glaring at the perpetrator, who had curled up and fallen asleep.

Zim winced. "I'm sorry for that, My Tallest," he frowned at his 'steed'. "I shall punish Zimkro for it!" He didn't hear Tallest Purple muttering 'stupid name', or simply decided to ignore it. "Anyhow, I was keeping watching the hyoomans and doing a good job, as usual, when a particular specimen caught my eye. A female hyooman dubbed Gaz-demon-"

"Go straight to the point, Zim," Red muttered, taking a big slurp of soda to calm his nerves.

Another wince, but he quickly regained his composure. "You see, these past decades I've noticed that it's very lonely down in my castle. I'm not complaining, just pointing it out! And so Zim has decided to make this Gaz-demon his queen so that she may cater to his needs!"

For the tenth time that month, Purple found himself soaked in soda as his co-Tallest spat the drink, directed right at his face. He was glad he did, though, or he might have choked on his nachos.

"What?" Red asked once he recovered his breath. "You mean…?"

"You want to mate with a… mortal?" Purple finished. "Seriously?"

"For that, I need your approval, sirs, so…" Zim nervously spread out his arms. "Here I am!"

Red and Purple exchanged glances, then looked back at Zim. "Would you excuse us for a minute?" Without waiting for the reply, they floated out of earshot. "What do we do? We can't have another Demi-Irken running around again ever since what happened with the volcano!"

Red sniffled. "I miss that town's snacks." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But… then again, perhaps it's now such a bad idea of Zim is courting someone."

"What?!"

"Just listen! If Zim starts 'courting' girl, he'll spend most of his time with her, and…" he trailed off, waiting for his partner to finish it.

"... he'll get dumped?"

"Exac- What? No!" Red smacked his head. "... though that would be amusing to see. What I mean is that if he's busy with that, he won't come here as often and we won't have to see his stupid face!"

Purple rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head, lekku raised. "Hey, you're right? And if it doesn't work, at least well get to see him depressed over being dumped!"

"Do we agree, then?"

"Yeah!"

The two tall Irken gods went back to Zim, both smiling. "Zim, after some deliberation regarding your status, we've decided that as a reward for your hard work in the Underworld, you shall be granted permission to take this… hyooman as your mate."

Zim's expression brightened. "Oh, thank you, My Tallest! Thankyouiwillnotdissappointyou!"

"Yeah, whatever," Purple motioned his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Now go and don't come unless we call for you, okay?"

"As you wish, sirs! Zim shall go back to his realm to prepare everything for his Gaz-demon! Byeee!" He snapped his fingers. Zimkro ate him again, spread out its wings and flew out through the wall, leaving yet another hole behind.

Red smacked his forehead. Purple waved his hands in the air. "Couldn't he have used the damn window?!"

*Reference to sharknado. Something I think Purple would do to entertain himself if he had the power.