Planet: The Underworld
Persephon was trembling violently in his sleep, nervously clawing at the blankets, sweat rolling off his body as he whimpered. He was too weak to even open his eyes, he felt like he was in such a shallow sleep, yet it must have been deep because he couldn't wake himself up...He panted as he was rolled over by a male's warm, slick hands, whimpering as he hid his face in his pillow, only then he realized his pillow had been replaced by someone else's lap. He wearily tilted his head back, but the creature's fingers laced through his hair and gently lowered his head back down between its legs, he twitched and struggled to roll over but the heavy weight of another creature on his back kept him anchored.
He breathlessly shrieked as he felt the creature digging into him, its knees violently knocking at his ribs as it pulsed against his back. He gave a hoarse scream in his sleep before a creature stuffed something in his mouth, it wasn't a tongue that time.
Persephon sat bolt upright, his hair a wild mess, dreary morning light was streaming in through the bay-window above his bed. He moaned with pain and rolled over to his side, gathering the blankets up to cover his bare body, his entire specimen was aching. Something isn't adding up, something isn't making sense, he thought with growing panic spreading through his exhausted body. I mean something is happening to me while I'm trying to sleep. He thought as he stared at the bruises and fingernail scratches covering his limbs, but how the fuck?
"Isn't this view just sensational? Hades asked as he stopped on a ridge, waiting for Persephon to catch up.
"Yeah...but you know what I'd rather be seeing? The inside of my fuckin' eyelids c'uz I want to go to sleep," he grumbled as he finally caught up to the god.
"Since when do you turn in so early?" he asked as he resumed the trek up.
Since I have no strength, no energy and no stamina, he thought grimly. "So," Persephon forced himself to keep moving. They were on yet another voyage through the Underworld, this time climbing the winding path of forget-me-not flowers that led up the otherwise barren and hazardous mountain slope. "I was just like, randomly thinking here but uh...you mentioned incubi? And alps and succupi whatever, but like, what all do they exactly do?" He tried to look innocent when the God of the Dead glanced at him over his shoulder. "Hmmm?" He batted his long eyelashes hopefully.
"They're all supernatural predators with similar skillsets but each have unique...preferences as to how they go about obtaining what they seek."
"Okay, I think I understand but just to be clear...run that by me again only in entirely simpler words."
Hades rolled his eyes. "I mean, alps feast upon dreams, they gain strength from the energy your mind produces while you sleep. They are shy creatures, harmless enough in general I suppose, at leastwise they aren't after life-force or mortal strength so more or less no one ever knows they're visited by an alp in their sleep."
"What about the incubi?" Persephon demanded. "And the succupi?" He added swiftly, hastily looking away when Hades gave him another look. He pretended not to notice and bit the back of his finger nervously.
"Those demons are twisted freaks, more dangerous and perverted, and are after something far more valuable than just dreams. They prey upon a creature's soul and whisk strength and spirit away from their victim by drinking their blood or...or while having sex with them, I guess," he cleared his throat.
"Wait, wait, hold up! Spirit? Soul? Are you trying to tell me that they're killing their poor motherfucking victim?!" He came to an abrupt halt, heart hammering with fear in his chest. Was this what was happening to him?
"Persephon," Hades cautiously took a step closer. The demigod was trembling and nervously chewed more intently on the back of his knuckle. "Look, what's going on? If something's up, tell me." He searched his wide eyes as if for clues.
"Oh, don't pretend it's a mystery!" He snapped, then flushed as he rambled on, "I-I mean you would know, genius! You were there wh-when those nasty motherfuckers attacked me! I-I mean they bit me and drank my bl-blood but then you killed them! That should've been the end of it!"
"Yeah, but there are thousands of them in this world alone -"
"What does any of this mean?!" He exclaimed desperately, rolling up the sleeve of his jacket frantically. "Look! My fucking wounds aren't getting better, they're getting worse!"
"Persephon," Hades breathed with shock, eyes widening as he gently took the demigod's arm to look over, the bite-marks indeed looked deeper than they did the day Persephon was first attacked. "Why the hell haven't you mentioned this before? You're...you're still being preyed upon."
"Well how do I make it stop?!" Unexpectedly tears burned in Persephon's eyes. Embarrassed and outraged, he wrenched his arm away from the god and hurried up the rest of the mountain alone. When he finally reached the top, he forced himself to breathe a little more smoothly and then brushed the tears off his face with aggravation before looking around the broad, flat top of the mountain. He was truly stunned by how gorgeous the view was.
