Persephone and Hades Part II

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“You’ll come to like it.”  He murmured in my ear.  I shivered, his breath was like ice.  I still said nothing and continued to stare forward.  The skeleton held out its bony, vein ridden hand towards me, I could see where it was worn down from steering all of its miserable life. “Go ahead, ladies first.”  Hades said. His voice was so quiet and soft, not in the nice way, but as if he was always telling a secret.  “No.”  I finally blurted out.  “Yes, go ahead.”  He urged and pushed me forward.  “You can’t make me go, not until Zeus and my mother know what you have done.”  I was trying to hold my ground as best I could.  “No, they have no control over me, especially your mother.  Now get in the boat and let’s go home.”  He pointed.  “No, I want to go to my real home, on Olympus and if you don’t take me there immediately there will be trouble for you when I get there myself.”  I threatened.  I picked up the front of my skirt and took a step forward, back to the chariot, as if I was going to steer that monstrosity out of there.  Hades reacted quicker than I thought possible.  In one breath he turned towards me, grabbed my arm and almost threw me into the boat.  I flew through the air and landed on my back, slamming into some part of the boat. The pain was immense and I was paralyzed for more time that I would have wished.  My hair was in my face so I couldn’t tell what was going on.  
My arms hurt as well, but still I couldn’t see.  That was until I felt the boat tip from Hades’ weight and it start to move.  He was over me instantly, that’s when I noticed the position I was in.  I was backed up against the opposite side of the gondola like boat, my legs on top of one of the benches over my waist which was down in the crack.  My right arm was draped over the side, I knew this because I could feel the souls in the river reaching up, trying to touch me, but they wouldn’t, not yet anyways.  My other arm was lying so that my wrist was lying on the other side of the boat.  I squirmed, but with the way he was standing there was no way I could move anywhere.  “You listen.”  He was so close that I jumped, my cheek touched his nose.  “You are mine now, my bride.”  I winced at this word.  I wasn’t going to let that happen, never. “Let me go home.”  I whispered pleadingly.  He chuckled, “You are home darling, welcome to it.”  He pulled me up forcefully and I was flung by momentum into his chest.  My hair flew everywhere, half behind me, half over Hades.  He laughed as if him pushing me around was some joke.
“Welcome to my little home.  This is my dog, Cerberus.”  I squealed in fright.  The gigantic beast snarled at me.  “He’s a good dog.”  Hades reached out to pet the middle of three heads when it snapped.  Hades pulled back and smiled, “I like the fight in him.”  He said quietly, I whimpered as the dog eyed me in my messy state and growled all three heads at one time.  It would have made any human literally die of fright right there in the boat.  “And this is my throne room, come on land.”  I knew I couldn’t.  The moment I stepped on the Hell side of Styx, that was it, I was tied to it and to Hades.  I recoiled and sat down in the boat.  Hades sighed, “Don’t make me be forceful with you; I really don’t like hurting your perfect skin.”  He sighed, as if I was some dog that wouldn’t obey.  “Then let me go.  I’m not stepping one foot on land till I’m back on the other side.”  I defied him and crossed my legs on the open side.  Bad idea, my pale white, untouched thigh shone like a guiding star on a gloomy night.  Hades stared until I realized what he was looking at, immediately I fixed the problem.  As I switched legs he grabbed my arms and cradled me in his, like a bride in her new home.  “Put me back on the boat!”  I shouted and was going to hit his shoulder again, but thought better of it.  
“No, you’re mine.”  He stated one last time and set me down on the ground.  Though I could feel nothing physically, I knew now that if I ever wanted to leave Hell, Hades had to be at my side or Styx would never let me ride.  “You monster!”  I screamed and lunged at him, not caring anymore, my life was over.  Hades, still quicker than expected, grabbed my wrist and pulled them down to my sides.  I still wriggled, determined to not be held like that.  ”You know, if you had only said please, I would have let you go.”  He taunted me, and then leaned down over my face.  He moved both my wrists to one hand and let the free one grab my chin.  His grip was so firm that I couldn’t move my head, and it was almost like my eyes couldn’t move.  
Hades wasn’t bad looking, he was actually quiet handsome, all the three reigning gods were, but he was so pale and gaunt from afar he was scary.  He had black eyes, but if you looked really close you could see hints of a once emerald green, like mine.  For a few seconds I was in a trance, staring at him.  He was saying something, but not to me, to something else right now.  Then I realized he was talking to himself!  “So beautiful, so lovely, so perfect.  The skin is perfect and untouched; the virgin lips call me to kiss them.  I shall, later.  Wait until Zeus comes, then I shall take her, take everything she has.”  I started crying, he was going to kill me if he had the chance.  This was revenge for something my father or mother had done and I was paying for it.  It was like Hades read my mind, “No, your parents have done nothing to bring this upon you, you’re just beautiful and I want you.”   And then he did what I was praying he would never do.  He kissed me, full on the mouth.  He didn’t smell bad, but his kiss was hard, and it hurt.  The pressure on my tender lips was excruciatingly painful, I tried to get away, to recover but he suddenly softened, as thought realizing what was wrong.  
I noticed his own lips were soft, and full, I didn’t fight as much.  He was still cold though, his breath, his lips, even his face and body radiated cold from itself.  Finally he let go of me and I took a deep breath of air.  “Such a wonderful kisser.”  He smiled and let me go.  “Darian!” he barked.  A man, small but stocky, ran forward in fright.  “Yes, Your Holiness?”  He asked and bowed to the ground.  “Show my bride to her rooms, and make sure she gets something else to wear.”  He eyed my timid body, standing only a foot away.  I knew from the way he looked that he wasn’t looking at me.  He was thinking about me in the dress or maybe nothing at all.  This made me shiver, and my small shoulders visibly quivered.  “Also get her a heavy cloak; I can’t have her sick down here!”  He ordered and stormed away, looking back at me one last time before rounding the corner, his cloak fluttering in the wind he made from his quick walk.  
