Persephone flipped onto her other side. Maybe this position will be more comfortable, she thought. She knew it was useless though. Anytime Hades wasn't in bed with her she found it impossible to sleep. It had been a week since he'd left for Tartarus, and she still hadn't heard from him. The Fates had assured her that he was alright and would return safely, but she still felt anxious. And besides, she missed having his strong arms encircle her in sleep and his soft hands caressing her hair and back. His touch calmed her and made her feel more at home. Now that he was gone and had left her to rule on her own she felt more alone than ever.

Things had been getting easier since she had stepped up as queen. She slowly was learning to judge souls with Hades' cool objectivity as well as run the more technical aspects of the Underworld. She taught herself arithmetic and read past records to better manage the reports Hades would always study meticulously. She liked to think that he would be proud of her for really trying. I am not a girl, she would tell herself. I am a queen.

But she still missed him. The Fates did the best they could, but she needed his steady guidance and assurance. Just because she could rule independently didn't mean she wanted to. She was in the middle of her restless musings when there was a knock at her door. She immediately jumped out of bed and ran to answer it, ready to throw herself into his arms and –

"Oh! Kat!" Persephone exclaimed. "I mean, Minthe."

"Not whom you were expecting?" she asked. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, not at all. Is everything alright?"

"Can I come in?" Minthe asked quietly after a pause. "It's just…I'm scared."

Persephone took Minthe's hand and led her over to one of the couches by the slowly dying fire. She seemed to be shaking under her shawl in fear and cold.

"What's wrong?" Persephone asked.

"How do you live here, Seph? Everything is dark and cold and there are dead people out there! Your servants are like shadows and this palace is so huge and I just can't relax! How do you do it?"

"Well usually I have my husband to keep me company," Persephone said, smiling at the word husband. "But I know how you feel. I thought the same things when I first got here. He comforted me though – when I would let him eventually."

"It's just so different down here. I can't fathom staying here for eternity."

"Do you…do you want to move on?" Persephone asked, slightly dejected. Minthe looked confused for a moment before realizing what Persephone was asking.

"Oh no! No, Seph, I didn't mean it like that at all! I don't really know how to explain. I guess when mortals are living on the surface we always know that we'll really only be there for a few decades before moving on to the next stage. But here…this is it. I suppose it's just a bit weird to think about."

"I forgot the concept of eternity is different for the two of us," Persephone mused. Besides their first meeting the two of them had never really discussed their differences in what they were. They were simply an unlikely pair of friends – goddess and human, deity and mortal.

"Minthe…how did you die?"

She shifted in her seat, obviously not wanting to talk about it. She pulled her shawl around her shoulders more tightly and looked up at Persephone beseechingly.

"I'd rather not…" she whispered. Persephone nodded in understanding.

"Ok. But if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thank you," Minthe replied with a sad smile. Persephone grasped her hand tightly.

"That's what friends are for."

Minthe looked like she was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by the sound of a chariot in the courtyard below the window. Persephone threw the glass panes open and stared down into the darkness. A familiar pair of dark cloaked shoulders descended from the chariot before rushing inside. He obviously had a destination in mind and set out for it in determination.

It seemed only a matter of seconds before the door to the bedroom flew open and Hades strode confidently inside. He immediately ensnared his wife in a tight embrace and pressed kisses to her temples lovingly. He didn't notice the terrified girl by the fire until she stubbed her toe on the couch and inhaled sharply as she tried to leave silently. He looked at her confused for a moment before turning to Persephone, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Hades, this is Minthe," Persephone explained slowly. "I pardoned her at her judging."

"I see…" Hades said after a long pause. "Minthe, would you allow me a private moment with my wife?"

"Of course, sir!" she replied quickly before dashing out of the room. Once Hades was confident she was out of earshot he turned back to Persephone and loosened his hold on her slightly.

"Darling, you can't just pardon souls like that."

"Why not? You did it with Charon."

