A Moment of Peace

When I next woke up, Hades was already awake.

He was still sitting in the armchair, but was just staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. He did not noticed that my eyes were open, still keeping his gaze fixed on the wall ahead of him with a thoughtful look. With my body still feeling heavy sleep, I continued to stay laid down and just watched him think quietly. But eventually, the stiffness of sleepy heaviness caused me to move. It was then he finally noticed that I was already waking up, he came to my side quickly and brought me into an embrace.

"Do you feel alright?" he asked me, caressing my back soothingly in comfort. "Are you well-rested?"

Pulling back, I looked at him in the eye with a smile on my lips. Nodding my head, I said to him, "Very well-rested, thank you very much. And how about you? Had a nice sleep?"

Looking thoughtfully for a second, he shrugged and replied, "Kind of. I didn't really realize that I had fallen asleep. All I could remember was just looking at you."

I chuckled my breath, shaking my head lightly. "Well, I guess you might have gotten tired of looking at my face then, since you fell asleep."

His eyebrows then pulled into a mild frown, looking at me with eyes that were so very unamused. He clearly did not find my little self-depreciating joke even the slightest bit funny, and it made me chuckle even more. "Hey, I'm just joking," I told him with a sort of amused sigh. "I appreciate that you'd still keep an eye out for me, but I'm also glad that you at least managed to get some sleep. I could tell that you really needed the rest."

"I appreciate that you care for my well-being, dear wife," Hades remarked with a soft smile – a smile of his that I loved so very much. "But I assure you that I'll be fine. What's more important is that you feel alright."

My own smile grow at once again witnessing my husband's selflessness for me, and it immediately reminded me of the conversation I had with Hera earlier on in dawn. I felt a soothing feeling in my heart, once again touched by his selflessness and his care towards me. Thus, I said nothing in return, just pulling him back into a hug and holding him tight to me. He said nothing too, just hugging me quietly and tightly as well. We said nothing to each other for that moment, just staying in our embrace and enjoying the peaceful silence. And it seemed to be a while before we let go.

"Hungry?" he asked me curiously, effectively changing topic as he pulled away.

As though my stomach had heard that word, it started growling at that very instant, overwhelming me with the sense of hunger and a want for some food in my stomach. It was probably breakfast, brunch or lunch right now, and I wondered if airplane food would taste good.

Hades heard the growl, and he chuckled in amusement, as did I. "Well, that answers," he remarked with a smile, before taking me by the hand and leading me out of the room.

With him, I then walked down the same hallway that led to the kitchen area, where I had coffee with Hera just a few hours prior. But instead of silence that I had faced when I first walked this path, there were voices and sounds and movements, so it must mean that the rest of them must be awake by now. There was also a lingering scent wafting; the scent of hot food. It made my mouth instantly water, and my stomach to growl even more.

Some familiar faces came into view just as Hades and I entered, and I was being greeted loudly then.

"My dear niece!" Hestia exclaimed with a big and relieved smile on her lips, pushing past Apollo and Poseidon to come to me and take me into a tight and endearing hug. I was not slow to throw my arms around her in return, hugging her just as tightly as she hugged me. Pressing my face onto her curly flame-orange hair, I felt a sense of comfort immediately overwhelm her, and it somehow soothed me instantly. But overall, I was just glad that I could see my favourite (without a doubt!) aunt once again.

"Thank Mount Olympus, you are alright!" she exclaimed almost breathlessly, and I swear that she sounded almost as if she was on the verge of crying. "Thank Mount Olympus that you are alright!"

Gently, I pulled back just so that I could have a good look on her face, and sure enough, there were tears rimming around her eyes. I took her face in my hands gently, thumbs brushing softly against her cheekbones in a soothing notion. "Thank Mount Olympus, indeed…" I told her, a soft smile on my lips.

And at that moment, I caught sight of a familiar pair of midnight blue eyes, looking at me tiredly from the couch that she was resting upon with a blanket on her shoulders. I took my hands away from Hestia, and made to move towards Artemis.

She immediately got up and came to me to bring me into a hug, and I immediately responded by hugging her back as tightly as I could. I felt absolutely glad and relieved that my half-sister was right here, safe and sound. I thanked Mount Olympus, Mother Gaia, and any other sort of higher divine power, for having her here with us and on the way home, instead of trapped in Heatherton at the hands of Demeter. Though looking a little beaten and wearied out, she was nevertheless fine, and I was very glad with that.

"Thank goodness, you're safe," I told her softly, still hugging her tight.

I felt her arms tightening just the slightest bit more, and I felt as though I was trapped in the embrace of a boa constrictor. However, I just did not give a single care, still hugging my half-sister tight as though it would be our last – which I truly hope it was not!

"Are you alright?" I asked her instantly when she had released me slightly, looking at her from head to toe. "Nothing happened to you, right? She hadn't done anything to you?"

With a sigh and a shrug, she replied quietly, "Nothing too serious, but still enough to pack a punch."

