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badass_tiger) wrote2024-12-09 06:35 pm
badass_tiger) wrote2024-12-09 06:35 pm
Entry tags:
Warmth Under (Greek Mythology)
Title: Warmth Under
Prompt: Gift
Fandom: Greek Mythology
Pairing: Hades/Persephone
Summary: Persephone finds gifts prepared for her in the Underworld.
It was difficult to keep track of the passage of time in the Underworld, so far underneath the Earth where the light of the sun never penetrated. But whenever Persephone suspected that an amount of time that equated to a day had passed, she would peek outside her door, and upon seeing only passing servants, crept outside to walk around the House of Hades.
Truthfully, she was no longer afraid of Hades. He had not done anything to frighten her since taking her into his realm. Perhaps the only reason she skulked around the House anymore was out of habit, but she remained reluctant to see him, and he seemed content to leave her alone. Hades' actions were a mystery to her, she who had been told all her life that if she were ever to become involved with a man, would mean the death of dignity and freedom. Of course, she was a prisoner in the Underworld, but she didn't seem to be a prisoner in the House.
All was silent as Persephone walked the halls, at first wary, then increasingly boldly as no one stopped her or sent her back to her room. The Underworld was always dark, no matter when she ventured outside her door, yet she could see about her as easily as if it was day time. Nor was it the fact due to the flames that flickered all about the walls, reflecting off the magnificent pillars and the beautiful jewels embedded within the very walls. The darkness in the Underworld was simply of a different nature to the darkness of the night that covered the world above.
After some time, Persephone became tired of her explorations, and found her way back to her room. This time, however, something had changed inside. She stopped at the door, afraid of the minute change she had detected within. Then her eyes alighted on the table and she gasped in surprise. In a small crystal vase were three beautiful flower buds.
Above the earth where she lived with her mother, she was used to seeing hundreds upon thousands of flowers, bursting into bloom at the mere sight of her or the goddess Demeter, yet the three buds before her had a beauty she had never imagined for being in a place as strange to her as the Underworld. Persephone smiled as she reached out to the buds, which instantly flowered at her touch. The mere sight of something living in the realm of the dead soothed some of her anxieties away. She stroked the velvety petals and wondered how they had come to be there. Someone had placed them in her room while she had been away, surely. Her heart beat a little quicker as she wondered if it had been Hades. Was this a gift for her? To make her feel at ease?
Some time later, perhaps two or three days later, Persephone left her room once again. Her nervousness was almost entirely gone by now, to be replaced with a monotony edging into boredom. Ever since Hades brought her to the Underworld, she had been tended to by servants, the ghosts of long dead queens or princesses from distant lands. Their company was the one thing that broke up the tedium of the unchanging nights in the Underworld, but they also had the effect of making her wish for company more suited to herself. She was a goddess, after all, the daughter of Olympians Zeus and Demeter. Slowly, she was beginning to admit to herself that she wanted to see Hades, even if only to confirm her suspicions that she should hate and fear him.
As she stepped through corridors, she sensed a difference in the air, like the time she had found flowers in her room, but stronger and more marked. The very air seemed different, fresh and invigorating. Following her senses, she rushed through the House, until the space abruptly opened up in front of her and Persephone found herself blinking as if in sunlight.
Before her, in a clearing outside of the House that had not existed before, Persephone stared around her at what was unmistakably a garden. She walked down the steps slowly. It was not much of a garden, not yet, but that only meant that it was waiting for someone to fashion it to one's liking. A fountain bubbled in the centre, the water reflecting something like light, although Persephone knew that it was not the sun. She touched the marble and shivered at the cold. Then she crouched down next a bush with small leaves, just beginning to push out its first buds. At her silent command, its buds swelled and burst into flower, and she smiled.
Persephone wandered around the garden, smiling and looking at all the living things there, touching them and coaxing forth their flowers. Some of the trees felt older, as if they had stood there for a long time, or perhaps they had been moved from some other place in the realm to this garden. She marvelled at the fact that trees could grow so big and strong here. Reaching up, she took a heavy fruit into her hands and considered eating it, but something made her stop. Perhaps it was the feeling that this garden didn't belong to her, and its true owner might be angry if she took their fruit without permission.