"That was different. I don't know if you know this, but Charon is half god. His soul is allowed special privileges since he is cheated of true immortality thanks to being half human. That's why I could pardon him."

Persephone looked down at the ground guiltily. No, she hadn't known that. Minthe certainly wasn't a demigoddess.

"And here I thought I was doing better at this…" she said sadly. Hades tucked a finger under her chin and brought her eyes up to meet his.

"But you are. The Fates said you're learning very quickly, especially considering you were thrown into this rather suddenly," he smiled down at her adoringly. "I'm very proud of you, love."

He leaned down and gave her a faint whisper of a kiss. But when he pulled back Persephone saw that familiar hunger spark in his eyes. But before she would get lost in the heat she asked a desperate favor of him.

"So can she stay?" she asked. Hades' eyes dimmed and she could tell he was thinking of how to deny her gently. Thinking fast, Persephone trailed a finger down the side of his neck and across his collarbone, slowly moving down his chest. His breath became shallow and his mouth parted slightly. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and bit her lip, knowing it would drive him wild. Hades fought with himself, knowing that he really shouldn't bend the rules for this mortal girl, but she seemed so important to Persephone. And here his wife was looking so…delicious. They had been apart for far too long, and this coupled with his constant and everlasting desire for her eventually made the decision for him. He nodded furiously before grabbing the back of her neck roughly and forcing her lips against his.

Hades hoisted her up against him suddenly and pushed her down against the divan. He climbed on top of her and molded every line of his body against hers. It had only been a week since they'd seen each other, but every moment away from her felt like an eternity to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, urging him closer to her. The hand not supporting his weight over her pulled urgently at the bodice of her dress and before she realized what was happening she felt his lips on her chest. She gasped in shock as her nerves became enflamed with the new sensation. He gripped her thigh and hitched her leg up around his waist, making her skirt slip and revealing the smooth skin of her legs to him. Persephone dug her hand into his hair and arched her back up against him. He continued his attentions smugly; he knew exactly the effect he had on her.

"I missed you so much, darling," Hades confessed. Persephone tried to reply but couldn't catch her breath as Hades began kissing her stomach. He cried out softly and tried to bring him back up to her, but he pinned her wrists above her head in an instant. He let his face hover above hers for several agonizing moments, leaving her in suspense as to when and where he would kiss her next. He grinned before pressing his lips to the sensitive skin just below her ear and trailing his tongue down her neck. All she could manage to do was call his name in quiet, shattered gasps. He rocked against her slowly, giving her a taste as to what was to come. The first thing she did once he released her wrists was practically rip the shirt from his body. She palmed his defined chest and abdomen, listening in satisfaction to his groans of approval and arousal as her hands trailed lower.

When they finally came together sounds of mutual ecstasy filled the room as they fell into their beloved sensual rhythm. Hades kept his eyes locked on Persephone's face as he was reminded just how stunning she was. That maddening cry of hers was what finally drove him over the edge, and afterward he collapsed onto her in satisfied exhaustion.

Only a few embers remained in the fireplace, providing barely enough light for Persephone to make out fuzzy lines of Hades' relaxed form beneath her. She lay atop his chest on the couch as his fingers lazily traced patterns along her spine. His other hand rested behind his head and his eyes were closed. He sighed in contentment when Persephone pressed her lips to his chest softly.

"I missed you," he murmured. Persephone laughed quietly.

"You said that already."

"Well it's true. I don't like being away from you."

"Me neither," Persephone replied. There was a pause before she shifted on top of him and seemed to be thinking of how to say something. "How do you do this, Hades? Sending people to Tartarus, I mean. You've done it for millennia and haven't become heartless or cold. I've only done it for a few days and I feel terrible."

Hades stroked the back of her neck with his thumb in an effort to soothe her. He knew this new role would be difficult, but he didn't want it to break her.

