Persephone was crouched in a corner when Hades walked in, her eyes bloodshot like she had been crying. He felt his heart crash. He had been expecting a reaction like that from her but seeing it live made him rethink his actions. At the same time, he was reluctant to let her go.

He thought it could be possible to show her how much he cared about her. He had admitted that when it came to Persephone, he was a bit crazier than usual but she made him happy. He hadn't felt truly happy in a long time.

"I'll brought you some ambrosia", he said.

She glared at him, "I don't want anything from you"

"Would you rather starve then?"

She clenched her jaw and looked away from him, "I would much rather leave"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that"

She scoffed tiredly and then she sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"If you eat the ambrosia", he said, "then I can explain to you why you're here"

She looked up at him, "and why should I trust you?"

"You don't really have a lot of options, now do you?"

Hades sat across the table from Persephone, watching as she ate the ambrosia and drank the nectar slowly. She was a bit too slow for his liking but at least she was eating and it made him smile. she rose one brow when she noticed the smile on his face and swallowed quickly.

"You're Hades", she said, "brother of Zeus", she paused, "king of the underworld"

He placed his palm on the table, "how long did it take for you to figure that out?"

She took a sip of the nectar and shrugged, "not long"

He nodded and she studied him closely, "I've heard about you. The first son of the titan Cronos, locked away in the darkness. The humans fear you so much that they can't even risk saying your name out loud"

Hades sighed and shook his head. He had heard the tales the humans told themselves about him. He wondered where these stories had truly originated from. All he did was keep the souls in the underworld.

"They call you the Zeus of the underworld", Persephone said and he opened his eyes wide.

"What?!", his voice echoed around the room, "how dare they call me by my brother's name?"

She giggled and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"That doesn't seem fair", he muttered to himself.

"It doesn't", she shook her head, "you don't seem all that scary if you ask me"

He cocked his head at her, "I don't?"

She shook her head and took a bite out of the ambrosia.

Hades placed both elbows on the table in front of him and leaned in to stare closely at Persephone, "do you not fear my darkness?"

She mirrored his position and leaned in with a playful smirk on her face, "why would I?", she asked, "you haven't even seen mine yet"

He chuckled and she leaned back, grabbing the cup and drinking the rest of the nectar in it. the food had tasted better than she thought it would. She watched Hades as he fingers danced across the table, his gaze resting on it. He had a playful look in his eyes and she wondered why he was so feared in the upperworld. He looked pretty normal to her.

"So, what did my mother do to you?", she asked.

He looked up at her and furrowed his eyebrows, "your mother?"

"Yes"

"Nothing", he said in a confused tone.

She frowned, "so why am I here?"

His fingers stopped moving on the table and his face became rigid, "oh", he muttered. He looked away from her like a shy child and then he shook his head with a heavy sigh, "I=", he paused to stare at her, "-I want to make you my wife"

Persephone's eyes opened wide and she felt her heart race, "what?"

He opened his mouth like he was about to say more but then a man ran into the room and Hades frowned.

"Do you not see that I am busy Charon?", Hades asked.

The old man glanced at Persephone nervously and then bowed his head as he faced Hades, "my lord", he said in between shaky breaths, "forgive me"

"What is your excuse?"

"Cerberus caught two souls trying to escape, my lord", the man replied.

Persephone could now see why Hades was so feared. His already dark eyes darkened even more and the burning energy around him could be felt in the room. It made chills run down Persephone's spine. Hades stood quickly, toppling the chair he was sitting on and he turned to walk out of the room. The old man glanced at Persephone again before following his master.

She stood and followed them as well. They had entered the throne room. Persephone had noticed the throne room was the darkest part of the palace but flaming wooden sticks were held to the wall by holders, brightening it up a little. In the light, she saw Hades' gaze rest on her and he gestured for her to sit next to him as he took his seat on the throne.

Persephone hadn't noticed the second throne the last time she passed by the throne room- when she was trying to escape but then she wondered if she had just been too tired and preoccupied to notice. There was no way the god had specifically made a throne next to his for her., was there?

In front of them, two souls knelt- a man and a woman. They shivered, slight whimpers escaping their lips. Behind them, the three headed hound stood. Persephone could remember its name was Cerberus. It seemed preoccupied with placing its paw on one of its noses. She smiled at it.

