CHAPTER EIGHT

THE WICKED SEEDS // THE LUSCIOUS FRUIT

She was born to be Queen.

The thought crossed her mind fleetingly as she indulged in the one thing she had not allowed herself to do before. Vanity. Persephone stared at herself in the body length mirror, pleased with what she saw. She always knew she was beautiful, she never pretended not to be aware of it or to act humbly. She resented her beauty, yes, but only because it served as the perfect wrapper for the box she was trapped in. Because there was nothing she could do other than sit with her back straight, hands folded on her lap and smile. Smile and look pretty with pretty flowers woven into her pretty hair. Look pretty as men feasted their eyes upon her body, lust pooling in the deepest pits of their souls. And she was forced to stare at the monsters that peeked their heads to greet her.

Now the only man who would ever delight his eyes with her figure would be her darling husband.

"Hades, what do you think of this one?" She turned around and stared at him expectantly. The dark fabric of her satin peplos complimented the pallor of her skin, it hugged her body like a glove. It made her look regal. The immortal glow of her eternal youth like a bright gem. Hades advanced forward and stood beside her. Together, they looked imposing, splendid. The diamonds and rubies in their crowns caught the light, glistering brightly.

"Queenly." He stated, meeting her eyes through their reflection. Persephone smiled and placed a soft kiss on his shoulder.

She moved around the room, the garland of asphodels atop of her head bouncing with her every step. She made sure to wear it everyday around her crown, a symbol of her status, of her power, of her love for her husband and his kingdom. Persephone bent over the chest at the foot of their bed and picked the golden silk shawl. It glinted with specks of gold, the shimmer of stardust reflecting in her silvery eyes. They shone green, every now and then. Especially when she worked her way through her gardens. She didn't quite recognise herself, yet at the same, she felt as if she had finally broken free and transformed into who she was always meant to be.

Together they left the room, engaged in meaningless banter. She laughed at his mocking remarks on the voyeuristic ways of the gods of Olympus, the many problems that could be spared if only Zeus, his younger sibling, kept his loyalty to Hera and every other bit of mundane information he had gathered over the centuries that he found amusing. She must look so silly, she thought. Just as the thought made its way through her head, she was quick to discover she did not mind at all.

They didn't judge the souls themselves, not anymore. Long ago, before she was even born, Hades had conceived a much more effective way of running the Underworld. He passed down the responsibility of judging shades to three individuals he deemed most fit and deserving. There were Aeacus, the guardian of the Keys of the Underworld and the judge of the men of Europe, then Rhadamanthys who was Lord of Elysium and judge of the men of Asia. The brother of the latter, King Minos, who upon his death was offered by Hades himself the honourable job, was the one who had the final say on the final destination of the souls. It was pure genius, Persephone thought. As comprehensive as her Lord husband was, he was not mortal. He did not see things through their eyes. And he wanted to be fair. He made them judge each other. Admittedly, the burden of running every little aspect by himself had grown tiresome, but it did not matter.

Instead, they attended other matters together. They dealt with trespassers, they watched over the judged shades, they made sure the perfect machinery of the Underworld was always fined-tuned and in optimum performance. The colder nights were those Hades has to leave her side to keep the Titans, jailed deep within the entrails of Tartarus, in check.

The court of the Underworld was much different from that of the Mortal realm. The frolicking flower nymphs were nowhere to be seen, in their place instead were the river nymphs, quiet, effective little things. They moved around the palace without emitting a single noise, they bowed at her feet whenever she passed by them. They bathed her with the waters of the Styx itself then massaged her body with aromatic oils. They braided daffodils into her jet, black hair and adorned her wrists and ankles with jingling bracelets.

Sometimes she could hear the muffled sound of laughter ricocheting down the halls. It only made her smile.

"My Lord," They bowed as they stepped into the throne room. "My Lady," They placed flowers to her feet as she sat on her throne. "We praise the House of Hades, to whom we serve with honour from among all the immortals." They chanted as they brought the offerings made aboveground to rest at their feet. Their cups were filled with ambrosia and nectar from Olympus as the sound of worship filled the room.

