DIVINE - A Persephone And Hades Retelling

TWO || Whispers In The Garden

The vines on Olympus acted differently to her powers than those on earth. They were only made to look like plants, when in fact, they were intricately woven magic, created to fool the eye. But a plant was a plant, and they all eventually bent to her fingers. They wove to her hand, making shapes while she sat ideally in the garden. It felt good to create something entirely from her imagination.

She had begun to grow tired of the party and all the gods in attendance. She could smell the arrogance rolling off them all. The only reason the Olympian gods attended these parties was to show the others how mighty they were and to remind them why they were made a god. She found it sad that to these gods, the only family they would ever have, were within those walls, yet they still worried they would be forgotten.

With that thought, a hand reaches out of the night to grab her arm, pulling the breath from her lungs. Although she did not see her assailant, she knew without seeing his eyes who it was. Hades. She could feel the warmth of his power before he had gotten close enough to touch her. Over the years, she had grown uniquely accustomed to that same feeling; she was even drawn to it.

Without spearing a moment's thought, he pulled her deeper into the garden and behind one of the pillars. When she was turned around and pressed up against the stone, she could see his gleaming eyes through the darkness. She couldn't help the foolish grin that spread across her face. If her mother could see her now, she would have scolded her for looking so foolish. But Hades didn't mind; instead, he shared the matching set. He silenced her laugh with a kiss of his own. His hand reached up to cup her face and pull her impossibly close, so she could do nothing but melt into the kiss. She thanked the fates he was there to keep her from falling onto the floor. When he finally pulled away, she could not catch her breath.

"I've missed you, Hades," she whispered to him.

"As I have missed you, Persephone," he replied, kissing the sides of her mouth softly. "The Underworld is so cold when you are gone."

"I will come to visit soon," she promised. She knew it had been a while since they had been able to hold each other like this, and unfortunately, it had been her fault. Although she had tried to sneak away, there seemed always to be something that needed her attention. Her mother had been keeping her very busy lately.

At her words, he stopped his assault on her neck and leaned away so that they could see each other more clearly. She hated the disappointing sound she made at the absence of his lips and returned him a confused look of her own. "I wish you would never have to leave," he told her sadly.

"Me too," she agreed. "Imagine the life we could have." The possibility of a life with Hades, however impossible, was always a thought close to her heart. "One day, that future will be ours, but not right now," she said as she tried to kiss away the bad taste her words left in her mouth. She knew her mother would never allow it. One day they would have their moment, but as of now, she could not see a way it could happen. No matter how much it pained her to admit.

"So this, is it? A series of secret visits until you finally grow tired of me or find yourself a suitor your mother will approve of?" he asked. A look of hurt flashed across his face so fast any other would have missed it, but she caught it before his usual neutral look replaced it. "Is our love fated to be hidden in the shadows?" he asked, looking around them. Until he drew attention to their current location, she had forgotten about it altogether, solely focusing on him.

"Hades, I-" she stopped herself, unsure of what to say or what she could tell him to make it better. "You know I can't tell my mother. She would disapprove." She knew as soon as the words left her lips this was not what he had hoped for, but it was the only truth she had for him.