Persephone Chapter 3

Hades is a very misunderstood figure in mythology. I’m so excited to include his POV in my retelling of this story!

I know some of the liberties I’m taking with the story will ruffle some feathers, but I’m incorporating different elements of mythology to fit this version of the story, while changing as little as possible. I hope you’ll enjoy reimagining this world as much as I do.

Read the first chapter of Persephone here. 

Chapter 3
​Hades

You know that feeling when you just wake up, and you know you have to get out of bed and get things done, but you really don’t want to? Well, I have to. I always have to. Because there is no one else. Nope. No one but good ole Hades to get the job done. Build an entire world for the souls of literally everyone who has and will live on this planet? Meh. Hades will do it. He’s not busy, right? Need a prison to keep your immortal relatives and anyone else who happens to rub you the wrong way? That’s right! Hades. How about a jailer to make sure those rascally titans, monsters, and rogue gods don’t go wreaking havoc again? I might know a guy…

Hermes may have ended up being the messenger of the gods, but I certainly got pinned as their errand boy. Seriously though, who else was going to do it? Can you picture Zeus or Poseidon with this job? The three of us are the only gods remotely powerful enough, but those two were so busy squabbling over who would get the biggest and best kingdom, they didn’t even consider the responsibilities involved.

Can you imagine Zeus as Lord of the Dead? He’d be too busy chasing girls on earth to ever think about what goes on down here (much as he does now). The entire race of men would end up without an eternal resting place (the very reason to live your life as a good or bad person) as soon as my little brother got distracted by pretty face. Aren’t the elder siblings supposed to get first dibs anyhow?

And then Poseidon… Yeah. That would be real pretty. Have you even seen how he rules his realm? Sure, the seas are beautiful and mysterious, but they’re also destructive, unyielding, and dangerous. Do you even know how many people we get from shipwrecks and shark chow down here? I mean, even the water itself, one of the greatest commodities on the earth, isn’t drinkable. What kind of sense does that make? I mean, there’s a reason Athens made such a big deal of Poseidon, Athena, and that whole fountain thing.

It was a big deal. The city of Athens (before it was named that) promised to name a god its patron based on who gave the best gift. I’m sure you can guess who won that one. (Not historically the smartest move, by the way, making a contest between gods like that. Even if you do get something great out of the deal, the loser is gonna get mad, and you will have a freaking god as an enemy!) So, Athena and Poseidon tried to show each other up. Poseidon smote the earth with his trident, and up comes a spring of water.

Don’t even get me started on that trident. I had the two-pronged fork scepter thing first. He just had to go trying to one-up me… But hey. I guess if you don’t have the looks, you have to compensate somehow.

One problem with that spring he made for Athens. Just like the rest of the water in his realm, it was—you guessed it—salt water. Not exactly a human’s beverage of choice.

Athena, probably seeing the disappointment on the Athenians’ faces, gets the hint and decides on the olive tree—something they can actually use.
Problem is, while olives have been great for Athens, ever since then, they’ve had trouble with water shortages. Hmm… Wonder why. You want to know how many people that curse has killed? Let’s just say it’s a lot. (I would know.) And does Poseidon care? Nope. His pride was hurt, so they’re gonna pay for eternity.

Is that really the kind of god you want running things down here? I didn’t think so. That leaves you with me: Hades, Lord of the Dead, Pluton (which means “the rich one”. You know, because I get everything that’s underground: dirt, worms, tree roots, whatever your dog buries, rocks, minerals, dead bodies, and a bunch of other things. Okay, so some of those last ones are worth something, I guess, if you’re into the whole rare metals and precious gems thing).

By the way, you know I was the original “He Who Must Not Be Named”, right? Humans would go to any length to avoid the underworld, the afterlife, and even me. Apparently, I’m a scary guy with the whole taking care of the dead and making sure there’s justice and such. They even started calling the Underworld by my name. Like it’s a curse or something. “Oooo! You’re evil. You are soooo going to Hades when you die.”

So, I’m sure you can imagine how frustrated I was when my little brother summoned me to Olympus. Like he’s too good to come to my house—I have to go all the way to his. Like my home is beneath him. Beneath him? Ha! You see what I did there?… Okay, you’re right, that one was too easy.
I stomped all the way up to Olympus (well, metaphorically, stomped that is, since I actually drove). It was awful having to leave my nice cozy little place and trapse all the way up there. Worst of all, I’d probably have to socialize. At least it wasn’t a party.

I really hoped it wasn’t a party.

“Alright, alright. I’m here. What do you want,” I sighed, but thankful it was just Zeus in the throne room of Olympus.

I could tell Lil Bro was in rare form. He was already kneading lightning between his hands. He usually doesn’t do that unless he’s either really bored or ready to zap someone. The intensity of his eyes ruled out the bored theory. Maybe I should rein in the sarcasm. Lightning wouldn’t kill me, but it stung quite a bit.

He sat there in a huff.

“Brother,” I said with a slight dip of my head.

Nothing.

“Zeus, I have answered your summons.”

A streak of lightning zipped past my ear.

