Don't Mess with Gods

Persephone wrapped her robes tighter around her as she walked around on the Earth. She had had the last straw with her mother and the other Olympians. Especially the ones who continued to harass her about sleeping with them. Apollo and the others were all that! And they thought just because she was younger than them, that she should madly fall in love and want to sleep with any of them. She let out a scoff before mushing the flowers that grew around her. What she needed was somewhere for her to go where the others wouldn't find her, and after a small debate she decided that was was obviously the underworld. Her mother and the others had never allowed her down there. So they wouldn't expect her to go there. And it wasn't like she could go hang out with Poseidon. He would either expect something in return or just send her back. And Persephone was strong, but not strong enough to fight the God of the sea while in his own domain.

Though as for Hades, Persephone did not know much about him. He rarely came to Olympus but that was probably due to the fact that the others had disdain for him. Though she hoped that he wouldn't be like the others...But even if he was it would be a nice place to hide for a while. So with that, Persephone headed down into the enter of the underworld. With every step she continued down, the flowers that normally grew around her feet started to shrink in size. And as she walked away from them they quickly died. It was strange for her to see such a thing, but she supposed that nothing was meant to live her. But still her own power was enough to keep the grass and the flowers around herself and on her body alive. Anyways, she continued down to where Hades lived. There was no need to announce herself since Hades would have been informed the moment she stepped in.

---

Ares shifted the clothes on his body, trying to figure out how to best wear the constricting material. This was nothing like the material that the God's wore. His own outfit was quite comfortable even though he was often wearing armor. And the materials they used were beyond soft and they fitted his body perfectly. Though it wouldn't do today. When disguising as a human, he couldn't wear his own things because they gave off a glow. His skin also normally did the same, but all Gods were able to transform into humans as they wished.

Once having decided that his clothes were fine, Ares walked into the town. It was almost always best to go through the mortal towns as a mortal. When they came down as Gods, the humans always hovered around and were never quite truthful...Though now none of them were to publicly announce themselves due to the ridiculously amount of affairs Zeus had have by doing that exact thing. But it didn't matter because that method would not work for him anyways. Today was about finding the truth and the feelings behind the war that was to come. He could feel a war brewing in the air, and many have been praying for his war strategy more often than usual.

As he looked around the town, Ares stopped as he noticed a girl sitting besides one of the fountains. A small smile came to his lips as he looked at her. Ares had been coming down for a week or so now, and almost every day, he saw her. There was something about the girl that intrigued him. However, he had not spoken to her yet. It would not be received well if he were to just walk up to her without someone to introduce him. But that was quickly going to change tonight. There was a banquet for the town's important families tonight and he received an invitation since he had convinced them all that he was the cousin of the emperor. It was quite easy to do when you were able to steal someone's face...and hide them in the woods for a week or two.

Hades had been alerted when she entered the Underworld, and was pacing through his palace. Why would she be coming to him? Had his older brothers sent her as a messenger for another one out their outrageous requests? He huffed in frustration as he settled down on his throne, running a hand through his dark hair to calm his nerves. Being king of the Underworld was easy, but talking and interacting with the other gods, especially the goddesses? That was difficult. All of the others disliked him because he tended to accidentally ruin the parties that he did attend, and was often on the losing side of arguments with his older brothers.

As she neared the palace he stood, walking to the gates to great her. He bowed respectful, knowing that she was powerful, even if the gloominess of the Underworld weakened her. "Perseophone.. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked as he looked at her, his gaze icy cold, although not unfriendly.

---

Bernadette sat at one of the fountains in the town square, waiting for her mother and sisters to return from their shopping. She was the youngest of her three sisters, her mother a member of one of the town's prominent families, while her father had been a general in the war a few decades earlier. She listened to the chatter of the townspeople, most of them discussing the tensions growing between the two large providences, one of which the town belonged to. If there was to be a war, then many of the men in the town would be called up to fight.

She sighed as she stood, tired of waiting for her family to finish their shopping, her mother and sisters purchasing last minute things for the banquet tonight, which they were obligated to go to. Bernadette moved from the fountain and through the crowd, humming to herself as she looked for her family. When she spotted them she changed directions, and accidentally bumped into the god in disguise, although she was unaware of who he really was. She bowed her head apologetically as she stepped back. "Pardon me, sir, I was not paying attention."

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

@ Another.Chance

Persphone curtseyed to Hades as he bowed to her. This was often only done during formal meetings, which it seemed that Hades thought this was. Though also they did not know each other that well. The others normally kept him away from her and vice versa. She had heard of their reasons but she questioned how true they really were. But it was still best to remain careful. While she believed that Hades would be willing to help her, she would be a fool to think she could defeat one of the three brothers in their own realm. Hades may be weaker than her father, Zeus, but that did not mean he was weak.

