Work Text:
Persephone:
Hades slowed the car to a stop, the headlights bringing my mum’s townhouse into view. The night was otherwise pitch-black, we were far enough from the city centre that the stars twinkled brightly in the sky.
The familiar hum of the engine died down as Hades turned the keys, the lights turning off with a click. I bit my lip, my focus shifting back to him. I flashed him a weak smile, but he saw right through me.
Hades cupped my cheek, his fingers softly stroking my skin until I lifted my eyes to meet him. His thumb nudged my lip, freeing it from my incisors, and brushed a tender kiss across them. He broke away, leaning his forehead on mine.
“Please don’t worry, my love. Tonight will go perfectly”, he whispered between us.
I remained silent, nodding with an exhale. My fingers crept into his hair, my manicured nails were the perfect length for scritches. Hades groaned as I tugged on his locks, my mouth wide in adoration at the dust of silver in his black curls.
“Hades, you know that I love you?”, I asked.
His eyes were squeezed shut as he hummed in response.
“I love your jokes and sarcasm, but maybe it’s best to tone it down tonight”, I bit my lip again, probably eating away the remainder of my cherry blossom pink lip gloss.
His eyes shot open, the icy blues staring into my own. “I’ll be on my best behaviour, love”.
He squeezed my hands, and raised them to his lips, pressing a kiss on each.
We finally stepped out of the car, Hades rushing over to my side to open the door and retake my hand. We reached the door, I braced as I lifted the bird-shaped door knocker and tapped it against the wood three times.
He squeezed my hand again as footsteps approached. My mum swung the door open, a beaming smile on her face as she took me in. She leapt forward, engulfing me in a bear hug on sight (thankfully, Hades dropped my hand in time). My body relaxed as I buried my head in her shoulder, inhaling the aroma of gingerbread and mulled wine.
“I’ve missed you, darling”, she whispered in my ear, her breath warm. I squeezed her tighter in response, lingering for a few more moments before letting go.
She finally realised that we had company, her mouth dropping into a gasp.
“Oh, I’m sorry, how rude of me! I’m Demeter, Persephone’s mum”, she chirped, sticking her hand out, “you must be Persephone’s boyfriend?”.
Hades shook her hand, bowing his head in both respect and confirmation. “Hades, it’s a pleasure to meet you”.
“Come in, come in, you’ll freeze outside!”, she frantically waved her hands in the air.
She swatted us inside, rushing off ahead of us while we removed our coats and shoes. I spun around, Hades helping me out of my coat to reveal a pink gingerbread man Christmas jumper. He shed his trench coat, frowning as he looked down at his suit.
“I’m overdressed”, he grumbled. I reached up to his forehead, smoothing out his crinkled brow with an icy finger.
“You look perfect”, I whispered, kissing his cheek. He raised a dark eyebrow, attempting to ‘casual-ify’ himself by removing his blazer and tie. Left in just a white shirt and slacks, he tucked the excess clothing behind his coat.
I led him into the dining room, my jaw dropping at the spread before us. A humble white cloth covered the table, and a row of cranberry-red tapered candles lined the centre. Three plates were set, the napkins tied with a thick red bow. Most impressively, a garland of pine leaves ran down the table, the needles glittering under the flicker of the candles.
Rustling came from the kitchen, I called for my mum, walking toward the door.
Demeter:
I rushed into the kitchen, freeing my face from its agonising smile. My hands dug into the counter as I fought the urge to vomit.
How would I get through this dinner? I couldn’t fake smiles and pleasantries for hours with that man.
I ignored the bubbling of the cranberry sauce, absent-mindedly hoping that it wouldn’t spill over. Is he the reason that Persephone hasn’t come home in three years? Did he have her wrapped around his finger to do as he pleases? Did he cut her off from her friends?
“Mum, are you alright?”. A warm hand on my shoulder whipped me back into reality, I turned to find Persephone with her wide eyes filled with concern. Oh gods, and she still had her lip-biting habit.
“Sorry, darling. The mulled wine got to my head. Please sit down, I’ll be out in a moment”, I put on a chuckle.
