PERSEPHONE woke up to darkness, with only a single lamp providing light in the room. She dressed herself, mending the torn clothes Hades had ripped. As she looked at the red stains on his bed, the memories of what he had done to her came flooding back, bringing tears to her eyes.
She was about to leave when she caught sight of Hades talking to someone. She couldn't be mistaken; it was Hermes. Unable to resist listening, she stayed hidden.
"Great Lord Hades, god of the underworld and the deceased, I am here to deliver a message from Great Zeus, my father," Hermes spoke.
"You may proceed, Hermes," Hades replied.
"Demeter, the mother of Persephone, has let the crops and plants on the surface world wither. There is a severe drought, and if it continues, Father fears that the people will have nothing to eat. The only solution is for you to return Persephone to her mother," Hermes conveyed.
Hades nodded thoughtfully, and Persephone observed the silent exchange.
"Tell Zeus I will consider it. Thanatos, escort Hermes to the Gate of our realm and remove his veil," Hades commanded with a wave of his right hand. Thanatos promptly obeyed, guiding Hermes out while removing the veil that concealed his presence.
Persephone wanted to follow them to find out the way out, but she knew it would be futile. Hades could easily bring her back to his world if he wished. Determined, she decided to confront him.
HADES turned to see Persephone approaching. It had been almost a week since she had been in his company, but she seemed oblivious to the passing of time, thinking only a few days had gone by.
"How is my Queen doing?" he smiled at her.
"Don't call me your queen because I haven't accepted the role of being the queen of your kingdom!" she retorted, giving him a mocking grin. "My mother is looking for me, so return me to her!"
"Don't give me orders, Persephone. I know what I should do." Hades stood up and handed her a fruit—a pomegranate.
"What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Eat it."
"I won't. I know that if I eat any food or drink anything in this realm, I won't have a chance to return to the surface world."
"That's not true. It's just a rumour about this world. No one has proven it because everyone who died never returned, and once someone enters this world, they can't leave after seeing my true form."
"But I can see your face now."
"That's why you should eat this. I'll give you a chance to return to the surface world without difficulty. You just need to eat six seeds, and you can go back to your mother." He handed her the fruit, bringing it closer to her face. Reluctantly, she took it and ate the six seeds, while he secretly smiled to himself.
ZEUS, along with other gods and Persephone's mother, Demeter, silently waited outside the kingdom of Hades.
"Hades, my lord, is now here. It is only fitting to veil your eyes," Thanatos, Hades' right hand, announced. All the gods followed suit, except for him. Only he and his brother Poseidon had the ability to see Hades.
"How are you, my brother?" he greeted as he saw him holding his daughter, Persephone, by the shoulders.
"I am well, my brother," he smiled.
"I know you're aware of why we're here," he said.
"Return my daughter to me, Hades, or you will face consequences!" Demeter shouted, ready to charge at Hades, whom she couldn't see due to her veil. However, Persephone stopped her and hugged her.
"Mother, it's me, Persephone."
"Are you okay? Are they treating you well?" she asked, but Persephone remained silent.
Hades, after seeing the sadness in Persephone's eyes, turned away and went back to his kingdom, followed by Thanatos.
"You can remove your veils now," he ordered, and they all complied.
"Did you eat anything while you were there, my child?" Demeter asked.
"Hades fed me," Persephone replied.
"What was it?" Demeter asked again.
"Six pomegranate seeds," surprising everyone, including Demeter. He smirked, acknowledging his brother's cleverness. Sometimes, he was even more cunning than him.
"Athena, what does that mean?" Demeter asked Athena.
"Six seeds imply that for half of the year, Persephone must return to the underworld. Otherwise, she will die and vanish like a bubble. The other half, she can spend on the surface world. But when the designated time comes, she must return to the underworld," Athena explained.
"He deceived me. He told me that was the only way for me to return to you," Demeter hugged her daughter, who had already started crying.
"That's not true, Persephone. You're a goddess; you can leave him without difficulty, but now, after what he did, you are tied to him, it's never your fault that he tricked you into it," Zeus watches as Demeter can do nothing but cry with her daughter.
