Seeds (26 page)

     “The food will not hurt you.” Hades smiled encouragingly. “See, I am eating it. Would you come and sit with me? I will feed you if you like.” His voice was smooth and tempting, and he was gratified to see her blush a bit. All she had to do was eat one bite, just one bite – even a nibble – and she would be tied to this realm forever.

     “I cannot! If I do, I will never be able to return to the land of the living.”

     “So?” he asked, deliberately keeping his face and tone calm.

     “...So! You... you do not really intend to keep me down here? I will stay for as long as I amuse you, and when I go back, I will not speak ill of you,” Persephone offered, hoping to strike a bargain.

     “Who said I would tire of your company?”

     She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and disbelief. Surely, he couldn't mean... She gasped softly as he rose from his seat, his shoulders squared. He made for an impressive sight, strong and regal, flashes from the fire reflecting off his polished crown.

     “Understand this, Persephone. I did not bring you here down for a mere tryst.”

     “Oh? And what was it last night? A simple meet and greet?”

     “See there, that is one of the reasons I chose you. You are intelligent and spirited.”

     “Oh... well, thank you. I appreciate that, but...” She paused, flustered at this unexpected praise. She had been praised for being pretty, or having a lovely voice, or for making plants grow. But nobody had ever encouraged or praised her intelligence. It felt nice... wait a minute. He was distracting her again!

     “What we did last night was pleasurable, yes. But you are here to warm more than my bed. You... are here to be my mate... my Queen.”

     Persephone could not speak for a moment. Brought down here to be his lover, sure, but... Queen?

     “As Zeus has Hera to rule the skies with and Poseidon has Amphitrite to ride the waves with, so now I will have a consort at my side,” he declared, as if announcing this to the entire Underworld itself. She took a step back, shaking her head.

     “No. You cannot! Take me home!”

     Hades reached out to grasp her shoulder, staring down at her firmly.

     “I cannot let you go. I have wanted you ever since I first met you. I have waited for so long to bring you down here. It is at my side that you shall remain.” His tone was dark, bearing all seriousness, and his gaze kept her rooted to the spot. She felt her pulse drum a steady beat through her veins as a slight wave of dizziness hit her.
Mother. Cyane. The sunshine...

     Unbidden, she felt tears fight to break free.
Calm down. You're intelligent, just like Hades said. You'll figure something out. Just don't cry in front of him
... She felt the pad of his thumb rub against her cheek gently, and started shaking her head, trying to fight the panic that was clawing at her insides. She couldn't be the wife of the Lord of the Dead! It seemed impossible!

     “No, no, no. Please.” Persephone tried to sound calm, not wishing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. His eyes narrowed at her statement.

     “Understand this, my lady. I have never brought anyone down here. You are the only one I would ever have at my side,” he explained, hoping that she would at least feel honored. He didn't like the panic and fear he saw in her eyes. Was staying with him truly a loathsome prospect? His expression softened as he tried to reassure her.

     “Give my world a chance. There are many things to see and do, and you will be kept in comfort.” He raised his hand, waving to the doorway that led to the bedroom before he gestured to her, to the beautiful gown she was wearing. “You have nothing to fear. Am I a cruel master?”

     Well, nothing he had done so far could be called cruel. Except for kidnapping her and imprisoning her down here, telling her that she would never go back to the surface... it was clear that his mind was made up, but Gaea be damned if she would just submit!

     “If you do not intend to let me go back home...”

     “Just one thing to remember,” Hades cut in gently, “
This
is now your home.”

     “It is
not
. But if I am not allowed to go back
home
, what is there to do down here?”

     “More than you would think. Yes, the Underworld houses the souls of the dead. But it is more than that, more than anyone on the surface would ever suspect. What you have heard from your mother, nymphs, or the mortals you grew up with is merely part of my realm. Do you think I would be happy down here if there were nothing but dead souls?”

     “Well, everyone says how gloomy you are, how your heart is as dark as your realm. No one who has ever said anything about you said you were a benevolent god,” she offered respectfully. He shrugged. People saw him as drab and gloomy, and that suited him just fine. Let Apollo have the dazzling smiles and radiant presence, the Lord of the Underworld didn't give a damn about being popular. Let the gods think his realm was a dreadful place. And it would have been to Zeus or Poseidon if either of them had become its ruler. But the mysteries of Dis suited him, and he knew this was where he belonged.

     “The opinions of the surface world matters not. Here you are Queen.”

     “... Of dead souls.” she replied flatly.

     “And more. You have only seen a small part of my Palace. Out there is a world for you to explore.”

     “I cannot stay.”

     “Why?”

     “Look around you! This place might suit you well, but it is so.... different. There is no...
warmth,
” she replied plaintively. A mortal overhearing her would have thought she was merely speaking of the temperature of the air, but Hades understood that she meant the lifeforce that flowed along the earth. There were many things he could give her, but this was one situation he was unable to remedy.

     “You will get used to it.”

     Persephone threw her hands in the air and sputtered angrily. First, her mother had dictated her life, taking her from a familiar and loved place to live on an island, cut off from the world. And now Hades was making these decisions, deciding where she would stay and who she would be with.

     “I am not letting you just decide my life like that! Nobody has ever asked me what I wanted to do in my life!”

     “Persephone...” Hades started, trying to placate her.

     “You bring me down here and tell me I am to be your wife when I was never asked about any of this! You even give me a completely different name! And tell me I cannot ever leave! Is my life not my own?” Her cheeks were pink with anger and frustration.

     Hades let out a low sigh. He hated to admit it, but he
did
see her point. But then, here she would be treated like a woman. Not a little girl. She would have freedom here that her mother never granted her. There were many things to do for an inquisitive mind like the kind that she – and he – possessed.

