by Gina Carra
Hebe frowns. “We don’t know. It’s never happened before.”
Persephone’s eyes flicker, trying to process. “But if we don’t use the arrow, I just keep getting stuck for a month at a time and the earth suffers.” Persephone takes a breath. “I could feel the emptiness when I got here. I could tell all the flowers died. I could feel the earth suffering.”
Hebe glares at Demeter. “Yeah, well you weren't the only one involved in that.”
Persephone reaches out and lays her hand over Demeter’s. “Demeter doesn’t do things halfway.”
Demeter feels himself break as Persephone lays her hand on his. Demeter scoots forward and pulls Persephone against him. Persephone doesn’t fight him like she normally would. She lets Demeter baby her and hold Persephone against his chest. “I thought I lost you forever. We were worried you wouldn’t even come back up.”
Persephone laughs, bittersweet. “I missed my daily dose of idiocy from you two.”
Hebe quickly joins the group hug, holding Persephone’s hand tightly. “She hasn’t changed, Demeter.”
Demeter feels his heart break. He knows. He knows Persephone’s going to choose to stay with Hades and he’s not ready to lose her. “You have to use the arrow.” Demeter’s voice shakes as he says it. “You have to stay up here. You can find a way to visit her, but the world needs you here, Persephone. We need you here.”
Persephone hesitates. “The world may not survive her if she has to go through that again.” Persephone stares at the sun, remembering how late in the day it was the last time she saw sunlight. “We’re running out of time.”
✽✽✽
“The arrow wasn’t random. You two are fated to be together.”
Hades feels as if the earth opened beneath her and dropped her directly into the River Styx.
It should be good news.
It should be great to hear that she’s meant to have love and happiness in her life but hearing that the happiness that fate planned for her would strip the happiness from Persephone’s life was the most painful hell she could imagine. Hades shakes her head, taking a step back. “Tell me this is some elaborate joke. Tell me this—”
But she can see it in Eros’s eyes. She knows those eyes.
Hades swallows, trying to hold it all back. She gets a grip on her spiraling emotions and pulls them back into one focused thought. “Tell me you have a lead arrow.”
Eros hesitates before shaking his head and Hades shouts in frustration. “Zeus wouldn’t risk—”
“Why is everything up to him?! What the fuck does he know about any of this?”
Helios finally steps in. “He knows the last time this happened you nearly killed his daughter.”
Hades wants to laugh. “Megara cares about Hercules more than Zeus ever did. Zeus lied about me to cover up the fact that his wife tried to murder his daughter. Such a dramatic story made her into a hero so everyone would take her side. No one even knows about Hera.”
Eros reaches out, but Hades flinches away. It’s the first time Hades has denied Eros’s touch in centuries. “Hades, you did almost kill her. Regardless of the reasons behind it, Zeus is trying to save lives by not giving this a chance to happen again.”
Hades looks between the two of them. Then she looks to the clouds.
Eros tenses. “Don’t.”
Hades laughs bitterly, eyes welling with tears. “What choice do I have?”
Hades disappears in blue smoke.
Helios looks to Eros and watches Eros make one of the hardest decisions of his life. Eros swallows as he turns to Helios. “Warn Zeus.”
Helios cups Eros’s jaw in his hand as he nods. “If she gets hurt, it’s not your fault.”
Eros lays his hand over Helios’s and presses his lips to his palm. “Be safe.”
And then Helios is gone and all Eros can do is stare at the clouds.
✽✽✽
Persephone traces the lines in her palm with a frown on her face.
Hebe’s hand is brushing through her hair casually and Demeter is lying with his head in Persephone’s lap.
They’re just trying to absorb as much of each other as they can.
Demeter watches Persephone. “You said you can feel what she feels?”
Persephone nods absently as she stares at her hand, wishing Hades’s was there.