"Charon, take Cerberus outside", Hades said and the old man bowed to him before leading the hound out of the palace.

"Who are you?", Hades' voice was cold. Persephone glanced at him. His face was rigid, his fists clenched.

The man kneeling in front looked up first, "I am Orpheus and this is my wife Eurydice"

"And how did you both die?"

Orpheus hesitated, "Eurydice was bitten by a viper"

"And you?"

He lowered his head, "I am still a living soul, lord"

Hades took a deep breath and the energy spread out through the room like wind, flapping the clothes of the man in front. It made Persephone stomach turn.

"You came into my home to take from me?", Hades asked.

"I'm sorry, m-my lord", Orpheus stuttered, "the g-gods, they g-gave me p-p-permission to take her"

"The gods!", Hades' voice boomed throughout the hall, "who do they think they are to decide who comes to my home and who leaves?". He clenched his fists, "nobody leaves the underworld", he said, "and you both will now see what I do to those who try"

Eurydice began to sob loudly and so did Orpheus. Persephone's heart ached as she stared at them. she felt sorry for them. When she glanced at Hades, she could see he had no intentions of sparing them but if she could help in anyway, she wanted to.

"Orpheus", she said quickly and the man looked up at her, "you are a musician, am I correct?"

Orpheus nodded briskly, "yes, my lady"

From the corner of her eye, Persephone could see Hades staring at her but she ignored him.

"I hear you are one of the very best", she said, "the humans sing your praises"

He smiled sadly.

"Can you sing to save your life?", she asked, "and that of your wife?"

"What do you think you're doing?", Hades asked angrily.

She turned to him, "he did what any man would do for the woman he loves", she said, "go against rules to have her with him", she eyed him, "you, of all people should understand"

Hades grimaced and Persephone wondered if her words really affected him. She sighed, "let him sing, my lord", she said, "if you like it, you let them go and if you don't like it, you may punish them however way you deem it fit"

Hades stared at her gravely. "Please", she added and he closed his eyes.

"Of all the things you could ask of me", he opened his eyes, "you ask for this?"

She nodded and smiled.

'Very well", he waved his hand.

Persephone sighed in relief as she turned back to stare at Orpheus, "remember, your life with your wide depends on this performance"

Persephone was sure Orpheus sang in the best notes he could sing in, with the smoothest voice he could muster and that he put on the most beautiful performance he had ever put on because he was doing it for a different reason than he had to all his life- the woman kneeling next to him, his wife, Eurydice.

As Persephone listened, she watched Hades' facial expressions. In the beginning, he looked serious and still so angry that she feared he may end up punishing them but them a look of amusement flashed in his eyes and his straight lips twitched at the corners. He was soon calm, subtle, not the god she had heard stories of and witnessed earlier but someone different- someone who wanted to make her his wife.

She looked away from him and back at Orpheus. Then she glanced around the hall. Whatever happened, she could not be his wife or queen. She had responsibilities in the upperworld. She was the goddess of spring. How could the goddess of spring rule in such a dark place where death reigned?

Orpheus' song came to an end and he waited nervously for the god to speak. Hades' face was once again, serious and Eurydice stood, slipping her fingers in between those of her husband. Hades stared at them and then he glanced briefly at Persephone.

He turned back to them, "it was a beautiful song", he said, "and I will grant you freedom"

Persephone sighed in relief and smiled at him as the couple embraced each other cheerfully.

"Thank you, my lord", they both said in unison.

Hades nodded gravely, "I will create a path for you to cross back into the upperworld", he said, "but you must not look back until you are both out, that is my only order"

They both nodded quickly.

Hades turned to Persephone, "are you happy?"

She cocked her head, "for them?", he nodded, "yes", she said, "but why can't they look back?"

He stared at her thoughtfully, "it's a waste to look back at the darkness from whence we came while we're moving forward", he said, "we must only look back when we're in a better place"

He smiled at her and she smiled back before he turned to face the couple- because he looked like a different Hades, not the one who had forcefully kidnapped her or the one she had heard about in stories but a different Hades with a heart that at the very least, understood love.