by RM Virtues
Persephone nods, swallowing hard. She’s pushed this worry to its absolute limits, and now she’s all out of arguments. That doesn’t negate the fact. Meeting new people has always been difficult, but trusting new people is nearly impossible. Trusting Zeus had only enforced the latter, and this feels all too close to doing so again. She just doesn’t want to find herself in another helpless situation due to her own naivety. She definitely doesn’t want to risk everything she’s worked for, not to fulfill some childish curiosity about the leader of the Underworld.
But she doesn’t want to live in fear either.
A slow grin begins to spread across her face.
“I am really curious though.”
Aphrodite squeals and hugs her again, and Persephone can’t help but join in with a laugh. If there is one thing she does trust, it’s her best friend’s judgment.
“Then let’s go, girl!” Aphrodite snaps, pushing her playfully towards the clothes rack. “He’s waitin’!”
Demeter always said that Persephone’s curiosity would get her into trouble. Although to date, Persephone would have to disagree. At the very least, she would say it’s well worth that trouble. She’s always loved mysteries. It was part of the vast fantasy world she’d fallen in love with as a child. Before she could ever be comfortable in her own skin, she had grown comfortable in her books which had fueled her daydreams and given her new worlds to escape to, worlds where she could be free from standards she would never meet. From poetry to plays and everything in between, she could be whoever she wanted there, including herself. This escape was crucial in the years when her father still lived in the house of Demeter, angry at his wife’s power and angrier with the mere existence of his daughter, the daughter he’d never wanted. Even once he left them, Persephone clung to her fantasies. Now, she gets to recreate them for others. She’d fallen in love with the fathomless possibility of something more. And the flying too.
“Ugh, I don’t even know what to say,” she groans.
“Be mysterious. Don’t say shit.”
Persephone snorts, shoving her best friend away playfully as the other woman giggles.
“If I were you, I’d probably just stare at him. That man is beautiful,” Aphrodite goes on.
“He’s also thee scary story we were told growing up.”
She smirks. “That’s the best reason to meet him.”
Rolling her eyes, Persephone pulls the dress on, allowing Aphrodite to straighten her out and fix her hair. There really is no use debating it further. She’ll never know Hades’ intentions if she doesn’t make it out to see him, and she can’t just blow it off. She needs the clout here in the casino. If nothing else, she’s doing this for the sake of her livelihood.
By the time Aphrodite shoves Persephone out of her dressing room, much of the cast has gone, and she wonders if maybe she’d kept him waiting too long. However, as she and Aphrodite exit out the side door into one of the entrance halls, she finds Hades standing there, alone, with no Dionysos in sight. The two women stop before him, and while Persephone only looks up at him in silent appraisal, Aphrodite speaks.
“A gentleman,” she says softly. “Where did the rest of the entourage go?”
Hades smiles, and Persephone has to force herself to blink. Up close, those eyes are far more dangerous than she’d initially realized. And far easier to get lost in. And that smile… it’s something else. She wonders if he knows how many weapons he has just on his face alone. She wonders if he’s sharpened them himself, or if he’s sharpened them just for her.
Oh, by the Fates.
“Dionysos took them downstairs,” Hades replies, his voice smooth as silk and thick as honey. It is everything Persephone expects and nothing she is prepared for. “You know how restless he gets. It’s a pleasure to see you, Aphrodite. It isn’t a common occurrence.”
“Unfortunately not,” Aphrodite concedes with a curt nod. “We like to keep to ourselves, don’t we? —But, we did have a common cause tonight it seems. Hades, let me formally introduce you to Persephone, that star of the show you’ve been waiting on.”
Persephone finally looks away, and she hears him clear his throat before holding his hand out to her. She has to fight the urge to snatch it out of the air the moment it enters her line of sight, taking her time slipping her much smaller hand into his. It grounds her enough to look at him. Only - then it’s not grounding anymore at all. He’s smiling another kind of smile, something soft and disarming. It is a stark contrast to the first, which had been sharp and all too charming, like a serpent before it strikes. She likes this one better.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Persephone,” he says in a voice to match, licking his lips. “You were absolutely stunning tonight. I have never seen anything like what you did out there.”