She opened her mouth to protest, but I held a finger up. “You are a guest, go sit down and relax”.
I pulled the Wellington out of the oven, slicing it into bread-sized slices. I couldn’t be openly hostile, that would upset Persephone, and alienate Hades. If he thinks I’m concerned, he’ll put his guard up, and I won’t get any information from him.
I sighed as I dished up the pastry. I could play it cool, and learn what someone of his age could possibly want with my daughter.
I stuck my head out of the doorway. “Dinner is ready!”.
Persephone had already curled up at the table, sitting half crossed-legged on the chair, mulled wine in hand. It was still steaming, the vapour misting her face. Hades stood behind her, both hands clutching the backrest.
“Let me help you, Demeter”, he said, strolling into the kitchen. He picked up two plates and the jug of remaining cranberry sauce that hadn’t spilt over the hob. I watched as he served the plates to Persephone and the seat opposite her, failing to hide my wide eyes as he returned to take the last plate and the second jug of wine.
He sat next to my daughter (he served himself last?) but didn’t move to touch anything until I sat opposite.
“This all looks delicious, thank you”, he commented, his eyes scanning the plate contents. Each plate was loaded with a slice of mushroom Wellington, garlic-crusted parmesan potatoes, charred Brussels sprouts, honeyed carrots, parsnips, peas, Yorkshire puddings and stuffing balls. Two jugs resided in the centre of the three of us, almost spilling over with homemade vegetable gravy and cranberry sauce.
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, this is nothing”, I tittered.
We tucked in, the clinking of silverware filling the (uncomfortable) silence. My eyes bore into the couple, my nose scrunching up in disgust as the candlelight caught Hades’s hair - the man was visibly grey!
Time to play it cool. “So, darling. What are you doing for work? I haven’t seen you in so long you are shrouded in mystery!”.
She chewed for a few seconds before answering “Oh, I work under Hades in his company!”.
Under Hades?
I forced a smile. “That’s nice, dear”.
Alarm bells rang in my head - my daughter is an escort. I couldn’t stop prodding, uncomfortable as it may be, Persephone needed me.
I reached over for a jug of wine but Hades held up a hand, shaking his head. “Allow me”.
He stood, filling my glass to the brim, then looked over to Persephone. She nodded in confirmation, softly smiling in thanks as he topped her up. His own glass was notably empty, not even a drop of liquid to indicate he polished his off while I was in the kitchen.
“Won’t you have any? I have other drinks if you aren’t fond of wine”, I probed, my head tilting over the candles to inspect his meal.
“No thank you, I’m sure it’s lovely but I’m driving us home”.
My head snapped to Persephone. “You’re living together?”.
Fuck, how much financial control did he have over her?
She burst out laughing, bubbly from drinking two glasses much too quickly. “Mum, don’t be silly! We stay together over the weekend, but we have our own apartments”.
My mouth was sealed shut, blocking the sigh of relief from escaping my lips. I reached for my wine, swinging back an excessive gulp. The spices danced on my tongue, otherwise pleasant, but soured by the scene in front of me.
I couldn’t outright ask Hades his age. Too direct, too confrontational. “How long have you had your company?”.
He looked up from his meal, sliding his hand into Persephone’s and squeezing it once. “Just over twenty years”.
A Brussels sprout lodged into my throat, I coughed so violently that Persephone rushed up to hit my back hard. My eyes watered as I sipped my wine to clear my throat. “That’s nice, I managed to squeak out.
My choking watery eyes turned into angry watery eyes. This man is my daughter’s pimp and he dares to sit across from me in my home. How many women has he managed in twenty years, how long has he ‘been with’ Persephone?
“These potatoes are incredible, Mum! I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed your cooking!”, Persephone hummed, her eyes squeezed shut as she clutched a half-bitten potato in her fork. Hades topped up her glass once again , gods, why did he need her drunk?
“And how long have you been together?”.
Hades answered this time, smirking. “ About a year, the best year of my life”.
Yeah, you have enough life experience to claim it's the best, you pig.
