Persephone

XV

She followed him as he continued through the council chamber, having no idea where he was going, coming suddenly to a halt as he stopped in front of the furthest wall. Hades flicked his hand agitatedly, and the damp rock disappeared. He entered through the hole and Persephone followed him, perplexed.

He walked into a darkened room, algae clinging precariously to the ceiling, where fireflies gathered in clumps projecting light over the floor. A stone table sat, dusty with disuse, in the centre of the room. The chairs were in a similar condition, save one, which was obviously favoured by the lord.

Hades marched on before halting abruptly, shuddering slightly as he touched the silver pitcher of water before him. The liquid began to sizzle, but still, he did not take his hand away. With his back to her, Persephone could only see his shoulders trembling, and for the first time she saw not a lord, not a man, but a boy. A young boy, scared and frightened, crying out in pain as his parents sat idly by, eyeing him with distaste and loathing.

Her heart ached. The water boiled over onto Hades' hand, at which point he finally pulled back, hissing. Persephone reached out to touch him, but he stumbled away from her outstretched hand. It was agony to watch.

"Hades -" she whispered.

"No."

He cut her off, his back to her still, unable to turn around, to look at her.

"Please," he rasped. "Just - no."

There was silence. The seconds slipped past, each bringing more heartbreak than the last, until the goddess could not stand it anymore.

"What have I done that was so disagreeable to you?" she spluttered, unwanted tears beginning to form in her eyes, and she cursed her body for being so susceptible to her emotions.

He turned.

"What have you done - you have no idea do you?"

"No!"

A drop of rancid water could be heard bouncing off the stone as Hades said nothing still. Her breathing grew shorter, anger pulsing slowly into her heart before she spoke, in a terrifying and commanding voice that was not her own, "Speak to me, Hades."

He met her eyes.

"Did you get what you wanted?"

She blinked. "I - what I wanted?"

The god chuckled emptily, before tapping a long-forgotten memory on the tabletop.

"Your futile, selfish revenge," he spat, before facing away from her again.

Persephone was speechless. And then the words erupted from her mouth like venom, poisoning her heart and the boy's across from her.

"It was neither futile nor selfish revenge on my part," she hissed, flames rippling through her being. "You know better than anyone that my father needed someone to stand to him for once for him to realise that his title as King is able to be taken away -"

"Taken away?" Hades snapped. "Nothing can be taken away from him. He is king. Slayer of the titans, liberator of Olympians - he banished the father who swallowed his children whole to wander time for all eternity!"

Hades turned his back to her again, shoulders heaving with panicked breaths.

"There will be hell to pay for this."

"What can he do, Hades? You are lord of this realm, and I refuse to leave. What can he do to us -"

"To me."

He angled his head so the twilight eyes stared directly into her soul. There was a glimmer of a tear brushing the lip of his eyelid, but then it was gone. He chuckled, brokenly, back spasming with quiet sobs.