by Gina Carra
She laughs and lets Persephone go. “Get out of here before I make you stay.”
They’re both crying.
Hades looks at the sun worriedly. She wishes she could stop time and let them talk more, but she has to be the bad guy, as usual.
She grabs Persephone’s hand this time and tugs her up the hill. Persephone’s practically walking backwards as Autumn fades into the distance. Hades tries to joke. “You can’t look back until we’re out if you want this to work.”
Persephone’s not really paying attention. “What?”
Hades shakes her head. “It’s just some story.”
She gets Persephone in the boat and starts rowing. They’re almost to the exit when she pauses. She looks Persephone in the eye. “I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to listen very closely.”
Persephone can feel the urgency and fear radiating off Hades. It’s such a different feeling than what surrounds them it’s almost hard to grasp. “What is it?”
Hades glances at the exit. “As soon as we’re through there…” Hades pauses, trying to find the words. “I’m not going to be able to row you back. Just…whatever happens, just leave me and lock yourself in your room.”
Persephone sobers up quickly. “What are you talking about?”
Hades is already rowing through the gateway. “Just ignore whatever you hear.”
As soon as they’re through the gateway, Persephone feels the flowers disconnect from her, but that’s not what has her attention right now.
There’s a woman floating above the River Styx and it doesn’t take Persephone more than one guess to know who it is. It’s Styx herself and wrathful doesn’t describe her expression well enough.
Hades stands on the boat and faces her. “Take the oars, Persephone.”
Persephone does as she’s told, but she’s not sure what’s happening. “Why is she here? What’s hap—”
Hades cuts her off. “Entrance to Elysium requires a toll. I just have to pay it.” A green tendril of water shoots out from the river and circles Hades’s neck. Hades struggles. “Just row back to the pier and get to your room.” Persephone can see tears pull from Hades’s eyes from the contact with the water.
Persephone’s frozen for a moment as she watches more tendrils of water lasso Hades’s arms and legs, tugging her from the boat until she’s suspended above the river in front of Styx.
Styx’s mouth doesn’t move, but her voice is everywhere.
“An unearned passage to peace eternal
A punishment in the river infernal
Your moments of joy spent today
Equivalent pain is the price you will pay”
Without a moment’s warning, Hades is tugged into the river and her screams echo throughout the Underworld. Persephone hadn’t noticed until now that there are tendrils of blue smoke curling around herself.
Styx can’t see her. Hades hid her from punishment.
Powerless to help, Persephone follows Hades’s instructions and rows back to the pier. Hades’s screams follow her even as she closes the door to her room.
Two hours. That’s what Hades had given her. Persephone hadn’t realized just what Hades had sacrificed for that time until now.
Gloves
Persephone thought she’d hear it forever, but suddenly the screaming stops.
Her first, ridiculous, instinct is to assume Hades died. Maybe it’s a side effect of living among humans so long and watching them come and go so often.
She doesn’t know how to help her with any of this. It’s not like she and Hades are friends.
Does she stay here and give her space? Or should she try to find her on the banks of the river?
Without a clear answer in mind, Persephone makes a decision.
As an afterthought, she grabs the bed sheet to take with her. Just in case.
She walks back toward the boat, scanning the banks for Hades. She quietly chastises herself. Hades is extremely powerful. She’s probably back in her room already.
But she keeps walking, if only for something to do.
Her eyes catch on something and she stops short.
Soaked and exhausted, Hades is collapsed as far from the river as she could make it.
She’s panting heavily and even though her hair is dripping, Persephone can spot tear tracks on her cheeks. She’s not sobbing, but it’s like her body is still reacting though she’s not expressing her pain.
Persephone hesitantly gets closer, eventually kneeling beside Hades as she holds the bed sheet. “Hades.”
Hades’s voice is raw from screaming, “Don’t touch the water.”