She had almost finished circling the garden when she detected that someone else had entered it, someone alive, whose presence commanded the attention of everyone in its vicinity. Persephone paused in her steps. Looking up, she saw the dark figure at the garden entrance, simply standing there. She was still half-afraid to speak to him, but when he made no movements for some time, she was emboldened to come up to him.
Hades' eyes, glowing like embers in the darkness, followed her. Persephone approached him with her head held high, determined to be the image of dignity and composure.
'Good evening, Persephone,' he addressed her. His deep voice seemed to resonate through the ground under their feet and up through her body. That was the only reason she shivered, she told herself.
'Good evening,' she said. She wasn't quite sure how to address him.
'Is the garden to your satisfaction?' Hades said after a moment of silence had passed between them.
'It's pretty,' she said.
'If it is lacking in any way, you may request it of me or the servants. It will be brought to you as quickly as possible.'
'Is this garden for me?'
'Yes.'
'Why?'
'You are to live here, so it should be made as comfortable and pleasing to you as it can be.'
Persephone paused to allow his works to sink in. 'I am to live here?' she said. 'Is that why you brought me here?'
'I brought you here to make you my wife.'
His intentions were everything she had been taught to fear, but nothing fearsome had happened to her yet. All the same, she said, 'You have no right to take me away from my mother.'
'Do I not? Not even with the permission of your father, the lord of the skies?'
She stared at him, too surprised to speak. Her first instinct was that he was lying, but in truth, she didn't know anything about Zeus. Demeter had carefully shielded her from the gods on Olympus and Demeter's own tales of her brothers were frightful enough. It might well be the truth.
'I have no wish to trouble you tonight,' Hades said, lifting his gaze from her to look out at the grounds of his House. 'You are the mistress of this House now so you may go wherever you please or request anything you wish. I only wished to look at the garden seeing as the servants finished preparing it the night before.'
Before Persephone could think of anything else to say, he left. She remained standing in the garden for some time afterwards, feeling strange. Everything in the Underworld was strange and alien, not least of all its master. And she was to live here as his wife? She, whose domain was everything that grew above the earth? It was almost too absurd to even think of. Yet the only thing Persephone could think of as she returned to her room was that Hades had gone through great lengths to please her, and she couldn't think why.
Prompt: Gift
Fandom: Greek Mythology
Pairing: Hades/Persephone
Summary: Persephone finds gifts prepared for her in the Underworld.
It was difficult to keep track of the passage of time in the Underworld, so far underneath the Earth where the light of the sun never penetrated. But whenever Persephone suspected that an amount of time that equated to a day had passed, she would peek outside her door, and upon seeing only passing servants, crept outside to walk around the House of Hades.
Truthfully, she was no longer afraid of Hades. He had not done anything to frighten her since taking her into his realm. Perhaps the only reason she skulked around the House anymore was out of habit, but she remained reluctant to see him, and he seemed content to leave her alone. Hades' actions were a mystery to her, she who had been told all her life that if she were ever to become involved with a man, would mean the death of dignity and freedom. Of course, she was a prisoner in the Underworld, but she didn't seem to be a prisoner in the House.
All was silent as Persephone walked the halls, at first wary, then increasingly boldly as no one stopped her or sent her back to her room. The Underworld was always dark, no matter when she ventured outside her door, yet she could see about her as easily as if it was day time. Nor was it the fact due to the flames that flickered all about the walls, reflecting off the magnificent pillars and the beautiful jewels embedded within the very walls. The darkness in the Underworld was simply of a different nature to the darkness of the night that covered the world above.
After some time, Persephone became tired of her explorations, and found her way back to her room. This time, however, something had changed inside. She stopped at the door, afraid of the minute change she had detected within. Then her eyes alighted on the table and she gasped in surprise. In a small crystal vase were three beautiful flower buds.
Above the earth where she lived with her mother, she was used to seeing hundreds upon thousands of flowers, bursting into bloom at the mere sight of her or the goddess Demeter, yet the three buds before her had a beauty she had never imagined for being in a place as strange to her as the Underworld. Persephone smiled as she reached out to the buds, which instantly flowered at her touch. The mere sight of something living in the realm of the dead soothed some of her anxieties away. She stroked the velvety petals and wondered how they had come to be there. Someone had placed them in her room while she had been away, surely. Her heart beat a little quicker as she wondered if it had been Hades. Was this a gift for her? To make her feel at ease?
