Fantasy Hades's Wife

[ManofManyRoles]

Hades spent the next few days as he had for some time, a cycle repeating itself. Don't sleep, have a light meal, handle affairs in the underworld, spend some time with Cerberus at his post. Read three more books in the library a day...the cycle continued. He was always happy with being alone, it never bothered him...But that was also a time before he had Persephone. And without her here, he was faced with a new form of loneliness, something that clutched at his heart and attempted to rip it out. Come the 'final' day, he couldn't wait any longer. She hadn't gotten back in touch with him, she hadn't visited...had he done something to anger her?

Nothing was ever gained by sitting around idle... With that said, he went about making a message for Hermes to deliver, and then was stuck back in his library, reading through another book. "I'll give the hounds another day...if that fails, I'll summon the sisters. If all else fails...Hecate and Artemis." He frowned a bit when he considered Artemis, the two of them weren't on the best of terms...he had that impression on a good deal of his family though. Sighing he returned to his book.

A little while later after having crafted his message for Hermes, there was a knock at the door. He wasn't quite sure who it could be since no one but Hecate ever visited and that rare. ...Kana? He didn't let his excitement take hold, it probably wasn't her. For all he knew, it was another hero going to barge in and demand he release their beloved so and so and go on and on about the trials and hardships they faced to get here...granted, that hadn't happened in a good long while, but there was always a chance.

Walking to his door he opened it up, eyes going wide when he saw who it was. She actually came... His heart threatened to quicken but he forced it to calm down. "Thank you, I deeply appreciate it. Come in, please." Ushering her inside and accepting his coffee he took a sip, despite the simple fact he didn't drink the stuff. He didn't wince an inch after his drink, nodding his head appreciatively. "Thank you. I'm glad you opted to accept my invitation...Was the message fine? I haven't used Hermes for anything outside important business in Millenia."

 

[Deathkitten]

"The message was great," she laughed, "Hermes couldn't have said it faster if he tried. Wait. Scratch that. I feel like he definitely could, and I don't want to see it. He's a blur on a good day. And by the way... I didn't think your message was awful at all. It thought it was kinda cute. So formal." She sipped at her drink, her big eyes looking at him over the top of the cup. "I was in the mortal realm. I visited Alaska, but it was far too cold... and then I spent some time in London. It's cold there too, but... I dunno. It's interesting watching them. I think they're having a little bit of a rough time with the cold spell that's going on right now. I feel kind of bad for them."

"Anyway, I just wanted to get away for a bit and try to clear my head. My dreams have been non-stop about Persephone now... which makes me not want to sleep so much," she sighed and plopped down on his couch facing towards him, "I appreciated your invitation. You're my knight in shining armor. Heh. Here to save me from loneliness. How's... whatever you've been working on going?"

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He shook his head a bit, taking another drink. "You should see him when he's got a large workload. Between leading the dead spirits to the underworld and ferrying every message he gets around, he can become quite a sight to behold." Another drink. "Formal is what I'm better at. I'm terrible with informal. Likely because I don't use it...the most 'informal' I've ever been is with you and with Hecate...who frankly still owes me my books." A dry attempt at humor, but it was the best he head. Glancing over to her as he took a seat in the main room couch he gave a small shrug. "Demeter may be in a mood, but it's not enough to threaten the mortals. If I get a massive influx of dead spirits, then I start to ask questions. If Ares and Athena didn't do it, chances are it was Demeter....sometimes it's Hephaestus, but he usually lets us know when he's about to set a volcano off. They will be fine...they always are."

Taking another drag of coffee he set it on his leg, resting his head in a hand. "I understand, the first meeting was stressful, it was unfair to you and I didn't exactly have great moments with it either... If you ever need to sleep you can always ask Hypnos for help, though at that point you're more likely to sleep all week." Hearing the comment of 'knight in shining armor' a slow smile, perhaps the largest he's put on in a long time (still small though) spread onto his lips. "Knight in shining armor? Hardly anything like that. I can give you a knight in shining armor if you want, though you'll have to trade back Aetrius...what I've been working on is going about as well as I can expect. Not much to tell of it..." I'll tell her more...but not alone. That's a place for one of her 'parents' to speak as well.

 

[Deathkitten]

She smiled and shook her head, "Yeah, I guess that's what I figured. I don't need to sleep, I just like to sometimes. It's a good way to pass the time. I don't have some big job like you, so if I don't do something to pass the time, I'd be impossibly bored." Kana set her drink down after a moment or two more of sipping at it. "So... Can we talk about Persephone?"

