The Underworld Ch. 02

Hades paced the long dining room, trying to avoid looking at the elegantly set table for two. This flighty girl would be the end of him, and he knew it. At first he just wanted her because she was his.

She had been promised to him by his brother, Zeus, when Demeter bore her. Demeter, however, had other plans. She had hidden Persephone away from him his entire life,trying to protect her. Hades's men had scoured the earth for her, trying to find this hidden jewel. They'd brought him countless fakes Demeter had placed, knowing that Hades was looking for her. Every time a guard from him the wrong girl, he kicked them out of his service and made them spend their endless days in the fields, slaving over something that would never bear fruit.

When his two newest guards had carried the limp, beautiful, girl into his throne room, he had though all of his dreams had come true. He had his pretty pet, his flower, his Persephone.

He didn't bother to think that she may have other plans.

He scowled and threw a wine glass into the other wall, shattering the elegant goblet completely. Call him immature, but his rage was something feared among all gods.

All gods excepting Persephone, of course.

Not only was she hidden from him, she was hidden from any knowledge about him. Of course she knew there was an underworld, but she knew nothing about it besides that it existed. She didn't know about the fields, or elyssium, or tartarus. She was ignorant in any knowledge even remotely related to Hades.

Which happened to infuriate Hades more.

"Where is she!?" He bellowed loudly, knowing that everyone in his castle - possibly his entire kingdom - could hear his enraged call.

As if in reply to that, he heard a soft pitter pattering of feet. . . someone was running. Someone petite, small, lean, and stupid enough to run from the most dangerous god.

Persephone was trying to find a way out.

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As soon as Persephone found out that her door was unlocked she had devised a little plan. There weren't many helpful things around the room, but she had grabbed a candlestick in case she needed to whack someone while trying to escape. She hated the darkness that consumed the entire palace as she quickly snuck through corridors and grand halls. Every now and then the rooms would be lit with odd greenish lights, but she would avoid those rooms. She didn't want to figure out what the god of death kept hidden in his palace.

She managed to grope her way through the maze of halls and out into the light - if you could call it that - of the Underworld. It was a dark and dank place, something that seemed to come out of her worst nightmares. She was about light, and life, whereas the Underworld was all dark and death. She could never survive here.

She glanced ahead of her on the dusty road and broke into a run, dropping her candlestick and not caring about the soft dirt now coating her small feet as she ran. Her white dress was becoming dusty and it was a little hard to breathe, but she continued on. She made it to the dark river and frozen, unsure how to go about it.

The river seemed to wrap around the entire area that she was in, she couldn't see the end on either side. It went on forever, through the entire Underworld. She took a few steps into the mud there, letting her ankles seep in before tentatively continuing. Each step, it became harder and harder to keep moving. She hadn't even made it to the bank of the river and she was too weak to continuing picking up her feet. She couldn't move. She wanted to collapse in the mud and let in engulf her, but kept standing. It had to be some trickery of the evil god, she tried to convince herself.

"Brava, little flower." She heard his dark voice say from behind her. Although, when she glanced towards where it would have come from, there was no one there.

"Over here pet!" It called, causing her to turn the other way. It chuckled darkly, a harsh sound like gravel in a way. Nothing like the tinkles and jingles and jolly laughs of the other gods.

"Stop toying with me." She scowled, twisting and turning to try and find her invisible tormenter.

"Aw, that's no fun flower!" He said. The voice was closer to her now, but she still couldn't see him.

"STOP!" She demanded, wanting to stomp her foot, but still unable to remove it.

She breathed slowly, nervously, trying to figure out where next the voice would come from. Slowly, she counted the seconds from when it had last spoken, wondering if it had left her.

1. . . .

nothing.

2. . . . .

nothing.

3. . . . .

nothing.

4. . . . . .

nothing.

5. . . . . .

nothing.

6. . . . . .

nothing.

7. . . . . .

nothing.

8. . . . . .

nothing.

9. . . . . .

nothing.

10. . . . .

nothing.

11. . . . .

nothing.

12. . . . .

nothing.

13. . . . . . .

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, causing the fine hairs there to stand on edge.

"Please." She whispered quietly, begging some other deity for help in the situation.

"Hush now pet." The voice said, now in front of her. She could feel his presence but still couldn't see him. "I'm taking you back home."

"Please, no." She repeated, holding her arms out in front of her as a defense, although it wouldn't offer any protection from the invisible god.

She felt a strong arm wrap itself around her waist and pull her from the mud, starting to drag her small body back towards the palace.

"Please no! Stop it! Please you can't take me back don't-" she started to beg again, becoming hysterical.

"Hush pet!" He screamed. Although she couldn't see him she could imagine his face, imagine his outrage. She could see the handsome yet stony features set in anger as she had earlier in the day. She just replied with a whimper and let him take her back, giving up the fight for now.

After all, how could she fight some invisible all powerful being? It was not as if she was that powerful of a goddess herself. But that thought did spur some others, causing her to think of her mother. Her mother would have noticed her absence by now. And she would not be happy.