Some time later, perhaps two or three days later, Persephone left her room once again. Her nervousness was almost entirely gone by now, to be replaced with a monotony edging into boredom. Ever since Hades brought her to the Underworld, she had been tended to by servants, the ghosts of long dead queens or princesses from distant lands. Their company was the one thing that broke up the tedium of the unchanging nights in the Underworld, but they also had the effect of making her wish for company more suited to herself. She was a goddess, after all, the daughter of Olympians Zeus and Demeter. Slowly, she was beginning to admit to herself that she wanted to see Hades, even if only to confirm her suspicions that she should hate and fear him.
As she stepped through corridors, she sensed a difference in the air, like the time she had found flowers in her room, but stronger and more marked. The very air seemed different, fresh and invigorating. Following her senses, she rushed through the House, until the space abruptly opened up in front of her and Persephone found herself blinking as if in sunlight.
Before her, in a clearing outside of the House that had not existed before, Persephone stared around her at what was unmistakably a garden. She walked down the steps slowly. It was not much of a garden, not yet, but that only meant that it was waiting for someone to fashion it to one's liking. A fountain bubbled in the centre, the water reflecting something like light, although Persephone knew that it was not the sun. She touched the marble and shivered at the cold. Then she crouched down next a bush with small leaves, just beginning to push out its first buds. At her silent command, its buds swelled and burst into flower, and she smiled.
Persephone wandered around the garden, smiling and looking at all the living things there, touching them and coaxing forth their flowers. Some of the trees felt older, as if they had stood there for a long time, or perhaps they had been moved from some other place in the realm to this garden. She marvelled at the fact that trees could grow so big and strong here. Reaching up, she took a heavy fruit into her hands and considered eating it, but something made her stop. Perhaps it was the feeling that this garden didn't belong to her, and its true owner might be angry if she took their fruit without permission.
She had almost finished circling the garden when she detected that someone else had entered it, someone alive, whose presence commanded the attention of everyone in its vicinity. Persephone paused in her steps. Looking up, she saw the dark figure at the garden entrance, simply standing there. She was still half-afraid to speak to him, but when he made no movements for some time, she was emboldened to come up to him.
Hades' eyes, glowing like embers in the darkness, followed her. Persephone approached him with her head held high, determined to be the image of dignity and composure.
'Good evening, Persephone,' he addressed her. His deep voice seemed to resonate through the ground under their feet and up through her body. That was the only reason she shivered, she told herself.
'Good evening,' she said. She wasn't quite sure how to address him.
'Is the garden to your satisfaction?' Hades said after a moment of silence had passed between them.
'It's pretty,' she said.
'If it is lacking in any way, you may request it of me or the servants. It will be brought to you as quickly as possible.'
'Is this garden for me?'
'Yes.'
'Why?'
'You are to live here, so it should be made as comfortable and pleasing to you as it can be.'
Persephone paused to allow his works to sink in. 'I am to live here?' she said. 'Is that why you brought me here?'
'I brought you here to make you my wife.'
His intentions were everything she had been taught to fear, but nothing fearsome had happened to her yet. All the same, she said, 'You have no right to take me away from my mother.'
'Do I not? Not even with the permission of your father, the lord of the skies?'
She stared at him, too surprised to speak. Her first instinct was that he was lying, but in truth, she didn't know anything about Zeus. Demeter had carefully shielded her from the gods on Olympus and Demeter's own tales of her brothers were frightful enough. It might well be the truth.
'I have no wish to trouble you tonight,' Hades said, lifting his gaze from her to look out at the grounds of his House. 'You are the mistress of this House now so you may go wherever you please or request anything you wish. I only wished to look at the garden seeing as the servants finished preparing it the night before.'
Before Persephone could think of anything else to say, he left. She remained standing in the garden for some time afterwards, feeling strange. Everything in the Underworld was strange and alien, not least of all its master. And she was to live here as his wife? She, whose domain was everything that grew above the earth? It was almost too absurd to even think of. Yet the only thing Persephone could think of as she returned to her room was that Hades had gone through great lengths to please her, and she couldn't think why.