Persphone looked past the gates for a moment before her glaze went to Hades. He seemed...cold? It felt like an odd word to describe him but yet someone it fit. Though his world also seemed to fit the world as much of his realm looked to just be filled with death. What an odd place...Though still not strange enough for her to change her mind. "I wish to stay here for a month or so." Persephone told him, deciding to get straight to the point.

---

After a few moments of staring at the girl, Ares started to make his way to the town council. While he was not allowed to vote in this particular town, the cousin of the emperor (who he was pretending to be), was allowed to sit in such meetings. It was an unusual request that he had made but none of the families felt that they had the right to deny him. And it was well that they did not, for if they had, Ares might just have had to cause trouble for them all.

Though as he was on his way, he felt someone run into his human form. Ares looked down at the girl, who ran into him, seeing that it was the girl from before. He smiled at her softly. "No need to apology, miss. The fault was my own. I was so stunned by your beauty that I did not think to move." Ares said before giving her a nod of respect. While she was a woman, from her clothes it was clear that she was from a prominent and wealthy family.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades blinked in surprise when she spoke, frowning a bit as he brought a hand up to run though his hair. "You.. What?" He asked, surprised that she had come to him and not one of the other gods. "Why do you wish to stay here? You belong with your mother." He spoke, frowning slightly as he thought of his older sister. If she found out that he was hiding her daughter, he would be in a lot of trouble.

---

A blush crept up Bernadette's cheeks as he spoke, keeping her head down. She didn't recognize him, but had heard of her father talking about the cousin of the emperor who had come to town recently, and assumed that that was him. She opened her mouth to speak again but her family had seen her and made their way over to them, her mother apologizing to Ares as she bowed her head in respect. "Pardon my daughter, she gets lost from reality from time to time. I apologize for keeping you from your meeting." She took Bernadette by the arm and began to lead her and her sisters away, the young girl glancing back at him over her shoulder before they disappeared in the crowd one more.

@ Another.Chance

Persphone wrinkled her nose when he mentioned her mother. "I do not belong with her. Rather I have been living with her and I no longer see the point in keeping it that way." She started to move around Hades and head through the gates. Like the others Persephone also had a bit of a temper when she did not immediately get what she wanted. Though unlike the others, Persephone was not automatically going to start an actual fight with him. "She and the others have caused a lot of problems and displeased feelings with me. And I do not wish to be where her and the others can easily find me. And if I go to any of the others they'll immediately send me back or they'll expect....something in return. I just want to hide her for a bit. And if you want, you can pretend that I am not even here."

---

Ares grinned a bit as watched the girl be pulled away from him. It was not surprising that it happened. He had seen her mother coming, and if the woman knew who he was that would have been the correct response. Though it did not matter, Ares would be able to be formally introduced to the girl later, and there would be no reason for anyone to mind. Plus at that point, her mother should be pleased if the emperor's cousin had an interest in one of her daughters. With that, he turned and made his way to where the town hall meeting was. There he should learn wether or not the war had a real chance of being followed through with.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades opened his mouth to speak, but she was already through the gates and into the palace. He frowned in frustration as he followed her, used to the other gods pushing him around whenever they came down demanding things from him, and it seemed that her visit was no different. "Persephone, you must understand that you and your mother are essentially life on Earth, while I am death. With you down here, the mortal world will suffer without you presence." He stated as he followed behind her, although the gates to the palace shut as he stepped away, knowing that she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

---

The men of the town had gathered in the town hall, with the representatives of the more prominent families seated at a long table, the rest of the men gathered in a circle around the center of the room, where a statue of one of the gods, Apollo, stood watch. Bernadette's father was one of the men at the head table, listening to the others as they shouted and argued over the situation. They had just gotten word that the two providences would be going to war, and the men were trying to decide how to ready the town in case of an attack, as well as decide whether or not the men should join the fighting.

The debate went on well into the evening, with little being decided, but the meeting was ended once the time of the banquet drew close, the members of prominent families heading to the town governor's large estate where the banquet was being held. The families of the men had already arrived, with the younger children playing in the courtyard while their mothers talked nearby. The rest were milling about the garden, chatting quietly with one another and drinking the wine that had started to be served.

@ Another.Chance

Persephone stopped walking and turned to Hades. A deep frown came over her face. "Do you really think I didn't consider that? I wouldn't have come done here, and asked you to harbor me if it wasn't that bad, Hades." She ran her fingers through her hair, causing the flowers in her hair to shift slightly. They almost always stayed in, and even if a few were to fall out, a few more would grow in their place. "The humans will be fine without me for a bit. It is winter now and spring is not ready to come for a while. Everything up there is already dead anyways. Besides I do plan on heading back when it is time, but I don't see the point in staying with my mother and the others until it is."

