Hope Springs Eternal [15/19]

[omega_tau_pi_verse]

Hope Springs Eternal
Chapter 15: Psychopomp & Circumstance

 In which Hermes desperately needs eye bleach, Hades unwillingly tells his beloved to go home to mommy dearest, and Persephone makes a very stupid plan. [contains singing]

 

 

Ψυχητηξης

Hermes usually liked his job as messenger of the gods. But days like this made him give serious consideration to early retirement.

He had just spoken to a oceanid on Nysa who had informed him of the true circumstances of Persephone's disappearance. The nymph told him that the young goddess was bemoaning an arranged date with Apollo when Hades had unexpectedly shown up. Hades had been polite and respectful, presented her with a small gift, the two gods had talked, even flirted a bit, and in the end the goddess had invited herself to visit the Underworld for three days. When Persephone hadn't come back, the nymph assumed the goddess was having too much fun. Okay, so maybe 'fun'' and 'the Underworld' didn't usually go together, but anything was possible, right? However the fact remained that Hades had absolutely not kidnapped Persephone, nor had she fought him or seemed at all afraid of him, which relieved Hermes greatly to know.

The messenger god had suspected the truth was far removed from current popular opinion – especially considering the news had come from Hecate – but having proof of it eased his soul a bit. He knew Hades was capable of many evil things but hurting a girl so deeply just wasn't one of them. And Persephone could hardly be blamed for wanting any excuse to escape a date with "Apollo the Octopus"… though who knew why she'd chosen to stay beyond three days. Well, okay, Hades did have some charm when he tried and probably had shown the girl a pleasant enough time. Unfortunately Hermes was now the only god who actually knew or cared about the truth, and so it was up to him to warn the realm of the dead of impending doom. More doom than normal, that is.

Hermes had been to the Underworld many times, being the occasional conductor of lost souls who, for whatever reason, couldn't seem to find their own way to the Big Basement. He wondered idly if the dark god had set any traps for intruders since that failed attempt to move up in the cosmos. After all even Hermes, the closest thing to an actual pal Hades had on Olympus, had also been put in magic chains.

Flying over the River Styx, Hermes vaguely noticed things looked different but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong... But at least there were no traps so far. Then he zipped past Cerberus who set up a furious triplicate barking enough to wake the dead which, of course, it usually did. Nothing new here. He flew over Acheron which was definitely different now. There were very few souls left floating in it. Weird. Were they cleaning house or something?

Then a golden light off to the side drew his attention. In the alcove of Leuke's tree there was now a lush garden. And more incredibly, Leuke herself. Her smiling ghost excitedly waved hello to her old buddy Hermes.

As his jaw dropped in shock, he neglected to watch where he was going and slammed into a stalactite. Okay, that was a unique trap, he thought woozily, as he dizzily slid down the stone and belly-flopped hard into the river below.

Charon rowed by and saw the blue god floating face-down in the water. The skeletal demon sighed, and would have rolled his eyes back in their sockets if he'd had eyes. It was hard to roll just sockets, but he somehow managed to accomplish the look of put-upon martyr. He used the barge pole to fish Hermes out, then dumped him unceremoniously on the shore near Pain and Panic who snickered loudly at him.

Hermes lifted his head and realized he wasn't lying on the usual cold stone floor of the Underworld. He was lying on grass and flowers which seemed oddly real and alive, felt warm as if they were blooming happily under the sun. Adjusting his red-tinted spectacles, he gawked in surprise. Then he saw the two imps, and got to his feet and right to the point. "Heya, cats. Ah, where can I find the Head Honcho?"

Panic shrugged. "Who knows? Last I saw of him, he was out back by the Lethe Pool--" A godly blue whirlwind gusted by, knocking the green imp into the river before he could finish the sentence by saying, "--sucking face with the sweet young thing he's been banging all week!" Sputtering and cursing, Panic crawled up the river bank, shaking off the water distastefully. "Well, that was certainly rude," he sneered.

"Gee whiz, two baths in one week?” Pain chortled. “That's some kinda record for you, isn't it? Maybe now you can get a date."

Glaring at his magenta partner, Panic snarled, "Aw, fuck you..."

