as promised, here is another hades!harry x persephone fic. this one takes place 4 months after she's left. i think i'll write a final part to this about their reunion. thanks for reading and for the warm welcome back! 4k words
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In the Underworld, there's a general unsettling sense about the shadows lurking around the gates of Tartarus, the whispers of the dead souls arriving alongside Thanatos, and the looming fear of the rulers of the Underworld.
Hades, King of the Underworld, also known as Harry, rarely presents himself above ground for the mortals and other Olympian Gods to see, leaving most of the world in both awe and terror about the King himself. The Underworld depends on the King, its entire structure crumbling when he's away from his home for too long, however, in the past few months, there hasn't been any reason for him to leave the Underground. His Queen, Persephone, has faithfully remained by his side for the 6 months that she's entitled to. The gardens have flourished, the judgements met, and the normalcy of his life restored.
But now, it's been 4 months since she's been gone, returned to her home above ground, and Hades is left in his world, counting the days until his wife returns, bringing life and happiness along with her.
His bed is far too big, his bedroom too cold, his heart too small when she's gone. He turns his head to look out the window, the darkness seeping into his room without the curtains. It seems like the nights drag on without the sunlight to remind him of times when days used to be long. He's unsure of how long he's been in bed, but it can't be less than a few hours. His mind remains wide awake while his body is fatigued with tiredness.
Harry turns his head and looks at her side of the bed, imagining the curve of her waist, her dark skin loved on by the sun. Sometimes when she arrives in the Underworld, her skin is peeling from the treatment of the sun. Sometimes she walks with a grimace because it hurts and she needs an ice bath immediately, and the expression on her face makes him want to start a war with Helios himself. Persephone never seems to show the discomfort for long, and even goes so far to argue that she enjoys the burn of the sun as it reminds her of all that she loves in the world. Hades will never fully understand what that means, and too often she simply pats his cheek and tells him that it's completely fine if he doesn't fully understand.
Harry now rests a hand on his cheek, feeling the weight of her hand on him. His eyes are forcefully torn away from his wife's side of the bed, unable to look at it any longer. He wishes he could feel the dip in the bed where she lays, her legs tangled with his, head resting on his pillow because she doesn't like hers enough.
He simply cannot take it any longer. He sits up and lets the sheets around him fall from his bare chest, pooling at his waist. Nobody will be awake at this hour, and the person he'd like to speak to the most won't be around for another 2 months, so he goes to the one he knows will listen to him.
After putting on some clothes, he heads out, lighting candles with a wave of his hand as he continues down the corridors and into the lounge area that has been expanded by his wife to include their pets. She's always detested how their dog doesn't have a place for himself in the actual palace, so here is Cerberus now, in his dog bed. One that takes up nearly half the room.
"Hi, boy," Harry mutters when the dog raises all three of his heads and looks at his owner. The sleep is instantly gone from his eyes as he sits up and begins excited tapping his feet, eager for the touch of his owner. "Hi."
Cerberus lays himself down in front of Harry and rests all three heads in his lap once Harry sits down on the floor beside his dog bed. He runs his hands over the middle head, smiling gently. "I woke you up."
Cerberus gives Hades a small whimper and then licks his hand generously.
"I'm okay," Harry says, scratching the dog's ears. "I just can't sleep." He swallows thickly. "I just miss her a lot."