"I want to know some things about her... about... me," she explained, "Since I don't know anything, don't remember anything, I think the best way would be to ask you about it... You'd know the most about her. I know it's painful, but I don't really have anyone else to ask. Hecate is difficult about answering questions." She fiddled with her dress, nibbling on her lower lip, "So... what was she like? Did you and she ever have any kids? Were you guys a... a happy couple?"

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He nodded slowly. "Sleep is nice...but I don't think I can anymore, even if I wanted too." At the mention of talking about Persephone, he had to force himself from not going wide-eyed and crushing his coffee cup. Hearing her questions however put him at ease, just a bit. As painful as they'd be to think of and talk about, they were simple ones. He took one last long drag of coffee before setting it down. "Sounds like Hecate honestly...even I have trouble getting answers out of her sometimes. Persephone was...radiant. When she entered a room, every dark thing seemed to fade away. Flowers bloomed at her request, spring was beautiful every year she returned to earth. She had a smile that could put the sun itself to shame, and laughter that could make even the dead smile. She was kind, far kinder than I ever will be, and wise."

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought. The more he spoke, the more he could paint a picture of her in his mind. "Persephone was such an odd mismatch to me, and yet...she fit me wholly and completely. I feel no compassion for many, and there are many who think my heart doesn't beat, and if it does it doesn't beat with love...But Persephone made that false. I never felt more at peace and more whole than when I was with her...We had no children unless you count Cerberus as my child...I would consider us a very happy couple though. We rarely argued, if ever. She brought life into a place of the dead, I keep her gardens as a testament to that..." She was right there in his mind's eye, still smiling, still beautiful...And then he opened his eyes and she was gone. "That got overly sentimental, didn't it?"

 

[Deathkitten]

She found herself smiling a little, "She sounds amazing." More amazing than she could ever hope to be... even if she did remember anything. She was actually kind of jealous of her past self. "She sure sounds like an odd match for you, but you need that brightness in your life. You still do. You're a sour patch kid. I wish my relationships were that awesome. I've had, what? One boyfriend in my life? And he was definitely not that awesome. He sucked. All he succeeded in was making me cry" She said, pursing her lips a little as she realized he'd... probably not want to know she'd had a boyfriend before. It was a short thing, and pretty stupid, but... oh she feared for him if Hades knew.

Kana cleared her throat and chuckled, "Well enough about that. My relationship woes are soooo not important." She stood up, "How about you show me some of her gardens. I'm not an amazing gardener, but I've got a pretty good relationship with plants. I can see if I can't help tend to them. After all, we want to keep them looking amazing, right?" To punctuate it, and get the conversation away from relationships, she made a little pink flower in her hands. It grew and curled around her fingers like it was looking for her warmth. She smiled and tucked it into his hair.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He reached out to grab the coffee he had set down, finishing the last of it. "She was...on both accounts." He glanced at her in confusion. "Sour patch kid? Really? I'm not sure whether I should laugh or groan in frustration." At the mention of a boyfriend, he internally recoiled at that. He shouldn't have such thoughts but the idea of anyone being with her felt...wrong. But she's not Persephone...not entirely. She's not your wife, not now anyways. Standing up along with her, he watched her form a small flower in her hands, giving a slow blink. "...I'd appreciate you helping tend to the gardens. I do not do well with the living, be they plan or man or beast." As she tucked the flower into his hair he couldn't help but give a brief and dry laugh, reaching up to slowly remove it and cradle it. "As beautiful as it is...I can't keep it in my hair. It hardly suits me anyway...it'd look better on you." Reaching out, he gently tucked the flower in her hair, right behind her ear. "There...looks better than it ever did on me."

 

[Deathkitten]

Kana grinned and mock pouted, "Aww, but now you're flowerless!" With a tiny movement of her hands, an entire drape of dark green, almost black vines tossed itself over his head like a veil. She cackled with laugher, almost keeling over. "Oh... Oh, that's so much better! Fits you like a glove!" she jested, doubled over in laughter at the appearance of the majestic king swamp-thing. It took her a minute or so to recover from laughing her ass off before they could head out to one of the gardens. In particular, she wanted to see the Groves of Persephone, on the same island as Elysium.

They were beautiful, no surprise there. She could get lost in them forever, just staring at the leaves and petals falling. Everything was far more beautiful than she could ever hope to achieve. She had a sad smile on her face as she thought about this, though it faded as she got distracted by the trees. She let her hand brush their trunks as she walked beside them.

