POMEGRANATE, addams

𝖎𝖝. 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖇𝖔𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌

"And yet, somehow, he has." Persephone sighs, her head dropping to Hades' shoulder. "Solving mysteries is harder than it seems. It's frustrating." Hades places a delicate kiss on the top of her head.

"Wednesday is stubborn. She won't give up until she's figured it out." He reassures. Persephone's fingers brush against his, fiddling with the rings he is wearing to keep her mind occupied. They sit in a comfortable silence, basking in the peace they feel together. Just the sounds of the gentle breeze flowing through the trees and the calming thumps of their own heartbeats. All is quie-

"Persephone!"

All is peacef-

"Persephone!"

All is seren-

"Persephone!"

"There goes my relaxing afternoon." Persephone mumbles, lifting her head up. She hoped that by ignoring the person, it would make them go away. Alas, no such luck. Enid's head pops into view.

"There you are! I was calling you!" She exclaims, approaching the previously relaxed duo.

"Were you really? I did not notice." Persephone replied sarcastically. She was sure even the monster in the woods had heard Enid's incessant screaming.

"You're helping us paint the boat." Enid declares, grabbing Persephone's hand and dragging her away.

"I- I am?" Persephone never agreed to this. She looks at the boy left behind. "A little help here, Mr. God of the Underworld." She calls out, trying to pull her hand away from Enid's tight grip. She is no match for the strength of a werewolf.

"Nah, I'm good." Hades reclines even more, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face. Persephone narrows her eyes at his betrayal as he gives her a cheeky wave. She longed to throw something at him... A book... A chair... Herself...

◇ ◇ ◇

"Ladies, come on! Let's work on those teeth." Enid bosses, leaning over Yoko's shoulder. "More scowl. This kitty is taking no prisoners. If Bianca Barclay wins again this year, I will literally scratch my own eyes out!" Persephone rolls her eyes at her friend's dramatics. She had hidden herself away on the other side of the boat, ducking down to escape Enid's wrath. Despite not actually taking part in the Poe Cup, Persephone was still coerced into helping.

"I would pay money to see that." Wednesday comments, appearing behind Enid with Hades at her side. Enid spins around with a smile on her face and skips to stand in front of Wednesday. Hades' eyes roam to try and find his girl.

"Howdy, roomie! I'm so glad you decided to stay."

"I thought you wanted your room back."

"Full disclosure, I like living in a group and Thing gives a killer neck massage. It's a win-win." Enid replies. Being a pack animal means that Enid doesn't like to be alone, so she's thrilled to have another person in the room. Even if Wednesday can be cold and emotionally unavailable.

"He's also very good for gossiping." Persephone pops up from her terrible hiding spot. Hades' face softens from its usual glare as he sees her. She has paint all the way up her forearms and even some flecks on her face. Persephone notices their questioning glances at her chaotic attire. "I may have made a tiny bit of a mess." She admits bashfully. 

"I can see that." Enid's eyes scan her paint-covered face with an unimpressed gleam before plastering on an encouraging smile. "A for effort. So... why the change of heart?" Enid asks Wednesday, changing the topic.

"I refuse to play the role of a pawn in someone else's corrupt game." Her arms remain folded across her chest, face not giving anything away. Persephone makes her way to stand next to Hades, wanting to watch this interaction. She knows that Enid doesn't believe Wednesday.

"You mean Rowan?"

"I witnessed his murder, Enid."

"It's just, we all saw him this morning. Very much, like, not dead." Enid attempts to reason.

"I know. Which leads me to believe I've been losing my mind."

"Ooh. Is it as fun as we imagined?" Hades asks excitedly.

"No. Not even close." Hades' shoulders sag in disappointment. "You're Nevermore's gossip queen. What's Rowan's story?"

"Other than being a weird loner... Uh... No offense." Nobody was quite sure who she was referring to in the group.

"None taken." All three replied. Wednesday was quite emotionless in her response, Hades looking slightly offended (he certainly didn't think he was weird... the loner part was partially correct) and Persephone was confused. She hadn't thought she was a loner but she has realised that the only people she could really call friends were her roommate, her roommate's crush and her other roommate's brother.

Enid hesitates for a second, not expecting all three to respond, but quickly carries on, "Xavier Thorpe's his roommate. You know, if you had a cellphone, you could just text him and ask him." She turns to look at the boat, only to spot something that she desperately wanted to fix. "Yoko. Come on! Flare those whiskers. The Poe Cup droops for no one." She then remembers Persephone, who has been slacking while they were conversing. "Persephone! Back to work!"

Persephone groans in annoyance. She really was not good at anything artistic. Hades chuckles at her dismay, making her turn her fierce glare to him. She reached one paint-covered hand and smeared it over his cheek. Now it was her turn to laugh as his mouth fell open in shock. The disbelief quickly turned into a threatening smirk as Hades grabbed a paint brush. Persephone curses under her breath as she races off with Hades chasing after her.

"No! We'll never get the boat finished for the Poe Cup if you two mess about!" Enid's shouts fell on deaf ears as Hades and Persephone were in a world of their own.

"What is the Poe Cup anyway?" Wednesday asks, turning her attention away from her brother's laughter (a sound she used to only hear once in a blue moon but now seems to hear everyday).

"Only my entire reason for living right now! Part canoe race, part foot chase, no rules." Enid enthusiastically explains. "Each dorm has to pick an Edgar Allan Poe short story for inspiration. You could grab a brush. Miss Thornhill's just ordered pizza. Want to take a stab at being social? Your brother is certainly getting in the spirit." They turn to their attention to Hades who is now covered in paint and has managed to draw whiskers on Persephone's face. That gives Enid an idea for their Poe Cup costume.

"I do like stabbing. The social part, not so much. Besides, it'll cut into my writing time."

"No worries. Just as long as you're lakeside cheering us to victory on race day." Wednesday's face remains unimpressed by this suggestion. "Or you can just glare uncomfortably. Whatever works for you." A wink completes Enid's sentence. A shriek grabs their attention as they look over to see Persephone flung over Hades' shoulder, his hands wrapped securely around her waist. Enid awes at the pair. "They look happy."

Wednesday considers her words and focuses on her brother's face. She has never seen him so carefree and euphoric before. She realises then and there, that Hades looks at Persephone like their father looks at their mother. "Yes, they do."