Planet: The Underworld
Persephon was lethargically thrashing in his sleep, tossing and turning as a fevered sweat made his blankets cling to him like an unsavory second skin. He moaned softly with pain as his bite wounds began to throb, drowsily clawing at his hair as he twisted under the sheets. The bed subtly sloped as additional weight joined him on the mattress, his panting subsided as the blankets were slowly slid off him, he breathed more evenly through his slumber.
Fingers delicately unbuttoned his shirt, then slowly slid down his bare torso lustfully with blunt nails lightly scratching his freckled flesh. The hands slid beneath him and carefully pulled his clothes off as their hands smoothed over the backs of his legs, he shifted in his sleep with a soft huff. He soporifically felt a male creature's warm body slide next to his, it coaxed him up enough to move beneath him, pulling him up against its broad chest, then laced its powerful legs around his. Its hands caressed his jaw as it turned his head to one side. Persephon winced with discomfort as a long, wet tongue was fed into his ear, it became more and more narrow as it went farther within his head, the saliva seeping into his brain and spread a numbness throughout his entire body.
The creature slowly retracted its tongue, Persephon's stupor deepened from the infusion so he was scarcely aware of more creatures joining him in bed. Their strong, wide hands gently glided over his unconscious form, caressing his lithe contours, one smoothed its face over his chest provocatively before fastening its lips upon him, fiercely suckling. Persephon distractedly moaned, subconsciously digging his fingers into the bed as another closed its hand between his legs, he was softly panting and whimpering with equal parts pleasure and pain as various stimulations flashed through his senses.
A creature slowly elevated his hips, hungrily rubbing them over its lap beneath him. He shakily gasped as he felt his body grow tense, he was so rigid his core started to ache, a creature slid its fingers into his mouth for him to bite as the rhythmic body-strokes beneath him increased with eagerness. He sharply inhaled as all his muscles relaxed, his body settling, only then it felt like he was laying on something hard and hot, the warmth was radiating throughout him like a fever. His body twisted and convulsed, the other creatures held him still and something was stuffed in his mouth to keep him from screaming, it was a forked tongue that was only all too happy to slide down his throat.
Persephon woke with a start in the bleak pale gray morning light, his entire body was aching. "Huh...? Wha...?" He wasn't wearing any clothes. He furrowed his brow with confusion as he took in the rumbled blankets his clothes were scattered over. Did he do that in his sleep? Did he do more than that in his sleep? He flushed with embarrassment and scrambled out of bed, only as soon as his feet hit the floor he collapsed limply. "Ouch...what the fuck?!" He demanded as he shakily picked himself off the floor, he felt so weak, so drained, where the hell had all his strength gone? He numbly staggered off to the bathroom in hopes of beautifying himself to cover-up the evidence of his "wild night."
"Well, I hope you have plans that include me today," Persephon announced as he came trotting down the stairs, timing Hades' morning outing perfectly and caught him by the door. Persephon actually felt weirdly normal after having had an hour bath followed up by breakfast, whatever groggy weakness he had felt when he had first woken up was blissfully gone. He felt fine and looked twice as good, dressed in his "casual" clothes of designer stark white jeans, an untucked blazing white dress shirt that was unbuttoned over a form-fitting black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up. A chic black faux leather jacket completed the look with a thin gold chain around his neck, his rhinestone chrome wristwatch was still set to Nysian standard time, one little reminder of his homeworld at least.
"I have things to do, yeah, but I guess if you wanna tag along..." Hades trailed off as he looked the demigod over once more when he came to stand in front of him. He looked absolutely stunning. But Hades refused to admit it. "You seem taller than usual, are those...platforms?" He eyed his sneakers.
They were. "What? No! I'm always this tall, we just don't usually stand this close!" He protested with a huff, then brushed past him, Hades followed him outside with a smile. "So what kind of monsters are we slaying first today?" Persephon asked, tossing his beautifully wavy flaxen hair out of his eyes covered by golden sunshades. As usual, there was no use for sunshades, but he was never deterred from making a fashion statement so left them in place despite the overcast day.
"We? We don't slay monsters, I do, and you try not to get eaten by any." He informed him curtly as he led the way down to the beach, he then summoned his command over stone and a gondola rose out of the black water. The excess water sloshed over the sides as it rocked back and forth before calmly sailing towards them, the brisk breeze drying the boat as it went.
"I resent that," Persephon shot him a look as Hades hopped into the gondola. "I used to be a fencing champion before my days as a polo star, you'd know that already if you had any interweb connection in this damned place and followed my MyLife page."