“Thank you-” Persephone starts but stops herself.
“Hades is fine.”
“Hades.” She tests it on her tongue, and it feels like one of those summoning games they played as children. “I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Dionysos says you’re a tough critic.”
“Does he? I’ll have to talk to him about that.”
The three of them laugh before Aphrodite does what Persephone feared she would do.
“Listen, I’ve gotta make a call, but I’ll meet you both downstairs, I’m sure?”
She says it, and it’s the most natural thing in the world to her, winking at Persephone. Hades nods, still smiling that impeccable smile.
“I’ll get her there in one piece, I promise,” he says, and Persephone only just realizes she hasn’t retracted her hand yet. She does so slowly.
“On your best behavior,” Aphrodite warns him although her lips quirk up at the edges.
“I would offer nothing less.”
Aphrodite kisses Persephone’s cheek before sauntering away, and while Persephone knows damn well that she’s going directly down to the club without making any kind of call, she simply waves her off. After all, she hadn’t lied. She was very interested in what a conversation with Hades could hold, even if it’s just unraveling a small part of the mystery he’s encased in. Not to mention Aphrodite was right. He’s beautiful, impossibly so, especially when he’s looking at her like that. She can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but it looks a lot like wonder. And so maybe rather than worry herself sick, she could take a night off from worrying altogether about everything going on beyond Asphodel, especially Zeus and her current predicament. After all, it’s not like this is serious. It’s only a few drinks with the leader of the Underworld. If he turns out to be a threat, it’s better she finds out now rather than later because there is one thing Hades will soon learn. She doesn’t go down without a fight.
3
Hades
Dionysos hadn’t at all exaggerated about this star of the show he’d mentioned. What he’d failed to disclose was exactly who this star was. When Aphrodite introduced them, Hades nearly choked. Here he was, standing in front of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter.
“Bad blood” doesn’t even begin to encompass the relationship between their districts. While it had begun long before Hades and Zeus took control, and he imagines it would linger long after, Demeter had always looked down at both men as if they were dirt on her shoe. Due to this dynamic, business between the three districts was always handled by Hecate and Hestia, Demeter’s sister and right hand. Although slight and quiet, it was no secret just how clever and cunning the slighter woman could be, certainly not to Hades. He knows everything about everyone, or at least as much as he could know without intimate conversation. Information is the most valuable currency in Khaos Falls, and in that, Hades is surely the wealthiest. He’d never known nearly enough about Persephone however.
Demeter had always managed to keep her daughter sheltered from the world, him included, and Hades had never come across her in all of his time running the Styx District. He reckons she’s a smart girl who stayed on the right side of the river. Now, it seems that she’s come across to conquer w
hat is found here.
She’s succeeding thus far, in more ways than one.
He has to wonder just how angry Demeter would be if she found out that he was currently alone with her daughter, walking through the service halls of his casino in The Underworld, and towards Elysium of all places. Each aspect of that reality must be a strike against his character. He finds it mildly exciting.
“So this was your first show with Calliope?” he asks, breaking the silence as they walk through the empty halls. “You looked like you’d been doing those moves for years.”
She chuckles, and his heart thuds against his ribcage. “I mean, we did some primers before we came back to Khaos Falls, but this was the first show with all three acts and the more sophisticated acrobatics. It was a whole lot of training.”
“It certainly paid off.”
He smiles over at her. She’d seemed so much larger on that stage, her mere presence commanding the room in a way he’d never seen. She hasn’t lost much of it now, but it’s nice to see her up close and at her most human. It’s almost as if she is completely unaware of it, her power, which is such a rare quality in Khaos Falls. One would think modesty were banned here.
