Thank you to everyone that reviewed, I appreciate it very much!

The question was asked if I deleted some chapters. I deleted every chapter I had previously for this fanfic. I am rewriting everything when I have the free time to do so, which means this will mainly be updated on the weekends.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and please review! Thanks!

I surprised myself with just how well I could remember of what I had seen of the palace so far. I was able to find my way outside. This was only a small comfort to me because as soon as I stepped outside, I could barely see. The 'sky' that had been bright earlier was now a darker gray and there were large shadows cast everywhere. I felt some hesitation as I took in the surroundings of the palace and bit my lower lip, a common habit of mine when I am deep in thought. 'Did we take the path to the East or the path to the South? Which one?' Normally, I don't second guess myself when it comes to directions but the lack of guidance from the sun and moon was throwing me off.

I decided that the wider path that led to the South was the correct one and quickly began my journey. 'I am now the Queen of this place and I have no idea of really of what 'this place' is. This is not the way things are supposed to be! A queen should know her kingdom well and know how to navigate through it without hesitation…' I silently ranted as I desperately took in my surroundings, trying to find anything familiar from earlier. Unfortunately, I could barely see five feet in front of me because of the current state of the sky.

As I walked along the wide path, I felt a coldness start to sink into me. I ignored this. Rumors of the Styx always claimed the river was an abnormal cold that could be sensed a mile away. I couldn't remember though if I had felt cold earlier when I had been near the river but I pushed this question out of my mind when I heard the rushing of water. Hope leaped into my chest at the sound but the closer I got to the sound, the harder it was for me to see. Suddenly, I felt something grab my wrist. I gasped and tried to escape by running forward but with no success. 'Hades I'm sorry I did this, I just had to see my mother one last time before the Solstice and well...' I thought quickly trying to plan the best apology. As I turned around, I saw it was a ghost. The idea that it could grab me and actually hold onto me made me fearful of what else it could possibly do.

The ghost had a skeleton form but when I tried to make out the face, it blurred. I felt a lump rise to my throat and the hairs on the back of my neck rise. What did this lost soul want from me? Surely, it knew I had nothing to offer it. I heard the ghost attempt to speak but it only came out as a rasp. I shook my head and started to panic. "I'm sorry...I can't understand you...I am of no assistance to you, now please let go of my wrist!" I didn't know if the soul would understand me but it was worth a shot wasn't it?

Instead of letting go of my wrist as I had asked, the ghost only pulled me away from the path. I tried to pull away but found that I did not have enough strength even when focusing my energy as a goddess. I focused on the fact that I was being dragged to the West and tried to recall everything I could about what was in the West. Fear gripped me when I realized that the Gates of Tartarus were in the Western part of the Underworld. I suddenly wished that I had been able to accept the fact that I had been abducted and it would have been awhile before I saw my mother again. I also wished that I had Hades with me, even if he would more than likely be angry with me for trying to leave in the first place.

My thoughts were slowly becoming more and more clouded and I found it harder to think straight as I began to see the Gates of Tartarus ahead. I thought of a crazy idea that I had little faith would work but it seemed the most reasonable at the time. Gods hear the prayers said to them, especially when another god is asking for their assistance. I thought that maybe since Hades was now my husband he would be able to hear my voice above anyone else's.

'Hades please, help me right now! Please? I know I brought this upon myself but I do not believe the right punishment is to be forever trapped in Tartarus…is it? Please prove to me that you really do love me by saving me from being to Tartarus!' I felt tears running down my face as I slowly began to give up hope. I began shouting to Hades for help but felt as if it was in vain. I saw a large group of ghosts approach me and I gave up my shouting, feeling utterly hopeless now.

'Isn't Kempe or the Kindly Ones supposed to be here?' I thought as I froze in place. I looked around, hoping to see one of the four of them. Unfortunately, I did spot the Kindly Ones. I shouted for their help, hoping, just hoping, they would know who I was. When I saw their eyes though, I knew they had no idea of who I was. The three Kindly Ones approached me - one with a fiery whip, the second with a double-edged sword, and the third with some metal contraption I cannot even begin to describe. The cold was now beginning to become unbearable and I did not know if I was shivering because of it or my fear. I began feeling sick to my stomach and felt as if my body was being filled with lead. Pain began to shoot through my body as I entered the Gates of Tartarus and I screamed in agony. I lasted only a few seconds more before I passed out from the pain. As I slowly passed out, I thought I heard yelling that was not my own but I could not concentrate on it.

I finally regained my senses and groaned. My head hurt and my whole body felt numb and yet somehow on fire. When I opened my eyes, I found the light in the room to be too bright. I tried to take some comfort in the fact that I was at least out of Tartarus but I knew that Hades was beyond angry about it. I heard the door open and I attempted to sit up so that I could talk with him. I wanted to explain why I had acted so foolish or at least why it was so important to see my mother again but my voice failed me.

"Do you want help sitting up? Or are you waiting for me to fall asleep so that you can make another escape attempt?" Hades made his way over to the bed and I cringed as I came to fully understand just how angry he was. I cleared my throat and tried to speak, "Hades please..."

"Please what? Please not be angry with you because of your attempt to escape? Please not be angry that you deceived me? Please Kore; tell me what exactly you are going to ask of me." He stood at the side of the bed with his arms crossed and I bit my lower lip.