     “This place is better for you than the one above. You will see,” he replied with confidence.

     “Do not presume to tell me what is good for me!” she flared back.

     “Well, you will see more of the Kingdom when I show you around.” Seeing her scowl, he shook his head slowly. “I know you are upset, but remember the enjoyment you had last night.”

     Her cheeks pinkened more, but for a different reason altogether. Thoughts of him lavishing his attention on her body pressed at her other thoughts, and she shook her head irritably as she pushed away the memory of him without clothing on. Damn Hades. Damn him to...

     Oh,
hell
. They were already
here
!

     “Let me take you on the tour, so you can see some of the Kingdom for yourself. Then, you can make up your mind on this place on what you have seen, not what you heard.”

     Persephone wanted to be petulant and just say 'no', but she knew it would be a childish thing to do, and get her nowhere. If she went with Hades, perhaps she might see something that would help her escape. She wasn't going to sit around and wait to be rescued!

     “... Very well.” She looked away at the wall.

     “Before we go out, I have another gift for you,” she heard him say. She turned back to see him pick something from the dark surface of the table. It was an emerald-adorned silver band... no, a crown, along with a few pins, and before Persephone could say anything, two shades appeared, whisking the pins out of Hades's hands and moving around her. She felt her hair tugged at gently with a speed faster than she had ever seen any of the nymphs possess as they did their hair, and the silver band was placed upon her head. A few thick locks of her hair draped across her shoulder, and as the shadows dissipated back into nothing, she reached up to touch her hair. She felt the thick band, wrought with an intricate design that she explored with her fingertips.

     There was a much smaller but more than adequate mirror hanging on one wall in the large room, framed in dark gray metal studded with blood-red stones. She studied her reflection, finding herself pleased by the way her hair had been arranged, and the way the crown rested gracefully on her head, her hair arranged at its sides in a most flattering manner. The rich and dark green silk complemented the color of her eyes, and the faint blush on her cheeks infused her face with a rosy and natural glow. She truly looked like a goddess.

     Demeter had expensive clothing – not this silk that Persephone had just encountered for the first time in her life, but fine wools and linens with a few pieces of jewelry that she wore when she went out as a goddess. And such a beautiful ceremonial wardrobe that Mother had, as opposed to the coarser and plainer clothing she wore around the house or outside in the valley and forest. There was the chiton of the purest and most vibrant green, with deep, rich brown and various shades of gold and ochre along the edges in a pattern of wheat, or that bright, warm yellow one with flowers and leaves. There was one of a lovely brown color with embroidered grapes on a vine along the edge, or Persephone's most favorite, a deep purple chiton, the vibrant color coming from an extremely rare purple dye that was coveted after even by the mightiest and richest kings of Hellas.

     Her mother had always looked so majestic and regal, and though the younger goddess had always had nice clothes to wear, she had never had anything to wear that was so... Goddess-like. However, Mother's clothes looked almost like rags compared to her daughter's current attire.

     “A Queen cannot go out without her crown.” His voice was light and playful, but she responded by glancing down again.

     As Hades led her down and through the Palace, she was struck with how somber yet impressive the place was. She couldn't help but wonder what was behind the doors Hades led her. As if he sensed her interest, he looked down at her.

     “I will be glad to show you more of this place when we get back. There are plenty of things to see.”

She fought back a scowl. She didn't need him to know that she was interested in
anything
in this dark place! She chewed her lip, remaining silent, biting back a sarcastic response. He apparently enjoyed her defiance, so she would give him nothing to work with. Perhaps then he would tire of her and send her back to the surface.

     The grand doors in the entrance hall opened under invisible hands, and a set of wide stairs descended from it, she figured perhaps twenty steps. The earth – if it could be called that – was black and gray instead of various shades of brown, and the twisted trees that grew at either side had bark that looked like broken pieces of onyx, their branches like claws extending in all directions. The sky itself was a light slate-gray, looking as if it might rain, only she saw no clouds. No color. No life.
No hope
. Her knees almost buckled, and she swallowed.

    
Mother, help me, please. Oh, I want to go home. I will surely wilt down here like a flower without sunlight.
Persephone contemplated death – but here there would be no release. Once she died, she wouldn't have to make the journey across the Styx and take up residence in the realm that had been determined for her. And there would be Hades. Why, out of all her possible suitors, did she have to be captured by the one that she wouldn't be able to ever escape from, even when her mortal lifespan ended? Why did her bridegroom have to be a death god, of all the possible men for her to be mated with?

     “The chariot awaits, my lady,” Hades's voice broke into her thoughts, and she let her eyes move past his outstretched arm. She had never seen a chariot before, much less horses, even though she had heard of both in stories. The vehicle itself was made of a dark metal, simple but elegant, and the four horses that stared down at her were as black as night, with dark gray manes and tails just a shade lighter than their glossy coats. They were magnificent creatures, but to the young goddess, they were terrifying. They looked so big, and she didn't like the way they stared at her. They had large and powerful legs and hooves to match, and one of them suddenly stamped a front hoof, causing her to jerk back.

     “Do not worry. They will not hurt you. They are just not used to seeing someone else down here who is alive.” Hades turned to the horses and raised a hand. The one who had stamped his hoof nickered softly, lowering his head a little. Persephone studied the setup as Hades led her even closer, seeing how it was connected to the horses, the way their harnesses were strapped, and the reins hanging off the blunt hook just below the lip of the chariot. She felt strong hands around her waist before she was gently lifted and placed into the chariot. He was right behind her, and she leaned against the side of the chariot, for it felt as if Hades had filled up the entire space with is presence.