Persephone's Story

“Persephone, please eat,” my mother begged me, sitting outside my room, trying to slide a plate of food under my door. It’d been a week since mother brought me to this horrible place.

“No,” I said, turning my nose away from the smell wafting up to me. It smelled delicious but I was determined to prove a point to my mother.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to! Just like I don’t want to be here! I would rather live in Hell then on the earth with you!” I yelled back at her. After that it was quiet, and when I heard footsteps retreating I knew she’d left. I walked over to my window and looked outside, noticing vines growing on the side of the house, curling through the bars and-Wait! That was it!

I opened my window grabbed a hold on the vine, connecting myself to it in the strongest force possible. Then I let it go and concentrated on it growing as I closed my eyes. I imagined it’s vines growing, climbing and encircling the bars of the prison holding me inside. Then I imagined them pulling at the bars, forcing them open, tearing them off the house that they were attached too. When I heard a loud creak, then a groan and finally something falling to the ground I opened my eyes. I smiled when I saw the window wide open.

I carefully climbed out the window, listening for any signs that my mother might have heard the sound. When my feet finally hit the ground I smiled at the feeling of the grass beneath my toes. I looked off to the horizon and started running. I didn’t know where I would go, where I would live, or even what I would eat, but anything had to be better than where I’d come from.

Suddenly a loud cry of frustration filled my ears and I looked behind me to see my mother standing at the doorway, fury plain in my eyes, even from this far away. I bit down on my lips and started to run even faster.

As I ran I tripped and stumbled and my legs started to burn like they were on fire. I knew my tiredness was because I hadn’t eaten anything for the past few days. Why didn’t I just eat? It would have made my escape easier. I glanced behind me to see my mother riding after me on the horse.

I pushed myself even harder as I ran, looking desperately for a place to hide. I should have left with Hades when I had the chance! But…maybe…maybe there was still a chance? When I was little my mother always told me that when mortals prayed to the god’s they heard them no matter where they were.

I suddenly stumbled and fell face first into a pile of dirt, but I made no move to get up, I just looked up and cried at the top of my lungs, “Hades, I was so wrong! Please, please save me from this nightmare!”

I waited for what seemed like forever as my mother gained distance on me. Just when I thought it was hopeless, and that Hades hated me, a huge black chariot popped out from right under the ground, being pulled by two black horses with flaming red manes and tails.

“Hades!” I cried in delight, running into his arms. He wrapped a protective arm around me before snapping the reigns and taking us away. We plunged back into the ground before it closed up behind us.

The last sight I saw was that of my mother lunging for the hole Hades and I had disappeared into. When we finally reached the Underworld I was surprised. It wasn’t nearly as black and gloomy as I’d imagined. It was like a dark cavern with large, dome-like ceilings. At one end of the room stood a large chair, what I assumed to be Hades throne. I stepped off Hades chariot and noticed for the first time since my escape, that I was starving. I suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled a little before Hades helped me over to his throne, making me sit down as he called for some sort of ‘special bread’, as he called it. I looked back up at him and suddenly everything I’d been thinking tried to come out at once.

“Hades, I’m so sorry I left you. I should have come with you. I really did love you, but I’d always lived on earth, but then I realized nothing on earth could compare to being with you-” My long-winded apology was cut short when Hades put his lips against mine, silencing me.

“It’s alright, my dear. Let’s not dwell on the past, the future is ours,” he said when he pulled back. Suddenly a servant came in, carrying a couple loafs of stale bread. Hades saw my questioning look when the servant handed them to me.

“It’s the only thing you can eat in the Underworld. If you eat anything else down here, you will be stuck down here forever, and I do not wish to keep you from the earth you love so much. I will let you visit it, but only if I come with you. I don’t want your mother to try and kidnap you again,” he said with a smile. I placed a hand on his cold cheek.

“Thank you for everything, Hades,” I said before digging into the bread that was before me.



A month passed since Hades saved me from my own mother, and about two weeks ago there had been an increase in the number of mortals coming into the Underworld. When questioned, most of them said that they had starved, or been frozen to death. It was exactly a month after the whole ordeal on earth had happened that Zeus came to visit Hades, and he was not alone.

