Chapter 16

                                    

                                          
Persephone laced his fingers with his wife's and stood closer to her as they descended to the world below. He mused on how different his return was compared to his first visit. Then, Hades had frightened him with her manic actions and unnerving silence. Now, he felt a welcome calm settle over him in the quiet darkness of Erebus, seeing nothing and feeling nothing but her hand in his.
Hades did not have to see her husband to know how his time in the world above had changed him. She could feel the sun's warmth radiating off him, as if his skin has absorbed more than it could hold. He smelled of grass, wildflowers, and the river. She wished she could have seen him more on Earth: in his element, where his power was strongest and well practiced. But she was so delighted that he was willing to share her power, to be here, to love her, she found herself unusually emotional.
Returning to their palace, she was amused to see him take in the splendor of it as if for the first time. Considering she had nearly dragged him through it initially, she regretted that he to discover most of it on his own later. Their kingdom was a beautiful place, and she was glad he could see it.
Once she shut their bedroom door behind her, Hades turned to face him, the energy between them palpable. He gave her a shy, expectant half grin, and that was enough to undo her. She threw her arms around him, pulling him by the neck towards her and kissed him like they might take him back at any moment. When he did pull away, his dazzling smile and the tender look in his eyes made her insides feel soft. He hugged her tightly to his body, nuzzling his face into her neck.
"I missed you so much Hades," he admitted with a shaky voice, the joyful relief of the reunion suddenly overwhelming him, as if all the months of longing were crashing down on him at once. "It was really hard to be away from you for so long."
"I know my love," she replied, rubbing her hands up and down his back. "It was the same for me." He pulled away a little to face her.
"Will you come to visit me, next time? So it isn't so long?"
Hades felt guilty he even had to ask. She had tried disconnecting herself from her feelings and memories entirely in an attempt to survive the past six months, when she should have been trying to find a way to see him without breaking her agreement with Demeter.
"I want to. I just worry that your mother might say I'm in violation of--"
"I asked Zeus if that would be okay," he offered helpfully. "And she said it was." A slow smile came across Hades' face.
"You did?"
"Yes," he admitted sheepishly. "As long as my mother could see me here too."
"She can visit you here," Hades easily conceded. The idea of getting to visit him made the next half of her eternal life much less bleak. "And so can you, anytime you want." He beamed. One of the many things Hades loved about Persephone was how easily he could be made happy.
"I would hate to think of you here all alone..." he began, running his finger along the neckline of her dress. "Having to take all your clothes off yourself..."
"Well as king, it is certainly one of your responsibilities," she informed him, smirking at his attempt to play coy. "If you're up it, of course."
"I think I could manage it," he answered, starting to circle her.
Her dark eyes followed him until he stood behind her, his long fingers tracing down her back to where the dress tied together, carefully pulling apart the ties until the cloth slid off of her. She turned around to face him, her look saying all the suggestive things her words didn't.
His gaze didn't stay on her eyes for long. His eyes swept across her bare body, and whatever clever or complimentary thing he meant to say evaporated in his throat. She was more stunning than he remembered and her confidence aroused him. She stood tall, her eyes daring him to do something about it. Most gods he knew above seemed to want mortal women or nymphs that would make them feel powerful by being passive, meek, and innocent. Hades was none of those things and he was never more glad for it. She was strong and made him feel strong, and the way she looked at him now made him feel like he could do anything.