Persephone and Hades

A Garden Full of Wilted Roses

I walked through the lush garden, my arm outstretched, fingers moving to the beat of a song stuck in my head. I could not touch the roses, I knew this, despite my mother being the goddess of harvest, all I touch seems to lose life. "You're just special, sweety, that's all" my mother would say when she saw me, tears in my eyes, with some dead thing in my hands. I did not cry because of my deathly touch, I cried for the beauty of death, a wilted rose is far more stunning then one in bloom.  

I didn't notice it until it was too late, I looked behind me to see a garden full of wilted roses, I looked at my fingers, stained with the blood of their thorns, smiling to my self I wiped the blood on my pink dress, admiring the design I had made. I walked back along the rose bushes, picking out each rose, twisting there stems together to make a circle around the size of my head. "A crown of death," I whispered to myself placing the crown of flowers on my head. I continued to stroll around the garden until I heard a whisper "exquisite."  

My head snapped around, and I walked towards the magnificent, old oak tree, "Hades?" I called out, as I walked circles around the tree, his usual hiding spot. I felt a cold slender finger tap my shoulder "behind you, love" his smooth voice soothed my ears from my mothers usual screeching. I leaned my shoulder against the tree, looking him straight in his icy blue eyes, people always said that they were cold, cruel, and lifeless, but I disagreed, his eyes changed colours depending on his temper, and they were always lively, despite his job description. "How are we today, death?" he chuckled at my nickname for him, and looked at the trail of dead rose bushes I left in my wake "I don't really think I am the one who should be called death, now, don't you agree?" I shrugged and walked over towards his horse, Raug, running my hand over his smooth, cold bones, "Raug doesn't seem to think I am death" I said matter-of-factly, "yes my love, but that is probably because Raug is already dead." 

"I am not your love," I snapped at him, "don't ever presume that I am, unless I tell you otherwise," a comment that would usually make his temper boil, sometimes even, it would spill over the edge, made him smile brightly "I think you're ready Persephone, I know everyone else is," "Ha!" I scoffed "everyone minus Demeter? Hades yo-" Hades interrupted me, a habit he had become too comfortable with, "Your mother can't stop us, Persephone, she cannot stop you." Hades stupidity enraged me "do you not think she would not scour the earth for me! Do you not think that she would not burn all of Greece, all of this world, and the next just to find me? Do you not think that she would force my father, Zeus to tear apart even the Underworld! Do not think we can hide from them Hades." his eyes widened as he stepped closer to me, his hands placed delicately on my shoulders "Persephone, Kore" he whispered his thumb brushing my lower lip, and I winced "You would be the Goddess, the Queen of the Underworld, you would be untouchable, you're position would be unquestionable, and they could not take it away from you." 

The debate between he and I of my ruling the underworld was an age old one, a debate that also occurred between him and my mother before I was even born. In Hades mind my destiny was clear, he would train me as the Queen of the Underworld, and I would rule, by his side if he got his wish, alone if I got mine. I was Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus, with the touch of death, I needed no man, nor woman beside me to rule. "It's not going to be that simple Hades" still I found myself walking towards Raug, and I could feel Hades right behind me "nothing ever is," and I had a feeling that my ruling of the Underworld wasn't the only thing Hades was talking about. 

And as I climbed on Raug's back, and the earth before me ripped into two, I knew that this day, and what I had done on it would define me for the rest of my life, as Hades and I went deep into the warm depths of the Underworld I could hear my mothers cries of my name, but it did not stir any emotions in me for I was no longer just simple, plain Persephone, I was Persephone Queen of the Underworld.  

Hi all! This work was inspired by the gorgeous artwork of Slaymate (http://slaymate.tumblr.com/) their Persephone and Hades artwork is stunning and completely inspired this entire thing, I want to thank them for allowing me to use their artwork as references that I can link you guys to so you can see what I think the characters would look like, and for making the artwork in the first place that lead to all this.