King's Queen ✔

Chapter 18: The Hound of Hades

Hades had left Persephone a while ago to finish her duties without any distractions, she had just finished opening each and every water lily that had decided to sleep a little longer under the night sky, she had gathered a few healing herbs and flowers that would make sweet perfumes, she took a deep breath of the sparkling fragrance and couldn't help but smile.

She lifted the hem of her dress and stepped into the water the lilies were frolicking in, the cool water swam around her bare feet and engulfed her into a slow mesmerizing motion that nothing else could. Her heavy eyes closed but she quickly pushed away any fatigue and stepped out of the pond.

Persephone moved around the massive flower bed she planted today only to find heaps of rose vines climbing along the hidden wall of the cave, her eyes quickly marked the thin lines of dark brown spreading across on some of the drooping red roses, she stepped back and took a deep breath in as she lifted her palms like her mother had taught her. Persephone's body stepped into gear and the pulsing energy bloomed out of her immortal body, the vines grew ten times their original size covering the vast stone wall, the roses flourished and resurrected wide open, they sweetly eroded their scent all over garden and kissed her skin enchantingly as gratitude.

Her body faintly wavered after she dropped her arms, so she picked up her basket and head to her room for the day, she put her herbs in her small kit with fresh bandages and other necessities, she had learnt the craft of medicine from the great healer Asclepius and his daughters were great friends of hers, that was one of the good things that came out of being trapped in Mount Olympus for ages, she had learned quite a lot in those years.

Persephone sat in her chair and started to string together petals of multiple flowers, she lined up a few glass bottles on the table and began the process of fermenting the wild flowers to use as incense around the room. Her mind continuously kept wandering back to the discussion she had with her husband, but she didn't want to think about her mother when life was so dreamy right now.

Suddenly, a loud roar vibrated through the corridor, Persephone instantly got to her feet and ran towards the noise.

Persephone saw the swarm of demons and witches that had gathered around the gates of hell, she patted the slender shoulder that had a violet cape she recognized draping to the floor. "Pain-" the witch turned- "what's going on?"

"Oh, my Queen," Pain greeted as she curtly bowed. "The king's hell-hound has been injured," she said sadly.

Panic rose quickly in Persephone, she knew Cerberus, often called the hound of Hades is the monstrous multi-headed dog that guard's the gates of the underworld. Persephone had met the hound before, Hades brought Cerberus when he visited her in her mother's garden. Persephone passed through the crowd, she spotted the hound enraged and viscously growling at everyone, but just like her flowers, she could sense the Cerberus's pain and he needed help fast.

Persephone slowly kneeled. "Cerberus," she whispered.

"My queen be careful!" cautioned Pain, but Persephone ignored the warning and extended her open palm to the volatile hound.