"This place feels really familiar," she muttered to Hades, "I suppose that makes sense though, doesn't it? It makes my head feel full of fog as thick as the sea."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

At vines being drape of vines being conjured over his head, he heaved a small sigh. "You've become a far shot from the timid and nervous girl who first arrived on my grounds. I wonder, what happened to that woman?" He raised an eyebrow in question as he spoke, pulling the vines from his head and regarding them for a moment. Slowly holding a hand out at his side, a cluster of small dark gemstones like Obsidian and Amethyst shot up into his hand, which he began to calmly weave into the vines before putting it on his shoulder as if it were some kind of mantle. "This, I'll entertain."

Arriving with her at the groves in the isles of Elysium, a small sad smile touched his lips. "I'm sorry if the feeling is uncomfortable...The groves were sacred to her, so that may explain why your head feels the way it does. She nurtured everything here from seed to tree and spent a good sum of time here...This is perhaps the one place of the underworld that teems more with life than death, as ironic as it may be." He followed after her, fingertips running through low hanging flowering branches.

 

[Deathkitten]

After she was done laughing her ass off, she blushed just a little. He didn't have to wear it... though that was pretty cute... and she was definitely still nervous and timid. The number of times she had blushed in the last day, her cheeks would probably end up stained red. She didn't say anything though. At the groves, sure, her head felt so foggy, but that didn't mean the place wasn't beautiful. Don't end up looking like Persephone. Don't end up looking like Persephone. Don't. Don't do it. She chanted to herself internally as she looked back at Hades. She felt something well up inside of her, and she couldn't describe it, didn't know what it was, but she was pretty sure she'd end up looking like Persephone again if she gave into it.

A set of pink flowers like the one she had given Hades (and then got given back) appeared on her head like a headband, spanning from one side to the other. Her eyes went wide and she furiously brushed the flowers out of her hair with her fingertips. Kana turned away from him in the same movement. Damn it, she thought to herself as she picked up some speed walking through the trees. It's like she was made to be embarrassing around Hades. Nothing could be simple.

All shyness aside, she was enjoying herself. The groves were beautiful and calming, even if she was leaving a small trail of growth as she stepped. A few minutes had passed, and as she turned around a tree, she was met with a hellhound. Kana squeaked and fell back in surprise, the hound unphased as it had just appeared. It looked to Hades with a report curled up in its mouth.

The report detailed what they had found, which unfortunately wasn't much yet. There was one location where they thought a more thorough investigation was warranted, however. The house where Persephone's temporary mortal form was murdered.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Following after her, his attention was drawn to the fact she had manifested a flower crown and promptly turned away from him to knock it from herself. "You seem nerved up...is everything okay?" She was speed walking away and he wasn't sure if it was because she was eager to see the grove in its entirety or because something was bothering her, or both. Either way, seeing growth follow her wherever she went cause a small smile to grace his lips. That's a familiar sight I never thought I'd see again... So lost in thought was he that he didn't notice the hell hound until it was right in front of him.

Eyes slowly drifting down to it he reached out to take the report and uncurl it, reading it over... It was hardly as much as he'd hope to find, but it was still something. Dropping his voice to a gentle low he addressed the hound. "Take this to the sisters, they'll follow up..." He placed the report back in the massive dogs' maw before it started off in a sprint, eager to please its master. Watching it off he turned back to Kana, starting back after her. "Apologies, it had a message I had to read...Do you have a favorite plant here so far?" The question was somewhat odd, and at the same time, it wasn't. The groves had plenty of life to them, but the question seemed so simple and trivial he wasn't sure it was a fine thing to ask.

 

[Deathkitten]

Kana stood herself back up with a small huff, "It's fine... and I don't know... I'm just trying not to end up looking like Persephone again. I don't want to hurt you. And... well, given how dear this place was to her, I think if any place would make me do that, it'd be here." She sighed and looked to the spot where the hound had left from, "So... what's the business about? I'm curious. Maybe something we could go work on together? That'd be more interesting than just a tour." She internally cringed at herself. She sounded like such a nerd, being so interested in work instead of gallivanting around.

She walked back up to him and draped an arm around herself in a loose self-hug. "I can be useful. I don't have to just be a cute face," she teased with a small smile, only joking around, "Though, being serious, I do think it would be kind of interesting to learn what you... and what she... dealt with and deal with all the time. For you to be considered such a workaholic by others, you must have an interesting job."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He gave a small nod...of course that would be a concern. Being in such a sacred place of Persephone, it made sense she ran the risk of looking like her again. And as selfish as it was for him to say...he wasn't prepared to see her again, not yet. Hearing her question him about the business he internally flinched a bit...how did he respond to that? "I'm afraid I can't divulge that...it's nothing against you, but with my duties and role, there are some things I cannot speak of. Just as Zeus and Poseidon have things they cannot tell others of, I am in the same situation...I hope you don't feel that's something against you." He flashed her an apologetic look before glancing back towards...nothing in particular, a tree he supposed. "You certainly hold a good deal of interest in everything around here, as opposed to some who couldn't care less."

