by Logan Keys
Persephone touches her lips to his. It’s brief and unsatisfying. The cold bites, leaving a numb patch on her mouth. “I’d be honored to marry you,” she whispers.
Hades holds his hands in the air. Black gloves appear, covering his luminous white skin. He closes his right hand and then opens it, and a ring appears in the middle of his palm. The setting is gold and the stone is the size of a duck egg. Its colors change from blue with splashes of green and pink to lighter hues. A swirling cloud forms over it, the other colors becoming soft undertones.
“This is gorgeous.” Persephone breathes out her admiration. “It’s like you’re giving me the world.”
“It’s an ocean opal. One of a kind.” Hades raises an eyebrow. “I think you understand the message I’m trying to convey.”
“You either made a joke or insulted my intelligence.” Persephone laughs. “I can’t tell which.”
Hades’ lips tilt upwards in a brief smile. Persephone splays the fingers of her left hand as far as they can go. Hades’ gloved hand briefly touches hers as he slides the ring on.
Their eyes hold, wistful and filled with longing. Persephone holds her hand up to show Hades. “It fits. As if it’s always been there.”
Hades nods at a white wardrobe standing in the corner. “Ask it for anything you want. When you’re ready, tell Brutus. He’ll bring you to me.”
“You mean we’re getting married right now?” Persephone blinks. “I know these are unusual circumstances, but a wedding does take some planning.”
She’d once imagined marrying Hades in a lavish ceremony, one that lasted days and weeks. It would have been still going when they departed for their honeymoon. Persephone, her mother, and Cyane had planned the ceremony down to the finest details.
It makes her heart ache that none of that will come to pass. Straightening her shoulders, Persephone pushes the feeling of regret away. The ceremony doesn’t matter, only the groom. If she’s being honest, the only man she pictured beside her is the one in front of her.
Hades gives a full smile this time. “I know this is not the sort of wedding someone of your standing should have, but we have to do it quickly and quietly. Zeus has made all the arrangements. All you need to do is concentrate on yourself and,” he glances at the door, “I brought someone to help you in case you accepted.”
Cyane breezes into the room carrying a large case. She brings the smell of Summer with her. Persephone stares at Hades. His thoughtfulness never fails to surprise her. Hades nods his head and exits, leaving the two women alone.
“Cy.” Persephone runs and wraps her arms around her cousin. She’s solid and warm and real. “You are a sight for sore eyes. I can’t believe you’re here.”
Cyane holds Persephone at arm’s length looking her up and down. “Well,” she teases, “when the King of the Underworld sends a hellhound for you, it’s hard to decline the invitation. I would’ve come if you were getting married in Tartarus. We have a lot to do.” Her eyes circumnavigate the room. “It won’t be how we planned it, but I brought what I could.”
“Um.” Persephone closes one eye. “Hades gave me a magic wardrobe. We can get anything we want.”
“Really?” Cyane turns toward her in slow motion. Her turquoise eyes pop open. “That makes me quite jealous. It also takes the pressure off.”
Linking arms, the women walk to the table and sit opposite one another. They stare, soaking each other in. “You look well.” Cyane smiles. “When I gave you the mirror, I didn’t expect you to end up here with Hades.”
“Neither did I,” Persephone says laughing. “He has been… more than kind.” She shows Cyane the ring.
Cyane’s eyes widen and then grow serious. “Do you want to do this, Perse? I know you love the Dark Lord, but how is this going to work? You can’t—”
Her cousin doesn’t need to finish. Persephone knows their marriage will be in name only. “Yes,” she answers as she rubs her face with a shaky hand, “I want to marry him. I’ve always wanted to marry him. I know it’s not perfect, but he is.”
“Just checking.” Cyane smiles. “I thought Hades might have hexed you.”
“I think you got that the wrong way around.” Persephone rolls her eyes. “Hades would never hex me to be with him. That sort of behavior is beneath him. Me, on the other hand, I’d have hexed him years ago if it meant we could be together.”
“Do you ever wish it were like the old days?” Cyane sighs. “If the Underworld wasn’t attached to a season, you two would’ve been married eons ago.”