I looked around quickly; making sure no one except the stupid servant was looking at me.  The moment I realized no one was watching I darted for the boat and tried to jump inside, but STYX held his hand out and I stopped.  Not that I WANTED to stop, but that I couldn’t move anymore.  I looked down to see the flowers of the belt I had made had twisted down my legs and burying themselves into the ground, tightly.  I was literally rooted into the ground.  “Let me go!”  I screamed and threw my arms out, hoping to grab the edge of the boat.  If I could just get my grip on it, I could pull my way in and STYX would have to drive me across.  As soon as my fingertip brushed the side of the boat my hand felt like it was in flames.  Darian, the stupid little servant ran for me and started to pull me backward, but I bit at him and flung myself forward again.  I was a mad dog by now.  I was biting, scratching, even slightly foaming by the time I pulled one foot free of the roots.  I pushed it forward, but the roots caught the ground again and began digging deeper this time.  I ripped the side of my skirt trying to jerk out, and slightly tore the bodice from my arms moving so frantically.  By now, STYX was paddling away; I could see the boat turning, and my dreams leaving with it.   “No!  Please come back!”  I shouted at the top of my lungs, begging the dead skeleton, which was deaf to anyone but Hades, to return and give me life again.  
I finally lost my balance and fell forward, tears already pouring from the sides of my eyes and over my beautiful face.  “Please!”  I shouted again and reached aimlessly toward the water.  At this time the souls that filled the Sea of the Dead, jumped out and grabbed at my pale skin.  I hadn’t noticed it was over the edge of the bank, but now I was realizing with horror what could happen.  Six souls, only three men, were dragging me long.  They seemed stronger than the roots and were succeeding in what I couldn’t do.  “No!”  I cried and tried to pull away from their cold, milky fingers but I couldn’t get my footing away.  Darian, the little man, reached for my other hand, and tugged.  I clung on to him as best I could; this was my life at stake here.  One of the souls, a woman, looked straight into my eyes.  I almost passed out from the terror that I saw, for it was my own reflection, not of me right then, but of my death.  It wasn’t my real death; just the common one the souls used to scare a human into parilization, and then drag them under, hoping Hades would trade that life for theirs.  I saw my own body, slung over the side of a cliff, dropping quickly to my death below on some sharp rocks.  The dress I was wearing was white, but the same style of the green one I was wearing right then.  I jerked my head to the side as my body hit the rocks below, I didn’t want to know what it looked like.  
Darian was still trying to pull me free when suddenly I screamed again, not knowing why. The souls let go and dove back under the water, without a splash or a sound.  I rose to my knees slowly, but something unbalanced me. Tears fell over my face as it drained of the last bit of color it had and I could feel my body falling away slowly.  I could feel Darian drop my hand, and when he did, my body dropped also.  My head felt so heavy, from exhaustion that I was hoping for the smack that awaited me from the cold, hard, brimstone.  I wanted it to put me out, if not for now, then forever, just to get away from here.  But it never came. I never fully lost consciousness, and I was slightly disappointed.  In the second Darian dropped my hand and I fell from my kneeling position two strong arms grabbed me.  I heard the shuffle of feet as though they ran to catch me and a knee hit the ground as the arms held my upper body up.  The arms were cold, but strong, and reliable.  I wanted to open my eyes, to see who it was, but I knew instantly.  “Darian!” came Hades’ hateful, yet still quiet voice.  “I said get her to her rooms!  Here you are, letting her get dragged down by the Souls?  You are a complete idiot, if it weren’t for the fact you still have two hundred more years of your sentence, I’d kill you now.”  I shivered on the inside, my body being too weak to do so really.  Hades slowly lifted me from the ground and cradled me.  I tried to pick my head up, but it was too heavy and I moaned in contempt.  Hades heard and moved me quickly so that my head was resting on his shoulder.  I awaited the clash with the hard armor, but he wasn’t wearing his armor.  His shoulder was soft and feathery and he smelt really good too, like a mixture of ambrosia and sweet wine.  Hades swiftly turned and carried me away; I heard the rustle of some kind of cloth, probably satin, maybe something Hades was wearing.  
“Stupid human.”  He muttered, more to himself.  “Julepia, go see that Darian has been punished.”  The swish of cloth that I heard moved again and went back in the direction we came.  Obviously this girl, Julepia, was Hades’ ‘go-do’ girl and she didn’t seem like someone I would want having a ‘go-do’ order on.  Hades carried me far away from where we originally were. I could feel the continuous steps, around corners, down stairs, upstairs.  I had tried to keep track, for a way out, but I lost count after left turn thirty.  Finally though he turned, stopped, and I heard a door open and shut.  Hades didn’t move for a second, but he did sigh.  This was not an exasperated sigh, but one of pure relief.  Like he wanted to be so far away from everything right now, just away from here.  I almost felt pity for him, but then remembered what he had done to me that day and was instantly hateful again.   He made slower movements now, around objects, some big, some he just stepped over.  Eventually he stopped and I could feel him lowering me, onto something extremely soft, a bed.  But this was unlike any other bed I had ever slept it.  It was even more luxurious than the cloud beds we had up on Mt. Olympus.  I wasn’t even fully laid on the bed before I completely lost my mind and went into blackness. I guess my body had been so tired from today that the instant it was given relief, it wanted it, and badly.