Turning his attention back to her he shifted his weight a bit, thinking. "I trust you're more than a pretty face...My duties are less 'hands-on', but attract a good some of my attention none the less. I make sure no one ever leaves. I hear the concerns of my subjects and advisors...that includes your mother, the three judges, Thanatos, and anyone else. From the furies to the Oneiroi and Keres, it is my duty to hear what they have to say and handle it fairly and without favoritism. I enforce the laws of my land that all are to abide by, and no one is exempt from them...I am also the one who will personally enact punishment for those who dare cheat death itself...And every so often I walk the area around Tartarus or the pit itself, to ensure anything that shouldn't be leaving, doesn't. Some romanticize me as the one who handles everything...but a king does not do the duties of his subjects, he simply ensures they do it."

 

[Deathkitten]

Kana squinted at him slightly, not sure she believed that was the reason why. The last time she had seen the hounds, it was about Persephone. Sure, he must use them for far more, but... Ah well. It wasn't worth the argument. His shpeal about his work did make her curious, however. "So... I guess it's safe to assume the person who murdered her in my dreams... who murdered... er... me? I guess it's safe to assume they're still alive?" she asked, brow knitted in concern, "Or... have you already... ah... remedied that particular problem? Mind, I'm not judging. I kind of think he should be killed. Beyond the whole thing of a mortal slighting a god. Generally speaking, murderers are kinda bad to continue to have around."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He nodded calmly at that question, may as well be honest about that fact. "He's still alive for the moment...and only a brief time longer. I would have killed him myself by now, but my duties have kept me pre-occupied, as well as other things. By the end of this day, after you leave, I will handle that directly...It's not something I'd offer or allow you to come for...Call it a selfish desire. However generally speaking, yes. Murder is frowned upon, and the furies take a good deal of joy in that punishment, Tisiphone especially. If there's anything else I can show you or do alongside you, I'd be happy to consider it and oblige you to it."

 

[Deathkitten]

She grimaced. Damn it, she had made this conversation a little awkward. Nothing like murder to brighten up your day, right? She gave him an awkward smile, "Right... ah... Well! You're the one who invited me, so who knows when I'm gonna leave. When it's not incredibly stressful, you're actually pretty nice to be around." There we go. Different conversation. Let's just... She continued down the grove, trying to pay attention to the trees again. She was still leaving a trail of growth behind her, much to her chagrin as she was now aware of it.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I'd like to do," she finally said, running her fingers against some low-lying leaves, "Surprise me. Take me somewhere you think we'd both enjoy. I don't know what you tend to do for fun around here when you're not working so hard." She bit her lip, "We could... do a date?" Damn it she was embarrassed again. "I... I mean... you wanted to... er... try to win my heart or whatever. So... maybe a date would be... a good idea? I don't know ignore me I'm stupid."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He nodded a bit, small smile in place. "I'm in no rush to make you leave, I assure you. Stay as long as you desire, I'm happy to host you." Following after her he couldn't help but glance at the growth she left behind, to the point he gave a dry chuckle at one point, only to stop it at soon as it began. His eyes widened a bit at the suggestion for a date and he had to force himself to not jump at the chance like an excited child. "A date sounds...excellent. You're far from stupid so please don't call yourself that..." He fell silent in thought as he considered an option for a date...what was there to do with her here? "Would you like a picnic? Closer inland in Elysium? We could....just enjoy each other's company and a meal. The island is honestly more...welcoming than other parts of my domain, I suppose?"

 

[Deathkitten]

Kana smiled sweetly, then rubbed her cheeks as if she was trying to make it and her embarrassment go away. "Yeah!" she yipped, excited at the idea, though she quickly softened her tone, "I mean. It sounds like fun. A picnic. I'm sure you know some really awesome places to go, and we could hang out that way." She stepped up to him and brushed the vines she had created before off of him, "What do you like to eat? I like all sorts of things. I'm not very picky. I think... hm... for a picnic... maybe a salad spread with some cheese and crackers and deli meat? Or do you have some ideas for food already?" Kana was all smiles, with her idle hands awkwardly trying to find something to do, that something being, at the moment, tugging at and 'fixing' his shirt.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

A small smile graced his lips as he stood still to endure her fussing with his shirt. "The idea you have is perfect and very...classical. I approve." He glanced down at her fidgeting hands before slowly reaching out and taking them in his own, gently squeezing them. "Kana, my shirt is fine. You don't have to be so nerved up...it's just a picnic, yes?" Even as he said this with an even voice his heart was slamming against his ribs like a frenzied prisoner, begging to escape. "Do you want to walk, or take the express route? There are shops in elysium itself...we can pick up the food there?"

