Hades and Persephone

Chapter 22: It

The joys of writing in the middle of the night when I have morning classes

A loud crash echoed through the halls followed by the tinkling of porcelain on marble.

"Get out! Get out! Get out! GET! OUT!"

Zeus stumbled out the door of her chambers. Woven bowls with golden apples and plump pomegranates chased after his head. Sunny colored tea stained his robes and face.

He was certain that if he had left when he did, she would have summoned a lion.

"What did you do this time?" Hestia asked, cleaning up the mess that had been created. Flour clung to her warm skin and dried dough in her hair.

"I did nothing! We are talking about what to do about the mortals and she started being hysterical—"

"Excuse me?!"

Zeus response was drowned out as the door flung open, cracking the stone archway that held it. Hera stood in what was left of the doorway, a torrent of wind tearing apart the halls and yanking her hair in every direction. Blue sparks filled her eyes and thunder boomed with every word she spoke.

*****

The old woman clung to her dark cloak as the storm raged above. Sailors scrambled around her. Crashing thunder was only drowned out by crashing waves threatening to overturn the boat. Purple and gold lightning burned brighter than anything Apollo or Helios both could muster.

Salt burned her skin as poison would blood. A broken eye stared from man to man on the ship, silently commanding them through both threat and promise. Most were empty, anyway. No sane mortal would dare through this storm.

Whatever waves Poseidon tried to use to touch her—stop her—froze in the wake of this simple ship. Frost and ice trailing behind. Perhaps when the thrashing below and above stopped, the light would freeze as well.

*****

The two sat curled beside each other, a single book between them. Off to the side, paperwork consumed whatever surface touched it.

"Falsely claimed to be a healer. No preventable deaths, saved a few."

"The problem?"

"When she was found out the community she served killed her."

"On what grounds?"

" Falsifying records and pretending to be a man."

"Why'd she do it?"

"Basically pride. Thought she could do better. The way it's listed it seems more self-serving."

"Asphodel."

Hades handed her the scroll and pen. Her letters were sloppy but legible. Placing it in the appropriate pile to stamp later, he picked up the next.

Its edges were worn and brittle. Soon after picking up the scroll his hand began to burn from cold. Quickly he tossed it to the side and grabbed another.

"What's wrong?" Persephone asked.

"Nothing. Just souls that I will judge in person."

With only a hum in response he returned to his judgements, and her to the book in her hand. She picked at a few seeds of the pomegranate in her lap.

*****

"Mama, you do not have to look at him if you do not want to."

"I will burn him alive if I want to, Hermes!"