Persephone gave Hades a pleading look. "Please Hades. There is no one else I can hide with for a bit. Everyone else will just send me back to Zeus for punishment or force me to sleep with them until spring. I can't force you to allow me to stay, especially since you'll be able to kick me right out. But if you do, I will be forced to hide as a human until spring comes."

---

Ares was quite pleased after the town meeting. While the mortals were afraid of the war to come, Ares could not help but be excited for it. After all it was another chance to duel with the other Gods by using the humans. And it was not like he could die from whatever happened down here. Now Ares just had to pick which side he wanted to help, and who his champion should be. It would be quite fun scaring one of the humans when they find out that Ares, the God of war was routing for them.

All the thoughts of war was quickly pushed to the side when Ares saw the girl standing on the other side of the room. He smiled a bit before walking over to one of the men from the meeting. Phillus was his name, and he happened to know the girl's family quite well. Apparently, he was good friends with the father. So, after a short conversation, Phillus made his way over to Bernadette with Ares in tow.

Phillus walked up to Bernadette, giving her a smile. "Evening Bernadette. I have came to introduce you to Gaius Caesar. Though according to him, the two of you already had a run in this afternoon." Phillus said the last part with a bit of a chuckle. It wasn't a town secret that Bernadette was a bit clumsy.

Hades frowned deeper as he listened to her, looking away after a while. He hated the behavior of the gods sometimes, always wanting something for themselves in return for their kindness or help. He occasionally asked for things in return, but he rarely had anyone asking him for things beside his older brothers, and they would give him nothing in return. "Fine, you can stay.. Just stay out of the garden, and don't eat anything from there. If you do, you won't be able to leave the Underworld come spring."

---

Bernadette bowed politely when Phillus and Ares came over, standing out of the way of the other party goers. She blushed when Phillus mentioned their meeting this afternoon, keeping her head lowered as she nodded a bit. "Yes, I apologize again for my clumsiness. It's nice to formally meet you, Gaius." She spoke softly glancing up at him with blue-green eyes before looking around the room, wondering if her mother or sisters were watching. That afternoon her mother had reminded her that as the youngest she had to wait until her older sisters were married before she could think about finding a suitor, and that her mother's plan was for her to direct Ares' attention from her to one of her older sisters.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

@ Another.Chance

Persephone immediately brightened up when Hades allowed her to stay. "Thank you so much!" She said excitedly. "I promise I won't get in your way or eat anything from the gardens." Persephone basically jumped on Hades, hugging him tightly for a few moments. It was strange how cool Hades' body was, considering she was always so warm. Though she didn't mind it. Once she pulled away, Persephone's bare feet touched the ground and the flowers and grass moved around her again. She started walking up into the palace, leaving a trail of wilting flowers and dead grass behind her. It was going to be easy to know where Persephone was or at least where she had been.

---

Ares smiled down at her warmly. "Yes, it is nice to officially meet you too, Bernadette." He hated that stupid name of Gaius but it was one he was going to have to use until he was back to being himself. "Now, Bernadette, since I am new to your town, would you mind telling me a bit about it. I have only been here for a few days so have not completely gotten my feel for it yet." With that Phillus bowed slightly and moved himself out of the conversation. Ares brought a cup of wine to his lips and started to drink as he waited for her to speak.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades froze when she hugged him, not used to the contact. The other gods, and especially goddesses, usually kept their distance from death. "You're welcome.. Just be careful where you go." He murmured, absent-mindedly picking a flower from her hair, although it quickly withered and crumbled to dust in his grasp. He sighed, heading back to his throne room to continue his work, making sure everything was running as it was supposed to.

---

Bernadette bowed a big as Phillus left, looking up at Ares as he spoke. "Well, we are one of the many small towns surrounding the city to the north, so we get a lot of travelers who stay and rest here on their way to trade and do business. Many of the people are farmers, but now that it's winter, we rely on trading our extra grain and goods to keep the town going." She spoke softly, watching as he drank. Her mother's laugh from the other side of the room caught her attention and she turned to look for her, wondering if they had been spotted yet.

@ Another.Chance

Persephone moved through the palace once she was inside. Since she would be there for a few weeks, she wanted to get a good feel for things. As she passed different rooms and hallways, Persephone would peer inside to see what was in there. Hades' palace was dark and a bit gloomy. Plus it was a bit strange how empty it was. Zeus seemed to always be having a party, or at least that was where a lot of the other Gods and Goddesses met or relaxed. But Hades' place felt a bit isolated. Though it was probably best this way for her to hide for a bit.

