Amor Plutonem

Pluto sat upside down on his couch, a bored look upon his face. A loud sigh escaped his lips as he allowed his arms to fall to the floor. He adjusted himself slightly before sighing once more.

Upon hearing the discontent from his master, Cerberus came rushing into the room. A tongue fell from each head and the three-headed dog panted in delight. He jumped on top of Pluto's small figure, earning a soft "oof" from the man.

Chuckling, Pluto petted each one of Cerberus' heads. He smiled to himself as he did so, but it did not change the fact that he was bored out of his mind. He slowly adjusted himself so he was sitting on the couch like a normal person with Cerberus beside him.

After a few minutes of wallowing in his misery and petting his dog, Pluto decided the best way to rid himself of his boredom was to leave his house for once in his immortal life. He had not seen the sunlight in ages and was curious as to how Cerberus would react to going for a walk in something other than utter darkness.

"Cerberus, want to go for a walk?" He asked the three-headed beast. Cerberus excitedly jumped off the couch and ran around the room in circles, eager to get outside. Pluto laughed and placed a collar around his neck, attaching the leash to it.

The two exited Pluto's large estate and took their time leaving the realm of the undead. It was a bit of a hassle getting to the mortal world on foot, but the two managed. Cerberus started barking at anything and everything he saw, which was especially annoying since he had three heads.

Pluto received many weird looks from children and adults, most mortals weren't used to seeing such a weird creature after all. A small frown appeared on Pluto's lips as he thought about how not many people believed in him or the other gods anymore. Roman mythology was practically dead at this point, despite it being true.

It was the year 2018, so most people believed in only one god or none at all. Pluto hadn't left the underworld in years, so he had forgotten how unwelcome he was in the land of the living. A few disrespectful teenagers would make rude comments towards him and his appearance as he walked his dearest Cerberus, but he shrugged them off. It's not like he cared much anyway.

He eventually found a forest and decided to explore it since he didn't have anything better to do. He passed by many different kinds of trees and flowers. Pluto wasn't the fondest of nature, but he did know to appreciate it.

As he was walking through the forest he stumbled upon a young maiden. She was the most beautiful woman Pluto had ever laid eyes on and he couldn't help but stare. She was currently picking flowers to make a wreath for some of her friends and did not notice the older god's presence.

There was one flower in particular that she was having trouble getting out of the ground. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Let me help you with that," Pluto said, accidentally startling the woman. She turned around to face Pluto as he walked over to her. He took the flower in his hand and ripped it out of the ground, roots and all.

"Thank you." Pluto handed the flower to the woman with the happiest smile he could manage. Although the intense sunlight was finally starting to irritate him, it didn't matter as long as she was with him. He had never felt such an emotion before, surely, she felt the same, right?

The woman smiled back, taking the flower from his hands. Her smile alone was enough to cause a subtle blush to make its way onto Pluto's cheeks. He decided that a life without her was a life not worth living, and desperately wanted to bring her home to the underworld with him.

"Would you like to come with me? To my estate?" He asked, hoping the question wouldn't creep her out too much.

Unfortunately, it did.

"I'm sorry sir. I need to get back home soon or else Mother Ceres will be upset. It was nice meeting you, uh..." The woman trailed off, realizing she did not know his name.

"Pluto."

"Right, Mr. Pluto. I'm Proserpina, once again it was lovely to meet you." Proserpina began to make her way through the forest, but Pluto stopped her. He refused to let her leave his sight. In the few short moments he had known her he felt something he had never felt before.

He grabbed Proserpina by the waist and picked her up in his arms. He quickly called his chariot to their location and the three of them were riding back to the underworld in no time. Whilst on their journey Proserpina let out many distressed sobs, hoping her mother would hear. Pluto did his best to comfort her, but it was to no avail.

The realm of the undead was a dark and gloomy place. It was very different from the world Proserpina was used to, but for some reason she thought she might grow to like the place. She pushed these feelings away and sunk into the chariot, quiet sobs escaping her lips. Cerberus licked her face in an attempt to make her feel better, which did earn a soft giggle from the young maiden.

After what felt like days but was really only a few hours, the three finally arrived at Pluto's estate. It was very large, much larger than Proserpina's small cottage that she lived in with her mother. The property was decorated with many different types of jewels, as well as the rest of the realm.

Pluto helped himself out of the chariot and then offered a hand to Proserpina, helping her out of it as well. Cerberus was able to climb out on his own and followed the two close behind. They entered the house and Pluto quickly made his way into the kitchens, where he ordered his chefs to prepare them a feast.

Whilst that was happening in the underworld, Ceres was growing increasingly worried about her child. She had never been absent for this long, so she couldn't help but think the worst. Ceres decided to go on a mission to find her and would not allow any crops to grow until she was returned safely in her arms.

As the days went by Proserpina found herself growing to like the older god more and more. He definitely did not compare to Mother Ceres, but he was very nice towards her. She was beginning to think that maybe living in the underworld wasn't so bad. Everything seemed livelier ever since she came.

Cerberus had become extremely protective towards his master's new lover. He refused to allow anyone to harm a single hair upon her head, which Pluto found very cute of the dog. Everything in Pluto's life was going great and he'd never been happier.

Although, soon enough Pluto's happiness had to come to an end. Ceres got word of Pluto's abduction of her daughter and was furious. there was not a single crop on the surface that was still living. She convinced Proserpina's father, Jupiter, to talk to Pluto and somehow get him to give his daughter back.

Pluto was opposed to the idea, but when he heard of what she had done to all the crops throughout the world he knew he had to let her go. He was going to give her up entirely, but then he remembered an ancient law. One that stated when persons are carried off to the land of magic, if they once taste any food there, they can never get back to their friends.

Proserpina hadn't eaten much in the short months she had been there, but she did eat something, so Jupiter and Pluto agreed that she could spend half the year with her mother and the other half with him.

The six months without his beloved Proserpina were difficult to get through, but thanks to a lovely new thing called technology he was able to speak to his lover even when she wasn't with him. And she truly made life worth living.

**********

This is kind of trash, but I spent hours writing it, so...