There was a kind-of tone of shame and embarrassment in her voice when she said that, and that immediately made me curious as to why, since those were two emotions I never would have expected her to feel after having gotten out from battle. But before I could even think to ask, Apollo appeared by her side, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently it what seemed like assurance. Artemis glanced at her brother and smiled for just a split second, before going back to looking ashamed and embarrassed, though it looked more toned down.

"Yeah… but what matters most is that I'm right here, safe with the rest of you."

A grateful smile came to my lips, and I took her in for another hug, just wanting to feel her close and safe to me. It lasted a few seconds longer, before I released her so that she could return to the couch that she had been resting on. She laid down, placing her head where there was a soft pillow on one end, and just stayed lying there and closing her eyes, not sleeping but just resting. Apollo then went to sit in an armchair that was next to his sister's head, just looking at her with concern.

My attentions then turned to Hestia, who asked me, "Would you want something to eat, Persephone? I'm pretty sure that you must be very hungry now. Maybe even famished!"

"Ah, yeah," I told her sheepishly, feeling another growl coming from my stomach. "I'm starving. Is there anything to eat on this plane?"

"I'll go and cook up some nice bacon and eggs with toast," she replied with a smile, and then asking Hades, "Would you like some breakfast too, brother?"

Hades had been in the middle of a conversation with Poseidon when he was asked this, but he smiled to Hestia and told her, "It's alright, dear sister. But a cup of coffee would be nice, thank you."

I frowned at what I was hearing, and said indignantly, "Hades, you need to eat too. You're just as exhausted as I am, and I'm sure that some breakfast would do you good." And before he could even think to protest, I added in, "Don't give me any talk that you're fine or whatever. I know that you're not, no matter how many times you try to convince me otherwise. Now, I just want you to keep quiet and have breakfast with me."

The room was then quiet when I stopped talking. Hades stayed quiet for a while, looking at me blankly. At first, I thought that I might have said the wrong thing, but I stayed to my words firmly when I realized that there was absolutely nothing wrong with insisting one's husband to eat breakfast.

And that fact was proven when he smiled and sighed, "To be honest, some bacon would be delicious right now."

When she woke up, she found herself in the most peculiar and oddest of places to wake up in.

She woke up among ruins.

Demeter blinked her eyes open, and wondered why it still seemed so dim even though there was bright light shining all around her. She rubbed at her eyes, wondering if she had somehow gone half-blind, and sat up before opening them again. And it was then she realised that she was actually under a tree, and she was resting in the shade of the branches high above her. Sitting on the green grass, she looked around in even more confusion.

For some reason, there was a sense of familiarity as to why she felt that she could recognise this place. She was very sure that she had never seen it before, and she was very sure that she had never stepped foot on this grass. But for some reason, she felt like she had seen it before, and that she had walked on the grass of this very land. And looking at the ruins made her sort of remember the last time she had seen it, although it seemed like just a blurry memory.

The ground under my feet feels familiar… But have I ever walked upon soil like this? She wondered as she slowly got up on her feet to rise into a stand. Have I ever walked on the grass that grows here? Have I ever breathed the air that the trees here give? Have I ever stood amongst this nature and admired the landscape around me?

But when she had set her eyes on the ruins, the sense of familiarity within her grew stronger, and she could feel her heart starting to beat fast as she then seemed to be able to recognise where she was. It came to her slowly at first, but the memories of the time she had spent her began to get clearer and clearer and clearer. And she suddenly realized why she hadn't been able to remember this place from memories recent; she had never stepped foot here as Demi Korey, but instead as Demeter.

This was Eleusis.

Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and Athena all seemed to be busy preparing for something upon our arrival in Greece, but I did not bother to find out despite the nagging curiosity, since I already had too many things on my mind and would not like to be burdened with another confusing piece of fact. And it seemed that Hades did the same as well, considering how he did not bother to join the conversation, even though he was included in it.

Instead, we spent our time in the sitting room with the rest. Ares and Aphrodite were out, both of them just sipping on shots of vodka with Dionysus at the bar. Nearby in the sitting room, Hades and I both sat on one of the couches, distracting ourselves with conversation. Artemis was still lying across the longer couch, this time definitely asleep. Apollo had given up the chair he initially sat on to Hestia, opting to sit on the carpeted floor nearby his sister. Hermes had emerged a while ago for some food, and he and I had a brief reunion and conversation before he retreated back to the cockpit.

Currently, Apollo, Hestia, Dionysus, Hades and I were just talking, and about absolutely random topics. Topics like the countries we liked, gossiping about the celebrities that were currently the most popular in Hollywood (Apollo sure did know a lot about this), and how it would be like if time stopped for just a short while.

Mainly, we were doing this because we wanted a while to ourselves where we did not have to talk about Mount Olympus or our return to godhood or what had happened in Heatherton or what was to happen or her. That had been all we had mostly talk about when we first received news of this change, and although it was important in the absolutely utmost highest regard, it was also too burdening and too painful and too stressful to think about for even another second. I, for one, could not bear the thought of having to have my mind be filled with those troubles any longer, and I seriously needed a break where I could just feel normal for the time being. Thankfully, the rest were willing to comply.

But when the random conversation started to die down, that's when the questioning began to start.