"I just know that I have to do it," he whispered. "And that I have to be strong enough to do it. Like you said, I'm not heartless. I don't sentence souls unfairly or relish in their suffering. If I could, I would send everyone to Elysium. But most souls don't deserve it. They've made their choices in life. They are the ones who really decide where they go after death."

Persephone drew circles on his chest as she thought through what he was saying. If he could be strong, she could be strong too. She owed it to him to be a good queen.

"Now smile, darling, and kiss me one more time."

Minthe paced back and forth anxiously in her room, sweating and pulling on her light brown hair. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be dead. How did this even happen? Well, she knew how it happened, but decided to not dwell on that.

Persephone had been so kind to let her stay in the palace rather than be sent to Tartarus, but she could see in Hades' eyes that he was less enthusiastic about the arrangement. How could she convince him to let her stay? She knew that she probably deserved to go to Tartarus for what she did, but she just couldn't imagine an eternity in Hell.

No, she thought. I'll just have to find a way to make Hades want me to stay…

Hades was bent over his reports intently, studying each word and number with care. His work wasn't always pleasant, but he was passionate about it. The candles around his study cast an orange glow over his careful handwriting. He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and tried to work more quickly. It was hours after midnight and he wanted to return to Persephone for the night. He willed himself to focus; daydreaming about her was too much of a distraction. A soft knock on his study door woke him.

"Come in," he called. He was surprised when it was Minthe who entered. She was wearing a thin nightgown and shawl borrowed from Persephone. He had to admit it was strange seeing another woman in his wife's more intimate clothes.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said. "I'm a bit lost and saw the light from under the door so..."

"Of course. It's Minthe, isn't it?"

"Yes," she looked down and blushed, flattered that he had remembered her name. There was a moment of silence.

"You said you were lost?" Hades asked.

"Yes, I can't find my room."

Hades stood and led her out of the study down the hall. Minthe slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and pulled herself closer to him. He assumed she was just cold or scared, so he didn't say anything.

"You're very kind for letting me stay here," she remarked. Hades simply nodded in reply. "You're not at all like the mortals paint you."

"Very few people's opinions matter to me. The mortals' are not one of them."

"And who does matter to you?"

"Persephone," he answered without a moment of hesitation.

"And not me?" she batted her eyelashes up at him and smiled.

"You matter to her," he conceded. "Her concerns are mine as well."

That was enough for Minthe...for now. They arrived at her room and she thanked Hades again for guiding her. At the last minute she pecked a kiss on his cheek and disappeared behind her door.

Hades stood there for a moment, surprised and confused.

Persephone felt a familiar someone climbing into bed. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck before snuggling in behind her.

"I love you," Hades whispered.

Persephone smiled and turned around in his arms to face him. She leaned up to kiss him but stopped once she saw his cheek. A red imprint of someone else's lips was on his skin. He looked puzzled and reached up to his face, finally realizing what she was looking at.

"I wear pink, not red," Persephone stated. She could think of a number of women who wore red stain on their lips, the Goddess of Love being one of them.

"It was Minthe. She was lost and I led her back to her room. This was how she thanked me," Hades explained. He had nothing to hide, so why was he so nervous? Persephone pursed her lips and looked down, obviously not pleased. "It was not something I asked for, I assure you."

Persephone looked down and bit her tongue. She tried to tell herself that she was being silly, that there was no reason for her to be jealous. Minthe was her dearest friend; she could trust her. Hades was just being the kind and hospitable gentleman he always was. She pushed Hades' shoulder so he was on his back and leaned over him. She gently wiped the proof of another woman's kiss from his cheek and replaced it with her own.

"What was it you said to me once? My kiss should be your last."

"And I want no one's but yours."

Author's Note:

I don't know about you guys but even I'm nervous about what you probably know is coming. I have to admit that having Kat really be Minthe didn't cross my mind until after the wedding scene. I think that's the fun part of writing - sometimes your own work surprises you :) REVIEWS PLEASE! They are my ultimate inspiration!