Does she ever. “Yes.” Persephone nods. “That goes without saying.”
“I’m sorry, Perse.” Shadows appear in Cyane’s eyes. “This must be hard for you.”
“Surprisingly.” Persephone presses her lips together. “It’s not. It’s going to be harder when I have to leave him.”
“Narcissus is going to go insane when he hears you’ve wed Hades.” Cyane’s eyes narrow and her lips draw back. “Narcissus has always been jealous of him.”
“Narcissus is jealous of anyone better than he is,” Persephone retorts. “Hades, my father, my mother, Jason.”
Cyane pales and silence fills the room. Persephone curses her loose lips for bringing Jason’s name into it.
“I’m sorry.” Persephone shakes her head. “Please forgive me. I misspoke.
“It feels like a lifetime since I’ve seen you.” Cyane’s eyes and smile are too bright. “There’s so much I want to tell you.”
“Then tell me.” Persephone smiles. “How is Summer?”
Cyane whistles. “It’s more like the Underworld than here at the moment. Dangerous and getting worse, but this is your wedding day, Perse. We should speak of happier things.”
Persephone’s smile wavers. In her father’s time, if someone had told her Summer would no longer be considered a ‘happier thing’, she never would have believed them. “I need to know, Cy. It’s still my home.”
“Fine.” Cyane rolls her eyes. “I’ll tell you, but I need some nectar to loosen my tongue. Wait,” she says, pointing a finger at Persephone, “if I eat or drink anything here, do I have to stay?”
“No.” Persephone laughs and it feels good. “Hades has made this room safe from his magic.”
“Good.” Cyane nods. “Because this place is a bit scary for me and I have no intention of staying until I have to.”
“It’s mad in Summer.” Cyane lies on the bed staring up at the ceiling. “Do you remember those stories our parents’ used to tell us about the bad old days? It’s sort of like that.”
A frisson of fear flickers up Persephone’s spine. “Those were horror stories to make us behave and be grateful the world had changed. Surely, it can’t be that bad?”
“Okay,” Cyane grabs the end of her hair and stares at it, “I might be exaggerating, but only slightly. Anyone who disagrees with Narcissus is banished, but I’m pretty sure he’s killing them. No one is safe.”
Cyane lists the names of everyone affected and Persephone’s stomach hurts at every name she says. She can picture their faces, their families, the houses they lived in. Overlaid on top now are the atrocities Narcissus has inflicted on them.
“How could Narcissus be so cruel? Was he always like this and we missed it? Or did he grow like this somehow, twisted and poisoned?”
“I don’t know.” Cyane shakes her head. “I’m not sure if it even matters anymore. He’s like this now and he needs to be stopped. You have a lot of support, Perse. People whisper your name, you’re Summer’s hope.”
“I’m not much of a hope.” Persephone shrugs an apology. “I'm hiding here in the Underworld like a coward and letting my future husband figure it out.”
Cyane laughs a musical note. “You were never much of a fighter, Perse. You just don’t have it in you.”
True. The first time her father put a weapon in Persephone’s hand and told her she was going to learn to fight, she cried. In fact, she cried every time after that until they gave up tryin
g to teach her.
“But I’m putting people in danger.” Persephone bites her bottom lip. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you because you helped me.”
“So far, Narcissus doesn’t know.” Cyane takes a deep breath. “I play the role of simpering fool well, but I have a contingency plan.”
Persephone raises an eyebrow. Cyane’s eyes sparkle. “Let’s just say I’ve extended my skill level in making magical objects, which reminds me.” Rolling off the bed, Cyane dives into her case with a wicked grin. She hands Persephone a present. “When the hellhound summoned me to Hades, I asked permission to make some gifts and bring them with me. Your Dark Lord granted it.”
Opening the present, Persephone’s hands linger on some fine gloves. Cyane rests her head on Persephone’s shoulder. “They’re magical objects. I’ve already given Hades his pair. I know it’s not perfect, but you can at least touch each other on your wedding day.”