“Hello, Hades,” Zeus called from the doorway on Hades throne room. Hades looked up from his seat next to me in surprise. Shortly after I came here Hades had called for a throne to be made especially for me, seeing as how I was now his queen.

“Brother, what are you doing here?” Hades asked.

“There’s that no-good god!” my mother cried, steeping out from behind Zeus and pointing a finger at Hades. Hades glared at her before standing up and walking over to them.

“What is this all about?” Hades demanded, glancing back at forth between Zeus and my mother, Demeter.

“He stole my daughter from me! Surely he can’t do that!” Demeter cried to Zeus, and both Hades and my eyes widened in surprise.

“I didn’t steal her she-” Hades started to protest, but Demeter cut him off.

“Yes, you did! You kidnapped her, and I want her back right now! You can’t kidnap a goddess!” Demeter yelled at him.

Zeus held up his hand and they both stopped talking. “Brother, the people have been crying out from starvation, hunger and cold. Demeter refuses to save the people unless she gets her daughter back,” Zeus explained calmly.

“Brother, you know I wouldn’t kidnap and carry off a goddess against her will. I saved her from that madwoman she calls a mother!” Hades stated.

“Has Persephone eaten anything that would bind her to the Underworld?” Zeus asked, and I could tell he was trying to find something that would let me stay in the Underworld, but then I realized what Hades had done when I first came here.

“No, she’s only had the special bread,” Hades replied, irritated.

“Ha! That means she’s free to go with me!” Demeter laughed.

“She doesn’t want to go with you! She hates living on the earth with you, she’d rather be down here with me!” Hades shot back, but Zeus held his hand up again.

“Hades, unless she is bound here, she must go back with her mother. The people are dying, surely you don’t want them all coming into your domain at once?” Zeus asked, and I could tell Hades still wasn’t going to budge. I knew, however, it was useless to argue with Zeus. He was the head of the god’s, and he always got what he wanted. I knew sooner or later I would be forced to leave…unless…

I looked over at a silver platter at the other end of the room on a table, filled with pomegranates. As the god’s argued with each other I silently got up from my chair and crept over to the platter. When I reached it I let out a sigh of relief as I split over the delicious fruit and plucked out six seeds.

“No, Persephone! Don’t eat those!” my mother screamed in fright, lunging at me. Just as she grabbed my arm I threw the seeds in my mouth and swallowed them.

“Now I’m bound to the Underworld!” I announced, giving me mother a smug smile. She ground her teeth as she stormed over to Zeus.

“No, you can’t let this happen! Let her go, she only ate a few seeds for Zeus’ sake!” she cried. Zeus turned to me and smiled when my mother wasn’t looking.

“I’m sorry, Demeter, but she has to live here now, the laws of the god’s and goddesses demand it,” Zeus told her.

“But…but…no! If I don’t go back to the earth with my daughter, I’ll let all the people starve!” my mother wailed, and my heart clenched at her words. I couldn’t let all those innocent people die, and when I looked at Zeus I saw the same look on his face.

“Persephone…” he started with a sigh. “How many seeds did you eat?”

“Six,” I answered.

“Alright, here’s my deal. Hades, since she did eat food from the Underworld, she will stay with you six months out of the year, and the other six she will spend with her mother on the earth.”

“I’ll only agree to that is Persephone does,” Hades said, determined. I nodded sadly and looked down at the cold, hard stone of the Underworld.

“Demeter?” Zeus asked. I looked back up at her and saw her lips pressed tightly into a fine line.

“Yes,” she snapped finally.

“Hades, you get the first six months with her,” Zeus declared, then turned to take his leave with my sputtering mother following closely behind, arguing that she should have the first six months. When they were finally gone Hades turned to me and ran over to me, locking his arms around me in an embrace.

“Are you sure you can stand six months down here each year?” he asked.

I laughed. “Don’t you think you should be asking me if I’ll be able to stand six months on the earth with my mother?”

Hades laughed and brought his lips down to mine. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll keep a close eye on you while you’re gone. But for now, let’s focus on the present. You’re here, you’re mine, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Hades,” I whispered before bring my lips up to his. Spending six months with my mother sounded unbearable, but I knew I could make it. All I had to do was remember that when it was over I would be coming back to Hades; to my one true love. All I had to do was think of Hades and suddenly everything seemed alright.