persephone ✔

it's a bit awkward now

It was Saturday and Persephone didn't have to come in for work and she was grateful. Her late night out had her feeling as if she was run over by a car. But the positivity of the singing birds outside her window seemed to refuel her energy as she sat up in bed, hair sticking up at all angles and a little bit of drool on her chin.

She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the gunk and looked to her right, reaching for the water bottle that was always there. Instead, she found her hands gripping a piece of fragile paper and she brought it to her face.

To 'Persephone' Kore,

Her memories of what she had done last night resurfaced and she turned the page over, where the familiar curve of letters filled the page.

My love, my little flower bud,

I don't want to leave you here in this inferior place with mediocre mortals.

He has loved you since the beginning of your existence, but I know His brothers' ways and I refuse to allow Him to treat you like that. None of them are good enough for you.

You are too precious to grow up in the mess that is your home, so I have placed you here.

I will always be there for you if you need help, you need only ask. And assisting me in maintaining your safety, Helios and Selene will watch over you as well, I trust them to not disclose anything to Him.

I know you don't understand any of this right now, but you will one day, I can only hope that it is not because of Him.

I know you have great things in store for you, I pray that you make good decisions.

I have loved you and will forever love you no matter what.

Underneath all of the words was a stamp with an odd shape. The outline of 3/4 of a circle, the open part facing up and a line leading down from the bottom of it, to a triangle, and in the middle of the line leading down was another line perpendicular to it. The sign of Demeter.

She lifted her finger and traced the image, her mind filling with so many unanswered questions that always made themselves known after she read the letter again.

Who was the man her mother kept referring to? What does she mean to just ask her? How was she meant to do that?

Raking a hand over her face, Persephone pulled herself out of bed and went to grab her phone, a smile lighting up her face as she saw that the first message was from Hades.

Last night, their conversation somehow drifted comfortably away from the dreary topic, and they had exchanged numbers, Hades somehow convincing her to go out with him.

Well, not really convincing, rather asking and her almost immediately complying. It was scheduled for that afternoon and she was already panicking on what to wear. Her phone started ringing and she almost threw it across the room out of surprise.

The name on the screen flashed, 'Ric' and for some reason, there were no butterflies present in her stomach.

"Hi, Aric." She swiped the answering button.

"Pez, I was just wondering if you wanted to catch up over a cup of coffee sometime next week?" Aric sounded nervous and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"For sure Ric, who else is going?" She opened her wardrobe to stare at her clothes to try and figure out what to wear.

"Uhm, it'll just be the two of us, you know, best friend to best friend." He chuckled nervously and Persephone frowned in confusion. He hadn't called her that in maybe a couple of years.