"Did you just murder my flower?" Persephone seethes angrily, pressing the dagger into the murderer's neck. Her normally doe eyes were harshly narrowed, a fire burning within them.
Hades doesn't reply. He is dumbfounded. No one has ever been able to sneak up on him before, not even Wednesday. It also appears he has found the creator of this garden. And she was an angel... A very angry angel. The light shining from the moon created a halo of light around her head. Her body cast a shadow over him, the only light visible to him being her heavenly glow.
"Hey!" She exclaims, snapping him out of his daze. "Did you murder my flower?"
"Murder your flower?" He laughs. How could someone murder a flower? His attitude only makes her put more pressure on the knife. He puts his hands up in surrender. "Alright, jeez. I might've... sort've... borrowed it?" He answers unsurely
"And how, pray tell, were you going to put it back?" She questions sharply, hands gripping the front of this unknown boy's shirt. He simply chuckles to himself and leans up towards her ear to whisper to her.
"I wasn't." He pushes her arm away from his neck, grabbing the knife and flipping the two over. Suddenly, the tables have turned and the power dynamic has shifted. Persephone looks bewildered, but keeps her eyes narrowed. "Why did you threaten me with my own knife?"
"Why aren't you threatening me with your knife?" She deflects, motioning to the dagger that was nowhere near her body. She was trying to distract from her flushed face at the rather intimate position. She had to remind herself that no matter how handsome the boy on top of her was, he still cut her rose. She was very protective of her plants.
"For some strange reason, I find myself not wanting to hurt you." Hades admits, leaning closer to her face. "Which is unlike me. Usually I love hurting people." Persephone quirks a brow at that, bringing her knee up to meet his groin with force. Hades grunts in pain, rolling off her. "That was a good hit." He groans.
"Thank you." Persephone beams, standing up proudly. She made a mental note to thank her mother for that self-defense tip. Hades is doubled over, his forehead resting on the ground. Persephone suddenly becomes concerned. "Are you alright? Did that hurt badly? Do you need a doctor-"
"I'm fine, love." He muffles into the ground, which Persephone is glad for because he can't see her mouth drop open at the nickname. As he starts to get up, she tries to act normal by crossing her arms over her chest and putting a stern look on her face. "So, flower girl, do I get to know your name? Or should I just keep calling you flower girl?"
Persephone lifts an eyebrow and responds, "What makes you think you deserve to know my name? You killed my flower."
"Please let that go." He begs, desperate to make this first impression better. "Besides, you just kneed me in the balls, I think that automatically qualifies me to know your name."
"The knee in the balls was revenge for the flower. It does not entitle you to anything." She replies, striding past him to head to the rose bush. Hades catches her arm and spins her around to face him. Her breath catches in her throat as their eyes meet. He doesn't want her to leave before he can learn her name. He slides his hand down her arm to reach her hand, taking it in his gently.
"My name is Hades." He says softly, maintaining eye contact as he brings her hand up to his lips. "Hades Addams." A delicate kiss is pressed to the top of her hand. Persephone wonders if the gods are laughing down at her, pleased with themselves for orchestrating this situation. Maybe even their namesakes, Hades and Persephone themselves, are grinning at the pair. She feels her heart flutter, looking down at her feet before gathering her courage and glancing up at him again.
"My name is Persephone." She reveals. The two stand in silence, both staring at the other. Neither knows what to say. How exactly does one react to finding the person who is your namesake's spouse? They are certainly not common enough names for this to be a regular occurrence that can be easily brushed aside. However, both can't help but feel a strange pull to the other. Like a magnet in their hearts, urging them closer. Like they were meant to meet. "This is either a very strange coincidence or-"
"It's fate." Hades finishes, smiling softly at her while running his thumb over the top of her hand. He used to despise his name (being named after the god of the underworld is a hell of a lot to live up to) but now, he's never loved it more. He wants to run to his mother and father and thank them profusely.
Suddenly Persephone snaps out of her lovestruck trance to remind herself of his last name. Addams. "Wait, Addams?" She questions, as Hades nods his head. "So you're Wednesday's brother then?"
"Unfortunately." He mumbles before panicking. "What has she said about me?"
She giggles quietly and shrugs. "You know, not much. Just that you fillet the bodies of your victims to feed them to her menagerie of pets. The usual stuff." He can't help but laugh along with her, finding her laugh infectious. "I'm hoping that's not true."
