Te Amo

The next time I saw her was at the bi-annual meeting of the Olympus gods. Though I didn’t have a throne on Mount Olympus, as my throne was instead in the Underworld, I was still considered one of the twelve major deities, and thus was allowed to attend the meetings, governed and presided over by my brother Zeus.

Persephone was there, seated at the foot of her mother’s throne. Zeus, holding a soft spot for Persephone and Demeter, had bent the rules to allow the girl into the meeting. I was glad. I tired easily of the meetings, and relished an opportunity to gaze upon the lovely goddess, without fear of being noticed. She was making a daisy chain, her delicate fingers tying the equally delicate daisy stems together. Somehow, under her touch, the flowers flourished rather than perished.

I soon found myself unable to tear my eyes from her. It was only when I heard Zeus call my name in a thunderous voice that I was brought out of my trance, and noticed all eyes on me. Hers included. If I had been capable of blushing, my cheeks would have been vermillion. I apologized to my brother, taking great care to not act upon my desire to look at the young goddess, and Zeus repeated the question we were debating upon. Naturally, it concerned the mortal race we had created. I quite forget what we had been debating, but perhaps it had been whether or not to give the mortals fire (we eventually decided against the gift, and the giant Prometheus ended up betraying us and giving the mortals the gift of fire).

The meeting continued in much the same vein – many topics were discussed, and occasionally I gave my input, only to keep things balanced. I couldn’t care less the fate of the mortal world, nor the immortal world. Sooner or later, all mortals ended up in the Underworld, and all monsters in Tartarus. It made no difference to me if they ended up there earlier than they were supposed to.

As the meeting neared an end, I took the opportunity to steal a final glance at the radiant Spring goddess. To my astonishment, her eyes were on me, large and bright under her curtain of burnt-toffee hair. They were as green as freshly grown grass. We locked gazes, and she smiled reassuringly. It was as though she were saying ’it’s okay – I won’t hurt you.’ She’d finished her daisy chain and it sat atop her head like a crown. It wasn’t hard to envision her as a queen. She already looked like one. I found myself wishing there were flowers in the Underworld, other than in the Elysium Fields. I made up my mind to ask Thanatos to find someone to plant a variety of flowers, but then remembered that flowers hated growing in the dark. They always died, and last time I’d attempted to plant some, I’d had the dryads berating me for weeks afterwards. Though they couldn’t die, being immortal, they still felt it keenly when a plant of theirs died. I didn’t think I could stand the constant yapping of the juniper bush or petunia flower spirits again. Even the dryad of the narcissus flower I’d crushed had yelled at me for nigh on a month afterward.

As the meeting concluded, and I was shaken out of my reverie, I noticed Persephone in a hushed discussion with her mother. Both goddesses seemed unhappy – Persephone’s arms were crossed, and her posture rigid; her mother’s eyes were flashing, her brows drawn sharply. Their conversation ended as Demeter swept away in a huff, her wheat-brown dress twisting around her. I stepped down from my makeshift throne, and was about to leave when Persephone appeared next to me. She smelt of jasmine and frangipani, and her numerous bracelets clinked gently together as she put a hand on my shoulder.

I froze, feeling ugly and dull under her feather-light touch. She smiled at me as I lifted my head to meet her gaze.

‘Don’t leave yet,’ she said. Her voice reminded me of a rainbow just after a spring shower – multi-layered and immeasurably beautiful. It rendered me dumbstruck for a handful of heartbeats before I was able to find my voice again.

‘You are Lord Hades, aren’t you?’ I nodded as she swept her gaze over me. ‘I saw you watching me that day in the field – the grass told me you were watching.’

I began to apologize, but she laid a hand on my cheek. It was as soft as the heart of a buttercup. ‘No need to apologize,’ she said, laughing lightly. ‘There’s nothing to apologize for. It was a glorious day, and I’m sure you do not see anything like that in the Underworld, am I correct?’

Again, I nodded, wishing her beauty didn’t render me quite so silent. I was certain she thought I was an βλάκας - an idiot.

‘What is it like down there in the Underworld?’

Suddenly, I was acutely aware that we were the only two left in the meeting hall. My mouth felt dry, and it took me a few moments to answer. I described the Underworld to her – from the Fields of Punishment to the Elysium Fields and even the River Styx. I told her how most of the Underworld was dank and desolate, a spirit-breaking place (quite literally – I’d seen many a spirit and soul broken into pieces in the Fields of Punishment, only to be put back together and re-broken, time after time). As I spoke, I realized just how horrible my domain was, and how much the goddess would stick out in such a place.

To my surprise, her eyes lit up, the green glowing brightly. ‘It sounds so different to this world! I told my mother that I’d love to visit other domains, and it made her unhappy. It is why we were arguing earlier.’ She cast her eyes downward in embarrassment, a light flush staining her pale skin. ‘Would I possibly be able to visit the Underworld some time?’ Her voice had lowered to a whisper, as quiet as a warm breeze.

My heart skipped several beats, and I was barely able to breathe. I stared at Persephone in disbelief, before stammering out an affirmative answer.

She clapped her hands in child-like excitement. ‘Can I come now?’

Her question threw me. On one hand, I wanted her to visit right away, before she changed her mind and realized how desolate the Underworld must be; on the other hand, I wanted a chance to try and make the place acceptable to visitors. Eventually, I told her that of course she could come right away, but that she would have to find a object to transport her to and from the Underworld.

She smiled slyly, taking a narcissus flower from in between the folds of her dress. ‘I saw you pick it just before you left,’ she explained. ‘I thought it appropriate. Is it okay?’

The closest thing to a smile that I could muster graced my face, and I nodded, telling her it was perfectly acceptable.

She laughed, clutching the flower in one hand and slipping her other hand into mine. ‘Then show me the way, Lord Hades,’ she said. ‘I cannot wait to see your domain.’

Trying to keep my heartbeat steady, the two of us descended into my domain. The last thing I thought as I left the Upperworld was that I’d hoped Charon had remembered to feed Cerberus. It would be humiliating if Persephone’s first impression of the Underworld was that we let our guard dog starve.