"Call me old-fashioned," he offered his hand.
"You're old-fashion," he retorted and awkwardly clambered into the boat on his own, nearly stumbling overboard before he managed to sit down, smoothing his hair behind his ears with embarrassment. Hades smiled softly to himself as he guided the gondola away from the island. "Okay so," Persephon huffed, crossing his arms as he tried to summon his typical attitude. "If we're not "mons'er huntin' in t' swamps" today, what are we up to?"
"I'll be check in on the cities, making sure the spirits are settled, spread the charm, you know, shake hands and kiss babies, that sort of stuff."
"Eh, why do that again? It's not like anyone cares."
"Actually," he shot him a look. "They do." The demigod arched a challenging eyebrow. "If I didn't visit all of the havens for the spirits regularly then they'd be preyed upon and attacked by the unflinching collection of fiends, alps, succupi, incubi, and all the other soul-suckers that live here. My presence alone is typically enough to scare them off but sometimes it comes down to a more exciting intervention..." He said softly as he steered them into one of the dark mountain tunnels.
"So wait, let me get this straight, you're a guardian to the spirits in the Underworld?" Hades nodded. Persephon shook his head in disbelief. Okay, whoa. Who the hell knew Hades had an actual job and wasn't just acting spooky and creepy all the time? "Hey uh, if this whole planet is inhabited by like, ghosts, ghouls, whatever may have you, how can you visit like, all the cities? Do you have like, a summer palace on the other side of the planet?" he asked eagerly.
"This is the summer palace," he smirked. Persephon made a face. "And no, I only live here. But I had Cerberus create these tunnels through the mountains, highways basically that transport me wherever I wanna go in the Underworld."
"Nifty trick Fido has up his miserable, mangy sleeve."
The dreary light of the tunnel -only offered by the lantern hanging from the staff of the boat- was suddenly swallowed up by ashen white sunlight; the gondola emerged from the mountain and was then sailing peacefully through another ancient city. This one was actually suspended off the ground, impressively floating over a dark jungle's floor teeming with vegetation, the black river they were winding down looped around and in-between various trees the glorious houses hung from.
"This is...intense," Persephon breathed with amazement as he stared up into the sky filled with enormous leaves and massive structures. "Like a...haunted, giant birdhouse exhibit or whatever."
"Haunted?" Hades cocked his head in surprise, then slowly nodded as if just remembering something. "Ohhh...you can't see them, can you?"
"Huh? I see them just fine; they're scary and dark," he insisted.
Hades looked a little dismayed, then said softly, "I mean, you cannot see them the way I can."
He was surprised and stared at the God of the Dead in bewilderment. "How do you see them?" He inched closer with interest. Hades was looking around with his dramatic mirror-like eyes reflecting everything around them mystically.
"I see what the spirits see...warm sunlight, laughing families, a lush, temperate jungle in full bloom...so many exquisite colors."
"Really?" Persephon whispered as he looked around with new eyes, trying to envision the setting the way the God of the Dead described.
"It's peaceful, not quiet but peaceful, serene...Sometimes I wish I could join them," he admitted and then ducked his head when the demigod glanced at him.
"Well...why can't you? I mean, you're their protector and whatever, why wouldn't they want you at a backyard barbeque?"
"I wouldn't wish to impose," he said indifferently.
"Yeah right, what's the real reason?" Persephon pressed.
Hades shot him an annoyed look, then heaved a sighed as he looked around again at the eerie jungle, a cold breeze blew shrilly through the trees wrapped in leafy vines. "I don't want to scare them," he finally said. "Everything near me looks exactly like this," he gestured with one hand at their surroundings. "Constantly dark, constantly decaying, constantly cold...It would ruin their scenery in other words," he cleared his throat dismissively and kept rowing farther down the river.
"So, you basically have no friends."
Hades exhaled with frustration.
"Hey, they're overrated, trust me," he insisted and leaned back in the bench seat. "All they do is bitch and whine about you behind your back, suck up to your mother so that way when you and your homie have a fight, she's on their side because 'aren't they that sweet one who said I look twenty-three?'" He mimicked his mother's voice, Hades snorted with amusement. "And then you have to keep track of everyone's fuckin' birthdays, keep track of who's fuckin' who and who doesn't know it, and..." He prattled on and on as Hades continued to make his rounds, only then the routine it didn't seem so desolate and lonely anymore.