Persephone

Persephone

Chapter 12

      For three nights I hadn’t slept, the loss of Adonis had left me feeling weak. Hades left me feeling empty when he betrayed me. In all my time I had never felt such despair or loneliness. When Adonis left I found myself going to the river Styx, I didn’t journey down it. There was nothing down there for me, so I just sat at its edge and remained for three days.
      The mist of the river moved and rose from the river surface, it reminded me of the nymphs dancing carelessly on Earth. The swirling movements had me entranced, it seemed to get thicker and more faster as I watched. Persephone.. It seemed to whisper. All around me the mist rose, wrapping around my toes, crawling up my legs… Persephone… the word swam around in the mist. My tense body started to relax and warm. I let my cloak slip off my shoulders and the mist continued up to caress my thighs, arms and neck. Persephone… “Persephone…”my name was spoken this time, but just a soft. I looked up to see Hades only yards from me, thigh deep in the water. The mist was all around him, lifting his dark curls around his head. He had never looked more godly.
      My leg involuntarily took a step toward him. The image of Hades and Minthe flashed through my head and I recoiled. Since finding the two of them together that day Hades hadn’t even touched me, we barely even communicated at all. “Persephone come to me”, he said, gaining my attention again.
“I… I can’t”, I stammered.
“My love, come to me. You are hurting, let me relieve you of your pain. I can make everything better. Ill make it go away”. He said, and for that moment, at least, I believed him. My feet began to move forward, the water tickled my toes and made me shiver. He began to move to me, the mist moved with him. His arms were around me, holding me like it was the first time. My breathing became deeper as he brushed away hair from my face, the touch made me shiver. He pulled the two combs from my hair, letting it fall down my back. The mist surrounded us both, encaging us in a think white blanket of fog, shielding us from all the eyes of the worlds. His lips touched mine, with icy-fire sting that made me swoon. He effortlessly ripped my dress off my body, leaving me completely exposed to him. His fingers traced the contours of my body leaving icy trails behind them. “You’re trembling”, he whispered in my ear.
“It feels like the first time”, I admitted.
“Your so beautiful Persephone. Give me an heir”.
      I opened my eyes to find myself in a cavern at the river Styx. So it hadn’t been a dream, he was still here with me. Hades had touched me in ways I had never known before, he had made love to me over and over and yet made every time like my first.  He stirred behind me and pulled my body closer to his. “Hades how did you do that?”.
“What part?”, he mumbled still half asleep.
“Well, the mist, the whispering wind and that way you looked at me. I… I thought I had lost you. I thought that day… when I saw you… I thought I had already lost your heart”. I let out.
“Persephone?”, came a voice from the cave entrance. I looked up and saw Hades. Hades? I looked at him confused, then looked behind me and saw the man behind me get to his feet. As I looked into his eyes for him to explain, his features began to change. His dark curls became looser and lightened, he smiled to the Hades at the door then laughed. It took me a few minutes to realise, what or who I was looking at. The naked man behind me was actually Zeus. I screamed when I realised what I had done and tried desperately to shield my naked body from his eyes. “Zeus! What have you done?!” Hades shouted from the door, running in.
“Hades, my brother, your lovely wife has obliged me with baring me an heir”. I screamed again and Hades pounced over me, lunging for Zeus, who had instantly disappeared in a white mist and down into the murky water of the river.
      “He was you! He was you”, I sobbed into my hands. Beside me Hades paced the floor for a few minutes before stopping by my side and putting his robe around me. He sat with me for what must have been hours. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke I was in my own bed.