Demeter starts again. “What does it—”
“I’m gonna stop you there.” Persephone meets his eye. “It’s no different than the rest of us. She’s not stalking around thinking of ways to kill people and laughing maniacally.” She leans into Hebe’s touch. “If anything, she’s like a child. When she met Autumn…she had no idea what to do. Just like when she met you. She’s been trapped on her own for all her existence. She doesn’t know what it is to be loved. I can understand why Cue kept shooting her.”
Hebe snorts. “Cue is always drawn to lonely people.”
Demeter listens to all that and realizes how little he truly knew about Hades. He’d been so scared to give her a chance.
Persephone looks at Hebe slyly. “Has Cue been hanging out with you a lot?”
Hebe blinks, willing herself not to look at Demeter and failing.
Persephone watches their eyes meet. “Wait…you guys…you guys haven’t—”
Demeter sits up suddenly. “We were gonna tell you.”
Persephone looks between them, eyes wide. “You guys are fucking?!” Persephone looks at Hebe and groans. “Hebe, that’s gross. That’s like…my ex and my dad.”
Demeter sighs heavily. “Why does everyone call me your dad?!” Persephone and Hebe both look at Demeter without answering.
✽✽✽
Hades stands at the gates to Olympus.
Dike guards the entrance.
Hades and Dike are old friends. As the goddess of justice, she watches over the decisions of humankind while they live. Hades takes over once they die.
Dike shakes her head.
They don’t need to trade words.
Dike’s hand grips her sword.
Hades watches her with a frown. “It doesn’t have to come to that.”
She draws her sword and Hades conjures a scythe out of smoke.
Dike looks regretful but determined. “This time, it does.”
Their weapons clash.
A god can’t bleed…
…unless struck by another god.
Hades feels blood trickle down her arm as she pushes past the gates. Dike is fine, but she’s down for now.
Hades is quickly surrounded as warning bells ring out around her.
She’s not worried. She knows she only has one equal in these clouds when it comes to combat.
She quickly dismisses the guards and fellow gods with swirls of smoke and blows from her weapon.
She takes some hits regardless. An arrow strikes her in the shoulder and she stares at Artemis. She tugs it out, unappreciative of the irony.
Finally, she’s free to make her way to the armory, stepping over gods and goddess as she goes.
As she opens the door, she hesitates in shock.
Zeus sits in front of her.
Hades snarls. “You actually descended from your throne, did you?”
Zeus stands right in front of the room where they store Eros’s arrows, both gold and lead. “This fight is pointless. You won’t win.”
Blood distorts Hades’s vision as it drips over her eye. “No result of this fight ends in me winning.”
Zeus rolls his eyes. “You’re always so dramatic. You really think this fling with the flower goddess will last?” Zeus knows they’re fated, but he’s too happy to push his sister’s buttons.
Hades stares at him. “Is this not your kingdom that’s being ruined by her absence?”
Zeus shrugs. “Humanity can survive the absence of flowers for a few centuries.”
Hades laughs. “If you really think all she brings the earth is flowers, you’re truly out of touch with the world you rule over.”
&nbs
p; Zeus holds her gaze unblinkingly. “And what if this is all part of my plan?”
Hades holds back a loud laugh. “Everything is ‘part of your plan’ when you need an excuse for some terrible mistake you’ve made.”
“You’re right, I have made mistakes. We should’ve kept Autumn instead.”
Blue flames burst around the room and glow brightly in Hades’s eyes as smoke spreads behind her. “Can you really joke about such a tragedy? The Fates accepted her to Elysium. You can’t tell me it was nothing.”
Zeus’s expression doesn’t change. “It was nothing.”
The room erupts in smoke and lightning.
✽✽✽
The sky flashes and turns dark.
Demeter blinks up at it. “We should get inside.”
Persephone looks closer at the clouds. Her breath catches. “Would you guys say that’s a grey cloud, or blue smoke?”
Hebe looks at it. “Oh, you’re right. It is blue.”
Persephone feels her heart skip a beat. She stands, but she can’t travel to Olympus. All she can do is stare at the sky and hope.