We sat quietly again, focused on finishing our food before it went cold. I smiled at Persephone’s jumper, one that I bought her three Christmases ago when she was last with me. I also donned a jumper, berry red with reindeer. How Hades wasn’t freezing in just a shirt, I had no idea.
I moved to clear the plates, but Hades cleared his throat. “Please Demeter, you’ve catered so much for us, let me clean up”. He rose from his chair and rolled up his sleeves, stacking the cleared plates and organising the cutlery on the very top of the pile. He walked into the kitchen, and I thanked the gods as I heard running water through the door. I had a window of opportunity.
“Persephone”, I grabbed my daughter’s hand, “how old is that man?”.
She glanced down at the table, twirling a strand of hair with a pink nail. “Forty-two”.
I paled, the blood draining from my face. “He’s my age”.
She nodded, meeting my hazelnut eyes. Her eyes were almost identical to mine, but differently coloured. When I focused on her, it was like looking into a mirror of the past. Though, when I was her age, she was already a child. It was gut-wrenching, it seemed like it was both just yesterday and an age ago.
“I love him, please give him a chance”, she begged, biting her lip, “we’re happy”.
“Would you like me to bring dessert in?”, Hades called through the door. I shook my head slightly, shocked that my brain blocked out the tap shutting off.
“Please”, I shouted back. Anything to scrape a few extra moments with my daughter.
“Please stay here tonight. It must be more comfortable than a boxy little apartment, or sharing a bed with him”, it was my turn to beg, one step away from dropping to my knees and pleading with her.
She giggled again, interrupted by a mini hiccup. “I forgot to tell you! I bought a three-bed apartment in downtown Underworld, I’m not in a boxy little starter home anymore”.
Hades swung open the door with his hips, carrying all three plates at once. Did Persephone bring panettone into the kitchen earlier without me noticing? Two neat helpings of panettone and Christmas pudding were served on each plate, the latter drizzled in brandy cream. I barely had time to thank Hades before my daughter continued to explain in front of him.
“I bought the apartment just before we started dating actually, Hades helped me with the paperwork. I worked hard and saved up, just like you taught me, Mum”.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m proud of you, darling”.
Hades finally spoke up. “She deserved every penny. The second she joined my company, she completely obliterated the status quo. She joined every meeting she could slide into and was the only person who challenged me directly. She forced me to improve our sustainability both directly and in our supply chain, set up company-wide volunteering and corporate charitable donations, and offered new ways of working that skyrocketed our productivity. Not to mention everyone's morale was higher than ever with her kindness and bubbly personality”.
Hades then leaned over Persephone and kissed her hair, showing the first sign of affection this evening apart from their on-and off-hand holding. “She was nominated by her managers every time promotions came around, and climbed the ladder very quickly”.
My mouth was almost on the floor, the pudding at risk of falling out in a half-chewed mush. I covered my lips with my hand, buying me a few seconds to seize my courage while I swallowed my food. The dreaded question.
“Hades, what do you do for a living?”.
“I’m the founder of Underworld Corp, the company that makes Pomegranate Tech. My family came from money, so when I was twenty I invested it all into a business to sustain myself and my future family. My brothers did not do the same, and are still letting it waste away by doing nothing but partying”.
Just one more question, I had to be sure. I’m her mother.
“But Persephone has a biology degree. What was she hired to do?”, I challenged.
“We hire candidates from all backgrounds if they have the relevant experience. In Persephone’s case, she had significant experience in running simulations and data analysis from her thesis, so her manager at the time hired her as a junior programmer”, he explained, the words flowing smoothly. He knew the information like the back of his hand. More importantly, he didn’t hire her.
My relief was palpable. My daughter has a job in tech. She has her own, stable place without him. She isn’t trapped with him because she’s scraping by.
“Are you alright?”.
My vision was blurry as Persephone called out to me, I blinked frantically to refocus on our dinner. “Sorry, wine-brain”. I nursed my head with my arm, biting my lip as I hummed at the rush of emotions flooding through, teaming up with the alcohol to batter-ram my brain.
My daughter hugged me from behind, squeezing some life back into my bones. “I’ll go make us hot chocolate. I think we all need to warm and sober up”.