“Dio was talking about another production Calliope’s working on,” he goes on.
“Yeah, she has some ideas,” she confirms with a nod. “She wanted to see how this one went first before she set anything in stone.”
“From what I understand, we’ve never packed the theatre like that. Even when we’ve sold out tickets, we’ve never filled every seat. I’m assuming it went well, and it will continue to for the duration of your time here. Of course, we would extend it then.”
He feels her look at him suddenly. “Really? You’re thinking about it?”
He shrugs. “What’s there to think about? You did in one night what most shows here haven’t done in their entire residency. It’s good business… And I really enjoyed it.”
“Ah, so it’s a personal indulgence too, is it?”
He doesn’t skip a beat, meeting her eyes. “Very much so.”
He knows they’re approaching Elysium simply by the increasing volume of the music up ahead. He hadn’t planned to come to Dio’s little after party, but he supposes plans have changed. For once. That looks to be the theme of tonight. Hecate will surely never let him live this down, but he doesn’t dwell on it right now. This is the first time his shoulders haven’t been wound up by his ears in a long while. It’s also the first time he isn’t thinking about Zeus.
As he starts down the last flight of stairs leading into Elysium, she grabs his arm. When he turns, he finds that something in her face has shifted drastically although it seems like she’s trying to hide it.
“On second thought...” she muses, biting her lip. “I’m a bit too worn out for too much interaction, you know?”
“It’s your party,” he says, amusement in his eyes. “Do you want them to think you’re a diva?”
“I promise I’ll make it up to them after the next show.”
He surveys her quietly for a moment. He imagines she’s thinking what he’s thinking, that if Demeter finds out she’s sharing drinks with him, she will lose her mind and rain chaos down upon them both. Now that he’s being forced to confront that reality, he berates himself for having overlooked it in the first place. That’s alarming in and of itself. He never overlooks anything.
Nonetheless, that childish excitement remains despite the acknowledgement that it can have very mature consequences. He reminds himself to be wary of that.
“Would you like to have a drink with me upstairs then? In my box.”
She raises her brows. “In your box?”
“That’s right,” he nods. “In my box. You can still observe your whole party without the whole party observing you. Is that acceptable?”
She shrugs, but he sees her lips twitch. “Yeah, I think that’s acceptable.”
“Alright, come on. You’re explaining it to my nephew though.” He leads her back into the hall and to the elevator at the end. “And tell Aphrodite. I don’t want her thinking I stole you away.”
“A very good point.”
Apollo had modeled Hades’ Elysium skybox in the same way he had modeled Hades’ main office, close enough to the ground floor to see everything and yet far enough to feel untouchable. By the time the elevator opens up directly into the box, there is already a bartender prepared to take their drink orders behind the small bar. Once they call out their orders, Hades leads her to the window. He can easily gauge that they are at capacity —if not over it— which isn’t too common on a weeknight. It doesn’t surprise him however, considering the high traffic upstairs earlier in the night and the sold out seats in the theatre. Hades starts trying to identify faces before he remembers his promise to Hecate, but it’s difficult when he’s being thrust back into it. He forces himself to take a seat beside Persephone in the booth bordering the window as the bartender brings over their drinks. When he looks over at her again, his curiosity —or perhaps his nerves— get the best of him.
“What do you think your mother would say if she hears you had a drink with me?” he inquires.
“A good question,” she hums. “Probably the same thing she said about me performing for a living.”
“She didn’t approve.” It’s more statement than question.
“Not at all.”
“Yet you did it anyway.”
“Yet I did it anyway.” She seems to be warring with something, but he waits. “I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself if I hadn’t.”
That, he can understand. “And how did you wind up with Calliope?”
“I did three years at Terpsichore’s school before Calliope came to see me, asked what I thought about an alternative path to my degree. She wanted me to audition for Le Cirque, and if I got it, the show she chose me for would be counted as my final year performance project. I’d still get my degree at the end of the year.”