She yells, though it’s pointless, “Hades!”
✽✽✽
Hades lies motionless on the floor, red flames licking at her shirt and burning her slowly.
Zeus pants, red staining his white outfit from the cuts and bruises inflicted on him.
He doesn’t notice Hades’s hand slip between the bars and reach for a ray of sunlight inside the room of arrows.
Helios is in and out before Zeus even sees him.
✽✽✽
Eros looks at the lead arrow in Helios’s hands in horror.
Eros shakes his head. “What were you thinking?!”
Helios watches Eros warily. “I was thinking I’ve seen a lot happen in this world and Hades can fight through this if we give her the chance.”
Eros keeps shaking his head, refusing to take the arrow Helios holds out to him. “You didn’t see the way her eyes changed last time. There’s no coming back from that.” Eros whines. “Sol, you saw how happy she is now. You can’t expect me to tear that out of her. It’ll destroy her. It’ll destroy me to use my power like that.”
Helios shakes his head. “You were the one that said she’d be desperate for this.”
Eros laughs. “Yeah, but I thought the arrows were safely guarded. I didn’t think you’d help her.”
Helios shrugs, “I don’t believe it’ll strip her of her emotions this time.”
Eros looks at him, hopeful but cautious. “Based on what?”
Helios shrugs. “Faith.”
Eros sighs. “That’s not enou—”
“They’re fated, aren’t they? You really think an arrow can change that?”
Eros holds his head in his hands. “I don’t know! It could!”
Helios holds out the arrow again. “It can’t.”
Eros steps back from it. His voice is weak. “It could.”
Helios smiles hesitantly. “How many times have you tried to change Hades’s fate with arrows?” Eros is quiet. “How many times has it worked?”
Eros stares at the arrow in Helios’s hand.
Smoke bursts next to them and Hades yells out, broken and bloody.
Eros runs to her, but Hades’s eyes search for Helios. “Th—Thank you.” Tears fall from her eyes uncontrollably. “Thank you so much.”
Worry fills Eros’s mind. “What did you do?!”
Smoke spirals around Hades, healing her wounds but leaving her weak and tired.
Hades reaches her hand up and Eros helps her stand. Hades instantly understands the tension and the argument Eros and Helios just had. She leans on Eros, unable to stand on her own. She looks at Eros with hope in her eyes. “You’ll do it?”
Eros holds Hades’s hand tightly. “Promise me you’ll come back in a month so I can check on you.”
It’s a promise they all know she can’t trust herself to keep.
Eros whines again. “This is a terrible idea. Is Persephone even okay with this?!”
Hades stares in the distance where she knows Persephone must be sitting with Demeter and Hebe. “She will be.”
Eros shakes his head. “I’m not doing this without Persephone’s permission.”
Hades levels a hard glare at Eros. “We’re running out of time.”
Eros holds Hades’s face in his hand. “You’re sure this is what’s best for both of you?”
Hades smiles weakly. “You know I’m used to being alone.”
Eros feels his eyes well up. “I don’t want to do this, Hades.”
Hades laughs bitterly. “Me neither, Cue.”
Eros understands then. This is an act of love. Eros nods, glancing at the sun. “Persephone’s going to hate me.”
Hades shakes her head. “Nah, don’t underestimate my flower girl. She’s capable of so much more than any of us know.”
Eros tilts his head at that, but Hades glances at Helios who moves to support her so Eros can get ready.
Hades and Helios avoid skin to skin contact.
Eros hesitantly takes the arrow from Helios.
He steps a few paces back, bow in one hand and arrow in another.
He watches Hades.
Hades’s resolve is weak. Eros can practically hear Hades about to change her mind, but he knows what Hades is asking of him. She’s trying to save Persephone.
Eros doesn’t know what the right answer is, but if this is what Hades wants, he has to trust her. He’s acted without Hades’s permission so many times. He at least owes her this.
