DIVINE - A Persephone And Hades Retelling

Epilogue Two

HADES POV

A plate of breakfast and eggs sat in front of Hades even though his focus was not on them but on the two glowing smiles across the table. He had reports sitting beside his plate that he had grabbed from his office so he could look them over while eating breakfast with his wife and daughter. Most of Hades mornings he was much too busy and working long before his girls woke up. But ever since his daughter began having breakfast with them he had made a habit of waking up earlier to work in his office until his wife came to get him and they all sat down for breakfast. Hades had never described himself as sentimental but he would do almost anything not to miss a single moment with his daughter. She had him wrapped around his finger since the moment she was born.

Those cherished moments were usually afternoons playing in the gardens surrounding their home, reading tales to her before bed, then followed by giggles and screams as he rilled her up when he was meant to be putting her to sleep, only stopping when Persephone's stern face peeked into her room, and lazy afternoons with Persephone and his daughter in his arms.

There were centuries when Hades never thought he would have a family. So now he cherished them the way a starved man hungers for food.

So even now as he was meant to be going over reports his eyes continued to float from the pages to the soft dimples of his wife as she tried to stop their toddler from playing with her food and instead eating it. A smile of his own grew as a good swing of Melinoe's tiny hand made eggs fly into Persephone's hair.

"I think we can safely assume she does not favor eggs."

"You think?" Persephone sighed as she tried to comb larger bits of egg out of her hair. Though she tried to hide it, her eyes were heavy and tired. She smiled at Melinoe and Hades but he could see without her saying anything that she was exhausted.

"Another nightmare?" he asked after a moment of silence. Her eyes followed his movements and he rose to pour her another cup of coffee.

Her forced smile slipped off her face as she nodded, "Yes, it was hard to go back to sleep afterward."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I didn't want to bother you. You've been working so hard lately, you need your sleep."

"So do you darling," he told her as he brushed a curl from hanging in her face. Though she was tired she was still as beautiful as any rose she could grow. "Why don't you take the morning off, and see if you can rest some."

"I have so much to do today, Hades. We both do."

"Go lay down. Everything can wait a day." he tried to reason even though he could see in her eyes that she was not going to give in easily.

"Hades. I have a lot to do today in the office and even if i could put off some work, i have Melinoe to watch. It's not like she'll wait while I nap for a few hours."

"Persephone-" Hades tried again

"Hades I'm fine." she tried once again.

"No, you're not. You look exhausted, and have been pushing yourself too much lately," he said with concern in his voice. "The workaholic in this family is meant to be me." he joked

"It's nothing I can't handle." she smiled, though even that looked forced. He worried he had been pushing too much on her plate.

"Mother. Wife. queen. And goddess. You cannot give everything to everyone else and save nothing for yourself." he tried to tell her. "I'm at your disposal. If i can help in any way, please let me."

"I'm just a bit tired. That is all." she smiled.

"That is an easy fix, darling." he smiled, taking the cup of coffee from her hands, "Go back and rest. I'll take Melinoe with me."