At some point during the day, Persephone felt a prickle on the back of her head. It then intensified as she heard the miserable whimpers of the dead calling to her. A rallying call resounded in her mind. Maiden Spring, Maiden Spring! Hear our cries, hear our pleas! The last few days had been hinting at something she could not understand, but the voices in her head were a message clear enough. Then she felt it.

Among the constant exhaustion she felt due to the lack of sunlight, she could feel the death of the plants she so loved aboveground. She suppressed a shiver. Why now?

She was quick to alert her husband of her ailment, "Hades, I think something terrible is happening." She warned him, and just as the words left her mouth a bewildered-looking nymph entered the room, she appeared out-of-breath like one who has been running.

She spoke frantically,"Great one, we could not stop hi—"

"HADES, KING OF THE DEAD." A voice thundered, causing the agitated nymph to shrivel in panic, the rest of her sentence cut in her throat.

A tall figure materialised on the entrance to the throne room. Persephone straightened her back as recognition settled in. She knew that voice.

She sprang to her feet immediately, startling Hades, who had remained unbothered at the sudden intrusion. "Hermes." The name left her lips in a gasp of disbelief. She has imagined she would have to encounter him again in the future, considering he was the messenger of the gods, and she was now Queen of the Underworld. She never expected it to be so soon after her departure. Persephone was no fool. She knew his visit was not with consequences. She had felt it before, she somehow knew this was her mother's doing. He was here to take her back. She wanted to scream at him, punch his face with his own golden caduceus until he was nothing but unrecognisable, an abomination.

She couldn't lose her poise, she reminded herself.

"Hermes." This time it was Hades' commanding voice. It reminded Persephone of the day they met and how he had demanded her name. He always remained calmed and collected. She realised then she was still standing and that she was surely embarrassing her husband and herself. She sat down on her throne and bit her lip, admonishing herself for being so childish. "You have managed to upset my Queen with your presence, what dreadful news have you come to bring us?" He demanded from the messenger, who now stood before them.

"I see you had the audacity to make her Queen, Unseen One. Zeus orders that I have splendid Persephone brought back up to the light, back to him and his company, so that her mother may see her with her own eyes and let go of her wrath against the immortals." The one with the Golden Wand, Hermes, delivered. He stood before Hades throne with narrowed eyes, casting side glances to his duly acquired bedmate. Dark-haired Persephone sat regally on a throne equally magnificent as Hades'. "She wants her daughter back, she said she would never go to Olympus and that she would never send up the harvest of the earth until she was returned."

Persephone stiffened as she heard the words that spilt from Hermes' mouth.

She cast her husband a glance and was bemused by the smile on his lips. What was he scheming inside that wicked head of his? Surely, he would not allow his wife and Queen to leave?

She was surprised when he turned to her and ordered: "Go, Persephone, to your mother. Be kind to her. Do not be upset, excessively so. There is not much the god of the dead can offer the goddess of spring, but I promise not to be an unseemly husband to you among all the immortals. While you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods. Those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore." The words were spoken softly, with that commanding quality that characterised his speech. Of course, he wouldn't (couldn't) disobey Zeus the Father, King of the gods. Her heart plummeted and a sadness she hadn't felt in quite a long time crept up her chest and settled there.

She wanted to stay here, with him. But she would not disobey her husband. He had promised she would rule all of the Underworld, and she couldn't do that if she was to be away. Surely, she rationalised, he must have an idea. However, as Persephone stared into her husband's dark, starless midnight eyes, and saw the hint of sadness swirling inside them, she realised he did not.

At that moment, she resolved, it was up to her to do something.

She had refused to allow any other force rather than herself to dictate her destiny the moment she pressed her lips against Hades'. She had challenged her mother. She wouldn't stop now.

Persephone thought for a moment on how to proceed, for she had to do so carefully. If Hades knew what terrible plan was building inside her head, he would forbid it immediately and would be quick to put her on a chariot headed to Olympus.

She smiled reassuringly to both Hermes and her husband.