 

[Deathkitten]

She fretted about his shirt for a moment more before she forced her hands to clasp behind her back, "Sorry. Sorry. You're right. Just a picnic." She swallowed hard and turned to look at the trees, "Ah... we can take the express route. I think I'll leave a whole new part of the ecosystem behind if we don't." Kana motioned to the foliage around her and gave a small chuckle. "Right. Shops... hmm... Sounds great! Oh! And maybe we can get some chocolates too? Like... brownies and ice cream? OH! The wine you made me get!"

Suddenly and without warning, Kana disappeared, leaving only a wisp of green and black and the smell of flowers, the smell of Persephone. After a moment, she was back again, holding the bottle of wine out like a prize, "There we go! All ready."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He blinked in confusion as she poofed out of sight, inhaling the scent of a blissful memory. She smelled just like her...as soon as the thought came to him he was aware of how odd it sounded, but it was admittedly true. When she poofed back in he could only internally cringe a bit at the fact she had indeed retrieved the wine. Damn, I was hoping that would be entirely forgotten about at some point... Putting a hand on her shoulder he smiled a bit. "Alright...then we're off then." The shadow coil wrapped around them and once again they were gone.

After a brief moment, they were pushed out of the ground into what seemed like a bustling little street with greek touches to it. "This is one of the small bustling areas of Elysium...The blessed isles are a bit more...welcoming I suppose." He made a gesture towards a small shop ahead of them before starting forward towards it. "Pick what you'd like from inside, it will be fine whatever it is." Opening the door revealed what could easily be described as a 'market', with a shade that looked a bit like a woman in a toga stood, silently bowing at their arrival.

 

[Deathkitten]

"Oh! No need to bow. We're here to shop!" she said with a wide smile, waving slightly at the woman. Appetizer. Main course. Desert. They had the wine already, though that was a good addition. Salad was always a good place to start. She grabbed a Strawberry Mango Mesclun Salad, as well as some bread for in-between. Then some tasty-looking deli-sliced roast beef, watercress, and roasted garlic and horseradish mayonnaise triangle sandwiches. Triangle sandwiches were cute, right? It sounded tasty... and it was picnic-appropriate food. Cute triangles. Ohhhh... then a dessert. Pomegranate fudge tart. Poms and chocolate. Best. She took her little basket to the counter and got them all paid for, before tucking her arm in Hades's and walking out the door with their picnic fare.

"I'm guessing you have a place in mind for the picnic itself? Hopefully, a blanket too."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Watching her go about collecting the food he leaned against a wall gently, glancing towards the shade behind the counter. He couldn't help but suppress a soft inner chuckle as she paid for everything, the shade seemingly confused but slowly taking the money. Glancing towards Kana he gave a nod, pushing the door open. "I do, yes. There's a small spot near Lethe we can use." Leading the way slowly through the little street, glancing towards Shades which either stopped to bow or stepped aside in silent respect. "Speaking of Shades and Elysium...I trust the Lokhagos has served you well?"

 

[Deathkitten]

"Oh, he's done well. He's polite. He likes the helmet, though I think he's a little shy to express that. He's very quiet most of the time. It's easy to forget he's there at all, truth be told," she said, fingertips playing at his sleeve as her arm stayed hooked with his, "I still don't like that I have to have one on me at all, but if I have to, I do like the choice of shades. As inadequate as you might think he is, he was only listening to me. I appreciate being shown a little autonomy and respect." She sighed and shook her head, "Sorry. That's not how a date conversation should go, is it? Heh. Anyway, let's chat about something else. So. Your aversion to alcohol. What, did you do something embarrassing one time you got drunk and now just don't like it for fear you'll do so again?"

 

[ManofManyRoles]

He listened intently as she spoke, nodding a few times once in a while. "Shades do not speak much in general, though there are exceptions..." He glanced over towards her at the question about alcohol, leaving the little street to head out off the beaten path and towards a field of green, the sound of the Lethe in the distance. "Personal preference. I've seen how Dionysus can get, I've seen how my brothers can get, and I have heard too many tales of dying from one flying into a drunken rage or an accident induced by it. I interact with many souls throughout my life, and many deaths can be rooted in alcohol. I simply have no interest in it, and recent events only solidify that..." He fell silent for a bit...great, this was off to a wonderful start. "I'm sorry if that sounded rather gloomy...What's it like, being the daughter of the Goddess of Magic and Ghosts?"