Pain ignored him, since they'd had enough fights the last few days to last them both a lifetime. "So, d'ya think we should go after Hermes and warn him? He might freak out if he sees 'em smooching or something." Pain wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, but didn't look the least bit inclined to move from the spot.

Panic plopped down on the floor, crossed his arms in a snit, and drawled, "Serves him right if Hades roasts his ass for interrupting."

 

Screeching to a halt in midair over the Lethe Pool, Hermes found no sign of either Hades or Persephone. But he did see other things he would never have imagined. There were souls everywhere, just wandering around loose. He knew Hades liked to run a tight ship, keeping souls confined in the rivers and out of his flame. Now they seemed to be free-range. And there were trees and flowers everywhere. Did Persephone hire on as a re-decorator, or what? Hermes tilted his winged helmet back and scratched his head in puzzlement.

He flew elsewhere to continue his search and came upon an even more incredible sight. There were encampments of souls all along the walls, teeming with people who looked oddly happy. What the hell had happened to the Underworld, that old familiar pit of suffering and torment since the dawn of humanity?

Then he saw the Elysian Fields and nearly fell into the river again in alarm. The force-field was changed. The whole place was cleared of heroes. Instead there were demons – female demons of the lamiae persuasion – setting up campsites inside. Of course Hermes didn't know it, but this was in preparation for the souls now being judged worthy. Bewildered, he wondered if he'd taken a wrong turn and wound up in a totally different Underworld in some freaky alternate dimension, or something...

Somewhat hesitant, he tried the palace next. When he passed the new judges' chambers, where souls sat flipping through magazines in a makeshift waiting area... he didn't slow down, not even wanting to try and figure that one out. When he reached the throne room and saw the Furies unpacking shopping bags from trendy clothiers and chattering in girlish delight as they tried on their new outfits... he just kept going, not believing it. When he entered the kitchen and saw the tall potted bush in the corner of the room... he stopped and stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

There was a tree in the kitchen.

A pomegranate tree.

And a half-eaten pomegranate on the counter beside the tree.

"Oh, crap," he whispered aloud, "say it ain't so."

Praying he wasn't too late (knowing he already was) he began to search every nook and cranny of the palace. He zipped from door to door, taking literally a split second to open each one, whip inside for a peek, and zip back out again.

When he hit the jackpot he vowed to give up gambling, cold turkey.

He entered a darkened room and was momentarily blinded by a white light that seemed to hover like a nucleus in the center. As he blinked to see, he noticed the light was really more of a soft blending of palest yellow and blue. Gradually, as his sight adjusted he made out a form within the nucleus, an amalgam of silver and gold, blue and red. He came closer and saw that the light wasn't actually hovering but was settled atop a large black bed inside the black room. Then he began to make out details of the form within the light... limbs entangled with limbs, torso stretched alongside torso, head moving languidly at the opposite end from other head...

Hermes was not a prudish god by any means nor was he timid. But this was one-unexpected-sight-too-many. He was hit with a feeling akin to having a stroke, completely paralyzed by the view. Normally his brain moved as lightning fast as his body, but this time it shifted too quickly and stalled completely out. He gagged and gasped as the words slammed hard against his brain's walls and forced themselves out of his mouth in a shout.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

The lovers jerked apart as if a cattle prod had been shoved between them. Persephone yelped in surprise and sat up, blushing furiously. Eyes wide, she scrambled to cover herself with a sheet but her hair already hid anything interesting. Hades however declined any covering. He practically leaped across her body to stand and face the intruder, stark naked and flaming mad.

Then seeing who it was that disturbed their privacy, Hades flared but managed to sound friendly. In the way acid is friendly to bare flesh. "Hey, Hermes. There's this little invention, you might have heard of it. It's called 'a door'. You knock on it. Get the fucking gist?"

"Holy Hera's hairnet!" Hermes sputtered, covering his bespectacled eyes with one hand and backing toward the door. "Oh shit, I think I've gone blind. Put on a chiton or something, willya please? We gotta rap, man, and I mean NOW!" Then he flew quickly out the door to wait for composure to return. Along with his eyesight and some measure of sanity. And to look for a very stiff drink.

Ten long minutes and half a bottle of ouzo later, Hermes was almost his normal self.

