Hades and Persephone

Chapter 10: Cerberus

Feats: N/A

Faults: N/A

Mourning Fields.

Hades simply put his signature at the bottom and moved on to the next.

Damien S.

Murder (War Casualty)

Spouse: Agatha D. (Isles of Blessed)

Offspring: Living.

Children: Ido L. (Asphodel). Rachel H. (Fields – Asphodel). Farrin B. (Undetermined). Living.

Feats: Bravery (Ares), Great Feat of Battle (Ares), Unnamed Leader (Ares, Zeus).

Faults: Raising of Youth in Unsafe Conditions (War).

Hades debated for a moment over the vague report. The man had died in battle, that was certain. The specifics of the battles were never reported and without a recount of it the god could not make an informed judgement. Then again, Ares did not give his favor freely. And Zeus most certainly did not.

In a moment of blind faith, the god trusted his brother and nephew. Silently swearing at himself for doing so. Elysium, he stamped.

Tanaya P.

Spouse: N/A

Offspring-

The door to his study creaked open. "Um, my lord?"

"What is it, Octavian?" Hades was too engrossed in his work to look up at the nymph. His orange skin and dark marked him as a child of Phlegethon.

"An unknown person is wandering the halls, my lord."

"Just escort them back to the lines."

"My lord, they are living."

Hades abruptly pulled himself away from his work to look up. "Tell me where and do not allow anyone near it."

*****

He stormed out of the study, past his chambers, and passed Persephone's room. The metal bar holding it closed was bent into a heart-shape and was now plunged through his door.

Cerberus had been the first thing he summoned, the furies still preoccupied. Where the dog currently was, he had no idea. For now, his focus was on getting to the gardens, where Persephone supposedly was. Predictable.

Hallways twisted and turned into each other. From a defense standpoint, it was well designed. From a practical sense, Hades had gotten lost in his own palace more times than he could count. Especially early in his inheritance.

The narrow walls gave way to room after room, some even he had forgotten existed. Everything gray and bland and colorless- save for the splashes provided by the occasional potted plant. Finally, the maze gave out into the kitchens, and from there a backdoor to the gardens. And, unlike the interior of the palace, it was sorted into neat rows and orchards.

Hades followed the yelps of what sounded like a young girl. Passed the vegetable patches and orchards was the flower garden. It was the only spot of color in probably the whole of the underworld, in his opinion, and it had been a pain to grow.

And now that thing was playing in them like some child.

Persephone was different from how he last saw her. Younger. She reached perhaps just above his waist. What little age had already worked itself into her face was gone and her eyes were as bright as her smile. Still red.

Cerberus, much to his master's dismay, was not trying to corral or contain the girl. He was playing with her the way he would any other young soul. It was as if the hound could not even sense that she was broken.