It seemed like he was on top of the entire planet, there were glittering onyx mountains spanning across the distance as far as the eye could see. Seemingly in-between every mountain was a bedazzling black river that formed various enormous lakes that created a glorious mirror-effect at the foot of the mountains. There seemed to be no clear up or down. A shimmering silver-glided fog was laced and looped elegantly around the shoulders of the burly mountains; a lush forest of trees created a blanket covering the foot of each great hill. Strange creatures could be seen flying against the blazing ruby red sky as dark silhouettes, their elongated shadows seemingly stretching over the rough land for miles and miles.
On top of the very mountain Persephon stood on was a large pavilion fashioned out of sleek and polished onyx stone, billowing red satin curtains were artistically dancing in the wind. Just upon the edge of the cliff the pavilion was perched on, a glittering black gemmed basin full of scorching scarlet flames stood over a beautiful black river that was lunging over the ledge and gracefully fell through the air like raindrops. Everything was so peaceful and breathtaking; it was certainly a first for the Underworld...
He sighed softly. The perpetual ache of loneliness radiated more in the presence of so much divine beauty. Then he suddenly remembered he wasn't up here totally alone and gave Hades a look. "Well," he sniffed indifferently. "I suppose this place isn't too god-awful ugly."
Hades smirked and shook his head as he looked around the pavilion they were standing within. "This is an observation tower," he said after a moment.
"What's it observe?" he scoffed.
"The Phlegethon River of Fire," he nodded at the waterfall that was cascading down over the edge of the mountain from beneath the pavilion.
"It doesn't look like a river of fire."
"It catches on fire," he shot him an annoyed look, then added more seriously. "When it ignites, it races throughout the entire world and chases the demons back into the shadows...it reminds them who rules this world," Persephon looked mildly impressed but reframed from saying anything. "Wanna help me with something?" he asked as he approached the fiery basin.
"Hmm?" He widened his eyes in surprise. "Are you talking to me?" He looked around in case Hades may have possibly been addressing anyone else.
Hades grinned a bit with an eye-roll and then nodded, beckoning for him to come closer, eventually he did come slinking over, eying Hades cagily. "Relax, will you ever? I'm not going to hurt you," he insisted.
Persephon sputtered on protests and blushed before he finally managed to snap, "I'm not scared of you!" Gods, how lame of a retort was that? He flushed more. How was it that only Hades could get him so flustered? Whenever Persephon was around anyone else in the galaxy, he was too cool to be fucked with, but Hades made him feel like an awkward dorkus next to all his suave, edgy confidence. "Now what do you want?" He demanded, still blushing.
Hades placed his hands over the rim of the jeweled bowl full of fire. "Help me overturn this basin," he flashed a rare smile, he looked as beautiful as any god knew how to be with that fantastic smile.
Persephon's heart unpredictably fluttered. On a wild whim, he smiled back and stepped closer to the god, cautiously placing his hands beside his, his eyes flickered in his direction and blushed again when he realized Hades was already studying him. Persephon looked away quickly and then shoved the huge basin, it tipped over dramatically, and the blazing flames tumbled over the edge of the pavilion, rushing down to join the waterfall descending over the ledge. He watched with amazement as the water itself caught ablaze as if it were mere paper, the fire filled the entire river and began racing down into the valleys. The sacred blaze spread to all the rivers and soon it appeared as if the entire world was covered in a gorgeous spider web of shimmering fire, and the fire kept spreading and spreading, charging down every single river in the entire Underworld.
Persephon softly laughed with enchantment, his eyes wide and alight with awe. As quickly as the rivers ran red though, the fire raced around the world and was then out of sight, the waters ran smooth and clear, glittering black once more, funnels of smokes shimmied up into the darkened night sky. Persephon slowly tilted his head back to stare at the sky in disbelief, it looked as though the sky didn't even exist, the entire planet was seemingly opened to the rest of the galaxy. Distant moons then looked so closely; they practically filled the entire night sky. Stars glittered in a spell-casting array of scorching colors and cosmic waves of light flashed across the velvet veil of darkness like watercolors staining a canvas; everything was so dauntingly beautiful, Persephon felt a little short of breath.
He smiled as he backed up beneath the pavilion again, feeling more dazzled than he had felt in probably centuries. "That was...pretty exhilarating," he admitted, teeth still clattering with excitement.
"We're finally in agreement," Hades smirked, pleased that he at last was able to impress the impossible to satisfy demigod.
"Surprisingly, yeah. But this place is hard to hate," he smiled more as he looked around. "I mean, it's not totally fucked up," he clarified. The last thing he wanted was for Hades to think the Underworld was growing on him. But nevertheless, he couldn't stop smiling as he looked around at everything glowing with surreal radiance. "OMGs, that was epic..."
Hades smiled with pleasure, for once feeling exceptionally proud of the world he designed.