Hades and Persephone got dressed, and joined him in the throne chamber after shooing the Furies back outside. The dark god stood near his throne where he'd ensconced his beloved. He smiled with the thought of how perfect she looked sitting there, swathed in black with hair like flames around her. Queenliness really suited her.

Though Hades was still somewhat miffed at Hermes, he took it in stride. The shock value had been deserved considering the outrage of being barged in upon, in flagrante delicto. Teasingly he said, "So Hermes, buddy... Feeling better? Or should I get you a darker pair of glasses? Paint your caduceus white-and-red? Maybe train Cerberus as a seeing-eye dog for ya, huh?"

"Glad to see you've still got a sense of humor," Hermes sighed, hovering in the air before him. "You might not in another few minutes."

"If you'd given me a few more minutes in the first place, I wouldn't be having the urge to swat you down like a goddamned fly right now." Hades smiled tightly, still keeping a fairly light tone. He had a sudden feeling he wasn't going to enjoy this visit. "Okay, so... what? You're saying there's more to this visit than you dropping by for a cup of decaf nectar and a chat? What is it?"

"Actually," Hermes said, somewhat hesitantly, "I've, uh, come to take Persephone home."

Knowing it meant Demeter was aware of her location, the young goddess cringed. Hades squeezed her hand reassuringly and shook his head. "Gee, that's too bad,” he said sarcastically. “But that's our decision to make alone, since we are now engaged."

"Uh, yeah, engaging as that little scene was, I don't think you quite understand the magnitude of things." Hermes sighed. There was no way to explain it all quickly, even for one as quick-tongued as himself. He could see pretty clearly things were not at all what everyone else believed, and that Rhodope had been right. He began again. "Listen, Persephone... you really just need to go home, right now, before things get worse."

"Worse?" Persephone asked cautiously. Her heart, warm and mushy from hours of tender lovemaking, felt like it was congealing. She had a suddenly terrible intuition and shrank back into the throne a bit. "How exactly... did you know where to find me, Hermes?"

"Well, uh, everyone knows where you are. And they're generally furious if that can even begin to describe it. Of course I didn't credit everything they were saying but..." Hermes hesitated to say what he had to say, then took a deep breath and spat it out. "Most of Olympus believes that Hades has kidnapped and raped you."

"WHAT?!?" Hades all but shrieked in utter shock.

Persephone fearfully whispered, "Oh... gods... no..."

Stiff with rage, Hades choked out, "You have got to know that is not true! Not me! Not ever!" His eyes burned into the other god's with desperate anger.

"No, no, man! I knew that part couldn't be true! Though I can see it's, uh, pretty hot and heavy between you two, it's obviously what you both want!" Hermes shook his head to clear away the recurring image of what he'd interrupted. "But damned near everyone else is buying the worst possible scenario, as can be expected. And they are planning to attack if you don't release her. Thought you should know."

"Fucking hell!" Hades growled, beginning to pace. "I don't believe this! Is this some kind of payback for what I did to Olympus? Look it was stupid, okay, biggest damned mistake I ever made, I know it and I regret it completely. Fine, I'll make a public apology, do community service, go into family counseling with Zeus, whatever! But, come on! What's with this 'rape of Persephone' bullshit?" He scowled savagely at the very idea of his beloved being hurt, flames crackling loudly along his shoulders and back. "I may be bad, but I'm not a monster! How could they even think I'd do such a thing? Don't they know me any better than that? Can't anyone recall a damned thing about any of my past, in that department, if nothing else? HELL!" Fireballs built up automatically in his fists. He really needed to fling them and destroy something, but he held back for Persephone's sake. "Okay, so what brilliant frigging mind came up with this? Demeter, I suppose."

"Actually… Hecate told them..."

Hades narrowed his eyes. So the witch had somehow spied on him. And was jealous, to boot. Rolling his eyes back as he paced again, he snorted, "Well, isn't that just fucking dandy. Figures."

Hermes was now curious to see if everything was a lie on the witch's part, though he suspected it wasn't. "She also mentioned how you abducted and 'mortalized' Hercules as a baby…" When Hades stopped dead in his tracks, skin paling to almost white, and whispered, "...Ohhh, great…", it proved that one detail was a most unfortunate truth.

