Persephone

Two

Hades had hoped nobody had noticed the way he paraded the young goddess around. Not that he cared much for a reputation, just that he didn't want his brothers getting any ideas.

However, Hades seemed to have forgotten the keen eye Zeus had for women, especially young ones.

As soon as she left his side, Zeus appeared. 

"So, is she available?" He chortled, swirling his glass.

Hades rolled his eyes and glared at his younger brother. "For the love of-"

"That's not a no," Poseidon chimed, taking any chance to annoy his brother.

"Leave her alone," he grumbled, shoving Poseidon back mockingly. "She won't be another one of your conquests."

Zeus laughed and stepped around Poseidon as he fell. "Oh, is there going to be a Mrs Dark and Dreary soon?"

Poseidon was back on his feet in no time. "Yeah, are you going to sweep her off her feet with your dusty black robes and crumbling palace?"

Zeus made a hissing noise. "Insult his attire all you want, you know I do, but never insult a man's palace." Poseidon's face broke with a stupidly drunken grin.

Hades turned and walked away from his boisterous brothers. "I think I'll be heading home now, I have to prepare, I heard Ares talking about trying to conquer something again."

"Oh, you're just put out that the lovely Per- what's her face- isn't here to blush after you anymore," Zeus laughed. 

Hades groaned and walked away from them faster. "I believe she's still here, just with her mother. But I was planning on leaving anyway, she's not got anything to do with it."

Poseidon seemed to have something of an epiphany. "It's the mother isn't it? We can take care of that!"

Zeus slung an arm over each of his brother's shoulders. "Yeah, Posie here will flood her fields and I'll shoot lightening at her tree. Everyone knows to stay away from trees during storms, it's not my fault Demeter missed the storm safety seminar."

Poseidon grumbled something about the nickname and Hades shook his head. 

"Leave them alone," he didn't want to admit that he actually wanted to see her again, but it felt rather unavoidable. "This is why Demeter doesn't want her near us, because she thinks that we just take what we want and run with it, thinking of no others!"

Zeus and Poseidon looked just about ready to defend themselves when a thick, feminine, voice chirped, "Hades is right."

Zeus gulped and turned to look at a very angry Hera. "Hello, darling."

"You said you would give me attention tonight, gods knows what you've been doing this whole time, ogling teenage girls? I'm this close," she held her fingers a hair's width apart. "to kicking you on your ass and dumping you in some mortal city. The only reason I haven't yet, is because I know you would get some poor mortal girl pregnant with the next Greek hero!" Hera had a very animated way of talking, especially when it came to her husband's interests. "I do not want anymore of your demented offspring dancing around my gardens with knives and monsters! Do I make myself clear?"

Zeus nodded and followed her when she turned on her heels and strutted away.

Hades caught Demeter and Persephone watching the ordeal go down, Persephone's eyes wide and he felt his heart sink. Hera and Zeus were not a good example of a harmonious marriage, and it seemed that Demeter was rambling to her child about how she ought to never bother with this place again.

He couldn't take it and left the gathering. He couldn't stand to be there and watch as Persephone gave up on whatever ideas of love she had before she arrived there. It was likely that Demeter would be drilling it into her that it was better to be alone than to bother with the foolish endeavors of love and marriage.

Perhaps in some cases that was true, but to think that a young girl like Persephone would possibly imagine herself as incapable of loving someone, he couldn't take it.

---

Demeter didn't stop talking about the scene Hera had caused at the gathering for days after they got home.

In all honesty, Persephone had been alarmed enough that Zeus was married to someone that gorgeous when he was... well he wasn't ugly, but she was out of his league. Of course he cheated on her, that's what men do. That's all Demeter had been saying for three days.

Sometimes she wondered who had hurt her mother, but never found the voice to ask. It would come up one day, and until that day she would keep wondering. 

One day, the two were working in the field when a young mortal couple walked by, they were far away, but it didn't stop Persephone from sighing and watching as they walked farther and farther from sight.

"Love isn't worth it, it's better to stay alone," Demeter said, as if reading Persephone's thoughts.

"Well that can't be true," She looked up at her mother. The words nearly came out, but she chose to change the direction of the conversation. "You love me, right?"

"Of course." Was Demeter's sharp response.

Sighing, Persephone smiled to herself. "Then other forms of love should be worth it, I think I remember Hades pointed out a goddess of love somewhere."

Demeter chuckled, "Of course, Aphrodite, the self declared fairest maiden in all of Greece. I believe Hades had a thing for her once, then again what man didn't? I'm sure women have left their husbands for her as well."

"Mother-" Her heart sank slightly, but she ignored it. She wanted to ask so badly, Who hurt you?

"Love is worth it, but only with the people you trust and care for. Like you and me, we have each other, what else could we ever need?" Demeter raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, finding that her breathing was labored. 

Persephone did not argue, they had never needed anyone else. The two of them had lived here all her life without interference from any other gods, aside from Hermes' occasional appearances. They had been living in peace, happily supplying the mortals with food and flowers. 

"Maybe it's not about who you need, maybe it's just nice to have some extra company?" She offered, trying not to cause an argument.

Demeter scoffed. "Perhaps, but we are working goddesses, we hardly have the time. And I doubt the god of death is the man to go to for company."

"He's not the god of death, he's the god of the dead, there's a difference," She argued quickly. "But I never referred specifically to him, you did."

"You believe I didn't see the way you blushed like a rose whenever he looked at you?" Demeter quipped. "You're a gorgeous child, of course he would be interested in you. But anyone's interest may be surface level, so do not get your hopes up. Men only disappoint."

The two did not speak further on the subject, choosing to talk about the nearby nymphs and the biggest life updates of the mortals in the nearby city. 

I would be lying if I said I don't slightly associate Hades and Persephone with the song Out of The Woods by Taylor Swift... but maybe I'm just in my 1989 phase right now. Not going to lie, I did also listen to champagne problems while writing this chapter.

What's a song you have playing on repeat this week?