After a bit, Persephone found what she assumed was a guest room. She stroked the fireplace until it was blazing. At which point she lounged on the couch besides it and started to read one of the books that Hades had in the library.

---

Ares tilted his head slightly as he noticed her begin to look around. He raised an eyebrow before smiling a bit. He thought he knew what was going on, or rather he hoped that he knew. It would be disappointing if Bernadette just flat out was not interested in him. He leaned forward a bit and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Are you afraid that someone will see us talking?" It seemed that way from her actions. Though Ares was unsure who she was trying to hide this from. Plus it was odd for him to see a mortal due this with him. When he came down as a God, he always had their full attention.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades looked through lists of names of those who had died, discussing the war that was breaking out in the mortal world with Thanatos. While he was not mad that so many were dying, it meant that there would be more souls trying to escape to the land of the living, and also mortals wanting to bring their loved ones back.

After a few hours of work he grew tired, leaving the rest of the work to Thanatos before moving throughout the castle, deciding to check on Persephone. He paused in the doorway when he found her, watching her for a few moments before moving down the hall to his own room.

---

Bernadette quickly looked back to him, eyes wide as she shook her head. "No, of course not..." She lied, her voice soft. "I'm just looking for my sisters.. You should be introduced to them as well." She murmured, averting her gaze as she took a small sip of wine from her cup. It was a silly rule that daughters had to be married in the order of their birth, but it was still a rule, and Bernadette had to follow it.

She was about to speak again when there was a scream, everyone's attention turning toward the source. Soldiers, dressed in the armor of the providence that had declared war against theirs, we're pouring into the building, surrounding the party goers. The began to split up the men from the women, killing those who didn't listen or who tried to fight against them. Bernadette watched with wide eyes, frantically looking for her father and mother as one of the soldiers grabbed her arm forcefully, dragging her away from Ares as another began to usher him over to where the men had been gathered.

@ Another.Chance

Persephone looked up, seeing Hades head away from her door and down the hall. She couldn't help but be a little curious about it. It was odd that Hades would look in on her but not say hello. Pushing herself up and off of the couch, she headed over to the doorway and peaked her out of the hallway. Once he headed into what she assumed was his room, Persephone went back into hers. Maybe she should do something to thank him? She wasn't quite sure what, but whatever it was she needed to figure it out for tomorrow.

The next day, Persephone headed through the castle as she went to look for Hades. After a bit she had thought of something she could do for him. Though she wasn't sure if he would want it done so she decided to go ask before messing it up. She peaked into the throne room, seeing him in there alone before heading inside. "Hades? May I speak with you?"

---

Ares headed over to where the men were being ushered, but as he did so, he kept his eyes on Bernadette. He had no concerns about what these humans would try to do to him. After all he was a god so it was no like they could hurt him in any way. However, she was just a mortal. And while he barely knew he, Ares thought it would be a shame if she were to die or be injuried.

Once they were all grouped up into two sections, he waited to see what it was these soldiers wanted. There could be a lot of different scenarios for this. Though whatever it was, Ares knew that he could handle it himself.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades stood at a large table looking over numerous papers of information. He looked up when she spoke, nodding a little as he set aside what he was doing. "Yes, Persephone? What is it?" He asked curiously, running a hand through his hair. For the king of the Underworld, he didn't wear anything flashy like his brother Zeus did, preferring to be simple and plain.

---

Bernadette found her mother and sisters, standing with them as they waited for the soldiers to speak. The lead soldier announced that the men had a choice; either fight for them, or die, unless they offered one of the women to them as a sacrifice. The cries of the women only grew louder at that, the men murmuring amongst themselves as they tried to decide. Bernadette's father announced that they would not fight, and would not sacrifice one of their own to the soldiers, and would rather face death.

At this, Bernadette pulled away from her mother and sisters, who desperately tried to grab her. "I'll go with them." She murmured quietly, knowing she was only a nuisance to the town, causing trouble and getting in the way of things. Her mother began to weep and her father tried to get to her, but two soldiers had already grabbed her and were dragging her from the house and outside.

@ Another.Chance
Persephone smiled and walked a few steps closer to him. "Well I want to do something to thank you for letting me stay here. And I was wondering if you wanted me to care for the gardens during my time here. They seemed a little neglected when I was going through. And as I went through them yesterday, I saw that it is the only area where I can grow things long term." Persephone looked up at Hades, hoping that he was going to like what she was offering. If not then she was just going to have to think of something else. "So, if you'd like, I could take care of it and grow anything you would want."