Persephone smiles, small and worried. “I won’t—”
“I’m soaked. Don’t touch…don’t touch the water.” Hades can barely speak, and her eyes don’t seem to be able to open.
Persephone can’t imagine what she went through. Hades is one of the most powerful gods in existence and to see her so destroyed by this…It’s terrifying.
Persephone throws the sheet over her. Hades’s eyes flutter open for a moment before falling closed again.
Persephone clears her throat. “If your clothes are soaked, you should get them off.”
Hades laughs. “Good try.”
Persephone sighs. “I’m not kidding. It’s hurting you, isn’t it?”
Hades is quiet, refusing to acknowledge her pain.
Persephone huffs, “I swear, if you don’t do it, I will.”
Hades’s eyes open again. “Don’t—”
“Don’t touch the water. I get it. But I need to help you.”
Hades shakes her head, but it’s a small motion.
Persephone stares at her, both of them equally stubborn. “Fine. Help yourself, then. Make me some gloves.”
Hades drags her eyes open, staring at Persephone curiously. “What?”
Persephone holds her hands in front of Hades’s face, opening and closing them. “Gloves.”
Hades smiles weakly. “Can’t.”
Persephone plays her game. “Quitter.”
Hades pouts, offended. “Persephone, I ca—”
“Quitter.”
Persephone looks away from her. She stares across the river, looking bored.
Hades swallows, taking a moment to watch how her soul glows now that they’re out of Elysium.
Maybe it’s because of the arrow, but Hades finds strength somewhere deep inside of her and blue tendrils of smoke curl around Persephone’s hands.
Persephone jumps, surprised. She looks down as the smoke fades to reveal a pair of white gloves on her hands.
She turns to Hades, but Hades’s head lolls as she falls unconscious.
Persephone blinks for a moment, but then snaps into action.
She tries not to think about it, just clinically pulls Hades’s clothes off, keeping the bed sheet over her as much as possible.
You’d think Persephone would get used to seeing someone with the build of a Greek god, but it never really gets old. She very carefully does not think about it, though.
She uses part of the sheet to rub through Hades’s hair to dry it a bit. She can’t pick Hades up. Hades had fussed about a single drop of water and Persephone isn’t about to risk finding out the consequences. All Persephone can do is sit beside her and gently run her fingers over Hades’s braided hair with her gloves on.
She stares at Hades curiously. Why is she so worried about her? They’ve been stuck like this for a week and a half now. Maybe this is Stockholm syndrome. Persephone jokes to herself about it, but she knows that’s not true.
Hades just sacrificed two hours of incredible pain so Persephone could see her sister. Everything else she’d heard about Hades is erased from her mind. All she cares about is the god sprawled out on the river bank beside her.
She feels a tug and mindlessly wonders if it's because of the arrow, but part of her knows it isn't.
✽✽✽
Hades wakes up slowly. In fact, she’s not sure if she’s waking up.
Something’s in her hair and…she’s…naked?
She opens her eyes and finds the bed sheet draped over her body, her clothes in a pile next to her. The thing in her hair is Persephone’s gloved hand and Persephone is sleeping softly next to her, curled up on the rocks of the riverbank.
Hades sits up, flinching as Persephone’s hand catches on a couple of tangles in her hair. She ties the sheet around herself before standing. She glances over to see Persephone slowly blinking her eyes open.
She panics for a moment when Hades is missing, but then looks up and sees Hades looking down at her, sheet tied around her chest. Persephone blames it on the exhaustion, but she mumbles, “You look good in white.”
Hades rolls her eyes and offers Persephone her hand. Persephone hesitates before remembering she has the gloves on. Hades nods her head toward their rooms. “Beds sound better than rocks.”
Persephone grabs her hand and stands up, mumbling something (bed sounds better than beds), but Hades doesn’t understand her.
Hades lets go of her hand once she’s up, but Persephone just reaches out again and twines their fingers together like they’d done in Elysium. She doesn’t say a word, just starts walking, tugging a surprised Hades behind her.