"Hades please listen to what I have to say," my throat hurt and my voice was coming out as a rasp but I continued anyways, "I only wanted to see my mother for only a short while before the next Solstice festival. I cannot bear the idea of her worrying about where I am…she and I are close, even if we annoy one another a lot. I just felt and still do that it would be the right thing to do. I did not mean to end up in Tartarus though, that was accidental. A soul quite literally dragged me there and I could not stop it."

There was a long silence before Hades walked away from the bed and towards the table in the corner. He poured a glass of ambrosia and I silently wondered if he believed me at all.

"I would hope that you know that I was planning on coming back to you…"

Hades responded by handing me the glass and I took it thankful to have some relief for the pain in my throat. I knew he was observing me, trying to see how much of the truth I was telling him. He sat on the edge of the bed and I noticed a change in his emotions.

"Do you know how close you were to the Titans? No, I don't suppose you do since you were out cold when I found you there…if I had been only a few seconds later, you would currently be spending the rest of eternity with them. I may rule the Underworld but I do not have enough power to fight all of the Titans by myself. It was a group effort the first time and I doubt it could be anything less currently or in the future." He had closed his eyes and looked as if he was in pain. It has always been a part of my nature to be compassionate and comfort people and this moment was no different. I put aside the fact that I felt horrible, even after drinking the ambrosia, and I placed one of my hands over his.

His eyes snapped open and he stood up quickly. "Kore, I unfortunately must leave you here by yourself for a few hours today. Sleep and do not try to escape again. If you need anything there are two guards outside of your door who can assist you."

I found that I could only look down and nod my head. I listened to him walk out of the room and winced as the door was slammed shut. I sighed and laid back down.

'Why did I even try to find my way to the Styx? I should have known it would end badly...besides, my mother probably would have found a way to keep me hidden from Hades. Wait! Why would that have been a problem? He stole me from my mother, tricked my father and Hera...and yet he hasn't caused me any harm and even saved me from an eternity of agony the Titans would have unleashed upon me.' As I thought out my feelings, I couldn't help but feel confused and irritated but despite this I fell asleep only a few seconds after the last word.

I woke up with a start when I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Kore, please wake up." It took me a moment to distinguish the outline and voice of my husband. I slowly sat up and felt my earlier guilt and sadness return.

"We need to speak about what happened earlier." He slowly sat on the edge of the bed as he had done earlier and looked rather calm. I nodded my head and suddenly found the stitching on the blankets very interesting.

"I understand that you wish to see your mother before the Solstice festival but I need you to understand that I cannot allow that just yet. I also need you to understand there are many things that you must learn about the Underworld before wondering about it alone. I will teach you what you need to know but it will take time. You have probably wondered how that ghost was able to grab you, right?" I nodded my head and waited for him to continue. "The flesh of humans is the only part of them that is mortal. Their souls are immortal, which means that once they are here in the Underworld they still have bodies…more or less. The idea that ghosts can disappear and appear wherever and whenever they so choose is a complete lie. There is a trick to being stronger than they are and it is one that I will have to tell you about later because it is rather difficult to explain. Now, the illusion of the sky I created for the Underworld is basically a twin of the one in the land of the living. When it is day above my kingdom, the sky down here reflects that. So when it is night above, again the sky down here reflects that also."

"Thank you Hades for talking with me about all of this and for offering to teach me more about the Underworld. I do have to ask though, why I could not understand the soul that tried speaking to me if it was still living? I do not understand though why I am not allowed to see my mother and say a goodbye to her." I looked at him, trying to better understand his reasoning for it.

"I and my three judges are the only ones so far to understand ghosts when they speak. It is a skill that can be easily learned with the proper training. Now, " he sighed and closed his eyes, "your mother will try and keep you from me once you return to her, even if it is only for a few minutes. While we may be bound together by marriage, she would not see this as reason enough for you to stay here with me. I would like to have some time with you before that happens."

A few moments of silence passed between us and I spent them in deep thought. He knew my mother well because it would be exactly like her to try and hide me from my husband. My mother wanted me to remain a virgin goddess in all ways possible and this marriage would definitely ruin all of her plans for me.

"I should let you get some more rest. A trip to Tartarus and back takes quite a toll on those who are not used to it." As he stood up, I grabbed ahold of his hand and pulled him back down.

"Would you please stay with me until I fall asleep?" I hoped that maybe this would be a small step in regaining some of his trust and I was right.

"Kore, if that is really what you want and you promise not to trick me again."

"I promise you Hades that I will not trick you again. I even swear it upon the River Styx." I smiled softly as I said this, hoping it would reassure him.

"Thank you Kore," he began to smile also, "Now please, rest."

I hugged him the best that I could from our current positions before I laid back down. I turned so that I was facing him and asked, "When did you hear me last night? Did you hear my shouts or prayer?"

"I heard both but it was your distant shouting that really caught my attention. I rarely receive prayers and so thought that I was only dreaming when yours awakened me. Then I heard you shouting and realized that you were in fact trying to get my attention."

"Thank you Hades for rescuing me, despite the fact that I brought it upon myself."

"It is my duty as your husband to keep you safe; you do not have to thank me for it."

'No but I still feel guilty about it and the fact that you risked your life…if anything I should probably be thanking you for your patience with me so far…'I kept this thought to myself as I closed my eyes. As I slowly fell back asleep, I felt him lay down next to me and drape his arm over my waist.

Okay, so this is a rather short chapter and I apologize for that but I felt that it was a good ending point. Anyways, please review! Thank you!