She left me alone with Hades, who drummed his fingers awkwardly on the table. “You look like you need a smoke”, he commented.
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t say that I disagree with you”.
He stuck a hand in his pocket, pulling out a thin leather case. Its texture was augmented by the candlelight, clearly holding some engraving on the inside of the case. I squinted my eyes at the words as he produced two cigars, but couldn’t distinguish the letters.
Once he cut the tip of the cigars, he handed me one, I used a discarded lighter from the candles to ignite it. He watched, only lighting his own once he saw that I was fine with smoking in my home.
“I understand why you are worried”, he said, voice low, “you are a good mum, you have the right to be unhappy with me”.
Shit. I wasn’t as inconspicuous as I thought.
“But please know, that I love your daughter more than all the multi-verses combined. I would never do anything to hurt her. I want to marry her one day”, he confessed, his previously stern face now vulnerable.
I finally let the last of the worry dissipate away. “You are a good man, Hades. It was just a very big shock”.
He chuckled, nodding his head in understanding.
We had some time alone, Persephone’s hot chocolates were always intricate. She’d heat the milk incredibly slowly, whip up double cream instead of using the squirty can, and top it with marshmallows and sprinkles.
“Let me settle your concerns, please Demeter”, he urged, his icy eyes wide like a puppy dog’s. He looked almost as if he was in physical pain. He wanted me to like him, I realised, he’d been nervous this entire evening. “I saw your face, how you phrased your questions all night. I know you thought I was taking advantage of her”.
“Why?”, the question fell from my lips.
“I told you earlier that she’d always challenge me, and would teach me new things in every meeting. Her positive attitude was refreshing. But it wasn’t only that, she was so kind. She sat with me every lunch, spoke to me like a friend and became my friend for three years. I told myself the same things you did, that I wasn’t right for her and that she deserved someone better than me. So, I promised myself that I wouldn’t make a move and be grateful for our friendship. We started dating a year ago when we walked into the apartment she bought and was so happy that she jumped up to kiss me. I’ve been in shock ever since that she continues to want me but she does, and that makes me the happiest and luckiest man in the cosmos”.
I processed his words, holding a beat of silence as I inhaled a deep puff of the cigar. “Welcome to the family”.
A Cheshire Cat smile spread across his face, all of his features lighting up.
“But!”, I held up a finger, watching his body freeze over in dread, “I know you are older, but no babies for a long , long time”.
He burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching his stomach. I mocked annoyance, exaggerating a huff and crossing my arms. “No”. he confirmed”.
“Hot chocolate!”.
Three mugs were haphazardly placed in front of us, some liquid spilling across the tablecloth as Persephone struggled with carrying all the mugs at once. My body relaxed, discarding the cigar as I looked fondly at the beverage. Whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles. Some things never change.
I tried not to choke again, watching as Persephone curled up in his lap instead of returning to her seat. As much as I approved of this man, I didn’t need the reminder of their PDA that they may be (almost definitely, if I was being realistic) sexually active.
“Thank you, my love”, Hades whispered, kissing her cheek. I just managed to catch his words, smiling as I watched the adoration he looked at my daughter with.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay tonight? You are both welcome”, I tried my luck.
Persephone shook her head. “It’s best if we head home, but I promise to visit more frequently”.
I raised an eyebrow. “You won’t disappear for three years again?”.
She shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck as she avoided my gaze. “At first, I was tied up with climbing the corporate ladder. I was so determined to make you proud. Then, I was worried about how you’d take the news of me dating”.
“You are both welcome here any time. Especially often”, I reiterated.
We finished our drinks. Standing up to embrace and extend our goodbyes for over half an hour. I even hugged Hades (gods, that man was freakishly tall) instead of shaking his hand.
“We’ll be back for New Year!”, Persephone waved goodbye as Hades opened the car door for her. He wasn’t lying about the money, it was hard to make out in the dark, but was that an Aston Martin?
I laughed as they drove off, fading away into the distance. Watching this range of emotions on the rest of the family at New Year was sure to be hilarious…