(A/N: Picture of Hecate <3)
Katherine didn't sleep. The voices in her head wouldn't let her. Every time she closed her eyes, they screamed and shouted at her to wake up. She tossed and turned all night, trying not to wake Hades who ended up sleeping with her.
Before the sun came out, Katherine slipped out of bed and went out the balconey that was outside her room. The cavern was still dark and chilly. The flowers down at the garden below glistened in the dim lights coming from the windows.
Katherine sat down at the edge, her legs dangling over the edge, her dress flowing as she kicked her legs.
Her mind felt so chaotic right now; her thoughts and emotions jumbled up, voices of her loved ones constantly yelling at her. Hades voice was what tore her open the most. Her feelings for him have grown since the Hallows Eve Ball. That night was only a week ago, though it felt like an eternality ago.
It was funny how much she came to care for the immortal. She knew that at first, Hades was intimidating, as that was his front for everyone. But over the weeks, she saw through the facade and noticed that he was a caring person who had his heart crushed by his wife.
Katherine wanted to know how Persephone died. She knew that Hades had something to do with it, but that was something only Hades can share with her; if he decided to share his story.
She couldn't help but sigh.
She wondered how her parents were. Not only did they lose a daughter to an unknown murderer, but now she was missing too. Katherine doubted that her parents really cared. She was nineteen years old, she was an adult and could do whatever she wanted.
If that was the case, Katherine knew that they didn't bother with missing poster signs.
"Care if I join you?"
Katherine looked up to see a shirtless hades towering over her, his black hair ruffled from whatever sleep he had. Katherine nodded before looking away, not trusting her voice.
Should she mention the fact that he called her Persephone? Thinking back to that moment caused her heart string to contrast painfully in her chest.
Hades grunted as he sat next to her, swinging his legs over.
They sat in a tense silence, too obsorbed in their thoughts. Katherine wondered what was going through his mind. She wondered if Hades knew that, consciously or not, he called her his dead wife's name.
Hades cleared his throat. "So... How are you feeling?" Katherine shrugged. Hades could already tell by the circles under her eyes that the spell was already taking a huge toll her, and hasn't been a day yet.
Hades knew that she was restless. He felt her toss and turn in the covers, completely restless. Every time she would finally get comfortable, she would suddenly jolt like someone poured cold water on her. He knew that the voices in her head were the cause of it.
What he wouldn't give to take all her pain away.
He will kill whoever casted that spell onto her.
The sudden urge to touch her and comfort her was strong, too strong. All Hades wanted to do was to wrap her up in his arms and take away all the voices. He wanted to protect her from all the darkness. But it was hard to do so when it was inside.
He didn't even notice that his hand held her hand in his, the coolness of her skin against his. Katherine's breath hitched in her throat as Hades intertwined their fingers, holding onto her hand as if he was afraid of losing her.
When she tried to pull her hand back, thinking that Hades was doing it out of pity or mistook her as Persephone again, Hades didn't let go. In fact, he held her hand tighter.
He never said anything as to why: he just sat there, looking out at the dark cavern, holding her hand like she might slip through his fingers.
Her heart was pounding in her chest as they held hands. It strangely felt natural, like they did this a million times before.
"I'm sorry."
Katherine looked at Hades. "For what?"
"I called you Persephone back in when we danced." He sighed, the weight on his chest getting heavier. "You look so much like her, Katherine. I know you've heard everyone talk. And it's no secret that her death keeps me up. She was my world. Sure, it was awkward at first; I was a few centuries old when me and her married, she was barely nineteen. But we eventually grew to love each other."
Katherine felt Hades squeeze her hand.
"The myth of me kidnapping her is wrong; the marriage was arranged. Her mother, Demeter, thought that the marriage would give Persephone some responsibility. It was hard at first; I was use to having my own way and ruling my kingdom on my own and Persephone had never left earth. But after a while, we got to know each other and became friends."
Hades couldn't help but smile, though he felt pained. He never talked about his feelings about his wife's death, it wasn't normal for him. But with his feelings for Katherine growing, and after tonight, he knew that Katherine deserved to know. He didn't want her to think she was a replacement in the eyes of the servants and nymphs.
"Strangely, we worked well together. She taught me to listen to each soul and guide them through the confusion, especially if they believed in a religion. She often visited some of the souls in their after lives to see how they were; they loved her.
"Over time, I slowly found myself falling in love with her. I was infatuated with everything about her: her smile, her laugh, everything. She was a breath a fresh air. She brought life into the castle. She expanded the garden and helped Hecate take care of the hell-hounds. Cerberus was extremely fond of her. No one really played with him besides me, so he was happy to have a playmate."
"She sounds wonderful."
"Sounded. She died less than five years ago years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. At the time, she was unhappy. Even though I told her her life on earth would be completely separate from her life down here, she fell in love with a mortal."
"Who was it?"
Hades shrugged. "I'm not sure. I tried to stay out of her other life. But it was awkward to see him step up while she was here. The moment I saw her look at that man with such love and devastation when he died, I knew.
"She pleaded for me for weeks to bring him back to life, but I'm ruler over the dead; I can only take life, not give it. There, she wanted me to take her life so she could go to the afterlife with him. I absolutely refused.
"When I refused to take her life, she was furious. She moved out of our room and into a separate chamber on the other side of castle. She stopped playing with Cerberus, stopped interacting with the souls. Everyone knew something was wrong; the woman they saw was not the queen they knew."
Katherine's heart began to break. Not just for Hades, but for Persephone. She always believed that you if love two people, you always go to the second person; because if you were really in love with the first, you wouldn't have a second. Katherine couldn't imagine the emotions Hades felt when his own wife asked him to kill her. But Persephone obvisiously loved the human too. She might of loved Hades before, but people do fall out of love.
What made Persephone stop loving Hades?
"After a few years," Hades continued, his hand tightening around Katherines, "I decided to do it. I realized that no matter how much I hated it, Persephone no longer loved me. She might have before, but not then.
"It was hard, seeing her own life draining out of her body. My family, The Counsil, stayed and watch. Demeter was furious with both me and her daughter. She thought I didn't try hard enough and that Persephone was selfish to fall for a mortal. I haven't spoken to her since.
"After her death, my reign over the Underworld started slipping. In today's age, too many people are once; it's overwhelming. My family wants me to find a wife before Persephone's anniversary, or else I fade and someone else takes over."
He looked over at Katherine, his eyes glossy. "It's scary to feel the things I feel now. Before, I felt cold and moved through the days without much consciousness. Now, with you here, I feel things I haven't felt in a long time. You brighten my day with just a simple smile. Everyone adores you, even my family thinks you might save me."
Taking her hand, he brought it to his chest, right over his heart. Katherine blushed with her fingers touched his chest, the coolness tickling the tips of her fingers. She felt his heart beating at a rapid pace, almost like her heart was beating right now; hammering in her ribcage.
"My heart hasn't beat in over ten years years. Since you came, it started beating again. Ever since the ball, I can't get you out of my head. Having you close to me, I felt alive. Sleeping next to you; I finally have peaceful dreams. You do something to me that no one besides Persephone has done."
Hades moved closer to Katherine, his body flushed against hers. Katherine held her breath as she felt his breath against her neck. "I know that I can't get over her in a single night, and you don't deserve to be second to her. But you are not a replacement to her, and you never will be."
Katherine's heart skipped a few beats. Hades had feelings for her! She had only hoped before that he felt something; now, his words confirmed it.
"I really want to kiss you," he whispered, his voice thick and husky.
Before she could even think, Katherine whispered "Then do it."
Suddenly, she felt his lips against hers.