"You know, Persephone… You never did tell us anything about yourself when you were still 'human'," Apollo suddenly remarked, his tone very curious. "What were you called again?"

Naturally, I became curious as to why this particular topic, and I was slightly uncertain and a bit half-hearted about talking about it. But nonetheless, I answered, "Melindia Hagne."

"And what did you do, when you were Melindia Hagne?"

"I was a florist. I had a flower shop."

Hestia smiled, telling me, "Seems like even when you were 'human', your love for flowers never did go away."

I smiled at the comment, nodding my head in agreement. "Flowers could have basically been my life. It was all I ever mostly spent my time on. Well, other than reading on Greek myths."

The last part seemed to have come off as a shock to Dionysus, who exclaimed curiously after taking a shot of vodka, "You read on Greek myths?"

I nodded in agreement, and then telling them, "I read about anything that I could find about Greek myths. The stories of the Trojan War, Agamemnon, Heracles, and – most especially about us, the Greek Gods. I read about the Twelve Olympians and their tales, and their role in the world of mortals, and the power that they've held as the most important deities in the universe."

I then felt a sort of pride upon seeing all of them – except Artemis, who was still asleep – look at me with a look of awe at hearing what I was telling.

"Wow… To think that you would actually be reading about us," said Apollo, who was eyeing me with amazement.

And then, Hestia asked, "But of all things, why us? Seems like a rather strange coincidence, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

It was at this moment that Aphrodite spoke, now seemingly very interested in the conversation. "To be honest, it is quite a strange coincidence. Having a liking to a culture that turned out to be your own? Could it have been a sign for you?"

Now that she's said it, could it really have been a sign? I mean, I know it was pretty strange that I turned out to be a Greek goddess while my hobby had been to study about the Greek deities, but could it truly have been intentional? That got me thinking about the Fates, and how they have hinted to me so many times that they know more than me about what I had done, what I do and what I was going to do; they knew more than they would have let on. Could it really have been intentional for them to give me this sort of subtle clue as to what had been in store for me in the future? Was the answer to my true heritage had been in front of me for all this time?

"Maybe… Maybe there might have been a connection… Somehow…"

Hades looked at me with a raised brow, wondering what hidden meaning I could have implied behind my words. I didn't look at him out of nervousness, remembering that I still hadn't told him I had contact with the Fates secretly without him knowing.

So, in order to bring away attention to that, I quickly changed topic and said, "I was a very boring person, to be very honest with all of you. I was a homebody, and I would never stray away from home too long. Mostly, what I would do is either work the whole day in the flower shop, or stay at home and read. The only times I would ever go out on my own would be to go to the bookshop, the grocery store, or to my favourite café. Other than that, I wouldn't even bother thinking about going out."

Nobody commented much on that, so it was kind of a relief but also a kind of awkward moment. Silence ensued after that, while nobody said a word. Neither did I say anything at all.

But then, the voice that had been silent throughout the entire conversation suddenly spoke up, much to my surprise.

"But anyway, you should not really want to think too much about it now," Ares remarked, looking lazily at me while his arm was still wrapped around Aphrodite. "We are about to be reborn into gods again, so you shouldn't stay pondering on your past of being a human. It would not do you any good to think back on the past, and neither would it be any useful for you when you return to grace."

While I was grateful for him breaking the silence, I absolutely did not agree to what he was telling me to do. What he was telling me to do was absolutely selfish and heartless of me to do just that. Despite the fact that I considered myself a goddess now, that does not mean that I could not deny the fact that I had been 'human' as well. I could not just forget about the past, because the past was still a part of me. It was a part of me that I had lived as for these past decade or so, and I had actually built a life of my own while I was 'human'. Also, it had been a crucial part of me that led me to where I was now. I did not want to simply just forget just because I was going back to being who I truly was.

But before I could disagree with Ares and tell him off, a bell sound suddenly came from the intercom, and we could hear Hermes' voice come on, telling us, "Everyone, we've arrived in Athens."

Author's Note:

Allow me to explain my unexpected long hiatus, my dear readers.

As some of you may have already known, I became increasingly busier with real life. Being an actress, student, girlfriend, daughter, friend and part-time cashier really took up a lot of my free time, to the point where I didn't have any to myself. And what with me having to take on three upcoming productions, it really took a toll on me. That, and a sudden bout of depression that attacked me at the wrong time and made me do things that I regret deeply, since it hurt so many people that I loved - especially my boyfriend, who clearly didn't deserved the crap that I forced upon him.

But then, those episodes and bouts of exhaustion made me miss my first love of fanfiction, and I have been looking back to what I had been doing. It made me think of what I had improved, what I am improving on now, and what I can improve in the future.

I never abandoned fanfiction - I did promise you guys that. But I am making a slow return to it, because I don't trust myself to come back full force just yet. I can't promise frequent weekly updates anymore, unfortunately. But believe me when I say I am slowly rebuilding myself and building the chapters.

Thanks to all of you who still stayed in my absence. I will try my best to be the Muse once more =)

I love you guys so very much.

Muse of Fanfiction