"But the situation with Hercules isn't what they think either!" Persephone insisted, seeing Hades' fearful hunted expression. "And this situation over me is just a stupid misunderstanding! I know I should have sent a message to Mother sooner, but I was too happy to think about the outside world. If Mother would just calm down--"

"Babe, you'd need a sedative the size of Crete to accomplish that," Hermes spoke again and the knell of doom clanged even louder. "It's an uglier picture than what you can imagine, I'm sorry to say. Just lemme tellya what's been happening while you two were... ahem... otherwise occupied..."

And Hermes pulled a small keyboard and microphone from under his cloak, (to which Hades muttered a quick "oy vey" of disgust) and sang an epic tale of woe.

Boys and girls, it's hard to take
all the misery and heartache
This could well be the end of the world
Demeter's on the warpath
It's become a real bloodbath
as we head for the end of the world

She's always been so kind
to gods and mortals as well
Now she's raining devastation
over forest, hill and dell
(Why is it the quiet ones you always
gotta watch for?)
She's declared all-out war
and we're shocked by her actions
She says she won't rest
'til she gets satisfaction
(Goes to show you shouldn't mess with
Mother Nature...)

Hermes then pulled out his wallet, unfolding a long scroll of pictures which he held up for demonstration. Most were old girlfriends, new girlfriends, potential girlfriends (he was picky, though he still got around). He also had family. And the Muses were extended family.

The daughters of Melpomene
our Muse who sings the blues
are singing a new tune today
because they flat refused
to aid Demeter in her mad crusade
to have Persephone set free
So she changed them into Sirens
and set them out to sea

Persephone and Hades both gasped at this revelation. The Muses had never had an enemy in anyone. Persephone's heart began to pound heavily.

Babe, ya gotta go home
try to pacify your mom
or else it's the end of the world
Please take my advice
'cause Armageddon's the price
of admission to the end of the world

Near Eleusis, it's a mystery
we don't know what to think
She met a mortal lady there
who offered a her drink
The lady's son, a hapless joker
her table manners, he did mock
He was changed into a lizard
and set sunning on a rock

This was a true scandal. Demeter had always liked mortals and was very tolerant of their foibles, unlike many other gods.

A mother's love for her child
is all good and well
but too much of a good thing
can doom us all straight to hell
(That woman eats, sleeps and breathes
you, Persephone...)
She says death does not become you
and 'til Hades lets you go
death is all the world will see
beneath three feet of snow
(If this keeps up, could you rent a room
down here to me?)

Demeter would've killed to be sure
that her daughter stayed pure
so unless we find a cure
mankind will not endure
and your grim reaper job's secure
for the foreseeable future
Because, kids...
it's the end...
of the world!

Persephone felt cold tears spill from her eyes, imagining what must be happening outside while she'd been warm and loved and happy inside. "It will kill the crops... the animals... people... Everyone will die..."

Half to himself, Hades quipped, "Just what I need. No one ever died wishing they'd spent more time at the office... and now I see just what they mean." He felt a grinding pain in his chest and the smallest internal sound, like the clink of chains beginning to re-form. What he had to say next was the last thing he'd ever wanted to say in his entire life. "You've gotta stop her, Seph. You have to go back."

She nodded, wiping away her tears and standing from the throne. "I know. She's lost her mind over me. But I'll be back soon, okay?"

With the numbness of a zombie who realizes in some distant way that he once used to have a life but never would again, Hades spoke, his voice a monotone of dread, "No... you won't."

This was not a response she'd expected. In fact the tone and expression frightened her as much as the words. Trying to sound positive, her own voice a little shaky, she said, "What do you mean? Of course I'll return to you. We're meant to be together."

"They aren't going to allow it," he elaborated. Seeing her eyes widen in worry at such a possibility, he sighed. He knew them all much better than she, the kind of hatred they apparently still bore for him, dull and dangerous, sharp and malignant... as well as the extreme measures they were capable of, many of which he had personally witnessed throughout the millennia. If Demeter – one of the more sedate gods – was rampaging, it hardly boded well for the others being hospitable to him. "They know everything I've done now. Zeus especially will be out for blood. Believe me, they'll do literally whatever it takes to keep you away from me. They can make it happen."

"But... I know what... you're really like, that you've changed... We're fated... If we just explain things...”

Hades spoke gently but his words pierced them both to the very soul. "When have they ever listened? To either one of us?"