"Of course." She stood up from her seat and held her hand out to Hades who took it promptly. "If you will allow it, Hermes, I'd like to say goodbye to my husband privately." She smiled at the god, the same sickly sweet smile she had put for Ares that night, the one she had put for Hermes himself the night he came by to seek for her hand in marriage. The poisonous smile filled with thorns that pricked to the touch.

"It is to be expected, Lady of the Underground. I allow it." He grinned at her, blinded foolishly by her charming appearance.

He allowed it? Persephone laughed bitterly inside her head. No one gave the Queen permission to act, she would make sure he was quick to learn that soon.

"You're generous, One with the Golden Wand, I thank you." She then tightened her hold on Hades' hand and turned to face him, a delicate, genuine smile across her face. "Let's go, my dear."

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Persephone gave Hades a saddened look as she held the reddish fruit between her dainty fingers. She stared at his sleeping figure, his naked body lying peacefully on their bed.

What was she even doing? Was she willing to tie herself completely to the land of the dead, with no possibility to escape, ever? She looked at Hades again and the unrhythmic beating of her heart as her eyes settled on his resting face answered her question. She thought of her mother and the cage that was surely waiting for her back in the Mortal Realm. If she had to chose which cage she would be spending the rest of her eternity in, she chose the Underworld willingly. Here, she was to belittled by no one. Here, she owned the freedom she had lacked before. She felt complete down here as she had never felt before while walking among the living.

Determined, she pulled the silver knife from her robe and cut the fruit in half. The red juices of the pomegranate were sleek as they ventured down her arm, sticking to her skin. The sweet smell hit her nostrils as she stared at the tiny, red jewels. It was the law of the Fates, anyone, mortals and immortals alike, who consumed the food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. She knew this because of the very god sleeping quietly on the bed. He had made sure that the food and drink that was placed upon her tongue during her stay had been brought from Above. But he was not fit to stop her from doing so now.

Persephone thought of the years of humiliation she had suffered under the care of her mother as she placed the first bittersweet seed on her mouth. As the second one made its way to her tongue, her mind was filled with the images of the multiple gods she had paraded for. With the third one came the memories of the monsters luring inside Ares' eyes.

The fourth seed tasted sweeter than the rest, the sticky juice dribbled down her chin, staining her skin red, just like the ichor her mother had spilt had stained her skin gold before. When she ate the fifth one, she glanced at Hades once again and the love that brimmed her heart for both him and his kingdom. She could feel tears blurring her vision and against her will, a small sob escaped her lips. Persephone covered her mouth immediately, realising she was crying out loud.

She grabbed the sixth seed quickly and just as she gripped it tightly between her fingers, the fruit was knocked off her hand. She gasped and shot her head up, her teary eyes met Hades'. He was frowning, but soon a look of realisation settled on his features. He looked like he was about to cry as well.

It was then that Hades, mighty King of the Dead, fell to his knees for the second time before Persephone. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she hid her face on the crevice of her neck, the salt of her tears mixing with the honey-sweet taste of the sixth pomegranate she popped inside her mouth. That one, she had eaten for herself. It was done now, she smiled against him. No one, not even Zeus, for he had no authority over the Fates or their rules, could take him from her.

"What have you done?" His words echoed those he had uttered the first time she had daringly pressed her lips against his. Persephone's body shook as she cried silently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss on it.

"I'm sorry, but I had to do it." She whispered, "They can't force us apart now." The declaration brought forth another thought. "I am Queen, am I not? They will not bend my knee to their will."

"You have done a terrible thing, what for?" He questioned her, pulling away and holding her face on his hands. She smiled a broken smile at him. He had now seen her at her worst. They were weak together. Now it was time to be strong together.

"I did it for you, but most importantly, dear husband, I did it for myself. Now wipe that look off your face, Hermes awaits us. He can't see us like this."

He complied her demand and pressed a feverish kiss against her lips, the taste of her tears and the taste of the pomegranate juice lingering in it.

"You're wickedly clever, my love." He whispered against her mouth, his lips brushing against her own.

Then, King and Queen together wiped their tears away and with their regal stance regained they walked hand in hand back to where Hermes had been patiently waiting.