They eventually fall into step beside each other and Hades can see the tension radiating out of her. “I’m fine. I’m dry.” Hades tries to tug away her hand, but Persephone grips her hand tighter. “You don’t need to help me.”
Persephone scoffs. “You’re glad I did.”
Hades nods firmly. “Of course I am. I’m very thankful. You didn’t have to—”
“Stop saying that.” Persephone’s answers are short and curt.
Hades is confused. “I’m used to taking care of myself is all.”
Persephone’s quiet for a moment. “Well, you don’t have to right now.”
They’re almost to the rooms. Hades furrows her brow, trying to figure her out. “Why do you care?” That’s the question Hades could never answer with her ability—why? She could see how, what, where, when, but not why.
Persephone stops walking and Hades can see a look of disbelief on her face. “Are you fucking joking?”
Hades tries to piece together what she’s missing but comes up empty. “No?”
Persephone blinks once. Twice. She uses her free hand to rub at her ear. “I’m pretty sure I just listened to you scream for the past two hours and you’re asking me why I care.” Hades is still confused. Persephone’s eyes go wide as she snorts in disbelief. “You did that for me.”
Hades shrugs. “That’s how you get to Elysium. It’s not my first tim—”
“Would you have gone if I weren’t here?”
Hades goes quiet.
“Would you have gone if I didn’t ask?”
Hades stares at Persephone, lost.
Persephone swallows, her eyes flicker to Hades’s lips for a moment. “You did that for me.”
Hades tugs her hand out of Persephone’s and walks to her room, but Persephone can see her ears turn red. “I’m going to sleep.”
If the Underworld weren’t so deathly quiet, she wouldn’t have heard it, but Persephone breathes a soft, gentle, “Thank you.”
✽✽✽
Eros reclines by the beach.
It’s a nice day, so there are plenty of humans around who have no idea who he is. He likes blending in with them.
He likes the way they look at him when they think he’s attainable.
As if summoned, a beautiful woman catches his eye from a few yards away. She smiles and it’s nothing short of seductive.
Eros waves back, flirty, before his skin starts tingling in pain with what feels like sudden sunburn.
Eros immediately glares up at the sun. “I wasn’t going to do anything.”
The burn gets more intense.
Eros squawks as he pulls his towel over him and glances back at the woman. She looks disgusted as he rolls around in the sand and talks to the sky. “Real mature, Sol.”
A pair of lips ghosts across his neck and Eros leans into it, unable to resist. Helios laughs. “At least flirt in the shade.”
Eros pouts. “I’d never hide my conquests from you.”
Helios’s nose crumples. “Trust me, I know.”
Eros squirms until he has the leverage to tackle Helios so they’re both lying in the sand. Helios frowns as the sand gets in his hair, but Eros can feel the quiet smile in his heart. Eros glances up and down Helios for a moment, appreciating the body beneath him. “So, what kind of god are you with all this then?”
Helios plays dumb. “With all what?”
Eros gestures around the beach. “All this.”
Helios hums, confused. “Is there anything here but you?”
Eros’s jaw drops. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Helios’s face breaks into a childish grin and Eros returns it.
Eros props himself up on his elbows on Helios’s chest. “But really, are you gonna burn me every time I look at a human?”
Helios hums. “Depends on the human. I’ve seen things.”
Eros laughs, but pokes Helios’s cheek. “Seriously, Sol.”
Helios shrugs. “I can answer you, but I don’t know if it’ll change after the arrow.”
Eros tenses.
Helios runs his hand through Eros’s hair. “Do whatever or whoever you want, Cue. They’re temporary to your life and frankly, they could do with the sexual education. I’m here forever.”
Eros thinks about that and Helios’s surprised to see just how seriously he’s taking all this. “And you think that’ll change after the arrow?”
Helios sighs lightly. “I really don’t know. Neither of us have ever been shot by one.” It’s quiet a moment. “What were you hoping I’d say?”