It was undeniably the truth. The gods wouldn't care, wouldn't want to hear it or even to think about it. They never wanted anything to change. She'd seen it in their eyes on Olympus, witnessed it constantly in her mother's actions and words. Without a doubt, Demeter was furious enough right now that nothing would sway her, not even her daughter's safe return. The gods were preparing an assault on him if she didn't return. And it would be a battle just to speak of Hades, let alone come back to him after she’d left. But things had changed for her and for him, changed so completely there was no erasing it. There was no way she could live without those changes now, not even if she wanted to.

Persephone clenched and unclenched her hands helplessly, feeling the tears flow down her cheeks, but unable to blink them away. "No… I've got to come back to you..."

Hades couldn't meet her eyes, afraid the sight of her tears would reduce him to the same. "For now... you just go up there and stop your mother from destroying the world. Take the chariot, that'll get you there in no time. You know where it's parked. I promise the griffin won't bite." Then he added softly, hating the bitter taste of the words, "I'll bet even the Fates didn't foresee this part. "

Stricken with the feeling of her heart's death, her eyes began to glaze. "Hades, no... I can't... I don't want to leave you..."

He pulled her shivering body to him, holding it close and tight as if to warm it with his love. "I know, honey, I don't want it either. But right now, the world needs you more than I do. You've healed me... but she's killing them." Persephone sobbed deeply, her face against his chest as he stroked her hair. "Don't cry, love. If the Fates want us to stay together, it will happen. They've taken it this far, and I swear I'll kick their asses if this is the end."

She raised her eyes, brimming over with tears, seeing the hurt and love on his own face. "Somehow… I will come back to you."

"Oh, my sweet goddess, I hope so," he choked then, burying his face in her hair. "You are the only thing worth a damn to me in the whole world..."

Holding him, feeling his pain seep out, she felt a hard resolve build inside her, preparing to do whatever was necessary to face the world. A cold and silent thought pricked her mind... There was a way, though it meant changes even greater than anything she'd undergone. But if nothing else worked, it might be the only way.

Pulling slightly away from him, she repeated more calmly, "I will come back to you, my beloved god... and there will be nothing anyone can do about it."

He looked puzzled, still unconvinced. Then she grabbed the front of his chiton, dragging him down for a hard desperate kiss, and her resolve began to crumble. Tears streaming, she ran past Hermes and down the stairs, away from her heart and into the darkness.

Utterly dumbfounded, Hermes blinked at everything he’d just witnessed. Not only from Persephone, who he barely knew though he'd assumed was not the sort who'd fall for the likes of this guy... but largely from Hades, whom he knew too well and was amazed at the honest emotions being shown. Watching them together it was obvious the dark god didn't consider this a mere fling, nor was it a conquest, the seduction of innocence by evil. Oh no, poor old Hades was flaming-head-over-smoking-heels in love with Persephone, and the sentiment was clearly mutual.

Hermes had known Leuke well, and had seen Hades suffer widowhood, watched him spiral ever-downward into darkness after that. The little dryad had been a good influence on the Lord of the Dead so Hermes knew he hadn't always been a complete asshole, like the last several centuries. The awesome power of love worked wonders even on the darkest of hearts. Even with the ghost of the nymph back in the picture, the two gods were obviously made for each other, improbable as it seemed.

This whole situation was going to be messier than the Titan battle.

Hades had stepped haltingly backward and sunk dejectedly into his throne, hand over his eyes. After a few seconds, Hermes approached, clearing his throat. "Ahem... Pardon me for asking, Hades, but why are you so worried about never seeing her again? If I'm guessing right, you probably could enforce the Pomegranate Clause..."

The dark god wiped away what must have been tears and looked upward with glittering eyes, brows lowered. A spark of red flame started at his temples and skittered off into the air. "Pardon me... but in the span of nine days I've been put through quite a lot," he droned in a near-monotone, "I've gotten an indecent proposal from a black witch. Had an unscheduled but surprisingly productive meeting with the Fates. Found out my kingdom was falling apart at the seams. Met the most perfect girl ever created and fell hopelessly in love, had the most extraordinary sex of my entire life, set up housekeeping, rearranged all the furniture, got matching monogrammed towels and everything... And now my fiancee's mother is killing the human race just because she doesn't like me, and all of Olympus wants me dead for something I would never even dream of doing."

