Persephone had woken wrapped in the warmth of Hades' arms. It should have been a time when she could lose herself in the early morning glow and the pleasure of her husband by her side. She loved mornings, always the first to rise and soak up the joy of a silent world about to be woken.
But this morning was ruined by the thought of her nightmare. It had been the first thought that entered her mind when she woke. Her mother's laughter echoed as a forest turned to ash. It replayed in her memory all morning. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the heat from the flames. That, paired with her and Hades' conversation last night, made her nervous. She was so sure her mother wasn't plotting against them. She only wished Hades believed the same. Demeter had tried to separate them, first in the garden, then on Olympus. But she had been permanently stopped by Zeus at the trial, the hearing was final, and all of Olympus knew as much now. Her mother would not go against the command of Zeus, no matter how desperate she was.
She knew her mother was not stupid and was aware that being seen as going against Zeus' ruling would bring consequences. Her mother had been silenced during the trial and had left the hall with fewer allies than she had arrived with. There was no way she could challenge one of the three king brothers. And Demeter knew it.
Persephone also hoped her mother had seen sense and had finally heard what Persephone had been trying to tell her for so long. That she was happy with Hades and that she was loved and safe. She had hoped she had shown her mother that there was more to life than power and respect. Persephone had hoped it had been enough.
Persephone had spent her whole life with her mother. Over the years, she had grown to understand her mother in a way only a daughter could. Because of this, she felt completely confident her mother was not the one starting a war. Many gods could be their enemies on Olympus, but her mother was not one of them.
She was so confident her mother was innocent that her continued arguments had caused Hades to drop the topic entirely last night, but she knew he had not removed Demeter from his list of suspects. Far from it. She knew he had heard her, but that did not remove the fact that Hades thought Demeter was capable of such things. That could not be erased so easily.
If her mother were to visit them in the Underworld, she might be able to prove her mother's innocence. Her mother would be able to see how wonderful her life was with Hades, how happy, loved, and how caring Hades really was. It would also allow Hades to get to know Demeter better, learn more about her, and see that she was incapable of such destruction.
She knew they could learn to get along if she could only get them to understand one another.
Besides, while away in the Underworld, she had grown to miss her mother. Never in her long life had she gone one day without seeing her. The fact that her mother had not even sent a message to Persephone the whole time the two had been separated was starting to eat her up inside. It broke her heart that they had parted in such harsh circumstances. It hurt to remember that the last time she had seen her mother was when she had a look of such hurt and disgust on her face.
The night after the trial, Hades had told her not to feel sorry for being happy. While this was true, she still couldn't stop herself from wanting to make everyone happy. She had a need to please everyone, but when it came to Hades and her mother, she had been forced to pick one or the other. And, of course, she had sided with Hades. She couldn't have ever picked any other way than Hades. It was always Hades. But that did not make the pit in her stomach disappear.
If she could get them together, then maybe she could find a way to end this feud. Make it so she no longer had to pick between her love and her own blood.
If only her mother could see the garden Persephone had created, she would understand the Underworld was not dark and desolate but a beautiful paradise. Her mother could see Hades and her without the film of a court around them. She could see how in love Persephone was with Hades and how great he treated her. If her mother could see, truly see, how could she not understand this was a good thing? How could Demeter not change her mind?
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DIVINE - A Persephone And Hades Retelling
Historical Fiction"I've told you, Hades, I can not become your mistress." she sadly told him. She had always lived in her mother's shadow, and if she followed Hades, she would once again be living in another's shadow. Even though she loved him, she did not think she...
