❝ Loving you is in my nature, like how the leaves fall and petals know just when to open ❞

[bident]

{ it’s something unspoken and unknowable }
💮 hades 💮 persephone 💮

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[bident]

(( Hades, cold and stern, so unmoved by those things that stirred hearts and enflamed passions, never expected his world to shift at the sight of a mere flower. A simple pink petunia sitting among a field of greens and lesser wildflowers. Never before has the Lord of the Underworld felt the stirrings of his deep loneliness, the desire for a companion to be at his side in the depths of his dark world, the need for one delicate flower among the cold stone of his eternal realm.

Time itself seems to freeze, so lost in the spell this one cast Hades finds himself. For the first time, he felt his heart beating. It beat for this flower, so loud it could have been a drum sounding a warning. Perhaps it's exactly that, if only this precious flower had the ears to hear it. Time goes soft around him, watching Persephone with the eyes of the wolf and blood burning like the fires of Phlegethon.

I must possess this flower.

And thus it was that Hades simply snatched Persephone from the Earthly garden to abscond with him to the world beneath. The realm of the dead bore little resemblance to the terrestrial world above. No, it was cold and hard, not like the soft Earth from which Hades snatched Persephone. Oh, there are places like that here, the Elysian Fields, specifically, were well-suited to the most beautiful flower the Underworld would ever behold. Alas, that is not where Hades makes his domicile.

As if the Lord of the Underworld's guest were an expected one, a small table overflowing with fruits and wine awaited. When Hades allows Persephone's feet to touch the stone beneath their feet, he sweeps an arm in invitation for his victim guest to sit. ))

Please. My home is yours.

[cyclically]

( it seems like any other day as persephone and his mother descend to earth below to tend to their beautiful crops — but persie, still a bit silly and childish and full of fanciful thoughts, is left to play with his friends as demeter works dutifully. his skilled fingers weave beautiful braids in the hair of a naiad in his favorite spring as they gossip and giggle about the woes of mortal world, about handsome river naiads, about wishes and hopes and goals of the future —

something which persephone lacks, really. demeter loves him with her entire being, so she shelters him, keeps her son held closely, never lets him wander too far away where she can't feel his warm presence. he doesn't know better because he knows nothing else.

that changes today.

persie sits in a field of flowers, head full of daydreams, carefully plucking flowers that he intends to weave into a pretty crown for his naiad friend, only the loveliest, most vibrant petals to adorn her head —

and then all he can do is gasp as hades takes him, pulls them deep into the depths of the underworld, pupils dilated as they adjust to the light (or lack thereof). his feet touch the hard ground and he can only gape at the god beside him, entire body trembling even as he desperately wills it not to. it's unclear if he's scared or cold, or maybe —

he's just angry. persephone's gaze flickers to the spread presented to him on the table before he looks back at hades with a fierceness that even he did not know he possessed. )

This is not my home.

[bident]

(( Oh! Such fierceness in the eyes of this seemingly soft creature! Hades is filled with certain that Persephone would walk himself right out of the Underworld — if only it were possible to find the way without a guide. And who among his many, many subjects would act as one without their Lord's consent? ))

It is now.

(( THe words are matter-of-fact, his tone bordering on cold. Even his face is impassive, save for a deep burning in his eyes; eyes that refuse to leave Persephone for even a heartbeat's space of time. ))

Regardless, you must eat.

[cyclically]

( hades stares at him in a way that makes persephone want to shrink into himself, suddenly grateful for the darkness of the underworld that hides the flush of pink nearly as bright as his hair that washes over his cheeks, tinges the tips of his ears as he accidentally meets the god's gaze. he's determined not to back down, though, small hands curling into fists at his sides.

if only he knew how to fight, to protect himself, instead of surrounding himself with pretty things that all seem far too frivolous right now. but what would persie do against the very god of death himself?

at the mention of eating, persephone frowns, brow furrowed as he approaches the table. a pomegranate makes its way into his palm, and he studies it intently for a moment before declaring: ) This could be poisoned, or — or another one of your tricks. ( and if he petulantly drops it to the floor, lets it roll, so be it. ) There isn't anything here that I must do except return home.

[bident]

(( His lips press tighter and he cocks his head to the side. Glancing from the little god to the ignored table then back again, Hades lifts his brows, curious. Persephone isn't really in any position to order Hades around. One arm lifts with preternatural grace, gesturing vaguely in whatever random direction he happens to be facing. ))

You are more than welcome to try.

[cyclically]

( persie's gaze follows the path that hades' hand takes, and briefly considers just — running. would hades follow him? probably not. but there are fearsome creatures that reside in the underworld, or so he's heard. the tales of the god's dog alone are enough to make persephone shudder in his place, thinking about three jaws full of teeth clamping down hard on his body, tearing him to pieces — )

What do you want from me?

( suddenly, his voice sounds a lot smaller, and he hates it. the question is genuine, though, exasperated because he can't fathom why such a powerful god would ... keep him like this. he's naïve, but he's heard stories of gods who simply — take what they want and move on, leave the other to suffer the consequences.

why had hades brought him here? )

[bident]

(( Indeed, there are many fierce and fearsome creatures that reside in the Underworld. And all at Hades' command. Which means that none would harm Persephone, nor would they help him in any effort to escape. Hades can see that Persie realizes that, too. He sees the way the knowledge comes to him in the subtle shift in his eyes.

Dropping his hand to his side, Hades cants his head. What a silly question! Why else would he bring someone here? ))

Companionship.