Then Hades stood up and advanced toward Hermes in a frightening way, aura glowing almost white-hot, flames and smoke billowing off his body. His voice slowly raising, he spoke with severe punctuation. "My life has been turned inside out, upside down, backwards, sideways and twisted into a frigging pretzel. And I'm getting pretty fucking tired of people speaking in goddamned riddles. So if you don't start making sense right now I'm going to have to kill you, pour marinade sauce over your corpse and feed you to Cerberus!!!" He was now directly in Hermes' face, screaming until smoke coiled from his ears.

"Wow," Hermes breathed, backing up almost into the rafters. "And I mean wow... You really love her, don't you?"

Hades calmed down a little, his face growing sad instead of homicidal. "I'm telling you, Hermes... As soon as the first temple is built to Persephone, I'll be right there, kneeling beside the humans worshipping her. As my queen, she would rule all the souls here, as she rules my heart. And woe unto anyone who ever upsets her. I'll smite their ass into dust right where they stand." He looked weary and aged, and unbearably sad.

"Damn, that's serious love." Hermes had never seen another god so devoted, except maybe Aphrodite and her idea of love could be pretty warped sometimes (as he oughta know). It was as if somehow Persephone completed the puzzle within Hades, made him whole, was changing him into something new. Thinking aloud, Hermes said, "Y'know man, there is kind of a glow about you now..."

Snorting derisively, Hades flared his restored aura like flexing his biceps. "Well, no shit, Sherlock."

Hermes didn't quite register the change since he hadn't even been born when Hades had lost the aura to begin with. He hazarded once more, "Uh, listen, have you two eaten anything special recently…?"

With a remaining nugget of humor, Hades smirked. "Is that a trick question...?"

Groaning, Hermes slapped his forehead and clarified. "Ah-fer-cryin-out-- The pomegranates, man! Did either of you eat one?"

Frowning a little, Hades nodded. "Yeah, we both did. So?"

Hermes chuckled softly. Twirling his wand with a conspiratorial grin, he declared, "Oh, buddy... Demeter's really gonna have a royal shit-fit now."

Then he proceeded to explain to Hades the significance, symbolism, and life-altering ramifications of a harmless piece of fruit.
 

Moments after she left the throne chamber, Persephone went down the wrong bank of the Acheron River. Deliberately. She needed something first.

She entered the darkened room, stepping carefully down the stairs and over the sharp rocky floor. She took a small bottle from an inset of the wall and gathered a white substance that could have been water. She regarded it with only mild surprise when it changed to a murky mauve color. Then she hurried back up the steps and toward the chariot and out the long tunnel beyond Styx.

Something deep inside the dark room smiled, even though it did not quite have a mouth...

 

Hermes left soon after to catch up with Persephone, leaving Hades to ponder all that he’d been told. One of the things had surprised and angered him. A decree set down several years ago – unknown to either of them – meaning Persephone was not a minor anymore and hadn't been for quite a while. Apparently her mother hadn't seen fit to mention that fact to her. And of course no one thought it was important enough to notify him. But at least he wouldn't be seen as a pedophile. They could legitimately be together.

He'd also been left with a couple of scrolls to peruse. Hermes was scribe at all the Council meetings so he had permanent 24-hour access to all scrolls on file. This particular one had some veeerrry interesting things in it. Things Hades could use to great advantage. He began to form a plan, though it would have to wait until the situation calmed down enough for him to venture safely outside. He could have sent his imps to deliver his message but he didn't trust them to remember their own names half the time. And it was just possible that anyone in league with him would be treated as harshly as himself, so maybe he couldn't risk their hides either. Maybe in a few days, after Persephone had placated her mother and explained things a little better, maybe then it would be safe enough to peek out, test the waters, and hope like hell that Zeus would come to doubt everything else Hecate had said about him. Maybe then, it wouldn't be deadly to deliver his ultimatum.

But for now, at least he and the messenger god had mended the rift between them with a few simple words. It was nice to have Hermes as a friend again. It felt good.

