persephone ✔

the forbidden fruit that looks oh so good

"My love! Don't eat that!" Hades opened the glass door with a bang, his eyes widening as they zeroed in on the vibrant red fruit that she held in her hands.

In response to his odd request, Persephone lowered the fruit away from her mouth and tilted her head, "Why not?"

"It's the food of the dead." Hades approached her and carefully pried the pomegranate out of her hands before throwing them to the ground.

"So?" Hades held her small, warm hands in his large, cold ones.

"If you don't belong here already, you can't eat it. You must eat the food of the living. By consuming the food of the dead, it binds you here, you will belong to the land of the dead, and you will not be able to permanently return to the land of the sun, where you belong." Hades moved his hands to cup her face.

"But I belong to and with you, wherever you go, I will follow. You belong to the land of the dead," Persephone plucked another crimson fruit from the tree, "I want to as well."

Hades leant forward and captured her lips in his.

Stunned, Persephone dropped the crimson fruit and wrapped her hands around his neck, his lips on hers rendering her speechless as her mind went blank.

In her dazed state, he carefully led her out of the outdoor area and back into the castle, "I don't want you to regret. I want you to always have the choice, I don't want to stop you from leaving me if you ever want to. If you eat that, you are bound to the underworld forever, and you'll be bound to me for eternity."

"You don't want me for eternity?" Her heart fell and she stepped out of his embrace.

"I do, but you won't want me. I'm dark, practically one with the dead, and you? You're alive, and as much as I hate to say it, there is most likely a boy up there who'll give you everything you want, and you won't be stuck in the dark like I am. I couldn't choose, but you can." While his voice was soft, his words felt like bullets.

Tears began to fall from her forest-green eyes, "Don't you understand? I love you and I want to be with you for eternity."

With that, she turned and ran down the hall, away from him. Hades watched her leave, desperately wanting to chase her and take back his words.

He loved her, more than she could ever know, but she didn't belong to him, she was the goddess of spring, how she could she raise life under the sun while she was in the land of the dead?

He had asked her father, his brother, for permission to marry her, Zeus was ecstatic and agreed immediately, glad that his older brother had found someone to rule the Underworld alongside him.

If it was up to Zeus, he would have set them in front of Hera the very day that Hades had made known that he had an interest in the young goddess.

But Hades wasn't sure if he could marry her. He loved her too much to damn her.

---

Vision clouded with tears, she followed her instincts and landed in front of a large double door, even one of the doors was larger than all of the other doors and obviously more elegant.

The handle was a black tourmaline lever and the door, ebony with small gold nuggets, rubies, emeralds and all different types of gemstones, wedged into the wood in random, yet aesthetic patterns.

The door itself was so beautiful, that she wondered if the room within could beat it.

Her hands pushed the door open and she gaped in amazement, the room, without doubt, trumped the door.

For one, it was a giant bedroom with a giant bed, and two, the floor was practically a glass case for jewels and gemstones - like the floor of Hades' cabin. The walls were made of hematite, and so was the high ceiling. Hanging from the ceiling was a golden chandelier, tear-shaped ruby pendeloques hanging off of the multiple, thin arms and dousing the room with red flecks of light.

The whole far side of the room opposite to the door were windows, the left side was overlooking the lava-filled chasm that was miles and miles below. It overlooked Tartarus. The right side bathed that side of the room in a lovely glow, it showed a beautiful green paradise filled with light - it was the Elysium Fields.

To her right was two other doors spaced on opposite sides of the right wall and like the door to the room, they looked the same, but they were only single doors. She yearned to explore what was behind the doors, but at that moment, the bed practically called for her, with its thick, black doona, numerous fluffy pillows of black and gold, the upholstered headboard, plush black leather that shined in the light.

Her feet took her towards the bed and on top of the covers, where she felt like she was lying on clouds.

Were there clouds in the underworld? Persephone didn't know and she was too tired to find out.

---

With his hands in his hair, tugging in annoyance, he spat out ancient greek curses, Hades was having an internal battle with himself - his selfish side, against the side that wanted Persephone to have a choice on whether she stayed there with him or not.

He needed a shower, desperately.

Heading to his room, he was surprised to see the doors opened, had Hecate been in there again to rummage through his things?

Hades was ready to burst in and scold his best friend, but he was greeted with a sight that he never expected.

Among the pillows on his bed, Persephone's adorable profile stood out, eyes closed peacefully as she slept, but there were clear tear stains running down her face. Her body was atop the blankets, curled up most likely from the cold as her arms loosely hung around her legs.

Hades felt like a creep watching her.

Walking towards her, he lifted her body up softly without any thought to it. Adjusting her so he could hold her with one arm, he made sure that she was still asleep, and then he lifted up the thick, yet light blankets before placing her directly on the mattress.

Due to the movement, her mouth opened and she let out a cute snore. Silently chuckling, he covered her with the blankets and noticed that her body shape didn't make a difference to the top of the doona - that's how small she was in comparison to her surroundings.

He leant down and kissed her forehead adoringly, before leaving and closing the doors gently, he didn't want to seem more like a freak than he appeared to be turning out to be.