Persephone’s eyes glisten. “Actually, Cy, these are perfect.”
Hades
Answering Thanatos’ summons, Hades finds his brother by a frost-covered lake in the gloom of Winter. Dressed in his formal clothes, black robes and scythe that sets fear in hearts, mortal and immortal alike, Thanatos hovers over the body of a young woman. Even from this distance Hades can see and smell the Summer on her.
“Brother,” Hades calls out. “I got your message. I’m not sure why you’ve asked me to join your reaping on my wedding day, but here I am.”
Thanatos stabs the handle of his scythe into the snow, motions Hades over, and points at the girl. She has blonde hair and golden skin. If her eyes were open, Hades knows they’d be some shade of blue.
Instead, they’re closed with bruises that fists have made. Her skin is marred and battered. Hades notes the black and blue over her face and body. There is red in the scratches and scores on her flesh, and also on the tops of her fingers where her nails once were.
Disgust clings to Hades’ throat. “Whoever did this to her is a monster. Those injuries were drawn out and would have taken time. She doesn’t look more than sixteen summers old.”
In terms of their world, she’s young. Not a babe, but not old enough to have reached full maturity or come into her powers. A life cut short in the worst possible way.
“Agreed.” Thanatos pushes his cowl back, so his face is visible. “I’ve been reaping a lot of souls from Summer lately that look like this, but this one’s different. She clings to life, her Shade coming and going from my door. How she’s lasted this long is a testament to her character.”
“She’s still alive?” Hades raises a hand for a hellhound. “We can save her, send her to the healers at a Temple.”
“She is beyond saving, Hades.” Thanatos grimaces. “I’ve been trying to get her to come to me and end her suffering, but she refuses. It’s why I called you here. She’s been crying out for Persephone, insistent even. At first, I just thought she was delirious, but then I began to listen to what she had to say. I don’t think her Shade will fully leave her body until she’s spoken and been heard.”
The landscape is a bleak Winter wonderland of frozen water, ice, and snow clinging to trees. The ground is white with snow mounds and pale rays from the sun peak through the gray tinged sky.
“We can’t call Persephone.” Hades sighs. “She won’t survive out here.”
Thanatos’ face wears displeasure. “Come on, Hades. We could use the lake as a mirror.”
The air catches in Hades’ throat and he clamps his jaw shut not trusting himself to speak. “Thanatos,” he starts. “You are my closest brother, so forgive me if my tongue is sharp. I know all you see is the sunshine in Persephone, but that’s her defense mechanism against a cruel world. She survives disappointment and heartache by clinging to the golden parts of life, but she’s had her fair share of darkness. She’s lost her family and her home.” And Hades.
“More, if Narcissus gets his hands on her, she’ll see you in your death robes with scythe in hand all too soon. I’m worried,” Hades says, pointing to the dying girl, “that this will break her. Let me spare her from this.”
At Thanatos’ nod, Hades crouches down to the girl. He weaves some magic to ease her pain. “I am Hades, Persephone’s betrothed. I give you my word your message will be received. Speak, child. Tell me what it is that holds you here.”
The girl’s eyes crack open into slits. The whites of her eyes are stained by red. “Chaos.”
Chaos? Hades and Thanatos make eye contact. The old god hasn’t been seen in their world since the Lands were carved into seasons and the rules governing the original gods were brought into being.
Chaos refused to abide by the conditions or leave with the other gods. Instead, he chose exile. Some say with Poseidon, but Hades always thought it was myth and nonsense. A god like Chaos waits and bides his time. The secure balance of the Lands is what’s kept him from re-entering their world.
“Did Chaos do this to you, child?” Hades keeps his tone gentle. “You can tell me. You have no need to fear him, not in my Lands.”
“No.” Her busted lips draw back. “Narcissus. He seeks the old gods and the old ways.”
Narcissus. “Is it possible he’s been touched by Chaos, girl?” Hades leans closer. “Do you know?”
The girl closes her eyes and groans. Her body shivers, a rattling protest against what is happening. “Summer,” she whispers. “Persephone.”