He notches the arrow.
“Hades!”
Hades’s face goes white as she spots Persephone in the distance.
Hades hyperventilates. “Cue, do it.”
Eros hesitates.
Hades panics as Persephone runs towards them. “Cue!”
Persephone’s yelling. “Hades, don’t you dare!”
Eros draws the arrow, tightening the string.
Persephone calls out again. “Don’t fucking do this! If you love me, don’t do this!”
Hades keeps her attention on Eros, begging Eros not to cave to her words. Hades yells out. “I’m doing this because I love you.”
Persephone’s nearly there. “Bullshit!”
Hades laughs as tears fall from her eyes.
She looks Eros in the eye and nods.
Eros releases the arrow.
Persephone yells as the arrow strikes Hades in the chest.
Hades’s knees go weak and Helios lowers her to the ground.
Persephone finally gets there, panting and crying as she grabs Hades’s hand.
“You fucking moron. You said you’d wait.”
Hades shrugs. “I didn’t really say anything.”
Persephone frowns. “Now’s not the time to be cute.”
Hades laughs. “Now’s all the time I have.”
Persephone runs her hands through Hades’s hair.
They can’t tell where the fear or love comes from because it flows so strongly between both of them.
Persephone focuses on it. “It’s not gone. It’s still here. You’re not gone.”
As soon as she says it, Persephone starts to feel it slip away.
She shakes her head, tears blurring her vision. “No. Hades, no.” Her voice breaks.
Hades swallows, holding onto this as long as she can. “If—If I…” She can’t finish her sentence. “Try to stop me. If—You’re the only one.”
Persephone can feel the soul she’s grown so used to loving fade more every second. “I’ll fix this.”
Hades breathes heavily as the emotions fade from her. “Persephone.”
Persephone presses their lips together, unsure what else she can do to stop this or at least slow it down.
Hades kisses her back fervently and then the pace slows.
Persephone knows she’s still in contact with Hades, but she doesn’t feel the connection.
Persephone pulls back and looks do
wn at Hades only to see a blank, curious expression.
Her heart shatters as Hades’s hand traces her face.
Persephone lets her because what else can she do?
Hades says her name again, but it’s empty. “Persephone.”
Persephone presses her lips together. “Hades, take me with you. Let me help you.”
Hades’s brow furrows. “What could you help me with? All you’ve done this past month is distract me. You know how behind I am on work, don’t you?”
Persephone stares at the sun as it sets.
She looks back down and memorizes Hades’s face. It’s all that’s left of the person she loves right now.
Hades notices Persephone’s hand in hers and takes a moment to study Persephone’s soul. “Hm, I never…” She trails off and Persephone’s not sure what she’s talking about until she feels it.
Hades nudges her soul, just barely, and it leaves Persephone reeling. She struggles to hold onto consciousness.
Hades smiles at her emptily. “You’re welcome.”
The sun sets and Hades vanishes.
Persephone gives into the overwhelming sensation and falls limply onto her side.
Lilacs
Demeter and Hebe finally catch up to Persephone to see her passed out, a circle of dead grass and scorch marks around her.
Demeter looks at Eros wordlessly.
Eros doesn’t try to apologize any more than he already has. He knows Demeter only wants to hear the facts. “The scorch marks are from Hades leaving. The grass didn’t die until after.”
Demeter and Hebe look at each other, hoping for some sort of recognition from either of them. “What are you talking about? Why would the grass have died after?”
Eros shrugs.
✽✽✽
Persephone wakes up slowly. She’s in her bed. It’s not as comfortable as she remembers it being and she’s about to yell at Hades to fix it when she remembers.
Her eyes fly open and her mind reels as she takes in her surroundings and the sunlight pouring through the window. She remembers the first day she woke up in the Underworld. She remembers how empty it was to not be connected to her flowers. It’s nothing compared to how she feels being in a world without Hades. As the realization hits her it’s as though her heart has turned to ash.