Settling back on his throne, Hades was feeling a little more hopeful about his future. Sure, Styx was still going to purge her waters of souls, finalized in just another five days. The Underworld was already crawling with misplaced souls anyway by now, so nothing new. Sure, he would be up to his flames in old backlogged souls as well as the new arrivals that cropped up every single day. But they'd already begun to establish a system for that so he could more or less cope. Sure, he would be lonely and cold in his bed every night he spent without Persephone. But he had the means and method to bring her back now. She would be in his arms again soon.

Or sooner... Her parting words echoed in his mind, so determined and impassioned, that she would come back to him and there would be nothing anyone could do about it. Her tears had cut him to the heart, but at the time they hadn't known about the pomegranate or the information on the scroll he held. Now, however...

Now... however... he knew, but she still didn't. That idea bothered him and he hoped that Hermes would tell her once they'd reached Olympus, before she did anything drastic.

...Drastic? Why in the world had he thought that? Surely she would find out in a matter of minutes that there was an easy way to return. But if not... what would she do? Her words tickled his subconscious mind again. What exactly had she meant? She'd looked so certain, so determined as if she'd already made a plan...

A shadowed memory from the first few nights returned to him, a flitting ghost through his suddenly troubled mind, mixing with her words...

...I will come back to you...
A door.
...and there will be nothing anyone can do...
Not locked.

To come back to the Underworld… and no one could stop it … And...

The Fall of Tears would solve that rather neatly.

"She wouldn't," he whispered, as the pieces clicked into place. Then he sat bolt upright as terror gripped his heart. She was willful enough to try such a thing in sheer desperation. "Oh, fuck, I think she would!"

He realized that Hercules hadn't drunk a full bottle of the Kokytus water, leaving him still possessed of a large spark of pure divinity which had made him excessively strong, and which later prevented him from actually dying in the Vortex. However if Persephone did drink the entire bottle it would certainly make her fully mortal. If she was mortal she would have no godly powers to resurrect herself. So if she somehow died...

It would be permanent.

Leaping to his feet, Hades nearly dashed right for the exit to follow her, then stopped. He gripped his head, screaming and tearing at his flames in frustration. He was Olympus' Most Wanted right now, and no doubt everyone was watching and waiting for him to make just such a stupid move. He had to stop her but he couldn't go out there. He paced frantically around the throne chamber, sparks flying from his head as the thoughts raced. How could he save her? How could he convince them not to kill him on sight?

It was the moment of absolute truth for him. He would just have to take the heavenly bull by the horns and go after her, but not without every piece of ammunition he could muster... and pray that she wouldn't be dead before he got there. And if she was, he would unhesitatingly follow her to the grave.

He stormed to the window overlooking the river below and bellowed at the top of his lungs. "PAIN! PANIC! GET YOUR ASSES UP HERE! NOW!!!"

The imps instantly materialized, stumbling over one another in their haste, then scrambled across the floor to present themselves to the Master, sniveling their servitude. Having seen the young goddess leave, crying and distraught, followed soon after by Hermes, they knew things were not going to be so happy in hell anymore.

"We're sorry, Your Malevolence!" Pain warbled hysterically.

"We didn't know Hermes was here to take her away!" Panic whimpered.

"Shut the fuck up!" Hades growled. "Just get the picks and shovels and help me! I've got about twenty seconds to dig up evidence even the gods can't possibly deny!"

 

The Fates, watching through the Eye, sighed in relief. Hades was hard to manipulate sometimes and they had really scrambled to make him realize what Persephone might do. They could have gone to tell him directly, but then someone else who was also magically watching Hades would have been warned of their involvement. And they didn't want that.

However they had to prevent Persephone's death. The desperate action on her part had not been in their plans at all.

 

Hecate was smiling. And laughing. And gathering up her weapons. She saw Hades was about to leave the Underworld to chase after his sweetheart for some unclear reason. He looked frantic and totally willing to die for the sake of love.

Which was completely in her plans.

 

Persephone hugged herself against the biting cold and blinding snowstorm as she rode in Hades' chariot up to Olympus, the dark griffin fighting the strong winds with every stroke of its wings. Her heart had more than congealed with the cold, it now felt like a hard lump of steel in her chest. Carefully, she checked her zonen, where she'd tucked the tiny stoppered bottle. Just in case..., she told herself.

But first, she would fix this hell on earth, no matter what she had to say or do.


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