Hades |Lesbian Version|

Chapter 7: The Adventures

The stone sill was cold beneath her hands as Hades stood by the window looking out, but she didn't notice the coldness nor the dampness in the air. Stretching off into the distance lay black hills, valleys, and mountains of the Underworld.

Hades watched all the dark shades of the dead flicker beyond the palace's ground. She saw her servants soaring over the Erebus fields, herding the dead to their trials by Minos.

Soon she would have to decree their punishment or grant their rewards. At the moment, her mind seemed to have a knack of wandering off to a certain maiden. Persephone, who locked herself in her chamber all day, had refused every gift from Hades' proffering hands. She would not eat and remained steadfast in her persistence. Her adverse demeanor caused Hades great sadness and distraught.

How she wished the maiden of her heart would accept her and all that existed in her world as her own. Hades had never felt so lost and helpless like she was now. She did not know what to do. It felt as though she was stuck inside her father's gut once more, unable to move or breathe. It was now worse than ever since the goddess had to endure the weight of hopelessness all alone.

Then she heard someone coming to her chamber and turned around from the icy stone window.

A nymph, who was tasked to look after Persephone had come to report on the maiden's request.

"Lady Persephone wishes to venture outside the palace, my lady," the nymph said in a respectful voice. "Do you allow it?"

The dark goddess was surprised to hear that and also glad of the sudden progress. A tiny smile crept its way onto her lips. She turned back to the window again.

"Let her," Hades said, "Let her go and explore her new kingdom. She has to know that it is hers, too."

~*~

Through the Field of Asphodel, where the dead who had done neither good nor bad roamed, Persephone was greeted by twittering thin glee-like bats.

Persephone was dying of boredom. Every day, she awoke to the cold dark place with no sunlight and no green things in sight. When she looked out the window, all she saw was a starless dome of blackness. She missed the birdsongs and the blooming buds above the ground, but she was also curious about what was out there in this realm.

She had ordered the maids to leave her alone and they obeyed her wordlessly. Hades had warned them not to upset the young goddess, and they had heeded her words.

As she wandered off, Persephone saw only the black ground, rocks, and dark mist drifting like flocks of crows. There were green and blue fire-orbs lying all over this mysterious land, burning off the stream of natural gas while raw minerals sparkled along the path.

When she raised her face up, the vastness of the black empty space made her dizzy. Persephone wondered how Hades could have spent countless eons in the darkness of this world. Perhaps, the goddess was made for such isolation and gloom. That would explain why Hades was the way she was. Somehow, within her stubborn heart, Persephone pitied the goddess.

As she passed a hillside, she saw a funny man trying to roll a huge block of stone uphill only to have it fall down again. She watched him start over and over until she decided to help him. When they both rolled the stone up to the peak this time, it did not roll back down. The man heaved out an exhausted sigh and dropped to the ground from fatigue.

"Thank you, my lady," he spoke between loud breaths, "I haven't had a moment of rest for a very long time."

"Who are you?" Persephone asked, "Why must you perform such meaningless labor?"

"I am Sisyphus, my lady, and this is my punishment."

"Hades is so cruel to do this to you," Persephone said out of innocent pity.