Hades and Persephone

Hercules

*Hades*

"What do you mean defeated?" My voice rose incredibly high, scaring Jasmine enough to back away from me. "How in the Underworld do these things keep happening?" 

Jasmine continues to slink away. "My Lord, forgive my wording. Cerberus is still alive, but Hercules has taken him." 

"Taken him where? And why?" I hiss angrily. Persephone clutches my bicep tighter. 

"Shh, Hades. Listen to what the girl has to say before losing your temper." She whispers softly. I was nearly comforted by her voice, but my attachment to Cerberus has me too riled up to calm myself quite yet. 

"Sweetness, I love you, but please stay quiet," I mumble. She quietly backs away respectively, but I can tell she is slightly wounded by my response. 

"Now, Jasmine, explain yourself. Why didn't you send for me?"

"We only just discovered he was missing your highness." Jasmine bows sadly. "Hercules trained for a very long time to complete this. It is his last labour to complete out of all the twelve labours." 

"Labours?" I furrow my eyebrows deeply.

"Yes, labours provided by Eurystheus." Jasmine continues, "It is for his penance to repent for his sins. He is to serve and complete labours for Eurystheus for twelve years."

I gawk. "And what sin exactly did he commit?" 

"He massacred his entire family, my Lord, he-" 

I laugh menacingly. "Well, in that case, I'll show him penance when he gets to the afterlife." 

"To be fair, he was under the influence of Hera. She drove him mad in a jealous fit..." Jasmine murmurs. 

I stare blankly at her, absolutely not surprised. "Let me guess...Zeus went and did it again. Another affair?" 

"Yes, with a human." Jasmine confirms.

I turn to Persephone, shaking my head. "My brother's taste in women absolutely appalls me." 

She nearly giggles, but decides instead to stay serious. "Well, I would almost be insulted. He did share a union with my mother." 

"I'll excuse him for that one. Your mother may be insane, but she does her work well." I quickly grab her hand and bring it to my lips. "And I still have to thank him for said union, as the grandest goddess who has ever lived was born as a result of it." 

My Queen finally cracks a bashful smile, turning away from me and biting her lip to hold back her laughter in this serious situation. I nearly forgot about Cerberus for a moment just by looking at her enchanting self. 

"Hmm..." I finally return my gaze to Jasmine, who waited for my response. "And what exactly does he plan on doing with Cerberus." 

Jasmine holds out her hand, a small piece of parchment lay in her palm, folded up nice and tightly. I take it from her quickly and unfold it. 

"It's a note from my dear nephew, I suppose," I mumble to myself. I scan over it, my expression slowly softening. "He plans on returning with him after he is able to show him to...Eurystheus." I roll my eyes, and return the paper to Jasmine. "I'll wait and see if he returns him. As my unfortunate nephew, and..." I turn to Persephone curiously, "...and your half brother, I will give him a chance to keep to his word." 

"If not?" Persephone speaks hesitantly. 

"I suppose, I'll just go after him and give him my own penance for his sins. Hera may have caused the madness, but they are his sins nonetheless." I shrug and return to my throne to sit for a moment. "You may leave." I motion to Jasmine and Isabelle. 

"I will see you in my room shortly, girls," Persephone calls to them sweetly before approaching me. "Are you handling this as gracefully as you appear to be?" She smirks playfully, instantly lightening my mood, but I fight my smile anyways.

"Sure am." I meet her sparkling eyes.

"Good." She kisses me slowly. "I'll see you later tonight after you complete your judgements for the day. Any chance you'd join me for dinner." 

It may be nighttime above, but my Queen was correct, we still hadn't eaten dinner despite how late it was. We had be gone above ground for longer than expected...

I frown. "No, I'm afraid you have to feed yourself long before I'll be ready to eat. There's no need to wait for me." 

She frowns back at me exaggeratedly before surprising me with a nip on my ear. I scoff in surprise as she pulls away and runs away, her rose coloured dress bouncing along behind her. I shake my head and leave for the souls waiting for me. That girl never stops surprising me. 

*Persephone*

"I hope Hades is not still angry with us." Isabelle murmurs worriedly as she brushes out my now impossibly long hair. 

"I wouldn't worry, and if he is, I will defend you." I smile at Isabelle in the mirror reflection. I'm able to catch her smile, but she hides behind her own dull brown hair. 

We stay quiet for a few more moments, just the two of us as she braided my hair into a more manageable length. "I hope you don't mind me saying so..." Isabelle speaks up. "But I so do love your hair, your highness. It is so lovely and long. I couldn't imagine having such beautifully coloured and thick hair like yours." 

"Why can't you?" I question, biting my lip mischievously. "I can give you some of it." 

Isabelle's eyes widen. "Oh! No! I would never ask that of you-"

"I'm offering." I beam. Without hesitating, I snip off a piece and hold it up to her head. "I think it would look lovely." 

Isabelle stutters nervously. "Y-yes, but how-"

"Like this." I snip off another piece and hold the hair up to her scalp. "I've learned a thing or two." The hair fastens itself to Isabelle, and the colour quickly spreads, slowly altering the rest of her hair to match mine.

The girl gasps, throwing her hands in front of her mouth. "I don't understand!" 

"View it as planting a seed. Just like growing a flower, but hair instead." I explain to her calmly. "Your hair will grow in this colour as long as you wish it to." 

"But still, how can you, as the Goddess of Spring, influence hair?" 

I shrug my shoulders. "I suppose I'm no longer limited to the simple title of the Goddess of Spring. Perhaps, I now have a talent for beauty as well. You saw the cream that I made and gave to Psyche." I tell her. 

She nods as I pull it out. "Perhaps you'd like to try some?" I ask her, to which she nods her head some more, absolutely speechless.

"Very well, then afterwards, perhaps you can fix my hair and cut it to match the places I already cut," I tell her, opening the jar for her and handing it to her.

"But will that not be a shocking change, my Queen? Why not grow it back the way it was?" 

I giggle. "Well, perhaps, I like shocking the King - and better yet, my mother!"