TWO years passed, with Persephone repeatedly travelling between the kingdom of Hades and her mother Demeter.
Hades gazed at his wife as she slept soundly. 'When will you learn to love me, Persephone?' he wondered in his mind as he gently stroked her face. Since the last time he forced himself on her, he had not repeated that act.
He thought that Persephone would never love him more if he continued treating her that way. She should willingly love him. Every time they were together, he showered her with various gifts to make her happy, but he knew it wasn't enough.
"I love you..." he whispered and kissed her forehead.
He left their room, he heard footsteps, and upon turning, he saw Thanatos with a veiled man holding a lyre.
"What does this mean, Thanatos?" he asked.
"He insists on entering; he has something important for you, mighty Hades."
The man knelt before him, and Hades took his seat on the throne.
"Are you the mighty Hades, the god of the underworld, darkness, and the dead?"
"What is your name?"
"Orpheus, sir."
"What is your purpose, young man?"
"My beloved Eurydice; I wish to be with her again, please."
"You know that what you desire is impossible, don't you?"
"I'll do anything you want."
"What do you offer in exchange for setting your beloved free?"
"I will play for you the most beautiful music on the lyre. I'm sure you'll love it." He laughed.
"You're just wasting your time, young man. You may leave now," Hades commanded.
"Wait!" He saw Persephone coming out of their room.
"I want to hear you play," Orpheus nodded and began. Hades noticed Persephone's delight and couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. This stranger could entertain his queen, while he, for two years, had struggled to do so.
He realized it wasn't two, he had only been with her for a year because half of the year Persephone was with her mother. In one whole year, not once had he seen a smile from her directed at him.
She looked at him, and it felt like the world stopped.
"Let them be," her eyes spoke, and he smiled.
"Thanatos, is there still a way?" he asked.
"There is still a way, my lord, but we need to erase all memories of Eurydice in this realm until she reaches the Threshold."
"In that case, do what is necessary," the stranger thanked him for his words.
"Thank you very much, mighty Hades, thank you so much."
"I have one condition, Orpheus. We will allow you to lead Eurydice, but you must not look back until she has left my kingdom. Is that clear?" Orpheus nodded.
"Okay, you may proceed," Hades said. The stranger removed his veil and started walking out. Thanatos accompanied Eurydice, guiding Orpheus on the way out.
Eurydice was only bones, but once she left Hades' kingdom, she would return to being human. Orpheus had one task: to follow Hades' instructions.
Hades looked at Persephone, who was eating the provisions her mother had given her to avoid their shared meals, as her mother feared he might deceive her again, preventing Persephone from leaving his kingdom.
He saw Thanatos running towards him. "My lord, Orpheus looked back," Persephone stood up upon hearing this.
"What happened to Eurydice?"
"She has been sent back to purgatory," Thanatos nodded.
"What happened, Thanatos?"
"Orpheus had left, but when he looked back while Eurydice was still on her way out, some force suddenly pulled her back, and the entrance to the kingdom closed. Orpheus can no longer enter unless he dies, and that's not supposed to happen now."
"Is there nothing else you can do, Hades?"
"Nothing at all," he saw Persephone turn away from him, clearly upset. He didn't pursue her further.
MONTHS passed before Persephone heard the news of Poseida's death, the beloved of Poseidon, and Hades' sibling. Poseidon had intended to make Poseida the queen of his ocean kingdom. She learned about it from her sister, Artemis, who visited her regularly to keep her company and have someone to talk to.
She immediately went to Hades to discuss the matter.
"Hades, can't you do anything about Poseida's situation?"
"Nothing. Poseida's time in the surface world has ended. Everything is predetermined. Even if Poseida became the queen of Poseidon, she was destined to die as a mortal."
"But if it were me, you'd do everything to keep me alive, to be with me even if I didn't want it, right? For your own happiness, you'd do anything. Poseidon is your brother, yet you won't help him. You're selfish, Hades," she turned away.
"I forgot to mention, I'm leaving. I can't wait to get out of here," she said, and suddenly, the ground opened from above, illuminating his kingdom. She boarded his chariot, and it carried her upward. The entrance closed, and her horses returned, but Persephone was no longer on board.