“Woah, easy now.” I sidestepped. “What did I do?”

His tumultuous glare pinned me in place.

“That woman,” he exclaimed.

I exhaled slowly. Oh, good. This wasn’t about me.

“She’ll be the death of me,” he continued.

“If wishes were fishes,” I murmured inaudibly.

“Who?” I asked aloud.

“Demeter, of course,” he said.

He hauled his gargantuanly muscled body up and paced. Seriously. He looked like a mountain decided to take a stroll. The marble floor shook with each step.

As gods, we could appear in any form we desired. It seemed like the less brains you had, the more brawn you put on. Some of us had to compensate more than others.

“What has our sister done this time,” I asked and picked at my fingernails.
“What has she done? What has she done,” he said, as if repeating it would suddenly make me a mind reader.

“She defies me, yet again,” he shouted. His pacing became more thunderous. The air crackled with electricity. “She’s my daughter and will do as I wish.”

The wheels started turning, and a few things clicked into place. Despite being in almost an entirely different world, sometimes a bit of gossip did reach my ears if it was big enough.

“Ah,” I said astutely.

“A father has the right to arrange his daughter’s marriage. It’s the law, yet that harpy has chased off every god who has made his suit.”

“Maybe their suits weren’t well tailored enough,” I replied, and lazily brushed a piece of lint off my embroidered black toga. “A good suit makes all the difference.”

He stopped dead and looked at me.

“It’s not the proposals.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s the suitors. They’re all too scared of her.”

“Geez,” I said. “What’d the kid do to them, anyhow?”

He sighed, ever patiently. Through gritted teeth he said, “You know I’m talking about Demeter scaring them away, not my daughter.”

He paced again.

I raised my hands, placating. “You never know. I’m kind of out of the loop most of the time.”

“Well, I’m putting you in the loop,” he said with a smile I really didn’t like.

Oh boy, this is going to be interesting. I sat in my mostly unused, overly polished ebony throne—to his left, because obviously.

“What exactly does being in the loop entail,” I asked with narrowed eyes as he sat again.

“None of the other gods are powerful enough to stand up to Demeter. They turn tail and run like wounded puppies. Only the three of us,” he motioned to Poseidon’s notably empty throne and continued, “Are strong enough.”

“Let me guess, Old Salty already turned you down cold,” I asked, chuckling as I tried to picture that conversation. Two baboons flinging poo at each other would have seemed more intellectual. “Sad I missed that.”

“Our brother will be,” he paused frowning, “Otherwise occupied.”

“Yeah, I hear getting seaweed out of a beard is absolute murder. Understandable that it’d take a while.”

My smirk turned down. “But what exactly do you want me to do? Sure, I can hold Demeter back while a new hubby swoops in and scoops the girl up. But as soon as I’m gone, what will keep Demeter from simply dragging her back home?”

Zeus sat back.

This wasn’t a good sign.

The lightning disappeared as his hands eased behind his head.

Really bad. The warning started to sound in my head.

He smiled contentedly.

Get out. Get out now!

But I was slow and obviously stupid.

“Not if you are the husband,” he gloated.

I gaped ever so intelligently.

“You’re powerful enough to withstand her,” he continued.

I might have let out a pitiful groan.

“And once you were in the underworld, Demeter could never follow.” He finished triumphantly.

Though numb, I shot to my feet.

“Woah. Hang on now,” I almost yelled, but didn’t feel like getting fried, so I toned it down a bit. “I never volunteered for this.”

“Are you saying my daughter isn’t good enough for you,” he growled.

“Good enough?” I grasped for something to save me. “What if I’m not good enough for her? I tried the whole relationship thing, remember? Didn’t work out.”

His eyes still gleamed angrily.

“I’m not just going to charge in and kidnap a goddess,” I stammered. Time to lay it on thick. “Especially the daughter of the mighty Zeus. What sort of precedent does that set? Demeter would have every right to come after me.”

He still glared.

“And what would your daughter think? Umm…” Shoot. What’s her name? “Persephone! Doesn’t she deserve a say in all this?”

Now, I was the one pacing.

“Her mother never let her have enough leash for her to know what she wants,” he said flatly. “I have to decide for her.”

“But what if she doesn’t want this?” I asked in a small voice.

What if I don’t want this.

“It has to be done,” he said with a finality that made me feel like I was being buried alive. “The gods have already begun fighting over her. Though none have been successful in… securing her affections. Another war is not something we want.”

Boy, that part was true. War with the Titans. There had never been anything so horrific as gods fighting gods. Though, most gods were well past it now, I was still dealing with the fallout since they were all locked up in my dungeon. I was not eager for that to start again, and I only had so much room.

“But surely there has to be something else,” I started.

“No,” he said it as a command. “I have decided. You shall wed Persephone Kore. I leave the means of doing so up to you, but as king of the gods, and her father, it is my will.”

Lightning sizzled from his skin. His fingers twitched slightly, ready to summon a bolt if I dared defy him.
​
With clenched teeth, I bowed in deference, then took my leave (while there was still anything left of me to take).

Read the next chapter of Persephone here!