Hades's Arc

Chapter 1 of 10

Hades walked the dark halls of his palace alone. The season was turning above, and he could feel the pull already tugging at Persephone like a tide. He would not lose her again. Not this time. He lifted the golden helm from its stand and slid it over his brow. The world fell away from him. Unseen, he passed his guards and crossed the threshold into the gardens, where his bride knelt among black blooms, unaware of his presence. He watched her a long moment. She pressed a hand to her chest, wincing. Her mother's grief was reaching for her. He removed the helm. Persephone gasped, then smiled. "Stay," he said. "Not by season. By law. By your own word." He led her to the new pavilion he had built, its red glass burning above them. There, beneath the dome, he had placed a throne of obsidian beside his own, and a tall black statue of the two of them locked in a kiss. He offered her a scroll, and a reed dipped in ink. "Sign, and no god may pull you from here." Persephone took the reed. Her hand did not shake. She pressed her name into the page, and the stone beneath their feet warmed. The contract sealed itself with a soft red light. She was bound now — not by force, but by choice. Far above, a mother's scream split the cold sky.