A Bloom So Deadly: Hades and Persephone Retold

The Misunderstanding

"Hades," Hecate said. "Calm down."

It had been a long time since she had seen him so upset. The usually stoic king stood in her workroom, a look of fury carved into his features and that creeping blackness cracking along his skin. He had not even bothered to close the door behind him.

"We knew he was planning on coming down," she continued.

"He did not ask permission," Hades spat, arms crossed over his chest. "Did not so much as send word."

Hecate's eyebrows rose. "Then what would you call the message you just received."

"I was not the one who received it," he said with a snarl. "I am the king."

Hecate sighed and laid her hands on the table, leveling him with a look. "And what did the message say exactly, Hades? I know you would not be this upset merely because he is coming."

She watched a shadow cross his face, felt the flare of his darkness within the small confines of her home. "He is coming here to celebrate the Dionysia," he growled. "And said he intends Persephone to be his special companion for the festivities."

Hecate's mouth popped open. "Ah," she finally said. "So your sullen appearance on my doorstep is not, in fact, because you feel he slighted you, but because you can't regulate your own jealousy."

The king did not answer, opting instead to glower at her.

Again she sighed. "Hades, you must realize you have no one to blame but yourself," she said.

"I have been attentive to her," he argued. "I have spent nearly every waking moment with her!"

"And how forward have you been during that time?" she asked, one eyebrow arched. "Have you made it clear that you are interested?" He huffed and again just shot her a look, redness creeping over his ears. She did, at least, feel sorry for him - she'd never seen him so miserable over a girl before. "Hades, I have told you, in order to correct it you must be forward. And not just once or twice. She is likely just as nervous as you to not be made a fool of."

"I would never -"

"You did," she shot back, eyes aflame. "She tried to be forward and you pushed her away. And for the sake of the kingdoms and my own damn sanity, you had better fix it. And what of Minthe? Did you ever break things off with her? That was another reason Persephone felt stupid, it made her feel bad about herself because you were still involved with her."

A terrible knot of self-loathing clawed at his gut. He had not exactly seen Minthe to do it, but even so, there was an intense fear that he would cut things off with Minthe only to be rejected by Persephone. And then would be entirely alone.

At his silence, Hecate leveled him with a sharp gaze. "You did end things with Minthe, didn't you?" she asked, a note of disbelief in her voice.

Hades set his jaw. "I...have not seen her to do it."

"Hades!" Hecate hissed, voice scathing. "You are here upset that Persephone is getting the attention of Dionysus and you have not even seen fit to end things with another woman first!"

"It's not that simple-"

"Then what is so complex about it?"

"I-," he started, then paused with a huff of air. Hades stopped to run his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip, a sure sign of discomfort to any who knew him. "Minthe has been there for so long, unwavering. If I need her, she is right at my side. I know that no one else seems to understand it, but it's...comforting that I can always depend on her."