“Tell me,” Hades says softly, “how did a child of Summer come to lie in Winter, so far from home?”
“I’m a message.” The girl’s eyes flutter. “I’m—”
Her chest rises and her voice ends on a hiss. There is no protest or fight this time. She’s gone from this world.
Hades makes a silent prayer of farewell. The girl’s Shade appears on the water’s edge and stares down at her body. She points and her mouth opens, but no sound comes out.
No matter how many times Hades has seen this, it doesn’t make it any easier. The girl will find her way to the Place of Judgment, but she is too young for an eternal decree. Her soul will be released to learn and grow. Then when the time is ready, her lifecycle will start again in another body in this world or another.
“Come, child.” Thanatos extends his hand. “That is no longer you.”
The girl shakes her head and skips along the bank of the lake. Thanatos follows her, allowing her some freedom before he has to reap her. Death takes young ones this way, sometimes. They’re too new to understand that death is close by and not in the distance. Little more than a veil lies between both ends of the lifecycle. Older people know this, but younger ones do not.
Hades raises his hand and a frost bird with white feathers, black eyes and beak, lands on his arm. “Girl,” he calls. “This bird is for you. She’ll show you the way to where others of your kind play, but you have to go with my brother in order to get there.”
The Shade inches forward with her eyes on the bird. The next time Thanatos extends his hand, she takes it. An ache sits in Hades’ chest as the two disappear to start her journey to the Underworld.
Thanatos returns all too soon. His death robes and scythe are gone, replaced by sleek black clothing suitable for a wedding. “This conversation is better had alone in the icy stillness, far away from prying eyes and ears, Hades. We have trouble. The only way a child of Summer could be dumped to die in Winter is if Narcissus had help from some of the other Lands.”
“The same thoughts have crossed my mind.” Cold rage seeps into Hades hands. “We knew Persephone’s refusal of Narcissus’ hand in marriage would bring war and conflict. I had hoped to contain it, but blood is already spilling.”
Thanatos nods. “You’re not responsible for this. Neither is Persephone. This is Narcissus’ nature. Blood stains his hands wherever he goes.”
“All I can think of is how many more innocent casualties will there be before Narcissus is stopped?” Hades swallows the poison in his throat. “And how close that monster
came to Persephone. You were right, brother, about all of it.”
“What about Chaos?” Thanatos’ eyes burn. “Do you think there’s any truth to the matter?”
“I don’t know about Chaos,” Hades confesses. “I wouldn’t rule it out, but why would he come back now? Why after all this time?”
“You can’t smell it, Hades, but I can.” Thanatos grimaces. “Something clings to Narcissus; something that attracts my scythe. It’s all over him. Maybe Chaos has found someone in our world that will support him.”
Hades sneers. “The only thing all over Narcissus is arrogance and overconfidence. When Persephone and I are married, I will answer Narcissus’ challenge and he will be done.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Thanatos warns. “His arrogance and overconfidence comes from somewhere. Have you ever wondered how Narcissus defeated Kronos Demeter in the arena?”
“Often, but Narcissus is not a King and neither was Kronos Demeter. I do not fear that arrogant youth.”
“Do you fear Chaos?” Thanatos cocks an eyebrow. “Have you ever stopped to think that the original Hades and Persephone brought in the seasons; they changed the way the world was run. What happens if you and Persephone die in this one? Would it undo what was established and go back to the way it was at the start of time?”
No set seasons. The Lands no longer linked. Gods and goddesses free to roam and make war on one another. Immortals and mortals alike caught in the crossfire.
The original Hades and Persephone brought in something new—something that took on a life of its own. It was the start of the end of the old world and no one knew. Even the Oracles didn’t foresee the consequences of the original Hades and Persephone’s actions and where it took them.
“I’m not sure it’d be that simple,” Hade starts. “Our deaths wouldn’t necessarily reverse the process.” But it would change the order of their world, Hades can sense it.
Thanatos scratches the side of his face. “Hades, maybe I’m thinking too much on this, but you do know what Persephone’s name means?”