He smiles, brushing his thumb along the side of his glass. “I’m assuming you got it.”
She nods proudly. “I did. Just before we got here. I haven’t seen my mother since I got back to town, but… Sorry. I don’t wanna bore you with the details.”
“No, no. Trust me, you aren’t.”
A smirk flits across her face. “Oh, right, you like collecting information, don’t you?”
He laughs, sipping from his glass. “I promise all of this is off the record.”
“Hey, I don’t mind. If anyone would be worried about our dirty laundry getting aired out, it’s my mother.”
“And you don’t seem too worried at all.”
“I’ve been out of my mama’s house for awhile now. I’m not saying she won’t call me the moment she finds out I’ve been here, my meeting you aside, because of course she will, but what can she do? Unless…” She gives him a curious look although she can hardly hide her smile. “Is the wraith of Khaos Falls afraid of my mother?”
He smirks, more intrigued by the title than anything else. “I don’t underestimate her.”
“Then you’re as smart as everyone says you are.”
“Oh? And what else does everyone say about me?”
She tilts her head. “I’m sure you know all of the legends they tell about you, by heart.”
He leans back in his seat. “Maybe, but I’m really interested to know your spin on them.”
“Didn’t I say I didn’t wanna spoil your good mood?”
“I promise you won’t do anything of the sort. Like you said, I’ve heard it all.”
She watches him for a moment, lips quirked and eyes narrowed, but he doesn’t flinch. She is correct in thinking he knows all those rumors and hyperboles. He’s learned to have his fun with them, devouring the parts he likes and discarding the rest. Nothing surprises him anymore, but he does want to know what image of him she had walked in here with, if he’d exceeded her expectations. He supposes it’s a tall order, but his need for her validation is heightened
by the simple fact that he doesn’t want to need it at all.
She sobers, looking down at her glass. “My mother used to say your father created you from venom and shadows, that you grew up to be a great serpent that wasn’t to be trusted. Those never scared me much though. My mother is a lover of theatrics.”
“Ah, that’s where you get it from.”
“Mhm.” She nods. “When I got older though, she would say he pulled you from the River Styx, not entirely whole and not entirely human. Others said you were a ghost that haunted your father’s district. Or you were something Zeus created in a lab. Then there are the people who swear you don’t exist at all.” There is a shrug of her shoulders and then, with more dramatic hand gestures, “But my favorite is the one where Zeus summoned you, his own guardian daimon with which he would conquer Khaos Falls.”
“Why is that one your favorite?”
She licks her lip. “Seems the most realistic.”
He barks a laugh. “You don’t think I could have been created in a lab?”
“Not by Zeus.” She pauses for a moment but recovers quickly. “Who could possibly put someone like you together, especially if all the other stuff is true?”
“What other stuff?”
“—Did you bring me up here just to stroke your ego because I don’t do all that for free.”
Chuckling again, he takes a long drink from his glass. He can feel her eyes on him, probing, prying. It isn’t often he’s on the receiving end of such observation. It’s as disconcerting as it is exhilarating. He just wishes he could know exactly what she’s thinking. He finds himself wanting to know everything etched across her mind in relation to him. Unlike his commonplace thirst for knowledge, this is not out of concern or worry. No, it stems from something far more selfish and self-indulgent, something he is ill-equipped to name.
When his eyes find hers, she doesn’t look away, and his breath catches in his throat. Time slows down, if only for a moment, and he takes that moment to truly take her in. The thick curls are now out, framing her face in the most flattering way. The neon lights that crawl in from below make her brown skin glow, and he can see the smattering of freckles that underline her luminous eyes. With the heart of Khaos Falls beating rapidly beneath them, his own heart speeds up too. It’s only then that he realizes he has nothing to say. Hades not offering to speak is one thing. Hades being left speechless is another thing entirely, a thing that simply does not occur.