Eros meets his gaze with a knowing smile. “Pretty much exactly that.” Eros tickles Helios’s chin and he preens. “No more sunburns.”
Helios rolls his eyes. “No promises.”
✽✽✽
“What do you mean you can’t cook?”
Demeter stares at Hebe in wonder. Hebe shrugs. “You know how us youths are. We like throwing shit together and pretending we know how to make things.”
Demeter scoffs. “Just because you’re the god of youth, doesn’t mean you have to act like a ‘youth’.”
Hebe retorts, “And just ‘cause you’re the god of the harvest, you don’t have to assume everyone knows how to cook.”
Demeter watches her, eyes narrowed. He cracks an egg into a bowl one handed without even looking down. “You’re disgusting.”
Hebe pouts. “I thought you liked that last night.”
Demeter clears his throat. “Don’t change the subject.”
Demeter looks down at what he’s working on only to jump as he gets a face full of flour.
He blinks, staring at a smirking Hebe before shrieking indignantly and reaching for the flour, a grin blossoming on his face. “How dare you!”
Hebe dashes from the kitchen and Demeter’s quick to follow. He eventually catches her. He pulls Hebe’s back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and blowing a raspberry into the skin of her neck.
Hebe cringes, laughing. She reaches back, tangling her fingers through Demeter’s hair. “See? We can do this ‘happy’ thing.”
Demeter hums, opening his mouth to say something Hebe expects will be soft and loving, when a bolt of lightning strikes outside.
Hebe glances up, smile fading from her face. She pulls away from Demeter quickly, “You have to go.”
She’s shoving him toward the back door, scanning the floor for discarded clothes. She can lie about knickknacks by explaining about Persephone, but she can’t explain away a pair of pants leading to the bedroom.
Demeter seems surprised. “I thought you said she sleeps around too?”
Hebe swallows. “It’s complicated.”
Demeter wants to fight back, but the fear in Hebe’s eyes stops him.
“Find me when you can.”
Hebe nods as Demeter disappears out the door and Hebe braces herself for her wife’s return.
Hercules
Hebe hasn’t seen her wife in about a month. She’s heard rumors about a weeklong party on Mount Olympus that everyone had begged Hercules to stay around for since she was always the life of the party. They even asked her to invite her wife, aka “that girl who used to bring us drinks, right?” followed by everyone laughing and no one ever inviting Hebe.
So when Hercules stumbles drunkenly through the door with a very sober Megara dragging her in, Hebe is not remotely surprised.
Megara drops Hercules on the couch and looks at Hebe with a frown. Hercules is unconscious, an impressive feat for a god.
Hebe stares at her wife, still very much so surprised that they’re married. Megara pats her on the shoulder. “It’s for the best she’s not around a lot, right?” Megara is what humans would call ‘the other woman’ but as it is, she and Hebe are actually pretty good friends.
Hebe shrugs. “I honestly can never decide that. We get along just fine when she’s here, but when she leaves, I resent her and the longer she’s gone, the more I feel I hate her.”
Megara tugs Hebe into her side, kisses her on the cheek and narrows her eyes, easily seeing through her. “You found someone.”
Hebe runs her hands over her face. “How are you not a goddess? You’re eerily good at reading people.”
Megara shrugs. “Servitude to the god of death will do that to you.”
Hebe feels the gears in her head grind to a stop. “Wait, you…what?”
Megara laughs. “You were there, Hebe.”
Hebe feels like an idiot. She’d only been there for the end of that story and she totally forgot how it started. She grabs Megara’s shoulders and opens her mouth to say something. She glances at Hercules and then nods to the bedroom. They shut the door behind them. “It’s a very long story, but Persephone is with Hades right now.”
In an instant, Megara loses her nonchalant air and worry seeps through her. “Persephone’s where?!”
Hebe frowns. “Is Hades that bad?”