DIVINE - A Persephone And Hades Retelling

THIRTY SEVEN || An Unwanted Dinner Guest

It was much later in the evening before Persephone saw Hades again. It seemed his meetings had kept him later than he had previously expected. Persephone hadn't minded, it had given her some much-needed alone time with her mother, but still, he had not stopped apologizing.

She had been nervous about her mother's visit, to be honest, she hadn't been sure she would come. But now that her mother was here, she felt the nerves melt away. They had not yet talked about the major cause of their conflict, instead choosing to forgo the uncomfortable conversation for another time. It had quickly been decided without using words that the mother and daughter would instead enjoy their time together after the long separation. Demeter had remained quiet during most of the tour Persephone had given her, but that had been expected. Her mother had never been one for excessive words. Instead, Persephone read her facial expressions and was proud of the smiles her garden had caused. Though her mother had made some off-putting comments about the Underworld and its inhabitants, Persephone felt positive the dinner would go smoothly and that this was the beginning of the harmony she so desperately wanted.

They only needed to get through dinner. The only difference was this time, Hades and her mother would be together in the same room. They had never had a good interaction that Persephone knew of, and she very much doubted that stealing Demeter's daughter away from her and humiliating her in front of Olympus's eyes would have put Hades in her mother's good favor. Still, it needed to be done, and hopefully, with her mediating the dinner, it could be peaceful or, at the very least, not end in bloodshed.

Her eyebrows pulled together with skepticism as she studied the dress she was wearing in the mirror. It was a long sleek regal blue dress that cut down into her cleavage. It held her figure perfectly and had become one of Hades' favorites rather fast. It had always made her feel powerful and confident, which was why she had chosen it, but now she was starting to second guess her choice. She had learned quickly that a woman's appearance had a strangely significant effect on any encounter. Her wit and intelligence would always be her most useful tool, but her body would be the first impression and direct all further conversations. It could be both a tool and a weapon.

She could see Hades walk out of his closet in the mirror's reflection. He was working on tying his tie around his neck, but the moment he saw her dress, he was stalled. Once again, proving her point.

A woman doesn't always need words to bring a man to his knees.

"Do you think my mother will like this dress?" she asked him, doing a half turn in the dress to see how it fell around her legs. If it wasn't bad enough that there was a plunging neckline, there was also a slit up the side of her leg. It only ventured to the crest of her knee and was only noticeable when she turned quickly, but she knew her mother would hate it. It showed she was a woman and no longer a little girl who she could dress in only the most modest robes.

She had always been dressed as a temple priestess, but now she was dressed as a goddess.

She shook her head after biting her lip. She could not wear this to dinner. It would only spark a war if there was not already one on the horizon. "Never mind, will you unbutton me?" she asked him.

He left his tie to hang loose around his neck as he walked to her wordlessly. But instead of reaching for the buttons on the back of her dress, he circled his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. His eyes studied her through their reflection in the full-length mirror. "I like you in this dress," he simply told her.

"Yes, but I don't think it's appropriate. I have a light pink one my mother gave me for my birthday. That one will be better for a dinner like this one," she said, reaching for the buttons herself.