"Oh, no, it's absolutely true." He says, mocking seriousness before melting into a smile. They laugh quietly together before Persephone realises he's still holding her hand, with his thumb still rubbing gentle circles. He seems to notice too, muttering a small apology before letting go. Persephone's hand feels cold now and, unusually incomplete. Hades clears his throat and tries to continue speaking with her. "So... how did you get up here? Because I only saw one entrance and I didn't hear the trap door opening."
"Oh, I climbed." She answers proudly. She loves her powers and enjoys finding new ways to use them, so she's always happy to show them off. Seeing his confusion, she grabs his hand again and pulls him over to her ladder of vines. "My room is down there, where that little balcony is. Your sister is one of my roommates."
"I am so sorry." He says immediately. He shared a room with his sister once when they were younger and he would never submit anyone to that kind of extreme torture. Persephone bursts out laughing. "I hope you can survive her. I'd hate for you to die when I've only just met you."
Persephone uses all her will power to force her cheeks to stay normal. "It's fine. She mostly just argues with our other roommate, Enid. I came up here to escape." She smiles up at Hades before cheekily adding, "But then I found a thief stealing one of my flowers and knew I had to intervene."
"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" He sighs.
"Never." Persephone bites her lip to stop her smile from growing any bigger. "If you wanted a flower, you could've just asked." She held her left hand out towards him with the palm facing up. Then she circled her right hand above it once, fingers swirling as a perfect, blood red rose formed in her left hand. She held it out to him as he stared wide eyed.
"Woah." He breathed, gently taking the rose from her hand. "That's impressive."
"I know." She smirks smugly, giving a small theatrical bow. He gently claps his hands for her as he didn't want to damage the rose he was holding.
"So, you have... plant... power... or something?" He questions hesitantly as he is unfamiliar with this ability. Persephone laughs at his description of her powers but nods nonetheless.
"I have control over the earth... but people only tend to want me to grow pretty flowers." She dismisses, shrugging her shoulders and folding her arms over her chest. As much as she loves her power, she doesn't feel powerful with them. Her parents thought that Nevermore might let her powers bloom like the flowers she creates, but she's never experimented with them further than her climbing vines. She worries that she has disappointed them for staying within her comfort zone and never feeling brave enough to try anything new. It doesn't help that everyone would rather see her stick to the flowers.
Hades took a moment to think over her words. "Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc." He tells her, watching as her eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "It's the Addams family motto. 'We Gladly Feast on Those Who Would Subdue Us'." He explains, smiling softly at her. "I think you should grow whatever the fuck you want."
Her eyes widen at his words before a beautiful smile grows on her face. Hades Addams is not what she expected him to be like. In the best possible way.
A cold breeze blows past her, bringing her back to reality as she realises how late it probably is. "Um... We've got school tomorrow so I should probably head back to my dorm."
"Shit. I forgot about school." Hades curses. "Will I see you tomorrow?" He hopes he doesn't sound as desperate as he feels.
"Maybe." She responds mysteriously, secretly hoping that she will see him tomorrow. "Who knows... maybe we'll be in the same class." Hades could find this school tolerable if he had Persephone in his class. He nods and scratches the back of his head as Persephone swings her legs to sit on the edge of the roof, preparing for her climb back down.
"Oh, wait!" Hades exclaims, running up to her before she can disappear. She turns her head as he kneels down next to her. Their faces are centimetres apart but neither pulls away. Hades slowly brings his hand up to push her hair behind her ear, then he tucks the rose that he 'murdered' earlier into place. "Thank you for the rose." He whispers. Persephone averts her eyes and looks to her lap. He stands up and begins to walk backwards. "I will see you tomorrow!"
"I look forward to it." Is her response, sending him one last longing grin before she disappears from his view. Hades smiles to himself before he heads to the trap door. Suddenly, he can't wait for tomorrow. If only to see that smile one more time.
Persephone's heart was racing as she slipped back into her dorm. She's thankful to hear that the arguing has stopped. Perhaps they have actually killed each other. Panicking, she peers over the edge to see Enid snoring obnoxiously loud guarded by an array of stuffed animals while Wednesday looks like rigor mortis has set in with her arms folded stiffly across her chest. Persephone breathes a sigh of relief before flopping back on her bed. She removes the rose from her hair and holds it to her chest, smiling uncontrollably. She has never been this excited for morning to arrive.