Leaving Olympus, I race back to my chariot. I haven't a clue if Persephone is still waiting for me, how long she has been waiting or if she's even shown up yet.
I will still go to find out for myself. I will leave a note for her if I have to so she knows I still showed when she goes back tomorrow morning.
The sun has been dragged from the sky and the meadow is all but black, with the exception of a few stars overhead.
It wasn't even a very nice night. The world was feeling quite miserable actually, and now, there is even more reason for misery.
The spot where I met her last was looking quite empty. I settled down my horses and stood there on my own, overlooking the peaceful water.
My heart had dropped into my stomach. I know for certain I have lost all control of it at this point. It's completely hers and she doesn't even know it.
She gave up. I'll have to risk trying to find her again without her mother seeing.
That's nowhere near as fun.
* * * *
The next few days are more misery, a cycle of heartache, sleeplessness and anxiety. Is this what love always feels like? If it is, I am in for an eternity of pulling my hair out for this woman. I might actually start aging from the stress! She's not even with me yet and I'm losing my wits. I can't think about anything else!
I do end up hiring more staff to help me, anticipating I will be dedicating more time to courting and then to my hopeful wife once I have won her over. My entire existence can't be sleeping, eating and judging, as fun as that sounds.
From now on the easy cases are taken by Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, formally mortal men who established orderly law above ground. Now, they serve me below, keeping things in order here so that the mortals may be sentenced fairly, without it taking up my entire day any longer.
"Master. You haven't gone back yet." My handmaidens are pestering me about my timing on going back to beg for Persephone's forgiveness. "You have to explain why you couldn't show."
"I left her a note," I tell them both. This was true, but it was short and anything but sweet. I was still too awkward with my words to know how to express my apology properly. I am not sure she even knows how to reach me if she even found it. She couldn't ask Hermes to send me a message without her mother finding out.
I just hate this entire situation. Persephone is young and naive. She hasn't seen much of the world, but she is now her own woman. She can choose to be with me regardless of her mother's opinion...but I hate to think of the inevitable consequences once she chooses.
I sit in front of my breakfast, leaving it untouched as a thought occurs to me. "Aphrodite." I mumble. "She did this, but was it only one sided."
"Pardon, sir?" Jasmine utters.
"A new Goddess. She has the power to casts...love...spells? I am not sure what to describe it as, but when I went to the ceremony for Persephone's birth all that time ago, she used her power on me to fall in love with Persephone. I am not sure how it works. If I am the only one that falls in love or..." I explain sadly. "Or if I have to hope she loves me back as she gets to know me over time."
"We can always find out how her power works by asking her."
"No, I have no desire to speak to her. I'm sure there's enough gossip carrying around up above for me to figure it out discretely. I have to go back up again...anyway." I conclude.
The girls are excited to hear this and squeal in delight. "We can't wait to have a Goddess down here."
"Oh, am I not entertaining enough?" I raise my eyebrows and scoff, but I understand completely what they mean. I want her here too...
"The time will come, my Lord." They reassure me.
"It's been far too long already." I murmur drowsily. My mood feels like it's dropped a million miles, down below even the pits of the Underworld, all the way into Tartarus and even I don't go down there!
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to bear this unpleasant feeling...this impatience, this dreadful despair. I feel foolish! As if I'm exaggerating...but I'm not.
I am beside myself with misery. What a strange, unfamiliar feeling. It is as if I am the one being tortured and not the sinful mortals.
"Just go up there, my Lord." The girls suggest, my ears barely registering their suggestion.
"Tomorrow." I mumble to myself as I get up to leave. "For now, I work."
Work, work, work...
That's all I can do to keep the thoughts at bay.
* * * *
*Persephone*
"Mother, I'm just not feeling well." I call to her standing outside my doorway. "I need to sleep early tonight."
Mother groans loudly, clearly irritated. "You didn't even touch your dinner. I worked to prepare it for you and this is the thanks I get? What is the matter with you, Persephone? You can't be avoiding your work! It's far too important! Today, Apollo came to visit you and you wouldn't even come outside. He's interested in being your husband and you couldn't even muster a pleasant 'hello' to the poor God? You have got to get your head straight or else you'll be unwanted by the Gods worthy of marrying you...you know I wouldn't allow the bad ones to court you, but what happens when they lose interest and there's no one decent left for you? You'll be working with me, living with me forever. Won't you just see him tomorrow and put on a nice dress and a smile for him?"
"You know I don't want to upset you mother." I curl up beneath my mountain of blankets and cover my face, just wishing for the sleep to take me. Tomorrow will hopefully be better...that's all I'm wishing for. "I'll see how I feel in the morning..."
"You're never sick. I don't know why you're trying to avoid your own mother and the best possible husband for you." Demeter comments before stomping back to the kitchen. "Rest up!"
I close my eyes tightly and try my best to ignore her. I've been trying to mostly during the day as well, which has angered her very much but I can't help it....I can't imagine seeing another man.
I have a secret that she can't know. And I'm not capable of keeping secrets. My face is an open book and my mother knows me better than anyone.
I can't let her know about Hades...that I met him, spoke with him, laughed with him...
And she especially can't know how heartsick I am right now for him - and I barely even know him!
Yet, he has still not returned after leaving the note.
He must have lost interest...or forgotten about me. What's so entertaining about me anyway? The secluded girl with nothing interesting in her life to talk about? With no experience or knowledge about the world?
Why would he want to see me again?
I can't face her until I know what to do or what to feel and most importantly, how to control this terrible feeling.
YOU ARE READING
Persephone's Kidnapping (on pause)
Fantasy*Prequel to Hades and Persephone* The day that Persephone was born and was announced to all of Olympus as the Goddess of Spring, Hades attended, never expecting to ever give her existence another thought after leaving. However, when he returned hom...