---

Ares growled a bit when he saw Bernadette offer herself. The men had been ready to fight but that obviously was not going to happen. Quickly he grabbed a sword from a solider's hilt and sliced down the two men in front of him. Moving through the crowd, Ares fought with the two that had held onto Bernadette. But neither of the even stood a chance and fell to the ground. With that, the other guards started to move but Ares grabbed onto Bernadette and held her behind him. Just as they started to fight, Ares' voice boomed.

"I am Giaus Caesar, commander of the troops and skilled warrior. I have cut down thousands of men myself. My cousin, Julius Caesar is the great emporeror of Rome. Think hard before making your next move against me and this town. For if you fight me, you will surely lose." Area looked out at the crowd, waiting to see what their response would be.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades blinked a little in surprise at her offer, nodding a little as he listened to her speak. "...Alright. I don't know what would grow or how long it would last, but you're welcome to try. But remember, you cannot eat anything that grows in that garden, so be careful." He warned, walking over to a large bookcase and pulling down an old book. He moved over to her and held it out. "This has a list of things that can be grown here.. Although it might need to be amended, as many of the plants haven't grown here in a long time. Maybe you could revise this for me?" He asked, offering her a small smile.

---

The soldiers were ready to fight Ares once he moved away from the others, although upon hearing that he was the cousin of the emperor, and seeing his fighting skills they hesitated. The lead soldier reluctantly ordered the soldiers to leave, the group retreating outside. As they left the town they made sure to burn and wreck some of the shop and grain stores, leaving half of the town destroyed.

Once the soldiers left the party goers hurriedly found their families and left to return to the safety of their own houses, many of the men hurrying to put out the fires before they spread. Bernadette stood frozen behind him, staring up at him with blue-green eyes. She had seen her father practice fighting with some of the other men, and had seen reenactments of battles whenever her family visited the larger cities. She knew what fighting looked like, and even if she didn't know what the best soldier fought like, she knew that Gaius was not a man. His skill was too perfect, there was no way that he could be mortal.

@ Another.Chance
Persephone took the book from Hades with a large smile. She was glad that she was able to be helpful in some way. It wasn't like she wanted to just sit here there whole month and do absolutely nothing. "Yes I can do that." It would be easy for Persephone to test out all of the plants. There was nothing that she couldn't grow. Now the question was how long would they last down here? With that, Persephone headed out of the throne room. But she stopped before leaving and turned to him. "And Hades, if you are ever available, we should spend some time together." Persephone smiled widely warmly at him. She wanted to get to know him better. Plus it must get lonely down here...

---

Ares stayed where he was, keeping Bernadette behind him until the soldiers had completely left the town. There was a large possibility that he just stopped the war from happening, which would surely be a disappointment. But he couldn't let them take her away...After all there was no honor in just taking away the women without truly winning the battle.

At that point Ares turned around and looked down at her. He gave her a bit of a cheeky smile as he saw the look on her face. Bernadette seemed to be shocked over what had just happened. And her eyes were so wide. Humans were so odd. "You should spend some time with your family now. They seemed worried for you. Though may I see you tomorrow?"

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Hades' brows furrowed a bit when she asked to spend time together, although his smiled and let out a light laugh. "I doubt your parents, my brother and sister, would approve of their daughter living in the Underworld for a month or two, let alone spending time with the god of the dead." As he spoke he turned back to his work, hiding the pained look in his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with her, quite the opposite actually, but he knew that Zeus and Demeter would be furious with him for harboring her, and if anything happened to her because of him.. Well, he wasn't sure he wanted to think about what would happen to him.

---

Bernadette frowned as she looked up at him, shaking her head a little as she took a few small steps away from him. "..What do you want from us?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, not wanting the few remaining people to hear. She was afraid - terrified - of what had happened, but now she was worried about what Gaius, or whoever Gaius really was, wanted.

@ Another.Chance
Persephone lips turned into a small frown when he said that her parents wouldn't approve. "Well they don't need to know everything." She told him. "And it's not like they are right about everything." With that Persephone headed out of the throne room. It wasn't like she didn't understand. If her mother and Zeus got in an uproar, Hades would surely feel their sting. Also the other gods and goddesses might get involved if those two decided to start something. Though it was still disappointing that they still managed to control her life when they weren't even around.

---

Ares smile dropped when Bernadette started to act strange. Why was she not thanking him for saving her? Those men were sure to use her and then kill her. Though surely there was no way that she possible knew about his godness? "I do not want anything. I am here to see what is happening in this region." Ares told her gently. "The emperor wanted me to check on this area. That is all."